iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 8h

Reviews like this give me life 😅 and make me wanna keep writing!! #amwriting #booksky

Graphic from a review of the Born in Malice audiobook. Black text in light purple banner reads:
Born Of Malice by Xan Van Rooyen

BORN OF MALICE GRABBED ME BY THE THROAT.
DARK, MESSY, DELICIOUSLY FUCKED UP, AND SOMEHOW HAD ME ROOTING FOR DECISIONS I WOULD NEVER DEFEND IN COURT. XAN VAN ROOYEN... WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU PUT IN THIS BOOK?!
BECAUSE | INHALED IT.

The book cover is on the right of the image against a beige background.

Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 13h

BORN OF MALICE is now available wherever you buy books! You can also join me online tomorrow for a reading, Q&A, and giveaway by signing up at the link here: links.ruadanbooks.com/BOMLaunch #booksky #amreading #newrelease

Photo of the author (white, brown haired, nonbinary person with short hair flopped over to the right) wearing a black hoodie holding a paperback copy of Born of Malice, staring directly into the camera.

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 13h

BORN OF MALICE IS FINALLY HERE!! 🎊🎊🎊 Happy Book Birthday to me!! #amreading #booksky

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Born of Malice comes out TOMORROW!!!

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Reposted by Xan van Rooyen

Ruadán Books @ruadanbooks.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Meet the factions of @xanwriter.bsky.social's BORN OF MALICE, coming 10.02.26! Fun fact: Savat may or may not have a sleeping god underneath it. Pre-order in your favorite format from your favorite bookstore! Or direct for a neat set of character art cards: links.ruadanbooks.com/BOM #BookSky

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I hope to see you online this Sunday! I can't wait to chat about my book and answer all your questions. #amreading #booksky

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Ruadán Books @ruadanbooks.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Meet the factions of @xanwriter.bsky.social's BORN OF MALICE, out 10.02.26! The Sodality is no one's idea of a good time. Find this dark epic fantasy in paperback, ebook, & audio formats wherever books are sold. Order direct, get art cards: links.ruadanbooks.com/BOM #BookSky #darkfantasy

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Please join me online at 21:00 Helsinki time October 4th for the launch of Born of Malice, my brand new Afrocentric dark fantasy novel which comes out next week!! Register here: links.ruadanbooks.com/BOMLaunch #amreading #booksky

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

There is nothing more validating as an author than having a reader tell you a character you wrote made them feel seen! This is why I write. This is why I write queer and neurodivergent characters, and why I will never stop! #amwriting

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

When an author you greatly admire blurbs your book 😍😍😍 #booksky

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

The best part about participating in cons like LACon and now the @flightsoffoundry.bsky.social event has been how much I've learned from my fellow panelists! So many new books added to my TBR pile, so many new organisations to support, so many new awesome creatives to follow! I am so very grateful!

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CL Hellisen @clhellisen.com · 20/09/2026

Book 23 Exquisite Decay - @xanwriter.bsky.social's extremely queer YA cyberpunk retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray. And I very much enjoyed - I'm a sucker for the cyber-hedonistic aesthetic, the non-binary prinxes, the cruelty of humanity, and the flicker of revolution

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

As always, such a blast getting to chat about all things @sauutiverse.bsky.social

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Thank you for the fabulous chat about genre bending today for @flightsoffoundry.bsky.social If you missed it, you can watch the recording on the Flights of Foundry website. Cheers to @genni.bsky.social @stephenembleton.bsky.social and @nerinedorman.bsky.social for an awesome discussion. #booksky

A screenshot from the Flights of Foundry panel on Genre bedning in Afrocentric speculative fiction featuring the four panelists. Top left: Nerine Dorman; top right: Stephen Embleton; bottom left Xan van Rooyen; bottom right: Eugen Bacon.

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Three-Lobed Burning Eye magazine @3lobedmag.com · 18/09/2026

We won’t get any funds if we don’t reach our goal in the next 12 days. For the love of horror, fantasy, and science fiction—back us so we can bring you more stories in 2027! kck.st/4x4r1oz

A bar chart showing 42%, along with the 3LBE masthead

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Such a great month of reading for me and I'm so glad to share:

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Let me state loudly and unequivocally that I am VEHEMENTLY opposed to the use of genAI for creative endeavours. To be explicit, if you use AI to 'write' a book for you, please don't expect me to read it, let alone blurb it. Is this clear now? #booksky

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Ruadán Books @ruadanbooks.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Meet the major players from @xanwriter.bsky.social's BORN OF MALICE, a dark epic fantasy out 10.2.26. Demigods & their devotees don't play by the rules in this political powder keg of a city by the sea. Brace yourself & hold onto reality—if you can. Pre-order: links.ruadanbooks.com/BOM #BookSky

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

When you're home sick, barely slept, and feel like garbage but still want to be productive because you feel guilty for not accomplishing the things on your to-do list because you now have time to do them 😣🙃

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

I'll be participating in the Flights of Foundry event this weekend! Check out my schedule below... All the events are held online so you can join in from anywhere in the world. All times below are in Helsinki time. flights-of-foundry.org #booksky #flightsoffoundry

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Ruadán Books @ruadanbooks.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

When the children of Death argue, things get... messy. And you get one captivating, epic family drama, according to @saranorja.bsky.social. @xanwriter.bsky.social's BORN OF MALICE is out October 2, 2026. 🔗 links.ruadanbooks.com/BOM #BookSky #darkfantasy

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

If you're a fan of stories focused on familial relationships, check out the titles below: Born of Malice is on the list! My dark fantasy novel all about factious siblings trying not to end the world - even though they'd like to end each other - comes out Oct 2! books.bookfunnel.com/fantasyfamil...

books.bookfunnel.com

Family Ties: Fantasy With Strong Family Bonds (September 2026)

Searching for your next favorite story? Look no further! These bestselling authors have teamed up to offer a delightful selection of new books. Available for a limited time.

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Cannot wait for you to meet my demigod protagonists, Chaos and Nightmare, as they're forced to set aside past grievances in order save an ancient city steeped in magic from certain destruction... #booksky #amreading

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

As someone who loves audiobooks, I am so happy Born of Malice is now available as an audiobook too!! You can get the ALC on Netgalley or pre-order from wherever you get your audiobooks! #booksky #audiobooks

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Just wrapped up my final WorldCon event, moderated by @kashinggiwa.bsky.social - it was an excellent panel and perfect way to end a brilliant weekend. I learned so much & got to meet some amazing, inspiring writers. Thank you to everyone who tuned in virtually and to @laworldcon.bsky.social ❤️

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

There's a massive indie book sale happening right now! If you wanna support indie authors, please consider picking up a title or two... indiebook.sale #booksky

indiebook.sale

Narratess Indie August Sale

Narratess Indie Book Sale

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Oof, I have a dilemma! Do I pursue this vampire story and develop it into the novella/novel it could be, or do I restructure it into a short story to fit the word count of a specific anthology call? I am so torn! I see this story's potential but it was meant to be 10k words 😭 #amwriting

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The Sauúti Collective @sauutiverse.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

JOIN US @laworldcon.bsky.social! The African Speculative Fiction Society Presents: The Sauúti Collective: A New Model for Creative Worldbuilding Virtual 1 (Online) 10:30 PDT (18:30 BST) with Cheryl Ntumy, J. Umeh, @stephenembleton.bsky.social (moderator), @wtalabi.com and @xanwriter.bsky.social

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

But like... This was meant to be a vampire romance story but suddenly riots, rebellion, disrupting the status quo, eating the rich (literally) - why Brain, why must we always!? 🙃 #amwriting

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

I added almost 2k words to the vampire story today. At just over 5k words, I'm about half way which should work out perfectly since the word limit is 12k! 😊 #amwriting

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Finally! This anthology has been a long time in the making, but it is now available wherever you buy books! My horror-ecopunk story, Cardinal Theorem of Somnambulistic Interpolation, included this collection of Nordic weird fiction, is inspired by real events in Kiruna, Sweden. #booksky #amreading

The cover of the anthology Nordic - a collection of Nordicweird fiction published by Sentinel Creatives. The cover is a pinkish-purple and features two ravens in the foreground with foliage, a distorted, overgrown cityscape in the middle-ground and a troll's face with a wolf and serpent in the sky above between clouds of flame.

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

This time next week, WorldCon in LA will be in full swing and I'm so grateful to be able to participate virtually! I'll be on 5 panels and I'll also be hosting a Table Talk and Virtual Reading. I hope to see you there! #booksky #worldcon #lacon

Saturday, 29 August, 12:00 PDT
(22:00 EEST)
Virtual Table Talk

Join me for a chat about writing dark tales, heavy metal, tattoos, writing and publishing while neuroqueer, collaborative writing and world-building, how to balance work and writing as a part time author, why peanut butter is life, as well as loads of other fun and quirky topics!

Sunday, 30 August, 09:40 PDT
(19:40 EEST)
Virtual Reading

I’ll be reading an exclusive excerpt from my forthcoming neuroqueer, Afrocentric, dark fantasy novel Born of Malice!

Thursday, 27 August, 09:00 PDT
(19:00 EEST)
More Than Subtext: Celebrating Queer Characters in SF/F

Friday, 28 August, 06:00 PDT
(16:00 EEST)
Mysticism and the Supernatural in African Science Fiction

Saturday, 29 August, 09:00 PDT
(19:00 EEST)
Writing Neurodivergence

Saturday, 29 August, 10:30 PDT
(20:30 EEST)
The Sauúti Collective: A New Model for Creative Worldbuilding

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The Sauúti Collective @sauutiverse.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

The Applied African SF book is out, from Ping Press in collaboration with BSFA Vector, the ASFS, with many contributors including fellow Sauútis: @wtalabi.com, @xanwriter.bsky.social, @genni.bsky.social + two Sauúti-based shorts from J. Umeh and @stephenembleton.bsky.social bit.ly/AppliedAfric...

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

When one of your favourite authors reads your book and has such kind and lovely things to say about it 😱 ❤️ 🎊 This has absolutely made my WEEK!! @tinyghostpress.bsky.social #booksky

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Ah, look it!! So thrilled that my story set in the city I grew up is included in this fabulous anthology! #amwriting #booksky

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

You know what really grinds my gears - when a publisher just silently vanishes into the ether without saying a word about their dissolution, leaving authors not knowing what's happening to contracted stories! Absolutely infuriating! #amwriting

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I'm writing a vampire short story so of course I'm doing research about rare-earth metals, best mining practices, and tidally locked exoplanets 😆 #amwriting

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

When you were meant to be planning an 8-10k short story and now have enough world-building and conflict for an entire novel. Well... whoops ? #amwriting

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

And the revisions are done!! 320 pages. 81 505 words. The new YA horror novel is now complete and ready to be seen by others! #amwriting

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

I have thirty pages left to revise of this YA horror novel! Plan is to get it done before the end of the month. I think I'll do it 😍 😎 #amwriting

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

For those partial to ARCs, you can find my book on Netgalley and Edelweiss! (link in bio and below) #booksky #amreading

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

This is all about how I use music in my writing process... #booksky #amwriting

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Thank you for all the offers of beta reading, but I already have awesome writing buddies/beta readers so I'm not looking for new ones right now.

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

I have now revised 100 of 300 pages of this new YA novel and I am still very much in love with this story 😍 Gonna need some beta readers to tell me whether it's rubbish or not though 😆 #amwriting

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Xan van Rooyen @xanwriter.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

FinnCon was awesome! Getting to be on a panel with Adrian Tchaikovsky was incredible. Thank you @saranorja.bsky.social for moderating our discussion! My presentation about @sauutiverse.bsky.social also went super well & I sold lots of books. Already looking forward to next year! 😍 #booksky

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