First real dive into this whole cult thing. The Girls by Emma Cline. It was one hell of a ride and... as a mother, I'm terrified.

More reading in 2026! The how and what of my impending year.

Negative Relationship Arcs: The Beats of Separation I'm trying to figure out how relationship beats work for negative relationship arcs... got any resources?

OMG it 100% is and now I understand my younger years so much better.

Does anyone have beat resources for relationship arcs that are negative/growing apart as opposed to positive/growing together? I'd love to see some examples of beat sheets for relationships about leaving abuse, going through divorce etc.

Using Awards Lists As a RA Tool: Awards for Titles You May Have Missed Edition: raforall.blogspot.com/2026/01/usin...

Emmie's reviews are so insightful, picking out themes of a writer's short work.

Where do you go to talk about books? Not just review and read reviews, but to have a back and forth? I am looking at Storygraph's buddy reads, but they seem underused? Fable looks cool but I just can't type out thoughtful responses on my phone. Perhaps I need to join a book club?

This is me parenting every day. And it is terrifying.

I've decided I want to be off social media and talking about books more this year. I'm going to try giving story graph a go. I made a buddy read for my first book of the year, The Girls by Emma Cline

A look back at online communication in my life. I think it might be time to pull the plug on most of it.

Emmie is doing a series of short fiction reviews on ink foundry. Each week she looks at a different author. This is an amazing series to follow to get to know shorts and the people writing them. (This week is me, but go back on the timeline for others and look forward to more)

New week, new author thread! I am forging ahead with @kojiadae.bsky.social's body of work. Starting off with "Hook and Line" A medium on a spaceship struggles to pass down her craft before she joins spirits trailing the spacecraft. inkfoundry.net/review/why-y...

EuropaSF (over on FB) gave an intro to the Philip K. Dick Award nominees this year, and they were all baller intros... but mine made me cry. I feel so seen :)

This is so out of my wheelhouse. My 12 year old is struggling in school. We are in the Bulgarian school system, where kids daily hit and kick each other with no consequences, and the classrooms are loud and difficult to learn in.

My current wip has the potential to be powerful about ai and social media and desire and self. And I’m in draft four where things are getting super delicate and I can break it all. And as a writer, that’s terrifying.

Someone just mentioned it is the second week of 2026. And no. Just no. I am way too emotionally exhausted for this to be a year. (From both good and bad things)

Causal Nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award: I’m a bit Flabbergasted I woke up this morning to some exciting news: Casual has been nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award. What followed was a few hours of shock and excitement and a whole lot of not working at work. (Sorry, I'll make up for it).…

I'm realizing a lot of my older work is no longer available online. I want to make sure it's available to readers. This one is close to my heart these days.

I am so thrilled and humbled that Casual is in this list among other writers who I look up to.

I got a sneak peek at this one and can confirm -- it's an excellent read.

Life as an author: Look up a youtube video of the audio of doors opening and closing... listen for twenty minutes... still can't find the right word for a sentence that doesn't sound quite right. Use snick. Highlight it. Go back. Listen again. She shut the door.

I went down to the river to pray… The River Flannery O'Conner

Me: Why can't my weird little books make it big? #conformitygate happens Me: Nevermind... I'm fine being small potatoes/

The Devil's Daughter By Katee Robert (Thriller/Romance)

No kids, no work, two days of writing.

When I'm writing novels, I do a full pass to add in each arc/thread. 0 Draft: a basic idea... by the end, I might know the MC's emotional arc. Add that in, get to the end, and I realize I need another plot thread to support their arc. Back to the beginning. Thirty drafts later, I have a novel. Easy.

Dissecting Cults In Fiction Intro to cults in literature part II: genre expectations and what I'm looking for in my readings.

I love Helen’s illustrations for Casual. (Secretly I just love all of Helen’s illustrations…)

I love writing and an entirely unexpected scene just... appears. And it is unplanned. And strange. And beautiful.

A Final Nod: The Surviving Girls As I transition away from my serial killer obsession and into the world of cults, I decided to read one final book: The Surviving Girls by Katee Robert. I am a huge Katee Robert fan, but mostly for the Dark Olympus series. I didn't even know she had this series of…

Starting a deep dive into cult literature...

Last year my reading focused on the serial killer in fiction. It was so satisfying to have most of my books centered on the same topic and to see the conversation in literature over the years. Next year, I've decided to do cults in fiction, and I'm looking for suggestions.

CASUAL by @kojiadae.bsky.social (science fiction, dystopia): more people need to read that book. I'm serious.

Casual by @kojiadae.bsky.social from @tenebrouspress.bsky.social Technically sci-fi but a STUNNING parable about class and bodily autonomy featuring a woman forced to choose between her unborn child and the gaming app that controls her mental health

December Update: No Snow, But Plenty of Books My kids are starting to freak out that it's mid-December and there's no snow in our sleepy mountain town. I'm starting to freak out that our town doesn't feel so sleepy anymore. It feels like every day there's more traffic, less parking, and more…

Congrats to @kojiadae.bsky.social whose extraordinary Weird SF novel CASUAL made this @lithub.com.web.brid.gy roundup of some of the best, overlooked books of the year! lithub.com/memory-rehab...

New-to-me names on this list that are going on my TBR list -- @kojiadae.bsky.social and @arealmattgreene.bsky.social . Thanks, @zutsuit.bsky.social uit.bsky.social lithub.com/memory-rehab...

I’ve got no way to really “sell” Casual as a holiday buy… but the people at Lit Hub seem to like it, so maybe you will too lithub.com/memory-rehab...

Announcement #1: The Tenebrous 2026 Book Club is open! 💀Get all 9 of our ‘26 *fiction* titles 💀save on shipping 💀exclusive bonus content 💀print+ebook or ebook-only options available Read more about all nine incredible books: tenebrouspress.com/blog/2025/11...

So today is Thanksgiving. Would be if I celebrated in this far away country. That brings up a lot of memories. And always makes me think of this excellent story by @kojiadae.bsky.social published by @apexmag.bsky.social www.apexbookcompany.com/a/blog/apex-...

I'm just a writer asking awards and publications to define what they mean by "indie". There are indie publishers -- are the writers with them considered indie writers? Or do you mean only self-published? Please. Clarify when you use this word.

Holidays are coming... ho ho ho, a turkey, and a handful of SSRIs

If folk horror is your favourite genre, we've got plenty for you. Something mysterious lurks in a Scottish loch in Anthony Engebretson's Sair Back, Sair Banes, while in Mazi by Koji A. Dae, eyes watch from the walls of a rural Bulgarian cabin. Shop here: ghostorchidpress.square.site

Meeting Your Heroes If you could meet a historical writer, who would it be and why? I don't think I've ever fully understood the "if you could meet any historical figure, who would it be?" question. I didn't take it literally. When someone asked I never imagined hanging out with a writer. I just…

And for the visual people... here's what I had published this year. The shorts are free on Clarkesworld. If you want more info on the books, check my website and feel free to ping me.

Week In Jeans and Sweats Sick at home and pondering Shirley Jackson's short stories.

Eligibility 2025 I "only" have four things for awards consideration this year. But allow me to rip out my heart and present it to you...

What are you proud of in your writing? And how do you feel about sharing your accomplishments? Join me on a messy journey into pride.