Every St Patrick's Day I think about how my whole life I was told that I'm 50% Italian, 50% Irish, but never felt Irish. Then DNA results started explaining a few things . . . (on the nasture side, at least. Nurture is a whole other force)

Writers: is your website written in first person, or third person? Right now mine goes back-and-forth, but I figure it should be consistent. Can't decide which one is better, both have pros and cons. #writingcommunity #writers

I have to remind myself of this often and it may be helpful to someone else: If you follow someone on socials whose posts make you doubt your goodness, or make you anxious, or make you sad, you can unfollow them. If community relationships make that awkward, it's ok to mute them.

“How can you talk about books at a time like this?” “Because if I don’t talk about books, I’m gonna talk about murder and I’d rather rather go on book tour than go to prison. Also, fascists hate books, especially those written by people like me. So books, motherfucker. ALL THE BOOKS.”

Timeline cleanse.

I just looked at FB for the first time in ages, and it sent me into an anxiety/shame spiral, sure that everyone who was vaguebooking was talking about me. So, that was a good lesson.

I'm exhausted and can't ever seem to recover. I'm out of two regular supplements, so that's part of it. I keep wondering what's wrong with me, and then remember that this is what happens when you have chronic fatigue syndrome. This is "normal." #CFS #ME #chronicfatigue #invisibledisability

Yesterday I subscribed to a friend's Substack, and it automatically subscribed me to a bunch of other Substacks, even though I was pretty sure I hit the "skip this" part, and now I'm unsubscribing from Substacks that I just subscribed to and it makes me look like kind of an asshole

EXTREME CLOSE UP MILO!

I've muted so many words and phrases that my feed now has, like, 5 posts a day. Anyone want to show me their pets?

If you see this, post your purple art

My book! My book! #GenX #GenXbooks

The number of people who have been taken by the Word Alliance Literary agency ghostwriting/editing scam, or who are asking if it's legit, is kind of scary. Generally, people don't pay you for nothing, or to do work that's already been done.

I don't understand writers who half-ass subs. It's not like they're required to submit, like job applications vis-a-vis unemployment benefits. Why not follow guidelines? Why omit a query letter, why single space the ms, leave in tracked changes, etc? It's baffling. #writingcommunity #blueskywriters

Is there anyone who isn't completely charmed by Drew Goins? Wait, never mind. I don't want to meet that person.

What Liz says! Also, fiction writers, please keep your table of contents and your dedication for after your book get accepted for publication. That's called "front matter" and just slows us from getting to the opening pages.

Writers, someone is giving y'all some odd advice regarding query letters. Unless a publisher asks for a proposal/synopsis: Keep it short. Keep it simple. Don't include a page of pre-blurbs, or positive comments from previous rejections #amquerying #writers #writersofbluesky #pubtip

And now for some non-literary content: honu at sunset

BIG tip for writers: Make a website where editors, publishers & event coordinators can find your contact info. It doesn't have to be fancy. Without one you might be missing out on personalized invitations to submit and participate! #Amwriting #amquerying #writingcommunity #writingtips

After reading pitches all day, I start interpreting everyone's regular posts as book pitches. Going out to eat? Hell yes, girl, Olive Garden thriller!

Oh wow, that's such a good idea, I wish I'd done that. A couple of my book club visits were canceled at the beginning of the pandemic and they weren't organized or ready to shift to an online format yet.

Okaaaay, just added some new names and words to my mute list.

Thoughts from the Forest Avenue submissions queue, at about the mid-point 🧵 1. We got an avalanche of submissions the first week, and now things have slowed down a little. If you want to grab our attention, now is a really good time to submit.

All writers get rejections: They're part of the process of putting your work out there. Just got two this week, and both sting a little, but they're also badges, little reminders that you're doing the work, taking the risks. And they'll keep coming, until you barely notice them.

I turned off all reposts because I was seeing a lot of topics in my feed that I'm not interested in seeing. Of course, the flip side is I won't see things I *might* be interested in seeing. An experiment.

Forest Avenue Press is opening for novel submissions in January! No agent required. Link to details in comments. #callforsubmissions #novelsubmissions #amwritingfiction #amwriting #ampublishing #writingcommunity

Do you ever look at your cat or dog and are completely amazed at how much you love them?

Call for submissions for book-length manuscripts!

Dream! Forest Avenue Press is publishing my novel, PURGATOIRE, in Spring 2026. @laurastanfill.bsky.social and I are going to have so much fun . . . and kick some ass.

TODAY from 1-2:30pm PST on Zoom, @lizprato.bsky.social and @laurastanfill.bsky.social will be having their Publishing Class, hosted by Forest Avenue Press! Learn more and how to register here ASAP if you haven't already!

Okay, okay: everyone tells me this place is hopping (as opposed to the last time I was here, when there were, like 5 people who posted regularly), so here I am. Dazzle me! In exchange, I give you this

When your cousin gets you the Best Gift Ever!

The true Lord Savior. But first, a nap.

Yearly reminder from our favorite nun: It's Sound of Music Sunday. 7 pm, ABC.

It's the kind of day when I ask husband, "Should we order a salad with our pizza?" and we end up ordering wings.

Lots of Twitter/X vibes on here tonight. ☹️

PUBLISHING CLASSES, ONLY $25 EACH! @laurastanfill.bsky.social & I are teaching a series of 3 classes on publishing. You can sign up for all three, or just one or two. More info & registration here: www.forestavenuepress.com/bookshop/pub... #writingcommunity

I threw out my back, so I’m lying in bed watching Friends reruns, and the episode where they first introduced Marcel (the monkey) just started. Ugh. No. Please go back in time and stop.

A legend.

Happy Monday to Broncos fans on this seemingly improbably standing! #DenverBroncos #NFL #BroncosCountry

When I first came to Bluesky it seemed fun, if a bit slow. Now more people are here and are like, "Oh good! A place for me to complain about EVERYTHING."

I spun out of a hammock and got a concussion. (A lot of my stories involve me being a cartoon character, it turns out)

I slipped on a banana peel and hit my knee and my head.

I’ve deactivated my twitter account. FOMO was beat out by not wanting to be part of a platform owned by a hate monger.

I constantly have the same few items in my feed. Is this just the Bluesky experience?

I’m not sure this advertising algorithm is doing the work they want it to.

Because people didn’t like the way she redecorated the apartment she shares with her boyfriend.

Truth.

One thing Twitter excels at that BlueSky doesn’t is proving a robust atmosphere for people yelling “WTF?!” when the production team at Fox Sports is apparently very, very drunk. #OregonDucks #CFB #USCvOregon #FoxSports