Weekly WIP update: Been quiet around here lately, investing as much (limited) creative energy as I can to complete draft 1 done before December. Finished chapter 18 this morning. Eight to go! Week: 11 Sessions: 4 Words: 4882 WIP Total: 70,412 🌈🚀💫 #writingcommunity #amwriting #sff

Boo! 🎃 I wrote a free YA horror story for you for Halloween. Not all family keepsakes are heirlooms, some are downright evil... get your copy of The Daughter: kristygardner.com/the-daughter/ Happy spookiest day of spooky days to all who celebrate! 🖤 #booksky #horror #happyhalloween #spookybooks

What are we looking forward to this week, folks? #writingcommunity

Weekly WIP update: Went backwards this week - that's a kick. But I needed to rework one of the time travel threads and the story is better for it. Like they say, every kick is a boost! Sessions: 4 Words: 2887 WIP Total: 63,042 🌈🚀💫 #writingcommunity #amwriting #sff

Painted a thing today. Didn't hate it. Might share it once it dries.

Book nerd alert! 🚨 Stopped by @bookwarehouse.bsky.social and found my #sapphicbooks on the shelf - now signed, cozy, and ready to ruin your feelings (in the best possible way). It still feels wild to see them on shelves. 🚀✨️ Shop local, support indie booksellers #Vancouver✌️

Weekend plans. 🚀✨️ #booksky #sff

Fall Out Boy is the best.

Weekly WIP update: had one of those moments when the magic of the universe sparks, and I managed to connect a few time travel threads that were threatening to unravel the whole plot. Sessions: 2 Words: 5997 WIP Total: 63,679 Yay writing ✨️🚀 #writingcommunity #amwriting #sff

Fellow creative, it's okay to make mistakes and to let people see them. We're human, not robots (thank god). #writingcommunity #creativity

Why is there sports all over my writer feed. I'm writing a strongly worded letter to .... someone.

Wait. Wut.

What would you do if your found family was lightyears away and one questionable decision from total disaster? Solo-traveler Audrey came for R&R, but got a crash course in friendship, self love, and the messy magic of belonging. SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS x LIGHT FROM UNCOMMON STARS #Dvpit #LGBT #SF

WINTER'S ORBIT x LIGHT FROM UNCOMMON STARS When solo-traveler Audrey signs up for the first vacation to an alien planet, she expects Mai Tais and R&R. Instead, she finds chaos: quirky aliens, perilous terrain, and a found family that will break her heart and put it back together. #dvpit #sf #lgbt

Audrey Tully wins a golden ticket on the first all-inclusive trip to an alien world. When nothing goes affording to plan, she must navigate perilous terrain, rely on the kindness of strangers, and trust herself if she's to get her new found family's butts back to Earth. #dvpit #A #SF #LGBT

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE x MONK & ROBOT She boarded our first shuttle to an alien planet seeking privacy, peace, zero drama. Instead, she crash-landed into a surreal world, messy feels, and the most chaotic love-you-whether-you-like-it-or-not found family in the galaxy. #DVPit #A #SF #OWN

Today I turned 45, which launched my 45 Things list. Over the next year, I'll pull a thing each week and do it until the jar is empty. This is meant to curate more joy and adventure in my life. First up: paint naked... Yikes. #45things #creativelife #writingcommunity

As a Libra, pick your own poke is basically my worst nightmare.

Weekly WIP update: Slogging through the mushy middle of my sapphic time travel book. The buzz of a new WIP has faded, but I'm showing up each day, whether I want to or not. Sessions: 5 Words: 8107 WIP Total: 50,030 My characters are basically the boss of me now. 👻✨️ #writingcommunity #amwriting

I've entered my glam skirt with an oversized tee era. ✨️

Gods bless the women who stand on the frontlines of healthcare, who protect our right to make choices about our own bodies, our autonomy, and our safety. You are angels. I know it can't be easy, but I see you, and I am grateful. 💕

Weekend plans. 🍂📚 #booksky #sff

Worded real good today. 💫

One of the craziest things about writing is how much it lights me up. Even after I've plowed through 4500 words, my brain is soup, and the carpal tunnel screams, I'm still excited to write. After a very long, much needed nap, of course. I hope everyone finds the thing that makes them feel alive AF.

Okay. I'm going into the writing cave. If I come out before I finish writing Chapter 12, somebody take away my caffeine privileges. #writingcommunity #amwriting

Reminds me of when a couple readers DM'd me to say The Stars In Their Eyes wasn't queer enough. As a bi person, I felt especially attacked. Sapphic - and queerness in general - is valid, even it doesn't fit your limited and sad definition. 💖💜💙 #QueerAllYear #QueerBooks #SapphicBooks

Weekly WIP update: My sapphic time travel outline is unraveling (along with my mind) as I plunge into Act 2. The chaos and magic of writing is forcing me to rethink motivations and beats. 💫 I'm kind of into it. Sessions: 3 Words: 7720 words WIP Total: 41,923 #writingcommunity #amwriting

I feel attacked. 🤣

I'm riding the train and would have swore I was sitting across across from @stephenking.bsky.social. I was staring, yall. But then I thought, what the heck would Stephen King be doing on Vancouver transit? And with a dirty duffle, no less. Surely, his duffle would be zipped and pristine.

I overshare on social media, and I understand the risks. For me, it's a bigger risk for us as writers, artists, and sensitive weirdos to feel alienated, unloved, and alone. I share my journey because if I'm going through something, others are too. 🖤 #writingcommunity #authors

I spent 2 years not writing while I was drowning in a corporate gig. I'm still in that job, but I've had three months off to recover. The spark has returned. I'm finally feeling like me again, and I'm protecting my hour of AM writing like a mama bear protects her cubs. Do NOT come between us.

I Googled "weird rituals" and immediately wish I hadn't. Do not recommend. 😬

We exist today, and every day. 💖💜💙 #bivisibility #bipride

Happy #BiVisibility Day! 💖💜💙 I didn't have books like this growing up, so I wrote a few. The Broken Stars trilogy is about a bisexual, neurodivergent disaster’s journey to save the woman she loves, and things go horribly wrong. Grab an iced coffee & check 'em out! #bibooks #sapphicbooks #booksky

You ever finish a book and just sit there, staring into space, wondering how the hell you’re supposed to move on? Yeah. My trilogy is like that. Get your copy: kristygardner.com/books 🌈📚 🌎📚 💙🪐📚 💙📚 🌈🚀💫 #sapphicbooks #booksky #sff

Happy Equinox, my little book gremlins. I always view this time or year as a reminder that even in the darker seasons, there’s beauty, rest, and that balance is something we can keep practicing. 🍂🖤

I'm sorry, but what kind of monster eats a meal without SOME kind of beverage?

Writing can be a quiet and solitary experience, so here’s me being loud about it. 💜 Weekly WIP update: Act 1 is nearly done, and so am I. ☠️🤣 Sessions: 4 Words: 15,908 words WIP Total: 34,203 Hope your projects are humming along. Keep going, one word at a time. #writingcommunity #amwriting

Happy ✨️ 2 years ✨️ to book 2 in the Broken Stars trilogy! She's my queer love story at the end of the world that’s equal parts sapphic, spooky, and emotionally devastating. 🌈🚀💫 To help me celebrate, pick up a copy or pls share: kristygardner.com/the-darkest-stars/ #sapphicbooks #booksky #sff

New reading nook coziness level unlocked. 🤍 #amreading #booksky

Can confirm.

now is the time for every media personality to stand up and speak out, because what this shows is that nothing will save you they’re coming for all of you, unless you’re a true believer your days are numbered and your bosses are eager to comply do something you can be proud of on your way out

When the world is on fire, I garden. It never fails to make me feel grounded and grateful for the little things. A sampling of today's harvest...

I'm happy to report the sapphic time travel thriller I'm writing is practically falling out of me. It's almost as if the words are using me vs. me using them. I'm sure they'll develop an attitude in Act Two (my books often do), but I'm enjoying the flow while it lasts. #writingcommunity #amwriting

I've had Three Little Birds in my head all week. Worth a breath and a break and listen if your mental health is also a dumpster-fire right now. ❤️

If anyone needs me, I'm going to paint in the park. I suggest you do the same. Stop scrolling. Put down the device. Go touch a fucking tree or grass or whatever. Take gentle care of your mental health.

Space words are happening. #writingcommunity #amwriting

Call me dramatic, but I just got a motion sensor night light for my bathroom, and it is single handedly the best decision of my life.

New newsletter going out tomorrow AM! Spoiler alert: I have opinions, yet again. Don't miss it: kristygardner.com/newsletter #writingcommunity #creativeprocess #artists

I used to devote entire mornings to writing a book. Lately, I have about 60 minutes a day. Is it hard work to sit down, focus, and write in small time blocks? Fuck yes. Is it worth it? Also fuck yes. #amwriting #writingcommunity #sff