Sometimes I wonder if our many years of jokes about writers hating writing and doing anything but writing, etc, have convinced people that the writing part is the hurdle and the goal is just to have a thing in hand. But I am here to tell you: the writing is the best part. The act is the thing.

Love Emma's writing! Also, one of the best bluesky handles imho

Harvey and Peaches share a cuddle.

Day 9 #MelsNoWriMo Snippet time. This snippet is from chapter 2, where Nina and Corey have their second interaction. My editor called out this passage as particularly well done for being awkward. Yes, friends, I have awkward down. Something I've never grown out of & recall well from being a teen.

Today's throwback story rec is Which Inland Waterways Merfolk Are You? by Nelly Geraldine García-Rosas and S.R. Mandel i at Mermaids Monthly (2021) mermaidsmonthly.com/2021/12/28/w...

I'm on the hunt for ARC readers! Sign up here if you'd like to receive a free digital copy of THE CHAMOS PROJECT a month before publication: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F....

Day 8 #MelsNoWriMo Favorite piece of worldbuilding so far. Becuase this book is written and my edits are due Monday, all the worldbuilding is complete. What I love most is that this is a historical/contemporary setting since I've got 2 different worlds. Neither are our world.

Today's throwback story rec is To Rise, Blown Open - by Jen Brown - at Anathema Magazine (2021) www.anathemamag.com/to-rise-blow...

Book releases take a community. I'm trying to build one for my debut YA science fiction novel, Worlds Divide. Want to be a part of this book community? Sign up! forms.gle/BHdQ6jV2WMEp...

Of course #MelsNoWriMo takes off just when I'm about to go to bed. 😱🙈😭 Will come back to you lovlies tomorrow (aka later by now). Promise. 🥺 And thank you for so much engagement. 🥰

So, what genre do you write? Why? Is it your fave or did the story insist? #MelsNoWriMo

Watching Plur1bus and ... it is interesting. "Landlines only."

Harvey was not super keen about his trip to the vet.

Day 7 #MelsNoWriMo What genre do you write and why? I write SFF/H for young adults and adults. Adult SF is my "home" genre, the one I love reading most since I was young. I dip in and out of horror because sometimes my lived experience on page reads that way to others. (Real feedback I received.)

Have you read? They Promised This Would Be Beautiful by Elena Sichrovsky at Inner Worlds This story is staggering. Please heed the content warnings, but it is so worth the pain. inner-worlds.ghost.io/they-promise...

Five and a half months until my debut publishes. Yes, that's probably most of what you'll hear from me until then. If you want to hear more, subscribe to my newsletter. adriabailton.com/adria-bailto...

Depending on your time zone, this may be the nighttime crowd, the evening crowd, or the morning crowd. Either way, see what's happening on my Discord server. It's relatively quiet but I post there daily short story recs and cute puppy photos and interesting things I find discord.gg/ZFCyNwv4uJ

"Spoons"–the story I read for my first public reading–was first published by The Colored Lens in Summer 2024. Available in ebook and paperback from Big River. a.co/d/dRWCjEU

Day 6 #MelsNoWriMo Who is your antagonist? There's no specific antagonist in this novel. Nina's inability to control her movement between parallel worlds, in a woman vs self/nature, is the primary hurdle which she must overcome.

Sooo~ no protagonist can take on the world on their own. Who's with them? 👀 #MelsNoWriMo

Going for more details on Day 4 of #MelsNoWriMo. Who is your story about? Are they the protagonist?

Have you read? “Singularities” by Cressida Roe at kaleidotrope How many stories can be told across lifetimes? kaleidotrope.net/autumn-2025/...

Harvey was cuddling so close to me. What a handsome boy!

Day 5 #MelsNoWriMo Who is the 2nd most important character in the novel? Corey is the boy who Nina meets on a parallel world. When he meets Nina, all he wants to do is get a car and run away. This absolutely magical girl changes all of that. He does his best to be better for her.

Have you read? You’re Dead & I’m Safe & Still I Dream Of You by S.M. Hallow at Small Wonders A viseral poem. smallwondersmag.com/piece/youre-...

I was laid off from Teen Vogue this week, alongside multiple other phenomenal team members. At our Summit, I was asked how it felt to be 1 of 2 Black women left and what that meant for representation. Now, there are no Black women at Teen Vogue and that is incredibly painful to think about.

Hot take: Shows that use only covers for famous songs seem cheap rather than anything else.

You may or may not know that I administer the SFWA NetGalley program. If you're an author without a big trad publisher, you might consider listing your book for reviews through this program. www.sfwa.org/2025/06/24/s...

Day 4 #MelsNoWriMo Who is your protagonist? Nina is a girl who moves between parallel worlds. She loves reading, her sisters, and her local cafe. Her life is complicated with this "super power" no one knows about. When she meets a boy on another world, she learns about love and responsibility.

Have you read? Ghosts of Summer by Catherine Tavares at Apex Magazine Ghosts create cold spots on the hottest of summer days. www.apexbookcompany.com/a/blog/apex-...

Day 3 in #MelsNoWriMo and it's time for the Big Reveal! 😱 Tell me about the project you're working on.😍 #WritingCommunity

I'm just trying to catch anyone who's interested in joining my street team for my YA science fiction debut novel which releases from Balance of Seven Press (small press) in April! You can sign up here if you're interested. forms.gle/BHdQ6jV2WMEp...

This has nothing to do with my novels, but I like to share some things from my life. A few weekends ago, my partner and I were invited out to Cape Cod by friends. We got to see a beautiful sunset over the water. #authorlife #debuta

Day 3 #MelsNoWriMo What is your project? This month, I have dev edits due for my novel coming out this spring. The first week or so will be all about Worlds Divide, a YA scifi. Working on these edits has inspired me to revisit another novel and work on a rewrite. That will be the remainder of Nov.

Have you read? Resurrection Scars by Sheila Massie at Diabolical Plots A story of grief and ego. www.diabolicalplots.com/dp-fiction-1...

October short story rec round-up time! These are the stories I recommended in October. They were some real bangers! Did you miss any? Have a read! adriabailton.com/short-story-...

hellooooooo #MelsNoWriMo, I'm E (she/they) and I'm late by one day I write fantasy books about older characters, and in my spare time I do pole fitness, go birding, play recorder, and goof off with various artistic mediums

Finished my second round of going through my dev edits last night. Starting one more round before turning them in.

It's 5:30 pm in my living room and freaking midnight outside 😠

Day 2 #MelsNoWriMo Today's snippet comes from my novel, Worlds Divide, coming out this spring. It is the first paragraph, which my editor said nice things about.

Today's throwback story rec is Rogue by Joanna Koch at Speculative City (2020) speculativecity.com/fiction/rogue/

Day 1 of #MelsNoWriMo I'm Adria. I recently moved from the US PNW to New England. I write YA and adult SFF/H. I have several published short stories and a YA scifi novel coming out in the spring. (pinned post) I have 3 dogs, many houseplants, and an axolotl.

I love #MelsNoWriMo Who's participating this year?

I forgor 🫠 you set your own goal As usual, I'll start out with 50k and then quickly downscale to 30k or something 😂

Today's throwback story rec is My Body by J.S. Jordon at Fireside Fiction (2022) firesidefiction.com/my-body

Tonight, I handed out candy to kids. I threw candy at some teens (per their request, don't ask.) I am thrilled because I had exactly 1 trick-or-treater at my homes since 2010. Watched an '80s horror movie that wasn't good. Now I'm back to editing.

I read exactly one book in October. I can't really read anything novel length when on deadline for edits due to time. I don't exactly recall how this book made it onto my reading list. Possibly through the website tripfiction.com What did you read in October?

In honor of Halloween (and not enough reading time for me), today's rec is a throwback horror story. In the Window, by Patrick Lofgren at The Deadlands (2021) The building of dread in this one is palpable. I felt it in my chest. psychopomp.com/deadlands/is...

"Little Known Facts About Dragons" was also published by Worlds of Possibility, in June 2024. www.juliarios.com/introducing-...