Anita Harris Satkunananthan

Senior Lecturer in Literature and Creative Writing, Critical Theorist. SFF Author and Rhysling-Award nominated poet, music student (piano, classical guitar, composition, music theory).

Fiction in Clarkesworld, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, The Dark, Strange Horizons, etc.

Bibliography: https://mythopoetica.com/bibliography/

Public Key

npub1k8d0se0492xec0g5fj6jqqvst8tpxk4lpatpqjqcaqsk6459qv2sg6rmeu

NIP-05 Address

mythopoetica_at_hcommons.social@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqstrkhcvh6j4rvu852yedfqqxg9n4snt2ls74ssfqvwsgtd26zsx9gpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgqgkwaehxw309aex2mrp0yh8qunfd4skctnwv46qh4wxqc

Publishing to

relay.nostr.band

relay.primal.net

nostr21.com

Author Public Key

npub1k8d0se0492xec0g5fj6jqqvst8tpxk4lpatpqjqcaqsk6459qv2sg6rmeu

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Last Notes

2024-10-02 10:07:22

#3GoodThings for #Wednesday
1. In the academic writing zone for real. Hard-won focus achieved.
2. Gorgeous clouds in the afternoon sky.
3. New music from #TheCure! It does not disappoint. I have listened so many times already!
https://youtu.be/sx9SVAtMkJM?si=hV8pp0wN_oZj0hEb
@npub1aqz…6zx3
@npub1t7d…h3ud
#music #amwriting #academicchatter #academiclife

2024-09-24 13:27:04

#3GoodThings for #Tuesday
1. Winding down after being on edge for several weeks,
2. The music of Erland Cooper (and the fact that his first name is Gawain).
3. The weather is slightly less unbearably hot today.
@npub1aqz…6zx3

2024-09-18 12:35:31

#3GoodThings for Sleepy #wednesday
1. Really enjoying C. L. Clark's The Unbroken.
2. The Salvatore Brothers #TheVampireDiaries
3. Ginger Root's new album SHINBANGUMI dropped! Such happiness!
@npub1aqz…6zx3
#reasonstobecheerful #gingerroot #music #bookstodon

2024-09-07 13:35:45

Have now sold 3 books in September. In the first week!
🎉 🎉 🎉

2024-09-07 13:35:45

Have now sold 3 books in September. In the first week!
🎉 🎉 🎉

2024-09-03 18:31:03

Since I'm awake and still here I shall just note that the royalties from a single library order surpassed other orders. People, if you put in a request for a book from your local library you:
(1) Save money.
(2) Share the book with others.
(3) Give the author substantial royalties.
It's a win-win!
#writing #Bookstodon #Books #libraries

2024-09-01 12:46:55

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@npub1ggh…ykhp Okay, good to know. I was worried you had an impersonator.

2024-09-01 12:13:09

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@npub1ggh…ykhp Hey Nathan, is that indieauthors other account really you? Just checking.

2024-09-01 12:13:09

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@npub1ggh…ykhp Hey Nathan, is that indieauthors other account really you? Just checking.

2024-09-01 11:19:25

A memory-wiped mermaid-siren rehearsing for her storyteller exams tries to piece together events from the past, present and future while around her wars between merkingdoms are fomenting. 🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♂️
Check out Watermyth!
https://mythopoetica.com/2024/09/01/places-to-purchase-watermyth-ebook/
#bookstodon #books #mermaids #fantasy #epicfantasy #cozy #domesticfantasy

2024-08-27 11:20:37

WATERMYTH
A retelling of Amor and Psyche amidst wars between merkingdoms as seen through the eyes of a memory-wiped mermaid-siren storyteller. Time-jumps & unreliable narrators in embedded narration w/ multiple POVs. 🧜‍♀️
https://mythopoetica.com/2024/01/10/places-to-purchase-watermyth-ebook-discount-period/
#mermaids #sirens #fantasy #bookstodon #epicfantasy #writing

2024-08-20 13:34:30

The ebook price conundrum is thus: because many people undercharge their books to get more sales numbers, people perceive a normal price range as overcharging. But at the same time, the same people who bulk buy or download cheap ebooks wind up not valuing or reading them. The response to this by some is to give away their books for free. And thus the price threshold perception is lowered even more.
I'd rather the people buying my books valued them. And I'd rather creatives be (more than) adequately compensated for their creative, intellectual, emotional labour.

2024-08-14 16:09:18

Patch Notes by Hélène Vogelsinger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYxheEGl2oM
Information about the composer/sound designer: https://helene.vogelsinger.fr/about-helene/
#womencomposers #dancingwitheuterpe #electronicmusic #experimentalmusic #music #21stcenturycomposers

2024-08-11 11:49:35

Oh don't mind me continously retooling and trying to find the best, and snappiest short synopsis of my novel. #writing

2024-08-11 07:16:24

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@npub1k74…dmux My condolences, and hope the concentration returns. But grief takes time. 💐

2024-08-07 11:31:21

A memory-wiped mermaid-siren rehearsing for her storyteller exams tries to piece together events from the past, present and future while around her wars between merkingdoms are breaking out. 🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♂️
https://mythopoetica.com/2024/01/10/places-to-purchase-watermyth-ebook-discount-period/
#bookstodon #books #mermaids #writing

2024-08-02 12:22:42

🌊 🧜‍♀️ If you think you'd like a cozy domestic fantasy merging with an epic retooling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche which features mermaids, a storyteller mermaid-siren and lots of food, within a postcolonial portal fantasy universe featuring characters from the Global South diaspora, here's the link to find out more about my debut novel, Watermyth.
https://mythopoetica.com/2024/01/10/places-to-purchase-watermyth-ebook-discount-period/

2024-07-27 13:05:38

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@npub15wt…7rek Oh no I'm not in the program but most (like, 90%) of ebooks I buy are through Kobo because it's so much more convenient for me.

2024-07-27 13:04:08

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@npub15wt…7rek Haha, I well know the feeling. My Kobo library has an abundance of titles. 😊

2024-07-27 13:03:19

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@npub15wt…7rek Alright, finally got the first two Ardonna books! 🌳

2024-07-27 04:49:41

Feeling pretty down in the mouth today. Probably a combination of mental exhaustion + frustration at my lack of progress in both academia and in fiction writing/publishing.

2024-07-25 13:53:58

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@npub15wt…7rek https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/jd-vance-couch-cushion-story-hoax
The memes are priceless though!

2024-07-25 13:29:50

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@npub15wt…7rek The funny thing is that the one who said that about screaming for attention had a super noisy feed. I guess it's okay if it's their friends. Blocked now. But yeah, it really stung.

2024-07-25 13:26:43

Book sales in July: 0
Partly because of my doubling down as a response to people not happy with me promoting my debut novel on Mastodon.
Whatever. I'm sorry this non First-world brown woman taking up space offended you.
🤷🏽‍♀️
#writingcommunity

2024-07-22 14:10:21

Took a breather from article to submit another work of fiction, this time a novelette which I deem one of my best and most ambitious works of #sciencefiction. It's the sequel to "Prosthetic Daughter". I'm just glad to have found another venue for novelettes!
Well, once more into the breach and all that!
https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/harris_02_17/
#scifi #spaceopera #bunianempire

2024-07-16 14:45:32

Advice to new authors: don't denigrate the attempts of other authors to promote. Boost when you can; if you do not want to boost, just let things pass by in silence. Writing is about 50% hustle if you want to be heard in this world. Respect the decisions other authors make and respect your own as well. #writingcommunity

2024-07-15 12:34:32

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@npub15wt…7rek Well, I'm guessing you're quite seasoned and this really is my first rodeo when it comes to self-pubbing a novel 😅

2024-07-15 11:28:54

I've been watching "verified royalties" on the dashboard like it's a thriller, for months now. And I feel kind of sad that it has re-set to zero. Wondering if I'll ever make enough for a second royalty payment. Tell me to stop being so pessimistic 😜
#writinglife #writingcommunity #secretlyamarshwiggle

2024-06-07 06:02:59

If you, like me, are considering #Adobe photoshop alternatives right now, here's a list:
https://www.techradar.com/best/photoshop-alternatives

2024-04-11 12:51:39

Another day of eschewing leaving the apartment (except for taking out the trash). It just doesn't feel necessary and it's too hot. Also, people can be annoying while my apartment is peaceful, smells amazing and has good music. `nuff said.

2024-02-29 10:02:00

#pennedpossibilities 239 -- How does your MC feel about babies, children and teenagers?
Aila's kind of ambivalent about it. The reason is because in previous versions of #Watermyth and #Rosemirror, she was already a mother and grandmother but then I realized it didn't ring true for her character and the nature of her connection with [spoiler]. But definitely she's nurtured plenty of the people on the island and in #Rosemirror things are going to get somewhat interesting where that is concerned. 🌹
#writingcommunity

2024-02-29 09:50:37

#WordWeavers #29
What's one of the weirdest things that happens in your story?
You mean I have to pick just one?
#Rosemirror goes to some pretty strange places storywise but I don't want to spoil things for both #Rosemirror AND #Watermyth
But I can tell you this much. Tea. Lots of Tea. You think this is not weird? Well, context is everything. It's where they're having the tea 😉
#tea #writingcommunity #bookstodon

2024-02-27 10:29:59

#Wordweavers #27
Have you written poetry?
My whole life. I've been published, and nominated for the Rhysling award (but just once and I never won anything)
Published poems in the bibliography here:
https://mythopoetica.com/bibliography/
#poetry #poets #writingcommunity

2024-02-25 12:39:14

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@npub1k24…26zw Yes, and sometimes mentors become that because they are drunk on that power to shape. So, when mentees want to spread their wings, they find those wings snipped in strange and extraordinary ways. Hmm, sounds like another story that needs to be written. *sagenod*
Also, no rush! The book is meant to be read slowly and can wait. 😊

2024-02-25 12:33:59

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@npub1k24…26zw I think it's to do with the power imbalance in those relationships. Finora's relationship with the mer-Princes in #Watermyth for instance may arguably fall within that category.

2024-02-25 12:24:52

This is the last week re: the discount across ebook platforms for WATERMYTH (ends 29 FEBRUARY 2024), although I am participating in #smashword's promotion period in March so you can wait till then if you were wanting to grab a copy via smashwords.
Short description: Regya has been set a task: to take the potentially deadly Mermaid Storytelling Exam. She has been placed in Yrejveree, the mythical island of exiles to which many Amors have brought their Psyches. Can a mermaid armed with the powers bestowed by her storytelling craft, her Javanese engineer housemate and her mermaid landlady defeat these beings intent on conquest?
https://mythopoetica.com/2024/01/10/places-to-purchase-watermyth-ebook-discount-period/
‘Sprawling and wondrous strange, Watermyth is a gothic story to lose yourself in …’
–Angela Slatter, award-winning author of The Path of Thorns–
#bookstodon #books #bookaholic #domesticfantasy #romance #darkacademia #mermaids #merpunk

2024-02-14 15:03:38

For all the bitter people out there: I have never been a Valentine or received a Valentine and I'm not bitter. I just created my own holiday which meant more to me -- and it's connected to my writing and love of all watermaidens in mythology. Let the lovers and lovebirds have their day, eh.
And in case you're wondering: I sincerely do not pine for one or the other. My overwhelming feeling these days is of relief, having dodged several bullets.

2024-02-14 12:53:31

I *was* going to write a #WatermaidensDay post with its origins but it looks like I COMPLETELY forgot that I wrote one last year. Saves me the energy because I'm honestly really tired right now and need to gather enough spoons so I can practice #classicalguitar ahead of tomorrow's class with my maestra.
So, here's last year's post:
https://mythopoetica.com/2023/02/14/pre-publication-date-2-the-origins-of-watermyth-and-tentative-publication-timeline/ (in which I thought I was going to be able to publish the novel last March. Haha. Hahaha.)
And here's that link again to buy my book since I am apparently shameless today. But I've been waiting FOURTEEN YEARS for a #WatermaidensDay in which I had a published Cantata of the Fourfold Realms book! I reckon I'm entitled to be a bit brash today.
(discount period for the ebook ends on the 29th of February)
https://mythopoetica.com/2024/01/10/places-to-purchase-watermyth-ebook-discount-period/
#writingcommunity #writinglife #indieauthor #bookstodon #today #academicchatter #academiclife

2024-01-25 03:59:24

(sorry I'm back but necessary updates)
Re: The print copy of Watermyth that I "pre-ordered" from Amazon.com
I got an email today saying I will receive it on August 13 2024. The good news about that is I would not be charged till August. The bad news is that, I would see my own book only in August.
So, I lost my shit and bought a copy off Barnes & Nobles which apparently ships internationally. So, it's arriving in February. Just to let you know, if for some reason you want my book in its overpriced print edition (I'm so sorry), go to either Barnes & Nobles or Thriftbooks to save yourselves the aggravation.
I updated the info here:
https://mythopoetica.com/2024/01/12/watermyth-print-a-very-short-pre-order-period-price/
Or go for the more affordable ebook options here:
https://mythopoetica.com/2024/01/10/places-to-purchase-watermyth-ebook-discount-period/
Okay bye!
#Watermyth

2024-01-23 13:57:39

50 available copies at ThriftBooks for a higher price than I set? 👀
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/watermyth-cantata-of-the-fourfold-realms_anita-harris-satkunananthan/51982592/#edition=70720208&idiq=63026915

2024-01-23 08:59:35

#WordWeavers #23
If your book was a movie, what would it be rated and why?
I'm talking about Blood Orange Orchards this month and it's a short story not a book. The first version of it back in 2014 would likely be R (unsure about newer rating systems so bear with me) because things got a little raunchy there. But the current version has no romance in it except in memories so I would say somewhere between a G and a PG (for descriptions of war and death etc).
#amwritingSFF #writingcommunity #writinglife

2024-01-22 11:49:10

#Penned Possibilities 201: Have you ever considered writing under a pseudonym or pen name?
I was Nin Harris for many years (my pen name) but I've reverted to my given name and am quite happy about it. I'm obscure enough that it's not an issue.
#writing #writingcommunity

2024-01-22 11:43:39

#WordWeavers #22
Have I ever scrapped a written character? Too many to count.
I just saw this question today but coincidentally, this morning I thought that the only way to make the pacing of "Blood Orange Orchards" work was to remove the love interest and focus on the main thematic thrust of the story. Sorry Kishore, I knew you well but you gotta go, bro.
#writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #amwritingSFF

2024-01-20 09:05:37

Alright, I'm untangling the pacing and the second half of the plot of "Blood Orange Orchards" this evening (a Sesen tale), so I'll bite.
#WordWeavers #20
What things that other people enjoy would be tedious for your MC?
Given Jehane's a naval admiral, being on dry land for too long and leading an ordinary landlubber's life, I suspect. But she'd still enjoy her shore-leave. To a certain point.
#WritingCommunity
#planetaryromance #sciencefiction #sff #amwritingSFF

2024-01-19 06:45:56

So heartsickening. So, the last standing University in Gaza has now been flattened.
https://www.newarab.com/news/israel-obliterates-gazas-last-university-amid-boycott-calls
#academicboycott #freegaza #gaza #ceasefirenow

2024-01-17 13:02:18

People who ordered the print edition of #Watermyth, if it is possible could you let me know when you receive the book? I just want to know how long Am*zon is taking and if you got the book or not.

2024-01-17 11:51:23

Bizarrely, the print edition of Watermyth went from pre-orders to "Temporarily Out Of Stock" to now, "This Title Has Not Yet Been Released", and asking you to pre-order (on Am*zon). I don't know what is going on. Just a head's up.

2024-01-16 11:49:55

Today in "I'm wild-eyed and bewildered in my maiden foray into the world of indie novel publishing", I have discovered that the newly published print edition has been listed as "Temporarily Out of Stock" in both Amazon and B&N. In Amazon you have the option of ordering it and then they deliver on it once it is available so it's almost like what they do with pre-orders. I have discovered that this is apparently a thing when they resell D2D books. I am not happy about it but what can you do?
#books #indiepub #indieauthor #writingcommunity #writinglife

2024-01-16 11:49:55

2024-01-16 03:39:03

Hi, this is a post with information on how to purchase my debut novel, Watermyth (2024), which I shall pin to the top of my profile for you.
Ebook Edition: https://mythopoetica.com/2024/01/10/places-to-purchase-watermyth-ebook-discount-period/
Print Edition: https://mythopoetica.com/2024/01/12/watermyth-print-a-very-short-pre-order-period-price/
Short Description: Regya has been set a task: to take the potentially deadly Mermaid Storytelling Exam. She has been placed in Yrejveree, the mythical island of exiles to which many Amors have brought their Psyches. Can a mermaid armed with the powers bestowed by her storytelling craft, her Javanese engineer housemate and her mermaid landlady defeat these beings intent on conquest?
‘Sprawling and wondrous strange, Watermyth is a gothic story to lose yourself in …’ –Angela Slatter, award-winning author of The Path of Thorns–
#bookstodon #books #bookaholic #domesticfantasy #romance #darkacademia #mermaids #merpunk #Introduction
https://spaces.hcommons.social/media_attachments/files/111/763/540/203/472/337/original/5c201216fddac744.jpeg

2024-01-14 23:19:17

Well, I managed to wake up at 6am with at least 4-ish hours of sleep so there's hope for no monster nap today and a decent sleeptime ahead of returning to work on Tuesday. Goals for my third day of recovering from publishing my first novel: #classicalguitar practice, some housework, a spot of cooking, a spot of laundry and working on a #scifi short story. Oh, and some blogging.
#writingcommunity

2024-01-14 12:41:16

I won't be doing those promo thingamajigs which may just break my soul, but to be helpful I have placed the direct link to buy on my profile bio.
I will continue to be navel-gazing about this process of being a new indie novelist as it's all very bewildering to me. Both the process and my own emotional reactions.

2024-01-14 02:47:07

Update of my 🎙 Author #introduction since my debut novel was finally published on the 7th of January, 2024.
Hi, I'm Anita. I used to be published as Nin Harris and under that name I have had fiction and poetry published in Clarkesworld, Strange Horizons, Uncanny Magazine etc. I write baroque planetary romances, dark fiction, Gothic fantasy, #domesticfantasy with #mermaids and #darkacademia settings. I have just published my debut novel, #Watermyth and am working on its sequel, #Rosemirror. I am also a literary academic, a musician and a composer. I have a great deal of imposter syndrome about all of the above, particularly about calling myself a musician and composer given I'm only getting a formal education for most of my musical needs in the past two years (apart from #classicalguitar which I've had classes for off and on since 1995). But I have been making music/composing my whole life.
You may access my bibliography and my various blogs here: http://www.mythopoetica.com

2024-01-13 15:46:08

I did think of the sorts of people who will be chortling with glee at the purported failure of Watermyth, particularly the two people from the cult of "mean girls of SFF" who directly harvested my ideas. But the thought comforted me.
"Let them," I said to myself. "People will maybe then see exactly what they are for once."
Or as is said in my religion, Alhamdullilah. I am grateful for what I possess, all else is God's will.
The work continues. *I* continue.

2024-01-07 20:34:58

Alright, I need to really focus on work for the next few days as well as calm TF down. I don't want to make a nuisance of myself on masto. So I'll be back next week when all the online bookstores and library systems have listed the book. Then I will officially start my "twice a week" promo for #Watermyth .
In the meanwhile, you can check this page to see which vendor/platform is the one you want. I've made all library options available so you can also borrow the ebook from your library system of choice.
https://books2read.com/u/47RGB8
(edit: date's been fixed as well as the missing comma in the synopsis. Discount of USD4.99 has gone live at least on Smashwords)
Jan 7 2024 is the official book birthday for Watermyth. The ebook edition at least. I guess happy birthday to sleepless author. See you next week!
#writingcommunity #bookstodon

2024-01-03 19:02:31

I'm so in love with my novel but I need to let go of it at some point, right.
Confession: These passes are not a chore because I am enjoying every minute but it does feel like purgatory because I need to stop at some point and do the publishing of it.
But I love every sentence, every conversation and this really is the book of my heart. Which makes the prospect of publishing it terrifying.
idk friends, I'm a mess.

2023-12-31 00:12:35

Ah, I see the tradition of "Boohoo, I'm old and dumpy, my life is over" doldrums on NYE have begun. Right on cue!
The funny thing about this is that the tradition started when I was around 24 years old and I'm now 48.
Fear not, Gentle Reader. I have Jeff Buckley on and I'm line-editing.
And I'm telling myself my life is not over, it's about to begin. A new life as self-published novelist. Many new adventures ahead!

2023-12-27 19:15:09

One of my best achievements of 2023: levelling up my cooking/baking game. I've always been a fairly decent cook (I started cooking when I was around 7 years old), but this year I've had many moments of "WHAT?" disbelief as I tasted the things I made. I don't know what happened but I like it.

2023-12-14 18:53:56

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@npub16uc…k62q Thanks for that. I can't fight this, I'm powerless in this scenario but I am kicking myself over trusting this super dodgy agent who is collecting authors like pokemon. I guess I wasn't attractive or marketable enough for trad publishing so they get someone who fit the bill and then coached the story into something approximating mine. What a joke, even the name sounds the same.

2023-12-14 18:49:07

So, tell me what you would do in this scenario.
You gave your full manuscript to an agent a few years ago who gave some comments, asked for revision, and then ghosted you.
Flash forward a couple of years later, he's agenting a book that has eerie similarities to yours from the background, to the plot, almost beat by beat.
What do you do?
I'm not kicking a stink, because the industry is morally bankrupt and it's not the first time this has happened to me.
I'm just self-publishing mine and I've got some excellent blurbs but you know it's going to be buried by shit like this.
#writing #writerslifre #writingcommunity #writersbeware #morallybankruptagents #neveragain

2023-11-22 13:08:25

#WordWeavers
22 November 2023
Any particular books/movies/games influence your story?
Like @npub192d…7tgc, I have way too many to list exhaustively because I'm a literature and popular culture scholar but I can give you some keystone influences.
1. The original plan for the Cantata of the Fourfold Realms was three books divided into three sections, with 13 chapters per section. That's changed a bit because the Cantata is now projected to have 5-6 books BUT, I still keep the 3 parts subdivision. The influence? Dante's Divine Comedy which I have read in multiple translations.
2. The anchoring myth is in Lucius Apuleius's Golden Ass.
3. Not movies so much as classical music: Cantata? Bach. The Ferahia? The pianist Murray Perahia. also, the main musical influences were Debussy, Ravel and Gluck's Orphee et Eurydice.
#amwriting #amwritingfantasy #mermaids #merpunk #writinglife #writingcommunity

2023-11-16 14:08:22

#wordweavers
16 November 2023
Do you make up words for your books? If so, any tricks you’d care to share?
Depends on the genre. If fantasy then yes, with much gusto. No tips because everyone's different and my mind is a very strange place; my sense of humour even stranger. I also have a deep love for #conlang
#watermyth #writing #writinglife #amwriting #amwritingfantasy

2023-11-16 11:29:22

I may have been premature in thinking I got the grant. My Malay is not super excellent and the wording seemed to indicate I got it but in this process of grant registration I've been made aware there are some more hoops to jump. So it's anyone's guess right now. Oh well. I'll be okay nevertheless. At any rate, I got to the stage of being OFFERED the grant, which is good enough, I suppose? 🤷🏽‍♀️

2023-11-13 11:23:52

#3GoodThings for Monday
1. It's a public holiday so I get to slay academic deadlines (or attempt to) in comfy loungewear while listening to chill music.
2. The pear and lemon cake I baked last night is so heavenly today.
3. The peach and coconut candle that is burning right now is simply lovely.
@npub1aqz…6zx3 #MondayMotivation #foodie #music
#academicchatter #academiclife
@npub1t7d…h3ud
@npub1lj2…dfde

2023-11-13 07:28:44

Gaza's two largest hospitals have shut down. I have no words for this. Have to issue a trigger warning for the info of what is going on at these hospitals thanks to the brutal attacks upon them:
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/largest-gaza-hospital-not-functioning-amid-israeli-assault-2023-11-12/
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-middle-east-67385263
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/12/two-major-gaza-hospitals-close-new-patients-heavy-fighting-rages
#ceasefirenow #freegaza #freepalestine

2023-10-19 14:48:57

And my creepy upstairs neighbour is once again inexplicably moving very heavy furniture in the middle of the night plus dropping loud equipment down on the floor.

2023-09-27 12:13:59

#WritersCoffeeClub
27 September 2023
What's the strangest research you've done for your writing.
Umm... *looks around*
1. Bondage for a story with an enby character who happened to be a sub with a very very specific kink? (maybe some day I'll tell the tale of the bloke who read that story and thought I might be a sub with that specific kink, hahaha sorry no bro I am not that exciting and am vanilla AF).
2.tentacle pr0n for another story when the love interest is an alien?
3. Various things about body horror and supernatural mutilations but my primary research interest is Gothic so that's kind of expected, right.
#amwriting #amwritingfantasy #writinglife #writingcommunity #writersofmastodon #writing #writers

2023-09-20 08:58:05

#Today we are still having sudden afternoon showers and wind. I drove through a rerouted road (presumably because of flooding) and two accidents.
But, I am home safe and sound and I'm winding down by reading a #romance novel because life is tough and if I want to read a frothy #Regency I'm entitled.

2023-09-16 05:09:19

It's Malaysia Day (the day of the formation of our nation -- both East and West Malaysia and the usage of the name). I woke up to first a message from a scholar I've cited and whose research I admire (many squees), and a mass-form rejection for the other grant I applied for this year (I was expecting this). I feel the good far outweighs the bad because it reminds me of my commitment NOT to apply for anymore grants in the next two years and to focus on what matters. My research writing and my monograph. Keeping the faith that what I do matters, here. #academiclife #academicchatter #litodons

2023-09-06 13:49:25

I'm for an early night, morning repairs before I go to work, no choice. I took a week off but only discovered things asploding after the week was up, fml. Goodnight, all.

2023-09-01 12:29:15

#WritersCoffeeClub
1 September 2023
Intro: Shameless Self-Promotion
Hello, I'm Anita. I'm a senior lecturer in literature and creative writing (I teach creative writing both for undergraduates and postgraduate. I think/obsess about the mechanics and the craft of writing all of the time). As Nin Harris I've had fiction, poetry and even a game (interactive fiction) published in various venues (professional, semi-professional, token etc). While I'm in several anthologies including the award-winning People of Colour Destroy Science Fiction, I've not had a book to my name yet. I aim to change that this year by self-publishing the first novel of the Cantata of the Fourfold Realms, #Watermyth.
Here's my bibliography for access to the free stuff: https://mythopoetica.com/bibliography/
#introduction #writinglife #mermaids #merpunk #amwriting #writingcommunity #bookstodon #bibliophile #writersofmastodon

2023-08-31 17:30:49

Farewell, #WritingWonders; participating in this hashtag has brought me a lot of joy and insight over the past few months. Looking forward to new adventures over at #WordWeavers! 🫶🏼 💜 🌸

2023-08-31 17:30:49

Farewell, #WritingWonders; participating in this hashtag has brought me a lot of joy and insight over the past few months. Looking forward to new adventures over at #WordWeavers! 🫶🏼 💜 🌸

2023-08-31 07:19:09

#WritingWonders
31 August 2023
Has your MC or antagonist ever approved of something the other's done?
In a very bilateral conflicted "Daddy Issues" kind of way, yes.
Can't say more as it counts as a major spoiler but more than one important beat hinges on this dynamic.
#amwriting #amwritingfantasy #mermaids #merpunk #writinglife #writingcommunity #writing #writers #writersofmastodon

2023-08-30 14:51:59

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@npub15wt…7rek Well, there's this ceiling, see. I'll never break past it. This is how you grind down a scholar who was seen as having so much "potential" and is now a faded, mediocre hasbeen. They won, I lost.

2023-08-30 14:36:23

A fatigue kind of day today because of the health stuff I don't want to get into too much detail about.
Looks like I didn't get one of the grants I worked so hard on but oh well, I was expecting not to get it. At this point I've just had bad news for years (both academically and as a creative writer) and expect, almost welcome it (because I am perverse and also I am so used to rejection now that the idea of acceptance terrifies me).
Onwards and upwards. I'm more interested in the fact that I want to make a chicken curry for Malaysia's national day. IDEK, sudden craving for my own curry.
ps: the two types of sambal have sustained me all week and I'm so glad for them. Consumed with rice, salted egg, sambal belacan and sambal cencaluk. Heaven!
#academicchatter #academiclife #litodons #amwriting #writinglife #writingcommunity #MakanApaToday #Today #MalaysianFood

2023-08-29 18:10:39

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@npub18jm…my9f Thank you for all that you did and for making us feel welcome. Can completely understand and sympathize, It's tiring running and organizing a thing. Take care!

2023-08-29 18:07:59

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@npub1k74…dmux @npub16uc…k62q
Sorry to come to the end of #WritingWonders but excited for a new beginning with #WordWeavers! Thank you both for all that you do.

2023-08-16 13:32:42

#WritingWonders August 16 2023
Give an example of a popular activity or tradition in your world.
The Festival King!
I wrote a short story about this, that's published in Giganotosaurus.
https://giganotosaurus.org/2020/06/01/a-long-tango-across-a-canopy-of-whispering-leaves/
#writingcommunity #amwritingfantasy #writinglife #writersofmastodon #amwriting #writing #writers #bookstodon

2023-08-15 13:00:03

Hi masto, I'm home pretty late #today because I was trying to finish grading this big writing course I teach. Nearly there, done the biggest batch, now will grade the exchange students and then I need to do the reports and upload everything. TONIGHT. I'm tired though so I'm going to wind down for a bit before I resume.
My prolapsed invertebrate disc(s) are not happy with all of this prolonged sitting/grading.
#teaching #grading #academicchatter #academiclife #litodons

2023-08-06 12:50:37

Have somehow committed #hypertext ; burying an easter egg on http://www.watermaidens.net!
#writingwonders peeps, this is the latest iteration of the hypertext project (est. 1997) that birthed Watermyth.
#watermyth #amwriting #amwritingfantasy #writinglife #writingcommunity

2023-08-02 19:02:55

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@npub1fgl…4jl4 Sure. I just wish that the greater representation that happens within the franchise doesn't get stymied. Like the sabotage that happened when Discovery was taken off Netflix. It made no sense until you realise that was the most diverse spaceship yet in a more authentic way. But what I'd really like to see is a better envisioned indigenous character on one of these shows.

2023-08-02 19:00:04

Going back to sleep. #Goodnightmasto
I leave you with some #chiheihatakeyama
https://youtu.be/yhShQLPrGhw
@npub1lj8…zlae
@npub1flr…5465
#music #goodnight #ambient #ambientmusic #experimentalmusic #electronicmusic

2023-08-02 18:54:15

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@npub1fgl…4jl4 It didn't help that they had a "pretendian" as consultant for Chakotay. The character did a lot for indigenous representation but could have done a lot more without the appropriated stuff -- if they had an actual indigenous consultant, for instance. I cringe a bit watching some of those episodes now that I know better. But, he's still dreamy (the character, not the actor). 😉

2023-08-02 13:23:18

#writingwonders
2 August 2023
How much do you know about your side characters prior to the first draft?
For #Watermyth, a whole lot! Because it's a novel set in a hypertext project I started in 1997 -- and some of those characters just kind of happened as I grew the web. For anyone curious about how It All Began, I wrote about it here:
https://mythopoetica.com/2023/02/14/pre-publication-date-2-the-origins-of-watermyth-and-tentative-publication-timeline/
(but sadly, it couldn't debut in March and work/health keep interrupting this final process prior to sending it for publication!)
#amwriting #amwritingfantasy #writinglife #writingcommunity #writing #writers #writersofmastodon

2023-08-01 17:14:20

(I'm awake because my blood sugar was low and I was hungry so I wound up eating while watching #startrekvoyager -- I shall forever crush on Chakotay)

2023-08-01 16:53:06

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@npub18jm…my9f She's absolutely marvellous. I think I need to write an entire novel about her one of these days.

2023-08-01 14:38:25

#writingwonders
🐇 🐇
August 1 2023
Intro: (I think I never introduced myself). Hi, I'm Anita. I'm a published science fiction and fantasy author but only for short fiction. The past few months I've been doing #writingwonders it's for my debut novel #Watermyth that I am self-publishing this year. It's taking a pretty long time to revise/copy-edit because I am a frazzled academic with health issues!
Q: If you could hang out with one of your side characters for a day, who would you choose, why?
Ooh, this is a fun question! I think it would probably be Shani, the Kitchen Witch. For obvious reasons. Not only would she feed me well, I'd probably learn a thing or two about cooking. I wouldn't mind kitchen duty in those kitchens...
#amwriting #amwritingfantasy #writingwonders #writinglife #writingcommunity #writing #writers #writersofmastodon

2023-07-19 12:30:43

4 Pieces for Bassoon and Piano (2017) II. Dreams -- Juantio Becenti
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4vqwDkchFE
Jacqueline Wilson, bassoon
Yuko Kato, piano
More info about the Diné/Navajo composer Juantio Becenti here:
https://www.afarcry.org/soloistsguests
@npub1y6c…uajd
@npub1qcg…0rn5
@npub1hwd…ew8c
#classicalmusic #orchestra #goodnightmasto #goodnight #indigenouscomposers #music

2023-07-18 11:02:08

I am to be applauded for not losing my temper earlier, and for not telling you why. I did rant at two of my closest about the intolerable situation, though. Lunchtime rant session with my oldest BFF was lovely (we weren't just ranting but also nerding out about tv shows inc star trek series and DC),

2023-07-16 12:47:58

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@npub15wt…7rek I was busy at work, answered my office door to someone who was absolutely out of line -- but they were upset over something else. I didn't know the context and was very stiffly polite and dismissive. The result was people badmouthing me the whole afternoon loudly in the corridor. Trying to find out more had someone else be very confrontational to me. It ended with me apologising to the extrovert and completely confused (and ill).

2023-07-16 12:17:41

Anyway, I feel better today than I did yesterday. I slept for most of Saturday, just to recover from the week and one very confrontational encounter.
I was told by more than one person that my introversion and the fact that I get shocked/mildly terrified by forward and loud people was something to be overcome.
As though good breeding and sense is something to be overcome. I may have had a traumatic upbringing but I was still taught my Ps and my Qs and understand enough that there are some things that are just not done, that it's bad form.

2023-07-13 16:51:52

#WritingWonders
Day 13: When did you start writing and what inspired you?
I was somewhere between 7-8 years old. It wasn't really about inspiration and more about natural progression. I'd been a bookworm for a few years ("gifted child" bla bla) and was always making up little plays and stories with my dolls and stuffed toys as inanimate actors. One day, I declared I was going to be a writer, and then I started writing. And that was that.

2023-07-11 14:54:55

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@npub10d5…vvxa Procrastinating COULD be a superpower sometimes, yes! 😁
Here's hoping for the best possible news for you! 🤞

2023-07-11 11:44:13

#WritingWonders
11 July 2023
I just wish the flow I get when I am at my writing peak is something I have every day. I also really wish I'd write/edit/revise faster and that all of the things I mentioned before (imposter syndrome, anxiety issues, failure to finish etc) were either not there or in lesser degrees.
Oh, and I wish I had waaaay more time to write. Whyyy can't a bushel of money just appear out of nowhere thus allowing me to live a life of writerly leisure? 😛
#writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #amwritingfantasy #writinglife #writing #writers #writersofmastodon

2023-07-10 16:23:19

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@npub10d5…vvxa It's so good to have a regular excellent doctor. Happy for you! Enjoy the rest of the day! 🌸

2023-07-10 16:10:58

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@npub10d5…vvxa Hope the appointment goes well!

2023-07-10 16:09:45

#WritingWonders
10 July 2023
MC POV: In a fight, what's your weapon of choice?
Finora: What lies within me, apparently. Now, if only I could control when it decides to be helpful.
Aila: This home I've built, and made strong. This Domus is my weapon, and the people within it. Together, we are mighty.
Vita: *points with her spanner at all of her automatons and clockwork thingamajigs* -- the only solution to any problem or weapon to any fight is obviously more thingamajigs!
Regya: 🥺
Yildie: The blades my father the pirate left me and the skills he taught me to defend myself.
#amwriting #amwritingfantasy #writinglife #writingcommunity #writing #writers #bookstodon

2023-07-10 02:33:25

#writingwonders catch-up
9 July 2023
What are you good at when it comes to writing?
1. Procrastination
2. Agonies of Self-Doubt
3. Imposter Syndrome
4. Taking far too long to finish things because of perfectionism and performance/completion anxiety
😜
#amwriting #amwritingfantasy #writinglife #writingcommunity #writersofmastodon

2023-07-07 11:21:45

And that's my last post for the week. Later, I'll drop stars on the usual hashtags. But for now, I will bid you a lovely weekend, Masto.
See you on Monday! 🫶

2023-07-07 11:20:47

#writingwonders
7 July 2023
What is your favourite stage of writing a story?
You're probably going to roll your eyes at me but....all stages. I love all stages of the process. From the first flush of infatuation that leads to draft zero, to the careful blocking and fleshing out of the middle part, watching as it grows and takes shape beneath my fingers, to the last part, to every single time I revise. I groan but I also gain so much satisfaction from watching the text gain texture through work done on the sentence level.
Look, I just love it all.
#writinglife #amwriting #amwritingfantasy #writingcommunity #writing #writers #bookstodon #writersofmastodon #authorsofmastodon

2023-07-04 12:25:06

#3GoodThings for #today
1. I've been really superstitious/fearful about July 4 because this was the day last year I was taken to hospital in an ambulance and spent over 24 hours in emergency + 5 weeks in hospital. So, I'm just grateful I had a normal day, walking on both feet and without much event.
2. Star Trek erryday. I am playing #startrek Legends in intervals, rewatching Voyager, Enterprise, ToS, and TnG. Not all at once and in small intervals while I am eating meals. But I'm starting to have Star Trek dreams and that makes me happy. Now, if only I could let this push me into finishing new #spaceopera short stories.
3. I'm still enjoying my smol self-gifted birthday presents. Like a new digital clock (I unsubscribed from a cable service that I barely use so lost that time indicator in the PvR set), and a nice new glass for many drinks of ice-cold water.
#writinglife #amwriting #authorsofinstagram #writersofinstagram #writing #writers #writingcommunity

2023-06-30 16:36:47

Jeff Buckley performing Lilac Wine, live. A deliciously spooky and different interpretation from the one in the album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRfhAIbD5o0
#jeffbuckley #music #hauntology

2023-06-27 11:21:27

#ThreeGoodThings for #Today
1. I went down to the lobby to collect my delivered groceries...without my quadruped cane. And I walked sturdier and more confidently than last week. Very thankful. Healing is slowly and surely picking up pace.
2. Finding out The Witcher s3 is dropping on Thursday. I can't wait!
3. Ice-cold water with ice cubes in them. It's a hot, dry thirsty kind of day and I am grateful for liquid nourishment.
#Tuesday