#ScribesAndMakers List 7 things about your creativity

1. The paperbacks for Panelak and Thrice-Tenth Kingdom are updated and hopefully now typo-free (thanks @gerardo )
2. I am getting better at resin casting
3. I'm also getting better with Blender
4. I'm also slightly better at watercolours
5. I really want to learn to make clay figures
6. The third Xanadu book is nearly done
7. I'm about to start researching a new book (Triglav 2)

#ScribesAndMakers Did you know what you wanted to be at age 11?

I actually did want to be a writer and it was around that age that set in. I figured I'd need another career to pay the bills, but writing was the only thing I really wanted to do. So the universe being perverse as always deemed that I would utterly suck at writing.

#ScribesAndMakers 29: Do you know what you wanted to be at 11?

Absolutely. 11yo me wanted to be a witch, a pirate queen, a lumberjack, a marine biologist, a glassblower, a fossil hunter, a cat, a hacker, a herbologist, the world's best strandjutter, a storm, an artist, and an opera singing ballerina who does martial arts.

And no, I would not then, nor will I now, be pressured into picking just one. I've currently got about five of these down, and I am working on the rest.

---

Isn't it an odd question to pose a child? What box will you be occupying this lifetime?

And why do we seem so fond of someone picking a box and staying in there for a lifetime? Not that I'm not happy for that person if they're happy about it, but doing many different things is not in any way less admirable or possible, and the popularity of this idea of lifetime commitment can leave many lovely well-rounded people feeling like they missed the boat.

#ScribesAndMakers 8/25: "Do you have any self-imposed rules for your creative work?"

I have to like it myself.

If it bores me, if it veers in a direction I do not like, I correct.

I'm also re-thinking my strategy to just toss out a finished book. I don't like "launches" in the sense that a book is a product with a limited shelf-life that will die when the launch is not selling lots.

Ebooks don't die. They lie in wait for the next reader.

#WritingCommunity

#ScribesAndMakers 8/23 Remember that time when...

South Breaks made it into SPFBOX, and was rated really high in the book reviewer group...

only to be beaten out by half a star more for a children's book.

Becoming a finalist would have been a game changer for my series. Alas, it didn't happen.

It's the first book they talk about in the video:

youtu.be/-QuP3ueT1mo?si=vpRraw…

South Breaks, Winds & Pillars 1
(free until 9/1)

#WritingCommunity
#EpicFantasy

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#ScribesAndMakers AU 7: Is there a work of art that you didn't like at first but came to appreciate once you understood it better?

The movie The Lobster, in which singles who don't quickly find a partner are forced to become animals (the process is not shown). The first time I saw it, it was a disturbing thing I couldn't look away from.

I recommend watching it with someone. You'll be talking about it and comparing it to the real world for days.

#ScribesAndMakers AU 2. How wholesome do you consider your creative work? What does wholesome mean to you?

Wholesome is a confusing concept to me, which makes this difficult to answer.

The MCs have hearts full of kindness and love, and are finding ways to heal, which some readers might consider wholesome. I think hopeful is a better word.

I don't think wholesome implies straight. If you do, my work most definitely isn't wholesome.

There are horror, sick jokes, sympathetic characters who fail at being good, and characters whose romantic feelings are different from the norm. It's not wholesome. It is meant to be good for you, though.

I just posted a new MKBC Studio video introducing my ecofiction trilogy: The Erenwine Agenda, Otter Coast, and Rail. It includes the new covers, the artwork behind each design, and short live readings from all three books. This one was fun to make and brings together architecture, landscape, memory, and environmental storytelling.

If you enjoy ecofiction, design thinking, or interdisciplinary work, you might like this look at how the trilogy came together.

Watch here: youtu.be/jnQ2mWvMFZM

#ArchitectureFiction #AuthorReading #BookTrilogy #ClimateFiction #DesignThinking #Ecofiction #MixedMediaArt #ScribesAndMakers #Sustainability #SystemsThinking #WomenInArchitecture #WritersCoffeeClub

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#ScribesAndMakers 8/8: Polymorphous?

Well, my Wolf shifters only have two forms, human and wolf.

And then there is West, and honestly... you need to read the story to find out how he ended up turning into TWO different shapes.

#WritingCommunity
#EpicFantasy

#ScribesAndMakers August 4. What's the first thing you think of when you hear the word troll?

All these things, almost all at once.

The Norwegian movie TROLL...
The mythical beasties...

...and the assholes on the internet

#ScribesAndMakers 4 What's the first thing you think of when you hear the word troll?

"Trip, trap, trip, trap, the Billy Goats Gruff go over the bridge."

When our daughter was small, she loved the Billy Goats Gruff story. I knew the version we had in a picture book off by heart and can still remember quotes almost 50 years later.

Then there's the honesty t(r)oll on the bridge crossing the Mawddach Estuary to Barmouth. The money collected goes towards maintenance of the foot bridge.

#ScribesAndMakers 7/30: "Smol?"

Little dragons, sparrow griffins, fire goblins, baby trolls ... I enjoy letting cute little beings appear in my stories now and then.

#ScribesAndMakers 7/29 From soft to hard, where do your tastes fall on the Science Fiction scale?

Definitely soft.

I don't particularly care for the tech in SF. I want a story about people, relationships and adventures. And don't even try military SF on me.

That's why my only SF series (very spicy, fair warning) is set on one planet and actually has quite a bit of low tech. That was insane fun to write.

(Decoy is the freebie for it. Very low tech.)

#WritingCommunity
#SpicySF

I’m running a Goodreads giveaway of my new novel, ecofiction Rail: A High Speed Adventure - hop on over and have a look! facebook.com/share/p/1DGYrq3PZ…

#BookGiveaway #BookWyrm #Ecofiction #ScribesAndMakers #WhatToRead #WritersCoffeeClub

Very happy that today is the paperback publication day of my third novel, Rail: A High Speed Adventure! Thank you all who have supported this journey.

In Rail, a designer is drawn into a globe spanning infrastructure proposal with uncertain motives. As ecological ethics collide with corporate ambition, she must confront the meaning of home, responsibility, and legacy—while her past and future converge in unexpected ways.

The trilogy blends environmental storytelling, design thinking, and near future speculation, offering readers a grounded yet visionary look at the systems shaping our world. Chowdhury, a registered architect and circular economy strategist based in the Vancouver metro area, continues her exploration of ecological futures through character driven narrative and interdisciplinary worldbuilding.

amazon.com/Rail-Maia-Kumari-Br…

#Architecture
#ArcticFiction
#Ecofiction
#IndieAuthor
#IndiePublisher
#JapanFiction
#NewYorkFiction
#Permafrost
#ScribesandMakers
#VisionaryEcofiction
#WomenInSTEM
#WritersCoffeeClub
#WritingCommunity

Three good things, the Sunday edition:

1. Amazing Futurescapes workshop which ended 42 minutes ago
2. New plot and character arcs coming for a new future-forward trilogy
3. Energy for the week ahead!

#ThreeGoodThings #Ecofiction #ScienceFiction @ThreeGoodThings #ScribesAndMakers
futurescapes.ink/about-futures…

Friday! Time for #ThreeGoodThings -

1. #Futurescapes workshop
2. Figuring out #Discord again after 10 years away
3. Weekend coming! And more #writing time!

For good measure, maybe 3 more good things...

1. My #ecofiction trilogy is getting traction in the ebook world!
2. Only 4 days left of #presales, for paperbacks, then the trilogy will be available in both ebook and physical copy, worldwide.
3. Over 1000 people have signed up for the Goodreads #bookgiveaway I am running for Rail.

p.s. Pic is a snapshot I had on my laptop, from the movie #Inception by #ChristopherNolan.
@ThreeGoodThings
@bookwyrm
#BookWyrm #BookWyrmSocial #ScribesAndMakers

#ScribesAndMakers 22/07: Create a poll listing 2-3 creative things you've accomplished this month and 1 you're still hoping to. Ask people to guess the one you're hoping to.

Happy picking!

#WritingCommunity

• spending time with a coloring book (12%, 2 votes)
• practice drawing people (81%, 13 votes)
• continue writing my novel (6%, 1 vote)

I’m running a Goodreads Giveaway for Rail: A High Speed Adventure, the newest novel in my global ecofiction trilogy. Hop on over to my Goodreads page to follow my author profile, and receive the notification.

Environmental storytelling + solutions = your next read.

goodreads.com/author/show/1648…

#ArcticFiction #BookGiveaway #Ecofiction #Hokkaido #JapanFiction #NYC #PaperbackGiveaway #ScribesAndMakers #Svalbard #VisionaryEcofiction #WhatToRead #WhatToReadNext

Rail: A High Speed Adventure is now officially available as an ebook in Canada!

This eco‑fiction novel grew out of years of work in architecture, infrastructure, climate research, and storytelling. I’m excited to finally share it with Canadian readers.

Paperback pre‑sales will be opening soon.
Amazon link: amazon.ca/dp/B0H85946VT
Note: if the Kindle link doesn’t load in Chrome, try another browser — Amazon.ca is still updating the listing.

Thanks for following along on this long creative journey.

#Arctic #ArcticFiction #Architecture #CanadianAuthor #ClimateFiction #CreativeWriting #EcoFiction #HighSpeedRail #Hokkaido #IndieAuthor #IndiePublisher #Japan #NYC #Permafrost #ScribesAndMakers #Sustainability #Svalbard #WomenInArchitecture #WomenInSTEM #WomenInSTEAM

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TC - Tertiary Character, see BC

WIP - Work In Progress

#PhantastikPrompts #WordWeavers #PennedPossibilities #ScribesAndMakers #WritersCoffeeClub #TimeTravelAuthors #writing #fiction

🧵 1/X

- Do not respond to this thread. -
Please mention me for further additions.

Common shorts of writing prompts explained:

Anta/Antag - Antagonist

BBEG - Big Bad Evil Guy

BC - Background Character (rarely used)

HEA - Happily Ever After

LI - Love Interest

MC - Main Character also Prota/Protag - Protagonist.

⬇️

#PhantastikPrompts #WordWeavers #PennedPossibilities #ScribesAndMakers #WritersCoffeeClub #TimeTravelAuthors #EroticMusings #writing #fiction

I posted a new Medium piece about presales and how they shape an independent book rollout. Readers often see presales as a convenience, but they influence visibility, search behaviour, and how a book enters the market. I wanted to map out the mechanics from an indie author’s perspective.

The post is here:
maiakumari.medium.com/10-thing…

Posting the image here natively for clarity. It is one of my paintings, Intertidal Light.

#Arctic #ArcticFiction #BCAuthor #CanadianAuthor #CrossBorderFiction #Ecofiction #Hokkaido #HokkaidoFiction #IndieAuthor #IndiePublisher #NewYork #NewYorkFiction #PlaceBasedFiction #Presales #ScribesAndMakers #Svalbard #SvalbardFiction #VancouverAuthor #WomenInArchitecture #WomenInSTEAM #WomenInSTEM

#ScribesAndMakers It all started when...

... a dragon fell in love with a woman whose fate it was to die young. Now dragons, as we all know, do not give up their treasures without a fight, but is even the might of a dragon a match for the will of the Fates?

Go on, place your bets!

• Dragon (76%, 10 votes)
• The Fates (23%, 3 votes)

theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/…

1/

Reading crisis...

#bookstodon #books #book #novel #fiction #writersofmastodon #writer #writers #writerscoffeeclub #scribesandmakers #wordweavers #author #authors #readers #reading #writing #writingcommunity

#ScribesAndMakers 7/4 Sample?

This is the beginning of The Last Princes, my latest release. It's a Steampunk short story, currently on sale for 99ct.

You can grab it directly from my store, without DRM, delivery by BookFunnel:

shop.hannah-steenbock.de/b/las…

#WritingCommunity
#Steampunk

#ScribesandMakers #Introduction

I am a web novelist of #Mythpunk, #UrbanFantasy, #HistoricFantasy, #TimeTravel, #Fantasy, and #Sapphic Fiction—fueled by #Folklore & #UrbanLegend. Currently on my 4th light novel series: Bijou the #TimeTravelingGhost.

Bijou the Time-Traveling Ghost

• PIXIV Link:
• AO3 Link:

For Love of a Konbini Idol

• PIXIV Link:
• AO3 Link:

My Girlfriend Almost Got Me Killed (R18)

• AO3 Link:

Arisu: The Girl Who Saw Ghosts

• PIXIV Link:
• AO3 Link:

I also write Poetry: Tanka, Renga, and Rengay.
And I am an urban photographer

#NMFic #writingcommunity

Hi #ScribesAndMakers ...

I am new and introducing myself!

I believe I qualify as both a scribe and a maker. I write and publish ecofiction (mine and other people's), am a painter (abstract art inspired by my Reiki practice), and work as an architect in the realm of historic buildings (among other architectural pursuits; heritage is my fave). Just getting ready to publish ecofiction novel #3! I'll share more soon. In the meantime - Goodreads and Studio pages are linked on my bio. Have a great day all!

P.S. I'm in British Columbia (BC) Canada.

P.P.S. My favourite activity here is #3GoodThings and my favourite person here is @PaulaToThePeople, our Climate Justice Social Mastodon admin. 😀

#Architecture #Art #BC #Canada #CanLit #CreativeWriting #Ecofiction #Reiki #VisionaryEcoficion #Writing

#ScribesAndMakers 6/27 What's your favourite woodwind?

The Alto recorder.

I used to play it, then I moved out and left all the music behind.

Haven't touched my recorders in years and years. Getting back into that would be nice.

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#ScribesAndMakers 18/6: Post an image (with alt text) of needlework you made or admire.

I haven't done a lot of needlework, but I can share two pics of my embroidery.

They are both made from patters in a "Jugendstil" pattern book.

I made a third one, of poppies, but I gave that away to a friend in the UK who has long since passed away.

#WritingCommunity
#Embroidery

#ScribesAndMakers 18/6: Post an image (with alt text) of needlework you made or admire.

I am quite proud of this hat I gave my partner for christmas a while ago. Mostly because I do not knit all that much and because I had never done knitting with several colors all at once. And it has not yet disintegrated!

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#ScribesAndMakers 6/11. How much do you worry about what others think of your creative work?

Nothing. I write for me, and if others like it: perfect. If they don't, they can move on and like something else.

#ScribesAndMakers 6/4. @#$&!?

Many years ago, whenever I walked through an underpass near the Edgeware Road tube station I'd see an old soldier; white hair, beret, medals, stout.

He was a busker, but not as you might expect. He alternated between a brief blast on a mouthorgan followed by a string of vitriolic insults peppered with curse words. I found that dropping some cash in his tin only inspired him to greater heights of derision. He was a true artist.

About ten years later, I saw a poem written about him - every stanza separated by a brash rainbow smear of colour, representing his harmonica "music". I'd love to read that again, does anyone happen to know it?

#ScribesAndMakers 6/3 make a "sketch" of something representative as you as a creative person.

Well, the stick horsie is my brand symbol. I just drew a new one (forgot to measure the time, though). But these are fast to draw.

So have a brand new stick horsie from me.

#WritingCommunity

#ScribesAndMakers 5/22: Which book world would you like to live in for a week, and why?

I'd love to meet my Wolves. And my Winds & Pillars. And fly on one of my dragons.

All of those are basically worlds with good people.

A world someone else wrote?

All of AJ's worlds. All of Jocelyn's worlds. I'd love to see the Hamelin of the Middle Ages, too. I might go insane on the starship Xanadu, though.

#WritingCommunity

#ScribesAndMakers 11/5: Though it can be hard to choose favorites and you may not be a fan of his work, which of Shakespeare's plays would you say you like best?

Ohhhh, I have been a fan of the Bard since I was what, 11? I have a lot of favourites, and for a lot of different reasons:

- Hamlet is very special to me for many reasons, including it being my first read Shakespeare and the first production I acted in post-high-school. (Also formed most of my personality for about a decade and a significant proportion of my tertiary study.)
- Much Ado About Nothing and As You Like It are my favourite comedies; I imprinted SO HARD on Rosalind as a young person, very unsurprisingly.
- Macbeth has my favourite lead couple dynamic, especially the way it changes over the play.
- Julius Caesar has (imo) the biggest concentration of fantastic speeches.
- I think it is by no means "good", but I have a soft spot for Pericles. It's so. Goddamn. Weird.