Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 17h

My book promotion team works for free healthcare, marshmallows, and endless cuddles. Honestly, best employees ever. 🐾✨
#AmWriting #AuthorsOfBluesky #WritingCommunity #DogsOfBluesky #BookPromotion #AuthorLife

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M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 1d

Weekly writing progress: finished a new chapter and cleaned up some continuity issues. Still editing for smoother flow—every tweak brings the story closer to where it needs to be.

#WritersOfBluesky #WritingCommunity #BookProgress #EditingProcess #AuthorLife

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M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 2d

Most of my mystery novels take place in San Francisco. But for my Christmas Mystery series, I wanted a change of scene. Sacramento, my adopted hometown, felt like the perfect place for new secrets to unfold.

#mysteryfiction #writingcommunity #Sacramento #SanFrancisco #ChristmasMystery #booksky

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M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 3d

Book research really is a slippery slope.
One minute I’m learning how police track cellphone pings for Escaping Enemies, and the next, I’m watching Robert Irwin dance his heart out on Dancing with the Stars. 🕺🐊

#WritingCommunity #WritersLife #AmWriting #EscapingEnemies #RobertIrwin #BookResearch

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M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 4d

In elementary school, I entered a writing contest. I grew up in Pacifica 🌊, a seaside gem near San Francisco. When developers started building on the hills, I poured my feelings into a story — and won.

Fifty years later, that spark keeps me writing 🖋️

#booksky #WritingJourney #WhyIWrite

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M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 5d

Character Spotlight — Everleigh Beckett.

Half of the missing persons team, known for her precision, empathy, and relentless drive. She’s haunted by what she’s lost, but no one tracks the missing quite like Everleigh.

#CharacterSpotlight #CharacterFocus #MysterySeries #AuthorLife #booksky

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M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 6d

Back in the editing trenches again. Eight rounds down, more to come. A story’s never done — eventually we have to just hit publish and send it on its way. ✍️

#AmEditing #WritingCommunity #WritersOfBluesky #AuthorLife #EditingProcess #WIP #booksky

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M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 7d

Still carrying on Dad’s Niners game-day ritual with my brother. Win or lose, we’re #49erFaithful. ❤️💛

#NinerNation #GameDay #NFL

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M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 7d

Thank you!!!

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M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 8d

Progress check-in: Escaping Enemies is up to chapter 6! Some days the words fight me; other days they pour out effortlessly. Either way, it’s moving forward.

#AmWriting #WritersOfBluesky #WritingProgress #AuthorLife #EscapingEnemies #WritingCommunity #booksky

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M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 9d

🔥 Teaser Friday: sharing the first line from Escaping Enemies! Everleigh and Isaac are back, and this time, the stakes couldn’t be higher 💣❤️.
#TeaserFriday #AmWriting #WritingLife #WritersOfBluesky #RomanticSuspense #booksky

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M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 10d

Writers — are you a plotter or a pantser? I start with an outline, but my characters love surprising me mid-story.

#WritingCommunity #WritersOfBluesky #PlotterVsPantser #AmWriting #StoryCraft #booksky

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M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 11d

Pet cameo time! This is Bailey, my heart dog. She’s always by my side while I work, quietly keeping me company and offering all the support I could ever need. 🐾💛

#PetCameo #HeartDog #WritingCompanion #DogsOfBluesky #BaileyTheDog #WriterLife #DogLove #booksky

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M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 12d

From the newest chapter of Escaping Enemies: The stakes are rising, and Everleigh and Isaac are clashing over the next move. Their partnership has never faced a test like this before.

#WritingCommunity #MysteryFiction #SneakPeek #EscapingEnemies #AmWriting #FictionWIP #CharacterDrama #booksky

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M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 13d

Character backstories are the heart of my series. In the Christmas Mystery books, Isaac left the police force after a case went terribly wrong — and though he’s mentioned it before, the full story has never been told. That changes in Escaping Enemies.

#CozyMystery #WritingCommunity #Readers

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M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 14d

This space is my sanctuary. Surrounded by books, I can lose myself in countless worlds without stepping outside.

#BookSanctuary #CozyReads #ReadersHaven #BookNook #booksky #bookskyreaders

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M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 15d

This week's work on Escaping Enemies: doubled the word count, but the story is revealing itself piece by piece. This one’s more intricate than the other Everleigh and Isaac books — and I’m excited to see where it leads.

#AmWriting #CozyMystery #WritingLife #AuthorJourney #WorkInProgress

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M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 15d

I love this. So poetic.

M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 16d

A novel always starts with the seed of an idea 🌱. I nurture it until it grows branches (subplots) and leaves (characters). I even rehearse the whole story in my mind before I write a single word.

#WritingCommunity #AmWriting #FictionWriter #Plotting #AuthorLife #WIP #WritersOfBluesky #booksky

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M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 17d

🌸 A little burst of happiness from my son’s garden — nothing brightens a day quite like a hibiscus in bloom.

#Hibiscus #GardenLife #FlowerMagic #NatureBeauty #BloomBright

M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 18d

When you pick up a book, do you want it to transport you somewhere completely new, or do you enjoy stories set in places you already know?

I’m curious what draws you in — the familiar or the far-flung?

#BookChat #ReaderReflection #StoryWorlds #FictionLovers #ReadersCorner #BookDiscussion #booksky

M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 19d

🚨 Sneak peek from Escaping Enemies! 🚨

Everleigh just learned the name Atlas Finn — an alias tied to dangerous activities lurking on the dark web. This is the moment when she and Isaac realize how high the stakes are.

#MysterySeries #BookTeaser #ReadersOfBluesky #CozyMystery #ComingSoon

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M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 19d

It is. It was a very sweet acknowledgement of how important my writing career is to me.

M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 20d

Three days a week, I spend time with my granddaughter and write from a desk my kids set up for me. Surrounded by four dogs, writing time is never lonely. The little ones curl up on the big dogs like they’re heating pads. 🐶📚💛

#WritingLife #DogLovers #GrandparentLife #WritersOfBluesky #AmWriting

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M.L. Hamilton @authormlhamilton.bsky.social · 21d

Cozy mysteries are all about charm over chills.
✨ Amateur sleuths
✨ Small town settings
✨ Crimes happen off-page
They’re perfect if you love the puzzle but not the gore.
What cozy mystery series tops your list?
#CozyMystery #MysteryReads #Booksky #ReadersOfBluesky #BookishCommunity #CozyReads

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