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Victoria

@victoriamillerston.bsky.social

710 followers 730 following 830 posts

#Writer Querying a work of #historicalfiction that takes place in 18th century coastal colonial North Carolina. Visit my website: www.victoriamillerston.com Member Sisters-in-Crime, James River Writers #BookSky 💙📚 Historical Fiction ⏳📚💙

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Victoria @victoriamillerston.bsky.social · Aug 6

8/6 #questpit

In the aftermath of a destructive hurricane, three survivors flee the area by boat. They encounter a man claiming to be the son of Blackbeard the Pirate who forces a change of plans.

* Coastal North Carolina
* Colonial Life across classes
* Lesbianism in Colonial Times

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Victoria @victoriamillerston.bsky.social · 4d

I purchased Halloween themed books yesterday to put into our county's 6 Little Free Libraries maintained by the Friends of the Library

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Victoria @victoriamillerston.bsky.social · 4d

🤣😂😂

Irish Literary Times @irishlittimes.bsky.social · 4d

"James Joyce is a good model for punctuation. He keeps it to an absolute minimum. There’s no reason to blot the page up with weird little marks. I mean, if you write properly you shouldn’t have to punctuate."

Cormac McCarthy

Reposted by Victoria

The Milk House @themilkhouse.bsky.social · 4d

The shortlists for the 2025 #BestinRuralWriting Contest is live!

Congrats to the 10 shortlisted authors selected by @jamesgwriter.bsky.social. He had tough choices to make!

And thanks to everyone who submitted. You deserve credit for lifting the rural voice.

www.themilkhouse.org/2025-best-in...

2025 Best in Rural Writing Contest: Shortlist – The Milk House

The 2025 Best in Rural Writing Shortlist includes five essays and five short stories by writers from around the world.

www.themilkhouse.org

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Reposted by Victoria

Rob Bignell, Editor/Author @inventingreality.bsky.social · 4d

#booksky #writerscommunity #amwriting #wip #novella

How to create suspense in your fiction story

If you’re story feels flat, you may want to look at the plot and ask yourself, “Do my readers have a sense of anticipation yet uncertainty about what will come next?” If the answer is “No,” then yo…

inventingrealityediting.com

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Reposted by Victoria

The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 4d

A picture book is a deceptively complex object: Ideally, it should be mind-expanding, psychologically astute, vividly illustrated, and—the most elusive criterion—fun. Here are 65 essential titles, chosen by The Atlantic:

65 Essential Children’s Books

Illustrated titles that teach kids to love literature

bit.ly

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Reposted by Victoria

Jane Friedman @janefriedman.com · 4d

Your book is about more than your book. It’s about transformation—the shift you want your readers to experience after engaging with your work.

Insight from @chadrallen.bsky.social.

Why Your Book Isn’t Enough (and Why That’s Good News) | Jane Friedman

If we view platform-building as part of a mission to transform lives, not just sell books, the possibilities for engagement are endless.

janefriedman.com

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The Bookseller @thebookseller.com · 4d

Digital-first publishers and self-published authors have told The Bookseller that book sales have been negatively impacted with “increased volatility in visibility” as a result of algorithm changes to the Amazon marketplace platform 👇 #BookSky

Amazon algorithm changes have led to ‘volatility in visibility’, warn indie authors

ebx.sh

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The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 4d

It is the birthday of the novelist who wrote,
“One prefers, of course, on all occasions to be stainless and above reproach, but, failing that, the next best thing is unquestionably to have got rid of the body.”
P. G. Wodehouse was born on this day in 1881.
#WriterSky #History #BOTD #Bertie #Jeeves

He gave us Bertie Wooster, the teddibly British privileged, impetuous young man about town who was not, as Bertie himself might say, overburdened with intellect. Fortunately for Bertie and the rest of us, Wodehouse paired him with the consummate valet Jeeves, who cleverly and repeatedly helped Bertie avoid matrimony or other troubles. Wodehouse also created the Blandings Castle and Psmith (with a P) series of stories, all with the same light touch of wit and humor. The English writer Evelyn Waugh wrote that -quote- “Mr. Wodehouse’s idyllic world can never stale. He will continue to release future generations from captivity that may be more irksome than our own.”

A monochrome image of P. G. Wodehouse, circa 1930
Image: public domain

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Reposted by Victoria

Alan 🏳️‍⚧️ 🏳️‍🌈 @bows4crows.bsky.social · 14d

Wrapper, American, 1840

The pattern is lovely/bonkers, and the form is new to me.
Seems these were worn around the house, over all your undergarments, before putting on a proper dress later in the day. Opens down the front, so easy to put on & off.

#fashionhistory #fashionsky #dresshistory #TheMet

Hard to describe. The photo shows a mannequin wearing a full length dress. Think of a modern dressing gown in function - soft material, opens all down the front, tied at the waist. But in the form of a mid 19th century dress. So full length sleeves, a high neckline, extremely wide flaring skirt to accommodate petticoats/hoops/etc. I literally don't have the right words to describe the pattern, but the overall effect is of gold fabric, embellished with patterns in red and brown. There are two broad panels of pale blue either side of the front opening, both also with the same pattern. A very warming colour scheme.

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The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 4d

The modern romance genre is so diverse that anyone open-minded enough to set aside their preconceptions really can find their perfect match, Karen Ostergren writes. These eight books are absorbing enough to draw in longtime romance fans and newbies alike.

Eight Romance Novels for Romance Skeptics

The genre is so diverse that with a little open-mindedness, everyone really can find their perfect match.

bit.ly

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Victoria @victoriamillerston.bsky.social · 4d

Writers and authors hope your forecast is correct

Victoria @victoriamillerston.bsky.social · 4d

Spent the afternoon at 2nd & Charles - traded in books for store credit, then used the credit to buy Halloween and Thanksgiving themed books for 6 Little Free Libraries in our county

Victoria @victoriamillerston.bsky.social · 6d

🤣😂😂

Victoria @victoriamillerston.bsky.social · 7d

🥰🥰🥰

Karen Masters @karenlmasters.bsky.social · 7d

Jess Wade is amazing, and it's my absolute honour to be one of the more than 2000 women in STEM whose wikipedia page she started: mymodernmet.com/jessica-wade... 🧪🔭👩‍🔬

Meet the Physicist Who Wrote Over 2,000 Wikipedia Biographies for Women in STEM

After noticing a lack of entries on Wikipedia for incredible women throughout history, this incredible woman decided to take matters into her own hands.

mymodernmet.com

Reposted by Victoria

Frank Amari @frankamari.bsky.social · 8d

"To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart."

-- Eleanor Roosevelt, born #OTD 1884

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Victoria @victoriamillerston.bsky.social · 7d

I feel inspired to write a memoir 🤣😂🤣😂😂

Courtney Ellis @courtneyellis.bsky.social · 8d

My 6yo: I WROTE MY FIRST BOOK
Me: Oh wonderful! Would you like to read it to me?
6yo: CHAPTER ONE - MY FAMILY IS WEIRD

Reposted by Victoria

Jackie Ross Flaum @jrossflaum.bsky.social · 22d

Malice in Memphis issues call for submissions: Short stories 2,500-6,000 words about what happens in Memphis after midnight. Deadline: Dec. 30. For more details go to www.maliceinmemphis.com. #books. #anthologies #mystery

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Victoria Strauss @victoriastrauss.com · 10d

Authors whose works are in the LibGen pirate database downloaded by Anthropic for AI training & now subject of a massive class action settlement: @sfwa.bsky.social has an online survey to gather data on the impact (you don't need to be a SFWA member to participate) docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Author Experience Survey: Did Anthropic Downloads Include Your Work?

SFWA is gathering information to share with the larger genre and literary community about our specific experiences with the LibGen dataset download. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Was one o...

docs.google.com

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The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 8d

Happy Elmore Leonard's birthday to all who celebrate!
Here's a peek into his writer's mind:

Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules on Writing:

1. Never open a book with weather.
2. Avoid prologues.
3. Never use a verb other than “said” to carry dialogue.
4. Never use an adverb to modify the verb “said”…he admonished gravely.
5. Keep your exclamation points under control.
You’re allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose.
6. Never use the words “suddenly” or “all hell broke loose.”
7. Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly.
8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.
9. Don't go into great detail describing places and things.
10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.

My most important rule sums up all 10:
If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.

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Victoria @victoriamillerston.bsky.social · 8d

Have a great conference !

Kirk Wolcott @kirkwolcott.bsky.social · 8d

All set for my first writers workshop today at the Maryland Writers' Association Annual Conference (and hoping to sell a few copies of my thriller A Simple Game)!

Happy weekend! 📚✍️😃

#amwriting #books #Baltimore #writingcommunity #weekend

Reposted by Victoria

Chris @gigticket.bsky.social · 8d

Happy Bookshop Day everyone📚

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Victoria @victoriamillerston.bsky.social · 8d

Happy National #Bookshop Day! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Floris Books @florisbooks.bsky.social · 8d

Books, glorious books. Happy Bookshop Day! Why not celebrate today by visiting your favourite local bookshop and showing them your support?

We hope you find your next favourite story on their shelves. 😊📚

@booksaremybag.bsky.social #bookshopday

Bookshop Day
Saturday 11th October
Books Are My Bag

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SinCWorldWide @sincworldwide.bsky.social · 10d

Sisters in Crime is celebrating Mystery Series week! From classic to contemporary - tell us your favorite mystery series in the comments!

#SinC #MysterSeriesWeek #BookSky #WritingCommunity

brown paper is wrapped around the entire image with a tear of the paper. text starting above the tear, beneath where the tear was, and under the tear reads: Sisters in Crime is celebrating Mystery Series Week. What are your favorites?

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Reposted by Victoria

Rob Bignell, Editor/Author @inventingreality.bsky.social · 10d

#amwritingfantasy #amwriting #writingcommunity #indieauthor #indieauthors

Stuff your book in a Little Free Library

If you’ve written multiple novels, and especially if they’re a series, you may want to consider sticking your book in a Little Free Library.A Little Free Library is a small container, usually …

inventingrealityediting.com

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Victoria @victoriamillerston.bsky.social · 11d

Book of the Day for World #Octopus Day

chelchell @chelchell.bsky.social · Aug 23

Remarkably Bright Creatures

This one had me in my feels. Such a beautiful book.

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