CIRCLE WITH A DOT

There's a pop-up window on my website, sophiajanehayden.com, where you can get a link to a PDF of The Story of Rockit by joining my email list. It's a short children's tale. Rockit is an adorable Australian herder pup with big dreams of herding cattle like her famous grandfather, Mick. But when she is adopted into a California home, she's met with two mean cats and a couple of elderly, very slow-moving tortoises, Herman and his wife, Morticia, in the backyard. It seems her dreams of being a herder have been dashed. But are they? Wise old Herman, who has lived for 105 years, tells Rockit never to give up on her dreams. #story #shortStory #storytelling #scribesAndMakers #mastodon #bookstodon #bookTok #wednesday #writingCommunity #writing #writer #writers #kids #childrensbooks #stories #cartoons #cartoon #tales #tale #animal #readingCommunity #readersofmastodon #reading #readers #fun #cute #cuteanimals #cuteanimal #sweet #dog #dogs #tortoise #catNews #cat #authorLife #authors #author #authorsOfMastodon #email #website

@guyjantic Kitty is impressive!

@QuokkaMocha You're so crafty and I absolutely love it.

@mattblaze @cstross Titles are considered part of marketing, which is the publisher's job. When Ches and I were writing our first book, the working title was "Internet Security and Firewall Gateways". Our editor felt that something like that would get lost in the noise, hence the change to "Firewalls and Internet Security". We had trouble agreeing on a cover, though. The editor sent us a cartoon, which we loved—but he'd sent it as a joke. But it was very appropriate, so he went off and negotiated the rights. The final cover is at https://wilyhacker.com/1e/cover.jpg.

#ScribesAndMakers 5 Mad Lib Reveal (and much silliness ensues)@guyjantic version:"I can't write," he said, casting a delicious glance at her before farting, two blobs protruding from his spleen.@gahlearner version:"I can't crouch," he said, casting a sensible glance at her before touching, two horses protruding from his eyebrow.@willelm version:"I can't cut," he said, casting a spicy glance at her before dripping, two hats protruding from his leg.@samanthabwriter version:"I can't scream," he said, casting a jumpy glance at her before soothing, two goslings protruding from his knee.@adaddinsane version:"I can't laugh," he said, casting a slimy glance at her before singing, two rabbits protruding from his toenail.@kagan version:"I can't bring," he said, casting a loud glance at her before juggling, two people protruding from his spleen.@QuasiTemporal version:"I can't fast," he said, casting a blue glance at her before confusing, two trees protruding from his eyelid.And the original line from The Night Plummer & The Mockemortician (published book instead of WIP):"I can't sleep," he said, casting a mournful glance at her before collapsing, two arrows protruding from his back.

#ScribesAndMakers 2 TTMD featured creator Nara Moore @NaraMooreHi. I started reading “For Love of a Konbini Idol” and I love it! I don’t have a question but thank you for having footnotes with translations of certain Japanese words throughout.

Today is Talk to me Day with our featured creator @NaraMoore who also celebrates her birthday.I have another question for you:Do you like cake? Do you have a birthday cake? 🧁 🧁 🧁 🧁#ScribesAndMakers #TTMD

#ScribesAndMakers 2/3: Do you know your story ahead of time?No.I generally figure out a beginning, and I usually know the ending (happy, at least), but how to get from one to the other is a mystery.The path develops as I write, and that is part of the immense fun that new stories hold for me. This curiosity (and the knowledge that I have to sit down and write it in order to find out) is what gives me the energy to actually write a story.#WritingCommunity

#ScribesAndMakersMarch 2ndDo you know your story ahead of time ?I have the bare bones, usually. I know where I want to go. Getting there is another story.#writingCommunity

#ScribesAndMakers March 23 Do you consider yourself a frood who knows where their towel is?Oh, I know where my towel is. And don't you forget it.#Writing #Writers #WritingCommunity #WritersOfMastodon #AmWriting #Scriberspace

Join us today in helping @NaraMoore celebrate her birthday as the featured creator for Talk To Me Day. She writes a variety of work, including Yuri*, Mythpunk, & surreal Urban Fantasy as well as Fan Fiction.If you would like to ask a question, @ mention her and add the hashtags #ScribesAndMakers and #TTMD or feel free to follow along and wish her a happy birthday.Happy Birthday! Here is my question:Mai-sensei makes all these adorable illustrations for your stories. How did you find them?*Yuri (百合) is a Japanese genre that focuses on intimate relationships between women, encompassing romantic, emotional, or platonic connections in manga, anime, and associated media. (From Yuripedia)

#ScribesAndMakers 3/1 How much time do you expect to have for creative pursuits this month?Too damn little - both my day job and my private affairs will likely keep me utterly exhausted this month.

@NaraMoore as it was to work with you All your work will be available in the future artbook that I had to delay in order to finish the Chapter Three. I hope now to publish in Fall 2026

#ScribesAndMakers 26. Do you abandon creative projects? If so, how do you determine when to abandon them?i'll scrap a project if its flaws are too central to be solved. sometimes, you have to learn when to let go. but most scrapped projects end up being resorbed, and nourishing future, better projects.

#ScribesAndMakers 3.22 — Do you consider yourself a frood who knows where their towel is?I have never been a well-put-together person in my life. That's definitely not a way to describe me. I have AuDHD and OCD, and I'm surviving MS. I'm a bit nutty but my friends say, all-around, I'm pretty lovable. #WritingCommunity #WritersOfMastodon