A.J. Hackwith

AHHHH CONGRATS!!!!

a cartoon of cinderella with a very dark eye Alt: a cartoon gif of cinderella with a very dark eye smudges

The indignity of finally retiring to the hotel room after a long day at #worldcon and realizing your makeup has went full raccoon eyes for who knows how long and no one said anything

I am on low reserves so probs won’t be at the bar parties long, but will be around and would love to catch up! Let me know when you’re downtown and I’ll see if I can swing by

Hey #wolrdcon friends! In two hours I’m doing a (probably dramatic) reading from Toto. Catch me there, or at any of these other places this week: #worldcon2025

Just seeing this and overcome with feels. Thanks, friend <3

The 10 Best Dark Academia Fantasy Books There will be a quiz at the end of this darkly academic list. Hope you studied.

www.themarysue.com/the-10-best-...

I LOVED The Library at Mount Char.

Books by:
@naominovik.bsky.social
@ajhackwith.bsky.social
@rfkuang.bsky.social
‪

Guys, that signing blew me away. Thank you EVERYONE who came. I can’t believe we ran through all those books! #eccc2025

👀👀👀… Obviously I meant level TWO. SUMMIT LEVEL TWO. Author needs coffee badly

SIGNING DAY #eccc2025 Come grab a copy of TOTO and get it vandalized by me. 11am to 11:50, Penguin Random House booth 20515 on Summit level 3!
I'll have free stickers, babes. 🎉

We're not in Kansas anymore, #Toto! So thrilled to have stumbled upon this while browsing my #publiclibrary yesterday. Experiencing the Oz story from Toto's point of view is rocking my world tonight. @ajhackwith.bsky.social Bad dogs go to Oz. 💚 bookshop.org/p/books/toto... #booksky

Will you be at Emerald City ComicCon this weekend? I'll be signing books at the @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social
booth on Saturday 11am! Grab a copy of TOTO while you're at it 📚 #eccc2025

Really good idea, past!me, getting into a new hobby that requires a lot of research and reading and testing technique that has completely overtaken the time I used to use reading news. A++, would recommend to everyone in the next 4 (or 10, probably) years.

Stay out of politics? Ridiculous! When has a writer ever managed to avoid politics? Every story is political. Tell a soul a story they want to believe, and you can change the world.

The Library of the Unwritten - @ajhackwith.bsky.social

a cat is sitting on a couch looking at a laptop . Alt: a lil cat man smacks the keyboard as fast as he can

DEFINITELY the boost I needed to get this draft wrapped up and sent to the editor this week.

*checks watch*

...oh god okay no one panic, back to work

Guys, I just got a sneak peek of cover art for the Goblin book that puts the romance (between spikey femme goblin and strongk fey lady knight) and it just...all the queer fairy tale feels. ❤️‍🔥

Can't stress this enough: a random story you write on a lark may end up being the one that gets you the most recognition while the one you really love may get few reads and/or your worst reviews. Don't overthink it. Publishing is a gamble. You'll win some; you'll lose some.

Storytelling Is Political, And That’s A Good Thing | The Nerd Daily Guest post written by Toto author A. J. Hackwith A. J. Hackwith(she/they) is a queer writer of fantasy and science fiction living in the woods of the Pacific Northwest with her partner and various pet...

Over on The Nerd Daily, I talked politics:
Storytelling Is Political, And That’s A Good Thing - thenerddaily.com/aj-hackwith-...

Agent: Sorry, they're a debut -- I don't think they know about 2nd edits, editor

Editor: But what about substantive edits, copy edits, line edits, pass pages, last-second panic post-ARCs edits? They know about THOSE, don't they?

Agent: I wouldn't count on it

If you’re looking for a free way to support an author, did you know you can ask your library to stock a book you want to read that they don’t have yet? And usually it’s a very basic online form? Google your library name plus the words “request a title” or “suggest a title” to find yours.

TOTO in the wild! 💕🐾🌈

It’s small business Saturday! Go hug an indie bookstore. And as I am but a humble word tinkerer, I am obliged to remind you that TOTO is out and makes a cool gift. Books in general = best gifts tbh

Out there, right now, is an indie bookstore and it is FULL OF BOOKS, and full of bibliomancers who know all the old book rites to ensure you get excellent books for you and your loved ones. Seek the indie bookstore! Give them coin in exchange for stories and ideas and art and romance and horror and

Canned chicken and powdered milk. We ate like WW2 soldiers and those government ‘supplements’ did NOT do great things for growing children 🤦🏻‍♀️

Oh yes, let's. If everyone does this the world will be, in a small but meaningful way, 100x better.

"What to do with the Flying Monkeys" was a song on repeat in my head for a WHILE. (also can be sung to the shanty "what do we do with a drunken sailor" for fun)

I finished The God of Lost Words by @ajhackwith.bsky.social . The knowledge that there are others in this huge world that feel the absolute imperative to protect books, encourage writers, and revel in the divinity that is the written word is a joy. Highly recommend this series. #booksky 💙📚

I will add to this: Writing won't save you, but it will also save you in ways you have yet to imagine. And if you're very very lucky, it might save someone else who feels like you.

This is how you become a writer: You have to love writing but it does not mean it will be enjoyable or make you happy. Accept that you will probably not make money. If any of these ever align in any slot machine like combo, live más.

I just finished Toto by @ajhackwith.bsky.social, & I really enjoyed it! It's so refreshing to see Oz fanfic really lean into "the original was a political allegory, let's update it and GO". Does it count as YA? it feels like it to me ...
#books #booksky #ForYourConsideration #HugoPoss