Aiko Aslanian
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aiko-aslanian.bsky.social
Aiko Aslanian
@aiko-aslanian.bsky.social
I've been writing all my life but it took me 40 years to have a project. Working on my first book. To what end? We'll see.

This account to connect with writers, book lovers, readers, and all things literary.
The best part about impulse buying books in your 40s is you completely forget you did and it's like a surprise gift when it arrives.

Although I did see @rebeccareyeswriting.com posting about this today and had a vague, "Wait a minute, didn't I....?" moment. And then it came with today's mail!
October 22, 2025 at 7:37 PM
I felt a burning urge to do a #WIPsnip tonight. I think this one reflects the, uh, tonal change I'm working with in this WIP.

Poly teases Fitz (aka Billy, both short for Fitzwilliam) about his evolving feelings about the homosexuals over the centuries.

#fantasyheist
October 22, 2025 at 2:53 AM
Supplemental folders are shaping up
October 3, 2025 at 4:36 AM
This WIP is quickly getting unhinged.

Mermaid/vampire first communication, enabled by the Babel fish.
September 28, 2025 at 1:30 AM
It's the best time of the year when the drizzle means Limozeen's style goes from Rod Stewart to Bowie.
September 19, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Look what I just picked up and added to my TBR shelf.
📚💙
@elizmanderson.com
September 13, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Huge relief for California Kaiser members! No restrictions for anyone for getting the COVID vaccine. I hope everyone can get easy and affordable access but I know it's not going to be easy for all
September 12, 2025 at 4:56 PM
The baby chicks have just started laying the teeniest baby eggs! Because they are now not baby chicks but teen hens! Heens?

Anyway

How it started/how it's going

(Brown egg is a normal store egg for comparison.)
September 3, 2025 at 12:47 AM
When you're trying to get one of your besties to get serious about his writing so he can be your writing buddy
August 30, 2025 at 2:40 AM
How bout some kissin'?

Lil remembers when Ozwin kissed her a few years ago; now he's back in town and rumor has it he's looking to court her. I'm sure nothing will happen to thwart his plans.
August 24, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Oh hey, how about the very beginning? After processing the advice to avoid starting with a character waking up, I realized I could build the world more dynamically than that.

CW: (Fictional) animal harm due to predators
August 22, 2025 at 12:05 AM
We'll do a two-fer, since this has both trap (my only example) and bow (one of many many).

This is VERY rough, needs line editing, plus some straight up technical errors, but I'm liking how this scene near the end is shaping up.

Lil's taking things seriously at last; Emic is beginning to crack.
August 20, 2025 at 3:58 AM
For example:
August 19, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Most reports of crime are exaggerated but we do have problems with roving gangs in my neighborhood. They steal a shit ton of chicken food and the chickens only occasionally push back.
August 19, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Limozeen believes in you
August 17, 2025 at 4:21 AM
Taking a break from a structural editing to do this because line editing is a nice change of pace.

From the first real conversation the FMC and MMC have.

Kind of a lot of Terms here, but they've all been well introduced at this point in the book so hopefully wouldn't confuse in context.
August 11, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Updated my labels so I'm more clear on what I am supposed to DO when a draft is a given color.

Progress: Two chapters from Red to Orange this weekend :)

Tomorrow: Unfinished chapters 😱
August 11, 2025 at 5:25 AM
Today I started diving into a structural edit, which is really finishing the draft (bold orange and red indicate different levels of unfinished chapters) & trying to improve the pacing. I know the WHAT of the how is still feeling weak, so that's percolating right now.
August 9, 2025 at 4:13 AM
Ok I wasn't going to be weird the first time you mentioned this, but since it's a running theme I have to show you this recorder I found in our yard. We live on 5 acres & it appeared, pretty clean, where the chickens hang out. A space I've cleared before. It definitely summons the dead right?
August 9, 2025 at 2:13 AM
Eep! Woot woot. I can only make squeaky noises because I think the roughest, ugliest, holiest (as in, has the most holes) of drafts is done, right as I hit my arbitrary word count. It's more of a glorified outline held together by placeholders in many places, but I love editing so here we goooooo
August 7, 2025 at 8:35 PM
A snip from chapter 1; MC Lilam is contemplating waking up her sister or Kepi, the dragonling sleeping with her.
August 7, 2025 at 5:49 PM
This is in the print issue of The Onion this month; in searching for it online, I came across the real ICE recruiting page and this is barely a satire.
August 6, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Pov: your cats look like they got cheating at a Coldplay Concert
August 6, 2025 at 3:11 AM
JJ, new here and undisputed queen. An apt successor to the previous queen, who abdicated last fall after 20 years of benevolent rule, though the cuddle quota was always high
August 3, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Cricket, kind of an idiot
August 3, 2025 at 3:00 PM