Steph “SM” Giova
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smgiova.bsky.social
Steph “SM” Giova
@smgiova.bsky.social
33 followers 21 following 180 posts
Just a girl who wants to share stories with the world ✨
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smgiova.bsky.social
Not necessarily “broad” but “vague” (another favorite of mine) is one that i use far more often

enjoy some more sibling banter bc i love them

#WIPSnips #Writing #AmWriting #YA
WIP Snips: Broad (Vague) “I meant…Why do you do that?” “Do what?” “This.” Magic gestured vaguely towards the hole in her face which pounded and throbbed like hell in her head. The wound that Mira knew her father would either question or silently bring her to the clinic to get it tended to.  Mira was about to force a response—that she did this all the time and that this was hardly any different from any other fight—when Magic blurted the words before she could. “Why are you so quick to defend me when you won’t even do that for yourself?”
August 28, 2025 at 3:20 PM
smgiova.bsky.social
also hi everyone i saw the new httyd recently and loved every second of it

and in doing so also realized that i found myself a reference for my wonderfully sad boy that i occasionally post about here but in case you don’t remember here he is sassing his sister
Text from WIP “Heavens,” she muttered, “what crawled up your shirt and died this morning?” “My patience,” he sighed. “Well, I hate to break it to you, but it’s not like I can hold my breath that long from your house to the building. I’d pass out if I did that.” Magic only shrugged. He turned his attention to the dried out bread roll in his hands and dribbled it between his palms. “That sounds like a personal problem.” “I’m not just going to stop breathing, Magic,” Mira huffed. “Unless you want me to put a buffer between my face and the microphone.” “That’s what I do—at least, in the wintertime. I like using a scarf instead of pulling my jacket over my face.” “It’s not cold enough for that, though. Don’t those things turn off?” “They do. But contrary to popular belief, I do like speaking to you.” Mira laughed, followed shortly by an eye roll. “It’d be nice if you acted like it every now and again. Sometimes I think you enjoy speaking to Mister Oreson’s bird more than me.” A rare smile twitched on her brother’s lips. His hair wavered in the slight breeze as he shook his head with a low chuckle. “Treble doesn’t sass me everyday or insist that I climb old buildings in my spare time.”
July 9, 2025 at 7:40 PM
smgiova.bsky.social
so
book tour was pretty fun
June 19, 2025 at 3:20 AM
smgiova.bsky.social
i adore writing the dynamic between mira and her mother figure (amelia)

it’s just something very wholesome which doesn’t happen a lot in my writing i feel lmao

#WIPSnips
#AmWriting
#WriteSky
#BookSky💙📚
WIPSnips: Warn(ing) “Yeah.” She could hear the woman’s eye roll. “Your father has a bad habit of doing the opposite of what you ask of him. Almost reminds me of someone else I know.” Mira grinned. “I couldn’t imagine who that could be.” “Watch yourself, Mirabellis.” It was phrased like a warning but had all the seriousness of a well-timed joke. “Sometimes it’s good to listen before you act.” “I know. Dad tells me the same thing sometimes.”
May 24, 2025 at 1:42 PM
smgiova.bsky.social
I’ve always liked this interaction 🤭 Here’s some sass from my favorite western yeehaw man at a merchant transaction in the market

#WIPSnips
#AmWriting
#WriteSky
#Booksky
WIP Snip: Honey “Have anything good for me today?” he asked, arms crossed over his chest. The merchant looked him up and down before slinking forward to rest her elbows on the table, back arched as leaned into her arms. “That depends,” she said, tone smooth and honeyed. “What do you have to offer me?” “Just the usual. Bolts, screws, and everything in between.” “Ah, yes. Worthless garbage.” Vallian rolled his eyes. “Don’t give me that, Evira. You know I always come bearing well thought out gifts for your specific talents.”
May 15, 2025 at 12:56 PM
smgiova.bsky.social
*maniacal laughter*

here’s some dialogue from my, affectionately called, murder horse, the harbinger of ruin and chaos

he’s a menace, and i love him

#WIPSnips
#AmWriting
#WIP
#WriteSky
#BookSky
WIP Snip: Chaos “And yet,” snarled the beast, “I have been shunned for centuries; them praised and glorified. What is prosperity without hardship? Chaos without order? It is in my nature—my existence—to do such things. Still, it is them who have been sided with.” “There have been some who have tried to bring the dragons to ruin,” said the man. “Though some have had more success than others.” “You speak foolishly. I am their ruin!” “Ruin cannot exist without the power to enact it.”
May 14, 2025 at 1:34 PM
smgiova.bsky.social
My two idiots…i love them so much

if you can’t tell, writing siblings is probably one of my favorite dynamics

#WIPSnips
#AmWriting
#WIP
#Writesky
WIPSnips: Hello Mira laughed before she could stop herself. “Most people answer the door with a ‘Hi, how are you?’ instead of being rude about it,” she said, rising on her toes with her hands clasped behind her back, “so I’m going to pretend you asked that instead.” Magic rolled his eyes. She ignored it and continued, straightening her posture. “I’m okay. Bored. A little antsy. Needed a walk.”
May 7, 2025 at 12:53 PM
smgiova.bsky.social
new month, a completely new tracker for my habits to tell on me by the end of it
May 1, 2025 at 1:24 PM
smgiova.bsky.social
here’s a more positive one though

two siblings chatting on a rooftop bc neither of them can sleep at night

chaos ensues and plot unravels as a result of this conversation

#WIPSnips
#AmWriting #BookSky #WriterSky
WIP Snips: Talk “What if I told you that tonight’s different? That there is no other motive aside from just wanting to sit outside and look at the stars?” “Then I would tell you that I’ll believe that when rocks turn to gold.” A smirk twitched on Mira’s face. “Smart.” Footsteps slowly approached and she patted the spot beside her. Magic plopped down to her right, gently putting one leg out on the metal, the other tucked in towards his chest. “You’d be right, though. There is something I wanted to talk to you about.”
April 28, 2025 at 5:24 PM
smgiova.bsky.social
going backwards to catch up but here’s a bit of a small, sad one

but if it’s any consolation, mira and her father not only have a much better relationship but have probate or of my favorite relationships in this particular world #WIPSnips

#amwriting #writesky #writersky #booksky
WIP Snips: Decor Mira lost track of how many times customers came in asking Benji about his progress towards sobriety as though it were ordinary small talk. Sometimes it was out of courtesy. Other times, genuine concern. She never understood how they were able to do it—not even she could breach that conversation on a normal day. The only time she ever found herself able to was if there was cause for concern. But she never forgot how many people skirted around the topic while her father was actively drinking. How many people eyed the open bottle of daylane on the counter as though it were just another piece of decor for the bakery. How many people neglected to ask her how she was doing when she spent most of her nights sitting in the doorway with a walkie clutched in her hands or asleep beside her father to keep an eye on his breathing and make sure he woke up alive the next day. Herschel’s insult went two ways. It made a mockery of Benji’s history and reinforced the idea that, true or not, her father’s addiction had always felt like her fault.
April 28, 2025 at 5:19 PM
smgiova.bsky.social
Coming back to this with a loophole answer #WIPSnips

Because I have the pleasure of having one of my main characters named Magic, so this word pops up EVERYWHERE

#writesky #booksky #amwriting
WIPSnips: Magic “What do you know,” she said, “about the tales of divine legends? The ones of Ori and the like?” Mira scoffed. “Don’t look at me. The person with that knowledge is sitting on the other side of this couch.” Magic glared at her, but didn’t say a word.
April 27, 2025 at 10:50 PM
smgiova.bsky.social
i love newsletter day because it’s such a validating thing

even if i feel immensely called out by it
February 1, 2025 at 1:11 PM
smgiova.bsky.social
I don’t have “appall” but I have the next best thing: disgust

Here’s some small town drama because small towns be like that sometimes

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #AmWriting
WIP Snip: Appall It should not have bugged her that the town was more concerned about her family’s personal business than they were the wellbeing of two of their own. Mira expected it, even. As far as she was concerned, that was all this town knew how to do: gossip. And yet, it disgusted her that strangers, who didn’t know the first thing about her family or the Coopers, were persistent in getting her widowed father to propose to Magic’s recently widowed mother. First, it made no sense. Benji and Amelia were friends. Had always been since they were kids—along with her mother and Magic’s father. Second, who in their right mind would pressure a widow into marriage?
January 26, 2025 at 12:33 PM
smgiova.bsky.social
in the interest of some more val content because i adore him, here’s some more conlang for you all on this fine monday morning

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #AmWriting
WIP Snips: Broke(n) “Seeing as you’ve chosen to be here,” Val went on, “they clearly don’t mean that much to you if you’re begging at my feet to have the Vessel meet with you.” The other man rolled his eyes. “As if we would ever beg someone like you, shaizata.” Val felt his lips curl. Shaizata. A word in Celetaz that, in its purest form, just meant broken or shattered. But the tone the man used made it derogatory, shifting its meaning anywhere from mistake to mutant.
January 13, 2025 at 1:51 PM
smgiova.bsky.social
did anyone want some kind of horror to start their afternoon?

perfect, here you go

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #AmWriting #WriteSky
WIP Snips: Game We should play a game, you and I, purred the ghost. You would do well to join us against those you despise. They left you, after all, just as they left me. Stay here, it went on, and we can rid this world of them together. “No,” Mira whispered. You would choose those who abandoned you over one who wishes to right their wrongs? How petulant. “No,” Mira said again, a little louder, and this time it wasn’t the voice that responded to her.
January 12, 2025 at 5:41 PM
smgiova.bsky.social
a small wholesome exchange between mother and son

one of my favorite little exchanges with magic and his mother, amelia 🥲

#WIPSnips #AmWriting #WriteSky #WritingCommunity
WIP Snip: “wish” The only non-capital thing about the item was the gold flame marked by three, half-moons stacked atop each other, decreasing in size embroidered at the left breast. A job that had been done by his mother the night before he left. A phoenix blessing, she’d said with a wistful smile that morning, right before she tipped up his chin with a touch so light it left his senses alone. For good luck, of course. Of course, he’d replied, knowing that it was less a wish for safe travels and more a prayer for him to come home.
January 11, 2025 at 4:51 PM
smgiova.bsky.social
oh do i have some for this but here’s some antagonist action for you guys

introducing the murder kelpie that can possess people

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #AmWriting
#WIPSnip - “sky” It was then that Magic saw it. A flicker of color in her pale eye, a sliver of motion, there and gone before he could process. And while he couldn’t see the demon attaching itself to his sister, Magic was certain. This was the fabled Beast of the Maidenwoods. What in Ori’s speckled sky, he thought as the creature made another noise akin to a wicked, monstrous purr. Mira’s chin tipped up and had it not been for that small movement, Magic would have missed it. A purple tendril swimming through the pale sea of her iris.
January 9, 2025 at 2:53 PM
smgiova.bsky.social
and then, because i missed this one and had countless examples to use, here’s one from a villain POV

because he’s an asshole and i don’t get to talk about him much

#WIPSnip #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity
WIP Snippet: Beside him, Tamlyn leaned over. “What is it that amuses you more: the state of the rat or the fact that he looks weaker than everyone made him out to be?” He looked briefly over at his second-in-command and didn’t answer, not directly, though he motioned to the display in front of them both as if to say, “All of it.” Truth be told he’d wanted the elusive half-sight alive or at the very least in a stable enough condition that would make him ripe for testing. Many of the grunts had argued against him, fought him on it even. Jax was insistent on his orders, though, believing that if the half-sight was as strong as his grunts made him seem, then he would prove a good asset to the Alchemists in charge of the containment bay.
January 7, 2025 at 8:22 PM
smgiova.bsky.social
here’s one straight from my section that turns vaguely horror

love this section so much

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity
WIP Snippet: Wings fluttered above. A resounding caw echoed along the desolate land and Mira shrieked. Magic, who had been worryingly silent the entire trek, screamed, too, and cowered behind her as the bird dove to the ground, scattering dust on its wings. It returned to the sky, then perched on a dead, hollowed out tree, laughing. “Mags,” Mira said, feeling her jacket tighten on her shoulder and arm, “you okay?” “I don’t want to be here,” Magic replied. “I know. I don’t want to be here either.” “No, Mira, you don’t understand. I hate this place.” “Because it’s creepy?” Mira asked over the guffawing of the bird which had now become a flock. “Or because of what apparently lives here?” “Yes.”
January 7, 2025 at 8:05 PM
smgiova.bsky.social
i’ve learned that microsoft word won’t crash on me trying to isolate words from my novel, so here’s some Jovie content since i don’t talked about her nearly as much as i should

(the wording in this snippet may change. im not a fan of it)

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #writingcommunity #amwriting
WIP Snippet Everything she'd done from accepting Soma's offer to hiding herself as the Celez Vesza had all been for Delilah's sake. Her safety. She couldn't risk something happening to her niece. Not when the last promise Jovie ever made to Delia was to protect her child.
January 3, 2025 at 3:09 PM
smgiova.bsky.social
not quite “government” but this is the government equivalent that i have, so here’s some angst for you all on this fine new year’s day

little on the longer side today bc i feel like it encompasses all of it
#WIPSnip #WIP #AmWriting #WriteSky
WIP Snippet (A little on the longer side today): “You don’t know that, Mags,” Mira said softly. “How can you when you haven’t even tried?” “Because this town—no, this region—hates me.” He looked at her then, bi-colored eyes wet and shiny with unshed tears. “It always has. These people pay us no respect, no dignity, and certainly not any charity. The capital takes our money and leaves us with scraps for food and clothing. We’re lucky if we can keep the house in usable condition some months. If the capital ever wanted to offer any kind of help, they would have done that when the tunnels buried my father. “I can’t even consider the idea of going to school with you,” Magic went on, “because the Council will deny me—again, like they always have. They denied us when my mother asked for financial aid. They denied us when my parents fought to have me taught at home—it took months for them to agree. Whether it’s my mom or your dad who puts that request in, the capital will always deny it because they want to see us punished.” Mira felt like she had been stabbed; it pained her to see him this way, even though that concern wouldn’t make the statement any less true. One could only be hopeful for so long until those desperate wishes were crushed countless times over. Mira couldn’t blame him for the minimal degree of faith he had in the Droidell State, but she refused to let that be the reason he stopped fighting for himself.
January 2, 2025 at 3:44 AM
smgiova.bsky.social
I have a whole dialogue chain about this so it comes up three times in the same spot lmao, but happy new year’s eve everyone!

please enjoy my two idiot siblings (positive) talking about surprises

#wipsnips #writingcommunity #amwriting #wips
WIP Snippet: Magic placed his hands in his pants pockets, eyes narrowed. “You never said anything about it being a surprise.” “If I did, that would ruin the element of surprise.” Mira turned back, facing forward now and unable to see her brother with the hoodie blocking the side of her face. “You can’t tell someone you’re throwing them a surprise party and then expect them to be shocked when they arrive. You gotta be sneaky about it. Y’know. Finesse.” Mira glanced over to find her brother squinting. The moons’ hard glow painted his mismatched eyes into a solid, snow-like gray. It was unsettling, having his eyes be the same shade. It made the judgmental edge in his expression harsher than he probably meant it to be. Magic undid his bun, trading it for a low ponytail. “You make no sense.”
December 31, 2024 at 12:17 PM
smgiova.bsky.social
a late one today because all of my documents crash on mobile whenever i try and look up words, but take part of the reason my siblings have to go on their adventure up into the mountains but mildly out of context

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity
WIP Snippet: Confusion lingered on the woman’s face, her scrunched together brows barely visible in the soft glow of the candles. Her hold on the gun faltered a little, a passing shadow of skepticism mingling with the desire to know more. “Ailoa Celetize?” The young girl by the train had used that word before to thank Mira for giving her food. She didn’t know what it meant or what kind of weight it held, but it must have meant something. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “But I do know that I’m a target and I’d rather not be killed before I can understand what they want.”
December 17, 2024 at 4:17 AM
smgiova.bsky.social
i was just working on this project last night and was immediately reminded of this early segment of the story

not shown is the angst that follows

#WIPSnips #amwriting
WIP Snippet Magic stared at her, his earthy evergreen eyes wide. Like she’d presented him with a slab of gold on a silver platter. He didn’t say anything, either too overwhelmed or shocked to put any words into the air, but he leaned towards her as if the possibility had a gravitational pull all its own. “I knew a girl once,” Mira continued, “who wore these shiny purple headphones that made hearing practically impossible. It might single you out a little but, if we could get it for you, it would be perfect.” “How?” Magic whispered. “I…don’t know. The capital, maybe. The Droidell State is the only place I can think of with the resources to make something like that.”
December 11, 2024 at 12:19 PM
smgiova.bsky.social
sprints do wonders, everyone
A screenshot of a word count Words: 1875 of 2688
December 8, 2024 at 4:42 AM