Mina Li (she/her)

@codenameminali

Taiwanese-American SFF writer. Fierce with a touch of Midwestern niceness. Profile pic by Lisa Sterle. Opinions are mine. minasli.wordpress.com

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Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Jul 8

Civic interlude: oolong milk tea that I picked up when dropping off my absentee ballot a day or two ago. Michiganders, please vote this summer!

Oolong milk tea with a Michigan I VOTED sticker on it

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Jun 30

show me a picture (of yourself) that captures your essence

me in 3rd grade, with large glasses, braids, and a round-as-hell face in a red Chinese school T-shirt

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Jun 28

Seen today while downtown: LESSONS IN MAGIC AND DISASTER by @charliejane.bsky.social in the Crazy Wisdom Bookstore window!

Charlie Jane Anders' LESSONS IN MAGIC AND DISASTER in a window display (Crazy Wisdom Bookstore in AA).

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Jun 17

now is the time of 粽子

zongzi from out of the Tatung, still in its bamboo leaf wrapping

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Jun 11

lunch today was danbing with swiss cheese and mango chutney, yum! not shown: burmese tea leaf salad

close up of homemade danbing with cheese and topped with mango chutney

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· May 21

late-night FO post: two pairs of toe-up socks. Northbright by Anne-Michelle Phelan and Fiadhta by Liz Corke.

Northbright socks: navy blue socks with colorwork on the toes and legs to emulate northern lights

Fiadhta socks: turquoise blue socks with a lace pattern going up the side of the leg

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· May 20

CELEBRATORY BEEF NOODLES (note: you will find many amazing Taiwanese dishes in TAIWAN TRAVELOGUE, but the novel predates beef noodles. anyway.)

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· May 12

18th-century painting of a woman in fine clothes reading a book and wearing an expression of disbelief

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· May 10

Other spring blooms: a magnolia, a hidden forget-me-not, and the lilies of the valley planted nearby my place.

A lone magnolia on a branch surrounded by foliage

A forget-me-not plant growing along a garage wall

a hidden lily of the valley surrounded by foliage

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· May 10

extremely tall lilac bush in a traffic island

pinkish lilac blossoms in the big tall lilac bush

a veritable cloud of pinkish lilac blooms

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· May 10

God knows we all know a timeline cleanse, so since this year is treating me a little better with the migraines, here are some lilac photos I took today:

A bunch of lilacs on a branch, some still in bud, surrounded by blurry greenery

a lone lilac blossom on a branch, hanging from a giant lilac bush

Two bluish lilac blooms from a giant lilac bush, close-up.

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Apr 29

timeline cleanse: these bottles from @grimsweetness.bsky.social are sparking joy lately. Pixie Dust and Aqua Tofana (does not contain actual poison, just cute skull beads and non-toxic glitter)

My hand holding a bottle of Grim Sweetness Apothecary's Pixie Dust, which has swirling gold glitter and is topped with green wax, a sky blue velvet ribbon, and bells

My hand holding a Grim Sweetness Apothecary bottle of Aqua Tofana (DOES NOT CONTAIN POISON), with swirling dark purple glitter, topped with red wax, a grass green velvet ribbon, and a cute skull charm

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Mar 26

Completed objects: the amulets from the Chinese embroidery kit I got a couple years ago. Ordered them from "abomination" to "would hang on my tote bag" from left to right.

Blue octagonal amulet with embroidered vase, red four-rounded-corners with a ruyi shape, yellow ingot with a fish, and green gourd with a deer.

Four amulets: blue octagonal one reads "peace," red four-cornered round one reads "all one wishes," yellow ingot reads "abundance" and green gourd reads "blessings."

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Mar 18

got around to finishing my first Musselburgh! pattern by Ysolda Teague, yarn Uncommon Thread Tough Sock in Naval Officer, and pin by @zetallis.com. it's a bit tight but still comfy, good for grocery runs.

A simple beanie knitted in dark blue yarn, with a gold physalis alkekengi pin bearing a red core.

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Mar 12

timeline cleanse: completed Aquinnah scarf. no blocking wires because it took too damn long and because the edges started to look weird. also, wet knitted worsted fabric is *heavy*.

Full length Aquinnah scarf with a central honeycomb panel knitted in deep red yarn on blocking mats

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Mar 6

saw @ricksteves.bsky.social Sicily episode a few weeks back and decided I had to try my hand at making pasta con le sarde. Delish!

Pasta con le sarde topped with breadcrumbs in a blue pasta bowl.

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Feb 19

Timeline break: this week's nail polish, which is Emotional Support Pinecone from Alchemy Lacquers.

my left hand, with Emotional Support Pinecone: a violet jelly with blue flash.

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Feb 18

Happy Mardi New Year:

a gray plate with Mardi Gras paczki (lemon cream) and some leftover nian gao

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Jan 9

Knitting a scarf (and also having some baking planned):

a cabled scarf knitted in deep red yarn (work in progress)

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Jan 3

Late WIP Wednesday update: the Aquinnah scarf, which is growing longer and longer. Need to pace myself because there's tons of cables, ofc.

A very cabled scarf in progress knitted in deep red yarn that's about 2 feet long.

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Dec 25

Scarf progress: amazing how far 1-2 repeats a day will get you. Yarn was dyed by Wildewood Fibers, who is sadly retired. The colorway is called Dragon's Blood.

A cabled scarf in progress, knitted in deep red yarn.

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Dec 18

WIP Wednesday since it's still Wednesday in some parts of my country: the beginning of a scarf. Pattern is Aquinnah, designed by Kerry Robb. One repeat down, 50 more to go. Yarn is Wildewood Fibers worsted in Dragon's Blood.

The beginning of a scarf with cables, knitted in deep red yarn, on a blocking mat.

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Dec 16

New finished object: An Arrow to the Moon Socks, designed by Aimee Sher for @exrpan.bsky.social's AN ARROW TO THE MOON, aka the best retelling of Hou Yi/Chang'E that I've ever read. Knitted in SweetGeorgia's Mermaid and Snowfall.

A pair of socks knitted in variegated blue and green yarn, with grayish white moon, star, and arrow designs on the legs.

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Dec 10

Woke up this morning to find outside like a shaken snowglobe, and I had to drive in it, even if only for five minutes. Took out some beef from the freezer and made Japanese curry rice, since the snow's not over yet.

A photo of Japanese beef curry with some brown rice barely peeking out.

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Dec 3

They're all available for preorder now wherever books are sold! Check out book 1: awfulagent.com/ebooks/the-h...

All three books of the DOMINION OF THE FALLEN trilogy, with the header READ THE COMPLETE TRILOGY!! and AVAILABLE IN EBOOK AND TRADE PAPERBACK March 10, 2026

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Dec 3

These new editions of the award-winning trilogy feature bonus stories in the world of the Fallen and introductions by Kate Elliott and Adrian Tchaikovsky. Whether you're a longtime fan or a new reader, you'll love 'em.

Cover of THE HOUSE OF SUNDERING FLAMES with the header AND DRAGONS OF THE DEPTHS with the date MARCH 10, 2026

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Dec 3

With a deliciously gothic atmosphere, queer characters from across the world, and high intrigue as the various Houses strive for control of the shattered city, the DOMINION OF THE FALLEN trilogy asks: 'what is the price of power and what is the price of peace?'

Cover of THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS, with the header RULED BY FALLEN ANGELS and the release date of MARCH 10, 2026

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Dec 3

Hey! New editions of the DOMINION OF THE FALLEN trilogy by @aliettedebodard.com are coming out on 3/10/2026! Enter a Paris wrecked by magical cataclysm and the mysterious Houses ruling the city in this beloved series of fallen angels, devious alchemists, & Vietnamese dragons:

The cover of THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS, with the words ENTER A RUINED PARIS and the date MARCH 10, 2026

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Nov 27

A little extra from the PNW adventures last week: SIL was kind enough to snap some photos of me wearing the Lorelei pullover. Natural cloudy light = the best for showing off the color. (Also, if it looks good on me, it'll probably look good on you too.)

A woman standing against the railing of a pier with the Columbia River in the background. She is wearing a sweater knitted in deep teal yarn with a lace pattern resembling scales across the neckline. Her face has been blacked out for privacy.

A woman leaning against a pier with a backdrop of the Columbia River and a ship floating across. She is wearing a teal sweater with a lace pattern resembling scales across the neckline, and her face has been blacked out for privacy reasons.

Mina Li (she/her)@codenameminali· Nov 26