Inspired by @thekatedylan.bsky.social's post on Instagram, I put together a "year in review" of my writing. Right now, I'm looking at a total of 475,227 words written and edited in all stages across all projects, with ~133k total words across three manuscripts. #WritingCommunity

There's a WIP trilogy that's now percolating in my head, a dark urban fantasy set on an alternate Earth, where magic is kept secret from most people. When a woman's magical powers suddenly awaken, she finds herself caught in a political war between mage factions.

It just doesn't feel real yet 😭 The BLUDEYE BEACH ebook is available for preorder on most major platforms!! (Links below ❤️) #indiewriter #bludeyebeach #hqpress #writingcommunity

None of my family members have read my smut, not even my husband. They're gonna be in for a surprise when they read THE DEVOURING lmao even though it's not really explicit. On the other hand, a fair number of my friends have read my smut, and many love it. #Smutcember

In this snippet is the first mention of the alien material, black iron. It is not a true metal, nor is it actually stone. From THE CRUCIBLE OF THE BROKEN MOON, my space opera romantasy about a runaway princess and the warlord's son she arranges herself to marry. #WIPSnips #WritingCommunity

Describe your WIP in a single word? Or, a single emoji? 💀

I know I've been silent about writing updates these past few days. There's nothing to say. At this point, I'm just waiting for the holidays to be over so I can make some official announcements for THE DEVOURING—and resume drafting my next WIP. It feels weird, being in this limbo state again.

Daemrin's scar is probably his most prominent physical feature, as it takes up a fairly large space on his face. It's a reminder of his past and how far he's come since. As such, he wears it as a badge of pride, nor does he think it's ugly.

I wrote the first draft of THE DEVOURING without *really* understanding how to structure story acts in long fiction, which forced me to rewrite the majority of the plot for the second draft. I know better now and have carried that lesson forward in my other WIPs.

Whewwwww, what a throwback. The left snippet is from an early Star Wars fanfic featuring Daemrin. It's from 2013 and definitely shows its age. The right snippet is from last month, from Chapter 8 of THE CRUCIBLE OF THE BROKEN MOON, Daemrin and Olexia's original story.

The mental image of Ayana reading Reddit always makes me laugh. From THE DEVOURING, my cosmic horror/revenge thriller about a married couple investigating the occult conspiracy at the heart of their city. Coming 2026. #WIPSnips #WritingCommunity

I daydream up so many AUs for my characters that it's so hard to choose! Vampire AU is probably the sexiest one I like (unless, of course, the characters are already vampires). But there is also a special AU set in a remote ski lodge where all kinds of multiverse shenanigans happen. #Smutcember

My oracle reading for the upcoming year, especially in the context of my journey as a new author, using the Wild Chorus deck. All-in-all, I feel reassured that 2026 will be full of growth, opportunity, and community despite what challenges may come.

This has happened to me not with writing but with roleplay characters, a long time ago. The solution was simply to change up the pairing. Since the romance is central to my writing, I do character studies and plenty of woolgathering / daydreaming to ensure proper chemistry first. #Smutcember

Who in the #WriteSky #WritingCommunity is on Threads? Is it useful for connecting with other authors and promoting your books, like here on Bluesky?

I'd like my writing to feel improved. I already know I can write well, but I'm aware of the gaps in my writing (mostly character interiority) and would like to improve on those in my next books. #pretendpanel

I've updated the horror comp-finder database with 2025 titles. Go nuts! www.aealexander.com/comp-finder-... #Reading #Horror #Querying #Writing

Have a brief description of the city where THE DEVOURING, my cosmic horror/revenge thriller, takes place. 🌃 #WIPSnips #WritingCommunity

The scenes where the characters kiss. 😈 And if I have to be a little 🤏 serious, then I also love writing action scenes and scenes of revelation, where the POV character learns something critical. THE DEVOURING was fun to write because it had so many of all three.

The interview with @hookandquillpress.com is up! www.marialevato.com/the-nerdolog... #writingcommunity #indieauthor #interview #blog #nerdology #nerds #booksky 💙📚

Really? Spreading lies about me? Really dude? Who are you to demand proof while calling me 'vermin' on your block list? Where's your proof? Because literally everyone knows I was copied by a scammer. WRITERS BEWARE HAVE A WHOLE ARTICLE JESUS CHRIST

All the sweet, romantic scenes between Daemrin and Lex in COTBM. 🥺

Boosting to see if anyone has suggestions for Brooke. She's my BFF and working on her first novel.

Publishing THE DEVOURING! It's definitely happening, as I'm well on my way to being finished with all the prep. It will be very weird to be done, but I'm looking forward to it. I'm excited to devote my full time and energy to COTBM. #pretendpanel

This has not happened to me, since I plan my stories around the romances. I often write character studies during this early stage to ensure compatibility and get a sense of the relationship dynamic. #Smutcember

lmao what’s this?

Proofreading final boss: defeated.

I'd write the very pivotal scene referenced multiple times in THE DEVOURING where Ayana proposes to Jason.

I'm 3/4 of the way through proofreading, and after every other chapter or so, I cackle and do a little wiggly dance of excitement—even though I wrote this book and have read it so many times already. I just love it that much. It excites me that much. I think, in the end, that's all that matters.

Finish the first draft of COTBM and start outlining the second book. If I can, start drafting it, too. My plan for the duology is to edit both books at the same time so that everything is consistent between them.

I loved this book when I beta read it, and I cannot wait to curl up on a cold winter's day for another read. I highly recommend it!

Lex attempts to hire Daemrin to bring her to the Katorgan Fleet, but he has some misgivings. From THE CRUCIBLE OF THE BROKEN MOON, my space opera romantasy about a princess fighting for her people and the warlord's son she arranges herself to marry. #WIPSnips #WritingCommunity

Like most others have said, touch is the #1 sense I utilize, both internally and externally. I also like to use sight and sound a lot, whereas I use taste more sparingly and smell very rarely. #Smutcember

Jason and Ayana spend holidays with each other, quietly and without fuss. Maybe he accompanies her to a work party, but that's about it. Daemrin and Lex celebrate the holidays with a huge gathering of family and friends. Of course, once the party's over, they'll round out the night together, alone.

Catching up on yesterday's prompt... I haven't reached this part of COTBM's first draft yet, but my intention for the first sex scene between Daemrin and Lex is to show a turning point in their arranged, political marriage. 🧵 #Smutcember

My husband and I are full-on hollering and pointing at the TV during CULINARY CLASS WARS S2E3. 😂 This is how seriously we take our cooking shows.

I was skeptical when other writers said having the final product in your hands is when you find all the sneaky typos, but I’ve learned my lesson. lol. lmao, even.

Genuinely, KPOP DEMON HUNTERS. And it went beyond the movie. Seeing Ejae get the recognition she deserves after her long journey as an artist was really satisfying and inspiring.

Good morning to everyone except all the typos, word echoes, and awkward phrasings in my manuscript that eluded my sight until I had the proof copy in my hands. #WritingCommunity

it’s the latest point in the year you can still order a Christmas gift. Know someone who loves birds? 🪶 Loves books? 📚 Loves SHORT books? Check out Black Throated Blue Warbler, a #cozy #nature #fiction I recommend the audiobook, narrated by @jessmorannarration.bsky.social #booktok #BookSky 💙📚

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MY PROOF COPY ARRIVED. THIS IS UNREAL.

Happy Podcast Launch Day!!! 🎉Our first episode is LIVE! Chapter 1: Historical Romance & Haunting Glances, OR: Introducing Anna! You can listen to the audio most places you get your podcasts (search for From Tree to Book Writing Group) or watch the video episode on YouTube! youtu.be/fd3HnI1vwdY?...

So far, I’ve stuck to one POV at a time for sexy scenes, but I’m sure there will be opportunities in the future to switch POVs between buildup, the act itself, and/or aftercare. Again, it will depend on what best facilitates story progression and character development. #Smutcember

It's official! My husband and I are going to Orlando next month to visit Disney World and SeaWorld! I haven't been to the former since I was a kid, and I've never been to the latter. I wonder if it'll be anything like I remember. P.S. We're building our own lightsabers! 😍

Amazon just notified me that my proof copy shipped, so imagine me glued to my front window for the next 24 hours, watching for the delivery truck.

Beards everywhere. If I'm not writing a male main character with facial scuff of some kind, I have been kidnapped and replaced with a body double.

A good friend reached out to tell me she wants to write a book and asked for advice. We scheduled a video call for Sunday since she currently lives in Germany to chat all about her ideas and the process. I'm so excited!! I love talking shop with other writers! 🤩 #WritingCommunity

Hello, friends! From Tree to Book Writing Group Podcast launches TOMORROW! BLUDEYE BEACH by @eliwoodsgheist.com is releasing January 1st! You can support us directly on our Patreon & Ko-Fi, or learn more from our website! hookandquillpress.com #indiepublishing #hqpress #writingcommunity

I would love a special, leatherbound, hardcover edition of THE DEVOURING that looks exactly like a specific book in the story. IYKYK. As for COTBM, I'd get art print showing off every single spaceship featured in the two books, to scale to each other.