Ohhhh, man. Lia, the FMC of my vampire novella, tells herself so many lies. The main one, however, is that her death wasn't a murder. She wasn't stalked or preyed upon. She's not a victim; she's special. She's chosen. #JuneJottings

In May I hosted a free matchup program on Reddit, for those who find it difficult to get decent beta readers and critique partners. We had 70 participants! And the next session is in July. All YA and Adult genres. Signups open now 👇🏽 forms.gle/UUgzA3Jo2Yko... #amwriting #writingcommunity #writersky

Four days left before the end of the Bi & Pan Authors for Pride Month bundle! If you haven't grabbed your copy yet, what are you doing? You don't want 19 books for $18? As a bonus, you'll get to own my cosmic horror/thriller novel, THE DEVOURING. Buy today! 💙📚 itch.io/b/3742/bi-pa...

Over on Instagram, Reyna St. James, a professional audiobook narrator, kindly narrated the opening of THE DEVOURING chapter 2 as part of her statement against genAI in art. I'm so grateful she agreed to lend her voice to Ayana's POV. Check her out at @reynastjamesnarrator on IG! 💙📚

I'm playing a cute phone game where you run your own coffee shop, and one of the customers asked for ice water with whipped cream on top. Girl, who hurt you?

For Lia, the vampire FMC of THE HEART IS A WEAPON, her theme song is "Cheekbones" by Arrows in Action. www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdQk...

I'll rate myself a generous 7.

I'm sad to report that I broke my reading streak yesterday, after 175 days. I've been reading every day since January 1, so I almost made it to half a year. That's way longer than I expected when I started, so it's still pretty impressive, but I was wondering if I could manage a whole year. Oh well!

I'm the kind of author who has trouble renaming a character once I've chosen a name for them, so I have to be really careful in the planning stage to pick names I love. If I absolutely have to, though, I do it between drafts and pick a new one that's similar to the old one. #JuneJottings

This is a tough question for me to answer, because all three of my stories' main characters existed as RP characters long before I started brainstorming their stories. As a result, I was already familiar with their personalities, habits, and tics. (1/2) #PretendPanel

WIP update: Whew, okay. I finished re-outlining RewriteWIP Act 1. I'm not sure how successful it is as a first act, but it manages to arrange all the set pieces for the rest of the book, so there's that. All will become well during revisions, anyway. #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

Let’s fucking go, Oranje.

The cast of THE DEVOURING is fairly balanced, with a rogue (Jason), bard (Nick), wizard (Izzy), healer (Ayana?), and... idk what Trey is. They're only missing a tank role. In contrast, Lia and Roman from THE HEART IS A WEAPON are a mage and rogue duo. Good luck to them.

Currently in the “do I even know how to tell a proper story?” phase of plotting. Insert the photo of a tired Miyazaki Hayao with his glasses off here.

ICYMI — Free shipping is still available today! 💙📚

I only write for adult audiences, but gender doesn't matter and I suppose the community is anyone who enjoys horror, fantasy, and romance. Especially a mix of all three. #JuneJottings

I started playing Neko Atsume 2, and it’s like returning to visit an old friend. 🥹

In THE DEVOURING, the voice of reason is Ayana, the FMC. She's rational, level-headed, and no-nonsense. In THE HEART IS A WEAPON, it's Roman, shockingly. Lia lets her emotions cloud her judgment, whereas he sees the bigger picture. However, I wouldn't say he's good at de-escalation...

I've shared this snippet before, but I love it a lot. Lia, the FMC who is secretly a vampire, gets rid of a trio of human men who're trying to hit on her and her prey. I mean, her friends. #WIPSnips #WritingCommunity

Hook & Quill Press is joining in on the itch.io summer sale! All three of our current digital releases are 50% off when you purchase them from our itch page, or you can get all three for only $9.00! Sale is running from today through July 6th! itch.io/s/190760/sum... #indiewriters #booksky

I write sequentially/chronologically, so I can’t avoid any part of my WIP. I’m the same with edits. It just gets done. #JuneJottings

WIP update: Outlined a few more scenes for RewriteWIP this evening. I’m pretty pleased with how it’s going! On the other hand, I’m starting to run into worldbuilding questions similar to what caused me grief in the older version of this book. I need to decide how to address them. #WritingCommunity

Ayana always wanted to be a doctor, and she made that dream come true. In fact, she made it better. Now she can observe the effects of trauma on the body without dealing with living people. Jason, an assassin, never dreamed about a career. Instead, he pursued what satisfied his most violent urges.

Yes—I can usually tell when something I’m writing in the moment is good or not. But I cannot tell if the *whole* thing is good until I’m finished and can read over it from beginning to end.

Today is @bookshop.org's Anti-Prime Day, which means you can get a paperback copy of THE DEVOURING, my debut cosmic horror thriller novel, for $14.99 with free shipping! For fans of John Wick-style action, Lovecraftian mythos, and married villain protagonists. #BookSky #IndieBooks #IndieAuthor

Anti-Prime Day starts…NOW! 🥳 Today through 6/26, enjoy free standard shipping site-wide, all while supporting local, independent bookstores.

Sight is my most relied upon sense, followed by sound and touch. I tend to ignore taste, since eating is not significant in my stories… well, except the vampire one. #JuneJottings

Friends! You have one week left to get your copy of the Bi & Pan Authors for Pride Month bundle. Don't wait until the last minute! Get yours now and get a copy of THE DEVOURING, perfect for readers who enjoy fast-paced action and cosmic horror. Buy today! 💙📚 itch.io/b/3742/bi-pa...

Morning! Hodder & Stoughton, an imprint of Hachette, are open for full manuscript submissions from unagented authors till 28 June 😍 Genres listed in the link. #amquerying authors, go submit now! #amwriting #5amwritersclub #writingcommunity #writerscommunity #writesky #authorslife

I sure love (hate) how figuring out worldbuilding this afternoon has made me completely redo the scene outlines for RewriteWIP Act 1. 🙃 #WritingCommunity

None of my characters live in cozy worlds, and the only one who actively seeks out coziness is Lia. She decorates her home in a soft, feminine way and piles her bed with pillows and stuffed animals. She loves bubble baths by candlelight. It's how she deals with all of her unaddressed trauma.

I can only now imagine the cast of THE DEVOURING, my cosmic horror/crime thriller, having a pool day. Ayana is sunbathing and reading a book. Jason is grilling barbecue. Nick and Trey are playing with water guns and pool noodles. In the shade of a deck umbrella, Izzy is hacking the government.

The "We Exist Without Permission" book bundle is here! The books and/or author are disabled and queer, in any combination. Eg I'm disabled, and Reborn in Ash has queer characters. Just $25 for 25 books! Go get your bundle now: tinyurl.com/queerabled 🌈📚💙 #PrideMonth #DisabilityPrideMonth #BookSky

If I can get all my vacation photos sorted, do laundry, and prep some Instagram posts today, I will consider it a successful day. But I would really like to play some video games and do some worldbuilding, too.

Daemrin from RewriteWIP is the #1 dad among all my characters! He eventually has three kids with Lex, two daughters and a son. Imagine the beefiest, most tatted up alpha male jock bro with his kids hanging from his flexed biceps. Yes. That’s Daemrin.

five books {or series} to define your taste, in no particular order ✨ 📖 SPREAD ME by Sarah Gailey 📖 A LIGHT MOST HATEFUL by Hailey Piper 📖 THERE IS NO ANTIMEMETICS DIVISION by qntm 📖 THE COURSE OF HONOUR by Lindsey Davis 📖 CIRCE by Madeline Miller

Since I’ve been talking about my vampire novella, THE HEART IS A WEAPON, for this prompt game, I’ll stick to those characters. That is to say, Lia and Roman have an equal chance of saying something that provokes the other, and they’d get into an insult-fest immediately. #JuneJottings

Quite a few of my mutuals follow this person (not Ellie but the AI user), so I’m quote reposting for awareness and making an informed decision.

Back in the US, but it will still be several hours before I get home. I just want to shower and sleep.

Going to lengths to exclude self-published authors from lists, awards, and more is becoming dated and is upsetting for those of us who put as much work as a small publisher. There are plenty of us out here who do not engage in use of generative AI and who are writing compelling speculative fiction.

Lia, a young vampire, heads home from a nightclub after failing to feed on a human, only to discover that a meal might be following her anyway—the fool. #WIPSnips #WritingCommunity

🎨 I spent some time on this non-commission piece using one of @foleso.bsky.social's OCs to test the coloring greyscale method out. I'm gonna be trying a few different things with my art on the side as I work it out. But what do you think? #art

I love traveling for so many reasons, but I’ve reached the point where I’m ready to go home. I miss my routine and my things. I miss writing. Also, I (understandably) barely got any worldbuilding done during my trip, and I’d really love to get all that sorted before the end of the month.

As I'm celebrating love at my friend's wedding today, I wanted to remind you all that the Bi & Pan Authors for Pride Month bundle is still ongoing. Included in it is THE DEVOURING, my cosmic horror crime thriller novel about the monsters we choose. Buy today! 💙📚 itch.io/b/3742/bi-pa...

I ignore “show, don’t tell” a lot, instead trusting my instincts for when to show and when to tell. I regret not taking the “messy first draft” advice more seriously. Now I understand. I always follow the advice to “arrive late, leave early.” It’s been essential for my writing. #JuneJottings

I remember why I write—because it’s my favorite way to tell stories. And I’m not writing for mass appeal, either, but for myself. As long as I love it, I can keep going. I usually celebrate wins by treating myself to a nice meal or sweet treat. Nothing fancy! #pretendpanel

Lex and Daemrin are definitely snuggling that puppy. In fact, it would take divine intervention to stop Daemrin from adopting it then and there. Lia snuggles it, too, even if she’s more of a cat person. Roman doesn’t care for it at all; neither does Ayana. Do not let Jason near small animals.

Gotta give a shoutout to @paisley-rose.bsky.social, who is writing what she loves with her unique brand of humor and heart, and does an excellent job balancing story with spice. And her output is so inspiring! One day I’m gonna be like her. #JuneJottings

I track chapters/scenes completed when drafting and editing, as well as chunks of 10k words when drafting, to feel like I’m making progress. Also, when drafting, I leave myself something exciting to write next, so I’m motivated to come back the next day and keep writing. #pretendpanel

Lia is a young vampire who’s been targeted by vampire hunters. She recruited her friend and fellow vampire Myles to dig up some info, but they’ve hit a dead end. #WIPSnips #WritingCommunity