For #WIPSnips today. #Extra doesn't always have a lot of importance but this scene was a nice rewrite 🥹

She had never been #embraced like this. His arms were warm around her. Not too tight; secure. He held her close as she stiffened...then relaxed. "This isn't for me," she wanted to say. Instead, she lifted her arms and placed them shakily around him. #vss365

He placed his hand on hers. His fingers were calloused yet soft, the weight of his hand not oppressive, but #tenderly comforting. Kari yanked her hand back. "What are you doing?" Surprise, then something softer than guilt crossed his face. "I'm sorry. You looked sad." #Vss365

Motivation is for sure my hardest. I could be jamming to some awesome song and imagine a scene in my head, then I get home and my brain is like "but y write" 😭😭😭 #SummerofStories

Suuuuuper spoilers for Fate of the Storm lol but this is scene always made me so giddy to write (and even made me tear up on my own character for the first time...) #SummerofStories

Writing has saved my life, hands down. It gave me a place to put my darkest feelings and process them when I was ready. Kari's journey was a proxy for my own healing 😂 #SummerofStories

I prefer opening lines that grab the reader's attention, whatever that entails, but also gives insight into the character. Though I struggle to find a balance between "interesting" and "info dump" lol 😭 #SummerOfStories

For #knock... Going back to Birth of the Storm has been a treat 😂 #WIPSnips

Hi! I'm Valerie Storm (also called Jen lol). I published my first series, Demon Storm, a couple years ago and now I'm fiddling around trying to finish other projects...like giving book 1 a work over. I write exclusively fantasy with a pinch of romance and a pile of trauma 😌 #SummerofStories

The man's anger made Kari freeze. A web of #apprehension caught any words before they left her mouth; instead of defending herself, she gaped stupidly. Her paralysis only broke when the man pulled the string of his bow back to his chin, then let loose his arrow. #vss365

" #Carrion will do well to feed your need for hearts?" "They're not my favorite." Valeris shrugged. "But if that's all there is for miles--" "Then there will plenty of scraps for you. My shadows will see to that." #vss365

Water! Finally, something new 😌ish, anyway #WIPSnips #writingprompts

Recently got some art drawn by @ginkajack.bsky.social for some tattoos...and they're coming out so freaking good ❤️‍🔥 time for color soon!

Root! Though soon this will all be rewritten... #WIPSnips

"The #grain is collected from the fields and processed by our bakers. Telda makes excellent bread-" "You pick the grain?" Kari asked, incredulous. Ari laughed. "No, but Telda makes me help knead the dough sometimes." #vss365

Today's SSP #authorspotlight goes to @Douglasjern.bsky.social, Douglas Jern! Douglas Jern was born in Lund, Sweden and lives in Nagoya, Japan, where he makes his living as a translator and writer. He’s still not sure how a decidedly indoors person like himself ever managed to leave his hometown,

Kari would have rather #pulled Vivianne along as a wolf than carry her backpack. "Are you okay?" Vivianne asked. She still sounded pained from the wound in her shoulder. "Fine," Kari lied. "Let's keep going." #vss365

I JUST FINISHED THE FIRST DRAFT OF MY NOVEL (I'm gonna have an epigraph-like epilogue)(I also have a LOT of scenes to add and some to delete, so I have a *lot* more work yet to do)

SUPER fucking grateful to Lorelei for helping make some major adjustments to my author photos 🥹 Highly recommend!!!

Someone stop us! (But don't though, you LOVE us) Our next anthology, V, will be out next year. V for 5. V for Villains. We have dedicated some much needed time to the villain world and hope you come enjoy us for the ride. Coming June 21st, 2026. #booksky #writesky 🪐 📚 💙

Need a spooky read for Friday the 13th?? Five short stories of the eerie, tragic, and macabre ⏳💀 One novelette of dark waves and folkloric vibes 🌊🖤 Five creepy tales from the garden 🤎🪱 Ebook from 99c and available on paperback! Find them here: https://www.karenlykkebo.com/shortstory

💜🐻 4 WEEKS UNTIL RELEASE 🐻💜 “I like the quiet, because it isn’t truly silent. Her breath disturbs the air. The faint shift of fabric when she’s readjusting herself in the bed. All these quiet ripples of stillness. They soothe me.” Links ⬇️ 📚💙

Someone stop us! (But don't though, you LOVE us) Our next anthology, V, will be out next year. V for 5. V for Villains. We have dedicated some much needed time to the villain world and hope you come enjoy us for the ride. Coming June 21st, 2026. #booksky #writesky 🪐 📚 💙

🌟 Sunday Spotlight 🌟 The Demon Storm series by @valeriestorm.bsky.social  is a dark YA full of adventure, gut-wrenching trauma, wonderful villains, and sweet romance.  https://www.karenlykkebo.com/blog/tags/demon-storm 📚💙

Ilsa's henchmen are alllll the demons, but particularly her Commanders and Lieutenants. Vasthra *wants* his henchmen to be Jact and Vrakya. #FantasyIndiesSpooktober

I'm in the process of moving things around, so these are all the books I have with me right now 😂 #FantasyIndiesSpooktober

Brianna hates all the villains - they took her home and everyone she loves. Jack, Vasthra, and Ilsa all find Brianna interesting. Jact sees Brianna as a unique opportunity to remake the society he's grown tired of. #FantasyIndiesSpooktober

A snippet, freshly edited!!! Aya really started coming alive in this rewrite and I'm so freaking thrilled for her 😭 #FantasyIndiesSpooktober

Value of Life: 🌲🌲🏹🙎🏼‍♀️👹👹👹⚔️🔥☠️ #FantasyIndiesSpooktober

For paranormal creatures, I love demons the most 😂 most varieties vibe very well with me. But I also like ghosts - banshees can be cool. Do zombies count??? Also like them! #FantasyIndiesSpooktober

I will always recommend @kaitlincorvus.bsky.social for all your thriller-y reads. #FantasyIndiesSpooktober

Omg OOF it's been too many days... Ilsa's goal is to be a supreme ruler. Vasthra's goal is to overthrow Ilsa. Jact's goal is to be rid of the system altogether. #FantasyIndiesSpooktober

SO PROUD OF YOU KORI! ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

I loooove scary things! Horror movies are my relaxing time 😂 Brianna would, too - she'd love to sit around a campfire and hear creepy stories, then going to bed scared (or having to act tough for her friend Aya, who would be a huge wimp) #FantasyIndiesSpooktober

I'm Valerie Storm and I'm still poking at Value of Life, Brianna's story and the second prequel to my main series. #fantasyindiesspooktober

I'm trying not to be harsh on myself for the progress (or lack thereof) on Brianna's story 🥲 I edited maybe 2-3 chapters this month, and they were big edits! Onto the next...

Brianna leans extrovert, though she's really only comfortable with a handful of people. #fantasyindiesseptember

I'm allllmost halfway through some heavy edits of Brianna's story. After that, I'd like to have a lovely friend beta it before I finish fixing it. It's a long way from publishing, but I'm having fun~ #fantasyindiesseptember

A snippet! Last time worked for me to edit a scene, so let's see if it works again... During this rewrite, the background characters finally have some life and existence. It's been occasionally troublesome but also amazing ❤️‍🔥 #fantasyindiesseptember

I'm looking forward to getting some writing time the next couple of weeks...if I can just motivate myself to do it 😂 #fantasyindiesseptember

25 I DIDNT FORGET 🥲🥲: Brianna's favorite subject would be anything with crafts, specifically creating weapons or something useful for hunting. #fantasyindiesseptember

25, my favorite number. Good job, SSP 😏 Aya’s grin widened to show her pretty teeth. “You got a shot that clean without even trying? Come on, Bri. When are you going to admit how cool you are?”

No YOU forgot to post to Bsky This story takes place roughly 1000 years after the Ascension, when demon souls first released into the world. By this point in the timeline, humans are trying to rebuild after some wars and demons are trying to amass in Kestos. #fantasyindiesseptember

Character select screen from an OC art giveaway I did a while back! This took a lot of effort to finish but I'm happy with the result :) #originalcharacters #oc #art #anime #fighting #game

Author wisdom for this lovely Sunday: Write for ✨you✨ and fuck the haters #fantasyindiesseptember

Thank you so much Karen 😭❤️❤️❤️

An unedited snippet for Saturday...maybe this will inspire me to start fixing this fucking chapter 😂 #fantasyindiesseptember

Pet photos! My cat Nox and my boyfriend's dog Tim 😌 #fantasyindiesseptember

IT MEEEE 😎⚡

Vasthra, Lady Ilsa, and Jact are all power-hungry in their own ways lol Vasthra would love to rule the demon city Nagaris (which would require a coup against Ilsa) Ilsa wants to expand the demon empire. Jact wants the power to make massive changes to everything he knows. #fantasyindiesseptember