Taking my foot off the gas (a little) as querying continues, in this week’s “Writer’s Desk”. michaeltkuester.com/2026/03/23/w...

Finally getting back to “The End”, in this week’s “Writer’s Desk. michaeltkuester.com/2026/03/16/w...

What happens when a writer runs out of agents to query? Find out in this week’s post on my querying journey. michaeltkuester.com/2026/03/15/d...

Remembering to breathe, in this week’s “Writer’s Desk”. michaeltkuester.com/2026/03/09/w...

Where to start when your best clearly isn’t good enough, in this week’s “Dear Sir or Madam”. michaeltkuester.com/2026/03/08/d...

Finally seeing what all this “Writers of the Future” fuss is about, in this week’s “Writer’s Desk”. michaeltkuester.com/2026/03/02/w...

What are “comps”, and why do they matter so much to querying writers? Find out in this week’s post on my querying journey. michaeltkuester.com/2026/03/01/d...

Do we know what intelligent alien life would actually look like? What science says about aliens, and what that means for the modern scifi writer, in this month’s “Science in Fiction”. michaeltkuester.substack.com/p/little-gre...

Questioning everything as my next Olympiad begins, in this week’s “Writer’s Desk.” michaeltkuester.com/2026/02/24/w...

The end of the Olympic Winter Games always gets me thinking about my future. After a lot of thought, I have a firm plan for my next Winter Olympiad. michaeltkuester.com/2026/02/23/m...

Call me “maybe”? Talking about the “maybe pile”, in this week’s “Dear Sir or Madam”. michaeltkuester.com/2026/02/22/d...

Dialogue tags: you’re overthinking them. If you’re a writer, that is, as I explain in my latest tales from the cutting room floor. #WritingCommunity open.substack.com/pub/michaelt...

I've got bad news for any conservative who watched this: Alysa Liu is America. A young woman who's struggled with her sense of self-worth. Who walked away from something she was great at because she couldn't handle the toxicity. Who learned to love herself, came back, and fucking nailed it.

Best part of the whole damn thing!

As Colbert himself said, they don’t seem to want us talking about this, so let’s talk about it.

Putting the science in science fiction, in this week’s “Writer’s Desk”. #WritingCommunity #BookSky michaeltkuester.com/2026/02/16/w...

A Brazilian man won the giant slalom at the Winter Olympics. Your daily reminder that nothing is impossible.

Hey, is #PitMup happening here, too? If it is, anybody need a boost?

#AwesomeCharacters Rand’s first love was a woman named Deziray Reynolds. She worked in Mission Control prior to his first extrasolar mission. Then he spent two decades in space. But she was head of Mission Control by the time he was rescued. So in the end, she saved him.

Love seeing Jake Paul wearing orange to cheer on his Dutch girlfriend against two Americans, days after lecturing US Olympic athletes on how they should always support the US.

Writing around the Olympics, in this week’s “Writer’s Desk”. #WritingCommunity michaeltkuester.com/2026/02/09/w...

#Querying is all about waiting. What to do while wait to be judged, in this week’s “Dear Sir or Madam”. michaeltkuester.com/2026/02/08/d...

Sorry I've been AWOL, Bluesky. Olympic stuff. How are all my #WritingCommunity peeps doing?

WOW

As always I stayed up to watch the new episode of Starfleet Academy myself. And that’s good, because I don’t think my family would’ve understood my crying. Thank you, Avery.

This morning while writing my James Cook story I was actually able to read the journal of Sydney Parkinson. To see the expedition through his eyes was incredible.

If any of my new followers are wondering what kind of person I am, I just celebrated after using orbital calculations to prove my fictional planet Samarkand has years that last 9.14 Earth years.

Major announcements for my short fiction and my platform, in this week’s “Writer’s Desk”. #WritingCommunity #Booksky michaeltkuester.com/2026/02/02/w...

In the literary world, there’s a term for all the time and effort a writer must put in before they succeed: the “Invisible Work”. What I’ve learned through my toil in obscurity, in this week’s “Dear Sir or Madam”. #querying michaeltkuester.com/2026/02/01/d...

When Reina discovers a lost elven kingdom in the woods, she will have to decide if saving a friend is worth shattering the fragile boundary between two worlds.  Make sure to lock your screen and flip 💫upside down 💫 #questpit #q #a #f 🎨 IG @cinematicaroline

Oooo another book trailer! So cool!

God Forsaken by Marci Heider ✨Forbidden magic 👑corrupt theocracy 🍃botanical power ✊quiet rebellion ❤️‍🔥slow-burn romance 📚history-as-lie 🗣️soft woman, terrifying destiny #questpit #F #Q

An agent’s guide to RIBBONS OF MIND! A twist on Sleeping Beauty but with elemental magic, war, and far more dragons. 🐉⚔️❤️‍🔥🧠🧙🏼‍♀️ #questpit #NA #Editing #romantasy #pitch #agentsguide

Get ready for a very fungal fantasy!

So in a word, no, “it’s cold and snowing” doesn’t mean “global warming is fake”.

MY LAST INNOCENT YEAR x GREEN DOT SURFACE TENSION: The problem with studying intelligent women who make bad choices? You start to see yourself scribbled all over the syllabus. Jenny’s entanglement with her English professor isn’t fiction, but she’s starting to wish it was. #U #W #A #questpit

NAUSICAÄ X FF7 Hana is sure she’s the chosen one, meant to save the world, even if her magic is resisting her and the previous chosen one insists she isn’t. Pursued by enemies, she must learn if this is her destiny or if it was a mystical mistake. #questpit #F #A #Q #agentguide

Hey Alexa...combine retelling myths like PERCY JACKSON but w/ the daughter of Hades😵 &➕🧠health in the vibe of GIRL, INTERRUPTED Also, throw in ❤️=Noah & Allie’s in THE NOTEBOOK (but like…make Noah an Incubus😈)✌️ ✍️82K #A #F 🤬Angry girls & gods 📸Readers say…👇 #questpit #Q #DF & elements of #RF #PR #H

THE LITTLE MERMAID meets APPALACHIAN HORROR When Lily, a shadow-demon bound to the underworld, triggers an ancient prophecy, she must navigate a cult devoted to her estranged mother or become the catalyst that destroys her family and the Ozarks #QuestPit #A #H #F #DF #Q

Wow! Great story idea, and this post and agents guide is all so neatly laid out! Everything an agent needs to know about their next favorite book.

Oh hell yes! Solarpunk! This is my jam!

#Agents I am currently querying DIVINE BLOOD, a voice heavy, character driven romantic fantasy told from the point of view of a corrupt king's evil advisor - and love interest. TWs: Classism, power imbalance, violence. The FMC and MMC have a very unpleasant start. #questpit #Q #F #DF #R #A

I mean I'd sell it and run as fast as I could. But I'll bet the characters in this story will come up with a much more entertaining and unnerving answer to the question.

ALL FOURS x THE WEDDING PEOPLE THIS ENDS NOW: Lainey can orchestrate perfect days but can't stay put in a marriage, no matter how good the man. Only one way to quit bolting: face the cunning ex who taught her love is a disappearing trick—and who still has his hooks in her. #A #U #Q #WF #QuestPit

DIVINE RIVALS/STRANGER THINGS When plants take over the world & an eminent botanist ends up dead, a reporter persuades a rival plant hunter to seek the truth. But as they become entangled, & the victims pile up, they’ll need sharp secateurs to avoid being next. #QuestPit #W #YA #NA #SFF

I love it!

Want more info on my #QuestPit project? Follow below for the skinny on SEVEN DAYS ON SAMARKAND! #A #SF #U #Q michaeltkuester.com/2026/01/31/q...

The Bent Neck Lady x Don't Let The Forest In MEET THE NEW URBAN LEGEND #TheEastRiverWraith 🖤Big 5 Editor Requests 🖤Best Submission Award SCBWI MayFest 2025 🖤Write Hive 2025 Mentorship Winner A Good For Her Feminist Horror With Rage, Revenge, Romance & Reclaiming Power. #QuestPit #YA #NA #H #Q

I gotta say, the pitches keep getting better as the day goes on. WOW.