My kids and I are having a great time with magnetic poetry lately. We have an Edgar Allan Poe set mixed with a Shakespeare one, which means lots of dark drama.

I'm in that sticky part of revising my novel where I know what needs to change but it feels SO big. Got any tips to help me dive in instead of avoiding it like the plague? 📚💙

100% #BookSky

Happy summer solstice! How are you enjoying the longest day of the year?

Everybody! What's a great way you can celebrate Juneteenth? How about with some contemporary Black southern gothic literature? Written by none other than yours truly. Grab my book. It's on backorder here at my local Black bookshop Sankofa but you can still support!

Know what TV show actually wouldn’t get made today? The Twilight Zone. Half of these fuckin’ episodes are about fascism.

The Abbey Library of Saint Gall Switzerland 🇨🇭 Baroque library in St. Gallen, Switzerland, renowned for its ornate hall, vast collection of ancient manuscripts, and unique exhibits like an Egyptian mummy. Often called the "healing place of the soul

Listen to your children read. Read to your children. Read alongside your children. Take them to libraries. Talk about what reading means to you & what it can unlock in them. Tell them it doesn’t matter if it’s comics, magazines or books as long as they’re engaged with the written word.

I've been spending a lot of time studying Poe lately. How he constructs dread. The way his narrators insist on their own sanity so much you know something's wrong. He's a part of my current WIP and the deeper I go, the more intriguing details I find. What's your relationship with Poe?  📚💙

Current reading stack for the month. The Gravewood. In the Midnight Garden. Together We Rot. A little Stephen King on the side because apparently I'm incapable of reading light these days. Being deep in revisions on a Gothic fantasy makes me want to sink into the genre.  What are you reading? 📚💙

I'm rereading Frankenstein as part of my Gothic lit personal curriculum. I forgot what a great, easy read this is. (Especially compared to Mysteries of Udolpho!) Also...I miss when books were 2 for $1. 📚💙

Any other writers obsessed with Plottr? 😍 Be still, my color-coded organized heart. 🖤 📚💙

It’s weird that Helen of Troy being played by a black actress is a problem, but most of the rest of the Mediterranean, Greek and Turkish characters being played by incredibly fair and blond haired people of British, Irish and Scandinavian descent isn’t. And by weird, I mean entirely predictable.

I started reading Stephen King's NIGHT SHIFT last night. His foreward scared me so much I had to stop. 🤦 💙📚

I will never apologize for watching the same shows 37 times. What's your comfort rewatch?

Nearly finished with this one: House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland. It's eerie and haunting and perfect for anyone who loves a contemporary fairy tale. What's a book you loved recently? 💙📚

A small ask from an author: if you’re an avid reader and you pick up a book from a small press or an indie author, please consider leaving a review if you enjoyed it. Even one or two sentences makes a difference. You have no idea how much that means. #AuthorSky #BookSky

So true #booksky

The garden was as decayed as the manor at her back. Yet she still clawed at the damp dirt, burying the #jade stone deep within. Mother said it would bring abundance. Prosperity. But she knew nothing would grow here. Not while their spirits lingered. Haunting her with their accusations. #vvs365

Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez: “The Government of Spain will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket.” 🍿

Something Wicked This Way Comes? Eberhard's epic 18th c. journalistic attempt to debunk the supernatural and superstition left this stunning record of witch hunting and ghostly hand burns that only raises more questions! @newberrylibrary.bsky.social (Case B 85 .386) #FoldoutFriday

the lurking umbra hiding in every corner the turmoil of rainclouds that #overcast my skies the call of the dark despite dancing in the light you are eternal and i bow to your will #vss365 #poetry

In honor of Mr. Rogers’ birthday, here’s your regularly scheduled reminder that the quote of his you keep sharing, that in times of crisis we should look for the helpers, was for his audience of children. We’re adults now. We’re supposed to *be* the helpers.

Our Carolina jasmine is blooming on this Spring Equinox! This is always my first sign of longer days and new growth.

Happy March 15. Here is my favorite Ides of March meme:

☹️☹️☹️

is THIS enough to convince you to read The Red Winter? 👀 🎨: Christina Mrozik

I've fallen into a creative hibernation the last few weeks. Lots of reading and writing. Social media fell to the wayside, but that's okay. In fact, it allowed me to finish my first draft. Now my fav part of the writing process: I take something messy and wild and shape it into something magic. 📚💙

The most helpful any everyday technology has ever been is GMail's "You wrote 'Attached is' but no files are attached." reminder and I don't need any tech to be more intelligent than that.

what once was symphony became dissonance black clouds leak their melancholy pelting at the windows soaking to the bone uncertainty marrs the days but i hold on to the sunrise seeking new horizons and for #harmony once more #vss365 #poetrt

The Beauty of Age In youth I loved flowers I protected them fiercely with chemical products And enjoyed my flowers immensely With age I understand chemicals harm Nature I use natural remedies in #harmony with life And enjoy my flowers immensely Flowers bloom Wisdom deepens Roberta ❤️‍🔥 #vss365

I'll be teaching a webinar on Sat., April 11 at 11 a.m. CT on The Mechanics of Writing, where I'll go over the basics of punctuation, dialogue mechanics, and self-editing that every writer should know, as well as examples of common mistakes I see in submissions. Register at www.thewritingbarn.com.

👨‍🔬Victor Frankenstein is the worst, and we have receipts. Mary Shelley's classic work is not kind towards it's male characters, but Victor in particular has us rolling our eyes. 🙄 Tune in to our latest episode for more quotes and rants. Out on all podcast platforms! 🎧🎬 💙📚🖋️⏳🪐 📽️ #books #film #classic

The Etiquette of Longing | Chapter 4 - with art by @twodaysmissing.bsky.social War comes, wedding proposals are made, and Neuvillette and Wriothesley spend their first, and final night together, before Wriothesley is sent to the front lines 🖇️below! #Wriolette #リオヌヴィ #狱审 #莱那

Anyone reading the book before the movie comes out? If you're struggling--which I totally get!--check out my latest post on Substack. open.substack.com/pub/kathlene... 💙📚

📚💙⏰ Friendly reminder, our Based on a Book Season 4 @thestorygraph.com Challenge is officially underway! If you’re reading along with us this season you can join the challenge now & read with us through June! ⬇️ tinyurl.com/252urte8 #books #bookish #read #bookchallenge #reading

Currently reading: A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid. Paying attention to pacing and atmosphere --> the gothic vibes in this book are amazing! It's a perfect companion read for my gothic lit personal curriculum. 🪐📚💙

Is anyone else shocked that Edgar Allan Poe had such precise, neat handwriting? I'm diving into some internet sleuthing about him for my current WIP, and I would have expected something a bit more wild, given his subject matter. Happy #NationalHandwritingDay.

Late-night writing sprints are HARD for me. But having this sweet boy by my side certainly helps. 📚💙

I didn't know National Thesaurus Day was a thing, but there are so many amazing words out there. A few of my current favs: Soliloquy. Effulgence. Flutter. What are your favorite words? 📚💙 #NationalThesaurusDay

This year, I started a personal curriculum focused on Gothic fiction: core texts, criticism, and creative exercises. It’s a way to study the tradition I’m writing in instead of relying on vibes or nostalgia. Click here for details: https://kathlenebrown.substack.com. 📚💙 #personalcurriculum

I miss the times when evil billionaires would try to buy their way into Heaven by funding massive public libraries.

"Wonderlust" In light i am ravished Desiring the night When sex touches me Sending me into ignited fire Maybe it's the feeling Maybe it's the taste I am lost in desire Wonderful my climax

My desk is overflowing with coffee mugs, index cards full of ideas, and (too many) notebooks. But today is National Clean Off Your Desk Day. It's like an exorcism, but cozy and oh-so-freeing. Time to clear out the corners of my desk AND my mind. What tends to clutter up your desk...or brain?

What I'm working on this month: Finally finishing my draft! This story has been a slow one, and at times, it's felt like pulling teeth. I'm so glad to be sprinting every day with the Writer's Sanctuary January Writing Fellowship to get through to the end. ✨ 🪐📚💙

Wanna avoid responsibilities while appearing responsible? Wanna escape your mess of a life while looking like you have it all together? Wanna stave off people without coming across as rude? Try reading a book in public! 📖 #WritingCommunity #BookSky

You left a trail a print on this world with your juggling of language with your wit and irony and stories that twisted and turned Nobody can say you really wrote all those plays but you remain a legend a man of myths right up to this day #vss365 #myth

September was a dream: My first publication, Crimson Ink, came out in Spellbound. Thank you for celebrating with me. Community is the real magic.

Publication is thrilling, but the writing journey never stops. Back to drafting my Brontë/Poe gothic fantasy + querying my R&J retelling.

Crisp air, blankets, candles, pumpkins… 🍂 Fall is my favorite season, and nothing pairs with it better than books. What’s on your autumn TBR, and what should I add to mine?