austin (🛤️ is querying 🛤️)

@austinsgrace.bsky.social

he/she | atx/va/dc | writer of queer stories and maker of hyperspecific playlists | shortlisted for #RevPit ‘25

sometimes my favorite parts of writing are the small homages to sneak in. Nathan cooks a dish based on a recipe from my mom. Jensen & Evan have my parents’ zodiac sign dynamic. Lawrence loves George Gershwin because I love An American in Paris. creative works are labors of love❤️

#AwesomeCharacters Nathan & Lawrence live together- that’s like, the plot 🤣 but they live above Lawrence’s store with Em both during HTCH and once the story ends, it’s their place❤️ in B&W, all the Gilliards live in their family mansion- Nathan & Jensen included

🌱🫜 Charlie (Chelizabeth) Delta 🦊🪻@charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters What is your character's living situation like? Do they have roommates? Pets? Live with family? Alone in a mansion? On the road? On a ship? Other? Are they happy where they are, or striving for something else? #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

#Smutcember i think like i said yesterday my biggest difference is that i’ll read a higher level of smut than i usually write 🤷 in terms of partner configurations/genres i can’t think of any radical differences

Lizzie Blackwood@lizzieblackwood.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Last establishing question, #Smutcember: Do you read different kinds of smut than you write, or is that Venn diagram a circle? #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

#Smutcember, a Bluesky writing prompt game hosted by @lizzieblackwood.bsky.social & @hookandquillpress.com

Blurry black & white background that looks like a couple heavily making out.

Prompt:
Do you read different kinds of smut than you write, or is that Venn diagram a circle?

#AwesomeCharacters this one I know the least about since it’s a recent addition to B&W during this current draft, but i’m growing fond of it ❤️ Jensen spends a lot of his teenage years alternating bw rebellion & contrition, & as a result spends a lot of time wandering the city alone

🌱🫜 Charlie (Chelizabeth) Delta 🦊🪻@charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters Tell me a bit about the first time your character met someone important to them. This could be a close friend, love interest, mentor, etc. Did they like each other right away? Did they warm over time? #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

#AwesomeCharacters Evan & August Camden met in grade school, when they were both getting picked on for being classic bully targets: August has albinism & Evan is the kind of queer person whose queerness is apparent before they know it themselves

🌱🫜 Charlie (Chelizabeth) Delta 🦊🪻@charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters Tell me a bit about the first time your character met someone important to them. This could be a close friend, love interest, mentor, etc. Did they like each other right away? Did they warm over time? #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

guess i’ll just qrp this for the rest of my guys! #AwesomeCharacters Lawrence first learns that Veronica Fielding exists via telegram, shortly after he learns that his sister Jess and her husband Trent have died in a car accident (also conveyed to him by telegram)

🌱🫜 Charlie (Chelizabeth) Delta 🦊🪻@charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters Tell me a bit about the first time your character met someone important to them. This could be a close friend, love interest, mentor, etc. Did they like each other right away? Did they warm over time? #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

i’m going to shoutout some non-romantic relationships for today’s #AwesomeCharacters, bc i have an undying love for side characters and how they impact MCs’ growth/contain their own narratives outside of the main story ❤️❤️❤️

🌱🫜 Charlie (Chelizabeth) Delta 🦊🪻@charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters Tell me a bit about the first time your character met someone important to them. This could be a close friend, love interest, mentor, etc. Did they like each other right away? Did they warm over time? #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

winter is a quiet time in HTCH- Aurora isn’t quite a farm town, but there’s enough agriculture to make it a slower time of year. Nathan’s used to some brutal winters in Minnesota, so Kansas is a bit easier, & Lawrence likes the excuse to curl up at home away from the elements!

Ian Haramaki 🏳️‍⚧️✨ @ Megaplex C9@cometkins.bsky.social · 8mo ago

What’s winter like in your book’s setting? Is it harrowing and plagued by the undead? Is it quiet and contemplative? Something else? #WritingPrompt

#Smutcember hm! i do tend to write a lower level of smut than my reading tolerance ceiling, so i do like engaging with higher-level spice by reading other authors’ works to be continually learning about how it can be used in different purposes than i tend to employ 1/

Lizzie Blackwood@lizzieblackwood.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Continuing our #Smutcember setup: Do you have a preference between reading smut or writing it, or perhaps engaging with it in a different form of media entirely? If so, what about that form of engagement appeals to you the most? #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

#Smutcember, a Bluesky writing prompt game hosted by @lizzieblackwood.bsky.social & @hookandquillpress.com

Blurry black & white background that looks like a couple heavily making out.

Prompt:
Do you prefer to read or write smut?

love this sweet note for #AwesomeCharacters, and i’ll keep it short :) Nathan: cooking Lawrence: playing the piano Evan: a good soft heavy blanket Jensen: a book he hasn’t read or one he’s read a million times

🌱🫜 Charlie (Chelizabeth) Delta 🦊🪻@charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters I feel like I ask about negative emotions a lot. So today tell me something that makes your character happy! A small joy, like a sunset, a warm cup of cocoa, a good book, or time with their favorite person! #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

#Smutcember i don’t have a hard limit, and i think any level of spice can be appropriate for the story! i’ve read superb closed door romances and great erotic ones- it’s just about how integral spice is to the character development for me

Lizzie Blackwood@lizzieblackwood.bsky.social · 8mo ago

As we continue into #Smutcember, it's important to know: What is your spice comfort level? Does it vary between what you enjoy privately and what you're willing to share? Do you have hard boundaries for what you engage with? #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

#Smutcember, a bluesky writing prompt game hosted by @lizzieblackwood.bsky.social & @hookandquillpress.com

Blurry black & white background that looks like a couple heavily making out.

Prompt:
What is your spice comfort level?

this is a great #AwesomeCharacters question! i try to only name characters when they either a) have direct bearing on the plot or b) enhance the worldbuilding. a quick test is “is it plausible for my narrator to interact with this character w/o knowing their name?” once i reach “no,” they get named

🌱🫜 Charlie (Chelizabeth) Delta 🦊🪻@charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters When do you consider a side character to have earned a name? Is it when they speak a line of dialogue? Have a certain amount of importance to the story? When it is confusing to describe the scene otherwise? #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

hi #Smutcember!! i’m austin, a writer of queer fiction across lots of genres, & i’ll probably be talking about my #amquerying HOW TO COME HOME (Nathan & Lawrence) & its #amdrafting companion book BLOOD & WATER (Jensen & Evan), which take place in 1920s/30s US around a Prohibition syndicate family

Lizzie Blackwood@lizzieblackwood.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Welcome to #Smutcember, folks! To start things off, introduce yourself and the work(s) or characters you plan on discussing this month. You can focus on one relationship or several, it's up to you! #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

#Smutcember, a bluesky writing prompt game hosted by @lizzieblackwood.bsky.social & @hookandquillpress.com

Blurry black & white background that looks like a couple heavily making out.

Prompt:
Introduce yourself and your participating works or characters.

*delighted sighs* for Nathan, it was Lawrence’s immediate respect for his boundaries + willingness to take him at face value for Lawrence, it was how Nathan seamlessly picked up slack on things he was self-conscious about IRT his own abilities to fulfill them (bookkeeping, helping Em w school)

Ian Haramaki 🏳️‍⚧️✨ @ Megaplex C9@cometkins.bsky.social · 8mo ago

What made your MC really start to fall for their love interest in your book/wip? #WritingPrompt

#AwesomeCharacters it’s 1920s/30s America, so walking/driving/trains are all in play! the most interesting answer I have is that Lawrence can’t drive bc of his eyesight, so he’s pretty reliant on walking/Veronica’s generosity/trains for more extensive travel, at least until Nathan joins his life

🌱🫜 Charlie (Chelizabeth) Delta 🦊🪻@charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters What methods of transportation do your characters usually use to get around? Horses, ships (water, space, air), cars, walking, other? Does transportation ever cause your characters difficulty? #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

just….ignore my numbering……it will happen again…………

austin (🛤️ is querying 🛤️)@austinsgrace.bsky.social · 8mo ago

#AwesomeCharacters I don’t think they actively pay much attention to color scheme, but I have colors I associate with them! Nathan: dark greens/browns/blues, dark neutrals Lawrence: yellow, pastel blue Evan: black/white/gray/neutrals (least amount of color) Jensen: purple, green, jewel tones 1/

#AwesomeCharacters I don’t think they actively pay much attention to color scheme, but I have colors I associate with them! Nathan: dark greens/browns/blues, dark neutrals Lawrence: yellow, pastel blue Evan: black/white/gray/neutrals (least amount of color) Jensen: purple, green, jewel tones 1/

🌱🫜 Charlie (Chelizabeth) Delta 🦊🪻@charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters Does your character have a particular color scheme? Are there specific colors they prefer for their clothing, accessories, hair etc? Is it for practical (e.g. stealth) or aesthetic purposes? #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

y’all thought i was a yapper before get read to hear some unhinged thoughts and feelings

Lizzie Blackwood@lizzieblackwood.bsky.social · 8mo ago

In case you missed it yesterday, starting Dec. 1st I'm going to be hosting #Smutcember in collaboration with @hookandquillpress.com! Full details in the quoted thread, but if you enjoy writing with a little spice, join us for this month-long conversation. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

#AwesomeCharacters *looks nervously at the very real newspaper coverage in both HTCH and B&W* guess y’all have to wait for the books!

🌱🫜 Charlie (Chelizabeth) Delta 🦊🪻@charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters A reporter from a scandal magazine has been secretly following your characters around. What shocking headlines could they publish about them? Did they have to take their actions out of context to get there? #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts