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Nicole Cutter - THE ORANGE PEEL GAME

@nicolecutter.bsky.social

THE ORANGE PEEL GAME ๐ŸŠ Querying soon ๐Ÿšซ NO AI USE 27, Metro Detroit-based novelist Something small that sees colors in letters, and makes a few very sharp gems

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Nicole Cutter - THE ORANGE PEEL GAME@nicolecutter.bsky.social ยท 2w ago

THE WESTING GAME x BLUE PRINCE x NATIONAL TREASURE What if there was an ARG set in 1949? ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜–๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ ๐˜—๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ has been compared to... โ™Ÿ BLUE PRINCE ๐Ÿงญ NATIONAL TREASURE, and the โœ’ NANCY DREW games If you love these comps too, follow my debut's journey ๐Ÿงก #QuestPit #W #MY #NA #HF #U #WF #bookish ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ“š

The Orange Peel Game in a collage of theater motifs, ciphers, oranges, and 1949 magazines. Text says: Caroline shouldn't have heard what was on that call.The Orange Peel Game. The Westing Game meets National Treasure. Blurb: Caroline shouldn't have heard what was on that call. It's 1949 in Cincinnati, a time where everyone is unwrapping their wounds of war. Caroline, a switchboard operator, overhears a murder in a nearby phonebooth with no one to believe her. But the encryption games of WW2, it seems, are not quite over: Her search for the killer propels her into a game of puzzles and cyphers laid out across the city. Those who've already been playing watch her from the shadows, and one of them might just be the murderer. And there's one more thing curious about Caroline: She can taste the world. Comp titles: The Westing Game, for forced compition. Blue Prince, for vibes and puzzles. The 7 and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, for high concept and twisty mystery.Excerpt from The Orange Peel Game reads: A small, wooden box, golden and virtually glowing with varnish. It was thoughtfully carved. Scalloped feet. A border of inlaid, yellow flowers crowned its sealed lid. Caroline neared a step closer to determine it was a music box, though just slightly larger than most. With another shuffling step aside, she realized it could rather be a jewelry box, just slightly smaller than what a woman would prefer. Whatever it was, it looked awfully benign. It was something that very clearly didnโ€™t belong. She could easily step over it, or around, but it arrested her by the now sealed doors at her back and demanded her every attention. In a stripped-out theater, this small object was what remained, pristine. As she craned her neck to look around its corners, everything about it seemed entirely innocentโ€” all except for a massive and brutish industrial combination lock, biting on its delicate features. Caroline looked up, with an unease rising in her gut, as it all had started to feelโ€ฆ Artificial.A collage of materials from the 1940s. Lines from The Orange Peel Game read: dangerous. Pith and pulp and orange peels. Everything means something in this game.
Nicole Cutter - THE ORANGE PEEL GAME@nicolecutter.bsky.social ยท 2w ago

BLUE PRINCE X NATIONAL TREASURE ๐Ÿšซ NO AI ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜–๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ ๐˜—๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ is full of obsessive characters, each one pushed to their limits to open a locked box... And Caroline can taste everything they say ๐ŸŠ My debut is on its way to your hands! Follow its journey ๐Ÿงก #QuestPit #W #MY #NA #HF #U #WF #bookish ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ“š

Excerpts from The Orange Peel Game reads: He leaned in and whisperedโ€” a new pinhole light in his eyes. โ€œDonโ€™t you get a feeling from it all? Like youโ€™ve found somethingโ€ฆ Something you werenโ€™t supposed to. And now that youโ€™re here you have a choice: Keep playing the game and see where it leads, or forget about it allโ€” very well knowing other puzzles are out there. And knowing there are players, all around, who have its secrets.โ€ โ€œGrapevines have a lot of. Useless. Chatter. Noise, noise, noise, noise, noise.โ€ His eyes still squeezed on hers, feverishly. Ravenously. As if daring her to talk, too. โ€œBut it told me about a game. See? Something finally fun to do in this dragginโ€™ town.โ€ โ€œI should warn you,โ€ Clement managed, now fully whispering. โ€œIn every iteration, opening the box has always proved dangerous.โ€
Nicole Cutter - THE ORANGE PEEL GAME@nicolecutter.bsky.social ยท 2w ago

THE WESTING GAME X NATIONAL TREASURE ๐ŸŠ Confined competitors ๐ŸŠ Nancy Drew-esque puzzles ๐ŸŠ Deliciously evocative prose If you're a fan of any of these comps, my debut ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜–๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ ๐˜—๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ will fit perfectly on your shelf! Querying soon, follow its journey ๐Ÿงก #QuestPit #W #MY #NA #HF #WF #bookish ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ“š

The Orange Peel Game. The Westing Game meets National Treasure. Blurb: Caroline shouldn't have heard what was on that call. It's 1949 in Cincinnati, a time where everyone is unwrapping their wounds of war. Caroline, a switchboard operator, overhears a murder in a nearby phonebooth with no one to believe her. But the encryption games of WW2, it seems, are not quite over: Her search for the killer propels her into a game of puzzles and cyphers laid out across the city. Those who've already been playing watch her from the shadows, and one of them might just be the murderer. And there's one more thing curious about Caroline: She can taste the world. Comp titles: The Westing Game, for forced compition. Blue Prince, for vibes and puzzles. The 7 and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, for high concept and twisty mystery.
Nicole Cutter - THE ORANGE PEEL GAME@nicolecutter.bsky.social ยท 2w ago

It's 1949 Cincinnati. Everyone is unwrapping their war wounds, but the encryption games of WW2 are not quite over. Searching for a killer, Caroline is forced to solve puzzles laid out across the city... and she can taste the world ๐ŸŠ ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜–๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ ๐˜—๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ coming soon! #QuestPit #W #MY #NA #HF #U #WF

A collage of materials from the 1940s. Lines from The Orange Peel Game read: dangerous. Pith and pulp and orange peels. Everything means something in this game.
Nicole Cutter - THE ORANGE PEEL GAME@nicolecutter.bsky.social ยท last mo.

Added "No AI use" to an Instagram account I opened, to join fellow authors over on Threads, and as soon as I saved the bio my account was immediately suspended That was the 3rd suspension across those accounts in 2 days, even though I was sure not to spam or have any offensive activity Cont...๐Ÿงต

Nicole Cutter - THE ORANGE PEEL GAME@nicolecutter.bsky.social ยท 3mo ago

Having lexical-gustatory synesthesia, our lead Caroline experiences the world on her tongue... ๐ŸŠ My debut ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜–๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ ๐˜—๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ is coming soon ๐Ÿงก (substituting with "immediately") #readsky #tbr #amreading #bookrecs #booksky #bookish ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ“š

Excerpt from The Orange Peel Game reads: But Caroline didnโ€™t know that others couldnโ€™t taste letters until the age of twelve. She didnโ€™t know that consonants and vowels didnโ€™t immediately make them sense acid or charred edges or perfume or perfectly ripe fruit. Or how they couldnโ€™t feel the way phonemes and graphemes could scratch her tongue with fish scales or graze it with silk. To her, words and tastes were one and the same. So, in the moment Caroline took in conversations, she would instantly, and thoughtlessly, experience them behind her lips. It was impossible for her to perceive one without the other, so it was effortless. It was involuntary. It was, to her, very much normal.
โœจ#WIPSnipsโœจ A Daily Writing Share Tag@wipsnips.bsky.social ยท 3mo ago

The #WIPSnips word for April 29th is "immediate" #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

WIPSnips a bluesky writing community tag April 29 - immediate Share a line from your WIP with the daily word for inspiration Use #WIPSnips. Don't forget Alt Text for graphics Synonyms, variation and vibes are fine. Support others on the #WIPSnips tag! Hosted by rosie-j-potter.bsky.social The image behind the text is a border that is dark blue with gold stars with a black background with neon blue border. An illustrated caticorn holding a pencil and writing in a book with a rose behind one ear is in the lower right corner. A different version of the same illustrated caticorn is curled up writing in the lower left corner
Nicole Cutter - THE ORANGE PEEL GAME@nicolecutter.bsky.social ยท 4mo ago

A strange scavenger hunt in 1949 has caused a murder, and a woman who can taste the world around her must solve puzzles to catch the killer ๐ŸŠ My debut ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜–๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ ๐˜—๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ has... ๐Ÿ“ 1 mastermind โ™Ÿ 7 players ๐Ÿ”ช 1 murderer ๐Ÿ— a little locked box #readsky #tbr #amreading #bookrecs #booksky #bookish ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ“š

A collage of how reading The Orange Peel Game feels like, featuring advertisements, appliances, and photographs from the 1940s. Lines from the book read: "Pith and pulp and orange peels", "dangerous", and "Everything means something in this game".
Nicole Cutter - THE ORANGE PEEL GAME@nicolecutter.bsky.social ยท 5mo ago

In every project I eventually have to sit down and find the dates of events and where the weekend/weekdays fall, then edit accordingly. This was especially fun to track for my current WIP, set in 1949! ๐ŸŠ ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜–๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ ๐˜—๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ is on its way to you! #bookish #writingcommunity #writersky #writing ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ“š

Tracking dates on a 1949 calendar for a writing project, listing the events of the book in chronological order. The Orange Peel Game is coming out of developmental edits!
Nicole Cutter - THE ORANGE PEEL GAME@nicolecutter.bsky.social ยท 5mo ago

One terrible day has stolen a memory from Caroline. All she'd rather wish to do is sleep off the day's bruises, but she can't stay in the strange game without remembering... ๐ŸŠ Excerpt from my soon debut, ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜–๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ ๐˜—๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ #tbr #readsky #mystery #amreading #bookrecs #booksky #bookish ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ“š

Excerpt from The Orange Peel Game reads: Small, unsteady legs. An ungroomed pelt of hair. Taking shaky steps, as if they were her first, Caroline fell into the embrace of her apartment. Pulling at her trousers on the couch, she could have sworn there would be bruises from the long, dark, dark, dark trek back. Unscathed from her encounter with name redacted, but the roads had scathed her body just as well. Caroline felt absolutely used upโ€” just the way she had initially wished. Used like her papers. Used for a noble purpose. Used for something finally outside of herself. So, Why must it be so hard? And the work still was not done. Her body was spent, but her mind could have sparks left, and Caroline tried to strike them alive to wake a memory. For now, as she cradled her head with a hand, all that seemed left inside it were fumes.
Nicole Cutter - THE ORANGE PEEL GAME@nicolecutter.bsky.social ยท 5mo ago

It's 1949 Cleveland, but the encryption games of WW2 are not quite over. Searching for a killer, Caroline solves puzzles laid out across the city... and she can taste the world ๐ŸŠ Excerpt from my soon debut, ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜–๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ ๐˜—๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ #tbr #readsky #mystery #amreading #bookrecs #booksky #bookish ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ“š

Excerpt from The Orange Peel Game reads: Caroline thought of picking and peeling the tough pith of an orange. The game became very much like oneโ€” as something to peel back. To unwrap and lay bare. One, ripe prize in its center. If she wasnโ€™t before, she had decided it now: Caroline was its player, and sheโ€™d make the game maker regret that. By the time sheโ€™d get the box open, sheโ€™ll have exposed a killer.
Nicole Cutter - THE ORANGE PEEL GAME@nicolecutter.bsky.social ยท 5mo ago

Enjoyed the high concepts of THE 7ยฝ DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE? Miss the nostalgia for THE WESTING GAME? Crave the puzzles of THE INHERITANCE GAMES since its finale? ๐ŸŠ Then my debut ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜–๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ ๐˜—๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ is on its way to your hands! Follow its journey ๐Ÿงก #WSPit #Q #M #NA #In #CS #WF #bookish ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ“š

a person is holding an orange with their thumb and index finger

Alt: An orange being peeled away.

media.tenor.com

Nicole Cutter - THE ORANGE PEEL GAME@nicolecutter.bsky.social ยท 5mo ago

It's 1949 Cincinnati. Everyone is unwrapping their war wounds, but the encryption games of WW2 are not quite over. Searching for a killer, Caroline is forced to solve puzzles laid out across the city... and she can taste the world ๐ŸŠ ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜–๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ ๐˜—๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ is coming soon! #WSPit #Q #M #NA #In #CS #WF

The Orange Peel Game
Nicole Cutter - THE ORANGE PEEL GAME@nicolecutter.bsky.social ยท 6mo ago

๐Ÿ”ช Halfway through trimming fat and rendering out sentences that weren't as clear- editing my fifth novel feels like becoming a butcher, in all the best ways My debut, ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜–๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ ๐˜—๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ, is on its way to your hands! #tbr #bookish #writingcommunity #authorsky #writersky #writing ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ“š

Nicole Cutter - THE ORANGE PEEL GAME@nicolecutter.bsky.social ยท 6mo ago

Line edits today... Getting closer to holding something that's only ever been in your mind never gets boring Join me in making The Orange Peel Game a new book on your shelf, or to light up your reader, or to be your next audible story to sink into ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ“š #bookish #booksky #writersky #writingcommunity

A manuscript of The Orange Peel Game is surrounded by sticky tabs and a red pen.
Nicole Cutter - THE ORANGE PEEL GAME@nicolecutter.bsky.social ยท 6mo ago

The ingredients of ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜–๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ ๐˜—๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ: โ™Ÿ๏ธ Puzzles hidden in the corners of Cleveland after WWII ๐ŸŠ A fragile flavor-laced narrative, concerned with a girl who can taste names ๐Ÿ—๏ธ 7 players, 1 mastermind, 1 murderer, and a little locked box #mystery #litfic #tbr #bookish #writingcommunity #reading ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ“š

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Nicole Cutter - THE ORANGE PEEL GAME@nicolecutter.bsky.social ยท 6mo ago

๐ŸŠ Excerpt Day! ๐ŸŠ Who could ever hate an art gallery? Caroline, apparently, as she searches for the strange Game's next puzzle... Excerpt from ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜–๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ ๐˜—๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ, follow its publishing journey ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ“š #bookish #booksky #authorsky #writersky #writingcommunity #reading

Excerpt from The Orange Peel Game reads: Caroline had hoped she would know the next clue when she saw it: Searching through the glazed, cracked arms of the Renaissance for a white hare, or between the abstractโ€™s contours for a black circle to crawl into. And everything was too quiet. Leaving another pasted face on the wall with sealed lips, framed in glorified gold, Caroline thought the decadence would surely be better fit for something live. And royal. And loud.