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Susanne Schmidt

@sharkiatwrites.bsky.social

Horror/Fantasy Author. BBNYA finalist. SFINCS 1 semi-finalist. Dabbler in Digital Art. Grower of Pumpkins. Creator of the Spooky Spotlight. 🚫No AI. Website: https://susanneschmidt.me Links: https://susanneschmidt.carrd.co/

1387 Posts1444 Follower859 Folgt
Spooky Pickle 🧚‍♀️Beware the Fairy Seasons🧚‍♂️@spookyxpickle.bsky.social · 16h ago

Do you like #books? Do you like really cool indie efforts & #art? Then what are you waiting for! Check out the #BookBazaar26 on @backerkit.com. There's so many cool books just waiting to be discovered and heavily anticipated over! Support @the-book-bazaar.com! www.backerkit.com/c/collection...

The Book Bazaar 2026 on BackerKit

[The Book Bazaar: A Crowdfunding Project for authors, Coming October 29th, 2026!] Browse Books by Genre [https://www.backerkit.com/c/collections/the-book-bazaar-2026/flair?tag_id=111][https://www....

backerkit.com

Susanne Schmidt@sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 2d ago

Authors: show me the book covers you made yourself, without AI. I've made every single one (& lots more you'll never see, because they were failures I needed to make to get to these ones). Each of them made me grow as an artist, and the experience of making them is something I hold invaluable.

Josie Jaffrey (she/her) 🏳️‍🌈@josiejaffrey.bsky.social · 4d ago

Authors: show me the book covers you made yourself, without AI. Here’s one of mine. It’s not perfect, but when I look at it, it feels like it belongs to me, and I like that.

The cover is May Day by Josie Jaffrey ft a red misty background with a woman in sihouette at the front and Magdalen College tower in the background
Susanne Schmidt@sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 2d ago

August 3rd: "thrill" The two main characters of #Halfsoul have just met under less than ideal circumstances. After a day spent fleeing from assassins, An-Yin finally mellows toward Afya, though he has yet to ask her name. #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

The morning light woke An-Yin, crisp and bright. Part of him gazed around in wonder, thrilled at still being alive. The top of the tower remained intact, though empty, except for a statue at the far end: a girl in a flowing dress, arms stretched outward, facing east. The dancer of Dancer’s Despair. Xinghuo, his mind supplied the name in his mother’s voice. The Last Dancer. He sat up, the other part of him gibbering while he took in the thirsting in her bedraggled state. Her clothes were torn almost to rags. Blood spatter had dried on her face. Why she hadn’t eaten him was beyond him. An-Yin licked his lips, wary of drawing her attention. They were alone in Moon Forest, at the place his father had told him about. He didn’t know how to get back home. Assassins were roaming the woods. And this woman, a foreigner, a mist-damn thirsting, had inexplicably saved his life. He reached for the amulet in his pocket. “Take it.” He held out the piece of metal. Such a small thing, bent, ancient. Probably not worth much at all, not even on Ulong-Dan.
✨#WIPSnips✨ A Daily Writing Share Tag@wipsnips.bsky.social · 3d ago

Welcome to a new week of #WIPSnips! The word for August 3rd is "thrill" #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

WIPSnips a bluesky writing community tag August 2 - thrill 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
Susanne Schmidt@sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 4d ago

I'd love if those questions would become the kinds of questions people asked when they learn you're an author, instead of "where do you get your ideas?". Which is everywhere, all the time.

Wole Talabi | Preorder THE FIST OF MEMORY@wtalabi.com · 4d ago

I'm one of those authors who enjoys talking about my stories, why I made certain choices, what ideas I was going for, etc. (its why all my short story collections include authors notes) But I'd hate if that became the default expectation for most writers because of concerns around AI nonsense.

Susanne Schmidt@sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 5d ago

Going to have to go with water here. Usually, water plays a positive role in my stories. Not so much in this scene, which is one of my favorite bits of writing in Halfsoul. Afya and An-Yin are about to head out on a secret mission to destroy enemy ships. It won't go well. #TBBPrompt

Fine. She had actually said fine. As if it were no big deal. And now, she was here. And it wasn’t fine at all. Silk Lake—it sounded smooth, pure, idyllic. But where Afya crouched among the reeds, a warm, floating layer of plant parts and dead insects covered the water. Roots and scratchy bits brushed against her legs. She could feel them through the fabric of her pants, glad she’d indeed forgone a change of clothes. Maybe after this, she’d peel off her tunic and pants and feed them to a fire.
The Book Bazaar: Coming October 29th, 2026@the-book-bazaar.com · 6d ago

TBB Writing Prompt this week is: Aqua. Writing prompts are open to anyone who wants to participate! We'll take snippets, like-vibe pontifications... Anything! Let's read what you've got. #TBBPrompt #Writing #AmWriting #WritingPrompt

The Book Bazaar Writing Prompt. "Aqua." QRP with your take! Can be something new, a snippet from already created writing, an idea, a backstory... anything! Let's get those writing juices flowing
Susanne Schmidt@sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 5d ago

#SFFChat Q3: Uh oh, whoever took over Afya's body would have to deal with her hunger. The worst combo would be with Natsu, Afya's mist spirit friend (aka a flying guinea pig). Natsu steals food whenever he can, usually that's rice balls, but in the body of a vampire in the middle of a warzone...

SFFChat@sffchat.bsky.social · 6d ago

#SFFChat Q3: Two of your characters (antagonist and protagonist, two friends, lovers--whatever you like!) swap bodies--how do they react?

Text the same as both! Image features a muscular fairy man superimposed over a skeleton and its shadow.
Susanne Schmidt@sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 5d ago

#SFFChat Q2: It's complicated? Afya relies on her vampire senses and strength to get her out of a pinch or track enemies. However, she is very aware how easily she could lose control of her hunger and harm the people around her.

SFFChat@sffchat.bsky.social · 6d ago

#SFFChat Q2: How do your characters relate to their bodies? Are they confident or self-conscious? Do they treat their bodies well or not? Do they feel limited or supported by their bodies? Interpret however you like!

Text the same as both! Image features a muscular fairy man superimposed over a skeleton and its shadow.
Susanne Schmidt@sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 5d ago

#SFFChat Q1: In Halfsoul's world, souls are more precious than bodies. For example, Afya, my MC is a vampire. Her culture considers her a Forsaken, because she's dead but trapped in her body. Meanwhile, regular dead people's souls join the spirits of the wind and eventually travel to the afterlife.

SFFChat@sffchat.bsky.social · 6d ago

#SFFChat Q1: How are bodies treated/thought about in your world(s)? And/or is there anything unusual about bodies in your world? For instance, are bodies considered lesser in a comparison between body/mind (or spirit)? Is the mind considered part of the body? Maybe there are ideal body types, etc

Text the same as both! Image features a muscular fairy man superimposed over a skeleton and its shadow.
Artem Zakharchenko@kettanaito.com · 5d ago

When Bluesky first blew up, there was much more conversations and interaction with anything I, or others posted. Nowadays, people rarely comment. Is this the same for you? Have folks just moved away? I wonder what's changed.

We Are Many Mouths And We Must Feed 😀@lulz.network · 6d ago

The Slasher wakes up with his mask broken in two, hotglued to his face in lieu of a broken strap. Three manacles chain his wrists and neck to a length of pipe that reaches 60 meters into the ground, and he can't feel his legs. Above him, a soft blue light shines from a darkened silhouette- 🧵

We Are Many Mouths And We Must Feed 😀@lulz.network · 6d ago

Depends on whether or not Jodie recognizes immediately that she's in a horror sim. If she does, she knows the best way to beat a horror movie is to literally be more evil and depraved than the villain, and god help them if they're just a coked up a human with a knife. Jia's totally cooked, sadly-

S.H. Cooper@pippinacious.bsky.social · 6d ago

Do you enjoy reading horror? Do you like free books? Do you feel good about helping out a self-published author? There's an easy way to combine all three! Request an ARC of my collection, DEATH IN ITS MANY FORMS, through BookSirens and leave an honest review on Goodreads after you read it! Links 👇

A graphic featuring the cover of Death in Its Many Forms, depicting a submerged, bound young woman under staring out of the cover, and the text ARC readers wanted, 10 short horror stories.
Susanne Schmidt@sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 7d ago

There's a scene early on in Halfsoul between my vampire MC Afya and a ghost that's not exactly a happy reunion. An-Yin, the other MC, reunites with several family members after being away at the front. These are more happy, though not without difficulty as they have grown apart over the years.

🌱🫜 Charlie (Chelizabeth) Delta 🦊🪻@charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 7d ago

Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters Let's talk about reunions! Do your characters get any specific moments where they reunite with someone from their past? Or someone they lost touch with earlier in the story? Is it a happy reunion or less so? #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

Susanne Schmidt@sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · last wk.

Yeah, no. (First of all, no one takes my beloved em-dash from me!) But second, the moment we change our style, so will the machines. Hello? They are being trained on our writing, are gorging themselves on every sentence we leave here and elsewhere on the internet.

Manisha Krishnan@manishakrishnan.bsky.social · last wk.

Authors and journalists are doing more first-person (hello 2010s blogging) and embracing "mistakes" in writing to prove they're not chatbots. There's even an “anti-Grammarly" app that leaves in typos and signs off "sent from my iPhone" to create more authenticity: www.wired.com/story/more-t...

Susanne Schmidt@sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · last wk.

Thank you, #WriterShareWednesday! On a mist-shrouded island, an infamous vampire and a disgraced warleader team up to fight an invasion, reclaim the vampire's soul from the island's witch queen, & deal with copious family drama. Halfsoul is part of #BookBazaar26 www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti...

Start an Epic Journey with Halfsoul!

From Susanne Schmidt - Start an Epic Journey with Halfsoul!

backerkit.com

Weeknight Writers@weeknightwriters.bsky.social · last wk.

Good morning! It's #WriterShareWednesday ! Share a pitch for your WIP or one of your published works (including links if you have them) and we'll give it a boost! Please use alt text in your images for accessibility & note that AI "work" will not be shared

Photo of a sunny beach overlaid with the words "Good morning! It's #WriterShareWednesday! Share a pitch for your WIP or something you've recently published and be sure to include links if you have them!"