Shelly Blake-Plock
@shellyblakeplock.com
Writing horror fiction, making music, building weird things. Oh, and baseball. And open source. Also, I've lived in a haunted house for 23 years, which is fun.
Join us for #HorrorWritersChat Theme: history/the past
Mary Wyrd (she/her)@marywyrd.bsky.social · 2d agoWrite horror? Want to talk about it? Join the #HorrorWritersChat community on Wednesdays Next meeting: Wednesday 5th August at 2 pm (EDT - USA) / 7 pm (BST - UK) All horror writers from any time zone are welcome! Guess the theme from the image and get a virtual cookie. #AmWriting #HorrorSky
A question for self-published indie writers: how did you make the decision to publish your own novel/book? What do you give up (if anything) and what do you gain (if anything) by self-publishing? Asking for a friend. 😜
Snapped this when Adley Rutschman debuted at Camden Yards. The thing I like about the photo is how much it says about how excited fans were. It really was a new day for the Orioles. He got a triple up the right field line that night for his first MLB hit, if memory serves.
Finished up the 2nd of the 2 chapters I was working on this weekend. I'm now 1/4 through the book & my pace is picking up. Early on, I was getting bogged down in historical research, but now the prose itself is flying and I've developed a better research workflow. I'm coming to love the year 1891.
I am on a mission to complete two more chapters this weekend, which would bring me to the completion of the first quarter of the book. Of course, last night I went down a rabbit hole researching the history of fire insurance, so there is no telling how long these two chapters might actually take.
And by the end of the evening, there were many words on the page.
Write a historical fiction, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. I’ve spent no less than half of my writing time looking up intricate facts about late 19th century gas fixtures, bookmaking practices, and methods of refrigeration. I am losing my mind.
Been reading a lot of comments saying folks would like to see Holliday traded. And all I can say is… have you actually looked at his stats recently? #Orioles
I awoke to the sound of a hummingbird. Then, laughing children. An admonishing father: "Away from there. See the flowers on the ends of those stalks? Poison." He shushed the kids away. "Invasive, to boot." For a time, all was quiet. And then, the whipple and whine of a lawnmower. #HorrorWritersChat
Artemis Quinn 🏳️⚧️🎨📚@vampireantihero.com · last wk.The strange compulsion to reach out and touch one of the plants overtakes you. As your fingers touch the petals, they tingle. You freeze, watching tendrils reach out cautiously from the plant. "The roots dig deeper into my veins, foxgloves sprouting from my skin." Finish it. #HorrorWritersChat
I wrote a lotus-eaters type of scene where the effect on one of the characters was to believe that everyone else was dead. #HorrorWritersChat
Artemis Quinn 🏳️⚧️🎨📚@vampireantihero.com · last wk.The garden is bright and vibrant with a wash of flowers. Oleander. Monkshood. Hydrangea and Mountain Laurel bushes. Small placquards stand beside each one. You realize as you read them, they're symptoms. QUESTION 2 - Have you ever written anything centering plants or poisons? #HorrorWritersChat
Shelly, from Maryland. New project is mystery/horror by way of historical fiction. (This is new for me, as I usually write contemporary ensemble horror). Regarding plants... The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill. #HorrorWritersChat
Artemis Quinn 🏳️⚧️🎨📚@vampireantihero.com · last wk.Howdy, #HorrorWritersChat ! The leaves whisper secrets at the edge of a forest that melts into a garden. Its quiet murmurs guide you. You take a step. Q1 - Introduce yourself, the horror you write, and... share your favorite piece of horror media with plants, poisons, forest, or eco-horror.
On 09 Aug, John Berndt and I will be reading from our respective new works at Normals. Come on by if you are in Baltimore.
I saw the Odyssey and my movie review is that it sucked.
Detroit Squirrel update: The Tigers' entire grounds crew went out on the field to try to get that thing out of there and all that's missing is the Benny Hill theme
During my first gig teaching high school English, we spent a week reading excerpts from Homer. Me: "The Odyssey was written down back in Ancient Greece." Student: "Did the Greeks speak English?" Me: "No, they spoke Greek." Student (holding up textbook): "So what the hell is this?!?"
Last two days have proven effective. 7,500 new words. The amount of research is daunting, but the prose is coming out somewhat effortlessly.
Two of the most acclaimed books of 2025 are by horror authors. THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER by @stephengrahamjones.com won Stoker, Locus, and Nebula Awards and placed on Obama's favorite books of the year. ANGEL DOWN by Daniel Kraus won the Pulitzer. Let that sink in. Then go explore horror fiction.
I was late to turning on tonight’s Orioles game. What’s up with the hats tonight? Is it clash day?
Almost to an embarrassing degree, I feel a debt to Balzac in my current writing.
Absolutely INCREDIBLE contributions from you all tonight, #HorrorWritersChat!! I gotta admit, this has been one of my favourite evenings to host so far!! Can't wait to continue doing more of these!
Horatio and Esther were lab rats. Pink tails. White coats. Well, the coats had specks of red in them as well. #HorrorWritersChat
Gree_@greethewriter.bsky.social · 2w agoThe heart thrums with life. Bones clack in motion. The threaded fur rustles in the wind. It towers over the cemetery. Over you. Its frame devours the moon. Take your answers to questions 2 & 3, and create a brand new monster in your quote-post! #HorrorWritersChat
Typically my monsters tear people apart. That tends to work. #HorrorWritersChat
Gree_@greethewriter.bsky.social · 2w agoThe frame of your creation rests betwixt crumpled gravestones. You cradle the silver heart in your hands. Stained with your own blood. How do your monsters scare your characters? Is it by their detailed design, or their vague, terrifying aura? How much do you really show? #HorrorWritersChat
My monsters are often naturalistic beings who have been wronged in some way. Or that perceive that they have been wronged or slighted by fate. The trick is to get the reader to feel empathy and revulsion for the monster at the same time. #HorrorWritersChat
Gree_@greethewriter.bsky.social · 2w agoYou knit your own, primal incantations into the fur with a gilded needle. Words of binding. Control. Obedience. They glitter under the growing moon. Great monster design is intertwined with a theme. How do you express your favourite themes with your monsters? #HorrorWritersChat
Shelly, from Maryland. Writing about the horrifying place that is Maryland, and I mean that in the most loving way. Increasingly, I like monsters who have been designed in ways that share traits and characteristics with protagonists. Monsters who seem a bit too familiar. #HorrorWritersChat
Gree_@greethewriter.bsky.social · 2w agoStrings of mercury seep out of your ampoules, reconnecting the bones, alighting the faded words carved into the marrow. Tell us who you are, what do you write, and what's your favourite monster design in horror? #HorrorWritersChat
