M. B. Steel 🏳️‍🌈⚛️📝

Moodboard. Centre image is a pressure cooker with "CHEMPORTAL" written across it. Outer images clockwise from top left: - fancy drinks and food on a table set for 2 - typed text on a page of a book. "Chemistry" is highly visible - a white woman with brown hair working on a car engine - the Toronto skyline - a colourful stack of books - a bright light shining through a partially open door, obscuring the world beyond - a bat hanging from a branch - a stack of latkes

What happens when a chemistry professor writes a romance?

If that prof is me, you get CHEMPORTAL, in which two awkward scientists battle cults, corporations, and unwanted feelings as they try to invent fertilizer.

Plus, feminist takes on science history. And maybe aliens.

#CuPit #Q #A #SF #R

A Fistful of Water is a queer romance set in Lawrence Kansas and about the quiet ache of becoming. A story about desire, identity, and the courage it takes to stop drowning for others.
#Cupit #CR #NA #LGBT #Querying

The Shapes We Take In The Fire: An Agent's Guide

A bisexual designer takes a new job working on a high-profile ad campaign with a debt-ridden Latina writer, and chooses to risk his hard-won sobriety and mental health for her love, one he never thought he could deserve—especially after he destroyed his last relationship.

For fans of how to end a love story, seven days in june, atmosphere and tomorrow, tomorrow and tomorrow

Excerpt: And for the first time in months, he dreamed in color again. The dreams weren’t like before. They weren’t chaotic fever-swamps of guilt and fire, of parties and bodies blurring into chaos. He didn't suffer through another nightmare, masquerading as a memory. The images were gentle, at last. Peaceful. He dreamed of watercolors dripping onto the canvas, drawing on the shape of her hands resting on a notepad. Of an inward current taking shape. Of warmth without fire. THEMES Queer identity 
& reinvention The cost of secrets and self-erasure Recovery as a way of living The impact of trauma on intimacy Class divides 
and power

An Agent's Guide to: THE SHAPES WE TAKE IN THE FIRE!

✌️dual pov/dual timeline
🌶️ open door slow burn
🎶 moody and lyrical
🫂 touch starved
🏳️‍🌈LGBTQIA protagonists
✊🏽BIPOC & minority voices

#Cupit #CR #POC #LGBT #MHR

💕 KILL ME MAYBE 💕 #Cupit

Heather wants to die. Finn can't wait to kill her 🔪♥️

🫀 dark rom-com thriller
🎭 dual pov
🌶️ unhinged spice
🌦️ black cat x (psychotic) golden retriever
💘 serial killer club
☠️ touch her and die (literally)
🚩 so many red flags
📚 for fans of the Mindf*ck series

Mood Board for WRITING HENNIE featuring images of London sights, bars, and restaurants

Comps and tropes in WRITING HENNIE: Romantic Comedy, Funny You Should Ask, You, Again, and Happy Place. Forced proximity, opposites attract, messy adults, grief & found family, plus size rep

FLEABAG x ROMANTIC COMEDY

A chaos gremlin inherits a London flat. Her reserved downstairs neighbor did NOT sign up for this emotional spiral.

Family secrets. Forced proximity. Reckless decisions.

Plus-size FMC with unapologetic confidence. A British MMC who absolutely eats it up.

#Cupit #CR #A

Collage of photos including an Irish cottage, a face, church, the sea - you have to go back

LEAP YEAR + THE HAUNTING OF MADDY CLARE

When Rosie returns to Ireland, she must face her haunted past—and a real haunting—as she teams up with a grumpy-but-handsome local man to solve a murder.

🖤 Enemies to lovers
🖤 Gothic
🖤 Murder mystery

#Cupit #A #Q #HOR #GR

Text: Victoria has six dates to write a bestseller--Falling in love wasn't part of the plan. Dirty Drafting, a contemporary romance by Katie Carlson In the middle, a photo of a latte sitting next to a laptop and a closeup of curly red hair and a freckled cheek Date #1: a photo of a hand holding a gaming controller playing a video game Date #2: A concert from the crowd, with hands holding up recording phones Date #3: A microphone Date #4: A couple sitting on a rock overlooking a lake Date #5: Two hands holding ice cream cones Date #6: A wedding reception tablescape

Victoria's willing to play dirty to find inspiration for her next novel, even if that means agreeing to six dates with the hot-as-the-sun owner of her favorite coffee shop. Good thing he'll never find out...unless he happens to be her anonymous beta reader 👀

Now querying!

#Cupit #A #CR

BRIDE X KING OF GREED

refreshing voice like Ali

MMC gets a wake-up call like Dominic

But give him golden retriever vibes?

🐺 shifter CEO x undercover EA
🥡bonding over (delicious) food
👠 fashionista FMC
🧁 cinnamon roll MMC
✌️dual POV
🥰 he falls first, she falls harder

#cupit #A #PR #RC #MlR #CR

𝗛𝗶𝗺⚓The only fight I have left in me is for my son. I've no time for the houseguest the language institute sent me by mistake.
Until we talk. We click. Suddenly, I'm wishing for things again.
But she's not a choice I can make.
Come fall, I'll have to let her go too.
#Questpit #Q #A #R

"The Iris and the Aconite MM Romantasy" "You were my undoing and I am to be yours" photos on a background of ripped and wrinkled paper. Left to right, top row: a ripped photograph (half shows the ML, half shows the MC), someone holding a crown, a poison vial. Second row: a castle in a round picture frame, two hands reaching for each other, and two people embracing each other. Lastly, a photo of a man on top of another man, choking him

“Aren’t you a wealth of knowledge?” Kresimir crossed his arms. “What does this have to do with anything? Or are you trying to rub it in my face that my parents might’ve been a pair of pyromaniacal cultists?” The King gave him a tired look, his eyes widening slightly, his brows dipping. “You really believe the worst of me, don’t you, my friend?” “We’re not friends.” “We are most definitely something tangential to friendship.” “I believe those are called allies. Acquaintances.” “We had drinks together.” “Because I wanted to kill you, you stubborn fool!” They were close enough to feel each other’s breath now. An inexplicable urge to close the gap surged in Kresimir, potent as his irritation. “I’m stubborn?” the King asked in disbelief. The doors to the office creaked open, and they jumped apart, Kresimir’s heart racing from more than vexation. The text is on a paper texture against a beige background. Illustrated flowers are in the upper left and lower right corners. A locket is in the upper right corner. A kiss mark is in the lower left corner

"You were my undoing, and I am to be yours."
MM Romantasy 107k

Vengeful courtesan Kresimir Zaheriev has his eyes set on killing the King. The King has plans to make Kresimir one of his secret magic investigators. Both get more than they bargained for.
#Cupit #RF #LGBT

SHATTER ME X ONE DARK WINDOW x ACOTAR

Soraya is tormented by her first love, her handsome jinn, and her morally grey enemy in A DEVOTION SO RUINOUS

🏳️‍🌈LGBT REP
🌍Non-Western Setting
✨Gods Based Magic System
❤️Lovers To Enemies
💘Star-crossed Lovers

#cupit #RF #RoFa #DTR #NA #A #POC #FBW

A gothic style original painting of a vampire dressed in black holding a man dressed in white linen in a stone corridor, surrounded by candle light and moonflowers.

A pitch card that reads benevolent vampire Ishmael’s carefully balanced life is shattered when Edric, the tutor of his adopted nine-year-old spirit medium son, awakens a love he thought lost centuries ago.

A tropes and themes page that reads: DUAL POV, love after grief, queer love and joy, soft gothic, sentient manor, soft fatherhood, ghosts, awkward vampire and sunshine human, Victorian era, queer normative setting, opera house and music, yearning soulmates, and happily ever after

A snippet page that reads in every world, in every time, I would choose you. You are the song of the stars, and the whisper among the trees. It has been you. It has always been you.

A Vampire’s Lament 🖤🦇🥀
Book One in the Time and Time Again series. Benevolent vampire Ishmael’s carefully balanced life is disrupted when Edric awakens a love he thought lost centuries ago.
#Cupit #PR #GR #LGBT #writingcommunity #writerscommunity #queerwriters

SPELL BOUND x THE SUNBEARER TRIALS

Mother Nature's dying. Cheerful summer prince Ray (16yo) battles brooding Jack Frost (17yo) to inherit her powers. With Jack's frozen 🩵 melting in a world of climate change, Ray may have to lose the contest to save the boy he loves

#CuPit #YA #RoFa #LGBT #CliFi

A moodboard of a siren and knight. There is a face with a blue butterfly, a red headed siren, sunflowers and sea shells, and a hand with a butterfly.

The Siren’s Knight 💙🦋🌊🗡️

Esther, a lonely knight who is head of her guard, has her world turned upside down by Adele, a playful siren who wants nothing more than to see beyond the seas.
#Cupit #FR #A #LGBT #sapphicromance #💜🌈 #wlwbooks

Non-AI. Black book cover with a white rectangular border. At the top, small handwritten-style text reads “A (very) dark rom-com.” The title “TWO, PLEASE” is centered, with “TWO,” in white and “PLEASE” in bold red, rough brush lettering. Below the title, a black-and-white illustrated anatomical heart pierced by a dagger radiates stylized lines. In the foreground, a man and a woman are shown from the shoulders up against the black background. Both have wide, anxious expressions and their mouths are covered with duct tape—black tape on the man, silver tape on the woman. The man wears a light gray sweater; the woman wears a coral-orange top. At the bottom, white text reads: “By the author of Dad Bodies: B. van Bodegom.”

SWEENEY TODD × TRUE ROMANCE × NATURAL BORN KILLERS

When two serial killers accidentally target each other, Cupid should've aimed for their throats. Killing together is double the fun. But when one of them wants out, the choice is either stay or slay.

#CuPit #A #HOR #DR #W

When they separated, Giuseppina remained close enough that Cassia could feel her breathing. “Tomorrow's mission will unfold as it does,” Giuseppina said quietly. “Tonight, you don't have to be anyone but yourself.” Cassia reached up to trace the line of Giuseppina's cheek, as though that soft skin held all the answers to life’s questions. “I'm not sure I remember how,” she admitted, before rationality could erase the thought. “Then we'll discover it together,” Giuseppina replied, taking Cassia's hands in her own. “One moment at a time. Starting with this one.” Outside, the winter rain continued its assault on narrow streets, but inside their small sanctuary was warmth and comfort. Tomorrow would bring violence. Tonight, Cassia allowed herself to truly believe that she deserved the patient warmth of the woman who had somehow learned to see through to the person trapped beneath the ice.

She waited for Giuseppina to accept the dismissal, as any sensible person would when faced with walls so insurmountable. Instead, she felt secure arms wrap around her from behind. Giuseppina had not bothered to dress, her naked warmth now offering a stark contrast to Cassia’s armor. “I'm sorry,” Giuseppina whispered. “I shouldn't have pushed. I know you're not ready to talk about whatever happened, and that's okay. I'll wait as long as you need.” Then you’ll wait forever. “There's nothing to discuss,” she said instead. “Maybe not. But there's always love to offer.” Giuseppina's arms still held her tightly. “Come back to me, cara mia. Don't disappear into that cold place where you think you have to carry everything alone.”

#AmQuerying #SapphicRomance #lesfic #AutisticRomance #DangerousWomen #HistoricalQueerRep

A romance between two Italian agents on an assassination mission, where failure could lead to the exposure of the nature of their partnership by their abusive commander

Over four decades of fieldwork, he had learned to compartmentalise desire as effectively as he compartmentalised conscience. Physical intimacy had always been easy to find. Encounters were negotiated with the mutual understanding that nothing would persist beyond the evening's arrangement. He had selected his companions with care, sharing his body without sharing his soul, and accepting the same in return. Helena Santos presented a problem he had never experienced before. She was a terrifying adversary and an enthralling enigma. Such puzzling power was worthy of his respect. Perhaps, even, his admiration. He had attempted to dismiss these feelings as the romanticisms of an aging man searching for meaning in the shapes of clouds. But thoughts about Helena Santos could not be so easily assuaged. Facing her felt far more dangerous than any simple arms dealer could ever be.

“I need to see the wound properly,” she said in English, her fingers already working at his shirt buttons. “Mrs. Santos,” he managed, a ghost of his earlier charm flickering through the pain, “I hardly think this is proper.” “Propriety can wait until you're not bleeding.” She peeled away the blood-soaked fabric, revealing the angry puncture just below his ribs. She sighed with relief as she assessed the damage; the blood flow was steady but not the dangerous spurting indicative of arterial damage. Helena grabbed a bolt of fine cotton from Herrera’s nearby display, tearing it quickly into strips. “This will have to do until the hot water arrives,” she said, pressing the clean fabric like a plug into the seeping wound. The cotton drank the blood until white had completely turned to crimson.

She pushed him away. Hands returned immediately to his sides as he took several steps backward. He gave no argument, just generated the distance she needed without complaint. Helena gathered her shirt out of the dust on the floor, restoring it as close as possible to its proper place. Westmore watched her dress with that same satisfied expression that made her skin prickle, though not uncomfortably. She retrieved the rope from where it had fallen. When she approached him, he already had his wrists together and extended forward. Her fingers refused to cease their shaking as she wrapped it several times around, pulling it as tight as she could force herself. He offered no resistance as she secured his wrists once again, though his expression suggested amusement rather than resentment. She forced herself to avoid reconnecting with his gaze, unless it might draw her back into the embrace. Upon her retreat, she paused at the threshold to look back at him one last time. He remained where she'd left him, bound but undefeated, watching her with patience that somehow made her panic worse. The door closed behind her, leaving Westmore alone, but she could not remove the taste of her lips nor the trace of her touch. In the corridor, Helena pressed her back against the heavy wood and tried to remember how to breathe around the certainty that everything had just changed in ways she couldn't control.

#AmQuerying #RomanticThriller #BiRomance #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

Slow-burn intellectual attraction between an infamous arms dealer and the spy investigating her empire

An Agent's Guide to Shadows in the Sky, historical espionage romance, 71000 word count, @mbsteel.bsky.social

In 1935 Spain, a British spy fears the woman he loves more than the Italian assassin determined to kill him. He’s fallen for the infamous arms dealer he’s been sent to eliminate—a woman who has haunted him ever since his flawed intelligence led to her husband’s assassination.

Helena Santos Mother, Respectable Spanish Industrialist, Illicit Arms Dealer Tenacious, Strategic, Protective, Opportunist Sicarius British Spy whose flawed intel led to Helena’s husband’s assassination Intellectual, Perceptive, Arrogant, Idealist Cassia Fierro Italian agent sent to eliminate Sicarius, and previously Helena’s lover from finishing school Methodical, Shrewd, Determined, Pragmatist

The Librarians of Lisbon, Historical espionage with slow burn romance The Huntree, Multi-POV from morally grey operatives Creation Lake, Dangerous infiltration with sensual power dynamics

CASABLANCA X KILLING EVE

Shadows in the SKY

A feminist re-trope of the broken spy romance

🍷 She’s more dangerous than he is
🍷 Bisexual heroine
🍷 Sapphic antagonist with on-page romance
🍷 Autistic rep #ownvoices
🍷 Consent-focused kink
🍷 30+ MCs

#Cupit #Q #A #RT #LGBT #Bi+ #Sapphic

Collage-style promotional graphic for the novel Babel on Callisto. Four illustrated polaroid images show two men, Jack (blond) and Elias (dark-haired with glasses), in different scenes: wearing space suits, working together in a lab, leaning close in a quiet moment, and kissing. The background is pink and textured with scientific sketches and handwritten notes. A torn paper excerpt of prose is centered. Text on the images reads “Babel on Callisto,” “Now Querying,” “88K Sci-Fi Horromance,” and “@saraduranauthor.”

Now querying!

• • •

ANNIHILATION x BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

✨two exiled men (and their secrets)
✨one lunar prison (and its horrors)
✨a cosmic entity that wants them dead
💖the love they’ll lose if they don’t survive

#SF #H #R #LGBT #AmQuerying #CuPit

PERCY JACKSON x ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES

Viv has been dreaming of a mysterious scarred man, but when she finds out he’s the key to solving her mother’s murder and now her foretold death, she must go on a quest with her two druid friends to find him.

#Cupit #Q #RoFa #RS #TDR

A Vampire’s Lament 🖤🦇🥀

A vampires quiet life is disrupted with the arrival of a man within his manor who awakens a love he’s not felt in centuries.
#Cupit #PR #LGBT #A

#FridayFling #DangerousWomen #RomanceWriters #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

My feminist take on a spy romance attempts to show what true love looks like between intellectual equals and powerful people who decide the other is the only one worthy of their devotion. #WritingCommunity #RomanceWriters #WriteSky

A Vampire’s Lament 🖤🦇🥀

Edric stood, the book against his chest an almost impossible weight.

“You can say that you want to be alone all you like, but your eyes give you away, Ishmael. They always do. I’ll agree with you though. From now on, I’m nothing but a tutor. Nothing else.”

#WLW #lesfic #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #FeministSpyThriller #DangerousWomen

#WritingCommunity #FeministSpyRomance #DangerousWomen

Sicarius needs to lure Cassia somewhere he can talk to her without her shooting him on sight.

Wishing you the best, you're doing a great job on here

#WritingCommunity #DangerousWomen #FeministSpyRomance

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #Writesky #FeministSpyRomance #DangerousWomen