@mistahdonald.bsky.social
Award-winning writer, tenured professor, occasional editor, and avid gamer. I share info on literary agents etc. Querying: Hawaiʻi 2038: The Bitter Rain, 72k, near-future climate fiction/eco-thriller. www.donaldcarreiraching.com
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✏️ Poetry
📸 Flash
📃 Prose
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🎨 Mixed-Genre & Mixed-Media
For more info, click link in bio.
#amquerying Hawaiʻi 2038: The Bitter Rain
72k #climatefiction #clifi #ecothriller #speculative #q
With the world flooded and her own guilt pulling her under, Luca must navigate the storm-ravaged landscape of rural Hawaiʻi, fighting to find her sister and herself.
#questpit
My new short story collection, Blood Work and Other Stories, is now available.
What we carry. What we inherit. What we leave behind.
Seventeen stories of connection and survival in a place caught between what’s sacred and what’s sold.
www.bambooridge.org/bookstore/bl...
Lovin the vibes, #QuestPit community! 💙
♾️ If you want to keep it going, check out
@wipsnips.bsky.social for daily writing sharings.
🌪️ And if you write climate fiction like me, or are #CliFi curious, save the date for the 1st ever #CliFiPit !
😃 Smiles, Iza
A collage of vintage noir images featuring a man in a suit, shattered mirror reflection, puppet strings, surreal eyes, and intense facial expressions. The tone is mysterious and dramatic.
A MASTERY OF SELF
݁₊ ⊹ . 📽.ᐟ
an actor is trapped in a nightmare of an identity crises after playing too many roles🖤
-speculative hollywood
-friends to lovers
- eldritch horror or real doppleganger?
#questpit #W #A #H #S #R
a nine image moodboard in black and white tones. from right to left, the images are 1. a woman with black hair, dressed in a white dress, sitting against a brick wall with her knees pulled to her chest 2. black liquid on a white surface 3. a closeup of a lamb with its legs ties together 4. sugar cubes with ants crawling on it 5. a two story black brick manor 6. an x-ray of a skull, the veins black 7. a vial holder lined with six empty, clear glass vials. they are labeled a through f on fading scotch tape 8. a white image with black text in the center, reading "new miriam-exemplary miriam-watched her husband's operation with the empty feeling of nothingness, of numbness and apathy 9. a person covered in black tar, their hands on the ground, pushing themselves upwards
LADY MACBETH X THE UNWORTHY
trapped in her husbands manor, and surveilled by his monsters, miriam can feel her sanity slipping, falling further into the role of the helpless wife hes always wanted
until a shadow takes a liking to her, and she doesnt tell him
#questpit #w #a #h
Hostel X No Strings Attached
On their cruise getaway, two women give in to attraction, redefining their friendship—while pranksters fueled by a sadistic online audience exploit passengers for entertainment, sending their cruise into peril.
#QuestPit #A #H #R #H #LGBT #W
a nine image moodboard in warm tones, mainly beige, light green and blues. from left to right, the images are 1. a brunette woman in an oversized white coat, leaning against a table with her head resting on her arms 2. a stack of used journals 3. a bus with orange text above the windshield reading "nowhere in particular" on the outside screen 4. an o positive blood bag 5. lyrics from the song 'nettles' by ethel cain, reading "to love me is to suffer me / and i believe that" 6. a map with several multicolored threads ties to thumbtacks 7. a newspaper heading reading MISSING 8. the downtown of a city, with an elevated train track in the center of the road 9. a pale person with black painted nails washing their hands under a faucet
WHEN AMONG CROWS X MALIBU RISING
nona callewart is gone. she plans to stay that way. unfortunately, she never gets her way.
aided by her abandoned diary, her two least favorite people try to find her as she attempts to put the pieces of her life back together
#questpit #w
My Darling Dreadful Thing X The Wicked Deep
When Clover's empathic abilities awaken, a ghostly presence visits her dreams, offering escape from others' emotions. But as kindness turns to obsession, Clover suspects they want to inhabit, not liberate. #QuestPit #Q #YA #DF #H #PR
a nine image moodboard in brown and dark yellow tones. from left to right, the images are 1. a pale woman with brown hair and bloody eyes, looking as if she's either angry or about to cry 2. a shipping train in the plains 3. a destroyed city 4. a bomber jacket on the back of a car seat 5. two people, a man and a woman, in a field of flowers 6. the floor of a hotel room, light just barely seeping through the crack in the curtains 7. the side of a hill, with ice and pine trees 8. a light yellow image with black text in the center reading "Andrew Skinner's grateful smile, with the gleam of recognition in his eyes, was enough to light the universe, and Merrick wanted to kick his teeth in." 9. a closeup of a pale man with hazel eyes and glasses' face
TLOU X BIRD BOX
eleven years after an apocalypse, merrick is making the trek across the country to a so-called safe zone. its just her luck she ends up stuck traveling with her former best friend, who also happens to be the cause of the aforementioned apocalypse
#questpit #w
Jane Eyre Retelling
Luna's rearview mirror reflects a shattered life but Thornfield Hotel offers a fresh start. As concierge, she's swept into a world of secrets, seduction & murder with the enigmatic E Rochester at its center & her heart & survival in the crosshairs. #QuestPit #A #H #RF #DR #LF #Q
We Leave the Elves is a short story following a man certifiably brings people together for his special brand of charisma. Just not in the way he would hope. An #urbanfantasy delight with a twist on the elven race. It's out now! And I hope you enjoy.
books2read.com/u/bpVORX
I don’t!
06.08.2025 04:55 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
a Hermit tarot card of an illuminated figure holding up a lantern in a colorful swamp climate fiction #clifi indigenous futurism plant medicine meditation wilderness permaculture neotribalism community backpacking post-apocalyptic hopepunk
a Priestess Tarot card with a figure meditating on a large stone in the woods
Long after the dust settles, what will grow from the rubble?
Experience a vision of #hope, growth, and transformation, on a mindful tarot-themed odyssey across the former US
Clan of the Cave Bear meets A Psalm for the Wild-Built in this adventure guide to thriving the apocalypse
#QuestPit #Q #S #A
Thank you!
06.08.2025 04:35 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Comp Board I Am Chosen by Dawn Berkoski PITCH: In a world controlled by corporate vampires, two men struggle for autonomy. Will a chance meeting lead them to freedom, or a web of subterfuge, where every thread brings a monster offering death or permanent confinement? Power Hungry CEO x Abandoned Puppy, Bartender COMP TITLES Interview With The Vampire A Blue Bloods Novel Yakuza
I Am Chosen By Dawn Berkoski 77,000 M/M Paranormal Romance Dark and a little spicy meets silly-sweet Think: Blue Bloods (minus the angels and school) x Interview With The Vampire (add more humor) x Japanese Yakuza (cracking skulls in London) Tropes * Forbidden Love * Fish Out of Water * Forced Proximity * Dark Secrets * Unequal Power Structure * High Action Chase Scenes * Emotional Growth Arcs + Satisfying End Quotes "He was leaving. He was leaving New York for good. But instead of freedom, he wondered if he was headed toward greater danger." ~Jason Allard (Protagonist) "Now that he has chosen you, Alexander has all but forsaken our protection!" ~Tristan De La Salle (Thwarted Lover) "Alexander and I have unfinished business." -Shigekazu (Japanese Business Rival) MAIN CHARACTERS Alexander Grant Jason Allard CEO of M-Corp Bartender Control Issues Anxiety/Clingy Likes: Likes: Power + Money. Video Games +Pizza
Several photos are shown in this Moodboard for I Am Chosen, a paranormal romance written by Dawn Berkoski. From the top left, a glass of aged scotch surrounded by butterscotch candies, a CEO standing in a high rise office, staring out a window, a giant hotel clock surrounded by Christmas decor, a photo of art depicting demons rising from hell, a sunset with black, billowy clouds hovering over an orange stripe, a dirty cement staircase near a darkened entrance, and the city of London as viewed from the river. Photography, except the man, by Dawn Berkoski
Photo by Dawn Berkoski of a car speeding past a cemetery.View is from the driver’s perspective, looking out the side window.
PITCH: In a world controlled by corporate vampires, two men struggle for autonomy. Will a chance meeting lead them to freedom~or a web of subterfuge, where every thread brings a monster offering death or permanent confinement? #YouDeservepIt 📖 💙📚 #Q #R
Power Hungry CEO x Abandoned Puppy Bartender
A collage of figs, a mule on a dirt road, a goddess in a river, and sand, with the text "AGENT'S GUIDE, THE UNMAKING OF A MUSE, 109,000 words, Adult Romantasy"
A background of sand with an illustration of a mesopotamian goddess and a lion, with the text: "THE UNMAKING OF A MUSE, Roman Holiday x Midsommar in ancient Babylon. Lali, a spoiled muse, persuades an innocent butcher to help her take down a human cult that's blocking her muse magic and brainwashing her sister into giving up eternal life — but when Lali starts falling for the earth-born butcher, it’s the first sign she's been brainwashed."
Sand as a background with mesopotamian illustrations and text that says: "FIRST LINES, It’s tedious work, trying to inspire genius in mortals. It always has been. Even decades ago, long before this recent sun cycle, when they began to resist the muses’ influence."
A background of sand, with images of books overlayed - Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan, Circe by Madeline Miller, Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor, and A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher, with the text "Comp Titles" above them and cuneiform letters below.
A twist on Roman Holiday with a touch of Midsommar set in a reimagined Babylon.
🧞♀️ Goddess trapped in a human body
🥐 Cinnamon roll boy who takes pity on her
🐠 Fish out of water story
🤺 Sisters getting revenge on each other
🍷 Creepy, mysterious cult
🏺 Ancient Babylon vibes
#questpit #Q #A #F #RF
Background: an island superimposed with a woman pressing money to her face with a blackened hand Title: An agent's guide to THE BOOKMAKER OF PELLMELL by P. A. Cochran Subtitle: Dystopian urban fantasy / 75k words
Background: a male fighter's back pressed against a chain-link cage For fans of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab, Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Peaky Blinders, and The Last of Us The pitch: Trapped in a bleak world, a cynical young woman with the ability to glimpse future possibilities grudgingly takes over running a cage fighting ring to save her sick friend--and is horrified to find that she's excellent at it.
Images: (1) a hand holding burning money (2) a figure walking down a city street filled with litter (3) an albatross flying across an orange sky (4) a crumbling hotel (5) a woman sitting at a red-lit bar (6) a fighter's back against a cage Text: gritty neo-noir vibes | grounded fantasy | lyrical prose | FMC w/ "Breaking Bad" arc | found family | romantic subplot | cost of talent & obsession | hope's ability to save & corrupt
Opening lines: It was the beginning of storm season, and Tremmel City was glossy and slick as a bloodied fist. Arin didn’t mind. The wet paths up the caldera wall were dicey, but at least the rain muted the stench of trash and mule excrement. She pulled her jacket closed, the same black leather jacket she always wore. A relic of the past she couldn’t part with that swallowed her whole. She crossed her arms over her chest and climbed up the stone steps. PENTA OR BUST BLESS THE BRICKERS CURB THE COGS The graffiti was so repetitive it had long ago taken a melody in Arin’s head. She used to argue internally with each one: Don’t put your faith in the Pentathlon—only a fool would trust those odds. Don’t glorify the brickers—they only saved us once. Don’t demonize the cogs—some of us exercise self-control. But eventually the arguments petered out until all that was left was a bleak refrain.
THE BOOKMAKER OF PELLMELL
A cynical woman who can see the future grudgingly takes over a cage fighting ring to save her sick friend—and is horrified to find that she’s excellent at it.
🌘dystopian grounded fantasy
⚖️morally gray FMC
🔥romantic subplot
🫶found family
🌈diverse cast
#QuestPit #W #A #SFF
This image is a book cover design for a novel titled "Happy Death Inc." by B. Van Bodegom. The cover is divided into three distinct horizontal sections: 1. Top Section: Features a cartoonish blue sky with white clouds and a bright sun. At the top, a tagline reads: "How much would you pay to die with a smile?" The word "HAPPY" appears in large, playful, hand-drawn-style font, partially overlapping the sky background. 2. Middle Section: A photograph of a deceased man in a suit, lying in a casket. He has an exaggerated smile on his face, almost unnaturally wide and clean, suggesting artificial enhancement or post-mortem alteration. Overlaid on this image is the word "DEATH" in the same large font as the previous word. 3. Bottom Section: A cartoon city skyline in pastel tones, similar in style to the top sky background. The word "INC." is overlaid prominently in the same large font. At the very bottom, in smaller capital letters, it says: "A Novel by B VAN BODEGOM"
BLACK MIRROR × SEVERANCE × THE GOOD PLACE
Having a happy death is a luxury service for the rich and Wren is the rising top salesman—until a cynical coworker and a depressed billionaire force him to rethink it all in a world where even your last smile has a price tag.
#QuestPit #A #S #SF #W
A pitch card for YA fantasy The Pirate, The Princess, and John by @saraduranauthor, marked “Now Querying” with a gold star noting “5 full requests and counting.” The book is a standalone, complete at 82,000 words.
I’m excited to share this #pitchcard for THE PIRATE, THE PRINCESS, and JOHN, the YA fantasy novel I #amquerying, feat:
🏴☠️ LGBTQIA+ rep
👑 non-western setting
🌸 anti-colonial lens
🏴☠️ girls w/ swords
👑 besties-to-lovers
🌸 friendship > everything
#QuestPit #YA #F #LGBT #Q
#amquerying Hawaiʻi 2038: The Bitter Rain
72k #climatefiction #clifi #ecothriller #speculative #q
With the world flooded and her own guilt pulling her under, Luca must navigate the storm-ravaged landscape of rural Hawaiʻi, fighting to find her sister and herself.
#questpit
Writing, publishing, querying. It can be wonderful, but it can also feel so toxic.
06.08.2025 01:59 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Grateful for this profile.
03.08.2025 18:21 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0Doing #questpit this year. Wish me luck.
01.08.2025 16:55 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Revising. Everything is on the page, and you’re shaping, trimming, and pulling apart the mess, developing and stitching it back together.
01.08.2025 16:41 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0voice-driven*
31.07.2025 21:48 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Today's agent is Marin Takikawa. She's looking for innovative literary fiction and voice-drive YA. Also community-oriented nonfiction. More here: www.friedrichagency.com/marin
#amquerying #amwriting #writingcommunity #literaryagent
Amazon: tinyurl.com/bddz7h5w
31.07.2025 21:44 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Yes, she's still there. The link I provided still works.
31.07.2025 19:37 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0Today's agent is Caitlin Bladell. She specializes in quality commercial fiction including science fiction & fantasy, historical fiction, mysteries, thrillers, and women’s fiction. More here: www.lizadawsonassociates.com/caitlin-blas...
#amwriting #amquerying #writingcommunity #writers
