And the next phase…begins! My first beta reader has turned in Lanebreakers filled with great notes! Nothing’s structural, and it’s gonna be a lot stronger with these tweaks.
Best part is, they really liked it! Whoohoo!
#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #BookSky
Pitch 3:
bsky.app/profile/gusr...
Pitch 2:
bsky.app/profile/gusr...
Pitch 1:
bsky.app/profile/gusr...
A spaceship flies, low, over a rocky plain, a towering city with earthen walls in the distance. A large moon looms overhead, and two figures stand silhouetted in the foreground near a low hut: one holding a spear, and one an upraised and defiant sword. Fake accolades adorn the top of the image as in a movie posted, and the tagline: THE GODS ARE BACK AND THEY WANT YOUR PLANET runs along the city wall. The title, CASCADE, sits at the bottom just over fake movie credits.
A black-and-white sketch of an older lady with attitude against the backdrop of swirling stars. She's smoking and holds a pink and purple glowing martini in one hand, and she has a brace on her propped-up leg. The title LANEBREAKERS leans along the top of the image in gold and neon pink. A tagline reads, "She's waited eighty years for the heist of a lifetime." Fake movie credits line the bottom of the image along with a notice that it's coming to query trenches this spring.
Thread of my #PosterPit pitches!
One I’m currently #AmQuerying, the other about to join its sibling in the trenches (keep an eye out in about a month)!
A hand holds a small wineglass filled with a dark amber liquid. A lime wedge perches on the rim. A garden at night is in the background.
I’m blown away by #PosterPit!! Seriously, if these were all movies, I’d be living in the theatre!
To celebrate, here’s a riff on The Poet’s Dream cocktail. Anyone wanna try naming it?
1.5 oz aged rum
0.5 oz Falernum
0.5 oz allspice dram
Stir, squeeze a lime. Enjoy, and write!
#BookSky
What a fantastic premise!! I mean, literally haunted star-crossed lovers? I’ve got a spot on my shelf already m reserved!
Haha ain’t that the dream!
Oh nice!! I hadn’t tried it until I was done with Cascade, so it was a real treat!
A black-and-white sketch of an older lady with attitude against the backdrop of swirling stars. She's smoking and holds a pink and purple glowing martini in one hand, and she has a brace on her propped-up leg. The title LANEBREAKERS leans along the top of the image in gold and neon pink. A tagline reads, "She's waited eighty years for the heist of a lifetime." Fake movie credits line the bottom of the image along with a notice that it's coming to query trenches this spring.
QUANTUM MAGACIAN 🤝 LOGAN LUCKY
When an AI-piloted space hauler threatens her station, aging & indebted traffic controller Dez decides to rob the hell out of it.
She's got a plan & motley crew w/ baggage. But, when things aboard aren’t as expected, all bets are off.
#PosterPit #WIP #SF #A #BookSky
Sounds great, and awesome job with the poster!
A photo of a dramatically lit city street contained within the shoulders-up silhouette of a woman with long hair, split by bars leading to the word SIRENSONG below. Above the picture, the tagline reads "The line between right and wrong is always blurrier behind a mask." To the left, text in laurels reads 113,000 words. To the right, the same laurels read "New-Adult Sci-fi Romance." Below, text reads: "Coming Soon to Query Inboxes."
IRON WIDOW x ARCANE x DISPATCH
⚖️ Secret-identity Slowburn
⚖️ Superhero x Assassin
⚖️ Morally Grey Characters
⚖️ Shifting Morality
⚖️ K*ll the Rich
⚖️ Disabled Queer Rep
⚖️ Power & Corruption
⚖️ Touch Her and D*e
#PosterPit #NA #SF #R #Q
Love the sound of this!
Poster for WIP Patchwork Being. Some creepy genetics and shadowy figure.
Modern day Bridgerton meets Orphan Black. Eight siblings. A mother with a secret past. Enemies lurking in the corner. They might wind up dead if they dig too deep. Oh, and they might fall in love love along the way. #PosterPit #A #SFF #W
A spaceship flies, low, over a rocky plain, a towering city with earthen walls in the distance. A large moon looms overhead, and two figures stand silhouetted in the foreground near a low hut: one holding a spear, and one an upraised and defiant sword. Fake accolades adorn the top of the image as in a movie posted, and the tagline: THE GODS ARE BACK AND THEY WANT YOUR PLANET runs along the city wall. The title, CASCADE, sits at the bottom just over fake movie credits.
IN A WORLD
Where the gods who abandoned humanity have returned…
And they’re not offering deliverance, but destruction…
Two rogue engineer priests and two sibling warriors must take a stand.
Together, they'll bring hell to the gods
ASHES OF THE SUN 🤝 HORIZON 0 DAWN
#PosterPit #Q #A #SF #F #BookSky
Thank you so much!!!
A black-and-white sketch of an older lady with attitude against the backdrop of swirling stars. She's smoking and holds a pink and purple glowing martini in one hand, and she has a brace on her propped-up leg. The title LANEBREAKERS leans along the top of the image in gold and neon pink. A tagline reads, "She's waited eighty years for the heist of a lifetime." Fake movie credits line the bottom of the image along with a notice that it's coming to query trenches this spring.
SPACE SWEEPERS 🤝 LOGAN LUCKY
When an AI-piloted space hauler threatens her station, aging & indebted traffic controller Dez decides to rob the hell out of it.
She's got a plan & motley crew with baggage. But, when things aboard aren’t as expected, all bets are off.
#PosterPit #WIP #SF #A #BookSky
I'll be traveling on the day of #PosterPit, but I've got all my posts scheduled! Anyone else ready?
Not making a formal list this time, but I can't wait to see all those posters!
A hand holds a copy of THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER, by Stephen Graham Jones against a backdrop of early spring blooms. On it, a buffalo’s head and shoulders appear from the side of the cover, and the title is in bright crimson.
Arrived somewhere early on a beautiful day. What’s there to do but pull out a good book?
#AmReading #BookSky
This is an incredible deal! Get yourself a treasure trove and put money to a good cause while you're at it!
A black hole spirals in the distance, a fiery trail of material getting sucked into it from across the image. Approaching is a circular, doughnut-like spaceship or station. The title LANE BREAKERS runs along the bottom, the second word highlighted in bright purple and appearing to fall off the edge.
THE CREW An old woman in sci-fi goggles shoots a laser pistol at a pushpin. Red threads connect that pin to other pins, each with a name Desdemona ‘Dez’ Skene Washed up and too poor for retirement, Dez has a drinking problem and a mob problem. She might have one last job left in her Hacker He’s got a heart of gold, more backdoors than a hardware store, and would rather be playing video games The Faces Dez’s parents might be older than moon dust, but they’ve been conning for almost a century and still haven’t lost their touch Sentient Adbot An uplifted, digital adbot who dreams of personhood. Oh, and he lives inside Hacker’s head Crack Pilot The fastest sled pilot on Midway Station. Also, Dez’ ex of thirty years The Muscle The best mechanic on the station and some well-needed muscle. But, most annoyingly, Crack Pilot’s new flame Metadata Genre: Science Fiction Heist Audience: Adult Wordcount: +-98,000
The Heist: Desdemona Skene is one breath from losing her job. She isn’t thrilled spending her days as a glorified crossing guard for shipping traffic through the Taurine Strait, her system’s local wormhole. But, since her accident, it’s all Dez has. Her friends have moved on, her ex is seeing someone else, and she might be in debt to the mob for some ill-advised wagers. At eighty-three years old, it’s not like she’s a prime candidate for upward mobility. Then, Dez learns that New World Corporation will be sending the largest civilian ship ever designed by humanity right through her friendly neighborhood rift in space. Piloted by an experimental artificial intelligence, NWC is betting that this shakedown cruise will prove how their AI pilot is capable of navigating a wormhole when all other attempts have failed. That’ll spell not only the end of Dez’s job and that of thousands of human pilots, but probably her station as well. If that ship’s taking her down, Dez wants to drag it...
Opening Page Less than an hour remained on Desdemona Skene’s shift, and the siren song of Icetroid was humming in the back of her mind. At least, the drink she’d get there was. She’d already shepherded a couple dozen ships through the Taurine Strait with a watchful, if bored, eye, and she could probably fit in another handful before shift-end. Bonus territory. For once, it was a good day. “Midway Control, Midway Control,” a voice said over the transit comms. “This is the Yak’s Promise. We are go for wormhole insertion.” “Confirmed go, Yak,” she said. “Thanks, Dez. See you on the other side.” “Not if I see you first, Lee.” Dez stretched back in her chair and kicked her feet onto the control panel, getting her bum leg up on the second try. She winced and rubbed her knee. Her old exoskeleton brace was chafing again. Maybe she’d use today’s bonus to have the damn thing adjusted. Or buy one that wasn’t secondhand. “NWC Freightliner 07G23, you’re next.
The pitch:
When an AI-piloted space hauler threatens her station, aging & indebted traffic controller Dez decides to rob the hell out of it. She's got a plan & crew w/ baggage.
But, when things aboard aren’t as expected, all bets are off.
#AmQuerying in only 1-2 months!
On the left, the name Desdemona 'Dez' Skene sits above the following information: Age: 81 Occupation: Traffic Controller, Taurine Strait Wormhole Work History: Petty crime, insurance fraud, freightline pilot, race manager, gambler Personal Life: She won't say Hobbies: Gambling, drinking, wishing she could escape this hellhole of a station To the right, an old white woman with a deeply-lined face sits in some kind of control room, a screen of orange vectors behind her. She wears a brown bomber jacket, a green worksuit, and has a brace on her left leg. Her short hair is pushed upward by a pair of goggles, and a cigarette hangs from her mouth. She's holding a martini with two olives in one hand and looks annoyed that you've bothered her. In a red outline with exclamation point are the words RECCOMENDATION: TERMINATE EMPLOYMENT
I can't fire Dez. She's a liability, but she owes my aunt a shitload...yeah, THAT aunt. You think I'm gabbin on an open line?
Dez has somethin cooking. Don't know what. Got to do with that big freighter flying the wormhole
LOGAN LUCKY ❌ QUANTUM MAGACIAN
#ProfilePit #A #SF #WIP #BookSky
Large text reads “ELIAS” at the top and “JACK” at the bottom. Left side text (next to Elias): “it’s dr. fermi, actually late twenties entomologist earth’s lead scientist speaks french simp” Left side text (next to Jack): “just jack early thirties ex-farmer earth’s exiled criminal speaks english bigger simp” Right side text (tropes list): “forced proximity strangers-to-reluctant-allies-to-lovers opposites attract slow burn yearning unspoken feelings almost-confessions we shouldn’t do this we should definitely do this hurt/comfort staying vs. leaving duty vs. desire I’d kill for you I’d die for you I’d live for you” Bottom right text: “@saraduran.bsky.social | rep: matthew valdez BABEL ON CALLISTO a queer sci-fi horromance”
me 🤝 any excuse to talk about my sons
***
ANNIHILATION x BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
two men stranded on a frozen lunar prison outpost develop a tender and terrifying bond as they work together to survive an ancient entity awakening beneath the ice
#ProfilePit #SF #R #LGBT #agented
A black hole spirals in the distance, a fiery trail of material getting sucked into it from across the image. Approaching is a circular, doughnut-like spaceship or station. The title LANE BREAKERS runs along the bottom, the second word highlighted in bright purple and appearing to fall off the edge.
THE CREW An old woman in sci-fi goggles shoots a laser pistol at a pushpin. Red threads connect that pin to other pins, each with a name Desdemona ‘Dez’ Skene Washed up and too poor for retirement, Dez has a drinking problem and a mob problem. She might have one last job left in her Hacker He’s got a heart of gold, more backdoors than a hardware store, and would rather be playing video games The Faces Dez’s parents might be older than moon dust, but they’ve been conning for almost a century and still haven’t lost their touch Sentient Adbot An uplifted, digital adbot who dreams of personhood. Oh, and he lives inside Hacker’s head Crack Pilot The fastest sled pilot on Midway Station. Also, Dez’ ex of thirty years The Muscle The best mechanic on the station and some well-needed muscle. But, most annoyingly, Crack Pilot’s new flame Metadata Genre: Science Fiction Heist Audience: Adult Wordcount: +-98,000
The Heist: Desdemona Skene is one breath from losing her job. She isn’t thrilled spending her days as a glorified crossing guard for shipping traffic through the Taurine Strait, her system’s local wormhole. But, since her accident, it’s all Dez has. Her friends have moved on, her ex is seeing someone else, and she might be in debt to the mob for some ill-advised wagers. At eighty-three years old, it’s not like she’s a prime candidate for upward mobility. Then, Dez learns that New World Corporation will be sending the largest civilian ship ever designed by humanity right through her friendly neighborhood rift in space. Piloted by an experimental artificial intelligence, NWC is betting that this shakedown cruise will prove how their AI pilot is capable of navigating a wormhole when all other attempts have failed. That’ll spell not only the end of Dez’s job and that of thousands of human pilots, but probably her station as well. If that ship’s taking her down, Dez wants to drag it...
Opening Page Less than an hour remained on Desdemona Skene’s shift, and the siren song of Icetroid was humming in the back of her mind. At least, the drink she’d get there was. She’d already shepherded a couple dozen ships through the Taurine Strait with a watchful, if bored, eye, and she could probably fit in another handful before shift-end. Bonus territory. For once, it was a good day. “Midway Control, Midway Control,” a voice said over the transit comms. “This is the Yak’s Promise. We are go for wormhole insertion.” “Confirmed go, Yak,” she said. “Thanks, Dez. See you on the other side.” “Not if I see you first, Lee.” Dez stretched back in her chair and kicked her feet onto the control panel, getting her bum leg up on the second try. She winced and rubbed her knee. Her old exoskeleton brace was chafing again. Maybe she’d use today’s bonus to have the damn thing adjusted. Or buy one that wasn’t secondhand. “NWC Freightliner 07G23, you’re next.
The pitch:
When an AI-piloted space hauler threatens her station, aging & indebted traffic controller Dez decides to rob the hell out of it. She's got a plan & crew w/ baggage. But, when things aboard aren’t as expected, all bets are off.
#AmQuerying in 1 - 2 months!
On the left, the name Desdemona 'Dez' Skene sits above the following information: Age: 81 Occupation: Traffic Controller, Taurine Strait Wormhole Work History: Petty crime, insurance fraud, freightline pilot, race manager, gambler Personal Life: She won't say Hobbies: Gambling, drinking, wishing she could escape this hellhole of a station To the right, an old white woman with a deeply-lined face sits in some kind of control room, a screen of orange vectors behind her. She wears a brown bomber jacket, a green worksuit, and has a brace on her left leg. Her short hair is pushed upward by a pair of goggles, and a cigarette hangs from her mouth. She's holding a martini with two olives in one hand and looks annoyed that you've bothered her. In a red outline with exclamation point are the words RECCOMENDATION: TERMINATE EMPLOYMENT
I can't fire Dez. She's a liability, but she owes my aunt a shitload...yeah, THAT aunt. You think I'm gabbin on an open line?
Listen, Dez has somethin cooking. Don't know what. Got to do with that big freighter flying the wormhole
QUANTUM MAGACIAN ❌ LOGAN LUCKY
#ProfilePit #SF #A #WIP #BookSky
A black hole spirals in the distance, a fiery trail of material getting sucked into it from across the image. Approaching is a circular, doughnut-like spaceship or station. The title LANE BREAKERS runs along the bottom, the second word highlighted in bright purple and appearing to fall off the edge.
THE CREW An old woman in sci-fi goggles shoots a laser pistol at a pushpin. Red threads connect that pin to other pins, each with a name Desdemona ‘Dez’ Skene Washed up and too poor for retirement, Dez has a drinking problem and a mob problem. She might have one last job left in her Hacker He’s got a heart of gold, more backdoors than a hardware store, and would rather be playing video games The Faces Dez’s parents might be older than moon dust, but they’ve been conning for almost a century and still haven’t lost their touch Sentient Adbot An uplifted, digital adbot who dreams of personhood. Oh, and he lives inside Hacker’s head Crack Pilot The fastest sled pilot on Midway Station. Also, Dez’ ex of thirty years The Muscle The best mechanic on the station and some well-needed muscle. But, most annoyingly, Crack Pilot’s new flame Metadata Genre: Science Fiction Heist Audience: Adult Wordcount: +-98,000
The Heist: Desdemona Skene is one breath from losing her job. She isn’t thrilled spending her days as a glorified crossing guard for shipping traffic through the Taurine Strait, her system’s local wormhole. But, since her accident, it’s all Dez has. Her friends have moved on, her ex is seeing someone else, and she might be in debt to the mob for some ill-advised wagers. At eighty-three years old, it’s not like she’s a prime candidate for upward mobility. Then, Dez learns that New World Corporation will be sending the largest civilian ship ever designed by humanity right through her friendly neighborhood rift in space. Piloted by an experimental artificial intelligence, NWC is betting that this shakedown cruise will prove how their AI pilot is capable of navigating a wormhole when all other attempts have failed. That’ll spell not only the end of Dez’s job and that of thousands of human pilots, but probably her station as well. If that ship’s taking her down, Dez wants to drag it...
Opening Page Less than an hour remained on Desdemona Skene’s shift, and the siren song of Icetroid was humming in the back of her mind. At least, the drink she’d get there was. She’d already shepherded a couple dozen ships through the Taurine Strait with a watchful, if bored, eye, and she could probably fit in another handful before shift-end. Bonus territory. For once, it was a good day. “Midway Control, Midway Control,” a voice said over the transit comms. “This is the Yak’s Promise. We are go for wormhole insertion.” “Confirmed go, Yak,” she said. “Thanks, Dez. See you on the other side.” “Not if I see you first, Lee.” Dez stretched back in her chair and kicked her feet onto the control panel, getting her bum leg up on the second try. She winced and rubbed her knee. Her old exoskeleton brace was chafing again. Maybe she’d use today’s bonus to have the damn thing adjusted. Or buy one that wasn’t secondhand. “NWC Freightliner 07G23, you’re next.
The pitch:
When an AI-piloted space hauler threatens her station, aging & indebted traffic controller Dez decides to rob the hell out of it. She's got a plan & crew w/ baggage. But, when things aboard aren’t as expected, all bets are off.
#AmQuerying in 1-2 months!
On the left, the name Desdemona 'Dez' Skene sits above the following information: Age: 81 Occupation: Traffic Controller, Taurine Strait Wormhole Work History: Petty crime, insurance fraud, freightline pilot, race manager, gambler Personal Life: She won't say Hobbies: Gambling, drinking, wishing she could escape this hellhole of a station To the right, an old white woman with a deeply-lined face sits in some kind of control room, a screen of orange vectors behind her. She wears a brown bomber jacket, a green worksuit, and has a brace on her left leg. Her short hair is pushed upward by a pair of goggles, and a cigarette hangs from her mouth. She's holding a martini with two olives in one hand and looks annoyed that you've bothered her. In a red outline with exclamation point are the words RECCOMENDATION: TERMINATE EMPLOYMENT
I can't fire Dez. She's a liability, but she owes my aunt a shitload...yeah, THAT aunt. Listen, you think I'm gabbin on an open line?
Dez has somethin cooking. Don't know what. Got to do with that freighter flying through the wormhole
QUANTUM MAGACIAN ❌ LOGAN LUCKY
#ProfilePit #A #SF #WIP #BookSky
A striped cat stretches out, upside down, on a cream-colored office chair, paws in the air
Cat knocked on my door, so I got up to let her in. She sprinted past me and, 0.3 seconds later, stole my chair
#WritingCommunity #WritersLife #BookSky
Now that I think about it, I caught some merciless ridicule in middle school for reading a book about hoes.
Friends and neighbors, that book was Ivanhoe
#BookSky
