"Can you imagine?" Doc laughed to herself, eyes a little unfocused as she lost herself in the memory. "More children! Smaller, stickier, screamier ones." Doc sighed wistfully. "Ah, anyways, now the kids have basically claimed that corner as their own personal Lord of the Flies. I'd recommend you stay out, unless you want to be humiliated to death. They're brutal in there."
Doctors recommendation!
#WIPSNIPS #TreetopHollow #BookSky
"The cat doesn't really have a name yet." Vee felt the urge to explain herself. "I know she'll hate anything I pick, and I just don't have the fight in me for it." Both men laughed, appreciating her joke. If only it had been one.
Today's #WIPSNIP of "Fight."
Surely I'm not the only one whose life is run by authoritarian pets?
#TreetopHollow #BookSky
"Oh! Oh!" Sam half-ran to the bathroom door at the end of the hall. "You need a Bible? You want a Bible? Religious? A performance artist? Because we've got 'em." With a flourish, the door swung open to reveal a residential bathroom lined with floating shelves of Holy Bibles in every shape, size, and version. "We get so many donated, and anyone who wants one already has one, ya know? So they just kind of sit here and multiply. But none of us have the heart to trash them. That's a lot of paper. My buddy Ed actually suggested the idea--'The Bible Bathroom.' It's like a Little Library, but for Bibles."
For our #WIPSNIP of the day "resident," I thought I would bust out of my favorite quirks of the Treetop Hollow library: The Bible Bathroom.
#TreetopHollow #Booksky
The old-fashioned jukebox belted out a Johnny Cash cover from a series of speakers strung along the faux-rafter beams. Most of the walls had been taken down, opening up space for dancing. An archway into what might have once been a dining room offered a glimpse of two arcade machines and a handful of teenagers playing pool. The faux-wood paneling gave the place a cozy, den-like warmth, while the added-on rafters doubled as places to hang the industrial fans circulating the cigarette smoke and beer.
Not only do I love dive bars, but bars and restaurants that obviously used to just be a house? *Chefs Kiss*
#TreetopHollow #WIPSNIPS #Booksky
She scrambled, on hands and knees at first and her feet as she could. Nothing would stop her now. Limping, with a single heel still strapped to one foot, Lexi ran into the woods. He was only a breath behind her. Roots and branches clawed at her, snagging her clothes and hair, as if trying to hold her for her pursuer. Fuck that.
I am indeed, a horror writer.
#TreetopHollow #WIPSNIPS #Booksky
The final turn of the road snapped her from her reverie. Complete with gravel fallen loose from the cliffs above, this sharp left turn spun her dangerously close to a terribly located old barn. It hadn't housed an animal in decades, but the broad side was freshly painted yellow and freshly scuffed down to splintered wood, destroyed by drivers less cautious about their turns.
One of my favorite things about driving through small mountain towns are the weird landmarks that develop. Out by my Dad's in the Ozarks the abandoned barns get hand-painted with ads for Facebook marketplace.
#TreetopHollow #WIPSNIPS #Booksky #writesky
"Truth be told, she loved spending her afternoons perfumed by coffee and fragrant syrups while she gazed out over the mountain range. There was no better place to eavesdrop than right behind the counter, polishing mugs while the neighbors opened up to each other over coffee."
Today's #WIPSNIP for "Counter."
Literally the only thing I miss about working in customer service was eavesdropping on people. It was great.
#TreetopHollow #Booksky #writesky #horrorsky
#TreetopHollow has a character who won't stop inserting herself into scenes she was not invited to. She is not a main character. She does not care. I am losing.
#Writesky
I might have pulled from this scene before. But low key, it's one of my favorite scenes. So as long as it fit the prompt, it's getting posted! #TreetopHollow #WIPSNIPS #Booksky #writesky #horrorsky
Treetop Hollow started as a werewolf story in the woods and became, without my permission, a book about who you are after the worst thing happens to you. The werewolves and mad scientists are still there. They just have much messier emotions now. #TreetopHollow #WriteSky #BookSky #Horrorsky
There was once version of Treetop Hollow where I tried to be subtle with themes and all that good stuff.
That version no longer exists.
Vee Villanueve will be processing her trauma loudly, in a town full of weirdos, while everyone is watching.
As nature intended
#TreetopHollow #Booksky #horrorsky
Doc's got her hands full, and things are getting weird. #TreetopHollow #WIPSNIPS #Booksky #horrorsky
"Oh, Miss Villanueve, it's so lovely to see you again." "Doc! Yeah. Hey. How's it going?" Vee tried to suppress her own blush, even as she felt it warming her cheeks. As much as she hated to be noticed, there was something appealing about being seen. "Pretty damn well, if I say so myself." There was the slightest twang in her voice that Vee hadn't noticed before. With it, her words rang like guitar strings expertly plucked.
Poor Vee Villanueve, if it's not werewolves and buttheaded cats, then it's acute gay panic.
#TreetopHollow #WIPSNIPS #notice #queerwriters #horrorsky #booksky #writesky
Can't blame a girl for getting a little creative with her presentation choices, can you? This is a real text exchange from the book, btw.
#WIPSNIPS #Bone #TreetopHollow #BookSky #WriteSky #HorrorSky
Today's excerpt is a little different, and I'm very excited to share it with you.....
#TreetopHollow #WIPSNIPS #booksky #writesky #horrorsky #workinprogress
The true sun on her face woke Vee early the next morning. Her eyes were glued shut - not by anything horrid for once, but by deeply needed sleep. She was exhausted, her limbs limp and her very sense of self drained. But it was better than it had been. Sleep had at least given her that, and taken away the worst of the aches. Except for her finger. A small, sharp throbbing pricked at the tip of her left index. Peeling apart her sleepy eyes, Vee fought to focus on the pink digit in the light. It was swollen and red, with two tiny pricks - shaped suspiciously like a cat's tiny teeth. "What the hell, man?" Vee mumbled, closing her eyes and nursing the sore finger as she chased more sleep. From “Treetop Hollow” by @MercuryWinters
Who else has a pet that never ever ever lets them sleep in?
#TreetopHollow #WIPSNIPS #drain #booksky #writesky #horrorsky #queerwriters
Dive bars are the superior bars - change my mind.
#WIPSNIPS #TreetopHollow #Booksky #WriteSky #HorrorSky #Remain #QueerWriters
Writing Lexi has been such an archeology project of unearthing my own teenage memories. It's fun, and awful at the same time!
#wipsnips #brain #booksky #writesky #queerwriters #horrorsky #TreetopHollow
I mean, personally I *want* to believe. I have just yet to see anything that feels like real evidence ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But that doesn't stop me lookin'....
#wipsnips #booksky #horrorsky #queerwriters #horrorwriters #TreetopHollow
You ever have that feeling when you can't stop yourself being polite, even though you've chosen violence?
#wipsnips #booksky #writesky #queerwriters #horrorfiction #horror #reflex #TreetopHollow
An excerpt reading: The bliss of falling - black air, weightless - is brief. Her spine screams as she hits the pit. The liquid punches back, thick and vile. She splashes, chokes on stomach bile. Drowning. She fights to rise, to escape. Her body won't help. Joints. Knuckles. Muscles. Bones. All scream. They stretch. Snap. Tear. Her thoughts blur: “escape,” “survive.” But survival slips further with every frantic beat. Tendrils pull from her pores. Her own flesh betrays her. Breaking the surface doesn't help. It hurts more. She's alone. Drowning in a fluid she knows is hers.
Did anyone order a dream sequence?
#wipsnips #queerwriters #horrorwriters #booksky #writesky #TreetopHollow
You know those beginnings that feel like they're the middle of one thing, but actually they're the kickoff to something more insane than you ever expected for yourself?
Lexi is experiencing one of those.
#queerwriters #wipsnips #horrorwriters #booksky #writesky #TreetopHollow #begin
Heck yeah, I had something to add today! And I mean, here's hoping you love this character introduction of.... the cabin. dun dun DUNNNNNNN
#queerwriters #wipsnips #horrorwriters #booksky #writesky #TreetopHollow #amwriting #stone
"Oh! I meant to show you! I found the most fabulous necklace in the attic recently." It was interesting, sure. A hunk of silver stamped and rough in a way that made it look old and important, but not something meant for an outfit. And the shine of it in these full morning windows nearly pierced a migraine into Vee's skull. "I'm so sorry, Vee! I didn't mean to blind you! God! But my, my what shining eyes you have." Vee struggled to find her barring, rubbing the sun out of her eyes. And God, why did it stink in here? Was a window open? Where the fuck had this thing died that its stench was following her even here!? Here, in these immaculate halls of money!? It wasn't coming from the wall of dead animals behind her. Anything natural in them had been bleached out by taxidermy chemicals years ago, leaving nothing but plastic and woodsmoke behind. From Treetop Hollow by Mercury Winters
#queerwriters #wipsnips #horrorwriters #booksky #writesky #TreetopHollow #amwriting #silver
"I dunno. A buddy of mine once found his cat like, 30 feet up a tree. It was nuts." Mike began. "We ended up having to make a little pulley system with a cardboard box to get the cat back down." "What is it with cats and climbing trees? Like why go up there in the first place if you can't come down?" Ed asked, already distracted from the assignment. Sam held his own hooked fingers up in front of him. "I bet it's their claws. Great shape for goin' up, not so much for goin' down." "Ok, so Mike's got climbing a tree really high." Vee interjected, trying to regain control of the conversation. "Sam?" "Wait!" Mike shouted. "I want to amend my answer. That same cat one time climbed up the inside pant leg of the guy fixing the thermostat." From Treetop Hollow by Mercury Winters
#queerwriters #wipsnips #horrorwriters #booksky #writesky #TreetopHollow #amwriting #high
Sam stood up, his shoulders back and his nose raised. Arms out like a conductor, he was ready to lead the ceremony. "My fellow nerds. We have gathered here today, at the request of Sister Villanueve and Doctor Hall to inspect, quote," He looked meaningfully at Doc, "a 'complete anomaly of a cat.'" There was a soft clattering sound as the cat landed on one of the restocking carts. Whatever adventure she had been on was abandoned on cue. The cat sauntered to the table, flicking her tail as she jumped.
Librarians make the best research partners. #queerwriters #wipsnips #horrorwriters #booksky #writesky #TreetopHollow #amwriting
It's a party. When better to get personal?
#queerwriters #wipsnips #horrorwriters #booksky #writesky #TreetopHollow #amwriting
I'm just gonna leave this one here.
#queerwriters #wipsnips #horrorwriters #booksky #writesky #TreetopHollow #amwriting
Vee herself would firmly be the latter. It's a sticking point for her. Either of her potential girlfriends though.... They might have a harder time deciding which category they actually want to be a part of. #TreetopHollow #writingcommunity #amwriting #queerwriters
