Diagram of a spider web with the title, "Spider Web Anatomy." It shows the structure of a spider web, calling out spiral lines, radial lines, and drag lines. From Nebraska Game & Parks.
When one of the big bads in your #histfantasy joint SLAVES OF GOD is Anansi, you gotta research how spider webs are built. #amwriting #afrofantasy #writesky 📚🕷️
The #WIPSnips word for March 21st is "wake." Here's a snippet from my historical fantasy joint SLAVES OF GOD: “I ain’t one to speak ill of the dead,” Betty said, wiping away the tearful facade of grief into her handkerchief, “but can’t say I didn’t see this comin’.” “Did the best he knew how, Sister Betty.” “You ain’t the one who found him, Reverend. Face all twisted up like that. ‘Best he knew how’ still got him dead.” Cope couldn’t stop staring at the grave marker. Reverend, please. Tell her to turn me loose. Zeke’s last words crawled beneath his skin. A chill gripped his spine like icy fingers, leaving a trail of goose pimples in its wake. “Seen more folks end up like Zeke than I care to remember, Sister Betty. He’s in the Lord’s hands now. Best not throw stones on hallowed ground.”
Reverend Copeland is feeling guilty, but doesn't let on. He plays his part well. #WIPSnips #writesky #amwriting #histfantasy #afrofantasy
The #WIPSnips word of the day is "beam." Here's a snippet from my historical fantasy joint SLAVES OF GOD: The little thing blinked. Yipped and yawned. Licked its short and fine black fur clean of fluid. It wobbled on four tiny legs, then bones snapped and lengthened. Newborn fur gave way to a course tan coat speckled by dark brown spots. Paws stretched and joints shifted with cracks and pops. It grew and grew until its shoulders brushed against the tiny shack’s low beams. Broad jaws opened wide, revealing teeth made for tearing carcasses and crushing bones. The beast crept forward, ducking under the doorway. The men retreated, step after ginger step. They had no name for such a creature. Nanyamka did. Dayo. Laughter spilled from the hyena's throat. A sound that turned bravado into fear.
Dayo goes from newborn to massive proportions in moments. Hyena's aren't supposed to do that! #WIPSnips #amwriting #histfantasy #afrofantasy #writesky
Anansi the spider sits in the center of a web while surrounded by six smaller spiders, his six sons.
It's #amwri̇ti̇ng day! In chapter 7 of my #histfantasy joint SLAVES OF GOD, Anansi's 6 sons, Damu ya Buinui (Blood of the Spider), step through a tear in the world and set foot on the shores of the American South in the early 1800s. #afrofantasy
Oh, the drama!
The #WIPSnips word of the day is "thing." Here's a snippet from my historical fantasy joint SLAVES OF GOD: Birdie followed the stone path and stopped at the back door of the church. She hiked up her petticoats and drew the small single-shot flintlock tucked snug in her garter belt. “I need to find a better place to keep this damn thing,” she said. “When did you start carrying a gun?” Cope whispered. “After what happened, you don’t? You really want me to bring up Sadie again?” “Men of God don’t carry guns.” Birdie rolled her eyes and slipped through the open door. “I liked you better before you was a preacher.”
Birdie knows how to handle herself. #WIPSnips #writesky #histfantasy #afrofantasy
The #WIPSnips word of the day for February 20th is "corner." Here's a snippet from my historical fantasy joint SLAVES OF GOD: “Good morning, brothers and sisters.” His raspy baritone washed over the congregation in a comforting wave. He nodded to familiar faces dressed in their Sunday best, even acknowledging those huddled near the door. He smiled; the kind that formed wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. The kind that made folks trust him before he even spoke. The church hushed.
Reverend Copeland got folks in the palm of his hands. #WIPSnips #writesky #histfantasy #afrofantasy
Chapter 7: If the lion doesn’t tell his story, the hunter will.
Stories traveled faster and further than people.
But in this foreign land, Nanyamka’s story hadn’t been told.
Not yet, anyway.
#OpeningLines #amwriring #histfantasy #afrofantasy
And now ,,, chapter 7. #amwriting #histfantasy #afrofantasy 📚
The #WIPSnips word for February 7th is "redeem." Here's a snipped from my historical fantasy joint, SLAVES OF GOD: The reverend stared at Ezekiel’s empty seat. Hadn’t seen him in days. He never missed Sunday service. Never. Though most called him Zeke, everybody knew his story. A punchline, the town drunk, a cautionary tale. Reverend Copeland had given him purpose. A place to lay his head. A few humble tasks to keep his restless mind occupied and idle hands busy. His living, breathing sermon. A man redeemed. But when the reverend needed proof that the Word worked miracles, sitting plain for all to see, Ezekiel missed his cue. Had Zeke fallen back to his old ways? Not now. Not in front of them. Not in the house he’d built.
Where's Ezekiel? Reverend Copeland needs his poster boy. #WIPSnips #amwriting #histfantasy #afrofantasy
The #WIPSnips word for Feb. 5th is "except." Here's a snippet from my historical fantasy joint, SLAVES OF GOD: “Let’s go for a walk.” She returned the letter and stepped into the night. Cope snatched the long linen shirt hanging from the doorknob and pulled it over his head. Anything to keep folks from spotting the preacher in his skivvies following a woman in the dark. The fabric clung to his sweat-soaked skin, sticking where it shouldn’t. Birdie took the lead. He followed, keeping a few paces between them. They passed through the garden. He scanned the streets, eyes darting for any sign of movement. Except for a dog down by the general store, likely barking at a squirrel, not much else prowled. No curious eyes. No gasps of impropriety. Safe, for now.
Cope and Birdie getting up to no good at night. #WIPSnips #amwriting #histfantasy #afrofantasy
Today's #WIPSnips word is "bone." Here's a snippet from my historical fantasy joint, SLAVES OF GOD: Trees grew close together here, bowed under moss and time. Roots curled, vanishing beneath the dark water and silt, like they tried to escape whatever tethered them to this dead place. Deeper into the swamp, the air turned. Old rain. Fish bones. The slow decay of things too stubborn to die. Off in the distance, a dark shape drifted, half-submerged near the edge of a clearing. She mistook it for an old log until it blinked.
What's worse? Getting lost or getting lost in a swamp. 🐊 #WIPSnips #amwriting #histfantasy #afrofantasy
The #WIPSnips word of the day is "gold." Here's a snippet from my historical fantasy joint, SLAVES OF GOD: Nanyamka didn’t understand the language, but she’d heard it before. On the tongues of men who came to her homeland with their god, guns, and greed. They stripped her of her clothes. Fine garments, bright with colors, bold patterns threaded with gold. Craftsmanship their simple minds never imagined. Her locs lay scattered across the dirt floor. Hacked. Torn. Left behind. Stripped of the silver and jewels once braided in. Still smelled of moringa oil. Faint. Nutty. Green. A reminder of home. They wanted to shame her. Break her. Make her small. But she had no humanity to lose. Not the kind they understood.
You can't dehumanize a god. #WIPSnips #amwriting #histfantasy #afrofantasy
The #WIPSnips word of the day is "climb." Here's a snippet from my historical fantasy joint, SLAVES OF GOD: “It’s called a Lebanese cedar,” she remembered him saying. “Comes all the way from the Ottoman Empire.” Like he could find it on a map. But to Adelia, it meant something more. She’d climbed the giant dozens of times. Read to it while perched on its branches. Whispered her most guarded secrets into its bark, trusting the tree to keep them safe. Now, reunited with her old friend, she ran her fingers over the crooked letters carved into its trunk by tiny hands all those years ago. D-E-E-L-Y.
Adelia is reunited with a childhood friend. 🌲 #WIPSnips #amwriting #histfantasy #writesky
The #WIPSnips word of the day is "table." Here's a snippet from my historical fantasy joint, SLAVES OF GOD: Her mother’s room. Adelia felt the tug of ghosts. Many late nights, she’d crept into the room and tended to wounds no child should ever have to tend. Wiped away tears her mother tried to hide. Pressed a cool, damp cloth against tender bruises. A bouquet of lilacs waited on the bedside table. Fresh, fragrant, too carefully placed. An olive branch? A bribe? A warning? Too deliberate not to mean something.
Adelia returns home, haunted by memories. 📚 #WIPSnips #amwriting #histfantasy #afrofantasy
Screenshot of an AI detector showing the pasted text is AI-generated. The text is from Psalm 23 in the KJV Bible: “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
I ain't siding with AI-authors, but use AI detectors with a grain of salt. One of my characters, Reverend Copeland, is prone to spouting Bible verses. ZeroGPT thinks this passage from Psalm 23 KJV is AI-generated. 🤔🤖 #amwriting #histfantasy #afrofantasy
The #WIPSnips word of the day for December 19th is high. Here's a snippet from my urban fantasy joint in progress, SLAVES OF GOD: The garment felt rough on her skin. Not like the hand-woven Kente and Aso oke, offerings from highly-skilled artisans. Regal. Ceremonial. Those she wore like second skin. This felt utilitarian. A met expectation. “Ye look grand,” Eithne said. “Weren’t much on me, but ye bring it to life.” Nanyamka adjusted the fabric at her waist. “If you say so. Let’s be done with this place.”
Clothes make the woman. #WIPSnips #amwriting #histfantasy
Hey @bigbeardedbookseller.com. Many thanks for doing this!
My #WIP: Set in the early 1800s, Slaves of God blends history & fantasy as African gods arrive in the American South. #histfantasy
Hit me up on IG: www.instagram.com/johnwhowrites/
1. What's up, fam? I'm John Bryant and #histfantasy is my wheelhouse. My #WIP is a joint called SLAVES OF GOD about African gods landing in the American rural South in the early 1800s.
Logos for 2026 Book Festivals: New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University, Printers Row Lit Fest, BookCon & Boozy Book Fest.
If I can buckle down & finish my #histfantasy joint SLAVES OF GOD, I got a few events in mind for 2026. Who am I gonna run into? #writesky #writingcommunity 📚
A screenshot from my editing program showing how many times I use the word "ain't" in my historical fantasy novel-in-progress. It's 93 times so far, in slcase you were wondering.
When I was growing up, I got told that "ain't" isn't a word. Guess who's leaning into it for my #histfantasy joint, SLAVES OF GOD. #amwriting #writesky
Cover art for Sebastian Kole's album Numb. A distressed heart with the word Numb on it. The song "Hey God" is shown as it plays on Spotify.
"Hey God" by Sebastian Kole hit me in the feels because it speaks to my complicated relationship with religion. What a perfect theme song for my #histfantasy novel in progress, SLAVES OF GOD. #amwriting #writingcommunity 📚
A snippet from my upcoming novel, Slaves of God: "He coughed, clearing his throat so the long-buried memories could turn into words and escape unimpeded."
A snippet from my upcoming novel, Slaves of God: "Adelia coughed—the air stained by the bitter stink of tobacco, bleeding from every inch of Brown Estates. She covered her nose and mouth."
I couldn't decide which I liked better, so I included both. Two snippets from my #histfantasy joint SLAVES OF GOD. #amwriting 📚
Today's #WIPSnips is all about Winnie the Pooh's vice: honey 🍯 Here's a snipped from my #histfantasy joint SLAVES OF GOD. #writingcommunity #writesky #amwriting
A snipped from my #histfantasy joint SLAVES OF GOD for May 12th's #WIPSnips 📚 #amwriting #writesky #WIP
First reviews of Chasing Moonflowers are out. I am so happy this story found its readers, hope it keeps happening ❤️🫶🧛🏻♀️ #booksky #booklaunch #TBR #gothic #occult #histfantasy
My dog Obasi shares the same name with the antagonist of my #histfantasy joint SLAVES OF GOD. It's a Nigerian (Igbo) name meaning "in honor of the supreme god." Both the character & my dog are brazen, boisterous & love the sound of their own voices. 🐶📚 #amwriting #writesky
Worldbuilding in my historical fantasy joint, Slaves of God: Summers in Lafayette County rivaled Hell. That’s what folks said, anyway. The day burned with the kind of fury only summer could summon. It left tempers short, conversations shorter, and coerced even the most God-fearing to swear under their breaths. But it didn’t stop them from making the trek to Crown of Thorns each Sunday.
My #histfantasy joint SLAVES OF GOD is set in the American South during the 1800s. 🥵 #SFFChat Q4
What's up, fam? I'm John from #STL. I'm currently working on a #histfantasy joint called SLAVES OF GOD about African gods arriving in 1800s America. It's been a labor of love for the past 3 years. #SFFChat
Today's #WIPSnips word is "easy," but Birdie likes to make folks uneasy. 😥📚 An excerpt from my #histfantasy joint SLAVES OF GOD. #writesky #amwriting
A day behind, but I'm showing up to the dance with a snippet from my #histfantasy joint SLAVES OF GOD. #WIP #WIPSnips
