#ttoch

No worries! Welcome aboard! I have a lot of works and thus a lot of acronyms, so I'm not going to list them all rn. However, the most common ones you will see are:

ASMLP - A Sharper, More Lasting Pain, my sapphic fantasy dark academia novel about two Casters at a magic college and the tragedy that befalls them. This one is currently up for pre-orders ;)

ATHD - Across This Hollow Distance, my gothic fantasy novella inspired by the myth of Eros and Psyche! This one I plan to have out by April of next year.

ABTB - A Bitter-Tasting Blade, my dark fantasy novella about a monster hunter and a monster woman who are forced to work together on an escort mission.

WTSWB - When the Stars Were Brighter, my short story collection that I published! I may also refer to shorts from this collection individually, such as YANTPA (You Are Not This Person Anymore), FANS (Following A Northern Star), TTOCH (The Temple on Cicaro Hill) and WTTV (Within These Twisted Vines)

TWEfA - Those Who Emerge from Ashes, my dark fantasy novel about a Goddess, a runaway, and a Scholar from a cult whose paths all cross thanks to an 800-year old living corpse.

Was tagged for this by @magic-is-something-we-create . Thanks Pax! Let's get to it!

Rules: share the first sentence of your last ten stories. If you haven’t written ten stories, share as many first sentences as you have.

ASMLP Chapter One (Simone's POV)

Across the desk, Simone’s Intro to Glyph Design professor reads their thesis proposal with a thoughtful furrow in his brows.

BTMS Chapter One

Eien-Inoue manor is a particularly painful eyesore today.

I Would Enter Haides

It is the beginning of Pyanepsion when Agape first feels the threads of fate shift within her.

Within These Twisted Vines

Isabella was missing.

Pillow Talks

It had started in IKEA, as most disasters do.

The Curse of Floaroma Town

By the time we had our first corpse, it was already too late.

The Temple on Cicaro Hill

It was said throughout the Isles that Muirenn had been born during a thunderstorm.

Lilium Chapter One (Oliver's POV)

Inside the hotel room, the air smelled of cigarettes and death.

TWEfA Chapter One (Katalin's POV)

“Meicha has been disposed of.”

Midnight Darlings Chapter One

The cursor blinked and refused to still.

And a bonus 11th one because TOOD deserves a spot:

TOOD Chapter One

The metal is cold in my hands when I curl my fingers around it.

Writeblr Introduction

The Cat

I am a two-time published speculative fiction writer and mountain of incomprehensible goo living in the PNW. When I'm not being paid to talk about your car's extended warranty (sell insurance), I am researching whatever interests me, reading from my arsenal of books, or playing video games. You can reach me by howling into the woods when you're alone at night. Some fun facts about me:

I was nearly devoured by red ants when I was 2

I'm a devout Hellenic Polytheist. You can read more on that at @cosmina-miki

I'm nonbinary (they/them pronouns) and bisexual, and just about every single character I write is queer in some way.

I've been writing since I was six years old. The first thing I ever wrote was World of Warcraft fanfiction of my parents' characters. Yes, really.

I come from a family of gamers. This includes the guy who helped make me, who has credits in GURPS sourcebooks.

I recently quit my four-year job at [insert International Hardware Store Company here] and a bitch has been thriving ever since.

I'm engaged to be married in 13 months. Our wedding is Pokémon Mystery Dungeon-themed.

The day WTTV got published, I got to read it at a local pride festival talent show. Said talent show was run by (and featured a performance from) Eric Millegan, who played Dr. Zack Addy in Bones.

The Comma

I have a lot of projects in a wide variety of genres. The below list is not complete, just the most important works in my collection:

The Temple on Cicaro Hill (#ttoch, #muirenn) - Dark fantasy short story about a living goddexx, Muirenn, who grows up in and eventually escapes from Their cult. Published in Myths, Legends, and Dreams, A Worldsmyths Anthology.

Within These Twisted Vines (#maenads) - Urban fantasy short story about Macy Floros, a Dionysian devotee who will do anything to get Isabella, her missing best friend, back. Published in Darkness and Moonlight, a Worldsmyths Anthology. Also available by itself.

A Sharper, More Lasting Pain (#asmlp) - Sapphic fantasy dark academia novel about a living, corrupting magic system, two lovers at a magical college, and the destruction their college has covered up.

Those Who Emerge from Ashes (#twefa) - Dark fantasy novel about a goddess, a priest in a cult, and a runaway who find their lives deeply entangled with the help of an 800-year old living corpse.

A complete list of my works and where to find them is here

I also have a website

If you’ve been around for a bit, you might have seen me briefly mention that yes, I am in fact being published, and the anthology I’m part of is coming out this fall! I figured in the spirit of drumming up excitement, I’d post a small excerpt of my entry, The Temple on Cicaro Hill, in which a goddexx slowly realizes the cult built around their existence is absolutely awful and vows to tear it down. 

If you’re interested in pre-ordering the anthology, you can order an ebook, hardback, or paperback version [here]. 

Without further ado, one of my favorite parts of this short:

“What happened?” Muirenn wanted to ask, but no sound emerged. Their heart leapt.

“What happened?” Still no words. If they pushed, a faint grunt rumbled in their throat, but doing so felt like they’d swallowed live coals.

Muirenn kicked their blankets from them and jumped to their feet. At once, they leaned against the bed for support. The room spun out of control. Their blood roared in their ears. 

“What happened?” Air whistled between their teeth. Their temples throbbed as they tried to recall the night before, or any semblance of reasoning. What had they done to cause this? 

They dashed past the elder and into the hall. Other members of the Líadan watched them through half-opened eyes.

That was different. Every elder they saw looked them in the eye. Were they no longer afraid of them?

Their feet slapped against the marble. They raced for the beach with one goal in mind. 

The ocean was as calm as ever. No, Muirenn realized as they slowed to a stop. It’s the calmest it’s ever been. Too calm. The tides lapped against the shore with an uncanny gentleness. Bits of sand crunched between their toes. Trembling, they reached an arm out, willing the ocean to heed them.

The next instant, they were on all fours, head clutched in their hands. Their temples throbbed like they’d been skewered. Tears rolled down their cheeks, a mix of frustration and anguish.

The sun was over the horizon by the time they had recovered. The tide was higher now, almost to their ankles. The sensation made their stomach turn. With a grunt, they wiped their tears away and pointed for the ocean again. Pain lanced through them in an instant. Hands of ice kept their brain in a vice-grip.

I'm gonna scream tbh