A.J. McCrae
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ajmccrae.com
A.J. McCrae
@ajmccrae.com
Neurospicy fantasy/horror author. Appalachian green witch. Devourer of books. Eternally in my spooky era. 💜 she/her

ajmccrae.com
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Hello! I'm A.J. McCrae, author of fantasy and horror with a heavy splash of romance. I write about monsters, magic, and mayhem (not necessarily in that order) with a soft spot for anything involving bones 🦴

For more info and the newsletter I sometimes remember to send: ajmccrae.com
It's hard not to feel a little witchy when 2 crows follow you on your walk ✨
November 13, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Back on my mask nonsense with my heavily Gothic horromance inspired Wild Hunt novel and it's absolutely not because I watched Frankenstein and Crimson Peak recently.

Completely unrelated. Couldn't be further from the thing.

Maybe I should re-watch Van Helsing next....
#amwriting
November 13, 2025 at 1:19 AM
Finally had the chance to watch the new Frankenstein movie and goddamn del Toro created a masterpiece. The actors alone sold it but with the costuming? The cinematography? *chef's kiss* 12/10, no notes. Might even top Crimson Peak as my new fave Gothic.
a man and a woman are looking at each other and the woman is wearing a white dress
Alt: Elizabeth from the movie Frankenstein (2025) looking up into the face of the Creature whose back is to the camera.
media.tenor.com
November 9, 2025 at 10:18 PM
New novel already has a graveyard ☠️ Starting strong! #AmWriting
November 2, 2025 at 2:28 PM
After an unexpectedly busy October, hoping November proves more productive for words so giving the new thirty30k.com challenge a go! Anyone else participating? #AmWriting
November 1, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Being an adult means making crescent rolls drizzled with honey in the middle of the day because you can 🥐
a cartoon of winnie the pooh sitting at a table with a bowl of food and the words yum
Alt: A cartoon of Winnie the Pooh sitting at a table with an empty plate, rocking back and forth with excitement. The text says, "Yum!!"
media.tenor.com
October 27, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Oh, to be a cat whose human has been trying to work through a sticky plot point for the last 2 hours #amwriting
October 26, 2025 at 1:43 AM
Walked the dog. Dinner prepped and ready. Garbage put out for pickup. Might actually have the evening free to do fun things!

*sees mountain of dishes to be washed*
an old man with a beard says " these aren t the droids you 're looking for "
Alt: Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars as an old man with a beard waving his hand and saying, "These aren't the droids you're looking for."
media.tenor.com
October 22, 2025 at 10:38 PM
I started Sarah Rees Brennan's LONG LIVE EVIL last month as a buddy read with @dhstrange.bsky.social then proceeded to have like 3 weeks of no reading time 😅

But I finally finished it and it was fun! Lots of excellent foreshadowing and breadcrumb trails to follow. Can't wait for the sequel!! 💙📚
October 21, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Woolly bear sighting while walking the dog today. Seen a few with a similar pattern. When I was little, I used to gather them up in a small bucket to see what kind of winter we were having 🐛
October 20, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Reposted by A.J. McCrae
Shoutout to whoever was like the news sucks, let’s spice it up by doing a jewel heist at the Louvre
October 19, 2025 at 9:49 PM
The Mondaying is starting strong with no power. Guess I don't have to go to work!
a dog is wrapped in a blanket with the words back to sleep written below it
Alt: A dog pulling the covers back over it's head with the words, "Back to sleep"
media.tenor.com
October 20, 2025 at 11:28 AM
When I start hearing noises upstairs:

"Is it a ghost or did the cat lock herself in the bedroom again?"
a man with a beard and mustache says " it could go either way "
Alt: A man with a beard and mustache saying, "It could go either way."
media.tenor.com
October 19, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Chillin' like a villain on this #caturday 😈

Stayed up way too late finishing LONG LIVE EVIL by Sarah Rees Brennan last night (very villain coded 😉). Started it over a month ago and just haven't had much time for reading. But all done and ready for the sequel next year!
October 18, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Spending my Friday night finally catching up on my current reads. Maybe I'll even finish a book for the first time in...

...on second thought, let's not do the math 😅
a man reading a book with the words go away i 'm reading written below him
Alt: A man reading a book with the words "Go away I'm reading" along the bottom. The clip is from one of my absolute favorite romcoms, Austenland.
media.tenor.com
October 18, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Looks like I need to start developing a love of black walnuts 😂
October 17, 2025 at 3:54 PM
There is something deeply satisfying about watching a plant grow 🌿🪴
October 16, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Alright bluesky, I have a 10 gal bucket quickly filling up with black walnuts and more to come from my tree. Started collecting them so I wouldn't hit them with the mower but would love to use them.

Any suggestions/ideas/fave recipes to share?
#gardening #food #foraging
October 15, 2025 at 9:28 PM
The final #gardening haul for this year. After an exceptionally late start getting my seedlings planted (the ones still alive at that point...) I'm thrilled I got this much! But, alas, the frosts are coming more regularly so harvested what I could to ripen indoors.

Next year, I shall plant sooner 😅
October 14, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Reposted by A.J. McCrae
Marvellous Minoan clay vessels made by creative potters on the island of Crete during the Aegean Bronze Age around 3,500 years ago! 🤩

Heraklion Archaeological Museum 📷 by me

#Archaeology
October 11, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Missed a few days there but it's a new week! Had some breakthroughs on one of my novel WIPs so aiming to get those integrated, and want to get rolling on my new botanical horror short. #LGBTQWriteAThon #QueerWriters
October 13, 2025 at 11:51 AM
First frost yesterday. Took the AC unit out of the window tonight. We are officially in FALL WEATHER LET'S GOOO 🍂
a picture of a forest with the words best time of the year written on it
Alt: Sun shining through a forest where the leaves have changed to reds and oranges. Text reads "Best time of the year!!!"
media.tenor.com
October 10, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Reposted by A.J. McCrae
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
nyti.ms
October 8, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Reposted by A.J. McCrae
In celebration of World Octopus Day, we wanted to revisit one of our favorite cephalopod sightings, the glass octopus — Vitreledonella richardi filmed during a month-long #PhoenixIslandsCoral expedition in 2021.
October 8, 2025 at 10:22 PM
I'm currently working on both a folk horror and an adventure fantasy currently (and a handful of other projects in either the horror and/or fantasy space, some crossover between on a couple) #LGBTQWriteAThon #QueerWriters
October 9, 2025 at 2:41 AM