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MeliSwenk Editing
@lousytshirt.bsky.social
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Reader. Writer. Loves art, music, film, photography, & expression.
INFJ. She/Her.
#copyeditor #betareader #proofreader
http://meliswenkediting.wordpress.com
https://ko-fi.com/meliswenk
https://www.amazon.com/stores/M.-A.-Swenka/author/B07XXBSLZ7
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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 28d
Just for my BlueSky followers!

🍂 Bring Me To Life 🍃 Deal: 50% off!

Proofreading & Beta Reading services for books over 10k words
Available from January 15 to March 31
DM w/ word count & genre - Let's connect!

#writesky #writingcommunity #authors
lousytshirt.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- In the few moments before Monah decides to go to Piatra Invelis with Evlin, she has a powerful vision about the Citizens & how they might feel about or perceive her. She makes her decision right then.
#writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters
I didn’t need them to love me, no. Shaking my head, I started to back away from the pink and orange tinted light. Like a daisy, or a sunflower, the center of the bold light turned dark, maybe rotted, though no aroma floated from it. No, I didn’t need their love, but I needed them to understand that King Faldor had no love for them. That he meant them harm, especially, if they weren’t like him. Somehow, these vocalizations were not the ones I was trying to save, those cheering for the king would be booing me. It was the screaming, ranting fear I heard in an undercurrent of those resounding choruses of loyalty. Just the same, if a Citizen who started out booing me ever needed my defense, he or she would have it. I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that I was on the right side of this fight. That I would be fighting for inclusion, recognition, and the equal power for a leader born of both of Piatra Invelis’s most powerful bloodlines.
February 12, 2026 at 2:13 PM
Reposted by MeliSwenk Editing
therickydavila.bsky.social
Devastating, after a hard fought battle with cancer, the beloved star of ‘Dawson’s Creek’ James Van Der Beek has passed away at the age of 48. My deepest condolences to his family. RIP. 😢🙏
February 11, 2026 at 7:54 PM
lousytshirt.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- In the moments after Monah chooses to go to Piatra and before Evlin finally takes her home.
#writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters
“On behalf of myself and our fellow Invelisians,” Evlin pressed an open palm to the center of her chest and bowed from her waist, “I welcome you home, Your Highness, and thank you with my entire soul for choosing to honor and save your people.” She got down on one knee, took my hand in hers, and pressed my knuckles to the center of her forehead. “All my love, Princess, I give you all my love and all of my loyalty.” Liquid heat cascaded my entire body, and I thought I would swoon under the sensation. My knees had literally gone weak, and I thought for sure I would fall over backward except for Evlin’s grip on my hand.
February 10, 2026 at 1:57 PM
lousytshirt.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- using "selected" -- Part of Faldor, Monah, and Evlin's first conversation using Mother Bette's enchanted vanity mirror.
#writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters
“Then you’ll remember I got sent away.” The king shook his head and now dropped the finger he’d been pointing into the glass. “Taken, selected by the Fates to be saved. Our father and your mother,” he sneered, practically snarling the word and moving his lips closer to the glass to be sure I saw it outside any lingering shadows, “listened to the Fates as if their very words were immediately carved into the stone of our walls.” His arms went up grandly, encompassing all that surrounded him while still gazing into the mirror. “You carry both bloodlines, Sister,” he said, dropping every ounce of condescension he carried in his body. “That is how the Fates came to their decision.” Just two steps brought his entire face to fill the center of the mirror, as if he could stick his head beyond the barrier and enter my bedroom through the sturdy, wooden frame. I maintained eye contact with that strange shade of amber-hued hazel as long as I could before I flicked my gaze to meet Evlin’s—but I couldn’t, she was looking anywhere but the mirror. “Oh,” the single syllable sounded like a light chuckle, but the second more friendly, “oh, is that not what Lady Grey told you?”
February 9, 2026 at 2:21 PM
lousytshirt.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- Radomir informs to Khoda about Faldor and his Sons, and their bullying of Basalt's son Wilem, in hopes of making up for his outburst with the Elders' Guard earlier.
#writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters
“Such an attack on what Basalt considers his is an attack not replicated.” Khoda glared at the top of his desk, then up at his Recruit. “The king did nothing to stop them? Disparage them?” “No, sir,” Radomir shook his head adamantly, “stood in the center of their cheers. Told ’em they did right. That traitors wouldn’t be tolerated.” Khoda sighed, leaned back in his chair and focused on the plain wall beside them. Eying the lines between the stones, then the Vampire before him. “See these stones, Radomir?” He glanced at the walls with stupid wonder, confused at his Leader’s new line of questioning. “Sir, I do.” “I stacked, cemented them myself. Put up the roof…” He considered his hands, then gave a questioning look back at the wall. Pondering something Radomir could never guess at, so he fidgeted in his spot needing to know if the information he’d provided had been just good enough to redeem him in the eyes of his Patron. “Good work, Radomir. Make a stop before you go back to the castle.” “Yes, sir, anything, sir.” Radomir spoke quickly, a stupid grin pulling his features back toward his ears.
February 7, 2026 at 3:42 PM
lousytshirt.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 2 -- Sonja & Evlin discuss one of the many changes to Monah's personality since the events at the end of Bk. 1. (Please ignore the double "nearly" & "hesitate" in parag. 2. Definitely a WIP 🫠😆)
#writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters
Sonja shrugged, moving through the air beside her friend as though it were dense liquid. “Heard things, possibly saw something the other day.” “What?” Nearly hungry for the changes connecting to Faldor had generated, Evlin nearly took hold of her friend. In the moment Sonja took to hesitate, she pounced. “Why do you hesitate, Sonja?” The dark look tightened Sonja’s features and pulled her mouth into a firm line. “One of Faldor’s soldiers and a young student from the Mines Realm started to fight out on Apple Street.” She took slow steps to approach. “She stood between them, and without a word, moved them apart…with her hands.” Sonja held her own palms up, as if she could depict the act like a film to show her. “No harm done, except to scare the be-jeezus out of ’em.” “No talking? No…” “Definitely no talking, just moved them. I mean, she probably saved some lives… People milling about at the time. But she didn’t exactly ask permission to just stop their bickering and separate them.”
February 5, 2026 at 2:59 PM
lousytshirt.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from Survival Instinct -- Stella & Gregory interviewing David, Kylie's boyfriend, and his friend Kyle about the Halloween party and what happened to Kylie and Rae.
#writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters
“I didn’t hurt her, okay? I wouldn’t hurt her. It was just a conversation, and it did get heated. But when she left that dance floor for the bathroom, I didn’t follow her,” David insisted. “Right!” Kyle jumped in, acting more confident now that the mess was out in the air. “She left us in the middle of the dance floor when she looked back and noticed Rae wasn’t at the table anymore.” Stella remembered that from the original statement and nodded at Gregory when he turned to her for confirmation, and that much hadn’t changed at least. “Do you remember anyone strange from the party?” Gregory looked from David to Kyle. “At a Halloween costume party held by a fraternity in a college town?” Kyle chuckled. “What do you think?”
February 3, 2026 at 2:46 PM
lousytshirt.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- using synonym "die" -- Invelisian Leaders discuss the Lost Royal prophecy & how Evlin is meant to save the life of the one destined to lead them. {Tritt is a Realms Representative, a 2nd in command to a Realms Leader.}
#writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters
“Have you considered, Miss Washington, that Monah died? Just as Faldor has been telling us? From firsthand experience?” Tritt stepped up to the table and nearly spat the words at the woman before him. “He watched—” Now Evlin stood up from where she’d been sitting, brushing away her father’s attempt to stop her with his hand. “Enough, Tritt of the Farms! Faldor saw nothing firsthand. I watched the king and queen of this nation die outside the castle I helped them build! Faldor cowered from a Viragian’s attempt to burn him alive. I prevented a bright red bolt from taking his life!” “Evlin,” Thyberius warned on a whisper, eying the people who surrounded them, who had no idea what she was talking about.
February 2, 2026 at 2:40 PM
lousytshirt.bsky.social
🎉 Happy Birthday, Langston Hughes! 🎉
#writingcommunity #poetry #poets #langstonhughes
www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/langst...
black and white portrait of poet Langston Hughes
February 1, 2026 at 4:03 PM
Reposted by MeliSwenk Editing
willmckinley.bsky.social
Farewell to the great Catherine O'Hara (1954-2026).

Each generation remembers her for something different, the true mark of an enduring talent. #FilmSky
A 90's-era headshot.
January 31, 2026 at 2:14 AM
lousytshirt.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 2 -- using "suggested" -- Monah's POV, upon discovering Ankara has not left Piatra Invelis as she suspected.
#writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters
Ankara broke our contact, and I nearly stepped right along with her to bring her back toward me. “What are you doing here, then?” “I missed home,” she said, giving me a look that said she’d already explained that. “No, what are you doing here, Ankara?” I pointed to the ground under our feet, but I meant to imply the entire kingdom. “Keeping a steady eye on the horizon. After I sent word back, my father suggested I get comfortable.” “You haven’t…” I started, jerking a thumb over my shoulder. “No live food for the last month, Princess,” she informed with a bit of snark. “A sacrifice I had to make to stay under your radar.” “You definitely succeeded at that,” I said, with frustration in my voice. “I’m not ashamed to say I’ve been thinking about you this entire time.” She shook her head and kept her distance, despite letting her gaze burn through me. “Certainly, Evlin has noticed the difference in you.”
January 30, 2026 at 3:22 PM
lousytshirt.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- going for vibes with "to form" -- Faldor asks his Sons to stand in formation and take part in a ceremonial ritual to honor a fallen soldier.
#writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters
Slowly, Faldor removed a small dagger from the front of his purple tunic. “This ceremonial dagger will release Sir Shahnaz’s final sacrifice into these ceremonial goblets.” The king pointed to the box Thomas held in front of his body. “I need you all to form three lines, even as possible, lads.” Before the last word left his mouth, the young men moved to heed him. Stepping around each other, without a fuss or confrontation, to align as their king had directed. “As I fill them, you dole them out,” he said as he turned toward his pages. They all nodded in response.
January 29, 2026 at 6:28 PM
lousytshirt.bsky.social
January 29, 1845, "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe is published in the New York Evening Mirror
#writingcommunity #poetry #edgarallanpoe #otd
www.history.com/this-day-in-...
www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48860/...
The Raven
Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore, “Though thy crest be shorn and…
www.poetryfoundation.org
January 29, 2026 at 6:09 PM
lousytshirt.bsky.social
"Making stuff is good for you, right?"

Yes! And our creative engines are fueled by how we get inspired: reading books (or smart articles 👇) on the creative life, attending creators' events, and sharing our desire to create with others. Times are tough, but so are we! 👏😍
#writesky #writingcommunity
flakphoto.news Andy Adams @flakphoto.news · 22d
Hey friends, how do you stay creative? Today, some thoughts on artmaking, attention, and how we see the world. LMK what you think!
www.flakphoto.news/p/how-do-you...
How do you stay creative?
On artmaking, attention, and how we see the world
www.flakphoto.news
January 28, 2026 at 10:58 PM
lousytshirt.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- going with a related word "linger" as almost none of my characters procrastinate or delay, not with intent, so far -- Evlin & Monah discuss the turmoil in Piatra Invelis.
#writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters
She shrugged her shoulders and turned completely away from my gaze. Something occurred to me. “It’s new, isn’t it?” Slowly, she turned back to gaze at me. “This division. You, your father… None of you, especially outside of Faldor’s inner, inner circle, had any idea that this division was possible, right?” Evlin just shook her head. “’Tis not entirely new, no, Princess. It has lingered, always in the backs of our minds. We simply could not foresee the depth to which the fissure would run once division occurred. Potential… I gather, for this kind of unrest at this level was there…” Defeat crossed her sharp, beautiful features, and I suddenly felt bad for my anger. She was watching her kingdom come apart at the seams, and all I could think about was myself. I approached her and rested my hands against the curves her shoulders. Focusing on the sadness on her face, I ran the palms of my hands in small circles to provide some calm and comfort. “Maybe we should go find your father and try to figure something out. There must be something we can do.” Evlin nodded and let me lead her out of the throne room.
January 28, 2026 at 2:49 PM
lousytshirt.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- Havva Terzi, Leader of the Fields Realm, receives a very strong message about the return of The Lost Royal.
#writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters
Havva Terzi sat down hard in the middle of the tall grasses and mounds of loose dirt that surrounded her. Shade from the tall trees did little to offer her comfort, especially since the wind had basically been knocked out of her. Trembling fingertips found each side of her head. “What was that?” The leaves and grass moved in a breeze that moved nothing else. Her loose clothing sat still against her body, while vegetation moved as if a tropical storm kicked up around her. “Who is there?” She tried to stand up, face whatever was surrounding her, but the force that pushed her to the ground kept her there. Then, shoved her onto her back to look up at the thin swirling wisps of white far above her. Even as her eyes rolled back in her head, her line of sight stayed bright, keeping the sunlight in the front of her mind. It’s happening now, Havva. It’s happening now.
January 27, 2026 at 2:35 PM
lousytshirt.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- Evlin, Sonja, & Vivek Aksoy discuss the choosing of sides at Fazekas Bistro just before Ev reveals that the prophesied Lost Royal has been brought back to Invelis.
#writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters
“Vivek,” Evlin turned back, “you can trust me. Please, speak true.” He only shook his head, and Sonja leaned back against her chair as she took her first sip. It was hard to eat when the two people in front of you were basically discussing a conspiracy to commit treason. Sonja balked when Evlin turned on her. “Do I need to ask you, or send you on your way?” Evlin held back nothing now. She couldn’t, not in the face of what was about to explode in hers. “I’m with you, Ev, one hundred and ten percent.” She nodded, taking a deeper sip from her goblet. “All the way.”
January 26, 2026 at 3:28 PM
lousytshirt.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- Faldor would never call it a "psychic ability," but he certainly loves catching people off guard when he knows something they don't expect him to know.
#writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters
“Your daughter has returned.” King Faldor rested his hand on Thyberius’s shoulder; no one else would notice the pallor Thyberius’s skin had taken as his voice fell in his ear. “She is not emptyhanded.” That could not be possible. Thyberius merely nodded while his king pushed his high-backed chair toward the table with a rumble that reverberated off the distant walls and ceiling. He didn’t even bother to dismiss the court before sulkily heading off to his chambers.
January 25, 2026 at 2:45 PM
lousytshirt.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- Evlin helping Monah after her awakening in the Grey Meadow.
#writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters
“Help—help me stand.” The younger woman’s words wavered more than her legs did under her, and it warmed Evlin’s skin to have her princess so close. A strange heat filled her, and she tried to ignore it as she held Monah up against the pull of gravity. “Warm, warm, too,” Monah muttered, aiming her words at Evlin’s shoulder. Her head rested against her collarbone, and when Evlin moved her hand high against her princess’s ribs, she groaned to discover nothing beneath that thin old gown. “Your Highness,” Evlin said through her frustration before she could stop herself. “Do you realize we are in the winter season?” “Winter?” Monah leaned even harder into Evlin’s frame and nearly fell asleep while she stood. If it was possible, her entire body now felt reinforced by steel. Evlin knew what she had to do and took a deep breath before she squatted from her knees and scooped her lilting princess up into her arms.
January 24, 2026 at 3:04 PM
lousytshirt.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from Survival Instinct -- Rae's POV, thinking about when her parents would realize she's missing.
#writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters
She wouldn’t even come looking for me. Rae’s mother knew how she was after a night at a party, practically sleeping all day, recuperating. Realization that she might be stuck in here, at least for the day, worried her. Her father wouldn’t be expecting a call from her until tonight, and her mother never expected to hear from her. Rae called her mother about once a week, otherwise. Usually a Sunday night, and they caught up on the week. Her mother always asked if she needed money, and Rae always said no. She’d get a transfer or deposit for whatever her mother could spare that week, and it would go directly into her savings. Remembering the monotony brought on the warmth of fresh tears, but she wouldn’t let the murderer see it.
January 23, 2026 at 3:37 PM
lousytshirt.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from Monah's Bk. 1 -- Wilem goes to the throne room for a second meeting with Faldor and finds himself horrified at the king's post-meal mess.
#writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters
“Never mind the mess, my young Ancient, and do come closer.” Wilem tried to keep his eyes from the large puddle of blood. “But…” “Oh, well, sometimes us beasts need to let out some blood. A war criminal dead is the best war criminal, yes?” His rich, ebony curls could only nod in response as his eyes absorbed the limbs being collected from the floor. Drake, the king’s other page, assisted by holding the basket the limbs fell into. One arm had a striking black tattoo on the skin that had been slightly hidden by the back splash of blood collected there. “Did you rip that off?” “Torn,” Faldor nodded proudly, “right from the socket.” He clapped a bloody hand against Wilem’s shoulder and pulled him in close to his ribs, much as he had only hours before.
January 22, 2026 at 4:13 PM
lousytshirt.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from Survival Instinct -- Stella, Gregory, and Captain Jones discuss overlapping details about cases similar to Rae's. {Pretty sure I've shared this before, but I picked Survival to try to motivate myself to start edits 😆🫠}
#writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters
Stella and the captain exchanged glances, and she turned back to her case file. That didn’t sound anything like the Kingston kidnapping except for the purse. “Ada’s purse was left on a bus station bench. Discovered the next morning by a regular commuter waiting for the city bus. Only her ID and a bank card were missing from her wallet; otherwise, it pretty much contained her life.” “Were there any posthumous purchases on the card?” Gregory asked, reaching back for his thin case file to reconcile any new information Stella may provide. “Nope, just no activity since the bag was found. The last thing she purchased was a pack of cigarettes from a convenience store located between the bus stop and the family home in Old Square.” Captain Jones looked from Stella to Gregory, and added, “And there’s no other tangible connection between them?” He got up and left his large leather chair, while Stella and Gregory swapped the files and began reading quickly and quietly. Captain Jones took the few steps between his desk and the windows as the sun took to completely setting. The detectives looked at each other and shook their heads, and then did the same in tandem for their boss.
January 21, 2026 at 3:29 PM
lousytshirt.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from Survival Instinct -- Rae's POV, discovering just how much work her captor has put into her captivity. It bolsters her, rather than frightens her.
#writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters
Rae let out a little squeal of surprise when the automated door slid back into the wall. Revealed: a small shower stall appeared yellow under the odd dome light. It had a small, narrow head and a drain of roughly the same diameter. No visible venting fan and a single mint green towel hung from a silver circle attached to the wall with tiny screws. It would easily fit around her body, probably twice, and she considered showering. There was no soap or shampoo, though, and no clothes to change into. Remembering her odd new situation, Rae tried pushing on the wall where she had before and the door slipped back to its original home. It was like she hadn’t even opened it. After a moment, she reconsidered and pushed the button again. This time the door did not surprise, and she stepped forward. Once through the threshold, the door slammed shut behind her and a heat lamp’s humming started. She looked up to see a flat metal plate—imperceptible from outside the little space—that began sucking at the air around her. Stepping back, she pressed her open palms into the sliding door and it fell back into its envelope. “This guy is not dumb,” she muttered. “But I’m not either.”
January 19, 2026 at 3:08 PM
lousytshirt.bsky.social
Congratulations!! Can't wait to see what you get for the cover art!! 👏😁
keeganpeter.bsky.social Keegan Peter 🏳️‍⚧️ @keeganpeter.bsky.social · 24d
Got through the technical issues and I'm finally done with the final round of editing. Another big thanks to @lousytshirt.bsky.social. Now the only thing standing between me and publishing is the cover art. #booksky #writersky
January 19, 2026 at 2:33 PM
Reposted by MeliSwenk Editing
texastob-24.bsky.social
HBD MLK 🎂
January 19, 2026 at 2:01 PM