M. A. Holland
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maholland.bsky.social
M. A. Holland
@maholland.bsky.social
240 followers 560 following 58 posts
Reader/writer. Meanjin/Brisbane, Australia.
Probably misses his old glasses.
#amrewriting: RAVEN QUEEN'S FLIGHT/RAVEN QUEEN'S RETURN, YA Ornithopunk Duology

mrkhllnd80.wixsite.com/maholland
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maholland.bsky.social
M. A. Holland @maholland.bsky.social · 6d
My #QuestPit pitches, a thread:
maholland.bsky.social
Productive day today! 1100 words on CursesWIP, taking it past 15K total (12K this month). And then in addition to that, I wrote another 1000 words on a short story project currently underway.

2000 words in a day? What's going on here?😆
November 12, 2025 at 11:51 AM
maholland.bsky.social
Tonight was a struggle, and I sense it will get more difficult from here - but ten days in to November I'm tracking for 30K words!
A tracker for CursesWIP - a photo of a dark forest, with a calendar superimposed over the top, with word counts marked accordingly.
November 10, 2025 at 11:47 AM
maholland.bsky.social
Love the vibe of this!
duaceren.bsky.social Dua Ceren @duaceren.bsky.social · 6d
Spirited Away x Shutter Island

Reality and fantasy blur when an anonymous invitation sends a burnt-out chocolatier spiraling to hunt down a serial killer she thought she made up as a child.

🥀Found family
🥀Secrets
🥀Ghosts

🪻Mental health rep
🪻Disability rep
🪻LGBTQIA+

#QuestPit #W #A #F #T #PR
“Life tried so hard to cling to this place that all it did was make death sink in deeper.” “You can bury your past but don’t be surprised when it comes back to haunt you.” “Everyone lived in their own world, even when they were right next to each other.” Collage of photos: girls in dresses sitting in the grass, boat in blue waters, curtains at dusk glowing orange, melted chocolate poured over stacks of chocolate chunks, field of blue flowers with sun shining, girl in dress spinning in circles on grassy hill, messy pile of old photos, woman and child holding hands, rose bush, sunlight through tree leaves, a woman submerged in dark water reaching out, a woman in a white dress running away from something while barefoot in grass, restaurant with blue chairs by the sea at sunset, graves in the middle of a dark forest, girl in dark water with a white dress and arm over her chest and white roses over her torso, a man peering through the woods with a flashlight at night, a man and a woman dancing under a starry night, field of blue flowers in a forest, hands reaching up from water through lily pads, dragonfly wing close up, shadows of two friends back-to-back making finger guns
November 6, 2025 at 1:31 AM
Reposted by M. A. Holland
qqueenlyart.bsky.social
A Certain Hunger X Diavola

Critical Position's first #Agentguide

🫀Why choose love triangle
🫀Misogyny in chess
🫀Eat the rich like that one Dutch minister
🫀Too many beds and using none of them

#H #R #A #W #Questpit
Title "Critical positions" with subtitle "a horror novel (with romance)" over a background of a filled dinner table On the left is a brown and red moodboard and on the right is a pitch for the novel critical positions
November 5, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Reposted by M. A. Holland
isagoblin.bsky.social
Over the Garden Wall but make it Adult High Fantasy, a lil collage of inspirations and comp tittles for BLACKWELL'S MASK!

🎭Hidden Identities
☠️Monsterous Forest
🕯️Cursed Candlemaker FMC

#questpit #Q #A #F
A collage of movie posters and book covers: The Cruel Prince, Over the Garden Wall, Flowerheart, The Teller of Small Fortunes, Howl's Moving Castle, Labyrinth, The Secret of Nimh, Pan's Labyrinth
November 5, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Reposted by M. A. Holland
sarahdorko.bsky.social
After 500 years, Tal will do anything to revive his lover. But when he finally creates a Wishing Stone, it ends up with a human girl lost in his world. Tal will have to help her friends on their rescue mission if he wants a chance to make his wish. #QuestPit #YA portal #F #Q
The upper two thirds of this moodboard feature a warm orange and black palette while the bottom third with more black and white with a close of on a fencing sabre’s guard, light shining down into a cave, and a crystal. The top two thirds have dice falling, an orange sub at sunset, abstract images that look like silhouettes casting magic, and in the center are three silhouettes backlit by an orange sunset, looking off into the distance.
November 5, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Reposted by M. A. Holland
thefoxandrose.bsky.social
The theft of a dragon's egg leads to a hunt gone awry and a choice that could open the doors to death and unravel the world in this slowburn M/M fantasy.

✨a blood knight trapped
✨a thief looking to save him
✨a shadow world in waiting

#QuestPit #W #A #F #RF #LGBTQ ( #Q in December!)
Morally gray characters Dual POV Cycles of trauma Empire and war Death and shadow magic Otherworldly creatures and forgotten gods M/M romance Slow burn Harm him and die “Elios…” That was a warning. Eli grinned and set himself back against the knight’s chest more firmly. A small act, but making of himself something entirely and undeniably present. “Eli. I’d rather you call me that. Only you, though. I'm not too sure about the rest of them yet. And my point still stands. Also, I was quite correct about you being the fearsome sort.” That finally earned him a glance from the knight. Eli exhaled, the sound edging toward a whistle, low but unmistakably impressed. “You have a very intense stare.” A blink greeted that comment. Genuine surprise. The hand on his hip settled a little heavier against it like a bird finally committed to roosting.
November 5, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Reposted by M. A. Holland
castlemantra.bsky.social
To win her best friend's love and heal her uncle, May will risk everything to steal HealthCorp's miracle pill. But when the CEO's disinherited son offers to help - and teach her the art of seduction - she'll learn just how deep a stain power and control can leave on a soul. #QuestPit #A #SFF #R #Q
November 5, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Reposted by M. A. Holland
sirbenjaminjr.bsky.social
📜 #QuestPit 📜

In a kingdom where every fairytale prince is perfect, there's an exception.

✨Magic, mischief, & accidental heroism await in KINDA CHARMING - a hilarious, heartfelt twist on happily-ever-after.

#Q #AmQuerying #Upper #MG #Fantasy #authors #writingcommunity
Vintage fairytale poster with a muted olive/sepia palette and a yellow scrollwork frame over a faded illustration of a castle. Along the top are three icons with captions: a crown over “A FAIRYTALE PRINCE,” a sword over “AN EPIC QUEST,” and a heart over “SELF‑DISCOVERY & FAMILY DRAMA.” Centered, large cream title: “KINDA CHARMING,” with the line “A novel by B. G. Jones” beneath it and a decorative flourish. Body text reads: “An upper middle grade fantasy‑adventure for fans of Percy Jackson and The Land of Stories, blending fairytale tropes, awkward heroes, and laugh‑out‑loud mishaps in a magical kingdom where being kind‑of‑charming might be enough to save the day.” Bottom tagline in caps: “COMING TO A QUERY NEAR YOU.”
November 5, 2025 at 7:25 PM
maholland.bsky.social
As the resource-hungry Sovereignty expands unchecked, two sisters find themselves at odds: one a Sovereign pilot, the other a rebel. Their paths collide over besieged Iskar, where magically engineered weapons are unleashed by both sides—at great cost.

#QuestPit #W #YA #NA #SFF
A moodboard for The Engines That Divide, setting a dieselpunk theme with gloomy factories, mechanical walkers, magical science, and unique races.
November 5, 2025 at 10:56 PM
maholland.bsky.social
My #QuestPit pitches, a thread:
November 5, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Reposted by M. A. Holland
arumiwrites.bsky.social
KPOP DEMON HUNTERS x CRESCENT CITY

Three realms: one of light, one of shadow, and the modern world of mortals caught between. She walks them all — half valkyrie, half death-cursed maiden — healing the pain of the dead, hunted by the man who can’t stop haunting her dreams.

#A #SFF #R #F #QuestPit
November 5, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Reposted by M. A. Holland
katiekrohnauthor.bsky.social
A teen outcast from a secret line of Irish plant magicians must harness newfound powers, with the help of an oak tree portal, to protect herself from a poison-wielding ancestor who hunts her family across time. #questpit #amquerying #ya #f

🌿 Plant magic
🍄 Elixirs + poisons
🎂 Magical baking
November 5, 2025 at 5:21 AM
Reposted by M. A. Holland
sallybromley.bsky.social
Presenting my #agentsguide for
'Beauty is a Brittle Glass'
BLUE SISTERS X THE PUSH X THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY.
🪞 Adult 82k
🪞 Dual POV
🪞 Speculative Elements
🪞 Beauty & Fashion
🪞 LGBTQ
🪞 Friends to Lovers
🪞 Disability Rep
#questpit #A #Q
Green background. Images of a woman's face in a gold picture frame. Splashes of gold. A woman with long dark hair turning sideways, hair blowing in the wind, eyes closed. Splashes of gold paint. A gold handprint. Background is the close up of a woman's face, splashed with gold paint. Three bookcovers. Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors, a young woman's sad face, The Push by Ashley Audrain and The Picture of Dorian Gray and a young handsome man with a partially diseased face. Green background splashed with gold paint. Images of a model on a Catwalk, a woman having injections in her face, a group of spooky trees, a photographer and an evil hand reaching out for a pale woman's hand.
November 5, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Reposted by M. A. Holland
jenknowsprose.bsky.social
ALCHEMY OF A BLOOD MOON 🌙
The dreams that once consoled wall-flower Selene have mutated into blood drenched nightmares. Now she must seek the guidance of her coven and forgive the man that betrayed her—or be swallowed alive in the dark. #questpit #q #pr #litagents #amquerying #WriteSky #agentguide
November 5, 2025 at 5:30 AM
Reposted by M. A. Holland
annglimmer.bsky.social
TRUE HATE'S KISS
She must trick her enemy into kissing her to break a deadly curse on her family

🐉Viking Vibes & Scandinavian Folklore
⚔️Age-Old Clan Feud
❤️‍🔥Enemies-To-Forbidden-Lovers
🔥Delicious Banter & Yearning
🌶️Hot & Spicy

#Questpit #NA #Romantasy #Agented #Editorsguide
November 5, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Reposted by M. A. Holland
emiliayoung.bsky.social
MARK OF A MAGPIE is #OnSubmission! 🐦‍⬛📖

When a small-town thief crosses paths with the kingdom’s big-shot assassin, an unlikely partnership is born; but can their goals align before their egos and secrets land them both a spot on the gallows?

#QuestPit #YA #A #F #RF
#OS #AG #EditorsGuide #Editors
Editor's Guide To MARK OF A MAGPIE Crossover Romantic Fantasy 118k Words Text is on a piece of parchment. Behind the parchment are blue seas and gold flower outlines. Blurb One for Sorrow, Two for Joy, Three for a Girl, Four for a Boy… Ryn is a small-town thief who has a knack for being overconfident in her abilities, but by day she’s a beloved tavern girl with the liver of steel that carries her reputation. On her most daring break-in yet, she runs face first into the kingdom’s last living assassin, Seven, and he’s just offered her the opportunity of a century: a ticket of attendance to the King’s upcoming courtship gathering. It’s a partnership she’d be a fool to take up, but with her family scattered across the sea after the draft, a fool is what she’ll need to be to find them. Five for Silver, Six for Gold… Seven is set on his own plans, however much they interfere with hers, and they won’t be the only ones in attendance with hidden agendas. Once whispers of the past begin to resurface and nobles begin dying around them, it’s survival of the cunning and silver-tongued. The castle is under lockdown, and all bets for the crown are placed on their capture. Seven for a Secret, Never to Be Told. Text is on a piece of parchment. Behind the parchment are blue seas and gold flower outlines. Tropes and Themes - Thief x Assassin - Mental Health Rep - Identity vs Duty - Class Difference - Forced Proximity - Secret Code - Morally Gray - Women's Wrongs - Unlikely Allies to Lovers Comps: Throne of Glass's castle-setting murder mystery and theme of "who you are versus what you have to do" meets the banter-heavy dialogue, strong female protagonist, and nautical setting of Daughter of the Pirate King. Text is on a piece of parchment. Beside the text are two headshot drawings: one of a girl with brown hair pulled back by braids, and the other of a black-haired boy with a worried expression. Behind the parchment are blue seas and gold flower outlines. The Atmosphere: There is a collage of pictures on a parchment paper. Picture one is of a boy crouched down with his head covered as a fire burns in the background. Picture two is of two hands tied to a pole on the beach. Picture three shows a person wrapping up the wounded hand of another. Picture four shows an old piece of parchment with unreadable script. Picture five is of an island with a castle and small village surrounding it. Picture six is of a girl on the run with a dagger in hand. Picture seven shows a bottle of alcohol. Picture eight has a medieval alleyway. And picture eight shows a ship's crew enjoying a sunset. There is text below the collage that says: ON SUBMISSION NOW! Represented by Amanda Wooden at SBR Media, contact information available on my website! Behind the parchment, with gold flower outlines surrounding it.
November 5, 2025 at 8:24 AM
Reposted by M. A. Holland
catherinewinters.com
F/NB WAYFARERS x MURDERBOT x SOMEONE YOU CAN BUILD A NEST IN

Everything fell apart when the human came aboard. Instead of nice meals and quiet cargo runs, Tai's stuck with bickering crewmates, sinister criminals, explosions, and worse, a human who wants to be friends. #QuestPit #SF #A #Q #R #LGBT
Mood board/Agent's guide for my novel CARGO - a queer SF/heist/romance - 113,000 words "Did you hear? There's a human on board." A graphic of the wall of a spaceship with sticky notes and polaroid photos taped up. There are twinkle lights hanging from the ceiling. alien ship's cook (fussy, anxious) + terrifying monster (ordinary human) PITCH: Tai’s terrified of humans. Everyone is. Violent pack hunters, humans are notorious for their strength, sharp teeth, and carnivorous appetites. But the ship’s cook is safe among the multispecies crew of the cargo hauler Coreward Baker: everyone knows the warrior species rarely leave their own space. Then Captain Raz hires Clarke, a human horticulturist. Even after Tai overcomes their fear, they can’t stand Clarke. She’s bossy. Annoying. Useless in the galley, bad in a space suit. She might as well be cargo. Worse, she’s intent on befriending Tai—and why can’t they stop thinking about her, anyway? That’s when things go wrong. As Tai starts to realize their feelings for Clarke, they’re horrified to learn that nobody on their crew of dropouts and runaways is quite who they seem, least of all Clarke. And it’s no coincidence. Raz reveals they’ve each been handpicked for a heist he’s spent years planning—and no one’s allowed to say no. PRIORITIES: make dinner remain cozy haul cargo go for drinks pull off one last score try not to fall in love FIRST PAGE: “Did you hear? There’s a Human on board.” I choked on my noodles and turned to stare at the diners at the next table. Like most of the restaurant’s patrons, the pair had hidden their profiles, a halfhearted attempt at anonymity. “Gross,” the speaker’s crewmate said, oblivious to my alarm. “I hope it leaves soon.” “Don’t let it hear you say that,” the first worker laughed. She made a show of looking for Humans, her eyes darting from table to table. It. I frowned. I knew the workers’ language distinguished between people and things, and ‘it’ was an unkind choice of words at best. The second worker shuddered. “I don’t know why we let them come here.” The first laughed. “Are you going to stop them?” COMPS: Murderbot by Martha Wells Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wisewell The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers TROPES: Non-binary narrator masking anxiety with sarcasm lying to themselves non-human perspective (afraid of humans) neurodivergent main characters metaphorically disabled protagonist slow-burn friends-to-lovers and enemies to lovers in the same relationship disabilitynorm and queernorm setting found family loveable pet/terrifying monster
November 5, 2025 at 5:17 AM
Reposted by M. A. Holland
tamaratoday.bsky.social
SIX OF CROWS X WHAT WAKES THE BELLS

After his sister is cursed by a vengeful goddess, a former pickpocket must steal a relic from the most powerful man in the city to save her. But he can’t pull it off alone, and not everyone in his ragtag crew can be trusted.

#QuestPit #NA #F #BVM #POC #Q #Heist
Left to right. Top row: A foggy city with a spire in the background. The hands of a clock approaching 12. Smoke from an explosive in a building. Middle row: A man in a waistcoat pointing at something. “Tick… Tock…” A man in a waistcoat sitting down. Bottom row: Silver coins covered in blood. A group of people standing inside a clock tower. Rain on a cobblestone street.
November 5, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Reposted by M. A. Holland
elizabethtitus.bsky.social
🔥 WHAT will GROW from the ASHES of our fallen civilization?

🕸️ a post collapse adventure of psychic powers and nurturing community

🔮 journey through the tarot across the former US, with unexpected twists

🌱 Clan of the Cave Bear x A Psalm for the Wild-Built

#A #Q #S #SFF #questpit #hopepunk #clifi
a Death tarot card I drew titled "What rises from the ashes" with death on a moped, a sun tarot card, a lovers tarot card, a color Hermit tarot card (I did all the art) quotes: "Every end is a beginning" - Tai Gong Diao "Light shines brightest in the deepest dark!" - Jim Butcher a variety of photos from my travels (+one dilapidated shack I did not capture myself) of reflective water in various landscapes and urban decay and plants growing through, swamp, fire, bridges, a map of the US with shrunken coastline over a sunset sky with leaves growing from dead branches elemental magic visions survival skills climate fiction #clifi indigenous futurism plant medicine meditation wilderness permaculture neotribalism community backpacking post-apocalyptic hopepunk
November 5, 2025 at 5:00 AM
Reposted by M. A. Holland
delandjessica.bsky.social
WAKE embodies "Free" from KPOP DEMON HUNTERS w/:

~A FMC tormented by her past that's ruining her mental health
~A LI working for the villain w/ his own troubled past
~a supportive slow burn romance built on understanding inner pain

Coming Spring 2027

#QuestPit #P #YA #F #MY #R
November 5, 2025 at 5:02 AM
Reposted by M. A. Holland
goodwords.bsky.social
POTIONS UNINCORPORATED

Think HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE x THE SPELLSHOP

💜 Chronic Illness Rep
🌱 Plant Magic
💚 Bisexual Witches
🐈‍⬛ A Snarky Familiar
😈 Evil Pharmaceutical Potion Company
☀️ Grumpy X Sunshine Romance
☕ Cozy Vibes

#QuestPit #Q #A #R #F #chronicillnessrep #ownvoices #LGBTQ #cozyfantasy
Potions Unincorporated is written on a black journal with ivy stems and a mushroom on the cover. The tropes are listed with arrows on the right side: Grumpy x Sunshine, Found Family, Evil Pharma Potion Company, Plant Magic, Chronic Illness Rep, Cozy Vibes The Pitch is written on a lavender field background: A curmudgeonly witch with a chronic illness must work with a cheerful thief to stand up to a greedy pharmaceutical company A garden of comps is written on a leaf. The background is brown soil with plants next to comp titles: Legends and Lattes, The Spellshop, Howl's Moving Castle, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, and Under The Whispering Door. A snippet highlights the main character's relationship with her familiar, Toad. In the snippet they discuss Linatta's ex girlfriend and Toad's hatred of hats. A book is open below the image and has wildflowers growing out of the inside spine.
November 5, 2025 at 5:04 AM
Reposted by M. A. Holland
bvbodegom.bsky.social
BLACK MIRROR × SEVERANCE × THE GOOD PLACE

Having a happy death is a luxury service for the rich and Wren is the rising top salesman—until a cynical coworker and a depressed billionaire force him to rethink it all in a world where even your last smile has a price tag.

#QuestPit #A #S #SF #W
Made from non-AI free stock images. This image is a book cover design for a novel titled "Happy Death Inc." by B. Van Bodegom. The cover is divided into three distinct horizontal sections: 1. Top Section: Features a cartoonish blue sky with white clouds and a bright sun. At the top, a tagline reads: "How much would you pay to die with a smile?" The word "HAPPY" appears in large, playful, hand-drawn-style font, partially overlapping the sky background. 2. Middle Section: A photograph of a deceased man in a suit, lying in a casket. He has an exaggerated smile on his face, almost unnaturally wide and clean, suggesting artificial enhancement or post-mortem alteration. Overlaid on this image is the word "DEATH" in the same large font as the previous word. 3. Bottom Section: A cartoon city skyline in pastel tones, similar in style to the top sky background. The word "INC." is overlaid prominently in the same large font. At the very bottom: A novel by B. van Bodegom
November 5, 2025 at 5:10 AM
maholland.bsky.social
Check in time - five days down in November, and I'm sort of on track with CursesWIP! 🙃

I'm on track for somewhere between 25K-30K, with a goal of 30K, so I'm doing okay so far.
A word tracker for CursesWIP. A dark forest background, with a calendar over the top. Daily word counts are marked on relevant days.
November 5, 2025 at 7:53 PM
maholland.bsky.social
Following her parents’ assassination, Aveline must flee from those intent on stealing her throne. Adrift in foreign lands, she finds allies in an unlikely place: three hawk-riding scouts, who aid her in her quest to reclaim her birth right.

#QuestPit #W #Revising #YA #SFF
A mood board for the book Raven Queen's Flight, with strip images of a silhouetted bird of prey, foggy, wooded mountainous landscapes, and a close up of a brown bear.
November 5, 2025 at 7:39 PM