Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Mara Farcasanu

@marafarcasanu.bsky.social

HillHouse&MGothic
Two sisters renovate a haunted Transylvanian mansion for their dad with Alzheimer’s—when one dies, the other must decide if she should stay in the enigmatic home where her dad can’t get better but seems to live forever—or get him out before he turns into a monster
#GhostPit #A #H

October 30, 2025 at 10:00 PM

Reposted by Mara Farcasanu

liv

@livalcott.bsky.social

👻EVERY CRUEL CORPSE is a YA/NA urban fantasy about two reapers who kill instead of guide for a government in the afterlife, forced to perform magical manipulation rituals when they begin to be haunted by the ghosts of their victims. #GhostPit #Q #F #PN

October 30, 2025 at 4:17 AM

Reposted by Mara Farcasanu

Dor Atkinson is revising dystopian YA 🏹🤖💘

@atkinsondor.bsky.social

WARCROSS x CINDER x Greek mythology

In a future America, where a myth-obsessed tech CEO turns humans into cyborgs, 18yo Sai must use her psychic powers to find her twin sister and free cyborg rebel Eros from a VR Underworld before the CEO programs him to destroy her.

#GhostPit #YA #DS #SF #R #E 💘

Moodboard: Man with a scarred back, implanting a microchip in an arm, blue glowing humanoid robot, the statue of Eros and Psyche, the phrase "to love is human", cracked ground outside a city, white maze, a cyborg girl with the phrase "Psyche"

October 30, 2025 at 8:17 PM

Reposted by Mara Farcasanu

Jordan is Querying

@jordanmccaffrie.bsky.social

FROM THE ASHES

5 years ago, Ava awoke in the middle of a storm...no memories, a single necklace the only clue to her missing past. Plunged into lands of myth, unlocking her memories may be the one thing that saves them all.

#GhostPit #Q #NA #A #F

🎶Playlist 4 vibes👉 bit.ly/4odlbgO

FROM THE ASHES PLAYLIST - YouTube

bit.ly

October 30, 2025 at 4:24 AM

Reposted by Mara Farcasanu

Aaliyah🌸Seeking New Rep

@alpaolucci.bsky.social

WhereTheDarkStandsStillxPowerless

A knight enters a perilous forest to find her godfather, but instead, she finds a shadow beast immune to her blade and a cursed sorcerer whose magic can slay the monster if she can convince him to leave his manor

✨Big 5 editor interest x2✨

#GhostPit #YA #RF #WIP

October 30, 2025 at 4:00 AM

Reposted by Mara Farcasanu

MechaniChris

@chrisakins.bsky.social

GRIM PORTENTS

HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE X CONSTANTINE

A man is murdered by a hell-beast on his wedding day. Now, with the help of the reaper who collected his soul, he must uncover who is releasing monsters from Hell if he wants to return to the life he was robbed of.

👻 #SP #F #H #PN #OWN #GhostPit

Grim Portents cover featuring a skeleton hand holding a feather and emerging from an open book. The title is on a burning banner that envelops the feather and a large beast looms over it all. At the top, the tagline reads: Welcome to the first day of the end of your life…

"I HAD ALWAYS TOLD MYSELF IT WAS A FIGMENT OF MY IMAGINATION, THE MIND PLAYING TRICKS.
IT WAS JUST A SHADOW. BUT NOW THE MONSTER HAD BEEN GIVEN A NAME, AN IDENTITY.
IT WAS REAL."

Bill Baker wants nothing more than to marry the woman he loves, but when his wedding is interrupted by a rampaging hell-beast, his life is thrown into disarray.
Desperate for a second chance, he will do anything to set his future back on track.
Now, with the help of a soul-collecting reaper named Sonny, he must uncover who is releasing monsters from Hell, in order to earn back the life that was stolen from him and prevent the oncoming end of days.
Faced with the choice between what is right and what is easy, Bill may have to sacrifice all he holds dear for one last shot at life.

Black and white sketch of characters Bill and Sonny. Bill is a dark featured man in a suit and kind of a Mark Ruffalo vibe. Sonny is a rotting corpse man with a cardigan.

Ad for Grim Portents, featuring a print copy of the book and an ebook on an iPhone. A QR code that takes you to my website and the words “Scan to learn more about debut paranormal fantasy novel Grim Portents” below it. Under that, it says “Available online anywhere books are sold!” And above it all is the tagline “Welcome to the first day of the end of your life”

October 30, 2025 at 4:10 AM

Reposted by Mara Farcasanu

Anna Metz is ✨️ON SUB✨️

@annametz.bsky.social

VIGILANTES ANONYMOUS is a dark romcom that follows two contract killers, Lana and Nic, as they off their targets and get off with each other 🖤🔪💋

📝 therapy meet cute
📍Milwaukee
💥 he's unapologetically obsessed with superheroes
📚 she works in a bookstore filled with cats

#GhostPit #A #OS #R

October 30, 2025 at 12:03 PM

Reposted by Mara Farcasanu

Dawn Berkoski

@dawnberkoski.bsky.social

Alex is used to Yakuza business rivals and back-alley deals. But nothing prepares him for Jason, a witty bartender who challenges everything he knows, and who harbors secrets as deadly as the vampires after them.

I Am Chosen~A different type of love story. #ghostpit #A #PR #Q #HappyHalloween 👻🧛‍♀️

A photo of a dark alleyway that inspired scenes in the paranormal romance, I am Chosen by Dawn Berkoski.

Black garbage bags and graffiti litter the narrow passageway between buildings. Photography by Dawn Berkoski.

Pitch: Raised by corporate vampires with little freedom or choice, Alex is used to Yakuza business rivals and back-alley deals. But nothing prepares him for Jason, a witty bartender who challenges everything he knows, and who harbors secrets as deadly as the vampires after him. Paranormal Romance. dawnberkoski.com

October 30, 2025 at 1:45 PM

Reposted by Mara Farcasanu

Jimothy the Vampire

@jimthevampire.bsky.social

#ghostpit

A supply run turns deadly when the starship Tartarus is diverted to rescue survivors of a viral outbreak in deep space. With a secret order empowering the ship's AI to take charge, Elara and her crew must solve the mystery behind the virus and whatever their AI is becoming.

#A #W #SF

October 30, 2025 at 3:10 PM

Reposted by Mara Farcasanu

Crystal Bayless ✍🏻is writing & editing✍🏻

@crystalbauthor.bsky.social

Here is my list for #GhostPit

1. Which Witch
2. Rutello: Arealia and the Last Flame
3. Ghosts of Our Past
4. The Doll Murders
5. Rutello: The Dark Veil
6. Arterin Academy

Feedback/critiques are welcome.

A black background with spider webs and hanging spiders at the top.

Below the webs is the title Which Witch is a golden yellow color with orange trim to look like light in a pumpkin. There are also the words A collection of spooky season poetry & short stories.

Below the words are 2 pictures. On the left is a witch holding a staff in a yellow hued forest and field. On the right is a Jack-o'lantern. Below those two are 3 pictures. Left to right is an orange hued skull, a zombie woman in a white dress by a business, and a willow tree in a graveyard at night lit by yellow lights from the background.

Top left to right. A cloaked man sitting in a pub smoking. A woman in a forest in a red and white dress carrying a baby dragon.

Middle left to right. A horror zombie looking horse head coming out of water. A bird-like entrance in water with a girl in white. A castle bathed In red light and a red moon in the sky.

Bottom left to right. 3 cloaked figures riding 3 black horses through fog. A foggy forest with a red sun and curly words in the fog Rutello: The Dark Veil, What happens when monsters and fears come to life? A deer antlered, large, shadow creature with white eyes in a foggy forest.

A black background.

Top is a curly orange font for the title, Rutello: Arealia and the Last Flame. It has fire to each side of it.

In the middle is a pic of a woman in a dress shadowed in front of flames. To the left top to bottom is: a mob going toward homes, a woman in a dress with wings and a feather mask holding a raven/crow, a woman in a black hooded cloak, and 2 women a red head and black haired walking beside each other in a field.

The right top to bottom: a woman in a purple dress with fur around the neck/shoulder area holding a staff and a snowy owl, a woman holding a wolf in wood vines, a woman with antlers riding a big bear with flames in her hands, and a red headed woman in a green dress holding a fox licking her face.

At the bottom between the bottom left and right pics are 3 pics, left to right: a shadowed woman standing in a forest, a black haired girl in a black dress in the woods holding a raven/crow, and a woman in a red cloak doing a spell revealing a fire

The top left pic is a castle with a lawn with purple flowers leading to it and the title in purple Arterin Academy. The right is two books, two potion bottles with yellow and blue liquid and a wand in front of the brick.

The middle left pic is a lane of wisteria with a quote “I try not to think about what saving our world has cost them, even though I can’t help thinking that it has been worth it.", FADE by Kailin Gow, Fever. The middle right is a cobblestone road with rock houses/shops with plants and lanterns.

The bottom left pic is a girl with a purple Hooded cloak holding her hands up in a misty field of purple flowers and a quote “Because I must do something while I still can. Each soul is still incalculably precious.” Michel Faber, The Crimson Petal and the White.

The Bottom middle is a sorcerer in a rocky valley holding a staff that's producing purple lighting and a quote That is what revolutionaries do. “We sacrifice ourselves to save others.” Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Sympath

October 30, 2025 at 4:12 AM

Reposted by Mara Farcasanu

mkdbail

@mkdbail.bsky.social

Hero at Heart, my #fantasy #RobinHood #retelling set in the #zombie #apocalypse is now available ( amzn.to/43ulhcu ) for purchase and in KU. Watch for the accompanying Kickstarter soon! #booksky #books #indie #indieauthor #indiebooks #writesky #fairytale #newrelease

Cover of Hero at Heart against a gloomy background. Text: Robin Hood gets the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies treatment. Fairy tale retelling, zombie apocalypse, gender-flipped, fantasy/action-adventure, romance subplot, found family, Chicago setting.

July 24, 2025 at 6:06 PM

Reposted by Mara Farcasanu

Kelly Esparza Has a Pinned #DVPit Pitch!

@kellyesparza.bsky.social

NOT QUITE DEAD YET x GLASS ONION

Abby doesn't expect to get murdered while attending a party in a snowy cabin. As a ghost, Fate is a big deal & her soul intertwines w/ another guest. By 12 a.m., she must solve her own murder b4 her fated soulmate at the party dies too.

#GhostPit #A #MM #Spec #PN

woods, trees, snowy woods, knife with blood, ghost, hands.

October 30, 2025 at 12:01 PM

Reposted by Mara Farcasanu

Natalie is ✨ writing a new thing✨

@natalielouise83.bsky.social

When a freak storm wrecks his island’s passenger steamer, sparing only a strange girl believed to be one of the monstrous Finfolk, a grieving musician must uncover who she really is before more of his people die. 👻

#GhostPit #A #His #M #H #Q

Image of a woman dressed in black looking out over a cliff. A rotting skull and seaweed motif bleeds from the left side. Text reads: The Ballad of Agnes Day, The Sirens X The Lost Apothecary.

October 30, 2025 at 7:54 AM

Reposted by Mara Farcasanu

Suzy A. Win is Querying!

@suzyawin.bsky.social

Made an #agentsguide for THE STRAY SCALES with the aim of #querying in October!

A fractured take on 'The Little Mermaid' where Pearl must kiss a prince to avoid the fate of sea foam, and elude a hunter's suspicions if she ever wants to explore the lands!

#YA #F #litagents #editors #amquerying soon

An Agent's Guide to THE STRAY SCALES.
YA Fatansy
87,000 words

In front of an image of a mermaid with long blonde hair, red eyes and a purple tail. They are wearing a purple top and holding a green satchel.

Comparison Titles
Shrek Movie Poster- If it was set in a world similar to Shrek!

The Princess Bride Movie Poster- A spoof of fairy tale tropes like this!

A cover of 'A Forgery of Fate' - A risk taking main character similar to Tru!

A cover of 'Little Thieves' - With humour similar to this!

The Pitch

The only thing sea folk Pearl wants is to explore the Lands Above. With no legs, however, she can only settle with stalking a prince instead.

When she strikes a bargain with a sketchy-looking woman to become human, she gives up her voice and wagers her life.

There is a purple tail next to the text.

Luckily for her, all she has to do is kiss the prince to avoid the fate of sea foam.

Unluckily for her, the prince's cousin happens to be a sea folk hunter. And he doesn't intend to leave the den she's trapped in anytime soon.

$First Lines It wasn’t unusual for Pearl to wander into strangers’ homes. In the hunt for the mysteries of the world, she was unbound by its unwritten rules. Small or large, nothing was safe when she locked sight with it. Themes and Tropes self discovery odd friendship fish out of water fractured fairy tale predator x prey a fantastical take on the immigrant experience love and loss perceptions Next to this text is a character with blonde hair and a purple dress, holding her face while looking off to the side with a small smile$

September 28, 2025 at 3:18 AM

Reposted by Mara Farcasanu

B. van Bodegom 📃is querying & writing

@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.

#GhostPit #A #DS #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, in smaller capital letters, it says:
"A Novel by B VAN BODEGOM"

October 30, 2025 at 6:56 AM

Reposted by Mara Farcasanu

K.A. Hela ✨ Final edits?✨

@jundlife.bsky.social

"HatWIP"

The Babadook X The Exorcist

He has been tormented by Shadow people since almost dying at age six.
They are increasing in frequency.
The Red Eyed God in the woods speaks of a great change.
Now, a man in a hat, who speaks the language of hate, wants him too.

#GhostPit #W #Horror #A

Picture of a shadow person. Text: "I am nothing more than a husk, waiting to be filled by something greater than myself. A great change is upon me. A great change is moving through the world. It is already in motion. It cannot be stopped." Coming to beta winter 26. Querying Spooky Season 26

October 30, 2025 at 9:21 AM

Reposted by Mara Farcasanu

M.R. is in drafting hell

@mrwritesfantasy.bsky.social

SO LET THEM BURN x Captain America: The Winter Soldier

two best friends are forcibly separated. one learns to become the Dragon Queen and the other has her memories wiped and becomes an assassin known as the Flameheart. what happens when their paths cross again?

#GhostPit #W #YA #RF #LGBT

October 30, 2025 at 4:32 AM

Reposted by Mara Farcasanu

Samuel Clark

@samuelclark3.bsky.social

#ghostpit #FantsayNoir

X Files x Dark Souls

Gelmir, a mage who can only dispel magic and a wayward graduate of the Cyan academy, Gina Spectre investigate a series of anomalies, outbreaks and mages gone bad, culminating in them trying to stop a plot to bring about the 3rd extinction of magic.

October 30, 2025 at 6:00 AM

Reposted by Mara Farcasanu

O Temple

@otemple.bsky.social

A guide to: STRANGE HAPPENINGS, my MG contemporary fantasy, NIGHTBOOKS X AMARI & THE NIGHT BROTHERS

₊✩‧₊˚₊✩‧₊
‘The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.’ Sherlock
₊✩‧₊˚₊✩‧₊

#GhostPit #mswl #C #agentsguide #GhostPit #MG #F

October 30, 2025 at 6:25 AM

Reposted by Mara Farcasanu

Sara Duran ✨is querying✨

@saraduran.bsky.social

ANNIHILATION x BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

⭐ two exiled men (+ their secrets)
🌙 one lunar prison (+ its horrors)
⭐ a government that wants their data
🌙 a cosmic entity that wants them dead
💫 the love they’ll lose if they don’t make it out alive

#ghostpit #SF #H #R #LGBT #WIP

A moodboard for my sci-fi horrormance WIP, BABEL ON CALLISTO. On the top left is a glowing humanoid figure with a planet and rings orbiting its head. In the center, white glitchy text reads: "NOT ALL ENDINGS ARE THE END. SOMETIMES THEY ARE THE BEGINNING," repeated multiple times. Beneath that, a figure walks into a starry void shaped like another person, reaching toward each other. Other elements include a flatworm floating in a grid-like space, a silhouetted couple reaching toward each other in a virtual tunnel, and hands weaving a glowing galaxy-like thread.

October 30, 2025 at 4:00 AM

Mara Farcasanu

@marafarcasanu.bsky.social

Two sisters renovate a haunted Transylvanian mansion for their dad with Alzheimer’s—when one dies, the other must decide if she should stay in the enigmatic home where her dad can’t get better but seems to live forever, or leave before he turns into a monster #ghostpit #A #H #Q
BlyManor&MGothic

October 30, 2025 at 8:27 AM

Reposted by Mara Farcasanu

Brayden is querying

@braydenrwrites.bsky.social

On a coast split by wealth and ruin, best friends Carmen and Brigitte spiral into sunlit parties and a strange new drug that turns idyll into terror when one disappears and returns changed—forcing their tight-knit group to confront a conspiracy that weaponizes memory itself.
#A #spec #lf #ghostpit

It says they called it saltwater and adult speculative literary fiction complete at 92k words over a beach photo

In callaston a coastal state split between luxury and neglect college aged best friends carmen and brigitte spiral into sunlit parties and a strange new drug that turns idyll into terror when one disappears and returns changed forcing their tight knit group to confront a conspiracy that weaponizes memory itself, comps bunny by mona awad, euphoria tv show, ghost eaters by clay mcleoud, obx tv show and wild dark shores

October 30, 2025 at 6:02 AM

Reposted by Mara Farcasanu

Dor Atkinson is revising dystopian YA 🏹🤖💘

@atkinsondor.bsky.social

Psyche & Eros x WARCROSS x CINDER

In a future America, where a myth-obsessed tech CEO turns humans into cyborgs, 18yo Sai must use her psychic powers to find her twin sister and free cyborg rebel Eros from a VR Underworld or become a pawn in the CEO’s game forever.

#GhostPit #YA #DS #SF #SPEC #E 💘