Kelly Heard
@meankellyjean.bsky.social
novelist - semi feral housewife & mom of 3 - appalachian hiding out in the marshes of virginia’s middle peninsula. I write upmarket women’s fiction but for weird girls. my books: BEFORE YOU GO, THE SILENT GIRL, more. kellyheardbooks.com
Once or twice I’ve tried to write historical fiction but I haven’t gotten such a project off the ground yet. I’m interested in writing a protagonist who works as a historical reenactor though
November 26, 2025 at 11:41 PM
Once or twice I’ve tried to write historical fiction but I haven’t gotten such a project off the ground yet. I’m interested in writing a protagonist who works as a historical reenactor though
Reposted by Kelly Heard
"Wrenn reshapes familiar tropes such as enemies to lovers and forced proximity into something raw and confronting, refusing to let the narrative slip into predictability." 👇
"Cynda slammed the door, panicked. For some reason, that woman intended on dragging her back into a project and a world that had nearly destroyed her."
@anakwrenn.bsky.social
@ylva-publishing.bsky.social
@chicasfootball.bsky.social
buff.ly/6roJ3iL
@anakwrenn.bsky.social
@ylva-publishing.bsky.social
@chicasfootball.bsky.social
buff.ly/6roJ3iL
buff.ly
November 26, 2025 at 12:28 AM
"Wrenn reshapes familiar tropes such as enemies to lovers and forced proximity into something raw and confronting, refusing to let the narrative slip into predictability." 👇
There is no sense in being patient and accommodating when it’s not warranted. If we’re all in a big popularity contest I don’t mind losing. I think the older me is a better decision maker. Who really wins when a woman keeps quiet to spare someone the embarrassment of being wrong? It wasn’t ever me.
I’m aware of what people say about how women become less pleasant as they age, the stereotype of being less accommodating, less patient, more apt to complain when something’s off, and seeing as I’m about to turn 40, I’d like to say that I prefer the less pleasant version of myself
November 25, 2025 at 4:56 PM
There is no sense in being patient and accommodating when it’s not warranted. If we’re all in a big popularity contest I don’t mind losing. I think the older me is a better decision maker. Who really wins when a woman keeps quiet to spare someone the embarrassment of being wrong? It wasn’t ever me.
I’m aware of what people say about how women become less pleasant as they age, the stereotype of being less accommodating, less patient, more apt to complain when something’s off, and seeing as I’m about to turn 40, I’d like to say that I prefer the less pleasant version of myself
November 25, 2025 at 4:53 PM
I’m aware of what people say about how women become less pleasant as they age, the stereotype of being less accommodating, less patient, more apt to complain when something’s off, and seeing as I’m about to turn 40, I’d like to say that I prefer the less pleasant version of myself
Gmail tells me that my storage is full and after December 12 I will receive no emails, unless I take action (I summarily refuse to delete old files). Gmail has in short threatened me with good time. To boot, December 12 is my birthday. Happy birthday to me: your email will simply not find me
November 25, 2025 at 3:09 AM
Gmail tells me that my storage is full and after December 12 I will receive no emails, unless I take action (I summarily refuse to delete old files). Gmail has in short threatened me with good time. To boot, December 12 is my birthday. Happy birthday to me: your email will simply not find me
what I appreciate about living with mega health anxiety is that on the rare occasion I do have an actual health concern I meet it with exceptional fortitude because being extra worried about health is just my baseline
November 21, 2025 at 9:55 PM
what I appreciate about living with mega health anxiety is that on the rare occasion I do have an actual health concern I meet it with exceptional fortitude because being extra worried about health is just my baseline
every time I go a few years without reading Charles Dickens I am so pleasantly surprised and delighted upon return. Describing the flora in a sad backyard London garden as “everbrowns” indeed. A man after my own heart
November 21, 2025 at 2:13 AM
every time I go a few years without reading Charles Dickens I am so pleasantly surprised and delighted upon return. Describing the flora in a sad backyard London garden as “everbrowns” indeed. A man after my own heart
take it from the former ne’er-do-well 20something who leveled up to the mom who plans meals and glues things together figuratively and otherwise. gather ye rosebuds, or whatever
unquestionably the best person to be at a family holiday get-together is the good-for-nothing 20something who shows up with a couple of desserts, drinks wine, and plays with the nieces and nephews
November 21, 2025 at 1:36 AM
take it from the former ne’er-do-well 20something who leveled up to the mom who plans meals and glues things together figuratively and otherwise. gather ye rosebuds, or whatever
unquestionably the best person to be at a family holiday get-together is the good-for-nothing 20something who shows up with a couple of desserts, drinks wine, and plays with the nieces and nephews
November 21, 2025 at 1:34 AM
unquestionably the best person to be at a family holiday get-together is the good-for-nothing 20something who shows up with a couple of desserts, drinks wine, and plays with the nieces and nephews
my husband says these are “nightmare fuel,” but if marrying an actual witch isn’t signing up for nightmare fuel, what is?
November 15, 2025 at 12:10 AM
my husband says these are “nightmare fuel,” but if marrying an actual witch isn’t signing up for nightmare fuel, what is?
made a string of lights with cicada shells and glitter
November 14, 2025 at 10:49 PM
made a string of lights with cicada shells and glitter
writing female leads who are so snarling and feral and difficult that nobody could ever love them
What's a bad writing habit you have that you'd like to kick? #WritingPrompt
November 12, 2025 at 8:01 PM
writing female leads who are so snarling and feral and difficult that nobody could ever love them
getting stuck writing play-by-play exposition when I should zoom out and accidentally writing dozens of pages of detailed action that’s both boring and unnecessary
What's a bad writing habit you have that you'd like to kick? #WritingPrompt
November 12, 2025 at 7:59 PM
getting stuck writing play-by-play exposition when I should zoom out and accidentally writing dozens of pages of detailed action that’s both boring and unnecessary
leaving my future a seemingly-infinite number of margin notes that read simply, “fix this later!!!!”
What's a bad writing habit you have that you'd like to kick? #WritingPrompt
November 12, 2025 at 7:57 PM
leaving my future a seemingly-infinite number of margin notes that read simply, “fix this later!!!!”
kissing this story goodnight and taking a hiatus until after the holidays, when I will return to this fever dream rough draft with hopefully fresh eyes
November 12, 2025 at 5:24 PM
kissing this story goodnight and taking a hiatus until after the holidays, when I will return to this fever dream rough draft with hopefully fresh eyes
hitting select all on a document with 87,000 words and tinkering with the formatting just to watch microsoft word have a panic attack
November 12, 2025 at 3:22 PM
hitting select all on a document with 87,000 words and tinkering with the formatting just to watch microsoft word have a panic attack
as usual, I really wanted to write about ghosts in this passage, but I haven’t quite worked it in yet
it’s really not all gloom and doom I promise, but this is the closest I’ve got to thematic
it’s really not all gloom and doom I promise, but this is the closest I’ve got to thematic
November 10, 2025 at 8:36 PM
as usual, I really wanted to write about ghosts in this passage, but I haven’t quite worked it in yet
it’s really not all gloom and doom I promise, but this is the closest I’ve got to thematic
it’s really not all gloom and doom I promise, but this is the closest I’ve got to thematic
I’m not an editor, and I don’t want to name names, but there’s a series I’ve read with my children that repeatedly uses the dialogue tag “she asked curiously” following a question. I don’t like adverbs in general that much to begin with but if you’re asking a question you’re obviously curious.
Ever read published works as an editor?
“The sun was behind her, and her shadow was inching into his field of view. … If there had been any other way of approaching him, she would have done it, but there was no other way.”
I’d have cursed those final 6 worthless words & deleted.
#WritingCommunity
“The sun was behind her, and her shadow was inching into his field of view. … If there had been any other way of approaching him, she would have done it, but there was no other way.”
I’d have cursed those final 6 worthless words & deleted.
#WritingCommunity
November 7, 2025 at 7:36 PM
I’m not an editor, and I don’t want to name names, but there’s a series I’ve read with my children that repeatedly uses the dialogue tag “she asked curiously” following a question. I don’t like adverbs in general that much to begin with but if you’re asking a question you’re obviously curious.
sometimes when I lose an afternoon reading and rereading chapter XV of Wuthering Heights I feel like a Victorian-era public health advisory about women who read too many romances. “Look at what happened to Kelly: overly sentimental. Distracted from her domestic duties. A terrible shame all around”
November 7, 2025 at 6:04 PM
sometimes when I lose an afternoon reading and rereading chapter XV of Wuthering Heights I feel like a Victorian-era public health advisory about women who read too many romances. “Look at what happened to Kelly: overly sentimental. Distracted from her domestic duties. A terrible shame all around”
guilty of not using the word with exactly the right meaning because I don’t like the way it sounds
November 7, 2025 at 2:19 AM
guilty of not using the word with exactly the right meaning because I don’t like the way it sounds
update: I have not found my child’s group yet but I have been Chosen by a random cat
November 6, 2025 at 4:30 PM
update: I have not found my child’s group yet but I have been Chosen by a random cat
I will now henceforth be known at my children’s school as the mom who wandered away and got separated from the group on a field trip because I was trying to get a better view of a heron on the river. Hoping the bus doesn’t leave without me 🪦
November 6, 2025 at 4:10 PM
I will now henceforth be known at my children’s school as the mom who wandered away and got separated from the group on a field trip because I was trying to get a better view of a heron on the river. Hoping the bus doesn’t leave without me 🪦
I don’t usually share from my manuscript, and I’ll probably delete this later. But as far as what my character learns about love, I guess it’s a tale as old as time—recognizing toxic patterns disguised as love. I apologize for using so many pronouns but still haven’t settled on a name for the mc. 🤷🏼♀️
November 6, 2025 at 12:04 PM
I don’t usually share from my manuscript, and I’ll probably delete this later. But as far as what my character learns about love, I guess it’s a tale as old as time—recognizing toxic patterns disguised as love. I apologize for using so many pronouns but still haven’t settled on a name for the mc. 🤷🏼♀️