Susanne Schmidt
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sharkiatwrites.bsky.social
Susanne Schmidt
@sharkiatwrites.bsky.social
1.3K followers 790 following 1.1K posts
Horror/Fantasy Author. BBNYA 2024 finalist. SFINCS 1 semi-finalist.
Dabbler in Digital Art. Grower of Pumpkins. Creator of the Spooky Thread / Spooky Spotlight.
Website: https://susanneschmidt.me
Links: https://linktr.ee/susanneschmidtauthor
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sharkiatwrites.bsky.social
Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · Jul 11
Did you know I write a horror series called the Order of the Strawberry Circle? Think Coraline, but set in a small town in Germany with monsters out of local folklore.
It's wide and filled with my weird illustrations. I highly recommend starting with Bad Grains (the Halloween one!).

Links 🔽
An illustration from Whiteout, the Order of the Strawberry Circle 2, showing a steaming coffee cup with the Strawberry Circle logo on it.
sharkiatwrites.bsky.social
Hallo #germanbooksky,
ich schreibe auf Englisch, aber meine Horrorromane spielen in in einer fiktiven fränkischen Kleinstadt.

Alle Bücher findet Ihr hier: books2read.com/susanneschmidt

#buchwerbung
The Order of the Strawberry Circle - supernatural horror, made in Germany. Die Grafik mit nebeligem Wald im Hintergrund zeigt die Buchcover für Bad Grains, Whiteout, und Rotten Roots, alle von Susanne Schmidt (Cover Design ebenfalls, erstellt in Clip Studio Paint)
January 31, 2026 at 10:43 AM
sharkiatwrites.bsky.social
Finished my readthrough/note-taking of the first draft of the magical girl story. Lots of consistency issues, but I'm excited to get started on fixing them.

#amediting
January 29, 2026 at 11:45 AM
sharkiatwrites.bsky.social
One of the things I love about editing on a Remarkable is doodling on the pages of my manuscripts. Every once in a while, when I slog through my notes weeks later, I'll find one of these spontaneous easter eggs. They're great extra motivation.

#StrawberryCircle3
A pencil and red fineliner doodle of a large bonfire on a starry night with a crescent moon.
January 28, 2026 at 2:35 PM
Reposted by Susanne Schmidt
sharkiatwrites.bsky.social
Take a vacation to Europe, meet the local monsters, read my Strawberry Circle series!
‪
Buy if you
-want to learn about Germany
-❤️Grimms' fairy tales (the creepy originals)
-think it should be Halloween all year
-❤️MG horror
-like stories about friendship & small towns

books2read.com/b/badgrains
💀📚💙
The Order of the Strawberry Circle Book 1 Bad Grains: "She haunts the fields, she takes the young, the grain devil thrives in brightest sun..." The cover of Bad Grains shows a girl in a yellow rain coat, her back turned to the viewer, looking out at a golden field at sunset, a lit turnip lantern in her hand and a backpack on her shoulders.
January 27, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by Susanne Schmidt
vriccithode.bsky.social
have you picked up my nebula award-winning book? it's a spooky queer tween fantasy novel about a girl who can see ghosts on an adventure with her sister, a dragon and a ghost. 🌈📚
#IndieBooks #fantasy #kidlit #booksky
books2read.com/u/b6J2E0
vriccithode.itch.io/the-young-ne...
the cover art of my book the young necromancer's guide to ghosts on a black baground with tropey tag things that read: she sees dead people, family woes, queer kids, bestie is a ghost, spooky magic, sisters stick together, dragon friends!, finding community. Nebula Award winner logo on the top right.
January 27, 2026 at 8:01 PM
sharkiatwrites.bsky.social
Take a vacation to Europe, meet the local monsters, read my Strawberry Circle series!
‪
Buy if you
-want to learn about Germany
-❤️Grimms' fairy tales (the creepy originals)
-think it should be Halloween all year
-❤️MG horror
-like stories about friendship & small towns

books2read.com/b/badgrains
💀📚💙
The Order of the Strawberry Circle Book 1 Bad Grains: "She haunts the fields, she takes the young, the grain devil thrives in brightest sun..." The cover of Bad Grains shows a girl in a yellow rain coat, her back turned to the viewer, looking out at a golden field at sunset, a lit turnip lantern in her hand and a backpack on her shoulders.
January 27, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by Susanne Schmidt
sharkiatwrites.bsky.social
I'm organizing another bundle. If you've got a ghost story, or ghost-related story on itch, sign up below.

(The form will stay open until March 14th, the bundle runs April 3rd to 24th.)

tally.so/r/rjOqPN

💙📚📦
Ghost Stories Bundle Sign-Ups
Made with Tally, the simplest way to create forms.
tally.so
January 22, 2026 at 10:00 AM
sharkiatwrites.bsky.social
I'll never get tired of how snow makes everything brighter.
Two trees covered in snow with the sunrise behind them.
January 27, 2026 at 8:57 AM
Reposted by Susanne Schmidt
tallimorgan.bsky.social
Heya! Are you a romance author with books on itch? I'm planning a romance book bundle for Valentine's Day!

Send in the form below if you're interested. All genres of romance are welcome! Deadline for inclusion is February 4. More details on the form itself:
Valentine's Day Romance Book Bundle
Howdy! This is an interest form for a Valentine's Day book bundle on itch.io, hosted by Talli Morgan. The bundle will run from February 9th through the 14th. All authors who submit this form will be invited to the bundle, so be sure you look out for the email from itch.io requesting your approval. T...
forms.gle
January 26, 2026 at 4:03 PM
sharkiatwrites.bsky.social
I'm organizing another bundle. If you've got a ghost story, or ghost-related story on itch, sign up below.

(The form will stay open until March 14th, the bundle runs April 3rd to 24th.)

tally.so/r/rjOqPN

💙📚📦
Ghost Stories Bundle Sign-Ups
Made with Tally, the simplest way to create forms.
tally.so
January 22, 2026 at 10:00 AM
Reposted by Susanne Schmidt
bookspotlight.bsky.social
Don’t forget to join the community Discord! We’ve got over a thousand members now and it’s a great place to share your writing and reading, ask for feedback and suggestions, and post your links and updates!

Invite in my profile 🫶
January 20, 2026 at 6:25 PM
sharkiatwrites.bsky.social
Bad Grains is only $1.99 with the Kobo Start a New Series sale!

Read if you
-want to learn about Germany
-❤️ Grimms' fairy tales (the creepy originals)
-think it should be Halloween all year
-❤️ MG horror
-like stories about friendship, monsters, & small towns

www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/...
📚💙 💀📚🪐
Bad Grains ebook by Susanne Schmidt - Rakuten Kobo
Read "Bad Grains The Order of the Strawberry Circle, #1" by Susanne Schmidt available from Rakuten Kobo. New school, no friends, and not a carved pumpkin in sight. It's fall in the quaint town of Fels...
www.kobo.com
January 19, 2026 at 6:16 PM
Reposted by Susanne Schmidt
diannalgunn.bsky.social
GOOD MORNING

Have you looked at this cover yet? Because it is GORGEOUS
January 19, 2026 at 2:39 PM
Reposted by Susanne Schmidt
alankdell.bsky.social
🚨Today's the day!🚨

Here's the new 5th anniversary #CoverReveal for The Re-Emergence. The same critically acclaimed story you know and love, now much more handsome on your shelf 😁

Check it out: www.alankdell.co.uk/...
I'm really proud of it. Hope you like it too!

📢📚🪐 🤏📚 #SFF #BookSky
Purple background cover reveal banner for The Re-Emergence by Alan K. Dell, with a book cover concealed under partially ripped brown paper in the middle of the image.
January 19, 2026 at 10:01 AM
sharkiatwrites.bsky.social
Get your bundle now!
karenlykkebo.com K Lykkebo 🖤 Fantasy author @karenlykkebo.com · 16d
LAST DAY OF SALE!

27 indie releases for just $15!

--> https://itch.io/b/3455/the-best-of-2025

Dirt You Shall Become is 99c at all vendors 🤎🪱
promo picture with covers of Dirt You Shall Become, Child of the Sun, A demon to save me, Moth woods, Into the Frost, Clipped, Tales of Ayamto, Hunted by the Undead, Kille Debt, The blood divide, walking the Knife's Edge, The Princess. Text: Books of 2025. 27 releases from 2025, for only $15. Jan 1st-Jan 15th
January 15, 2026 at 1:25 PM
Reposted by Susanne Schmidt
angeloslh.bsky.social
RT if you've never had a tab of ChatGPT open 'just to do quick research'
January 13, 2026 at 8:45 PM
Reposted by Susanne Schmidt
sharkiatwrites.bsky.social
Stranded on a mist-filled island with half her soul stolen by a witch, a vampire starts a new life as bodyguard to a war leader.

- Can they survive betrayals, suspicion & a war?
- Will they be more than friends?
- Humans are the real monsters
- Morally gray characters

#F #H #A #Q #BluePit 📖
A drawing of a young woman in a white dress among pink flower blossoms. Behind her is a night sky. The drawing has bloodstains painted on. Image drawn by me, Clip Studio Paint.
January 13, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Reposted by Susanne Schmidt
sharkiatwrites.bsky.social
Hello #BluePit 📖!
On the first day of school, Julie encounters a rude bug that turns her into a magical girl. Other magical creatures appear, not just rude, but dangerous. Can she balance school, making friends, AND and a supernatural threat? Or will she make a total dork of herself?

#F #H #W #YA
A moodboard titled How NOT to start life in a new city: Photos from unsplash.com, scepter graphic: Canva Bug graphic: my own. photo of four girls in jeans sitting on a stair, only the legs are visible - New friends? Haha, wait until they see me turn into my beetle form. photo of an empty classroom - New school. Ugh. photo of city lights - New city? sucks. Note stuck to photo: Stuck in a subway tunnel on my first day. 1/10 would not recommend. drawing of generic magical girl scepter - an arrow points to it: Please no sparkles! But also: Shouldn't this job come with a magical scepter? drawing of a bug - Official sidekick: The rudest bug on the planet. photo of a figure holding a skull in front of its face - Secret mission: Fighting monsters. Wait, seriously?
January 13, 2026 at 8:41 AM
sharkiatwrites.bsky.social
Apparently, it's okay to post links for #BluePit, so I just wanted to say this book is published and you can find it at
books2read.com/b/badgrains
There's also a sequel and a spinoff!
sharkiatwrites.bsky.social Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 18d
When her older brother disappears into a creepy rye field and the adults forget he existed, Jo will do anything to get him back, even team up with the most annoying boy on the planet. Together, can they overcome an ancient evil and rescue their friends?

Book 3 is coming!
#MG #H #F #BluePit 📖 #P
The Order of the Strawberry Circle Book 1: Bad Grains "She haunts the fields, she takes the young, the grain devil thrives in brightest sun..." Logo of the series: A book with a strawberry and a sword floating above it. Cover of Bad Grains: A girl in a yellow raincoat with her back turned to the viewer standing in a sunset field. In her hands she holds a lit turnip lantern. All graphics drawn in Clip Studio Paint by me.
January 14, 2026 at 12:39 AM
Reposted by Susanne Schmidt
whistberry.bsky.social
Hi #PortfolioDay !

I'm an indie artist and writer who illustrates my own books and draws the book covers for them and occasionally for awesome friends as well! I also like to experiment with many different styles in my standalone art pieces.

Links to all my stuff in bio and pinned post!
Image of 3 book covers: from left to right, Time Travel is Easy by Rick Hollon, showing the skeleton of an Archaeopteryx against an abstract tree design, with a dragonfly and feathers around it; The Bone Clock by L.A. Guettler showing a strange white clock with many exposed and fanciful gears, balanced on surgical instrument legs and surrounded by yellow roses; and Escape to Melancholy Bay by Ian Donnell Arbuckle, showing an abstract bubble design that suggests a foamy wave coming ashore on a beach against a black background. Image of 5 books covers for books by Helen Whistberry: Roadkill, shows a highway with animal skeletons on it; The Final Voyage of Avery Mothmere, has a black cat playing with an old-fashioned sailing ship; When Your Heart is a Broken Thing, has a white rabbit crying red tears and a red rabbit with skeleton exposed crying blue tears; Once Upon a Wave of Witches, with co-author Eli Belt, has a green kraken tentacle sweeping through turbulent blue waves; The Tail of Nightshade, has a gray mouse among purple nightshade blooms Drawing of a white cat and a black cat standing up on their hind legs like humans and holding paws while staring out at the viewer with their tails wrapped around their lower legs. Text on the image reads: the cats turned and walked away into the forest arm in arm. Digital drawing in black ink against a stark white background of four birds in profile receding into the distance. From front to back: raven looking right, magpie looking left, crow looking right, rook looking left.
January 13, 2026 at 4:30 PM
sharkiatwrites.bsky.social
Stranded on a mist-filled island with half her soul stolen by a witch, a vampire starts a new life as bodyguard to a war leader.

- Can they survive betrayals, suspicion & a war?
- Will they be more than friends?
- Humans are the real monsters
- Morally gray characters

#F #H #A #Q #BluePit 📖
A drawing of a young woman in a white dress among pink flower blossoms. Behind her is a night sky. The drawing has bloodstains painted on. Image drawn by me, Clip Studio Paint.
January 13, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Reposted by Susanne Schmidt
jundlife.bsky.social
THE EXORCIST X THE BABADOOK
Plagued by Shadow People since almost dying as a child, Chris seeks to rid himself of his curse. Now, the Shadows are increasing, the Red Eyed God in the woods speaks of change, and a new Shadow wearing a hat awakens something inside him.
#W #BluePit #H #AgentsGuide
"Hat" or "Children of the Void" 84K Cosmic Horror, Betas Welcome, Querying Soon. Pitch: Chris is cursed to see Shadow people since almost dying as a child. Now, as the new MILLENNIUM dawns they are INCREASING in FREQUENCY and GAINING power. His peers think he is psychotic, The Red Eyed God in the woods speak of a great change, and a HATEFUL shadow wearing a hat seeks to use him for his own ends.
January 13, 2026 at 10:14 AM
Reposted by Susanne Schmidt
annahirsch.bsky.social
A DOWRY OF BLOOD x THE BACHELOR

Holland only agrees to date Dracula on TV to boost her influencer career. When producer manipulation goes too far, she tries to leave, but finds the eliminated girls haven’t been sent home—they’ve been fed on.

#BluePit 📖 #A #H #W #HU
Mood board depicting dark, campy vampire aesthetic with a silhouette of Dracula. Headline reads "Who Wants to Be Dracula's Bride" with tagline "This season's to die for".
January 13, 2026 at 10:45 AM
sharkiatwrites.bsky.social
When her older brother disappears into a creepy rye field and the adults forget he existed, Jo will do anything to get him back, even team up with the most annoying boy on the planet. Together, can they overcome an ancient evil and rescue their friends?

Book 3 is coming!
#MG #H #F #BluePit 📖 #P
The Order of the Strawberry Circle Book 1: Bad Grains "She haunts the fields, she takes the young, the grain devil thrives in brightest sun..." Logo of the series: A book with a strawberry and a sword floating above it. Cover of Bad Grains: A girl in a yellow raincoat with her back turned to the viewer standing in a sunset field. In her hands she holds a lit turnip lantern. All graphics drawn in Clip Studio Paint by me.
January 13, 2026 at 11:00 AM
sharkiatwrites.bsky.social
Two more days to get this bundle!
ormakal.bsky.social Niranjan 🇮🇳 @ormakal.bsky.social · 18d
2025 may be over, but it had some really amazing books! Check out this bundle of the best 2025 had to offer at steal prices!

📚💙💕🌈📚🖤♿📚🌈📚🪐📚🌈♠️ #booksky #readersky #readers #books #booksonbluesky #queersky #readingcommunity #writingcommunity
The Best of 2025 by Niranjan and 27 others
The Best of 2025: 27 items for $15.00
itch.io
January 13, 2026 at 10:59 AM