Steph Patterson
LightNews LightNews
banner
spookyspatters.bsky.social
Steph Patterson
@spookyspatters.bsky.social
530 followers 700 following 95 posts
A horror poet and writer in love with the spooky and strange. Occasional book reviews. Cat lady. Feminist. Poems featured in Gnashing Teeth Publishing, Suburban Witch Magazine, and Scavengers (Querencia Press). She/her. https://linktr.ee/spookyspatters
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
spookyspatters.bsky.social
Steph Patterson @spookyspatters.bsky.social · Nov 26
Poetry is not dead. But some of us might write about the undead. I made a #horrorpoet starter pack. Let me know if you want to be added! 🖤 go.bsky.app/EWnMJGD #horrorsky #horrorpoetry #horrorwriters
Reposted by Steph Patterson
donatedwords.bsky.social
DAYLIGHT & TENFOLD ORIOLES walkthrough!

PAGES 18-19: “Entering the Haunted Manor of My Chronically Ill Body” by @spookyspatters.bsky.social

donated words
Meesh Montoya PROLIX
@karenmsteiger.bsky.social MIRACLE
@kimmannix.bsky.social VERIFY
challenge: game word = odds

tinyurl.com/2025daylight
square image with black background and black border. a digital book page is at the center. the page is white with black text. it is the first page of a poem. the title, “Entering the Haunted Manor of My Chronically Ill Body,” is at the top left of the page. poem text is as follows: Entering the Haunted Manor of My Chronically Ill Body The windows of the body of the house watch as I approach the rotting threshold, They have watched me before as I howl at the moon, Pain floating across my body in a haze, This time I approach on human legs drawn inside like an inhale, The walls are raw and embracing me with bleeding arms, Whispering for me to continue into the belly of the halls, There, horned demons wreaking havoc, ripping insulation from the walls, Continuing on to the hall of mirrors, ghosts of who I’d been before reflected vanishing, one by one, when I go near, Their whispered words continuing through lips of vapor, An endless prolix chatter hisses in my ears telling me I cannot turn back, I feel like I’m being buried alive in ectoplasm, I claw my way back towards the front of the manor, To enter an unnecessarily opulent ballroom clad in spiderwebs and corpses, Undead dancers swirl out of tune Both time and space suspended, The dancers bump and fuse together, randomly creating masses of grotesque melded matter, Those masses follow my every movement, They will not leave me alone, There are no miracles here in this nightmare sentient house, page number 18 is in black text at bottom center of page square image with black background and black border. a digital book page is at the center. the page is white with black text. it is the second page of a poem “Entering the Haunted Manor of My Chronically Ill Body.” poem text is as follows: I cannot verify where my body ends and this house begins, We breathe as one, The odds are that I will stumble around the innards of this crumbling estate until the next full moon. Steph Patterson long rectangular box, longer horizontally, is at the bottom of the page. has a black border and white background. black text reads the donated words author used: prolix miracle verify and then a blue underlined jump link to the donated words list. then the name of the challenge “include a word related to a game" and the author’s word choice: odds page number 19 is in black text at bottom center of page white square image with black text reads: Steph Patterson (she/her) is a writer from Delaware with a love of horror and dark fantasy. She's a chronically ill ghoul that identifies as bi. When she's not conjuring strange tales, she devours books, tends to familiars, or connects with her coven. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Alien Buddha Press, Scavengers Literary Magazine, HNDL Magazine, The Morgue Literary Magazine, Suburban Witchcraft Magazine, and others. She lives with her family in their cozy home on the edge of the forest. You can find her on Instagram and Threads: @spookyspatters white square image with black text reads: Pages 18-19 feature the poem “Entering the Haunted Manor of My Chronically Ill Body” by Steph Patterson. Steph incorporated the following words into this piece: PROLIX donated by Meesh Montoya MIRACLE donated by Karen Steiger VERIFY donated by Kim Mannix word challenge: game word word choice: odds reading this poem, you will step into the spooky corners and nervous hallways of life with chronic illness. there is no relief here, the rooms don’t have pretty or soft edges, and this house of the body offers no respite. as a chronically ill person myself, i appreciate this vantage point. often our conditions make us feel isolated and unsteady. online (and in-person!) we might present ourselves as “well” people so we don’t get left behind. then we might end up flared-up for days after trying to do something seemingly simple, social or physical. the truth is that having symptoms & diagnoses that are painful, exhausting and life-altering can be mortifying! and it’s ok to look at it through that lens!
November 25, 2025 at 1:25 PM
spookyspatters.bsky.social
I signed up to do this with @donatedwords.bsky.social and so can you! Let's write some awesome poems together! 🤩✨
donatedwords.bsky.social donated words poetry @donatedwords.bsky.social · May 16
FINALLY! the announcement i said i’d announce on monday! very excited to announce that i am announcing it now!
😊😊😊
square image with cream background and black text (left-justified) that reads: who wants to write poems using words i recently sourced from a variety of people? i received 17 words. i am thinking of giving people 3-5 words to use in their written work & maybe an additional challenge to add with their words. i plan to write a poem for every grouping/challenge i come up with. hand-drawn red arrow after text in lower right corner pointing right indicates there is an image following this one. square image with cream background and black text (left-justified) that reads: this is open to all! just DM me if you are up for a challenge. the deadline will be far enough out to give people ample time to write! note that these poems will be shared online after all are compiled & will appear in an online book of poems (see kweberandherwords.com if you are not familiar with my free e-books!). while i cannot pay or offer award nominations for these poems, these are your poems and you can feel free to submit your work for publication elsewhere if you want to so long as the publisher doesn’t mind this project having it already appear in a collection. hand-drawn red arrow after text in lower right corner pointing right indicates there is an image following this one. square image with cream background and black text (left-justified) that reads: i look forward to having some people join me in writing poems that include some twists. once i get some people on board, i will “assign” the words you will use in your poem. i will be accepting “sign-ups” until 11:59pm on fri, may 30th (your local time)! in June i will start assigning words (& more) for people to start incorporating into their poems! i am thinking end of august for poems to be completed so i can get the collection out before end of year! any other ideas… let me know! DM me if you are interested!!! yay! hand-drawn red arrow after text in lower right corner pointing right indicates there is an image following this one. square image with cream background and big red exclamation points on both sides of black text (centered) that reads: i have never had to say this before, but in case you are new to these projects/aren’t aware: please be mindful of your content. i want to publish every piece created, but i have the absolute right to not publish hate speech, in-your-face triggering content, political rants, anything that in anyway resembles another work being plagiarized (please do not send “after” poems either - i don’t dislike them but it can be doubly overwhelming to ensure you aren’t ripping off the original and just please understand i prefer you just not). also please be aware that humans under 18 have taken part in some of my past collaborations. you don’t have to censor yourself but just be aware that the audience for these projects are sometimes far-reaching and i’d enjoy giving lots of people the opportunity to try writing these poems. ALSO: ABSOLUTELY NO AI-GENERATED WRITING! thank you!!!
May 20, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Reposted by Steph Patterson
brigidsgatepress.bsky.social
Mark your calendars, the next Indie Book Sale is April 5th-7th.
Indie Book Sale for Fantasy, Sci Fi, and Horror books April 5-7. indie book.sale Images of a dragon reading a book surrounded by gems, crystals, skulls, candle, planter, rocket ship, and stars
March 30, 2025 at 10:09 PM
spookyspatters.bsky.social
Now I know what I’m doing on Monday!
igreggreene.bsky.social Greg Greene @igreggreene.bsky.social · Jan 19
If the upcoming Inauguration fills you with dread, join @sadiehartmann.bsky.social (Mother Horror) & friends (including yours truly) for The Un-auguration, a fun, fearless preview of our most anticipated horror books of 2025! Monday, Jan 20 @ noon ET on Youtube Live 🎃 www.youtube.com/live/11AH6iC...
The Un-auguration: Ushering in Our 2025 Future of Horror
YouTube video by Night Worms
www.youtube.com
January 19, 2025 at 4:13 AM
spookyspatters.bsky.social
As a former theater kid, Wicked was one of the highlights of the year for me! If Elphaba and Glinda read horror books, these are their picks.

Glinda - a #pinkhorror queen 💖

Elphaba - #horrorpoetry #cosmichorror #darkfantasy

There are a lot of sapphic vibes because they belong TOGETHER! 🩷💚
Wicked movie poster in the background of Glinda, the pink witch, on the ground in a pink gown, silver crown and wand with her arm up stretched to try and reach Elphaba the green witch on her broom in the air in a black dress and hat. The text on top of the image reads: “Wicked Horror Edition” Glinda from the Wicked movie poster is the focus of this image. She is looking to the right at five horror book picks: Pyramidia by Stephanie Sanders-Jacob, Lady of the House by Grace Reynolds, Bunny by Mona Awad, Mewing by Chloe Spencer, Parasocial by Wendy Dalrymple Image of Elphaba from Wicked is the focus of this with her looking to the left at five horror book picks: The Gravity of Existence by Christina Sng, The Lies We Weave by Grace Reynolds, Her Dark Enchantments by Rosalyn Briar, House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson, and Eye of the Ouroboros by Megan Bontrager.
December 7, 2024 at 3:18 PM
spookyspatters.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
20/20
#Books
#BookSky 📚📚📚
#BookChallenge
#HorrorSky
#HorrorPoetry
Cover of poetry anthology: “Under Her Skin” The top of the cover has the words “A Women in Horror Poetry Collection, Volume 1.” At the bottom it says Edited by Lindy Ryan and Toni Miller. The background is black and there is a feminine figure with flowers covering the eyes, top part of the face, and down the neck with a black substance dripping from the eye area, mouth and neck.
December 7, 2024 at 1:30 AM
Reposted by Steph Patterson
chronicillness.bsky.social
Chronically Ill
#chronicallyill #chronicillness #chronicillnessmemes
ME TO MYSELF: This appointment is annoying. This doctor is annoying. Everything he says is annoying. I hope I'm hiding it well. MY FACE: [pic of guy from Sunny In Philadelphia sneering, visible pissed off]
December 6, 2024 at 5:13 PM
spookyspatters.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
19/20
#Books
#BookSky 📚📚📚
#BookChallenge
#HorrorSky
Cover of Parasocial by Wendy Dalrymple. The letters of the title are split up and placed to look like an arrow. The letters are a light pink. Behind the text there is the image of two hands holding a cell phone. The coloring of the image is very psychedelic and neon.
December 6, 2024 at 2:43 AM
spookyspatters.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
18/20
#Books
#BookSky 📚📚📚
#BookChallenge
#HorrorSky
Book cover image for Eye of the Ouroboros by Megan Bontregar. The title of the book floats in front of a stag with glowing eyes. There is a snake in the shape of an infinity sign eating itself.
December 5, 2024 at 4:19 AM
spookyspatters.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
17/20
#Books
#BookSky 📚📚📚
#BookChallenge
#HorrorSky
Cover of the book Cursed Images - Scary Stories from a Child of the Internet by Kassidy VanGundy. The background is neon pink and teal with an analog feel to it. There is an old school mac looking computer in the bottom right hand corner with demon hands reaching out of a screen of static.
December 4, 2024 at 3:21 AM
spookyspatters.bsky.social
❤️🎄HAPPY release day to one of my favorite authors!!! 🎄❤️
December 3, 2024 at 3:29 PM
Reposted by Steph Patterson
taylorlgrothe.bsky.social
I think we're going to see a HUGE proliferation of #horror over the next four years. We will need the catharsis, and of all sorts: splatterpunk, weird, cosmic/eldritch, folk/cult, Gothic, and bubblegum, to name a few. Horror contains multitudes. Horror can heal. Horror lets us know we aren't alone.
December 2, 2024 at 3:44 PM
spookyspatters.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
16/20
#Books
#BookSky 📚📚📚
#BookChallenge
#HorrorSky
Image of the cover of the anthology book “Curbside Curses: The Yardsale Anthology” Curated by Nadine Stewart. Behind the title, there are storm clouds on the horizon and the image of a suburban neighborhood with houses in a grid. The focus is on one row of houses. The roofs are various colors: red, grey, green and brown. There is white text towards the bottom of the cover that says: 22 Secondhand Horror Stories
December 2, 2024 at 5:24 PM
Reposted by Steph Patterson
poetnotarockstar.bsky.social
December 1, 2024 at 3:52 PM
spookyspatters.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
15/20
#Books
#BookSky 📚📚📚
#BookChallenge
#HorrorSky
#HorrorPoetry
The cover of the poetry book “Into the Forest and all the way Through” by Cynthia Pelayo. The title text is in red and there is a circle of trees surrounding the text that morphs into the shape of a feminine face and long hair.
December 1, 2024 at 3:55 PM
spookyspatters.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
14/20
#Books
#BookSky 📚📚📚
#BookChallenge
#HorrorSky
Cover of the book “Pyramidia” by Stephanie Sanders-Jacob. The book has a bright pick background and an image of a teacup on a saucer with what looks like blood overflowing from the teacup.
November 30, 2024 at 6:23 PM
spookyspatters.bsky.social
This Black Friday, I wanted to support some indie horror authors. This is my horror book haul! Some of them have book deals going on. Either way, check them out!

@wendydalrymple.bsky.social
@yolandasfetsos.bsky.social
@cjdaleywrites.bsky.social
@sumikoska.bsky.social
Kay Hanifen
Image of five books on a dark background with the moon and sky. The title of the image is “Black Friday Horror Buys.” The books are “Pageant” by Wendy Dalrymple, “Till the Yule Log Burns Out” by Kay Hanifen, “Only Darkness” by Yolanda Sfetsos, “Best Ghost” by C.J. Daley, and “Melancholia” by Sumiko Saulson
November 30, 2024 at 3:43 AM
spookyspatters.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
13/20
#Books
#BookSky 📚📚📚
#BookChallenge
#HorrorSky
#HorrorPoetry
Cover of “Bad Omens” by Jessica Drake-Thomas with a figure in a black corset and ringed hands grasping a silver chain with a cross on the end of it
November 29, 2024 at 10:45 PM
spookyspatters.bsky.social
Support indie authors this Black Friday and everyday! #blackfriday #supportindieauthors #indieauthors
cjdaleywrites.bsky.social C. J. Daley (BestGhost Out Now!) @cjdaleywrites.bsky.social · Nov 29
The Indie Black Friday ebook sale is live NOW. Tons of titles for cheap or even FREE!

Please check out BestGhost: A Novelette, my little horror story that’s just one of many in this incredible sale!

Shoutout to @jamesldulin.bsky.social for doing this again!

jamesldulin.com/blackfridaysale
November 29, 2024 at 4:27 PM
spookyspatters.bsky.social
Thankful for the poets that opened the dark door of horror poetry for me & many others. A few below:
@christinasng.bsky.social
@nytebird45.bsky.social
@cynthiapelayo.bsky.social
@ericlarocca.bsky.social
@spillinggrace.bsky.social
@wendydalrymple.bsky.social
@evavroslin.bsky.social
#horrorsky
November 29, 2024 at 12:45 AM
spookyspatters.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
12/20
#Books
#BookSky 📚📚📚
#BookChallenge
#HorrorSky
The book cover image of “I Found Puppets Living in my Apartment Walls” by Ben Farthing. The words are on top of a darkened room with a big blue puppet peeking out of a closet.
November 28, 2024 at 6:25 PM
Reposted by Steph Patterson
thisone0verhere.bsky.social
Look, if cranberries can be weird and bitter and still liked by roughly half the people at Thanksgiving dinner, then so can you!
November 28, 2024 at 1:39 PM
spookyspatters.bsky.social
“Lady of the House” is a great read! Grace (spillinggrace.bsky.social) is incredibly talented. #horrorsky #horrorpoetry #poetryisnotdead
A white woman with long brown hair holds a copy of the horror poetry book “Lady of the House” by Grace R. Reynolds
November 28, 2024 at 3:59 AM
spookyspatters.bsky.social
Show me a picture on your phone that has your energy that isn’t a selfie.
A meme of the clown from It peeking out from the sewer with the words “I have cute cats down here” above him. Then three panels below show a person sliding into the sewer.
November 28, 2024 at 3:50 AM
spookyspatters.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
11/20
#Books
#BookSky 📚📚📚
#BookChallenge
#HorrorSky
#HorrorPoetry
Book image of Fanged Dandelion by Eric Larocca. Black background with a dandelion on the cover under the title.
November 28, 2024 at 3:27 AM