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cailinwrites.bsky.social
Cailin Barrett-Bressack
@cailinwrites.bsky.social
280 followers 150 following 110 posts
NYC-based Author (upmarket spec fic)
https://www.cailinwrites.com/
Rep: @alexbrownwrites, Mad Woman Lit Agency
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cailinwrites.bsky.social
Guide to THE MAGIC OF NOW
The story of a 62-year-old farmer, the goat her sister is reincarnated into, and the new age cult that could be behind it

Feat:
🐐women-led cult
🐐explorations of grief
🐐sister relationship
🐐neuroscience
🐐offbeat humor
🐐surrealism x light sci fi
#Questpit #AG #A #S
The Magic of Now The story of a 62-year-old farmer, the goat her sister may be reincarnated into, and the new age cult that could be behind it. Guide to By: Cailin Barrett-Bressack Rep: Alex Land, Mad Woman Literary Agency Gyla, 62-year old in mourning, encounters a mysterious goat on her farm that she suspects contains the consciousness of her recently deceased sister, Tina. Her quest for answers eventually leads to ReNewAll, a reclusive new-age community fixated on death and grieving– and with a goat on their brochures. In addition to nonsensical classes like Stargazing with Your Eyes Closed and Untangling the Truth through Macrame, ReNewAll and its neuroscientist leader teach The Magic of Now, a practice that allows members to vividly revisit memories of their deceased loved ones. As Gyla grows from skeptic and unlikely cult infiltrator to a willing member of ReNewAll’s inner circle, she must ultimately choose between immersing herself in an illusion of the past where Tina is still alive (and human), or dedicating herself to the imperfect (but tangible) version of her sister that is trapped inside the body of a goat. The Pitch The Comps cult comps Teal Swan Mother God Elizabeth Holmes quirky humor and warmly acerbic wit surrealism that highlights life’s bittersweet beauty speculative exploration of insular communities themes of memory and identity Eternal Sunshine Catherine House Aimee Bender How to Age Disgracefully A Snippet The Milky Way painted across the bowl of sky is technicolor and dizzying. The stars seem close enough that if she were to reach out and run her hands across the pricks of them, they’d snag splinters in her fingertips. The wind grows louder. Gyla walks towards her pond, the forest pressing into the shore on three sides. Later in the spring, the pond's surface will be laced with pale green algae, but this early in the season the water is smooth glass, reflecting the night sky and also—the goat. Gyla sees its reflection first, then draws her eyes up to where it stands motionless across the water. It’s hard to make out every detail in the muted blues of night, but she can tell who it is the moment she sees it. “Tina?” Gyla whispers. The goat cocks its head to one side in response. Gyla is not sure why she says her sister’s name aloud. It’s a physical knowing, the same way she senses weather changes in the marrow of her right knee. When she sees the goat, she feels her sister with her for the first time in months. The goat approaches her cautiously. Its ear is pierced where an identification tag had been, but the tag is gone, and Gyla can see the stars reflecting on the surface of the pond through the small empty window in the cartilage. Gyla knows she should be wondering if her mind is playing tricks on her. But she doesn’t waver in her conviction. Somehow, she can tell–this is her sister. It’s Tina.
November 5, 2025 at 2:38 PM
cailinwrites.bsky.social
When Gyla discovers her deceased sister’s soul is trapped in a goat's body, she will do anything to figure out why–including joining a cult.

AIMEE BENDER X ETERNAL SUNSHINE X CATHERINE HOUSE

#Questpit #AG #S
The Magic of Now The story of a 62 year old farmer, the goat her sister may be reincarnated into, and the new age cult that could be behind it. Unique manifestations of grief woman led cult offbeat humor central sister relationship neuroscience meets "woo" psyeudoscience Older female protagonist by cailin barrett bressack rep: alex land, MWLA Images of goat, field, meditation, brain scan, farms.
November 5, 2025 at 12:36 PM
cailinwrites.bsky.social
A New York City snippet from my WIP to remind everyone to please get out and vote for @zohrankmamdani today❤️

We deserve a little hope, don’t you think?
November 4, 2025 at 6:48 PM
cailinwrites.bsky.social
Teasing my WIP using my last 8 internet searches 🐦

#SpecLit #Authors #AmDrafting #Writesky
google searches of the following: Do pigeons sneeze? history of rorschack test weirdest constellations food served at manhattan central booking do pigeons have taste buds how high can a house sparrow fly social media tracking through ip address plant roots electricity microbiology
October 2, 2025 at 6:21 PM
cailinwrites.bsky.social
AIMEE BENDER X ETERNAL SUNSHINE

Based on beta reader reviews, you'll come to
THE MAGIC OF NOW for cults & Goat Tension™️ but stay for the existentialism & sobbing!

#A #Spec about a 62-year-old farmer, the 🐐 her sister is reincarnated into & the new age cult that could be behind it
#UnhingedPit #AG
The Magic of Now Beta Reader Comments for By: Cailin Barrett-Bressack Rep: Alex Land, MWLA I sat down after work today intending to read another fifty pages and ended up reading the whole ding-dang book. Holy shit this is such a good twist was not ready for this what i love most about this book is how it challenges your perceptions about existentialism and what it means to be human. Who knew hearing a goat's perception could make you think so deeply? i would die for these nuns this feels like her azula moment ok yas girlboss except goat tension
September 23, 2025 at 1:54 PM
cailinwrites.bsky.social
Aimee Bender X Eternal Sunshine (+ humor and goats 🐐)

THE MAGIC OF NOW is the story of:
✨a 62-year-old farmer,
✨the goat her sister may be reincarnated into,
✨and the new age cult that could be behind it.

#PosterPit #AG #SPF
A novel by Cailin Barrett-Bressack The Magic of Now woman-led Cult Goat Tension™ explorations of grief neuroscience Rep: Alex Land, Mad Woman Literary Agency The story of a 62-year-old woman, the goat her sister is reincarnated into, and the new age cult that might be behind it. “It’s like a new life-lens is forming for me as I read it.” “I sat down intending to read fifty pages and ended up reading the whole ding-dang book.” “I’m not crying, you’re crying” Best supporting Goat 2025 Meet the dream cast of The Magic of Now Frances McDormand As Gyla Skeptical farmer, will do anything for answers about her sister Tina–including join a cult Kathy Bates as Tina Deceased, but maybe reincarnated as a goat (?) Kathryn Hahn as Karana Neuroscientist turned new-age cult leader Guest Featuring: A Goat as The goat Rep: Alex Land, Mad Woman Literary Agency A novel by Cailin Barrett-Bressack
August 16, 2025 at 2:30 PM
cailinwrites.bsky.social
Gyla's sister's soul has returned as a goat, and her only lead to why is a new-age cult that vividly relives memories. As Gyla goes from skeptic to inner circle, she must choose: an illusion of the past where her sister is alive (and human), or acceptance of her sister's new form 🐐
#questpit #AG #A
The Magic of Now The story of a 62-year-old-farmer, the goat her sister may be reincarnated into, and the new age cult that could be behind it. Unique manifestations of grief woman-led cult offbeat humor central sister relationship older female protagonist neuroscience meets "woo" pseudoscience By: Cailin Barrett Bressack Rep: Alex Land, Mad woman literary agency
August 6, 2025 at 12:41 PM
cailinwrites.bsky.social
If you like grounded, speculative novels featuring woman-led cults, unique depictions of grief, off-beat humor, sister relationships, and neuroscience, then BOY do I have the book for you! 🐐
#Questpit #AG #A #S
Guide to: The Magic of Now The story of a 62-year-old farmer, the goat her sister may be reincarnated into, and the new age cult that could be behind it. By: Cailin Barrett-Bressack Rep: Alex Land, Mad Woman Literary Agency The Pitch Gyla, 62-year old in mourning, encounters a mysterious goat on her farm that she suspects contains the consciousness of her recently deceased sister, Tina. Her quest for answers eventually leads to ReNewAll, a reclusive new-age community fixated on death and grieving– and with a goat on their brochures. In addition to nonsensical classes like Stargazing with Your Eyes Closed and Untangling the Truth through Macrame, ReNewAll and its neuroscientist leader teach The Magic of Now, a practice that allows members to vividly revisit memories of their deceased loved ones. As Gyla grows from skeptic and unlikely cult infiltrator to a willing member of ReNewAll’s inner circle, she must ultimately choose between immersing herself in an illusion of the past where Tina is still alive (and human), or dedicating herself to the imperfect (but tangible) version of her sister that is trapped inside the body of a goat. The Comps How to Age Disgracefully: quirky humor and warmly acerbic wit Aimee Bender: surrealism used to highlight life’s bittersweet beauty Catherine House: speculative exploration of insular communities Eternal Sunshine: themes of memory and identity comp cults: Teal Swan, Mother God, Elizabeth Holmes A Snippet: The Milky Way painted across the bowl of sky is technicolor and dizzying. The stars seem close enough that if she were to reach out and run her hands across the pricks of them, they’d snag splinters in her fingertips. The wind grows louder. Gyla walks towards her pond, the forest pressing into the shore on three sides. Later in the spring, the pond's surface will be laced with pale green algae, but this early in the season the water is smooth glass, reflecting the night sky and also—the goat. Gyla sees its reflection first, then draws her eyes up to where it stands motionless across the water. It’s hard to make out every detail in the muted blues of night, but she can tell who it is the moment she sees it. “Tina?” Gyla whispers. The goat cocks its head to one side in response. Gyla is not sure why she says her sister’s name aloud. It’s a physical knowing, the same way she senses weather changes in the marrow of her right knee. When she sees the goat, she feels her sister with her for the first time in months. The goat approaches her cautiously. Its ear is pierced where an identification tag had been, but the tag is gone, and Gyla can see the stars reflecting on the surface of the pond through the small empty window in the cartilage. Gyla knows she should be wondering if her mind is playing tricks on her. But she doesn’t waver in her conviction. Somehow, she can tell–this is her sister. It’s Tina.
August 6, 2025 at 11:45 AM
cailinwrites.bsky.social
THE MAGIC OF NOW

The Main Character // The Setting // The Goat 🐐
An upmarket speculative novel featuring everyone’s favorite three things to read about: grief, cults, and goats!

#WritingCommunity
July 22, 2025 at 1:56 PM
cailinwrites.bsky.social
Feeling so proud of my city after yesterday's primary that I'm sharing a snippet from my NYC-based WIP for the first time to celebrate 🐦❤️🌆
June 25, 2025 at 7:49 PM
cailinwrites.bsky.social
Answering questions on my book and WIP over on Insta, it's been fun 😂
@CailinWrites
May 7, 2025 at 1:52 AM
cailinwrites.bsky.social
Here's a snippet of The Magic of Now, in a scene where Gyla tries to trigger a memory response from the goat she's convinced contains the consciousness of her deceased sister, Tina (who, as a human, loved to smoke cigarettes). 🐐 🚬
Gyla stares at the Yahoo search bar, wondering how to phrase her question. Ultimately, she slowly types in Google how to make someone act like themselves when sometimes they can’t remember who they are? This brings up pages of materials on Alzheimer’s and dementia, brain injuries and dissociative states and midlife crises. She tries a few different wordings before landing on a search for how to trigger memories, which gives her some ideas to work with. She collects items from around the house and lays them in a neat row on the kitchen counter: a pack of cigarettes. A Slim Jim. A bag of cool ranch Doritos. A stack of Otis Redding CDs. A pair of Tina’s favorite jeans. The half-read mystery book from her bedside table. A tube of Bengay. Once the sun comes up, she brings the goat to the kitchen with raisins as bait, then lights the cigarette. She holds it between her fingers and whirls it around in the air. She stubs it out in the sink, waits for the smoke to dissipate, and wafts the smell over to the goat. She doesn’t want to give it secondhand smokers’ lung; she only needs enough scent to trigger a response. “Remember these?” She asks, “Marlboro Lights?” The goat blinks its goat eyes blankly. “Okay, so maybe you’re not a smoker as a goat.”
March 25, 2025 at 1:52 PM
cailinwrites.bsky.social
Spent last weekend with the NYC-area contingent of my writing group on a writing retreat by a lake. 6000 words written (and many articles on pigeon racing read) later, I’m exhausted, excited, and already can’t wait to sift through everything I dumped onto the page!
March 25, 2025 at 12:56 AM
cailinwrites.bsky.social
If you're an editor who likes grounded, speculative novels featuring women-led cults, unique depictions of grief, humor, sister relationships, and neuroscience, this is the book for you!

🐐

Aimee Bender X Catherine House X Eternal Sunshine

#PopUpPitE #LuckyPit #PopUpPit
March 17, 2025 at 5:59 PM
cailinwrites.bsky.social
When Gyla discovers her deceased sister’s soul is trapped in a goat's body, she will do anything to figure out why–including joining a cult.

Feat:
🐐women-led cult
🐐explorations of grief
🐐central sister relationship
🐐neuroscience
🐐an offbeat sense of humor
#PopUpPitE #LuckyPit #PopUpPit
March 17, 2025 at 5:45 PM
cailinwrites.bsky.social
THE MAGIC OF NOW
The speculative, upmarket story about a 62-year-old woman,
the goat her sister is reincarnated into, and the new age cult that might be behind it.

Aimee Bender X Eternal Sunshine X Catherine House
#PopUpPitE #LuckyPit #PopUpPit
March 17, 2025 at 5:36 PM
cailinwrites.bsky.social
Lots of new friends on here, and wanted to officially introduce myself 👋
February 18, 2025 at 4:39 PM
cailinwrites.bsky.social
Thinking I’ll just keep this as-is when the time comes
February 6, 2025 at 7:37 PM