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curioussnowflake.bsky.social
Author James C Struck
@curioussnowflake.bsky.social
470 followers 340 following 1.1K posts
He/They/Him/Them
Author of The Curious Snowflake: A Parable, available now! https://bit.ly/3PMYmkR
Preorder Children of Dusk here: https://a.co/d/brmahZN
Musician, parent, #poly, #leftist, #queer, overall big geek.
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curioussnowflake.bsky.social
Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 8d
ARC READER TIME!!!!

Children of Dusk launches 6 weeks from today! 😱 I am now taking applications for ARC readers! The plan is to send out copies around the 15th of this month to give plenty of time. If you’re interested, comment below.

#WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #ARCReaders
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for 11/12: shirt

High school gym class sucks under the best of circumstances. When you’ve got burn scars like Tim, however, it’s a very special kind of hell.

#WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters
Tim took a deep breath, stomach knotting, and pulled his uniform out of his gym locker. The weather had continued hot, so his mom had picked him up one of those thermal arm bands that basketball players use so he could stop wearing long sleeve shirts. But that only covered him from wrist to bicep. He quickly stripped off his shirt, trying to be both swift and nonchalant, but he still heard the conversations around him die as the extent of his scarring was revealed, running down his entire left side from hairline to hipbone. “The hell happened to you?” said a mocking voice behind him. Tim ignored it and pulled his gym shirt on. Someone else giggled nervously. “Talking to you, freakshow. How’d you get a face like that?” Tim knew he was going to have to deal with this crap sooner or later, and that he’d really only have one chance to not be labeled as a bullying target. He kept his face impassive as he turned, even though his heart was thumping in his chest so hard he was sure his ears were twitching in time with it.
November 12, 2025 at 1:30 PM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for 11/11: burger

Here, our MC Tim has to contend with explaining to his nosy, suburban realtor mom about Vee and Gideon, without, ya know, letting her know they’re magic wielders from another dimension who’ve recruited him to save the world. No biggie. 🤣

#WriteSky #UrbanFantasy
That’s why you have the phone, Tim, so I don’t freak out.” She looked up at him for a moment, then smiled. “I can’t stay mad at you. Just like your dad.” She held up the bag. “C’mon, sit and eat. Unless you filled yourself up on scones, that is.” Tim grinned and joined her at the table, grabbing the bag and emptying out the contents. She watched him as he unwrapped his burger and dug in, a tiny half-smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “What?” he mumbled around a mouthful of fries. “Well?” Anna rolled her eyes innocently. “What’s she like?” “Mom! She’s just a friend, her and Gideon both.” “Yah-huh”, she said, blatantly unconvinced. “So what’s she like? Tim huffed through his nose and popped another fry in his mouth, considering. “Six-and-a-half feet of enthusiasm in a five-foot package.” “So, definitely an “opposites attract” situation then, huh?” “Mom, I told you…” “…she’s just a friend, I heard.” She took a sip of her own soda that had been sitting neglected on the table, leaving a ring of moisture there. “They’re good people? I can trust you on that, right?”
November 11, 2025 at 4:43 PM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for 11/10: local

Weaving works much MUCH better in the Duskrealms than it does in our world because not enough people here believe in magic. Here, Kieran uses science to explain how belief and consciousness directly affect reality.

#WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters
Okay, gonna get a little esoteric here, so try to keep up. Do you know anything about quantum mechanics?” “Actually, yeah." Tim was amused at the look of surprise on Kieran’s face. “I love science. I read a bunch of books on quantum mechanics. Weird stuff, but really cool: wave functions and non-locality and how the act of observing something changes it, that experiment with electrons behaving like waves until they’re measured and then they become particles.” Kieran snapped his fingers and pointed at Tim. “Yes, Feynman’s double-slit experiment, that’s the one! He showed that matter is affected by observation. There are even experiments showing that animals can do the same. This is how we think Weaving works. Some people inherit the ability to manipulate this effect consciously, to literally bend matter and energy as an act of will." He took a swig of tea before continuing. “Now, think about this. If multiple beings observe a single thing, what happens?” Tim thought for a moment. “I’d think that it would kinda solidify things, set them in place even more.” “Ha!" Kieran gave the twins a triumphant stare. “You two need to hang out with this one more, maybe he’ll rub off on you.”
November 10, 2025 at 12:15 PM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for 11/8: picture

One of the signs a person is a potential Weaver is the ability to understand the language the Opacaroi call Housetongue. Here, Tim gets to hear it for the first time.

Side note, I think “Taruch vo ma ne’anta ye” would be great on a merch shirt.

#WriteSky
Why do you care?" Like Vee, Tim’s tone was frankly curious. She stared at him, seeming to be gathering her courage or something similar. Then she leaned in closer, and said in a half-whisper: “Taruch vo ma ne’anta ye.” At least that’s what Tim’s ears heard. But what his mind heard was a different story. “Because you can understand me.” “What the… you… I just…" Tim stammered. “Shh,” said Vee, and she put a finger to his lips to shush him. “Ka taruch vo ma oholo nes ye tan feich," she whispered. But again, Tim’s mind heard perfect English. “And because you can feel it when I do this." Goosebumps ran up Tim’s arms, and the lights flickered. “That was weird,” said Mrs Gibson. “In any case, it is now 3:30, your quiet hour begins now.” Vee immediately sat up, hands folded in front of her, the very picture of studiousness if one ignored the impish grin on her face. Tim, on the other hand, remained where he was, turned sideways and leaning in towards her. The expression on his face was similar to someone who has just been hit in the head with a bat, but hasn’t felt the pain yet. What the hell just happened? Was he going nuts? Was Vee messing with him? What in the name of… “Mr. Hansen!”
November 10, 2025 at 2:45 AM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
As a queer and #poly person myself, I love it when I find some rep. My favorite recently is Iron Widow by @xiranjayzhao.bsky.social, I ADORE how she turns the love triangle trope on its head in it!

#QueerWriters #Bookvember
woodenvelt.bsky.social Samantha Breaux @woodenvelt.bsky.social · 3d
Welcome to #Bookvember Day 9!

Follow the directions on the prompt card and share your love of diverse voices in literature.

#BookSky #WriteSky #Books #Authors #WritingCommunity
Bookvember, a book share prompt game for writers and readers by @woodenvelt.bsky.social Day 9: Share a book by a queer author that you love. What do you love most about this book? Remember: Quote post using #Bookvember. Use alt text for images. Have fun and interact with others!
November 10, 2025 at 2:35 AM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for 11/8: little

Tim’s father Victor is an institutionalized paranoid schizophrenic. Most of the time his medications keep the illness in check, but here, unfortunately, Tim gets to see his dad at his worst.

#WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters
“Watching, always watching, always making sure, never think I notice but I do, I see the patterns." A cold fist seemed to clench in Tim’s stomach. He’d rarely seen his father like this. “Little spies, little eyes, little monitors, can’t let them see, keep clandestine." He emphasized each syllable of the word, hissing the S out between clenched teeth. He turned abruptly and started, as though he had expected the room to be unoccupied. His eyes were wide, shiny, and a faint gloss of sweat beaded his forehead and cheeks. His gaze flickered to each of them in turn, finally coming to rest on Tim. With what seemed to be a massive effort, he gathered himself, breathed deep and closed his eyes. “Please go,” he said in a half-whisper. “The glass is cracking and when it breaks there will be blood and shrapnel and…” he opened his eyes and looked at his son. “I will not hurt you again. Ever." His mouth twisted with disgust and his eyes closed again. “No matter what I see.”
November 8, 2025 at 12:07 PM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for 11/7: movement

When he was 7, Tim almost died in a fire, and he has never talked to anyone about it, until now.

This scene was the culmination of the most difficult and most rewarding writing I have ever done. It took me a month to get through it.

#WriteSky #UrbanFantasy
“How long were you in the hospital?” Kieran asked. “About six weeks. My mom came home just as it happened, otherwise I probably would have died and the house would have burned down. As it was,” he smiled ruefully, “it wasn’t the burns, it was the infections afterwards that kept me in. The grafts wouldn’t take right, I almost lost my hand, and I had to do physical therapy for years to get the full range of movement back." He rubbed the back of his hand. “I don’t have much feeling in it either.” “Is that why you do that flexing thing?" Gideon held up his own hand and moved it back, forth, side, side. “Yeah, it’s a nervous habit now." Tim fell silent. He felt emptied out, wiped like he’d just run a 5K. Now that he’d finished, he really didn’t know what would happen. Suddenly Vee stood up and walked over to him, the light behind her obscuring her face. She stopped in front of him and held out her hands. Tim hesitated, then took them and she pulled him to his feet. As he stood, the light shifted on her face and he noticed the tracks of tears on her cheeks. She looked up at him, smiled, and threw her arms around his neck. “Bravest. Thing. Ever,” she whispered in his ear.
November 7, 2025 at 12:57 PM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
#Bookvember Day 7

Monitored? The only way my mom “monitored” my reading was scrambling to feed my hunger for it. 🤣 She’s as much a book junkie as I am. We would walk to the library every 2 weeks during summer with a Radio Flyer wagon and literally fill it with books.
woodenvelt.bsky.social Samantha Breaux @woodenvelt.bsky.social · 5d
Welcome to #Bookvember Day 7!

Follow the directions on the prompt card and share your love of the written word with others.

#BookSky #WriteSky #Books #Authors #WritingCommunity
Bookvember, a book share prompt game for writers and readers by @woodenvelt.bsky.social Day 7: Was your reading monitored by adults when you were a kid or was it a free for all? Did that scar you or set you free? Remember: Quote post using #Bookvember. Use alt text for images. Have fun and interact with others!
November 7, 2025 at 12:49 PM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
I am trying to use the Clock App as a self promotion and sales app for Children of Dusk, but I need to get to 1k followers before I am allowed to post shop links.

Well I must be doing something right, because I went from 500 followers on 11/1 to almost 850 today! 🥳

#WriteSky #IndieAuthor
November 5, 2025 at 6:04 PM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for 11/5: trail

Vee and Gideon Melan are fraternal twins, and facially they look a great deal alike: long oval faces with dark eyes and hair and prominent noses. Physically, however, they couldn’t be more different.

#WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters
As everyone rose and the sea-roar of chatter ramped up, Tim risked a quick glance at the siblings. Their backs were to him now, and he noticed that they were far less alike while standing. The boy was well over six feet, broad in the shoulders and thick in the middle, with long, swinging arms. The girl, however, was a pixie, all elbows and collarbones and a foot or more shorter than her brother. Yet somehow she seemed to be the leader of the two, cutting and bouncing through the crowd with him trailing behind like a trained bull. Then the milling of people cut them from view.
November 5, 2025 at 6:01 PM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for 11/4: steel

In ancient days, the founders of the Opacaroi created seven magical spears, the Aigloi, and gifted them to the leaders of the seven Great Houses. Among other things, an Aiglos amplifies a Weaver’s magical abilities.

#WriteSky #YAFantasy #queerwriters
The group reached the same grove where Tim, Annika and the twins had arrived, and he saw two Duskers there, weaving something massive, something that made the air between them flex and distort like a heat mirage. Meneleas approached the distortion and held out a hand. To Tim’s surprise, an Aiglos appeared in it, one very different from his mother’s: steel gray edged with soft gold, like sunlight filtering through storm clouds. He set the haft of the spear on the ground between his feet, lowered his head, and drew. Tim’s arms crawled with goosebumps, and he was unsurprised to find that Meneleas was indeed strong, at least as strong as his father. The air before him seemed to twist and tear apart, revealing a flat, black hole, rippling to color at the edges, like oil on a pond. Without hesitating, Meneleas stepped through and vanished, followed by the rest of the entourage. Tim swallowed.
November 4, 2025 at 7:43 PM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
ARC READER TIME!!!!

Children of Dusk launches 6 weeks from today! 😱 I am now taking applications for ARC readers! The plan is to send out copies around the 15th of this month to give plenty of time. If you’re interested, comment below.

#WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #ARCReaders
November 4, 2025 at 4:22 AM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
#Novmemeber 3) Meme about my MC

Tim Hansen almost died in a fire when he was 7, and bears the physical and emotional scars to this day.
November 3, 2025 at 11:38 PM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
#Novmemeber 2) I’ll be posting about my about-to-release novel, Children of Dusk, comes out 12/15! It’s a YA urban fantasy novel about a traumatized young man who discovers he’s the descendent of a dying society of elemental magic wielders.

#WriteSky #QueerWriters
November 3, 2025 at 11:36 PM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
#Novmemeber 1: predictive text

Hi! I’m not sure what you mean and I write about the situation but it seems to me like the same situation.

Hi I’m Jim and I write urban and steampunk fantasy, dystopias, poetry, and music.

#WriteSky #QueerWriters
sagetgreene.bsky.social Sage T. Greene, Author @sagetgreene.bsky.social · 11d
#Novmemeber 1

Introduce yourself using predictive text. You can try phrasing this in different ways (for example, "I'm ___ and I write about...").

Then tell us what you REALLY write about!
1. Introduce yourself w/predictive text (e.g. “I’m _ and I write about...”) A prompt game for the month of November, titled #Novmemeber (as in meme). Hosted by @sagetgreene.bsky.social . The bottom says "Have fun, interact, and remember alt text!" There is a silly emoji face with wild eyes and tongue sticking out, and some fall-style leaves in the corners.
November 3, 2025 at 11:31 PM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for 11/1: ancestor

Tim knows his new friends as Vee and Gideon Melan, just a couple of punk rock ne’er do well teenagers. The truth is quite a bit more dramatic.

#WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters
Well,” Gideon hesitated, “she probably glossed over this part too, knowing her. Our dad, he’s kind of an important guy in Avalon. Kind of the important guy, actually.” This time Tim stopped. “Okay, hold up. If she really is Princess Genevieve, I…” He thought for a second. “I’m not sure whether I would want to hit her with a stick or just tease her endlessly.” “Oh, definitely the latter,” Gideon nodded with mock severity, “it would hurt more." They both laughed. “Come ON!” Vee shouted from the bottom of the hill. They started down again. “First Speaker,” Gideon continued. “That’s his title. First Speaker Meneleas ko Tobias Corvitae.” “Meneleas,” said Tim thoughtfully. “Melan?” “Exactly. Lots better than Heartblood in Latin. We must have had an overdramatic ancestor. I am Gideon ko Meneleas Corvitae, she is Genevieve no Seriah Corvitae.”
November 1, 2025 at 6:20 PM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
Every year I try doing one of the writeathons, and every year I end up petering out by about Day 8. Hopefully this year is different, since I have a bit more motivation; I’m writing the sequel to Children of Dusk!

#WriteSky
karamoonauthor.com Kara Moon (the artist formerly known as Hiria Dunning) @karamoonauthor.com · 11d
#pretendpanel, this month we're talking around the subject of writeathons!

November 1st: Are you participating in a November writeathon? If so, which one and/or which project/s are you working on?

#WritingCommunity #Writers #Authors #WritingPrompts
#pretendpanel a daily prompt tag hosted by @hiriadunning.bsky.social November 1st: Are you participating in a November writeathon? If so, which one and/or which project/s are you working on? Please support your fellow #pretentpanel posters with replies, likes and reposts New #pretendpanel questions every Friday and Saturday. Hop in any time!
November 1, 2025 at 6:15 PM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Halloween! 🎃 Monster

Tim’s father has schizophrenia, and in the current day he is institutionalized. In this flashback to Tim’s childhood, he tries to tell then-seven-year-old Tim what his disease is like.

#WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters
I’m so sorry." Daddy is quiet for a moment. “I want to tell you something. I think you’re old enough to understand it now. Have you ever had a daydream so strong it seemed real?” “All the time.” “And have you ever had a daydream that scared you?” Timmy nods his head vigorously. “Like when the shadows at night look like monsters?” “Just like that." Daddy takes a big breath before continuing. “Timothy, I have a problem where I can't control my daydreams. They seem as real as anything to me, and I can’t make them stop.” Timmy’s eyes grow wide at that thought. “It sounds really scary.” “It is, buddy. It really, really is. There are special medicines I can take that help, but they have side effects. That means that they help, but they do other things too. They make me very sleepy, which isn’t that bad, but they also make it so my imagination doesn’t work right.” “But you need that to make your stories!" Daddy had told Timmy many times how writing worked. “How can you write your stories if you can’t daydream them first?” “Just so, and that is what I want to talk about with you.
October 31, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Reposted by Author James C Struck
authorashleyhawley.bsky.social
🎃 Happy Halloween! 🎃

Thank you to everyone who has shared & purchased a copy of my debut novella, In the House of Rosewood!

If you loved it, don't let it get lost in the darkness; pop over to your retailer &/or Goodreads and leave a review!

#WritingCommunity #BookSky #WriteSky #thrillers
Light text on a dark background with a pumpkin face that reads "Happy Halloween" "Give the treat of a book review this year!"
October 31, 2025 at 4:00 PM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
Yay, one I can do! 🤣 #WIPSnips for 10/30: spell

A Denier is a member of the Duskers who leaves their society and gives up magic completely. Is Tim’s father one? You’ll have to read it and find out!

#WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters
The Hansen house was a Victorian enormity of peaked roofs, arches, and towers on a double lot, all done in brown fieldstone, towering a full story over the not-inconsiderable houses nearby. A tall wrought-iron fence surrounded the property, and massive oaks arched over the well-kept grounds, full of shady nooks and greenery. As the ‘Bus slipped through the gate, Tim thumbed the app again and it closed behind them with a hum and a clang. At the sound, Vee jumped as though she’d been goosed, and Tim rubbed his arms unconsciously. “Did you feel that?” asked Vee. “Feel what?” “Proof that your dad really is a Denier. There are old weaves in the fence, defensive stuff. Didn’t you feel them activate when the gate closed?” “Yeah, I guess I did.” He’d always felt that chill when the gates closed, even as a kid. Now he knew why. “Well congrats,” chimed in Gideon, “your castle is protected by magic spells.”
October 30, 2025 at 7:48 PM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
Where are my #ARCReaders?

Applications for ARC readers for Children of Dusk start Nov 1st! The rules are simple: you get a FREE digital copy of my book early, and you leave me an honest review as close to launch day (12/15) as possible. Comment if you’re interested!

#IndieAuthor #WriteSky
Applications for ARC readers for Children of Dusk start Nov 1st! The rules are simple: you get a FREE digital copy of my book early, and you leave me an honest review as close to launch day (12/15) as possible. Comment if you’re interested!
October 27, 2025 at 9:45 PM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for 10/27 🎃, how about a whispery screech instead of a bloodcurdling howl?

For reference, vrolachi are shadow-demons, normally deadly but these are sent to capture Tim, not kill.

#WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #SpookySeason
Go,” Tim reached for this new thing, which seemed to be. . . beneath the other elements. “To,” he drew it into himself, and was filled with a cold fire. The vrolach cocked its head, as though it heard a strange noise. “HELL!” With every bit of his strength, Tim twisted this new power into a piercing blade and drove it directly into the vrolach’s blank, white eye. It shrieked in agony, a high, whispery screech that dug into Tim’s ears like a drill bit, stumbled back three steps, and exploded into a cloud of black motes. For a heartbeat, all of them stared at the spot where the Kyle-thing had stood, then the three remaining vrolachi turned slowly back towards Tim, hissing, their flat eyes full of fury. Now I’m going to die, thought Tim.
October 27, 2025 at 3:32 PM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
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October 26, 2025 at 11:50 AM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for 10/24: complete rather than total

Here, Tim gets to experience magical healing for the first time, after getting pretty badly roughed up by some bullies.

#WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters
Nice, huh?" Vee asked. “Alright, now take a deep breath and release the energies as you exhale." Tim did so, and immediately felt deflated, as though some of the light had gone out of the world. He made a small, disappointed sound in the back of his throat. Vee chuckled. “Yeah, it’s always a downer when you let go. Sit up, tell me how you feel.” Tim sat up tentatively, expecting his head or ribs or back to object, but other than a slight twinge from his temples he felt fine. “Wow, that’s. . . amazing." Tim reached and touched where Kyle hit him with the crutch. A few small flakes of scab came off on his fingertips, but the bloody gash had completely healed. He then unwound the elastic bandage from his left wrist, flexed it, and found it pain-free for the first time since his visit to Forestview. He smiled, but it faded from his face as he examined the unchanged scarring on the back of his hand. “Guess your mojo can’t do anything about scars, huh?" He turned around and found Vee watching him warily. “What’s wrong?" he asked.
October 24, 2025 at 5:25 PM
curioussnowflake.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for 10/23, the best I can do is a hill. 🤣

Vee and Gideon are exiles on a mission; find a potential Weaver and they can return to Dusker society. So needless to say, they’re pretty excited when they find Tim.

#WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters
October 23, 2025 at 4:25 PM