Erika Chandler
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erikachandler.bsky.social
Erika Chandler
@erikachandler.bsky.social
160 followers 140 following 270 posts
Writer. Reader. Illustrator. Classical educator. Appalachian. Wife and mother of two. Goldendoodle mom. Anglican.

📖 Tolkien 🎌 Nihon 🥤Coke Zero

Current project:
Japan-based portal fantasy WIP
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erikachandler.bsky.social
Erika Chandler @erikachandler.bsky.social · Jul 18
Working on a literary leaning, Japan-based YA portal fantasy. This is from the prologue...the rest is first person modern POV with a healthy dose of Japanese folklore. #WIPsnips #amwriting #YA
erikachandler.bsky.social
Ryo sabotages a drawbridge to buy time. This guard is basically an innocent bystander (who will also be in trouble for letting this happen), so he feels a little bad about that.

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
Sorry I have to do this. In a single motion, I’m over the ledge and behind him in the cramped gatehouse, the hard edge of my arm across his windpipe. He struggles for only a moment before he slumps slowly to the ground, unconscious. I set him upright against the side of the bridge mechanism as I pull my tanto from my waistband.
December 10, 2025 at 8:49 AM
erikachandler.bsky.social
Rin’s grief is also tied up with the isolation of not being believed…but her story is so wild she’s not sure she believes it herself.

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
Between the frames, my father’s family katana rests in a simple stand. My fingers brush across the familiar design of the scabbard. It doesn’t make me feel safe, exactly…I can’t really use it. But it’s soothing to touch something they had touched. It anchors me to reality the same way the crack in the alley does, with almost the same vivid energy. And now, the blade also serves as a grim reminder of the only part of my story police believed, the only part the physical evidence confirmed. The only knowledge that keeps my sanity hanging by a thread: That my brother was killed with a sword.  
December 9, 2025 at 9:13 AM
erikachandler.bsky.social
I wasn’t actually sure I’d have this word, but lo and behold!

I never make it to lunch without a snack, Ai-chan. But this snack is a plot device lol #WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
“Shoot…” Aiko mutters, digging through her backpack. Fourth period is about to start, and she’s clearly hunting for a snack to tide her over until lunch. “I must have walked out without my bento this morning.” “You can share mine, Ai-chan,” I offer, pulling an onigiri out of my box. I’m careful to make sure it isn’t one of the Reikai-prepared ones Taro-kun brought me this morning.
December 8, 2025 at 9:11 AM
erikachandler.bsky.social
The word “empty” is actually in the title of this chapter as well. Do you title your chapters? I do in some projects and not others.

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
I stand up so quickly I jostle the table, overturning my empty teacup. “Whoa, Rin, what’s up?” I don’t answer. Fumbling for my cell phone, I dial as fast as my fingers will move. “Taro-kun?” I’m already halfway across the café, struggling to get my arms in my coat sleeves without dropping the phone. Jiro follows me, shouldering through customers to keep up.
December 7, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Reposted by Erika Chandler
karenswallowprior.bsky.social
Now is a good time for individuals and institutions to know what you believe, why you believe it, and to stand for it regardless of what the influencers or your donors say. Because there is no winning that game.

Integrity is priceless and eternal.
December 6, 2025 at 9:17 PM
erikachandler.bsky.social
I think the õmukade is one of my favorite yokai battles for sheer group effort required. #WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
A long, hooked shape emerges from the widening crack. It clicks onto the tile floor with a sharp snap as one of the squares breaks under the force. Then another emerges, and another…and another. They aren’t hooks, but articulated legs. Hundreds of them. Pincers wet with venom snap high overhead. Sunrays flash off the armored body in piercing shafts of light. Ōmukade. A demon centipede.
December 6, 2025 at 9:06 AM
erikachandler.bsky.social
Rin is slowly but surely losing the ability to hide her double life.

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
I close the door behind me with a soft click, slumping against the frame and clutching my phone to my chest. I check the screen again. “Kimura Jiro, Missed Call” spans across the top. My fingers hover over the notification…but I don’t touch it.
December 5, 2025 at 9:14 AM
erikachandler.bsky.social
Ki ended up being a HUGE part of this version of the story. My earliest versions didn’t include anything supernatural or spiritual.

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
As soon as my feet hit the ground, a familiar sensation tingles up my spine. Ki, the energy of all living things. But this is different from the life already humming around this city. This kind of raw, potent energy is like Taro’s and my own. The kind only found in the spirit world.
December 4, 2025 at 8:53 AM
erikachandler.bsky.social
I’ve been trying to decide on a pen name, and I mentioned it in passing to my husband who landed on the right one immediately ❤️ Handle officially changed 😎 #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity
December 3, 2025 at 11:43 AM
erikachandler.bsky.social
Ryo, the fact that you actively thought, “We’re going to make it,” is a guarantee that you are not going to make it.

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
The tall grass of the meadow bends nearly in half with the strengthening winds, but in the corner of my eye I catch an odd shape like a wheel rolling through the blades—tsuchinoko, a kind of thick, venomous snake yokai that rolls by biting its own tail. When the wheel enters my range, I cut it down with a single stroke and keep moving, my katana flashing in the unnatural light. Another tsuchinoko comes up alongside Taro. In this formation, he’s forced to hold his sword in his non-dominant hand, but he bides his time until the rolling ring is nearly upon us, then strikes with lightning speed. The path in front of us is nearly clear. We’re going to make it in time.
December 3, 2025 at 9:18 AM
erikachandler.bsky.social
“Fraction” for “percent.”

Of course it will not be that simple, Ryo, because ~plot~

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity
“Ryo excels in all the disciplines of ninjutsu,” Kin says after an awkward pause. It should be Yoshimaru’s place to answer as head of our order, but I know he’s reluctant to give an accurate assessment of my abilities. “His skill with the blade is unmatched, as is his resolve.” “Very good.” Hiroshi’s steps begin to retreat. Is that it? There’s no way. I risk raising my head a fraction of an inch to assess my surroundings more clearly.
December 2, 2025 at 10:06 AM
erikachandler.bsky.social
Rin disguising herself as a servant—it’s about the most shinobi thing she’s ever done.

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity
I nod succinctly and inhale slowly through my nose, trying to bring my body under control. My ki is dim for the moment, but my limbs are trembling. “Hey.” Ryo-kun lays a palm on top of my head, and I flinch. His energy is still taut, still hyperaware, but for just a moment, the edge softens. “Remember, we’re not hiding now—you work here, so act like you belong. You’re going to be fine.”
December 1, 2025 at 10:15 AM
erikachandler.bsky.social
Ryo treads a fine line.

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
“…A number of yokai have attempted attacks on the girl.” I stop myself from using Rin’s name, remembering Kin’s warning this morning. The more distance, the better. “They’ve all been dispatched. We’ve warded her house and her workplace. She’s under continual surveillance.”
November 30, 2025 at 8:59 AM
erikachandler.bsky.social
Just started #Famished by @annajrollins.bsky.social because my copy came early!! #bookvember #booksky
woodenvelt.bsky.social Snow-mantha Breaux ❄️ ☃️ @woodenvelt.bsky.social · 11d
Welcome to #Bookvember Day 29!

Follow the directions on the prompt card and discuss your reading habits.

#BookSky #WriteSky #Books #Authors #WritingCommunity
Bookvember, a book share prompt game for writers and readers by @woodenvelt.bsky.social Day 29: What books are at the top of your current TBR (to be read) or TBW (to be written)? #Bookvember. Use alt text for images. Have fun and interact with others!
November 30, 2025 at 2:32 AM
erikachandler.bsky.social
Poor little naive Rin-chan. She doesn’t know what she’s gotten into yet. This was oddly my only use of dedicate in a story that deals with duty a lot. 🤷🏻‍♀️

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
“Tetsuya-san,” I say slowly, “why are you so concerned about the Kawa Clan? Hiroshi-san sounds…difficult…but Ryo-kun has dedicated his life to this Clan.” I picture Ryo and Taro-kun, both members of the Kawa Clan, swords drawn to protect me in the chaos of the Breach. “Can it really be that bad?”
November 29, 2025 at 10:44 AM
erikachandler.bsky.social
I do all of the above nowadays. I have historically been a hard copy reader, but when I started working with my hands a lot during my crafting years I listened to audiobooks, and now that I have small kids I use an e-reader so I can read in the dark while other people sleep. #bookvember
woodenvelt.bsky.social Snow-mantha Breaux ❄️ ☃️ @woodenvelt.bsky.social · 12d
Welcome to #Bookvember Day 28!

Follow the directions on the prompt card and discuss your reading habits.

#BookSky #WriteSky #Books #Authors #WritingCommunity
Bookvember, a book share prompt game for writers and readers by @woodenvelt.bsky.social Day 28: How do you do your reading? Paperback, E-reader, audiobook? All of the above? What appeals to you about your favorite format? #Bookvember. Use alt text for images. Have fun and interact with others!
November 28, 2025 at 10:35 PM
erikachandler.bsky.social
Lots of synonyms for me this week. “Wind” for “zigzag.” I think I posted earlier this week Ryo saying he needed a cell phone. This is later the same day, when some backup would have been helpful 😅

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
“See, a sword or a cell phone would be really useful about now,” he mutters. The child rokurokubi flies by in a tangle of dark hair, its long tongue flicking in and out. Reaching around Ryo-kun, I pull one of the small knives from his belt and stand with my back to his. He blinks, but doesn’t object. The three rokurokubi wind toward us, pressing in on all sides. Our knives aren’t strong enough to sever their powerful necks, but I’m silently hoping Ryo-kun has more tricks up his sleeve.
November 28, 2025 at 11:36 AM
erikachandler.bsky.social
When Jiro starts waking up to the reality of the spirit world, there is a heavy dose of denial and panic. #WIPsnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
Normally, his ki is sharp and efficient, but level. Today, it flickers like a strong fire blown by a stronger wind. He’s on edge, an anxious something gnawing on his mind. When I finally catch a glimpse of him, my breath snags in surprise. Disheveled, exhausted, dark splotches under his eyes—the face of a man who hasn’t slept in days. Nothing like Rin’s cool, controlled childhood friend who always shoots me dirty looks. Rin was right. Something happened to him.
November 27, 2025 at 10:44 AM
erikachandler.bsky.social
I have a WIP I finished a few years ago that is a mess, but I hope to totally rewrite it in the future. Every time I think about that though, I remember that requires reading the mess with years' distance, which sounds...harrowing 😅😂 #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity
November 26, 2025 at 6:33 PM
erikachandler.bsky.social
Ryo realizing that he probably needs to get a cell phone because Rin won’t be able to reach him the “normal” way (meaning she can’t send a paper shikigami messenger to wherever he happens to be lol)
#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
“There’s no way for you to reach me if you need me, so I’d better get Kin on it. For the others too.” “How do you normally communicate with each other?” I ask, pressing through toward the register. It’s about to be the last rush of people before the dinner hour. I hold back a sigh, thinking of how crowded House of Ramen will be and hoping I don’t get roped into a shift. But Ryo says the crowds are a good thing for us, because they deter yokai…and other things more dangerous.
November 26, 2025 at 10:01 AM
erikachandler.bsky.social
I avoided steamy, melodramatic YA love triangles. My characters’ romance feels slow but inevitable, rooted in mutual trust and emotional attachment over overt physical attraction. I liked how this was done in #FFXVI and shot for that tone in the current draft. #writesky #novmemeber #writingcommuntiy
sagetgreene.bsky.social Sage T. Greene, Author @sagetgreene.bsky.social · 15d
#Novmemeber 25

Anti-tropes: what are some tropes that you've purposefully avoided in your WIP? OR, are there any tropes that you've put a twist on?
25. Anti-tropes (tropes you've purposely avoided or put a twist?) 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 25, 2025 at 11:27 PM
erikachandler.bsky.social
Ryo under the influence of tsuchigumo venom has lowered inhibitions. Nothing crazy, but he has to concentrate hard to not say things that will mortify him later lol But he still thinks some of them.

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
“As I suspected.” Tetsuya kneels beside Rin and me, examining the wound. The cut is fine and shallow, but the flesh is irritated. “They must have coated their weapons in tsuchigumo venom.” “Venom?” Rin’s face goes pale. “No need to worry, Rin-san. In normal doses, tsuchigumo venom is meant to subdue, not kill. The venom induces confusion, and he probably has a splitting headache about now, but it should be out of his system in a few hours.”
November 25, 2025 at 9:57 AM
erikachandler.bsky.social
Finishing this draft by New Year’s would be so doable if I had the capacity to think after 7pm. Debating if I should set a more manageable goal now that I’m back to work, because I get so grumpy if I don’t hit my daily word quota 🫠 BUT I REALLY WANT IT DONE. 😩
#amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity
November 24, 2025 at 5:26 PM
erikachandler.bsky.social
No debuts around here, so we’re going with “appear.”

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity
I sense the wave of ki just as the forest sparks to life around me. Balls of cool blue flame burst into the clearing, whirling around the shrine before resting in front of me. The kitsune-bi dissipates as quickly as it appeared, and in its place a fox curls lazily at the base of its stone counterpart. The kitsune’s red fur flashes for a moment in the moonlight, illuminating seven bushy tails. Not a nine-tailed tenko, a celestial fox, but no spirit to be trifled with either.
November 24, 2025 at 11:10 AM
erikachandler.bsky.social
No “global” but about a million uses of “world” 😅

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
“The portal you came through is an aberration,” Ryo says. “That night your brother was killed…something cracked in the walls between the worlds.” My food is entirely forgotten now. I lean forward too. “What do you mean…cracked?” I ask cautiously. The earthy air in the small cave, already heavy, suddenly feels stifling.
November 23, 2025 at 11:07 AM