Gemma Smith
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Gemma Smith
@gemma-smith.bsky.social
210 followers 470 following 120 posts
💜 Mummy to two beautiful kids 💜 wife to a wonderful husband 💜 aspiring author
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Gemma Smith @gemma-smith.bsky.social · Aug 6
When their luxury liner sinks, Edith is rescued by a passing ship.

But one by one, the other survivors disappear...people the crew insist were never on board.

Terrified & unable to escape, Edith must hurry to unearth the ship's sinister secrets or become its latest victim…

#A #H #HF #QuestPit #W
A photo collage of early 1900s images (all black and white) - a luxury liner, a mirror with a hand and face trapped inside, a woman in a straitjacket, a sitting room on a luxury liner, a woman reading a book, a ghostly ship
Reposted by Gemma Smith
gemma-smith.bsky.social
When their luxury liner sinks, Edith is rescued by a passing ship.

But one by one, the other survivors disappear...people the crew insist were never on board.

Terrified & unable to escape, Edith must hurry to unearth the ship's sinister secrets or become its latest victim…

#A #H #HF #QuestPit #W
A photo collage of early 1900s images (all black and white) - a luxury liner, a mirror with a hand and face trapped inside, a woman in a straitjacket, a sitting room on a luxury liner, a woman reading a book, a ghostly ship
August 6, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
chrisakins.bsky.social
GRIM PORTENTS

HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE X CONSTANTINE

A man is murdered by a hell-beast on his wedding day. Now, with the help of the reaper who collected his soul, he must uncover who is releasing monsters from Hell if he wants to return to the life he was robbed of…

📖 #Q #A #P #F #M #D #Hu #QuestPit
Grim Portents cover featuring a skeleton hand holding a feather and emerging from an open book. The title is on a burning banner that envelops the feather and a large beast looms over it all. At the top, the tagline reads: Welcome to the first day of the end of your life… #writingcommunity "I always told myself it wasn't real. It was a figment of my imagination, the mind playing tricks. It was just a shadow. But now the monster had been given a name, an identity. It was real." BILL BAKER WANTS NOTHING MORE THAN TO MARRY THE WOMAN HE LOVES, BUT WHEN HIS WEDDING IS INTERRUPTED BY A RAMPAGING HELL-BEAST, HIS LIFE IS THROWN INTO DISARRAY. DESPERATE FOR A SECOND CHANCE, HE WILL DO ANYTHING TO SET HIS FUTURE BACK ON TRACK. NOW, WITH THE HELP OF A SOUL-COLLECTING REAPER NAMED SONNY, HE MUST UNCOVER WHO IS RELEASING MONSTERS FROM HELL, IN ORDER TO EARN BACK THE LIFE THAT WAS STOLEN FROM HIM AND PREVENT THE ONCOMING END OF DAYS. FACED WITH THE CHOICE BETWEEN WHAT IS RIGHT, AND WHAT IS EASY, BILL MAY HAVE TO SACRIFICE ALL HE HOLDS DEAR FOR ONE LAST SHOT AT LIFE. Black and white sketch of characters Bill and Sonny. Bill is a dark featured man in a suit and kind of a Mark Ruffalo vibe. Sonny is a rotting corpse man with a cardigan.
August 6, 2025 at 4:25 AM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
bvbodegom.bsky.social
CABIN IN THE WOODS × JOHN DIES AT THE END × DUNGEONS & DADDIES

A #litagents and #editors guide to DAD BODIES!

Big 5 interest!

#QuestPit #A #H #M #Q
agents guide for DAD BODIES. top left: moodboard layout with 9 squares 3 x 3, 6 have over the top terrified men (the dads), along the top and bottom 3 squares. Blood decal drips from top squares through the middle to the bottom ones. A Victorian mansion silhouette sits in the middle most left square, the title DAD BODIES in the middle, and right of that is the silhouette of a d20 with a skull icon showing. top right: PITCH & COMPS, CABIN IN THE WOODS X JOHN DIES AT THE END X KNIVES OUT, when their detective friend is murdered during annual gaming retreat, 5 dads nust use their years of ttrpg experience—and puns—to solve the crime before they're all killed off like npcs in a badly-written campaign. bottom left: "Fuck me, Troy." “That’s a bit inappropriate, Dave, considering the situation.” Dave averted his gaze from the bloodied corpse of their friend to face him. “Really, Troy? Now?” Troy shrugged. “Marv would’ve laughed.” The grin on his face faltered. Marv was lying in a pool of his own blood. The cause of death was clear, the hilt of the murder weapon protruding from his back. Since Marv was stiff as a board—not much different from his current state—they could rule out suicide. Marv was also more inclined to stab others in the back instead of himself. bottom right: DAD FRIENDS, HORROR AND MYSTERY, DARK HUMOR, SECLUDED MANOR, TTRPG ELEMENTS, DARK AND STORMY NIGHT.
August 6, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
juniperwoodbury.bsky.social
A twist on Roman Holiday with a touch of Midsommar set in a reimagined Babylon.

🧞‍♀️ Goddess trapped in a human body
🥐 Cinnamon roll boy who takes pity on her
🐠 Fish out of water story
🤺 Sisters getting revenge on each other
🍷 Creepy, mysterious cult
🏺 Ancient Babylon vibes
#questpit #Q #A #F #RF
A collage of figs, a mule on a dirt road, a goddess in a river, and sand, with the text "AGENT'S GUIDE, THE UNMAKING OF A MUSE, 109,000 words, Adult Romantasy" A background of sand with an illustration of a mesopotamian goddess and a lion, with the text: "THE UNMAKING OF A MUSE, Roman Holiday x Midsommar in ancient Babylon. Lali, a spoiled muse, persuades an innocent butcher to help her take down a human cult that's blocking her muse magic and brainwashing her sister into giving up eternal life — but when Lali starts falling for the earth-born butcher, it’s the first sign she's been brainwashed." Sand as a background with mesopotamian illustrations and text that says: "FIRST LINES, It’s tedious work, trying to inspire genius in mortals. It always has been. Even decades ago, long before this recent sun cycle, when they began to resist the muses’ influence." A background of sand, with images of books overlayed - Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan, Circe by Madeline Miller, Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor, and A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher, with the text "Comp Titles" above them and cuneiform letters below.
August 6, 2025 at 4:05 AM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
wottenmoss.bsky.social
#agentguide for WHEN THE MAGPIE FLIES (81k queer fantasy)

When troublemaker and hobbyist scholar Magpie is chosen by the spirits, she breaks an ancient tradition rather than leave her best friend behind—and brings the wrath of spirits and humans alike down upon the realm.

#questpit #Q #F
Text: An agent’s guide to When the Magpie Flies by M H Wottenmoss. Background of mountains, trees, and a giant mushroom. A magpie flies in the sky. Pitch: Magpie of Lornwhen, hobbyist scholar and incurable troublemaker, dreams of becoming a Conduit. As the realm’s only defense against monstrous spirits, Conduits are beloved and privileged—and it’s Magpie’s best chance to escape the undertow of poverty. When a spirit chooses her for the honor, marking her with a cold, entrancing touch, her dream is suddenly within reach. To fully ascend as a Conduit, Magpie, alongside the other newly-chosen, must embark on a journey into the heart of the spiritwoods. The only thing holding her back is her best friend, Calladonna. There are rumors about how Conduits are changed by the mysterious journey, and Calla can’t shake the feeling that if Magpie leaves, she won’t come back. Determined to reassure her, Magpie convinces Calla to come along in secret, hidden from the other Conduits. For the first time, Magpie’s future is bright and shining—until one of the other Conduits turns up dead, and it seems like Calla may be to blame. Comps: A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft: clueless lesbians, murder and betrayal, journey of ascension. Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher: found family, humor and darkness, perilous quest. Also featuring undiscovered magic, monstrous spirits, chaotic academia, ill-advised rituals, haunted forest, queer & autistic ensemble cast, giant mushrooms, original music Opening lines: The world went dark just after she jumped off the roof. In one moment she could see the clocktower before her, the ledge beneath its defunct face familiar and inviting, and in the next there was nothing. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence, necessarily, but damn if that wasn't inconvenient timing.
August 6, 2025 at 4:19 AM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
isaacxisaac.bsky.social
1. Be born tranſexual Anno 1645
2. Don 1000 yards of ribbon
3. ???
4. Manhood

In the case that further detail be required, pray consult:
THE DUEL IN 1660, a swashbuckling farce
#W #YA(?) #LGBT #histfic for #QuestPit
Infamous portrait of Duke Maximilian Philipp of Bavaria by Sebastiano Bombelli, 1666, in an elaborate golden Baroque frame. This mustachioed nobleman has very long curly brown hair (possibly a periwig), an open doublet with dozens of tiny silver buttons, massive petticoat breeches, voluminous sleeves and lacy cannons, and a truly terrifying quantity of blue and pink ribbon hanging from every part of his body. He wears shoes with high red heels. 17th century handwriting over the image reads: This is the ideal male body. You may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like.
August 6, 2025 at 4:02 AM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
ashleyrugg.bsky.social
YA Gothic romance • BRIDGERTON x DRACULA x PRINCE HARRY+MEGHAN DRAMA

👑a deadly royal court
🩸ceremonial hunts & balls
👑meet-cutes + murder-cutes
🩸there's only one haystack
👑Targaryan-esque family trees
🩸blood type tasting (respectfully)
🔥burning it all down (less respectfully)

#QuestPit #YA #Q
August 6, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
authormarinalucas.bsky.social
When the mayor’s perfect daughter Lacey Bennet must ally with societal outcast Danira Keres to save her dying brother—the heir to their plague-ravaged world’s brutal patriarchy—her journey becomes one of monsters, impossible love and a fight for the key to humanity’s salvation.

#questpit #Q #A
A faded dark blue background title page Faded dark blue background with the pitch for the Other Side of Eternity Comps page with the same faded dark blue background, with pictures of the covers of Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir and Fable for The End of The World by Ava Reid Faded dark blue background with drawings of an undead lady screaming and a skeletal monster crouching, with a list of tropes and themes in the center
August 6, 2025 at 4:35 AM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
prettywittybooks.bsky.social
The Lost Apothecary x Anita De Monte Laughs Last 🔍

A grieving woman finds solace investigating a 1930s mystery of a hidden wife that seemed to have jumped off an overnight ferry following the news of her Hollywood exec husband’s demise. Inspired by a true story, dual timeline.
#questpit #Q
#A #MY
Golden Gate Bridge, Couple Holding Hands, Opulent Ballroom, Black and White portrait of a 1930s woman, ferry boat on water at sunset, hollywood sign, hands being held to comfort, woman at library looking at a book shelf. Middle square reads Project Darling Vibes
August 6, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
gemma-smith.bsky.social
🔪 Ada - a medium & fraud, turns to murder, determined to create a ghost for her show

🪦 Harriet - terrified of spirits, cursed with the ability to hear them

☠️ When her best friend is murdered, Harriet must face her fear & seek out the dead to hunt the killer

✨Dual POV #questpit #a #hf #w #q soon
A collage of Victorian-era images surrounding the words 'when the dead talk, secrets don't stay buried.' The images include: a woman holding a candle, a policeman finding a body, four images of seances, a woman stalking another woman in the street, and a slum.
August 6, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
sampeil.bsky.social
🏳️‍🌈3 bi disasters take on the end of the world

🧎‍♂️The Preacher = out for blood
🧟‍♀️The Horde = hunting for flesh
🥼The Dentist = can't stop smiling

THE Z WORD x THE WALKING DEAD

#questpit #q #lgbt #h #sf #a
image of Black Hills, amphitheater seats that are orange, cloudy sky. On a stage there is a horde of zombies (mostly sillhouettes). One zombie is crawling amongst the stadium seats. one zombie close up along the right side of the image. Blood splatter across the whole image starting from bottom left corner. white text: THE DENTIST WILL EAT YOU NOW.
August 6, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
marialevato.com
Pitch Thread 1/4: The Fate of Angels and Demons

Logline:
A priestess sent to prevent a prophecy from unfolding falls in love with the demon king at the center of it all—and goes even more insane than he is.
#questpit #r #f #rf #wip #amediting #spicy #writingcommunity #booksky 💙📚
Graphic 1 for The Fate of Angels and Demons Graphic 2 for The Fate of Angels and Demons. Blurb P1 for The Fate of Angels and Demons. Blurb P2 for The Fate of Angels and Demons.
August 6, 2025 at 4:04 AM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
tempestteapot.bsky.social
A bastard gentrywoman, Kahyla protects her siblings against assassins, demon-eaten mages, and rivals intent on the throne. She faces a DEMON’S BARGAIN where all the options are bad: fight with soul-destroying magic or lose her family, her beloved, and her life.

#BluePit 📖 #F #R #YA #A #Q
Graphic shows silhouette of couple filled with courtyard, leather armor, and a structure consumed by flames. Six of Crows X Witch King Demon's Bargain A bastard gentrywoman, Kahyla struggles to protect her siblings against assassins, demon-eaten mages, and political rivals intent on the throne. She faces a demon's bargain: fight with soul-destroying magic or lose her family, her beloved, and her life. 120k Epic Fantasy Novel. Tropes list: Deliberate values dissonance Feminist within patriarchy Heel-face turn Slow burn Forbidden love Powers via Possession Coming of Age Quiet girl finds her voice Target markets: adult fantasy for darker themes, detailed world-building, and a blend of magic and political intrigue. YA for coming-of-age story and slow burn romance, while skewing older for the consequences of difficult life choices. #F #R #YA #A #Q Body count 11, proposals 4, weddings 2
July 13, 2025 at 4:09 AM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
dawnberkoski.bsky.social
Raised by corporate vampires with little freedom or choice, Alex is used to Yakuza business rivals and back-alley deals. But nothing prepares him for Jason, a witty bartender who challenges everything he knows, and who harbors secrets as deadly as the vampires after him. #questpit #PR #Q #A #writing
Agent guide for I Am Chosen, M/M paranormal romance. The picture is of a fiery orange and purple sunset over a highway. Photography and story by Dawn Berkoski Several photos are shown in this Moodboard for I Am Chosen, a paranormal romance. From the top left, a glass of aged scotch surrounded by butterscotch candies, a CEO standing in a high rise office, staring out a window, a giant hotel clock surrounded by Christmas decor, a photo of art depicting demons rising from hell, a sunset with black, billowy clouds hovering over an orange stripe, a dirty cement staircase near a darkened entrance, and the city of London as viewed from the river. Photography, except the man, by Dawn Berkoski Photo of a vibrant sunset over a graveyard as seen from the window of a fast moving vehicle. It reads: PITCH: IN A WORLD CONTROLLED BY CORPORATE VAMPIRES, TWO MEN STRUGGLE FOR AUTONOMY. WILL A CHANCE MEETING LEAD THEM TO FREEDOM, OR A WEB OF SUBTERFUGE, WHERE EVERY THREAD BRINGS A MONSTER OFFERING DEATH OR PERMANTENT CONFINEMENT? Photo by Dawn Berkoski Book vibes are all about the feel of the writing, setting, and story. The Blue Blood Series by Melissa de la Cruz Is used to represent the wealthy elite vampires living in New York, the fish out of water trope, dark secrets, and others. The Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice is used to represent young vampires rebelling against old rules and customs. Travel and setting also play a role. A plot point was inspired by the novel. Yakuza, Japan’s Criminal Underworld by David Kaplan and Alec Dubro, is used to represent some of the vampire rivals business practices. It plays a role in the series arch. Photography at the bottom: A dark cement staircase and photo of the London Eye by Dawn Berkoski
August 6, 2025 at 4:11 AM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
fosterja8.bsky.social
IDLE OF A PSYCHOPOMP:

MY HUSBAND X ANNIHILATION

💔 Obsession
🌃 Subtle Dystopia
👀 Psychological Thriller
⚖️ Dual Perspectives
☠️ Thanatophobia
👫 One Volatile Marriage
#QuestPit #Q #A #T #agentsguide
IDLE OF A PSYCHOPOMP POSTER
August 6, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
kllempereur.bsky.social
A brutal god who consumes the life-force of living things catches up to the heroes who tried to stop her, and takes their daughter as a trophy. Now trapped on the god's ship, Calypso must get close enough to find out her ultimate plans without being consumed in the process.

#QuestPit #YA #A #SFF #W
An aesthetic collage for this story idea, featuring neons, sapphics, and space imagery.
August 6, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
jenniferluce.bsky.social
Here's a moodboard for GUMIHO, my 76k Upmarket Horror Romance.

🇰🇷 Inspired by Korean folklore
🖤Told through the eyes of an anti-hero gumiho
🌧Set in modern-day PNW
🥀Dark, intimate prose
🌀Psychological unraveling & monstrous transformation
❤️Laced with a slow-burn romance

#questpit #A #H #R #Q
August 6, 2025 at 2:19 PM
gemma-smith.bsky.social
I woke up to such an amazing surprise - 2 agent likes (1 here and 1 on the other place) and so much support from my fellow writing community. You guys rock!

Doing my best to catch up on all the incredible pitches! If I’ve missed your pitch and you want some extra love on it, let me know! #questpit
August 6, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
deannaunwritten.bsky.social
LUCY UNDYING X FOR THE WOLF

Ginevra was remade to be a weapon. But inside, something thorned and grieving is breaking free.

#QuestPit #Df #Q #H
Veins of Calris title, hands with plants growing from stitches in the skin Stained glass windows behind a woman in a veil, an overgrown window arch, a rose bouquet in a dagger sheath with the dagger on top, and a spiderweb
August 6, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
holdencreates.bsky.social
GIDEON THE NINTH X THE FOXGLOVE KING
A sapphic political intrigue fantasy that features:
- a twisty murder mystery
- sentient, decaying magic with a price
- magical history lost to corruption
- childhood friends-to-enemies-to-????
- women’s wrongs
#QuestPit #AG #A #F
August 6, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
zillawrites.bsky.social
At Hotel Adair, doors lock themselves, spectral scenes play out in empty rooms, &Cody's friends die in ways her favorite slashers can’t script. If she wants to protect her bff &survive, she must become a Final Girl who doesn’t just fight monsters but herself.

#QuestPit #Q #A #H
August 6, 2025 at 11:32 AM
gemma-smith.bsky.social
🔪 Ada - a medium & fraud, turns to murder, determined to create a ghost for her show

🪦 Harriet - terrified of spirits, cursed with the ability to hear them

☠️ When her best friend is murdered, Harriet must face her fear & seek out the dead to hunt the killer

✨Dual POV #questpit #a #hf #w #q soon
A collage of Victorian-era images surrounding the words 'when the dead talk, secrets don't stay buried.' The images include: a woman holding a candle, a policeman finding a body, four images of seances, a woman stalking another woman in the street, and a slum.
August 6, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
kjsilver.bsky.social
❤️‍🔥 THE HEALER WITCH ❤️‍🔥

If you thought coming back to the place you hate the most was bad, imagine getting tangled in a Healer’s dodgy business AND constantly putting your life in danger in the process.

The odds are not in their favour, but the Gods are.

#agentsguide #questpit #Q #A #F
Purple and orange flames over a dark background. White text reads: The Guardians of Melya present, The Healer Witch. A Bewitched 97K Adult Fantasy by K J Silver Purple and orange flames over a dark background. The white text reads: The pitch - Captain Onwyn Storm's life changes the moment he agrees to work for General Redwood, though he will soon learn just how much. While trying to prove himself and fulfill the bargain he's made to be rid of his father's corrupting influence once and for all he is forces to work with Lunary. A Healer Witch who has more secrets than he can keep track of and could very well cost him everything he has worked so hard for. Or his life, if he's not careful. Purple and orange flames over a dark background. The white text reads: Inside the healer witch - Morally grey FMC, cozy with a dash of darkness, the slowest flame to ever burn, meddling gods, found family that annoy each other to death, sentient houses and secret libraries. 3 pictures on top of it are: the cover for The Courting of Bristol Keats and The Witch Collector, as well as a poster for Avatar the Last Airbender Purple and orange flames over a dark background. White text reads: The Prologue - And so Ylluriel had endured centuries of watching how they destroyed each other. Over land, resources, family feuds. The reason didn’t seem to matter, for they always found another excuse to turn against one another. The greed, the hopelessness. The anger and blood lust. The jealousy and despair. They had all infected the lands of Melya like a plague that no one could stop. Ylluriel had easily grown tired of staying aside. Of having the power to change things and not do anything to help the children that she loved so fiercely. Her love was so great that she was willing to go against Melya herself, the Mother of all. Her grandmother. It wasn’t the first time she had defied her, after all, and she was sure it would not be the last. Especially not when a child, so desperate to live, had found her way to her realm.
August 6, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
rowanbrightonbrown.bsky.social
With their attempts at coming out repeatedly thwarted and the attempts on their life getting more and more serious, Andy realizes they’re being stalked by their pre-transition doppelganger—and she won’t stop until she’s taken the life they thought they’d left behind
#QuestPit #AG #YA
August 6, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Reposted by Gemma Smith
rowanbrightonbrown.bsky.social
The pregnant sex ed teacher is the first to fall. Then anyone who’s touched or been touched is up in flames and speaking with one voice. In the shadow of the spread, two girls must learn all they were never taught and see if you really can fight fire with fire
#QuestPit #AG #YA
August 6, 2025 at 4:01 AM