Kayleigh Diaz
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kleighdiaz.bsky.social
Kayleigh Diaz
@kleighdiaz.bsky.social
630 followers 930 following 2.3K posts
Mother, educator, bibliophile. Aspiring author with a penchant for acquiring entirely too many old books. 📚
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kleighdiaz.bsky.social
Kayleigh Diaz @kleighdiaz.bsky.social · 2d
Sharing this stunning piece I had commissioned from @professoremily.bsky.social for my little post-apoc kiddos! Thank you so much, Emily!! You’re the best!

Featuring: Micah, Lennie, and the one-and-only Shrimp.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky
Digital art by @professoremily.bsky.social of a teen boy (~15), teen girl (~14), and young boy (~10): Micah, Lennie, and Shrimp, respectively, from my post-apocalyptic WIP. Upward-angle view of them, set against a backdrop of trees. They show signs of trekking through the woods—arms and knees scuffed up, clothes disheveled and muddy. Micah is closest in the foreground, with a dark crossbow partially raised, an arrow set in it with a purple fletching. He’s looking to his left, on alert. He has tan skin, medium-length brown hair, blue eyes, and wears a black, sleeveless vest, green v-neck shirt, and dark jeans. Behind him is Lennie, in a blue shirt and red shorts. She has copper hair (braided) and matching eyes with a smattering of freckles across lightly tanned cheeks. She’s looking off into the distance with an expression of concern, her face partially in shadow while she holds Shrimp’s hand. He is bald and pale-skinned, though partially illuminated by golden sunlight, smiling and seemingly carefree—a stark contrast to the expressions of the other two. He wears mismatched clothing: a loose red tie that hangs low on his chest, a wrinkled, orange-collared shirt, and a faded maroon robe. Golden hour sunlight shines through massive trees, a canopy of green obscuring the sky, foliage on the forest floor, mushroom caps on tree trunks. A single, bent 70mph speed limit sign is off to the left, covered in rust.
kleighdiaz.bsky.social
Wondering how tf I hurt my knee this morning when all I did was get dressed and curl my hair...

*Thinks about it.*

Ohhh, I jumped to get into my jeans. 😅😅

Aging is fun, y'all. Very cool, very fun. 🫠
November 13, 2025 at 4:47 PM
kleighdiaz.bsky.social
We need to fundamentally restructure the educational system if we're going to combat AI.

Unfortunately, education doesn't have a great track record of quickly pivoting to address societal concerns.

#teaching
November 12, 2025 at 6:07 PM
kleighdiaz.bsky.social
#WIPSnips | shirt = vest

Lennie's first (& probably last) time being intoxicated. She's gonna have a hell of a hangover. 😅

From my post-apocalyptic #WIP w/ a misfit trio of kids (one a little stranger than the rest).

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #amwriting
Writing snippet: The drink had gone to her head, and she had to steady herself, hiccuping as she walked past the fire to where he lay asleep. She crouched over him. “Shrimp,” she whispered, inches from his face; her own breath bounced back at her in a cloud of ethanol and she winced. “Shrimp, wake up.” His eyes snapped open. She examined them closely, the mismatched hazel and blue, only there seemed to be four now instead of two. “You an alien, Shrimp?” she asked, squinting to focus. “Blink once if yes. Twice for no.” He stared at her, unblinking. She watched a minute, then muttered, “Gaddamnit,” went to stand and fell back, catching herself inches from the fire with a whoop of laughter. Micah stoked the logs. “Careful, now. He might be fireproof, but you ain't.” She groaned and ambled over to him on shaky legs, sitting beside him on the overlarge stump. She reached down for the bottle of shine at his feet, but he snatched it up, taking a long swig and grimacing before setting it on the other side of him. “Absolutely not, ma’am.” “Aw, y’old curmudgeon,” she said, but she laid her head on his shoulder, the leather of his vest warm and soft from the heat of the flames, smiled, and closed her eyes.
November 12, 2025 at 1:20 PM
kleighdiaz.bsky.social
Sharing this stunning piece I had commissioned from @professoremily.bsky.social for my little post-apoc kiddos! Thank you so much, Emily!! You’re the best!

Featuring: Micah, Lennie, and the one-and-only Shrimp.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky
Digital art by @professoremily.bsky.social of a teen boy (~15), teen girl (~14), and young boy (~10): Micah, Lennie, and Shrimp, respectively, from my post-apocalyptic WIP. Upward-angle view of them, set against a backdrop of trees. They show signs of trekking through the woods—arms and knees scuffed up, clothes disheveled and muddy. Micah is closest in the foreground, with a dark crossbow partially raised, an arrow set in it with a purple fletching. He’s looking to his left, on alert. He has tan skin, medium-length brown hair, blue eyes, and wears a black, sleeveless vest, green v-neck shirt, and dark jeans. Behind him is Lennie, in a blue shirt and red shorts. She has copper hair (braided) and matching eyes with a smattering of freckles across lightly tanned cheeks. She’s looking off into the distance with an expression of concern, her face partially in shadow while she holds Shrimp’s hand. He is bald and pale-skinned, though partially illuminated by golden sunlight, smiling and seemingly carefree—a stark contrast to the expressions of the other two. He wears mismatched clothing: a loose red tie that hangs low on his chest, a wrinkled, orange-collared shirt, and a faded maroon robe. Golden hour sunlight shines through massive trees, a canopy of green obscuring the sky, foliage on the forest floor, mushroom caps on tree trunks. A single, bent 70mph speed limit sign is off to the left, covered in rust.
November 11, 2025 at 1:40 PM
kleighdiaz.bsky.social
Switching it up with THREE truths & a lie 😈

1. I have a small piece of the Titanic. 🚢
2. I collect antique books, and the oldest I own is from the 1860s. 📚
3. I'm learning to ride a motorcycle. Vroom vroom. 🏍️
4. I started writing two years ago as a SAHM in need of a creative outlet. 🤱

#Novmemeber
sagetgreene.bsky.social Sage T. Greene, Author @sagetgreene.bsky.social · 3d
#Novmemeber 10

Corporate-style icebreaker jump scare 😱: tell us a fun fact about you, the author!

This is meant to be fun, so if "fun facts" make you cringe, feel free to adjust this prompt. You could do two truths and a lie, or just give us a non-personal fun fact that brings you joy.
10. Get to know the author: a fun fact about YOU 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 10, 2025 at 5:59 PM
kleighdiaz.bsky.social
@sagetgreene.bsky.social said "no cheating" for today's # Novmemeber, which I was planning to do, so I'll share this disassociated from the tag. 😅

Sneak peek of art I'm commissioning from @professoremily.bsky.social. 😍❤️

#WritingCommunity
Line work of a commissioned drawing, a young girl holding a kid's hand. Both disheveled, dirty, the kid wearing a loose, rumpled tie, collared shirt, robe.
November 9, 2025 at 2:06 PM
kleighdiaz.bsky.social
#WIPSnips | picture

From my post-apocalyptic #WIP w/ a misfit trio of kids.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #amwriting
Writing snippet: She plucked a dusty picture off the wall, rubbed the glass with the bottom of her sleeve, revealing a smiling family of four. A dark-haired man with his arm around a lighter-haired woman—her neck rolled back, caught mid-laugh—two children in bathing suits, a sand castle between them. “Shrimp!” she called. “Come here, come take a look at this.” He meandered over and she pointed, her finger hitting the glass, leaving behind a smudge of dirt. “See that? In the background there? All that blue.” She grinned, almost as wide as the woman in the picture. “That's the ocean.” Her chest swelled as she breathed it in, imagining the sweet, sea-salt air. “That's where we're going.”
November 9, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Reposted by Kayleigh Diaz
thecrumpet.bsky.social
November 8 #WIPsnips – “little”

Sometimes it’s size, and sometimes it’s perspective. Jenny and Gregory are discussing Shelley’s “Mont Blanc,” but is that really all they’re talking about? As he likes to tell his students, “There’s no text without subtext.” A snip from my #WIP “Surface Tension.”
“Gregory,” she said, and the shape of it was wobbly in her mouth. She decided she liked it. “I guess… I get what it means to be in awe of vastness. Like, back in Mansfield—that’s where I’m from in Iowa, it’s up by the Minnesota border—sometimes, I’d be outside at night, just to look at the stars, and I felt so small. Like the night sky stretched on forever, and here I was, one miniscule person, but that was okay. That my smallness was my place in the world.” Gregory leaned closer again, even though Malcolm had turned the music down a few songs ago. “Go on.” “But Shelley isn’t just talking about Mont Blanc, about the mountain, is he? He’s talking about that moment when you’re facing down something enormous, something completely unconscious of you, little you, and…” She trailed off, embarrassed. She’d never exposed herself like this to anyone, let alone to a teacher, and she ducked her head. “And?” The room’s warmth squeezed the breath from her lungs, like she was drowning without a drop of water nearby. She looked up, and Gregory’s brown eyes were kind, so kind, had she ever known someone so kind? “And beautiful. Beautiful, and terrifying. Beneath the sky, I was nothing to the stars, no matter how beautiful I thought they were. The vastness scares me, but I have to look.” Gregory—for he was Gregory now, as he ever would be from now on—exhaled. “‘Power dwells apart in its tranquility,’” he recited. “‘Remote, serene, and inaccessible…’ Inaccessible, but we can’t keep ourselves from trying to touch it, can we?” Jenny nodded and finished her glass. “You’re right, Gregory.” Yes, she liked the shape of his name in her mouth just fine.
November 8, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Reposted by Kayleigh Diaz
martinjohn.bsky.social
You know, I’m 46, studying writing at University, something tech bros tell me has no future, but I’ve never felt more sure that I wanted to create fiction in my whole life.
November 7, 2025 at 4:38 PM
kleighdiaz.bsky.social
🦗👥👣👤👣🌲🌲🌲🩸😰🌲🫣🤠🔫🥺💊🤠😭😔👥👣🌊👤😭👥🥲🥹🛶⛵🚢🥹[redacted emoji]

The End.

#Novmemeber
sagetgreene.bsky.social Sage T. Greene, Author @sagetgreene.bsky.social · 5d
#Novmemeber 8

Using only emojis, tell us the plot of your WIP. You can be as detailed or as sparse as you like.

Now try guessing what other posters' plots are!
8. Write your WIP’s plot using only emojis
November 8, 2025 at 11:18 AM
kleighdiaz.bsky.social
#WIPSnips | little ✨vibes

🦗

From my post-apocalyptic #WIP w/ a misfit trio of kids.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #amwriting
Writing snippet: “Shrimp!” she hissed, crouching low. “C’mon, we have to go!” He scrambled frantically, hands out in front of him, searching through the leaves and thicket. “Shrimp, leave the damn thing!” Lennie said as the voices drew closer. “We'll find you another cricket, c'mon!”
November 8, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Reposted by Kayleigh Diaz
badlitfriends.bsky.social
NEW BAD LIT FRIENDS EP! 2 IN 1 WEEK! YES THIS SCHEDULE WAS ON PURPOSE!*

In this episode, we kick off a three part series: So You Want to Write a Novel—Really? (no really, why would you do this?) We talk reality checks, genre panic, POV disasters & some salty Hot Goss. #writesky #podcast

*it wasn't
Spotify – Web Player
open.spotify.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:11 PM
kleighdiaz.bsky.social
When I was a freshman in high school, my parents knew I was into fantasy novels (I'd finished Pullman's Dark Materials & Nix’s Old Kingdom trilogies), & I mentioned to them a book I’d seen a friend reading.

So for Christmas, they bought me A Game of Thrones. 🙃

Bit of a shock there.

#Bookvember
woodenvelt.bsky.social Samantha Breaux @woodenvelt.bsky.social · 6d
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 9:29 PM
kleighdiaz.bsky.social
#WIPSnips | movement ✨vibes

Wrote a HAPPY scene (to appease some folks 😅😉).

From my post-apocalyptic #WIP w/ a misfit trio of kids.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #amwriting
Writing snippet: It was that golden hour when the sunlight bled through the leaves as they lifted and danced in answer to the wind. Lennie gazed up at them, transfixed by the shifting patterns, the colors—russet, amber and orange. Both caught and free, she thought as the little things fought their stems. Then Micah’s laugh broke the quiet, and she sat up, looking to the middle of the clearing. He was sitting cross-legged in front of Shrimp, tracing something in the dirt with a twig. Shrimp was frowning, shaking his head as he grabbed the stick from Micah's hands. “What's so funny?” she asked, standing and dusting off her pants. Micah scratched his head. “Uhh, we're drawing.” She headed over, and there, side by side, were two clear illustrations of Shrimp. Only, the one closest to Micah was way out of proportion, Shrimp’s bald head enormous, eyes like saucers, a tiny stick-figure body scratched beneath. The other was a piece of art, as far as art in the dirt went: fluid, sweeping lines, an exact replica of his outfit, down to the loose tie and swaying hem of his robe, caught up in a phantom breeze. “Wow, kid,” she said. Then she tilted her head when she saw something small and oddly shaped in the background, set amid a field of what she took to be stars. “Huh.” She glanced at Shrimp, but his expression was as still as that of his image in the earth. “That sure looks like—” “Don't say it,” Micah muttered. “But—” “Nope.” “But it's got”—she gestured emphatically—“them lights and everything!”
November 7, 2025 at 9:25 AM
kleighdiaz.bsky.social
This is…startlingly accurate. Just needs a cricket. 😅

#Novmemeber
November 7, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Reposted by Kayleigh Diaz
tkingfisher.com
The arc of history is a foot-long, but it bends towards justice.
jamieson.bsky.social Dave Jamieson @jamieson.bsky.social · 6d
🚨🚨🚨 The jury has reached a verdict. Sean Dunn, aka the DC Sandwich Guy, has been found NOT GUILTY of assault.
November 6, 2025 at 8:25 PM
kleighdiaz.bsky.social
It's an R.E.M. playlist 🎶:

1. “It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”
2. “Losing My Religion”
3. “Everybody Hurts”

🙃

#Novmemeber
sagetgreene.bsky.social Sage T. Greene, Author @sagetgreene.bsky.social · 7d
#Novmemeber 6

Share a song that reminds you of your WIP. It could relate to the plot, your inspiration, or just vibes 🎶
6. A song that reminds you of your WIP 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 6, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Reposted by Kayleigh Diaz
annlittler.bsky.social
A sneak peek at my new WIP for #QuestPit

Rapunzel X Eastern European Folklore

#TowerWIP #W #YA #H #R
1) Scottish Highlands 2) Two teens silhouetted 3) A dead body 4) Teens hiking in mist 5) A crumbling Scottish castle 6) A figure with a scythe
November 5, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Reposted by Kayleigh Diaz
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.

#P #F #H #PR #Hu #OWN #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… 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. "I HAD ALWAYS TOLD MYSELF 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. Ad for Grim Portents, featuring a print copy of the book and an ebook on an iPhone. A QR code that takes you to my website and the words “Scan to learn more about debut paranormal fantasy novel Grim Portents” below it. Under that, it says “Available online anywhere books are sold!” And above it all is the tagline “Welcome to the first day of the end of your life”
November 5, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by Kayleigh Diaz
kananiokelly.bsky.social
MOANA x SHADOW AND BONE

An #agentsguide to WHISPERS OF THE SEA, my #amquerying young adult fantasy.

Feat:
🌊 Hawaiian-inspired mythology
🌋 setting as a character
🌊 angry female mc

#QuestPit #YA #F #Q #OwnVoices #AgentGuide
The introduction to my young adult novel, Whispers of the Sea. The pitch: A teen girl embarks on a journey to a mysterious island where she’ll team up with a boy to uncover the whereabouts of her missing uncle. But to save him, Keahi must interfere with the King’s plans to restore power to his kingdom—except the throne was never his to claim, and the island only answers to one: the girl with a heart of fire. For fans of: Disney’s Moana, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, and Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle
November 5, 2025 at 5:08 AM
Reposted by Kayleigh Diaz
zprospero.bsky.social
GOOD OMENS X THE OFFICE

Virgil Mora, Hell's Consultant, has 3 months to turn the business around to save Lucifer, the angel he's fallen for, getting a celestial pink slip.

But his old job, and mistakes, come back to haunt him. Literally.

#QuestPit #W #A #F #LGBT
A 3x3 grid surmounted by the words "Hell Is Work" in yellow on an orange background. Images are: 1 - A black pawn topples a white king on a chessboard. 2 - A man in a white suit is back to back with a man in a black suit. They are holding hands. 3 - A puppet about to have it's strings cut. 4 - An angel with a glowing orange halo casting him in a red light. 5 - A lit lighter being held in a man's hand. 6 - A businessman with steepled fingers. 7 - A weeping man is crouched in a tunnel hiding from the light. 8 - A businessman stares at his shadow which has horns and a tail. 9 - Sand running through a person's fingers.
November 5, 2025 at 5:00 AM
Reposted by Kayleigh Diaz
sagetgreene.bsky.social
OUT IN 4 DAYS 📣

A family of royals aims for perfection and tradition, but a series of whirlwind romances could send the veneer of perfection and desire for tradition up in flames.

🌼 cozy vibes
🤫 secret relationships
🌈 queer rep
💕💕💕 3 couples at different stages

#P NOV 9
#QuestPit #A #R #F #RF
November 5, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Reposted by Kayleigh Diaz
thecrumpet.bsky.social
GREEN DOT x CLEOPATRA AND FRANKENSTEIN

SURFACE TENSION: The problem with studying women who make bad choices? You start to see yourself all over the syllabus. Jenny’s entanglement with her English professor isn’t fiction, but she’s starting to wish it was. #A #UP #W #QuestPit
A collage of photos: a young woman in repose with her eyes closed, in half-profile, sun reflecting on her face; a man’s hand pushing an elevator button; John Singer Sargent’s “Portrait of Madame X,” a painting of a young woman in a sleeveless black dress; a black and white photo of a man embracing a woman from behind, in front of what looks like hotel room window sheers; red and white dahlia flowers on a black background; looking over the shoulder of a person reading a manuscript; a black and white photo taken from the vantage of a woman looking down at her black high heels; a view down a hallway where doorways are visible on the walls; a collection of botanical books open to pages with flowers; a black and white photo of a hotel bed, with an open book, a room service plate, and what looks like recent signs of intimacy; a colorful row of books on a shelf; the title of the WIP “Surface Tension” is superimposed in a central rectangle.
November 5, 2025 at 9:09 PM
kleighdiaz.bsky.social
Bad guy’s green flags? GREEN?!

Uhh. He has a nice hat. 🤠 And he's a good shot. 😬

(Doesn't relate to today's #WIPSnips at all…)

#Novmemeber
sagetgreene.bsky.social Sage T. Greene, Author @sagetgreene.bsky.social · 8d
#Novmemeber 5

Yeah, your Antagonist has flaws, but what are some green flags of theirs?
🟩

Can't think of any/not applicable to your villain? What would THEY say are their green flags?

Not a person, but a construct/idea? What do proponents say?
5. Your Antagonist’s green flags 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 5, 2025 at 1:20 PM
kleighdiaz.bsky.social
#WIPSnips | trail

Lennie encountering a less-than-ideal scene after searching for meds for her friend.

(Context: Micah's pretty good at tracking.)

From my post-apocalyptic #WIP w/ a misfit trio of kids.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #amwriting
Writing snippet: Shrimp pulled at her arm again, but she planted her feet and shook him off. “No!” she cried, staring him down. There was no trace of fire left in his eyes. Just a grim resignation. She picked up the bow and slung it over her shoulder. “I might not be Micah Ellis,” she said, turning from him, “but I sure as hell can follow a trail of blood.”
November 5, 2025 at 10:27 AM