Author Maria J. Hart 🍉🐺🩸📚
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mariajhart.bsky.social
Author Maria J. Hart 🍉🐺🩸📚
@mariajhart.bsky.social
2K followers 880 following 2.5K posts
Neurodivergent indie author of Born Anew in Blood - a bisexual paranormal romance available now! 🇵🇸🇨🇩🇸🇩 she/her 🚫AI slop mariajhartwrites@gmail.com
Same name on tiktok!
https://linktr.ee/MariaJHart
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mariajhart.bsky.social
I donated to @sandraproudman.bsky.social’s We the People summer fundraiser!

www.32auctions.com/organization...
THE BLOOD OF TENAZERYTH DUOLOGY + NOVELLA (SIGNED COPIES) FROM MARIA J. HART
August 18, 2025 at 12:46 AM
mariajhart.bsky.social
#WIPsnips “cheap” snippet
= WinterWIP + "He wasn't good enough for you, you know." My gut twists. "Don't," I hiss. She flips her indigo hair over her shoulder. "Не wasn't. He took you for granted." I grip the handle of the Queen's silver dagger that I've got tucked into my belt, avoiding her blazing eyes. "You should have someone who actually appreciates you." She steps closer, but this time, I hold my ground, even as she reaches up to brush my jaw with a gloved finer. "Who recognizes you for what you are — a king." That takes me by surprise, and when I finally do look at her, I'm snagged by her intense gaze. Her irises are the exact same shade as the roses in Hawk's garden back home. I wonder, not for the first time, how much it cost her and her sister to have their irises changed. The Mages that specialize in body manipulation aren't cheap by any means.
August 13, 2025 at 12:36 PM
mariajhart.bsky.social
#WIPsnips “split”
= WinterWIP + 3 The Queen's brow furrows as she takes a sip of yet more caffeine. How she isn't vibrating hard enough to split the atoms of the air around her, I have no idea. "Make it there? Don't you just need me to set off Nimue's alarm clock or something?" He huffs in amusement. "When did I ever say it would be so simple?" She shrugs, clearly agitated. "When I was in the cage, I said you needed me to wake her up, and you didn't deny it." She jerks her thumb at me. "I assume his magic isn't strong enough to do it alone, which is why you need me." Merlin's lip curls in amusement. I know that look — it's the look that says a lecture is coming. I barely manage to contain my groan. "Yes, you did say that." He reaches for his shoulder, stops, then scratches the side of his neck. "You did quite a bit of talking while you were imprisoned. But you didn't do any listening, did you?" She frowns. He looks at me with raised eyebrows. I sigh. "There are no uncomfortable silences. Only opportunities for the wise to listen and the fool to provide information," I intone. "You got that from a cross-stitch, didn't you?"
August 12, 2025 at 12:41 PM
mariajhart.bsky.social
#WIPsnips “real” snippet of one of the first interactions between the poltergeist and the family cat. This is before she finds out that the humans she’s supposed to haunt have ADHD and will not, in fact, be noticing when things are out of place.
= PoltergeistWIP + I stick out a hand as if to shake his paw, then retract it awkwardly. "Nice to meet you, Magnus. I'm Aislinn O'Connell." He peers at me with those big green eyes. Hello, Aislinn. Why do you want to scare my human? "Well, I don't really want to. It's just my job." That is, historically, one of the very worst excuses for doing something, you know. I give him a withering look. "The afterlife runs on the fear of the Livings. It's just how it is." I reach into Helena's backpack, and my hand passes through something heavy that I assume is a textbook. But when I focus and pull it out, it's a black drawstring bag. I'm about to open it when the cat hops onto the table and startles me. Are you a robber as well? His tone is that of an adult who caught a child with a hand in the cookie jar. I roll my eyes. "Relax, fuzzball. It's the first step in my process. Messing with personal items is Poltergeist 101. They'll notice things moving on their own, start to get uneasy in this big creepy house, and then I'll start with the real activity." The tip of his tail flits in what almost seems like amusement. Good luck with that.
August 11, 2025 at 7:16 PM
mariajhart.bsky.social
#QueerWriters “hair” snippet from my sapphic rom com about a poltergeist and the woman with ADHD she’s trying — unsuccessfully — to haunt.
= PoltergeistWIP She gives me a sly look. "Personal question, so feel free not to answer it, but ... are you into women?" I stick out my lower lip dramatically. "Not nearly as often as I'd like to be." She laughs out loud at that, just as Kalina rounds a corner, looking frazzled. Her hair is escaping the messy bun on the top of her head, and there's a slight flush to her cheeks. The way her tank top shows the top of her breasts, and her leggings cling to her rounded hips is enough to knock the - metaphorical - breath from me. "Not. Nearly."
August 11, 2025 at 12:23 AM
mariajhart.bsky.social
#WIPsnips brush
= WinterWIP + ••• An auburn wolf and a black jaguar sit facing one another with their foreheads pressed together in the left window. The opposite window sports a white dragon mid-flight, with a smaller creature above it. I squint and realize it's a brown bat. The center window is an aurora over a lake that could very well be Nabeyha. Flecks of the purple, blue, green, and red of the sky are even reflected in the water. "There's just another wall back there," Bronwyn whispers as she returns to us. "Can't tell what's on the other side. Don't suppose your magic is X-ray vision, is it?" She brushes Jensen's kestrel-free shoulder, pretending there's snow there, and twirls a strand of her purple hair. Jensen is too busy staring up at the windows to notice her blatant flirting. He just shakes his head and responds absently. "Nope, sorry." I take his hand and step between them. "Let's go. I've got it." I pull him toward the back of the castle. She huffs behind us, but follows. "Back off, Bron," Llinos hisses. Rook snickers.
August 9, 2025 at 1:55 PM
mariajhart.bsky.social
#WritingLifeMonthly

Two snippets from my paranormal romance, Born Anew in Blood. In the first, one MMC puts an arm around the FMC’s waist to distract her — and it works. In the second, she’s wrapping her legs around the other MMC’s waist 😁
"Yeah, I can tell" I walk toward the partitioned-off area, trying to see around the bamboo and perhaps catch a glimpse of what lies behind it. "Don't go in there," Saif reminds me cautiously. "I won't. I was just wondering what less friendly' plants you have. Poppies? Deadly Nightshade? Belladonna?" He chuckles, walking toward me with his hands in the pockets of his dark jeans. "Deadly Nightshade is Belladonna. But yes, actually, I do have that. Though you're way too excited about that prospect." His dark eyes glitter with amusement. I grin sheepishly. "I just think it's a cool name." "I've got a lot of plants in there that have cool names. Aconitum, Catha Edulis, Ricinus Communis. And they have even cooler effects. Which is why I don't want you going anywhere near it." He puts an arm around my waist and turns me to one of the large garden beds in the opposite corner. "Would you like to pick some corn for dinner?" Explosion try to yank my wrists away from Diego's I clutches, but he pins them both against the rough wood of the cabin with one forearm. With his other hand, he pulls me deeply into him, and our bodies curve together perfectly as I wrap my legs tightly around his waist. He forces my mouth open roughly with his tongue, and we move together like a choreographed dance, taking quick gulps of air between kisses like we're drowning in a raging storm that keeps pushing us beneath the waves.
August 6, 2025 at 4:02 PM
mariajhart.bsky.social
#WIPsnips we’re going with “fight” for today’s vibes
= WinterWIP + Takuya gives me a severe once-over. "Tempest. My son trusts you, and so does his uncle, so I will, too. Take care of him." He pulls the car key from his pocket and hands it to his son. I frown. Aurelien holds out his hand as his father strides back into the east tower. For the rest of my days, I will wonder why I don't fight him. Why I don't dig my heels into the stone floor and refuse to move. Ask him what the fuck is going on and what just happened between him and his father. Until my final breath on this plane of existence, I will wonder why it was so easy to take the hand of Aurélien du Lac and head off together into the unknown as the setting sun in front of us paints the sky shades of red that are eerily similar to Diego's eyes. I'm not sure I will ever truly learn the answer to these questions. But for whatever reason, instead of heading back into the tower and telling Balin and everyone else that he somehow knows how to find Jensen and Eilidh, I take Aurélien's hand. And together, we run.
August 6, 2025 at 1:03 PM
mariajhart.bsky.social
#WIPsnips “boss” snippet from my PoltergeistWIP in which Aislinn gets a visit from her she-demon supervisor about her haunting progress
= PoltergeistWIP 十… I wince. "That won't be a problem this time," I murmur, eyeing the flame-shaped 1500 Years of Service!' pin on her lapel. "Hmm." She leans around me and stares at the results of my hard work with a raised brow, but doesn't comment. "Could they see you?" I ask, jerking my thumb up the stairs. "If they came down right now?" Although from what I've seen so far, I'm not sure those two would even notice the willowy white woman standing in their kitchen if she flung a stiletto at their faces. "Oh yes," she says simply, and my jaw drops open. "But I'm not here to stay. Ghosts scaring Livings is the natural order, but if I were to get involved, the Boss would surely have something to say about it." My stomach twists - yet another annoying power anxiety still wields beyond the grave. "Well there's no need for Brenaxys -" "Not him." She rubs her temple. "The Boss." "Oh. Oh!" I stand up straight, my eyes widening. "Oh my G-" I cut myself off and bite my lip. If I didn't know better, I would think that one corner of Samantha's mouth lifts, just a millimeter. "Indeed. And I'd rather not hear from Her for another millennium at least. She can be rather cranky." She mutters the last part under her breath, and I shudder to think what that could be referring
August 5, 2025 at 2:17 PM
mariajhart.bsky.social
Disclaimer: I fucking hate making moodboards. But here they are 😂

The one on the left is for my first book, Born Anew in Blood. The one on the right is for my WinterWIP. I don’t have one for my PoltergeistWIP yet 😪

All my books also feature queer, neurodivergent, and diverse casts!
Born Anew in Blood mood board: 9 panels Top left: green ivy leaves Top middle: a cup of tea in a fancy mug on a saucer. An open book lies open next to it, and a ray of sunshine illuminates both Top right: a bright, unnaturally green dahlia Middle left: an ornately carved dagger Center: a rocky stream running through a wood Middle right: a bright library. The shelves are carved of trees. Green plants and colorful books fill the space. Bottom left: a full moon partially shrouded with clouds Bottom middle: backlit silhouette of a man and woman kissing. Bottom right: small wooden shack in a green forest Top L: one man’s hand pressing another’s into golden sheets Top Center: a spellcaster’s hands with teal symbols floating in front Top R: an ornate golden dagger handle wrapped around the emerald at the center Middle L: snow-covered pine forest Center: a falcon on a snowy branch Middle R: a snowy town on a lake with the aurora shining brightly above and reflected in the water Bottom L: a golden crown hung over a sword’s crossguard lit from behind by sunshine Bottom Center: a woman, visible from the shoulders up, emerging from a foggy lake Bottom R: fanart of of Ballister and Ambrosious from Nimona. Ballister is shrouded in his dark cloak, leaning heavily against a stone wall. Ambrosious is in bright gold armor, kissing Ballister’s inner elbow
August 4, 2025 at 3:22 PM
mariajhart.bsky.social
#QueerPrompts “friend” snippet

Aislinn is a poltergeist, though not a very good one — she’s new at this, okay? And her most recent assignment is already proving to be a bit of a mess.
= PoltergeistWIP + "I don't understand," I say aloud as their tail lights disappear through the trees. "If I had talked like that to my mother, I would have made it to the grave way sooner than thirty-four." They're more like friends than mother and daughter. I jump out of my skin - my ectoplasm? - and shriek. "Who said that?" I float back down toward the ground, hoping that whatever it was didn't see me nearly hit my head on the ceiling; walls I can go through. Floors and ceilings, not so much. Go figure. Down here. When I look toward the corner of the dim room, the void stares back with two big green eyes. I clutch my chest, more out of habit than anything, and huff. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me." Such language. The fluffy black cat licks a paw idly. Unbefitting of a lady. We stare at one another for a moment. "You're a cat." The Norwegian Forest Cat blinks. And you must be the ghost of Sherlock Holmes.
August 4, 2025 at 1:21 PM
mariajhart.bsky.social
#WIPsnips “positive” snippet from my WinterWIP
She glares at the glass, but curls a finger, and it slides over to her in a burst of magenta light. "Thank you." She takes a sip from the glass straw. "My thoughts are nothing but murder right now, if you really must know." "How very unlike you," I deadpan. She snorts, and I'm almost positive I see the ghost of a smile, but it's gone in an instant. "Kill one or two men and suddenly you're a murderer," she mumbles to herself. "Well, out with it." I sit down in the chair opposite her without being invited and prop my feet up on the desk. She eyes my snakeskin stiletto boots with a disapproving glare, but doesn't comment on the melting snow that pools on her desk. "He asked me to talk to you. Said you're being obstinate. I told him there's no way that's possible. You? The living ray of sunshine?" She sets the glass down with an angry thunk. I'm surprised it doesn't shatter like everything else she touches.
August 4, 2025 at 1:08 PM
mariajhart.bsky.social
#WIPsnips we’re going with vibes today. Have I mentioned that writing lovers to enemies is DEVASTATING because poor Aurélien goes through both these scenes within the first half of the book 😭
I slide into bed next to Jensen around four in the morning and pull him in close. As I curl around him, he stirs and threads his fingers through mine. "You're trembling," he mutters, still mostly asleep. I inhale as evenly as I can. "Just had a bad dream." He grunts softly. "Jensen," I whisper in his ear. "Will you marry me?" "Sure, baby," he slurs. "In the morning." His breathing evens out once again. I drift in and out of consciousness for the next few hours, plagued by visions of him being ripped to pieces by a giant magenta werewolf. I dump out the contents of the pouch in my left pocket, and in the next instant, the fully-formed dagger is in my hands. I sink to my knees and hold it out to him. He stares at it, takes in the intricate golden crossguard inlaid with black pearls. The triangular emerald at the base of the hilt. The black carbon steel and the wave pattern of the blade. I shuffle forward on my knees. "Jensen, I've loved you for every second of my life that I can remember. Please." He switches his falchion to his right hand and takes the dagger from me slowly, as if he thinks I'm handing him a venomous snake. "What is this?" I wrap my hand around the back of his knee; he's trembling as hard as I am. "Will you marry me?" No one in the room moves, not even the Queen, who has stopped short a few steps away from us, taking in the scene with a furrowed brow. "Aurélien," Jensen whispers as tears stream down my cheeks. His lips curl at one corner, and my heart soars. He's going to say yes. He stares at the dagger for what must be several eternities. "Yes?" I breathe. His eyes meet mine. "I hope it was worth it." The only warning I have is him setting his jaw. Blinding pain explodes across my face, and the room devolves into chaos.
August 2, 2025 at 3:16 PM
mariajhart.bsky.social
#WIPsnips “trick” for today’s vibes.

The Illusion Mage is one of the most formidable foes in my WinterWIP, not because of raw power, but because xe gives people exactly what they want. Most people can’t break free of the spell on their own, but Tempest isn’t most people.

She’s a force of nature.
"Tempest." Diego lays a heavy hand on my shoulder, and my eyes fly open. He cups my cheek. "It's okay, Tempest. She's gone. We can be together again." My heart pounds in my throat. "What?" I croak. He smiles tenderly and takes my hand. "I still love you, Tempest. And she's out of the way now. Come here." He pulls me close and brings his mouth down onto mine. He tastes the same as I remember — like red wine and sorrow. Like I'm going to wake up tomorrow hating myself, but longing for more. For a moment, I almost let myself believe it. But only for a moment. I pull away, panting. "It's a good trick, Rook. But there's just one problem." I grab Diego's head and twist until I hear a snap, and he collapses to the ground. "Diego never loved me." The apparition fades into nothingness, like morning mist dissipating in the sunlight. But the damage is already done. I open my eyes and sit up, cursing. The doors are flung wide open. Everyone else is lying on the ground in varying states of confusion, as if they, too, are just coming out of whatever trance the Illusion Mage had put them in. Eilidh and Jensen are gone.
August 1, 2025 at 5:24 PM
mariajhart.bsky.social
#WIPsnips “drop” snippet from my PoltergeistWIP

Warrior-protector succubus: 1
Rusalka working for a goddess: 0
= PoltergeistWIP The taller woman makes her way toward them, wiggling her fingers as a black blade with swirls of yellow materializes in her hand. Kalina and I both watch, too dumbfounded to say anything. When she reaches the monster, she crouches down to stare in its eyes. "Do me a favor, sweetie. Tell that little Pantheon of Vengeance that the Pendragons are under Hell's protection now, so they'd better tuck their tails between those luscious legs of theirs before I decide to go on the offensive." A twisted smile has formed across the creature's face. It attempts one last time to break free of the other woman's choke hold, to no avail. Finally, it lets out a wet cackle. "Posture all you want, daughter of Asmodeus. Our victory has already been foretold." The woman tilts her head to one side and grins wickedly. "Then I hope it was also foretold exactly what I'll do to you if you come near this girl again." At that, the monster's smile drops, and fear floods its eyes just as the woman shoves her blade between its ribs. Its piercing, wild screech causes Kalina to cover her ears and grunt in pain, but she doesn't look away as the creature explodes in a million black and yellow sparks.
July 31, 2025 at 1:43 PM
mariajhart.bsky.social
Oh okay then
Green outgoing text: “Okay. What time Friday morning works best?” Grey incoming text: “yes”
July 30, 2025 at 7:01 PM
mariajhart.bsky.social
Bodies of water are plentiful in my books. Here’s a snippet from my second book, Bound by Ancient Blood, where the werewolf FMC and her vampire MMC are crossing a creek to make it home after their abduction.
= Bound By Ancient Blood 十… We don't wake until late the following morning. After I pull on my clothes, we walk along the creek for several minutes until we find a spot where it narrows. Diego gets a running start and jumps it, landing nimbly on the other bank. I cock an eyebrow at him. "Thanks for the help." He grins. "I wouldn't want to rob you of the chance to overcome another obstacle." "And they say chivalry is dead," I quip as I judge how far across the water I will make it before I plunge in. "Chivalry was made up by men so they could pretend women needed them," he calls. I put my hands on my hips. "We're allowed to be strong and still want to be pampered, you know." He chuckles. "I thought you said Imane was the master debater." He winks at me, and I shiver. Maybe some cold creek water would be good for me right now, actually. "Yeah yeah, save your comedy special for open mic night at the Howling Jackal. And I was on the team, too!" I shake myself, ready to plunge into the water. "Maybe I wasn't a Master, but I was definitely at least a Pada-" "Try four legs instead of two." He cuts me off, apparently not in the mood for my space opera jokes. His loss.
July 30, 2025 at 3:02 PM
mariajhart.bsky.social
“Street” #WIPsnips from my WinterWIP. This about sums up Aurélien’s luck 😂
There's a small rack of bikes for public use nearby, but they'll do me no good — there's at least two inches of snow on the ground. Unless they've been magicked to always adhere to the road no matter the weather? I walk over and hop on one. And fall over almost immediately. Okay then. I put the bike back and wander to the end of the street. I had tried to make a map in my head earlier when we went to the restaurant. There had been a sign for the new monorail that loops around the city ... but had it said it was to the east or the west? Fuck it, I have a fifty percent chance of being correct. I turn west. Fifteen minutes later, I pass by the house again as I head in the opposite direction.
July 30, 2025 at 12:04 PM
mariajhart.bsky.social
1. Jensen and Aurélien (long-time partners)
2. Aurélien and Tempest (she has a spear and *very* little patience for this strange man in her yard)
3. Jensen just (thinks he) killed the Queen, and is trying to drag Aurélien to safety, but some bitch with pink hair and an attitude is in his way
A waterfall of long blond hair hits me as soon as my feet meet the ground in the bedroom, and tucks under my chin, right where it belongs. "You're late." The admonishment is muffled in my tunic. "I'm sorry, baby. But I have a good reason." "You'd better." "Give me one reason why I shouldn't run you through right now." I squint at the shadowy figure as my eyes adjust. "Who the fuck are you?" "What?" She makes several indignant noises. "You're the one sneaking through the yard! I live here, asshole. Who the fuck are you?" When we part, he hauls me to my feet. "Come on, before they realize she's dead." He looks to the door and realizes that Tempest is leaning against it, examining her nails with a bored expression. "Yeah, I don't think so," she says simply. He pulls the dragon cuff off his left ear and clamps the dragon's mouth shut; it expands into a falchion. "Out of our way." She grins. "Or what?"
July 29, 2025 at 3:57 PM
mariajhart.bsky.social
"BUT WITHOUT THE CONFORMISTS, THE GREAT ATROCITIES WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE." -LESSON 7, ON TYRANNY
July 29, 2025 at 3:17 PM
mariajhart.bsky.social
“Balance” snippet from my WinterWIP for today’s #WIPsnips
After we've cleaned up and gotten dressed, he grabs my cloak from where one of us had tossed it on the ground - I don't even remember if it was him or me. A curious look crosses his face. He tests the cloak's weight with a raised brow. "What's in here?" I pull it around my shoulders and extract a throwing knife from one of the hidden pockets. He glares at it. "That's not one of mine." I wince. Shit. "Are you sure?" I ask innocently. "You've made a million just like this one." He snatches it before I can put it back in my pocket, and balances it on one finger. "This is carbon steel. I made you silver ones." Goddess below. "Baby, look, Hawk sent me to her to pick up something for him, and she threw it in for free. I just wanted to try it out." He huffs. "That isn't going to avenge your father, you know. That's why I made you silver ones. If you start throwing different knives you're going to fuck up your technique."
July 29, 2025 at 12:07 PM
mariajhart.bsky.social
How has 2025 treated you so far?
A smol bun bun with the caption “i am at my limit”
July 29, 2025 at 3:53 AM
mariajhart.bsky.social
Thank you to everyone who has donated so far ❤️ I’m going to keep this going as long as I can!
July 28, 2025 at 11:23 PM
mariajhart.bsky.social
Snippet about bones from Born Anew in Blood (CW for gore)
His rib bones crackle and pop as they return to their normal positions. When his skin is seamless once more, the light flares up, blinding us all as it flashes out of existence. Martín gasps. Valentina screams. I black out.
July 28, 2025 at 4:40 PM
mariajhart.bsky.social
#WIPsnips “trash” snippet from my PoltergeistWIP. Aislinn still isn’t used to her poltergeist powers, so emotional triggers can have unpredictable effects on the physical world — and the livings who have to clean up after her.
= PoltergeistWIP + ••• "I said I was sorry!" You need to learn to control yourself, Magnus admonishes. His fur has only just returned to its normal level of fluffiness. I roll my eyes. "Your ears are going to get stuck in airplane mode, you know." Shahparee snorts as she dumps another pan of glass into the trash can, but coughs to cover it. Magnus puts his tail up like a periscope, sits in front of the screen door, and yowls. Shahparee rolls her eyes and opens it; he trots inside without another word. "You okay?" She asks once he's disappeared up the stairs. "Fine." I pull on the end of my ponytail, and she raises a brow at me. "Yeah, seems like it. That's why I'm cleaning up a bazillion pieces of this window — for funsies." I cross my arms. "I just wasn't expecting... that word." "So you took it out on the window?" "You know I didn't mean to!" I protest. I hadn't meant for a literal wave of fury to come off of me and shatter the glass, but here we are.
July 28, 2025 at 1:00 PM