Michael G. Williams 🏳️‍🌈
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mcmanlypants.bsky.social
Michael G. Williams 🏳️‍🌈
@mcmanlypants.bsky.social
2.2K followers 1.7K following 1.7K posts
I write queer horror & sci fi. Gay, Appalachian native, infosec professional, 2020 Manly Wade Wellman winner, co-host of Arcane Carolinas. He/him. michaelgwilliamsbooks.com #BlackLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter #SFWA #HWA #LGBTQ
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mcmanlypants.bsky.social
Convincing you to read my novel with the first sentence. Share yours if you want. (CHILDREN OF SOLITUDE)

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Chapter One - The Vision October 2021 Reginald Voth's dead mother first appeared to him at the moment of her own demise: a quarter to four on a Tuesday morning as he sat in bed trying to read.
November 11, 2025 at 3:22 PM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
Here's a little bit from the first chapter of G@TSBY, my WIP, a '90s-set horror retelling of The Great Gatsby.

#SFFChat
Davey had on one of those candy necklaces gripped in his teeth, and he and his friend were sharing a laugh about something as they approached. Davey guffawed in his usual over the top way, but his friend expressed amusement with something closer to a Mona Lisa smile, a contained, controlled, almost mysterious upturning of the lips at the corners combined with an undeniable sparkle in his eyes. I’d always liked Davey’s friend—he brought him to Thanksgiving once a few years earlier and still I struggled to recall his name—but in the intervening seasons the guy had gone from cute college boy to drop-dead gorgeous. I was only three years older than Davey but I liked to think of him as my “little” cousin and that had extended to his friend as well by association. With one glance at Davey’s friend, all that got wiped away. I nearly didn’t call out to them, letting them enjoy whatever moment they were sharing and, frankly, too starstruck by Davey’s companion to know what to say without looking the fool or drooling on myself. But Davey spotted me, and in his typical way he stopped short in the middle of the intersection, extended one stick-thin arm, wrist limp, index finger arched to indicate me, and shouted from twenty feet away, “Oh, my STARS, Jordan, it’s my Big Cousin Nick!” And then Jordan favored me with that hide-everything smile of his, and his eyes sparkled. I leaned on my rolling cart/desk/podium thing, gripping the sides with both hands so hard my knuckles turned white, and opened my mouth to speak. After what felt like a delay of three or four days I managed, “Uh.” Davey was already dragging Jordan toward me, and I turned as purple as an eggplant in embarrassment at my own shyness. But Davey saw it, and he loved it about me—he always loved playing little pranks and getting me to blush when we were kids, it was exactly how he liked to stand in relation to others, being the one allowed to design chaos and then put others through it—and he laughed harder than ever.
July 7, 2025 at 8:38 PM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
A little taste of G@TSBY from today's session:
“What does Mr. Gatsby do?” “He is a businessman.” I tried not to sound irritated. “Sure, but what business?” When the butler didn’t seem terribly interested in answering I added, “I was a business major. Just got my degree. It’s a professional curiosity, not an objection. Promise.” The butler didn’t laugh aloud at professional curiosity but it was an exchange of favors: he owed me one for me not laughing aloud when he used merriment. “He founded MillenniByte.” I waited for some further explanation, never having heard the name before. None seemed forthcoming. I felt like it would be an insult to ask what they did, given the butler’s clear expectation I should already know, so instead I said, “That’s awesome!” It sounded so dumb as soon as I said it that I started to blush. “How much is the room?” It turned out the room was ridiculously cheap by San Francisco standards, ridiculously expensive anywhere else. Some things are true in every era. Still, the ad said rent was negotiable. I made him haggle. When we settled, I wrote him a check for the first month’s rent and a deposit, then set my suitcase on the bed and grinned at the butler, arms wide as if showing it off to a first-time visitor. “I’m home!”
July 4, 2025 at 8:30 PM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
Are these cats? Or are these the Space Beings inviting us to get on their level?
A black and brown tabby cat and a tuxedo cat sprawl playfully on a colorful space-patterned carpet.
July 4, 2025 at 5:17 PM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
Are you in or near Durham, NC, USA, and love queer horror and folk horror? Then register at durhamcountylibrary.libcal.com/event/14458069 and come on out 6/25 to hear members of HWA NC discuss those things! We're gonna have a blast!

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#hwa
The poster for an event titled "Rainbow in the Dark: Exploring Queer Horror with Michael G. Williams and Jes Malitoris, moderated by Jon Carroll Thomas." It features three robed figures blasting rainbows from under their cowls. The event is on 6/25 from 6 to 7 PM at the Durham County Library's Main Library.
June 9, 2025 at 2:30 PM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
"Do you like scary movies?"
A screenshot of a headline from the website of People magazine. It includes a photo of Queen Elizabeth II. The headline reads, "Queen Elizabeth's Final Diary Entry Contained Only Five Words."
May 10, 2025 at 3:59 PM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
Had an absolute blast watching The Wicker Man (1973) at The Carolina Theatre of Durham last night! Always a thrill to see my sponsorship logo before a favorite movie! 🥰
A screen in a movie theater reading "Michael G. Williams - Books for people who love messed up movies! michaelgwilliamsbooks.com".
April 26, 2025 at 6:36 PM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
Thank you, Matt! Y'all do an amazing job every week nurturing the community you've built and it is greatly appreciated!

My queer Appalachian cosmic horror novel CHILDREN OF SOLITUDE comes out THIS FRIDAY and is gonna be a ton of fun!

#HorrorWritersChat
The cover for CHILDREN OF SOLITUDE, by Michael G. Williams. The image is of an old farm house against the Blue Ridge Mountains of Appalachia. It glows from within with evil red light.
April 23, 2025 at 7:25 PM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
Oh hells yes. 😌

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#writingcommunity
The copyright page to a book titled “Children of Solitude” by Michael G. Williams.
April 23, 2025 at 2:31 AM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
Realtor Irene Littlehorse: "That property is called Dead Dog Farm... and it's worse than it sounds."

Cooper: "What is it?"

Irene: "A puzzle. No one ever really stays there long."

Cooper [grinning]: "When can I see it?"

#todayinTwinPeaks
A file folder for a property listed for sale. It contains a photo of a run-down one-story home painted white.
March 15, 2025 at 11:39 PM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
Dick Tremayne: "Hello, Andy. This is Little Nicky, my charge from Happy Helping Hand. Nicky, this is Deputy Andy."

#todayinTwinPeaks
A white man with black hair, dressed in a foppish manner, stands beside a young boy with blond hair. They both smile.
March 15, 2025 at 11:37 PM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
Mrs. Briggs: "Let me ask you this: did he leave suddenly?"

Cooper: "Yes. We were speaking philosophically. Then I left the site to answer a call of nature. He was gone when I returned."

Mrs. Briggs: "The fact that you were in the woods is very significant."

#todayinTwinPeaks
Mrs. Briggs, a white woman with blond hair and a red blouse, speaks to Agent Cooper.
March 15, 2025 at 11:36 PM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
Dougie Milford: "You're just jealous!"

Mayor Milford: "Jealous? I wouldn't want to spend my time changing diapers! Besides, she's cursed!"

#todayinTwinPeaks
Two elderly men in a fight are separated by Big Ed and Sheriff Truman during a wake.
March 15, 2025 at 1:17 AM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
Vice Principal Greege: "I want to be crystal clear about this. You're asking me to admit a thirty-five year old woman to the senior class?"

#todayinTwinPeaks
A high school administrator sits in his office. Behind him through a window we can see a bank of school lockers in a hallway.
March 15, 2025 at 1:15 AM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
Catherine Martell: "I was at home the night of the fire. A man called, a voice I didn't recognize. He told me to meet him at the drying shed. A vague threat was implied. So I went there. I took a gun."

#todayinTwinPeaks
Catherine Martell, a white woman with red hair, speaks to Sheriff Truman.
March 15, 2025 at 1:08 AM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
The next episode of Twin Peaks takes place the next day, March 14, 1989.

#todayinTwinPeaks
The title card for the TV show "Twin Peaks." It features the name of the show against a backdrop landscape including two mountains, a country road, and the "Welcome to Twin Peaks" sign at the edge of town.
March 13, 2025 at 4:37 PM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
The next episode of Twin Peaks takes place on March 14, 1989.

#todayinTwinPeaks
The title card from the TV show "Twin Peaks," showing the title against a landscape view of two mountains, a country road, and the sign reading "Welcome to Twin Peaks."
March 12, 2025 at 4:07 PM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
Donna [reading from Laura's diary]: "February 22nd. Last night I had the strangest dream."

#todayinTwinPeaks
Donna Hayward, a white teenage girl, reads aloud to Agent Palmer from the pages she recently discovered were torn out of Laura Palmer's diary.
March 11, 2025 at 3:16 PM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
Elderly Waiter: "That gum you like is going to come back in style."

#todayinTwinPeaks
An elderly man wearing a dress shirt and bow toe with a wide-brimmed hat smiles as he speaks to someone off-camera. They are standing in The Roadhouse, a local dive bar in Twin Peaks.
March 11, 2025 at 3:14 PM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
"I don’t know where this is headed, but the only one of us with the coordinates for this destination in hardware is you. Go on whatever vision quest you require. Stand on the rim of the volcano, stand alone and do your dance. Just find this beast before he takes another bite."

#todayinTwinPeaks
Agent Albert Rosenfeld speaks to Agent Cooper against a backdrop of fir trees. They each wear beige overcoats and the white button up and tie uniform of the FBI.
March 11, 2025 at 3:12 PM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
Jerry Horne: "Your blood may have Laura's fingerprints on it. Ben, as your attorney, your friend, and your brother, I strongly suggest you get yourself a better attorney."

#todayinTwinPeaks
Jerry Horne offers sound legal advice to his brother Ben in the Twin Peaks sheriff station.
March 10, 2025 at 3:31 PM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
Cooper: "Does he know we arrested Ben Horne?"

Truman: "Doesn't look like it."

#todayinTwinPeaks
Leland Palmer sings and dances in the lobby of the Great Northern Hotel.
March 10, 2025 at 3:30 PM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
OK, I tried making a book trailer in Canva (the music is Philip Ayers' "Ominous," licensed via Canva). This was fun, but to be honest I'm a little concerned about usage rights and proper compensation. I need to do some reading up to make sure Canva actually pays people.

#writingcommunity 🌈📚
March 10, 2025 at 2:28 PM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
Giant: "It is happening again."

#todayinTwinPeaks
The Giant, a tall, thin man in a grey-blue dress shirt and a red bow tie, stands on a stage in the spotlight before a red drape curtain. A microphone is in front of him.
March 9, 2025 at 4:18 PM
mcmanlypants.bsky.social
Cooper: "Harry, we're at the chicken soup stage of this crime."

#todayinTwinPeaks
A shot of the entrance to Harold Smith's greenhouse.
March 9, 2025 at 4:17 PM