Morgan J Keeler
LightNews LightNews
banner
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
Morgan J Keeler
@mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
250 followers 270 following 290 posts
Drinker of Drinks. Eater of Worlds. Chaos Magician. Bad-ass Cult Survivor. Dark Fantasy Author.

Please, no DMs.

https://linktr.ee/mjkeelerauthor?utm_source=linktree_admin_share
Posts Replies Media Videos
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
Adyllians worship Her as The Lady, an all-powerful and all-loving deity. The Narim call her by an older name, Aaysha. For them she is also a goddess who cries for justice and empowers those who seek it.

Today's #WIPSnips is revenge.

#WorldAnvil #GrimDark #WritingCommunity #WriteSky 💙📚 🪐📚 🩸📚
May 5, 2025 at 7:02 PM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
Queen Mila XI of Adyll, descendant of the Goddess known as the Lady, will do whatever it takes to protect her child and her people. Even if it means sacrificing herself to the Locust King.

My #WIP, the Locust King is in its final arc on #WorldAnvil. #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingPrompts

💙📚 🪐📚 🩸📚
Red locusts with wings outstretched on a field of black frame white text which reads: “She is dead, my Lord.  My daughter is dead.  My beautiful, innocent, perfect child is dead!”  Queen Mila collapsed onto the floor before him, sobs wracking her body, while he paced around her.  Her mind was racing. It was said that he was strigoi-viu, that the blood he drank granted him mystical powers, allowing him to see the thoughts of his enemies.  She prayed silently and forced herself to think of the child lying dead on the altar and the blue flowers on the windowsill. Blood of the Goddess Book 1: The Locust King by Morgan Jones Keeler
May 4, 2025 at 6:52 PM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
Apparently, I don't use the word apparent often. So, for this #WIPSnips, I am going with some vibes and using an obvious replacement.

The Locust King is in its final arc on #WorldAnvil. I'm hoping to finish 1st draft by the end of May.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #SerialNovel #GrimDark
💙📚 🩸📚 🪐📚
Red locusts with wings outstretched on a field of black frame white letters which read, He followed a trail of spilled lentils to the place from which the boys had been stealing food, a clay container with its lid still askew. Takri kicked the lentils to the side, obscuring the boy's trail and then set the lid back properly. It was obvious Sasa and Teo were new to stealing. Blood of the Goddess Book 1: The Locust King by Morgan Jones Keeler
May 3, 2025 at 6:17 PM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
Ziggy says happy #Caturday
May 3, 2025 at 5:55 PM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
Adyllians believe their land was raised from the ocean floor by their Goddess to provide shelter for her children. Surrounded by both ocean and desert, their land never needed defense from outsiders until the Swarm came.

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #WritingPrompts
#WorldAnvil

💙📚 🩸📚 🪐📚
Red locusts with wings outstretched on a field of black frame white text which reads: Aisha stood at the edge, looking out over the desert, the updraft blowing the hood of her robe from her head. She closed her eyes and felt the wind around her, and heard the keening of the raptors nesting on the cliffs. Just one step to freedom. The sacred birds will take my soul to heaven. Just one step. Blood of the Goddess Book 1: The Locust King
May 2, 2025 at 3:13 PM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
Under the Locust King, all noble born youth are conscripted into service. Boys like Takri are sent to military training camps, and girls like Yelena become wine maidens, serving and entertaining the men in the court.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WorldAnvil #DarkFantasy

💙📚 🩸📚 🪐📚
Red locusts with wings outstretched on a field of black frame white text which reads: Takri managed a small smile and nod as Yelena hurried out the door with the other wine maidens. He looked around the room. The other princes were in the same condition he was. Some were still asleep at tables, others on the tables, some on the floor. He sat up and immediately wished he hadn't. The arm Yelena had slept under was completely numb, and the place behind his eyes throbbed in time with his heartbeat. He also had an urgent need to relieve himself. As he stood up, his stomach lurched. Today is not a good day to hunt. Blood of the Goddess Book 1: The Locust King by Morgan Jones Keeler
May 1, 2025 at 3:27 PM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
I'm back after an insane April. How are you all?

Today's #WIPSnips is talk. Talk builds countries and tears down tyrants.

The Locust King is on its final arc on #WorldAnvil. I will start editing this summer if every month doesn't turn into an April.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #DarkFantasy
💙📚🩸📚🪐📚
Red locusts with wings outstretch on a field of black frame white text which reads: “...You cannot rule a country if you are hated by all. Eventually the people learn they are more in number than you, and if they begin to talk amongst each other you end up in rebellion. But, if you convince enough of them of your Godhood and merciful nature by providing food when they need it most, and fierce punishment when they disobey, you end up with a populace who will follow you to their own deaths." Blood of the Goddess Book 1: The Locust King
April 28, 2025 at 7:12 PM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
Legends tell of those who are evil beyond measure, consumed from within by their own desires. Some call them sorcerers, others call them the undead.

The Locust King is in its final arc on #WorldAnvil as a #SerialNovel

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WIPSnips #WorldAnvil #Vampire

💙📚 🩸📚 🪐📚
Red locusts with wings outstretched on a field of black frame white text which reads, Takri heard the servants suddenly go quiet as the latch on the dining chamber door slid open. A cold wind from the desert filled the vacuum between the open windows and door, cutting through his woolen tunic and chilling him deeply. Takri took a quick breath before turning to greet his host. Blood of the Goddess Book 1: The Locust King by Morgan Jones Keeler
April 14, 2025 at 4:07 PM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
My first novel, Blackbird Raven Crow, was written for myself as a way to sort through my own experiences within a fundamentalist Christian cult I was introduced to by my mother at the age of 12. (A thread because too many thoughts part 1)
#WriteWich #WriteSky #WritingCommunity 💙📚 📚🩸 📚🪐
April 11, 2025 at 4:13 AM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
Mr. Louis would be a nightmare of a roommate:
💩 smells like "an open can of ass"
🐶 dog breeder/fighter (Missouri Hell Hounds)
🕷 hides his true form/too many legs
😱 eats souls
😈 is a literal demon

Blackbird Raven Crow is my first novel, link in bio

#WriteWich #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

💙📚 📚🩸 📚🪐
April 9, 2025 at 2:33 PM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
Thought and Desire are two characters from ancient myth, long forgotten by the matriarchal culture of Adyll.

The #WIPSnips word for today is "name".

The Locust King is on #WorldAnvil as #SerialFiction with updates every Saturday night.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Myth #Dieties
📚💙 📚🩸 📚🪐
Red locusts with wings outstretched on a field of black frame white text which reads: In the beginning there were two brothers, whose mother was the Earth. One was fathered by the Day, and the other by the Night. Their names were Thought and Desire. Blood of the Goddess Book 1: The Locust King
April 7, 2025 at 1:44 AM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
How does one get into the Temple of the Locust unseen? By counting pebbles among the bones in the catacombs beneath the city.

Today's #WIPSnips is "count."

Just published the latest chapter on #WorldAnvil if you want to give it a read.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #SerialFiction

📚💙 📚🩸 📚🪐
Red locusts with wings outstretched frame white text which reads: Turn to your left and look for red pebbles set among the bones. We marked the way back home with them when we were young. It is easy to become disoriented underground with no sky by which to navigate. Stay to the path or you may become lost. Count the stones, forty-two in all. Across from the last stone is a place where the wall has crumbled in upon itself. Climb to the top of the pile and you will find a passage you can squeeze through into the room beyond. This is your way into to the temple. Blood of the Goddess Book 1: The Locust King by Morgan Jones Keeler
April 6, 2025 at 12:10 AM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
Laundry cat is helping.
April 5, 2025 at 11:51 PM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
Blackbird Raven Crow is a communion wafer served by a drunk clergyman who's eyes are abnormally dilated.

Genre: Hardboiled urban fantasy with a cult and occult lean.

Morally colorful protagonist (not grey, just colorful.)

link in bio

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Noir #CultSurvivor

📚💙 📚🩸 📚🪐
The cover of Blackbird Raven Crow. Kansas City's skyline, bleached and faded blends into white. In the foreground a man with long hair is seen in silhouette. In those areas, the streets turn colorful. To the left, his form turns into a flock of crows.
April 4, 2025 at 2:28 PM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
Choose your words carefully, little sister.

Today's #WIPSnips is the word "official". I chose a synonym, "formal".

My WIP, The Locust King, could be described as Game of Thrones meets The Handmaid's Tale. Its first draft is available on #WorldAnvil right now.

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity 💙📚 📚🩸 📚🪐
Red Locusts with wings outstretched on a field of black frame white text which reads, "You may call me mother," said the high priestess, putting her hand back on Aisha’s shoulder.  "Or you may call me mistress if you wish a more formal way of addressing me.   Aisha clenched her fists under the sleeves of her robes.  You are not my mother.  My mother gave her life for her people.  You are nothing like her.  You will never be like her.  I will never call you mother.  "Yes, Mistress."  Blood of the Goddess Book 1: The Locust King by Morgan Jones Keeler
April 3, 2025 at 2:16 PM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
Takri wanted a simple life, what he got was anything but simple.

Today's #WIPSnips is "scene" - I went with ✨vibes✨ and the view from Mahleck's dining chamber.

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #DarkFantasy #Gothic #WorldAnvil

📚💙 📚🩸 📚🪐
Red locusts with wings outstretched on a field of black frame white text which reads, Takri ignored the rest of the room, quickly making his way to the windows to drink in the desert air.  Below lay the foothills where he spent his childhood playing with his cousins. Where he lost his father, his mother, and his tribe.  He imagined he could see the lights of the training camp, and the light of a small lantern at the far western outpost. Was Zayaan still keeping watch out in the dark?  Of all places in the world, Takri did not expect to be standing above the desert in the royal palace of Adyll.  This should be Zayaan's place, not his. Blood of the Goddess Book 1: The Locust King by Morgan Jones Keeler
April 2, 2025 at 4:59 PM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
Another snippet about Old Scribe, the library cat from my #WIP The Locust King available on #WorldAnvil. The book is not about old cats, but I know the importance of a good CATharsis moment when everything is horrible.

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #DarkFantasy #Gothic 📚💙 📚🩸 📚🪐
Red locusts with wings outstretched on a field of black frame white text which reads, The library's old resident cat jumped up to the tabletop and spread his black and white form across the open scroll Aisha was reading, exposing his belly as if inviting her to pet him. "You are not tricking me, Old Scribe!  Last time I fell for your trap, I had scratches on my arm for a week."  She turned to head back to the shelf she was in the process of emptying.  The old cat jumped down to follow her, and then froze, crouching into a hunting position. Aisha heard a chirp.  A lady wren stood in the center of the aisle of shelves, looking a her with its blue head cocked to one side as if asking a question.  It chirped again.  The cat's ears flattened, and his legs twitched. "NO!" cried Aisha.  But the old cat had already pounced Blood of the Goddess Book 1: The Locust King by Morgan Jones Keeler
April 1, 2025 at 8:01 PM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
The Swarm took Vasi from her people as a child, but the passion and fight of the Forest Runners still burns inside her veins.

Today's #WIPSnips is "appreciate".

The Locust King's first draft is available to read on #WorldAnvil as a #SerialNovel

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity 📚💙 📚🩸 📚🪐
Red locusts with wings outstretched on a field of black frame white text which reads: Dark.  Pain in my head.  Pain in my knees.  Cold.  Freezing cold. Vasi knelt in the mud gagged and blindfolded, gravel digging into her knees, her hands tied in front of her. "You have two hours to run, prey," said a gravelly voice.  "Two hours until the princes rouse themselves from their drunken slumber to join the hunt.  And then you will die in one last act of service to the God Among Men.  Mahleck wishes you to know that he appreciated the gift you left Queen Mila, and he returns it to you now." Blood of the Goddess Book 1: The Locust King by Morgain Jones Keeler
March 31, 2025 at 3:59 PM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
The Three Stars of Adyll are holy oracles, hermitesses who live in the Bone Forest to the east of the capital city. They practice blood magic and necromancy to commune with their Goddess in the Between.

The #WIPSnips for today is touch.

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WorldAnvil #DarkFantasy 📚💙 📚🩸 📚🪐
Red locusts with wings outstretched on a field of black frame white text which reads: "This night, the Zora rent the veil that separates this world and the next. The sun has set on the Day of Between. Now, we enter the sacred twilight betwixt light and darkness. We shall use it to our advantage." Vasi returned to where the knife sat on the stone floor next to the bathing pool and picked it up. It felt cold to the touch. "Come, we shall show you our ways," said Oksana, gesturing for Vasi to join her and Miri at the stone altar. "Your knife has tasted the heart blood of the strigoi-viu, and the life blood of a Queen. There is great magic in such things." Blood of the Goddess Book 1: The Locust King by Morgan Jones Keeler
March 29, 2025 at 6:22 PM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
I am an AuDHD author who is food and beer motivated. I have found I can use this to my advantage by bringing my laptop to a brewery and ordering a flight. Write 250 words, and I can reward myself with a tiny little beer. Goddess bless Brew Lab KC.
March 28, 2025 at 1:07 AM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
Affectionately named Old Scribe, the temple library's cat keeps mice and rats protects Adyll's treasure trove of knowledge.

Today's #WIPSnips word is "quick."

The Locust King is in its final arc on #WorldAnvil. Chapters are updated every Saturday.

#SerialNovel #WriteSky #AmWriting
📚💙 📚🩸 📚🪐
Red locusts with wings outstretched on a field of black from white text which reads: Aisha made a quick bow towards the man before grabbing Old Scribe under the front legs and hurrying out of the closet.  She stopped at the table covered with books to put her struggling burden down. Once free, Old Scribe turned his back on her and began bathing himself.  "I am sorry about your fur, Old Scribe.  Please do your best and stay away from the high priest while he is here.  He has no qualms killing people, and he would have no problem hurting a cat."  She gave the cat a quick kiss on his forehead as she heard the squeak of the bookmaker's closet door opening.  "I don’t know what I would do without you, old man. Please stay safe."  Blood of the Goddess Book 1: The Locust King by Morgan Jones Keeler
March 27, 2025 at 2:15 PM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
If you can control your breath, you can control your fear.

Today's #WIPSnips is 'lung' and as soon as I saw it I thought of this scene.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Gothic #DarkFantasy #GrimDark

📚💙 📚🩸 📚🪐
Red locusts with wings outstretched on a field of black frame white text which reads: He sat down next to the fire and tried to breathe like his mother taught him as a boy. Take in the air. Hold it inside. Breathe it out and offer it to Aaysha. If you can control your breath, you can control your mind. Breathe in. Why was this fear harder to control than when the Swarm raided the camp? Nasreen. Lilua. Yelena. Or in the ice and fog of the bone forest? Hold them inside. Or riding behind Mahleck through the forest to find the oracle? Nasreen. Lilua. Yelena. Why can't I control my fear? Give them to the Goddess's care. Nasreen. Lilua. Yelena. Blood of the Goddess Book 1: The Locust King by Morgan Jones Keeler
March 25, 2025 at 2:29 PM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
Life as a conscript in the training camps of the Swarm is difficult even for the most compliant of recruits. Zayaan's intelligence and logic make life even worse for him.

The word of the day is "ditch" but Zayaan will be digging something smellier.

#WriteSky #WIPSnips #WIP #WorldAnvil

📚💙 📚🩸 📚🪐
Red locusts with wings outstretched on a field of black frame white text which reads: “How dare you make a fool of me! ‘Common knowledge!’ you said,” fumed the captain, “Do you think I am a fool?” “No, sir.” “You will spend the next two watches on guard at the western checkpoint. And the next day you will be digging latrines, and every day after that until I have decided you have smelled enough shit to know that you are shit,” screamed the captain. “Now go! Get out of my sight!” Blood of the Goddess Book 1: The Locust King by Morgan Jones Keeler
March 24, 2025 at 2:17 PM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
Only 3 Narim survived the massacre of their people by the army of the Locust King. Lilua was taken as child-bride for the God-King, while her brother Zayaan and their older cousin Takri were sent to the Swarm's desert training camp.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WIP #WorldAnvil #DarkFantasy
📚💙 📚🩸 📚🪐
Red locusts with wings outstretched on a field of black frame white text which reads: Takri realized under his balled-up fists his palms were sweating.  He forced himself to relax his hands and keep his eyes on the moon above the desert, unsure of why the idea of seeing his cousin caused such anxiety.  He could face the strigoi-viu.  He could face the horror of the bone forest, and the lullaby of the Zora. But he could not face his little cousin Lilua, taken as bride to the monster.  If Lilua slept by Mahleck’s side as Baraz said, she bore scars that were deeper than those on her brother’s face.  I am older.  I was supposed to protect them.  All of them.  Blood of the Goddess Book 1: The Locust King
March 23, 2025 at 8:43 PM
mjkeelerauthor.bsky.social
In the Empire of the Locust, the role of women in society is minimized (our #WIPSnips word of the day). The Holy Mother of Adyll, once second only in power to the Queen, is now confined to the walls of the temple.

The Locust King is in its final arc on #WorldAnvil

#WritingCommunity
📚💙 📚🩸 📚🪐
Red locusts with wings outstretched on a field of black frame white text which reads, How I have fallen! Less than a year ago, if I was summoned to the palace, it was to give counsel in matters of state, or to take part in feasts, or to provide blessings.  Now, I come stripped of all rank. I am less than the servants who empty chamber pots. I stand here hoping for the sound of my sons' voices to drift to me on this damp air while I wait in a hallway in disgrace. I am not considered of enough import to be received in the throne room any longer.  Blood of the Goddess Book 1: The Locust King by Morgan Jones Keeler
March 16, 2025 at 11:23 PM