Sal O'Shea (they/them)
@neuroatriplicate.bsky.social
The best description of my gender is "Nerdy Lesbian Ken." AuDHD. Working on a queer horror novel set in rural New England. They/them
“When I Walk Through That Door, I Am” by Jimmy Santiago Baca is an incredible book/epic poem that is extremely relevant to the ICE and immigrant-detention crisis in the United States. Highly recommended for everyone even if poetry isn’t normally your thing. #BookSky 💙📚
September 11, 2025 at 6:22 PM
“When I Walk Through That Door, I Am” by Jimmy Santiago Baca is an incredible book/epic poem that is extremely relevant to the ICE and immigrant-detention crisis in the United States. Highly recommended for everyone even if poetry isn’t normally your thing. #BookSky 💙📚
Reposted by Sal O'Shea (they/them)
#HorrorWritersChat
Write out of spite. Your WIP should be a fuck you to someone, whether they doubt your craft and potential success or a fuck you to fascists cunts.
Write out of spite. Your WIP should be a fuck you to someone, whether they doubt your craft and potential success or a fuck you to fascists cunts.
Question 2:
Advice time! What's the most unhinged advice you'd give to a new writer that actually works? (Thanks to @dracuniversal.bsky.social for this one)
No links, save them for the outro.
Quote post and include the tag #HorrorWritersChat. It's the only way other participants will find you.
Advice time! What's the most unhinged advice you'd give to a new writer that actually works? (Thanks to @dracuniversal.bsky.social for this one)
No links, save them for the outro.
Quote post and include the tag #HorrorWritersChat. It's the only way other participants will find you.
August 27, 2025 at 6:27 PM
#HorrorWritersChat
Write out of spite. Your WIP should be a fuck you to someone, whether they doubt your craft and potential success or a fuck you to fascists cunts.
Write out of spite. Your WIP should be a fuck you to someone, whether they doubt your craft and potential success or a fuck you to fascists cunts.
Reposted by Sal O'Shea (they/them)
If you're doing this so you'll be revered as the greatest author to have ever graced this earth, don't bother.
Write because you want to. No one owes you anything.
#horrorwriterschat
Write because you want to. No one owes you anything.
#horrorwriterschat
Question 2:
Advice time! What's the most unhinged advice you'd give to a new writer that actually works? (Thanks to @dracuniversal.bsky.social for this one)
No links, save them for the outro.
Quote post and include the tag #HorrorWritersChat. It's the only way other participants will find you.
Advice time! What's the most unhinged advice you'd give to a new writer that actually works? (Thanks to @dracuniversal.bsky.social for this one)
No links, save them for the outro.
Quote post and include the tag #HorrorWritersChat. It's the only way other participants will find you.
August 27, 2025 at 6:25 PM
If you're doing this so you'll be revered as the greatest author to have ever graced this earth, don't bother.
Write because you want to. No one owes you anything.
#horrorwriterschat
Write because you want to. No one owes you anything.
#horrorwriterschat
Since other people are doing WIP pitches:
Drafting: Trans man tries to leave his too-picturesque-to-be-real New England hometown. It's not that simple.
Querying: I was obsessed with a certain podcast episode so I set it in 1871 and ended up with something completely different.
#HorrorWritersChat
Drafting: Trans man tries to leave his too-picturesque-to-be-real New England hometown. It's not that simple.
Querying: I was obsessed with a certain podcast episode so I set it in 1871 and ended up with something completely different.
#HorrorWritersChat
Hi! I'm Sal, writer of ghosts and queer people and the real-life horrors of mundane cis-hets.
Am drafting one thing and querying another, so no recent or upcoming releases for me. (Yet?)
#HorrorWritersChat
Am drafting one thing and querying another, so no recent or upcoming releases for me. (Yet?)
#HorrorWritersChat
Question 1:
Introduce yourself: tell us who you are, what you write, and your elevator pitch on your most recent / upcoming horror release!
No links, save them for the outro.
Quote post and include the tag #HorrorWritersChat. It's the only way other participants will find you.
Introduce yourself: tell us who you are, what you write, and your elevator pitch on your most recent / upcoming horror release!
No links, save them for the outro.
Quote post and include the tag #HorrorWritersChat. It's the only way other participants will find you.
August 27, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Since other people are doing WIP pitches:
Drafting: Trans man tries to leave his too-picturesque-to-be-real New England hometown. It's not that simple.
Querying: I was obsessed with a certain podcast episode so I set it in 1871 and ended up with something completely different.
#HorrorWritersChat
Drafting: Trans man tries to leave his too-picturesque-to-be-real New England hometown. It's not that simple.
Querying: I was obsessed with a certain podcast episode so I set it in 1871 and ended up with something completely different.
#HorrorWritersChat
Hi! I'm Sal, writer of ghosts and queer people and the real-life horrors of mundane cis-hets.
Am drafting one thing and querying another, so no recent or upcoming releases for me. (Yet?)
#HorrorWritersChat
Am drafting one thing and querying another, so no recent or upcoming releases for me. (Yet?)
#HorrorWritersChat
Question 1:
Introduce yourself: tell us who you are, what you write, and your elevator pitch on your most recent / upcoming horror release!
No links, save them for the outro.
Quote post and include the tag #HorrorWritersChat. It's the only way other participants will find you.
Introduce yourself: tell us who you are, what you write, and your elevator pitch on your most recent / upcoming horror release!
No links, save them for the outro.
Quote post and include the tag #HorrorWritersChat. It's the only way other participants will find you.
August 27, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Hi! I'm Sal, writer of ghosts and queer people and the real-life horrors of mundane cis-hets.
Am drafting one thing and querying another, so no recent or upcoming releases for me. (Yet?)
#HorrorWritersChat
Am drafting one thing and querying another, so no recent or upcoming releases for me. (Yet?)
#HorrorWritersChat
Reposted by Sal O'Shea (they/them)
Illinois Gov. Pritzker vows to pursue Trump officials who participate in an illegal National Guard deployment to Chicago:
"If you hurt my people, nothing will stop me - not time or political circumstance - from making sure that you face justice under our constitutional rule of law."
"If you hurt my people, nothing will stop me - not time or political circumstance - from making sure that you face justice under our constitutional rule of law."
August 25, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Illinois Gov. Pritzker vows to pursue Trump officials who participate in an illegal National Guard deployment to Chicago:
"If you hurt my people, nothing will stop me - not time or political circumstance - from making sure that you face justice under our constitutional rule of law."
"If you hurt my people, nothing will stop me - not time or political circumstance - from making sure that you face justice under our constitutional rule of law."
Reposted by Sal O'Shea (they/them)
another thing I wish the reporting was harder on is the distinction between deporting people and detaining them. deportation is terrible, traumatic, tears apart families. But at least they can call home, explain what happened. The detention centers are a black hole.
August 24, 2025 at 3:36 PM
another thing I wish the reporting was harder on is the distinction between deporting people and detaining them. deportation is terrible, traumatic, tears apart families. But at least they can call home, explain what happened. The detention centers are a black hole.
Reposted by Sal O'Shea (they/them)
I love playing with perception in horror stories, and the way we second-guess ourselves about what we saw or *thought* we saw or convinced ourselves we didn't see. Windows and mirrors are both GREAT for this. #HorrorWritersChat
Well then #HorrorWritersChat, what of this? I am absolutely not going near mirrors. But what about you...?
August 20, 2025 at 7:32 PM
I love playing with perception in horror stories, and the way we second-guess ourselves about what we saw or *thought* we saw or convinced ourselves we didn't see. Windows and mirrors are both GREAT for this. #HorrorWritersChat
Reposted by Sal O'Shea (they/them)
That characters' queerness is simultaneously the thing that will save them and the thing that made them feel they needed saving in the first place. It's a double-edged sword, and the fact we can pick it up and wield it is the thing the others around us want to keep hidden.
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
It's a thing, no? The Bluebeard room, the closet, the hidden cellar, the space that you never look at. What's yours #HorrorWritersChat writers?
August 20, 2025 at 7:30 PM
That characters' queerness is simultaneously the thing that will save them and the thing that made them feel they needed saving in the first place. It's a double-edged sword, and the fact we can pick it up and wield it is the thing the others around us want to keep hidden.
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
Reposted by Sal O'Shea (they/them)
There's nothing to see, only dusty darkness, which is strange as I've been hearing the scratching noises for weeks. I look down at my bandaged fingers and wonder again how I hurt them..
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
Q4. Go on. Get in the basement and tell me what you can see. You know you want to!
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
August 20, 2025 at 7:22 PM
There's nothing to see, only dusty darkness, which is strange as I've been hearing the scratching noises for weeks. I look down at my bandaged fingers and wonder again how I hurt them..
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
Reposted by Sal O'Shea (they/them)
The forbidden room is also the very heart of the story, the source of the haunting - so taken that way, the ones I've built on are variations on "yourself as the actual worst" - what you're afraid to see in yourself; the person you're afraid to be; the person you can't help being
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
It's a thing, no? The Bluebeard room, the closet, the hidden cellar, the space that you never look at. What's yours #HorrorWritersChat writers?
August 20, 2025 at 7:24 PM
The forbidden room is also the very heart of the story, the source of the haunting - so taken that way, the ones I've built on are variations on "yourself as the actual worst" - what you're afraid to see in yourself; the person you're afraid to be; the person you can't help being
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
A beautifully lit parlor full of people smiling and chatting as if nothing was wrong. It's obvious they heard me open the door but are pretending not to. No one ever wants to look the truth in the face.
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
Q4. Go on. Get in the basement and tell me what you can see. You know you want to!
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
August 20, 2025 at 7:19 PM
A beautifully lit parlor full of people smiling and chatting as if nothing was wrong. It's obvious they heard me open the door but are pretending not to. No one ever wants to look the truth in the face.
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
Reposted by Sal O'Shea (they/them)
What I’m writing now is about scary things outside (that you might think you’re safe from, but…) I feel like classic horror has to use both.
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
Well then #HorrorWritersChat, what of this? I am absolutely not going near mirrors. But what about you...?
August 20, 2025 at 7:04 PM
What I’m writing now is about scary things outside (that you might think you’re safe from, but…) I feel like classic horror has to use both.
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
Reposted by Sal O'Shea (they/them)
This is tough because I don't think I use them that much. I have one book where windows and mirrors are used, but for characters struggling to see something clearly. They know it's there, but can't quite make it out. Maybe I use them to veil stuff 🤔
#horrorwriterschat
#horrorwriterschat
Well then #HorrorWritersChat, what of this? I am absolutely not going near mirrors. But what about you...?
August 20, 2025 at 7:01 PM
This is tough because I don't think I use them that much. I have one book where windows and mirrors are used, but for characters struggling to see something clearly. They know it's there, but can't quite make it out. Maybe I use them to veil stuff 🤔
#horrorwriterschat
#horrorwriterschat
Reposted by Sal O'Shea (they/them)
Here's what I find scary: not being able to see what's happening, not being able to see yourself. You can't see out the window to see what's attacking you, because the escape pod rolled over onto it. You can't see yourself, how bad your injuries are, because there are no mirrors.
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
Well then #HorrorWritersChat, what of this? I am absolutely not going near mirrors. But what about you...?
August 20, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Here's what I find scary: not being able to see what's happening, not being able to see yourself. You can't see out the window to see what's attacking you, because the escape pod rolled over onto it. You can't see yourself, how bad your injuries are, because there are no mirrors.
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
Reposted by Sal O'Shea (they/them)
I can interpret this a few different ways, but for me it might be the question, “What’s really inside of you — and what if it gets out?”
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
It's a thing, no? The Bluebeard room, the closet, the hidden cellar, the space that you never look at. What's yours #HorrorWritersChat writers?
August 20, 2025 at 6:59 PM
I can interpret this a few different ways, but for me it might be the question, “What’s really inside of you — and what if it gets out?”
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
Reposted by Sal O'Shea (they/them)
At night, a window can become a mirror. An old, flaking mirror can become a window. Is there a fundamental difference? A being who can pass through one, see through one, can see and pass through both, & through still water.
Pick your fears carefully. What are you summoning?
#horrorwriterschat
Pick your fears carefully. What are you summoning?
#horrorwriterschat
Well then #HorrorWritersChat, what of this? I am absolutely not going near mirrors. But what about you...?
August 20, 2025 at 6:58 PM
At night, a window can become a mirror. An old, flaking mirror can become a window. Is there a fundamental difference? A being who can pass through one, see through one, can see and pass through both, & through still water.
Pick your fears carefully. What are you summoning?
#horrorwriterschat
Pick your fears carefully. What are you summoning?
#horrorwriterschat
Reposted by Sal O'Shea (they/them)
Well, part of why I'm writing is to confront the things that scare and upset me, so if there's a Bluebeard room in my brain, that's the first door I'm breaking open. That said, there are themes I have no patience for or interest in: 90% of r*pe plots, for example. #HorrorWritersChat
It's a thing, no? The Bluebeard room, the closet, the hidden cellar, the space that you never look at. What's yours #HorrorWritersChat writers?
August 20, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Well, part of why I'm writing is to confront the things that scare and upset me, so if there's a Bluebeard room in my brain, that's the first door I'm breaking open. That said, there are themes I have no patience for or interest in: 90% of r*pe plots, for example. #HorrorWritersChat
Reposted by Sal O'Shea (they/them)
#HorrorWritersChat - A reflective silver teapot or even a cup of tea may act as a mirror. It's no accident Narcissus died while admiring his reflection in a pool of water. All of a sudden, there you are staring at yourself in reverse. It's you but it isn't you. It's inside and outside. Horrifying.
Well then #HorrorWritersChat, what of this? I am absolutely not going near mirrors. But what about you...?
August 20, 2025 at 6:54 PM
#HorrorWritersChat - A reflective silver teapot or even a cup of tea may act as a mirror. It's no accident Narcissus died while admiring his reflection in a pool of water. All of a sudden, there you are staring at yourself in reverse. It's you but it isn't you. It's inside and outside. Horrifying.
Reposted by Sal O'Shea (they/them)
#HorrorWritersChat
It’s an evangelical megachurch auditorium just like the one where I first learned to hate myself. You’ll never see it represented directly and explicitly in my work because it is very banal and ugly. Catholicism at least has drip
It’s an evangelical megachurch auditorium just like the one where I first learned to hate myself. You’ll never see it represented directly and explicitly in my work because it is very banal and ugly. Catholicism at least has drip
It's a thing, no? The Bluebeard room, the closet, the hidden cellar, the space that you never look at. What's yours #HorrorWritersChat writers?
August 20, 2025 at 6:46 PM
#HorrorWritersChat
It’s an evangelical megachurch auditorium just like the one where I first learned to hate myself. You’ll never see it represented directly and explicitly in my work because it is very banal and ugly. Catholicism at least has drip
It’s an evangelical megachurch auditorium just like the one where I first learned to hate myself. You’ll never see it represented directly and explicitly in my work because it is very banal and ugly. Catholicism at least has drip
Maybe this is cheating, but windows at night from the inside look an awful lot like mirrors. One of my short stories was inspired by that image - tall, wide windows in a New England church sanctuary, to be precise.
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
Well then #HorrorWritersChat, what of this? I am absolutely not going near mirrors. But what about you...?
August 20, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Maybe this is cheating, but windows at night from the inside look an awful lot like mirrors. One of my short stories was inspired by that image - tall, wide windows in a New England church sanctuary, to be precise.
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
Reposted by Sal O'Shea (they/them)
The room you don't enter in my haunted house is a sitting room. A place where past trite conversations linger, a place where conservative conversation is favored in light of anything deep or unique identifying. A room where everyone plays pretend. There's nothing real in there.
#horrorwriterschat
#horrorwriterschat
It's a thing, no? The Bluebeard room, the closet, the hidden cellar, the space that you never look at. What's yours #HorrorWritersChat writers?
August 20, 2025 at 6:38 PM
The room you don't enter in my haunted house is a sitting room. A place where past trite conversations linger, a place where conservative conversation is favored in light of anything deep or unique identifying. A room where everyone plays pretend. There's nothing real in there.
#horrorwriterschat
#horrorwriterschat
Reposted by Sal O'Shea (they/them)
This is tough, because I feel like there are so many different ways this question could go. But at least in my LWF series, there's an undercurrent of ableism (and lots of other isms), where the townsfolk try to hide away differences.
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
It's a thing, no? The Bluebeard room, the closet, the hidden cellar, the space that you never look at. What's yours #HorrorWritersChat writers?
August 20, 2025 at 6:31 PM
This is tough, because I feel like there are so many different ways this question could go. But at least in my LWF series, there's an undercurrent of ableism (and lots of other isms), where the townsfolk try to hide away differences.
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
A lot of things go unsaid in my stories. Not about the supernatural horror or actual events, but the internal thoughts and feelings that characters keep locked away from each other, and even themselves.
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
It's a thing, no? The Bluebeard room, the closet, the hidden cellar, the space that you never look at. What's yours #HorrorWritersChat writers?
August 20, 2025 at 6:34 PM
A lot of things go unsaid in my stories. Not about the supernatural horror or actual events, but the internal thoughts and feelings that characters keep locked away from each other, and even themselves.
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat