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penandpier.bsky.social
Pen & Pier
@penandpier.bsky.social
29 followers 37 following 15 posts
Pen & Pier is a society of writers based in SLO county who support each other’s creative efforts. We envision a community where authors of all levels create powerful stories that inspire and endure.
https://www.penandpier.com/
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penandpier.bsky.social
If you want to read the whole story, it is in our anthology 'Rough Seas & Strange Yarns', which you can preorder here: www.amazon.com/Rough-Seas-S...
A painting of the ocean at sunset with an island in the background and some coral in the foreground. Overlaid with text saying: Into the Depths By Michelle Dornish "I need to find a way out," Rachel whispered to herself, her heart fluttering with fear again. "Why are you in a rush?" The male voice startled her so much that she screamed aloud, but her shout didn't echo in the small space. In fact, the scream was soaked up by the coral so that the sound ended much sooner than she would have expected. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you maiden," the voice continued. Rachel spun toward the voice, toward the pool of water, and her eyes locked with the smiling, boyish face of a man with toned arms, resting on the edge of the coral. He set his chin on his folded arms, his wet hair long enough that he had to jerk his head slightly to move the dark strands from his eyes. She couldn't help but linger on his eyes, a startling shade of gray, not unlike a stormy sea. A sparkle of mirth in them that made her feel nervous. What was making him so happy exactly?
November 21, 2025 at 6:47 PM
penandpier.bsky.social
If you want to read the whole story, it is in our our anthology 'Rough Seas & Strange Yarns' which you can preorder here: www.amazon.com/Rough-Seas-S...
A picture with mostly red text and three pencil drawn sailing ships. The text reads: The Best Captain in The World By Barbara Swihart Miller A competition ensues when two sea captains clash. Who will win? A humorous YA story. "Remember what happened to the last asshole, Strawberry? He ended up in Davie Jones' Locker!" The girls broke out in riotous laughter. " Don't be a fool!" Umbri protested. "No one has ever beaten Blurr! He is the fiercest pirate to ever sail the seas!" " He doesn't even have any facial hair! Goldie, back me up on this! He can't have been sailing for more than a year. I doubt he has even blooded his saber!" "Or fired his pistol!" "Either pistol!" Under neath in gray text it says: Excerpted from Rough Seas & Strange Yarns, a Pen & Pier anthology.
November 19, 2025 at 6:33 PM
penandpier.bsky.social
A little primer from us about editing: substack.com/home/post/p-...
An image of a checklist for editing. It has several bullet points. Behind each is a phrase to check for and avoid if possible. Those are: There is/There was (Especially at the start of description or action)' Seem/seemed, Just, Very, Thought, However, Adverbs (Generally words that end in -ly), Looked like, Then, Started, Feels/felt. On the bottom left corner is the Pen & Pier logo. On the bottom right a hand with a pen.
October 24, 2025 at 4:44 PM
penandpier.bsky.social
We recently had a productive and fun weekend together at our third writing retreat. You can read all about it here: www.penandpier.com/2025/10/sept...
A group of writers proudly displaying their bookbinding results at a craft place.
October 11, 2025 at 8:17 PM