Steph | Queer Horror Author
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sewithersauthor.bsky.social
Steph | Queer Horror Author
@sewithersauthor.bsky.social
590 followers 610 following 200 posts
they/them • NJ/Philly
✍️ NB Author of queer horror
📖 Writing dark tales that explore trauma and identity
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sewithersauthor.bsky.social
Happy #Saturdark! When I saw the prompt was Blood I was like Ooo, I can do that! Here’s a little snippet from Project Vampire.
#queerhorror #vampirehorror #gothichorror
A snippet from Project Vampire by @ButMakeItSapphic, “Anna chewed her bottom lip with renewed vigor. Xander drew in a steeling breath, intending to chastise her for the habit. To tease that they might tear the lips from her face and savor them raw if only to save her the slow trouble of doing it herself. But with the intake of breath came the irresistible scent of blood. It was only the faintest hint, from a tiny blossom of crimson that sprouted where her teeth had snagged. But it was enough. The sound of the carriage wheels dulled to an nearly imperceptible hum as Xander's gaze dipped toward Anna's mouth. Her gray eyes blew wide in fear.”
October 11, 2025 at 8:21 PM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
It’s been a stressful week and my nails are chewed to hell, but look at these tiny flowers. 🥹
Close-up shot of a thumb and forefinger (despite their horribly chewed up fingernails) folding a collection of the tiniest flowers they could find in their backyard.
September 19, 2025 at 8:55 PM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
Today’s word: other - When you wanna tell your dad off but god is always watching 🤣
#WIPSnips #GothicHorror #QueerBooks #Horrormance
A quote from @butmakeitsapphic’s Project Vampire, “the kitchen door swung open and a gust of wind tore a ribbon of dull brown hair from Sylvie's braid. Red sand skittered across the floor before it could be clapped shut again. Yet another chore for later. "The littles'll be up soon," her father warned as he unraveled the scarf that protected his nose and mouth. He hung it on a peg beside the others. Sylvie bit down on her tongue before she could respond in haste, lest Solus be keeping score from above.
September 15, 2025 at 8:56 PM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is pocket!
When the preacher knows what’s comin’ before anyone else does 👀👀
#horrorwriter #sapphicbooks #queerhorror
Snippet from @butmakeitsapphic’s Project Vampire: Sylvie's father sighed tiredly and stuffed his hands deep into his trouser pockets. "It's just a storm, Mick. Don't get—" "It's a reckoning," the preacher corrected him. He pinned Sylvie's father with a warning look. "Someone in this town has stuck their nose where it don't belong, and we're all about to pay the price. I can preach til I'm blue, but I can never seem to keep these idiots from believin' they're in charge around here. Everything we do is measured in the end, Eric."
September 13, 2025 at 12:50 PM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
I always seem to miss when this one gets posted, so I’m a bit late with my first #Saturdark post! Sorryyyy 😬🖤

#gothichorror #queerbooks #sapphicbooks
A Saturdark snippet from @butmakeitsapphic’s gothic horror WIP, Project Vampire: It was a stark, unnatural quiet that felt more like a scream. Like a deep, resonate roar from the earth beneath her feet that made her bones tremble and her teeth chatter. Not even the evening critters, the coyotes and owls and insects, dared to interrupt its call Something isn't right, it cried. Sylvie wasn't sure how she knew, but she did. She dug her bare toes into the sand and strained to listen closer. But it wasn't a sound so much as a feeling. A writhing that began in her calves and crept up her spine. It pinched at the nape of her neck and made her shiver. Danger is close.
September 7, 2025 at 2:31 PM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is “nowhere.” We get to see a bit of Anna. Not a part of the main pairing, but still important 🥹

#queerbooks #sapphicbooks #queerauthors #writingcommunity
A snippet from @butmakeitsapphic Project Vampire: Anna stiffened, cradling the book against her chest as though it were a shield. "I only worry about our position at Emerald House," she said. "Your position at Emerald House," Xander countered. "Well...yes," she admitted reluctantly. "You see, you have all the world at your fingertips, Master Durand. You have money. Friends. The protection of your name, and of the Esurit." Anna shrugged, her gaze taking on a faraway look. "I have nothing. No one. And nowhere else to go."
September 7, 2025 at 2:04 PM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is dust! We’ve got plenty of that in this WIP.

#horrormance #sapphicbooks #nonbinarybooks #queerbooks
A snippet from @butmakeitsapphic’s Project Vampire, “The rest of the house was quiet save for the creaking of its old wood against the summer winds that swept down from the Rust Hills like billows. They kicked up the red dust of Rustholde's desert plain and engulfed it in an eerie crimson haze.”
September 6, 2025 at 12:00 PM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
The Year of Queer Lit sale is on!

www.yearofqueerlit.com

#queerBooks #QueerReads #LGBTQbooks #SapphicBooks
August 26, 2025 at 10:27 PM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
#WIPSnips word is “cheat.”

#queerBooks #QueerAuthors #VampireBooks #SapphicBooks
A snippet from @ButMakeItSapphic ‘s Project Vampire: Towns like Rustholde weren't built for good men. They swallowed the poor wretches whole and spat them out again, half digested and missing a few morals. And Eric Dempsey-despite having only a failing business and barren cupboards to his name-still clung to his with bloodied fingers. To some, that kind of resolve might have seemed admirable. But Sylvie was starting to hate him for it. Because there was food aplenty for those willing to cheat a little to get it.
August 1, 2025 at 8:11 PM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
“Thrive.” To be clear, no one’s thriving around here 😅
#WIPSnips #Horrormance #QueerBooks #SapphicBooks
A snippet from Project Vampire by @butmakeitsapphic: Rustholde was known for miles around as a place to avoid if you had no business being there. It was filled with thieves and rogues, the only ones who'd found a way to thrive in such an inhospitable climate. But no one ever talked about the good ones. The people who still clung to homesteads that had been passed down through generations. Who supported and protected each other. The ones who couldn't afford to leave even if they wanted to.
July 25, 2025 at 11:41 AM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is “needle.”

With their new power, Xander found that people would bleed just for the chance to love them. They would never be lonely again.

#QueerBooks #SapphicBooks #QueerAuthor #Horrormance
A snippet from Project Vampire by @butmakeitsapphic Elizabeth took up the needle and tube from a silver platter lying on the table. Without hesitation, she lifted the needle to her skin. But Xander stopped her, taking gentle hold of her arm and stretching it out. They ran their thumb over the soft, untarnished skin at the crook of her elbow. Elizabeth smiled proudly. "You're to be the first." "The only, if you would prefer it," Katja added. And the smirk on her face negated any need for confirmation. She already knew Xander to be a selfish thing.
July 22, 2025 at 12:53 PM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
👀😍 When a pretty (tasty) woman makes a good retirement gift 👌👌
Today’s #WIPSnips word is “moon!”

#queerbooks #sapphicbooksky #nonbinarybooks #writesky
A snippet from Project Vampire by @butmakeitsapphic: "I hope you find her pleasing?" Katja asked. The question held no actual concern. Emerald House's proprietor knew she'd done well. It was her job, after all, to accommodate the particularities of her members. She'd likely been keeping a long list of Xander's preferences over the years, and Elizabeth was exactly the type of woman that could command Xander's attention the way the moon commanded the tide. "Extremely," Xander admitted. A vampire horrormance NB/FEMME, ENEMIES TO CONFUSED/CONFLICTED LOVERS • GOTHIC VAMPIRE HORRORMANCE • PROTECT THE GIRL AT ALL COSTS • MENTAL HEALTH REP (PTSD, TRAUMA)
July 20, 2025 at 7:02 PM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
Ever dissociate so hard you lose a whole day? 😅 Me too. This book explores a lot of mental health struggles: PTSD, depression, dissociation, and other effects of trauma. #WIPSnips

#queerbooks #sapphicbooks #writesky #horrormance
Snippet from Project Vampire by @butmakeitsapphic: It was as though Sylvie blinked and suddenly she was knelt beside the soapy trough in the middle of the kitchen floor, scrubbing red dust from beneath Ophelia's fingernails. "You're back," the young girl said. Her gray eyes searched Sylvie's, and Sylvie was perplexed to see her frown at what she found. "Back?" Sylvie asked. "You do that sometimes."
July 19, 2025 at 12:59 PM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is memory! This story deals a lot with trauma and PTSD. We’ve got memories galore, from the bittersweet to the haunting. 🖤

#queerbooks #sapphicbooks #nonbinarybooks #queerauthor
A snippet from Project Vampire, by @butmakeitsapphic NB/FEMME, ENEMIES TO CONFUSED/CONFLICTED LOVERS • GOTHIC VAMPIRE HORRORMANCE • PROTECT THE GIRL AT ALL COSTS • MENTAL HEALTH REP (PTSD, TRAUMA) “They stared blankly at the word, waiting for it to change. As though this were all just a trick of the mind. But it remained, penned in ink darker than Malachai's void of a soul. "That f&*$ing devil," Xander hissed. Fractured bits of memory rushed to the surface like beading blood beneath the skin-splitting snap of a whip. Xander pressed their forefinger and thumb against their own eyelids until stars twinkled in the darkness beyond. Anything to staunch the onslaught of terrors they'd worked so hard to bury.”
July 16, 2025 at 1:49 PM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
Late to the party, but here it is! Today’s #WIPSnips word is “rumble.” Have a lil flashback 😅

#sapphichorror #nonbinarybooks #sapphicbooks #queerhorror
A quote from Project Vampire by @butmakeitsapphic , After the shame came rage, and Xander felt it now like a looming shadow, their shoulders tensing under its chill. It hadn't been a hot and furious thing like they were prone to, but cold and quiet, and content to wait, knowing that one day its time would come. That Xander would find a way to become stronger and more capable. That, one day, they would have the power to exact a revenge well worth its patience. Oh, and they had. Xander could still hear the ear- splitting crack of rock. Feel the deep, bone-trembling rumble of the earth as it shifted. Hear the agonizing screams of those terrible men as they were crushed between its craggy jaws.
July 15, 2025 at 12:32 AM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
Sylvie’s father owes a debt to a monster that he can’t repay, and everyone in town will suffer for it.
#QueerBooks #Horromance #VampireRomance #SapphicBooks #NonbinaryBooks
"It's a reckoning," Mr. Rider corrected. He pinned Sylvie's father with a warning look. "Someone in this town has stuck their nose where it don't belong, and we're all about to pay the price. I can preach 'til I'm blue, but I can never seem to make these idiots understand they're not in charge around here. Everything we do is measured in the end, Eric." A smile cracked Mr. Rider's face then, like a break in the clouds. Like warm sunlight piercing through the gloom. He clapped a hand on her father's shoulder. "I suppose it's a good thing you're one of the best we got." A snippet from Project Vampire by @butmakeitsapphic NB/FEMME, ENEMIES TO CONFUSED/CONFLICTED LOVERS • GOTHIC VAMPIRE HORRORMANCE • PROTECT THE GIRL AT ALL COSTS • MENTAL HEALTH REP (PTSD, TRAUMA)
July 9, 2025 at 11:37 AM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
It has arrived 😍😍 I’m so excited to dive into this after the month I’ve had. May it heal me! #BuryOurBones #booksky
June 13, 2025 at 11:44 PM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
#LGBTQWriteAThon
👋🏻 Hey, I’m Steph! I’m a nonbinary author writing sapphic horror and dark fantasy.
🥀 This month, I’ll be talking about Project Vampire. It’s a gothic horromance with an NB/Femme pairing.
🖤 Vampires, demons, and damsels- oh my!

#sapphicbooks #queerSFFH #queerhorror #horromance
Day one of the LGBTQWRITEATHON is an introduction and first line. The first line of Project Vampire, a sapphic gothic horromance, is: XANDER TUCKED A SLENDER FINGER BENEATH THE EDGE OF THE SCROLL'S PARCHMENT, HESITATING AS IT FOUND PURCHASE AGAINST THE GLEAMING BLACK SEAL.
June 1, 2025 at 1:14 PM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
When life itself is a horror, you’ll do anything to break free.

Beauty and the Beast x Scrooge, with vampires. Project Vampire is a gothic horromance that leaves a bittersweet taste on your tongue.

#WIPPIT #H #R #LGBT #OWN #A
Project Vampire tropes: GOTHIC VAMPIRE HORROMANCE • ENEMIES TO CONFUSED & CONFLICTED LOVERS • NB/FEMME PAIRING • LIFE IS A HORROR • PROTECT THE GIRL AT ALL COSTS WHEN SHE IS YOUR SALVATION • MENTAL HEALTH REP (PTSD, TRAUMA) SYLVIE'S FATHER OWES A DEBT HE CAN'T REPAY, SO SHE OFFERS HERSELF UP TO THE BEAST THAT HUNTS HIM INSTEAD. BECAUSE EVEN PAIN OF DEATH WOULD BE BETTER THAN HER LIFE IN RUSTHOLDE. ONE LAST ASSIGNMENT, AND XANDER WILL BE FREE. BUT THEY KNOW THEY'LL HAVE TO BE CAREFUL. BECAUSE THERE'S ALWAYS A CATCH WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH DEMONS. @BUTMAKEITSAPPHIC If you enjoyed THE UNEXPECTED LOVE STORY OF BEAUTY AND THE BEAST... ...THE TORTURED BACKSTORY OF ASTARION FROM BG3... ...AND THE TRAGIC HEARTACHE OF A BITTERSWEET ENDING... ...BUT MAKE IT SAPPHIC.
May 23, 2025 at 6:35 PM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
I did indeed keep up with the Sunday ritual. Had a friend over for a craft day and got to work a bit more on this lil project. Can’t wait to hang it in my writing nook 🤩
#embroidery #queercrafts #gothic
Picture of an unfinished embroidery project of a Gothic arch window covered in vines and a pair of sewing scissors with ornate silver handles.
May 19, 2025 at 12:56 PM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
Started a new embroidery project today. I am suuuper new to this craft, but it’s really fun to do while listening to audiobooks and podcasts. Hopefully I can make this a lil Sunday ritual for myself.
#queercrafters #embroidery
Photo of an embroidery hoop with the stencil of a Gothic arch covered in vines.
May 11, 2025 at 7:42 PM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is “where.” Rustholde is a hard place to be for many people, but for Xander and Sylvie, it’s their worst nightmare.

#queerbooks #sapphicbooks #queerauthor #writesky
Anna tucked inside the door, her eyes widening with delight at the sight of the open scroll. "So, where are we heading?" she asked. Xander settled back against the velvet-lined cushions and repeated the word that had been echoing inside their mind like a warning, "Rustholde." A chill raked through Xander's chest like claws, etching deep lines down through their limbs as their memory finally made the connection. They swallowed roughly. "Where is that? I've never heard of it." A quote from Project Vampire by @butmakeitsapphic
May 10, 2025 at 1:44 PM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is “give.” We’re makin’ deals with devils and giving up our souls for the chance at a better life. In this world, reincarnation is cannon. Being good and selfless earns you a better cycle. But sometimes your circumstances make that really hard.
#queerbooks #sapphicbooks
Sylvie closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, and she wished with all of her might for the old tale to be true. She wasn't sure she could hold out for death to take her. Because even after it did, there was no promise her next life would be any better. No, the only thing that could truly stop this torturous cycle of death and rebirth would be to not have a soul at all. So if the devil showed up and made her an offer, Sylvie knew she would give it up in a heartbeat just to get the f&#k out of Rustholde. A quote from Project Vampire by @butmakeitsapphic
May 8, 2025 at 1:38 PM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is “bed.” Have you ever felt so trapped in a situation that it feels like there’s only one way out?
Well, surprise. There are two ways out of Rustholde. The other one is to be sent away to cover your father’s debts 🤷‍♀️

#queerbooks #sapphicbooks #horrormance
Her heart was still racing like a hare caught onto the hunt, frantic and clumsy. It was the last piece of her that still clung to hope, the poor thing. It startled her awake every morning, begging her to run. Sometimes her legs would twitch in solidarity. But there would be no escaping their fate. No rising above it like the tales her mother used to tell before bed. And certainly no prince swooping in to save her. No, the only way out of Rustholde was death. - A quote from Project Vampire by Butmakeitsapphic
May 6, 2025 at 3:15 PM
sewithersauthor.bsky.social
#WIPSnips
A sudden gust of wind pulled a ribbon of hair from her braid as the kitchen door swung open. Red sand skittered across the floor before it could be closed again. Another chore for later, Sylvie noted. "Mornin'," her father greeted as he unraveled the scarf that protected his nose and mouth. He hung it on a peg beside the others. "The littles'll be up soon." Sylvie forced herself to say nothing lest Solus be watching from above. A quote from Project Vampire by @BUTMAKEITSAPPHIC, a gothic horrormance
May 4, 2025 at 1:59 PM