🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝
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skkelleywrites.bsky.social
🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝
@skkelleywrites.bsky.social
1.7K followers 470 following 6.6K posts
Sam (30, she/they), author of Sidetracked
currently drafting Sunrise #FirstDraftFall
weird/queer/INTP/artist/mom/part-time furry
my characters haunt me incessantly
read my books 👉 linktr.ee/skkelleywrites
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skkelleywrites.bsky.social
I haven’t used “retrograde” in any of my books/projects, but this snippet from Sidetracked Part 1 contains “backward” AND embodies retrograde vibes 😅
#WIPSnips
I finally made a move. He said he likes me, and I kissed him, but... Oh, god. I screwed up. Stumbling backward, I cover my mouth with my hands. "I'm sorry," I gasp. "I— I don't know why I did that just now. I'm, uh...” He averts his eyes and presses a couple fingers to his lips. Both his posture and expression are unreadable. Neutral. Blank, almost. Until he takes a deep, even breath and regains his composure. As he meets my gaze, he clears his throat. "It's okay," he says. "It was nothing, right?" Nothing? This was clearly a mistake.
November 18, 2025 at 5:06 PM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
I feel bad for Jayde, but this line (from Afterglow) is so funny out of context
It's great to know that just about everyone has been speculating about my nonexistent sex life all summer.
November 18, 2025 at 3:00 AM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
Unedited snippet of Jayde & James talking about what Ice was like back in middle school. (from Sunrise)
#WIPSnips
"Ice was never real with me—until it was way too late, at which point it was just kind of creepy." That makes him laugh. "Oh, yeah, no, that's just how the real Ice is. He was always weird with boundaries. Inconsistent, friendly one moment and standoffish the next. Acted like he knew what everyone around him was thinking. Said—and did—the most insane shit just to see how you'd react. He always liked pushing buttons, seeing what he could get away with. Feeling in control." A control freak, huh? Can you blame him? You remember how good it felt to be in control—to finally watch Ice squirm—after spending weeks wallowing in helplessness. It wasn't...really a good feeling.
November 17, 2025 at 8:29 PM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
Your last saved meme is your moral philosophy.
a marshmallow-like blob character smiling with their hands on their hips and the caption “I will succeed because I am insane.”
November 17, 2025 at 1:42 AM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
remember that one time I wrote & published a 4-book contemporary fantasy drama series about cat shifters?

did you know you can buy them in paperback & ebook format from most retailers who sell books (or directly from me via itch or ko-fi)?

👉 linktr.ee/skkelleywrites 👈
Sidetracked (a complete series!) FEATURING - magical(?) cat shifters - "fun" summer vibes - secret government program - slow burn idiots to lovers romance - touch-starved sad boy love interest - mental illness & neurodivergent rep - slice of life with an edge - angst for DAYS - "I'm fine; this is fine" - fucked up dream sequences - 20 chapter beach episode - obnoxious smirking bastard knife man two digital promo illustrations of the Sidetracked characters featuring two scenes from book 1 (Jayde & James’ awkward first meeting at the mall AND Ice & Night during the first time Jayde visits their house in Westbrooke)
November 17, 2025 at 1:29 AM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
I don’t know why most of my MCs have mommy issues, but here we are
#WIPSnips
Our eyes meet as I go to hand off another plate, and I realize that James is crying. Soft, watery eyes and wet streaks down his face. I feel my chest tighten, and, though he moves to take the plate, I set it aside. I rinse my hands in the hot water and plant them on James' cheeks. His eyes widen in surprise—that I reacted that way or that my hands are wet, I'm not sure—but he remains quiet. The sink runs beside me. "You okay?" I ask. He nods, his face sandwiched between my hands. "What's wrong?" He smiles faintly, eyes darting aside. "It's stupid." "I'm sure it's not." "It's just.." He sighs. "I've been thinking about my mom." "Oh."
November 16, 2025 at 8:46 AM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
I’m doing great—way better than I expected—but I have a sneaking suspicion that my first draft will be longer than 40k words. lol

I gave myself until the end of the year to finish drafting. At this rate, I might finish by the end of November instead.
#PretendPanel
Screenshot of my pacemaker.press project tracker for Sunrise Drafting 2025 (Novella Writing) Goal: 19,512 words over 61 days (between November 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025) 34,461 words complete 5,539 words left 46 days left 71% of goal completed Average Daily Words: 932 Current Streak: 15 days Longest Streak: 15 days
November 16, 2025 at 6:16 AM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
copyright page train!

My copyright pages are admittedly kind of extra. 😅
Sidetracked: Part I Copyright © 2021 by S.K. Kelley This book is a human-created work of fiction. All references to real people, locations, brand names, and events are used fictitiously. Other people (characters), names, locations, and incidents are products of the author's imagina-tion, and any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), locations, or events (past or future) is purely coincidental. No form of generative Al was used in the creation of this work. All Rights Reserved The scanning, uploading, or distribution of this book without the author's express permission, including use in generative Al or other machine learning model training, is a theft of the author's intellectual property. If you wish to obtain permission to use material from this book for any reason besides fair use review purposes, please email the author at skkelleyauthor@gmail.com. Cover design © 2021 by S.K. Kelley Grunge texture © by D. Sharon Pruitt Foglihten font family © by Gluk Fonts Arimo font © by Steve Matteson First Edition: July 2021 (Revised August 2025) Library of Congress Control Number: 2021914162 ISBN: (paperback) 978-1-955240-00-0 (hardcover) 978-1-955240-02-4 (digital ebook): 978-1-955240-13-0 Published by Bleeding Heart Books skkelleyauthor.square.site Roseburg, Oregon
November 16, 2025 at 6:03 AM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
I feel like (if there is a favorite) it’s probably Ice due to exposure alone since I blab about his annoying ass the most. 😭

He may be lacking positive character traits & a discernible personality, but he makes up for it with drama & stage presence.

He’s one of my least likable characters. lmao
hands holding a heart-shaped picture frame with a digital illustration of Ice Monroe inside it, with the caption "i hate you...but i love you...but i hate you."
November 15, 2025 at 6:42 PM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
lowkey spicy snip 🫣
(from Resignation)
#WIPSnips
"How's your side?" he asks. Don't ask about that now! "It's fine," I mumble, slowly edging his shirt up. "Mm..." His hands rest over mine, curbing my progress and leaving my cheeks cold, and his eyes flick down —toward the stupid incision. "You sure?" His hand brushes my stomach, fingers splayed between my ribs and my hip, his thumb just above the row of staples, separated from me only by my thin camisole. But I feel no pain— only a desperate, annoying ache in my chest, like I'll die if he doesn't kiss me again in the next five seconds. "Yes," I say. "I'm fine."
November 15, 2025 at 8:55 AM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
Here’s the most emotionally fucked up injury in Sidetracked (Borderline). Jayde spends the rest of the series stressing about it more than any other injury she sustains.

The most physically fucked up injuries in the series are a bit too spoilery to share (even by my low standards). 😅
Only an idiot would leave it like this. Careful, I peel my hand away. My attention follows my hand, and the blood smeared on my stitched palm, hesitant to look aside and assess the damage. But, when I do, my breath catches. My knees buckle, and I fall to the floor. What Ice carved there— The six small cuts on the inside of my wrist form the rough, angular shape of a heart. The wound oozes slowly, dark blood pooling at the bottom point before breaking away and trickling down my arm in a warm stream. What did he say? "So much for your summer romance?" It's almost funny. It's almost... But why?
November 14, 2025 at 8:40 PM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
I’m writing more than I expected.

I was hoping to reach 40k words by the end of December (I started with just over 20k). At this rate, I’m on track to reach 40k by the end of November. I might actually *finish drafting* DURING a 30-day writing challenge for the first time in my life. wowie
screenshot of my writing tracker overview Goal: write 19,512 words over 61 days (from November 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025) 30,529 words complete 9,471 words left 48 days left 51% toward goal Average Daily Words: 772 Current Streak: 13 days
November 14, 2025 at 7:12 AM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
This is a James Reid meme if I’ve ever seen one.

I imagine one of his friends (Jayde, Rose, or Matthew, probably) seeing it while scrolling their feed on FaceSpace and showing it to him like “hey, is this you?”

he would turn into dust from shame (but also laugh)
#Novmemeber
a white car with a bumper sticker that says “do NOT honk at me! My life is WORTHLESS I will KILL US both”
November 13, 2025 at 9:43 PM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
I wrote this last night.

It was important to me that the epilogue novella include a scene with Jayde’s dreamscape doppelgänger being…Like That. I think she means well, but it’s hard to say. 😅
"James can prevent his breakdowns—he knows when to tap out and take the Xanax—but you still can't control me or your dreamscape in the slightest. Are you sure you're doing as well as you say?" I glance at my lap. "What do you or my dreamscape have to do with anything? Besides, I haven't really tried to change you. I'm just…trying to live with you. I'd like us to get along, but—“ "But what? I'm difficult? Impossible? Like Ice?" I wince and feel a chill blow through the air, but I've been through this before. I don't even bother looking up. "Sometimes," I admit. "But you're not Ice. You're me. A piece of me, my subconscious. And I know, deep down, that we don't want to be like this. We don't— I don't want to hate myself anymore. Not because of Ice. Not because of anything. I'm human. I make mistakes. I do stupid shit. Everyone does. It's okay. I'm not going to beat myself up about it forever."
November 13, 2025 at 9:12 PM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
Rereading this, it kinda reminds me of Night & Ice’s banter in Sidetracked (Part 1) before everything goes to shit.

Main difference is that Jayde & James don’t lowkey hate each other.
#WIPSnips
"Think you'll want to live on the coast one day?" I ask while he unlocks the car. "A suburb like this? Or a tiny house? A trailer park by the beach?" He kind of laughs. "Where do you wanna live?" "You know I don't care." I dip into the back seat to grab the shopping tote with all of our presents inside. "I stayed with you at Reid Manor for like two weeks. No AC. No hot water. And your dad's house? Ugh. After that, I can handle anything." He laughs harder. "Guess our future prospects depend on how much HIA decides to pay you, huh?" "You planning to be a stay-at-home housewife forever?" "Hey!" He locks the car and slams the driver door. Our eyes meet over the top of the car—he looks less offended than he sounded. "I'm still looking into trade schools. Maybe I do wanna build tiny houses for a living."
November 13, 2025 at 6:50 PM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
I think I’ve shared parts of this scene several times, but it’s fiiiiiine (from Sunrise)
#WIPSnips
My heart hasn't beat this fast in months. It's like I forgot what adrenaline—what fear—felt like. James sets a hand on my side. "What is so funny?" he asks hotly. "You scared me to death just now, you know?" I look up with tears in my eyes, my cheeks hot against the cold air. He stares down at me, bewildered and embarrassed but no longer afraid—since I assume he realized that I'm totally fine. "I won," I say through my laughter. After a beat of silence, he huffs at me, then smiles and wipes the tears from my eyes with the cuffs of his sweatshirt. "You won," he agrees. "But only 'cause you're so small. Being small makes you faster." "Whatever!"
November 12, 2025 at 6:37 PM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
considering she can turn into a cat, I figure Jayde’s fursona would be…a cat? 😅

I used to draw the Sidetracked characters as anthro cats before I decided drawing humans isn’t any more difficult, actually

this is the last time I drew Jayde’s feline form (for a sticker design)
#Novmemeber
a brown tabby with cream muzzle, belly, and toes wearing a necklace with a blue, diamond-shaped pendant and a bleeding heart flower
November 11, 2025 at 5:41 PM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
no burgers in Sunrise (yet??), but here’s a freshly drafted snippet about candied carrots

also, Jayde talks to herself (or her alternate dreamscape self??) now
it’s fine; don’t worry about it
#WIPSnips
The candied carrots intrigue me. Out of everything they made, it's the only dish I hadn't tried in some form before. Honestly, I think I prefer it over the more typical sweet potatoes with marshmallows, which is what my mom used to make on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yet you're too shy to ask Stacey what recipe she used… I could ask James about it later. He made the glaze, so he might be able to piece together the recipe for me. Or— Or I could just look it up online. I know. I'm not stupid.
November 11, 2025 at 9:00 AM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
a funny thing about my wedding

we had 6 guests (plus us, ofc)

the only person among us who was (out as) trans at the time was my wife (the tall one)

Eventually, over the years, all but one of us came out as some variety of trans/nonbinary/etc

I have no good photos of my wedding, sadly 😅
4 people standing on a boulder next to a river with 2 more sitting in the foreground a different angle of the same, though now the 2 brides (question mark) are awkwardly looking off to the side
November 10, 2025 at 8:54 PM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
a snippet from Something Familiar (since I apparently haven’t used “local” in Sunrise)
#WIPSnips
I paused at one of the botanical sketches signed by DB—a thin stalk lined with a dozen small flowers—and took it off the wall. The paper backing revealed that the drawing was made in 1872. The word Camassia was written beneath the date. I turned the frame over again and recognized the flower as a local camas plant. He must have drawn it sometime during the cabin's construction. He had a serious thing for flowers. I almost couldn't believe a hobby could persevere so long—since the seventh or eighth century, right? It's impressive that the flower girl had such a lasting impact on him.
November 10, 2025 at 6:59 PM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
Jayde (a la Sunrise, wearing a turtleneck) in 60 seconds
#Novmemeber
a messy chibi / cartoony ballpoint pen doodle of Jayde (a girl with large eyes and shoulder-length hair) kind of giving lenny face side-eye
November 10, 2025 at 12:26 AM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
enjoy this scene from Something Familiar (plus a meme)
#WIPSnips
"Do these look similar?" I asked. You folded your arms over your chest, thoroughly unimpressed. "You came all the way here to ask that? You could've just sent a picture of it, you know." Using the phone hadn't crossed my mind at all. I kept forgetting I had it. "I wanted to give it to you—the painting, that is," I said. "I thought, if the jade plant is meant to bring good luck, perhaps a painting of it will have a similar effect. But I wanted your opinion of it first." You thanked me, retaining some skepticism, and took the painting. After studying it for a moment, you looked up at me and said, "It looks exactly like the real thing, Daniel." the office meme panel one: two pictures are shown (in this case of two potted jade plants) with the caption “Corporate needs you to find the differences between this picture and this picture.” panel two: woman looking at the camera with the caption “they’re the same picture”
November 9, 2025 at 8:55 AM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
Hello! I’m Sam, an indie author/artist from Oregon.

My current WIP is Sunrise. It’s a cozy, holiday-themed novella set a couple months after the end of my contemporary fantasy drama series, Sidetracked. I’m about halfway through drafting.

here’s my cover mockup :)
#LateNightWrite
Sunrise cover mockup, featuring a purple & black monochrome image of a silhouette of a couple overlooking the ocean
November 9, 2025 at 3:17 AM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
Rice Cooker
A grey and white cat lying on her back in a sort of candy cane shape with all four feet in the air
November 8, 2025 at 11:41 PM
skkelleywrites.bsky.social
Daniel, pushing his luck as always
#WIPSnips
"I won't betray my friends," I spat, uncaring of the blood that spilled from my lips as I spoke. "You'd have better luck...drawing blood from a stone." He smiled thinly. "Be careful what you say to me, familiar. You should know I have found great success in bleeding stones." I believed it, but I wasn't any little stone Gottfried could crush in his hand simply because he had forbidden magics at his disposal. I was a familiar, already bonded to a conjurer he had no way to find at present. There was nothing Gottfried could do of his own power to kill me in that room. We both knew that.
November 8, 2025 at 9:42 PM