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storiesmelissalee.bsky.social
Melissa Lee
@storiesmelissalee.bsky.social
66 followers 98 following 46 posts
The writing team behind Melissa Lee invites you to join them on their literary journey.
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Today is #nationalillustrationday, so shout out to illustrators everywhere.

Like these whimsical sketches from Arthur Rackham, known for how he envisioned many of our folktales.

Comment below with your favorite illustrator or folktale.

#folklore #folktales #illustration #artcommunity #booksky
Illustration by Arthur Rackham for Aesop’s The Tortoise and the Hare. Features a group of animals in waistcoats and other formal attire. Animals include a tortoise, hare, mouse, fox, mole, and two birds. Illustration by Arthur Rackham for Aesop’s The Bear and the Fox. A large bear stands on two legs, towering over a tiny fox who is looking up at him. To their left is a tree with a carrion bird. Illustration by Arthur Rackham for Aesop’s The Fox and the Crow. The crow is perched on a tree branch with a piece of cheese in its beak. The fox is sitting at the base of the tree beneath the crow. Sketch by Arthur Rackham entitled The Parrot and the Cat. Created for “Good-Night (Buenas Noches)” by Eleanor Gates.
November 28, 2025 at 5:38 PM
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What’s your favorite cozy fantasy romance? Ms. Lee just read and enjoyed The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna.

Music credit: Oscar Merlo

#fantasyromance #cozyromance #fantasyreader #fantasybooklover #booksky #readersofbluesky #bookish #bookcommunity
November 26, 2025 at 4:48 PM
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Ms. Lee explores using facts to enhance our fantasy worldbuilding: www.storiesbymelissalee.com/post/using-f.... What worldbuilding elements help you create or feel fully immersed in a story?

Photo: BrandeePember, pixabay.com

#amwriting #writingprocess #writingcommunity #fantasy #booksky
A glass ball on wet ground reflects sunset, clouds, and trees. In the background is a blurred orange and blue sky. A text box overlaid on the photo reads: Using Facts to Ground Our Fantasy. How do we keep the supernatural elements of our paranormal fantasy from feeling too vague or far-fetched?
November 21, 2025 at 8:37 PM
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It's I Love to Write Day. Celebrate by writing something–whether it’s the next chapter in your manuscript or the first sentence of the story you’ve always wanted to compose.

Photo by Pexels at pixabay.com

#amwriting #writerslife #writingprocess #creativewriting #writingcommunity #booksky
Below a close-up photo of a typewriter is the quote: “If something inside of you is real, we will probably find it interesting, and it will probably be universal. So you must risk placing real emotion at the center of your work.” —Anne Lamott
November 15, 2025 at 7:25 PM
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Book cover for Robin McKinley's The Blue Sword. Pictured is a young woman on horseback wielding a glowing blue sword.
November 14, 2025 at 2:22 AM
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Love being able to use our #wordoftheday in our manuscript: Crepuscular

“As a fox, her vision was best in the crepuscular hours of dawn and dusk. In bright light, it was easy to overlook things.”

Photo credit: Dan-Reyes on pixabay.com

#animals #nature #words #amwriting #writingcommunity #booksky
A dog or wolf is shown sitting on the side of a road beneath a large overhanging tree. The photo is backlit and looks like it was taken at dusk. Written on the right in a lightly transparent vertical band are the words: Crepuscular (krepuh-sky-ulur) adj. 1. resembling twilight (just after the sun sets or before it rises), 2. occurring or active during twilight.
November 5, 2025 at 7:57 PM
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Ms. Lee enjoyed reading Holly Black's The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, a creepy "what if" about cultish fandoms, reality TV, and vampire infection.

Music: Oscar Merlo
Photo: Pixxel_Worx, pixabay.com

#bookish #booklife #bookcommunity #readerlife #readingcommunity #reading #readersofbluesky #booksky
October 31, 2025 at 7:17 PM
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Love exploring local independent bookstores when visiting new places. Here’s Ms. Lee’s most recent travel bookshelf with a couple of titles from Turtle Town Books & Gifts in Nisswa, MN: www.turtletownnisswa.com.

#bookish #booklife #bookcommunity #readerlife #reading #readersofbluesky #booksky
Four books: Kate DiCamillo's "The Puppets of Spelhorst", Benedict and Nancy Freedman's "Mrs. Mike", Cary J. Griffith’s “Cougar Claw”, and Yuval Noah Harari’s "21 Lessons for the 21st Century”. Books are displayed on an outdoor porch railing. They are visible against the backdrop of a shadowy pine tree and the sun setting behind a glistening lake.
October 26, 2025 at 7:46 PM
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Ms. Melissa shares her thoughts on developing both a likeable team and a believable cast of suspects in our romance/mystery mash-up: www.storiesbymelissalee.com/post/likeabl...

Photo by: karosieben at pixabay.com

#amwriting #writerslife #writingprocess #creativewriting #writingcommunity #booksky
Four friends chatting while sitting atop a rough rock wall. They are positioned in the bottom right of the photo with the rest of the image being a cloudless blue sky. The text box overlaid on the photo reads: Creating a Likeable Team vs. a Cast of Suspects. How do we develop enduring characters our readers want to root for while also offering a believable list of crime suspects?
October 16, 2025 at 10:14 PM
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Been writing scenes featuring wild spaces and wanted to share that Saturday, September 27, is National Public Lands Day. Entrance fees to national parks are being waived-- www.nps.gov/findapark

#deathvalley #nationalparks #nationalparkphotography #landscapephotography #naturephotography #booksky
Photo of Death Valley National Park. Landscape with a cloud-shrouded mountain range in the background and Badwater Basin, a floating, saltwater lake, in the foreground. A faint reflection of the mountain range can be seen in the water. Photo of Death Valley National Park. Featured are scraggly trees with interestingly contorted branches set against the backdrop of a hazy mountain skyline. Photo credit: ArtTower on pixabay.com.
September 26, 2025 at 4:13 PM
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Our novel features magical shifters, so we’ve spent time researching forest animals. Here’s a shout out for National Fox Day. These creatures play an key role in our environment, folklore, and manuscript.

Photo by: ambquinn at pixabay.com

#naturephotography #wildlifephotography #fox #booksky
Close-up of the face and torso of a red fox. Only the right half of the fox is visible behind two lichen-covered tree trunks, which form the frame of the photo.
September 17, 2025 at 3:12 PM
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Love our #wordoftheday : Diaphanous

The butterfly's diaphanous wings seemed to catch the sunlight as it balanced on a cluster of flowers.

Photo credit: nvd9612 on pixabay.com

#botanical #nature #booksky
Photo depicts a butterfly with blue and orange wings balancing on a cluster of yellow flowers. In the upper left corner of the image are the words: Diaphanous (dī-a-fe-nes) adj. sheer and light, delicate, translucent.
August 21, 2025 at 9:32 PM
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For those who find literary inspiration in wild spaces, just a reminder that entrance fees to national parks are being waived on August 4th in celebration of Great American Outdoors Day.

#nationalparks #nationalparkphotography #shenandoah #landscapephotography #travel #naturephotography #booksky
Photo of the Shenandoah National Park. In the foreground are treetops, a large sculpted boulder, and the side of a polished cliff face. On the horizon are green-covered mountains and above them is a light blue sky with scattered clouds. Photo credit: Josh Huber. Photo of the Shenandoah National Park. In the foreground are treetops and bushes, large sculpted boulders, and the side of a polished cliff. In the distance, atop one of the boulders, is a hiker. On the horizon are green-covered mountains and valleys, and above them is a cloudy sky. Photo credit: Josh Huber.
August 3, 2025 at 3:55 PM
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What do we do with sentences we don’t need now but might want to use later? Ms. Lee shares some thoughts on using a "dump list": www.storiesbymelissalee.com/post/benefit...

Photo by: StockSnap at pixabay.com

#amwriting #writerslife #writingprocess #creativewriting #writingcommunity #booksky
Photo of three stacked suitcases. The suitcases are old fashioned and one has a variety of travel-related stickers displayed along its sides. The text box overlaid on the photo reads: Benefits of a Dump List. What do we do with sentences we don’t need now but might want to use in the future?
August 1, 2025 at 12:17 AM
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Always wonderful to encounter a quote from a favorite writer out in the wild.

Thanks @fig_ojai.

#readingcommunity #readerscommunity #readers #poetrylovers #poetry #poetrycommunity
#booksky #readersofbluesky #poetryonbluesky
Quote reads: “That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.” –Emily Dickinson. Beneath the quote placard are three potted succulents.
July 24, 2025 at 11:35 PM
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Delighted by this random happiness of reading decal. It was on a window overlooking the tarmac at the Guadalajara International Airport. 📚💚

#readingcommunity #readerscommunity #readers #readerlife #readmorebooks #readersofbluesky #booksky
La alegría de leer, or happiness of reading, decal on a window overlooking the Guadalajara International Airport tarmac.
July 15, 2025 at 5:22 PM
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Are the events and characters in our manuscript evolving realistically? Ms. Melissa shares some thoughts on using timelines to help with continuity:
www.storiesbymelissalee.com/post/timelin....

#amwriting #writerslife #writingprocess #creativewriting #writingcommunity #booksky
Photo of a monthly calendar, an old-fashioned alarm clock, and several push pins scattered around. The text box overlaid on the photo reads: Timelines and Continuity. How do we ensure the events and characters in our manuscript evolve realistically?
July 10, 2025 at 9:03 PM
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An updated look at Ms. Lee’s travel bookshelf. Una Sed Cruel was purchased at the Librerías Gonvill in Guadalajara, Mexico. And, yes, we are still plotting.

#bookcommunity #readerlife #bookish #bookaddict #booklife #readersofbluesky #booksonbluesky #booksky #bookishbestie #bestiebookshelf
Three books: “Una Sed Cruel” by Angela Montoya, “All of It Singing” by Linda Gregg, and “Romancing the Beat” by Gwen Hayes. Books are displayed on an embroidered fabric covered in vibrant florals.
July 3, 2025 at 7:02 PM
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With only three chapters drafted, are we really working? Ms. Lee shares her thoughts on what the work of a writer looks like: www.storiesbymelissalee.com/post/the-wor...

#amwriting #writerslife #writingprocess #creativewriting #writingcommunity #booksky
Open laptop with an open lined journal and pen. The text box overlaid on the photo reads: The Work of Writers. With only three chapters drafted, are we really working? What does the work of a writer look like?
June 25, 2025 at 8:42 PM
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In honor of Maurice Sendak’s birthday, thought we’d share this lovely quote.

Photo credit: mirkostoedter on pixabay.com

#readingcommunity #readerscommunity #bookcommunity #readers #bookish #booklovers #bookaddict
#booksky #readersofbluesky #booksonbluesky #bookishbestie #bestiebookshelf
Photo of an open book and a cup of tea in a rustic setting. Overlaid on the image is a text box that reads: “A book is really like a lover. It arranges itself in your life in a way that is beautiful.” –Maurice Sendak
June 10, 2025 at 9:43 PM
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Love our #wordoftheday : Susurration

The susurration of lapping waves makes me feel happy and at peace.

Photo credit: fietzfotos on pixabay.com

#booksky #words
Photo depicts waves lapping along a shoreline. Colorful trees line the shore as well. In the background are buildings, a long pier, and a mountain range. Overlaid on the image is a text box that reads: Susurration (soo-suh-rey-shuhn) n. a low, soft noise like whispering, murmuring, or rustling.
June 4, 2025 at 10:52 PM
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When co-writing, how do we get on the same page about what the characters and settings in our world look like? Ms. Melissa shares some thoughts on one of our fave strategies: www.storiesbymelissalee.com/post/visuals....

#amwriting #writerslife #writingprocess #creativewriting #booksky
Collage of four nature photos highlighting both wild landscapes and cultivated garden spaces. In the foreground of the collage is a text box that reads: Visuals as a Shared Point of Reference. When co-writing, how do we get on the same page about what the characters and settings in our world look like?
May 30, 2025 at 5:59 PM
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It was all romance reads for Ms. Melissa during her recent travels.

#read #bookish #bookaddict #romancebooks #paranormalromancebooks #romanticsuspensebooks #booksky
Paperback copy of The Sinner by JR Ward is pictured next to a straw sun hat. Both are resting on a striped towel. Paperback copies of The Sinner by JR Ward and Archangel’s Sun by Nalini Singh, as well as the Mind Games eBook by Nora Roberts, are nestled amidst two animals made of carefully folded white cotton towels. The animal creations are of a dog and an elephant.
May 22, 2025 at 4:25 PM
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The end of our novel seems so far away. How do we ensure our story continues? One strategy was inspired by the Immaculate Heart College Art Department Rules: www.storiesbymelissalee.com/post/the-onl....

#amwriting #writerslife #writingprocess #creativewriting #booksky
Tile from Bauer Pottery that lists the ten Immaculate Heart College Art Department Rules. Next to the tile is a red flower in a ceramic vase, note pages with calculations for how many words a day we need to write, and a pen. Overlaid on this photo is a neutral-colored text box with the words: The Only Rule is Work. Being in the early stages of drafting, the end of our novel seems very far away. How do we ensure our story continues to unfold?
May 7, 2025 at 4:59 PM
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In honor of Star Wars Day, we're reading Susan Dennard's "How to Write a 1-Page Synopsis". It uses the original Star Wars as an example. Check it out: stdennard.substack.com/p/how-to-wri....

“May the 4th be with you”, writers!

#AmWriting, #WritersLife, #WritingProcess, #CreativeWriting, #booksky
Photo of Star Wars Trilogy soundtrack box with artwork from the 1977 film. Next to the cd box is a ceramic vase with flowers and greenery.
May 4, 2025 at 3:33 PM