S.M. Mack (Smack)
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whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
S.M. Mack (Smack)
@whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
390 followers 320 following 800 posts
Dog person, spec fic reader and writer (DEATH VALLEY BLOOMS 2025), Clarion 2012, Stonecoast 2019. She/her, opinions my own. https://linktr.ee/whatsmacksaid and 📷 @what_smacksaid
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whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
Baby made it home from surgery yesterday and spent the rest of the day swaying around the house staring at blank walls. (He doesn't do anesthesia well.) But today he's much more like his regular self and has figured out how to get in bed with a cone on 🥹😭
40 pound black and brown dog wearing a cone, awkardly curled up in a dog bed and snoring
October 14, 2025 at 7:47 PM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
MY FRIEND HAND MADE ME A MUG isn't it so fucking cool???
A purple and black mug with a handmade wolf's head in the center. It looks a little like Mr. Fantastic Fox, but she meant it as a wolf.
September 26, 2025 at 7:04 AM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
OH HEY guess what showed up in the local San Diego paper today!! I'm going to be at @mystgalaxybooks.bsky.social on Saturday at 2pm--come join me! It's going to be fun, I promise.
A cutout from the newspaper San Diego Union Tribune Sunday edition that is titled CALENDAR with a list of author appearances across the San Diego local bookstores for the week of September 14 to 20. The second one down is for Mysterious Galaxy and lists John Scalzi's Friday signing and mine in Saturday at 2pm!
September 15, 2025 at 1:33 AM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
Dinner is HOURS LATE (even though dinnertime is actually not for another half hour)
A brindled black and brown dog with a white muzzle and eyebrows looks very pointedly out at the viewer
September 14, 2025 at 12:39 AM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
As promised to @sharangbiswas.bsky.social: the painted edges of his novella The Iron Below Remembers! It's a little worse for wear from two cross country trips, but still pretty.

Alt history, academia meets superheroes, and queer af. Definitely recommend this one. (From @neonhemlock.bsky.social)
August 24, 2025 at 11:08 PM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
My book haul from @flamecon.bsky.social, @astoriabookshop.bsky.social, and @wordbookstores.bsky.social! Titles and authors in the following posts.

Most of these were free from flame con. I made out like a bandit!!
A pile of 12 novels and two graphic novels, spines facing the camera. From top to bottom: • Stone and Steel by Eboni J. Dunbar • A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows • Hear Her Howl by Kim DeRose • This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki • Behoved by M. Stevenson • The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi • Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan Maguire • Greenteeth by Molly O'Neil • The Bones Beneath My Skin by T.J. Klune • The Fiancée Farce by Alexandra Bellefleur • Out of the Blue by Jason June • Nightbirds by Kate J. Armstrong • Wonder Woman: The Lies by Greg Rucka, Liam Sharpe, and Laura Martin • Amethyst by Amy Reeder
August 24, 2025 at 8:37 PM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
Hommmmmmmmmmmme
A brindle colored dog with a half white face grins up at the camera. His ears are big sideways triangles even with the top of his head.
August 24, 2025 at 7:18 AM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
My friend asked my thoughts on @nghivo.bsky.social's latest masterpiece The City in Glass and even months after reading it I have a lot of Feelings

(A marinating book is the opposite of a commuting book that came be read in small spurts once or twice a day. Think taking a train or subway.)
Screenshot of three texts. The first one says, "How I felt about it? It's a marinating book with gorgeous language and a feminine wrath that surpasses fury and goes straight to nova" The second text reads: "It's about resilience and healing by moving forward" And the third text says "I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending but I do know that was the best and truest way to do it"
August 20, 2025 at 3:54 PM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
Two days until release day!!! 🤯🥳🤯🥳

#DeathValleyBlooms
A photo of a winding asphalt road in Death Valley with yellow-ish ground and a washed out blue/gray sky. Text at the top is three novella title, Death Valley Blooms, with a quote below that's says "I couldn't tell if she was breathing, but I was too scared to pull over and check." The bottom of the image has small text that reads: "Available August 12, 2025 on all major retailers."
August 10, 2025 at 10:34 PM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
"SHIT THAT GOES WRONG WITH THE CAR WHILE THEY'RE IN DEATH VALLEY"

• only one headlight
• crummy windshield wipers--can't keep up with the rain as it gets bad
• metallic clanking when turning on
• back windshield wiper is broken

.... plus a few I've held back. 😏
Photo of a notebook page with teal and purple ink that reads: "SHIT THAT GOES WRONG WITH THE CAR WHILE THEY'RE IN DEATH VALLEY • only one headlight • crummy windshield wipers--can't keep up with the rain as it gets bad • metallic clanking when turning on • back windshield wiper is broken"
August 7, 2025 at 1:27 AM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
(This skeet brought to you by @larazontally.bsky.social's novella No Such Thing as Duty)
Cover of Lara Donnelly's novella No Such Thing as Duty. A white man with a beard and wearing an old-timey coat with several military medals sits at a table before a lit fireplace, hands held together in his lap, with an empty dinner plate in front of him. Behind my hand (holding the book) is some garden greenery with pink flowers out of focus.
August 4, 2025 at 1:45 AM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
Sleeeeeeepy baby
My dog curled along the walls of his bed, fully passed tf out.
August 3, 2025 at 11:53 PM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
TA-DAAA, behold the gorgeous cover for my debut novella, DEATH VALLEY BLOOMS, available August 12, 2025 from @neonhemlock.bsky.social. & a little 🦜 told me it's on sale here: bookshop.org/p/books/deat...

And it's on my favorite indie site (www.mystgalaxy.com/book/9781966...) & all other retailers.
Image is of the cover of my novella, Death Valley Blooms, with a muted background that is a picture of some of the sand dunes in Death Valley, with a line of mountains in the background. As for the cover itself, a cube of dirt displaying several geological layers hovers midair, with flowers blooming on its top and bones and roots penetrate all the way through the cube and below. The flowers are primarily yellow, but also purple and light pink. The title, Death Valley Blooms, is plastered on the left side of the cube facing the viewer, and on the right it says "A novella." My author name, S.M. Mack, appears at the bottom of the image. At the top of the cover is a blurb from Liza Wemarkor that reads "A breathtaking, atmospheric novella." Screenshot of the summary of my novella, Death Valley Blooms. It reads: Every decade or so, vast quantities and varieties of wildflowers bloom all at once in Death Valley. But unbeknownst to the wider world, these super blooms are powered by a woman’s life. Mar Ramse lost her mother to Death Valley as a teenager and would give anything to break her family’s curse, but now the desert whispers its call to her. However, she still has a single ace up her sleeve: neither she nor her brother will ever have children. Is it enough for the desert to release its grip on her family?
August 2, 2025 at 8:57 PM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
I'm going to do a proper cover reveal tomorrow afternoon, but I wanted to leave the night crowd with this lil nugget.

Preorder link: www.neonhemlock.com/books/death-...

Cover illustration is by the incomparable Rose Meyer: www.krmayer.com

#DeathValleyBlooms
Butcher paper with a tear down the center that shows a partial view of the cover of my upcoming novella, Death Valley Blooms. There's an indeterminate rectangular shape with flowers and bones in hues of purple, yellow, and pink, and part of the title is visible. Screenshot of the summary of my novella, Death Valley Blooms. It reads: Every decade or so, vast quantities and varieties of wildflowers bloom all at once in Death Valley. But unbeknownst to the wider world, these super blooms are powered by a woman’s life. Mar Ramse lost her mother to Death Valley as a teenager and would give anything to break her family’s curse, but now the desert whispers its call to her. However, she still has a single ace up her sleeve: neither she nor her brother will ever have children. Is it enough for the desert to release its grip on her family?
August 1, 2025 at 5:41 AM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
A mere two weeks before my novella Death Valley Blooms is out in the world! I still can't believe it--both the publishing itself and the fact that my weird and unexpected fascination with Death Valley has a) lasted so many years and b) continues to hijack my brain

#DeathValleyBlooms
Image of a grayed asphalt road in Death Valley, California, extending straight into the distance. The sky is blue but the land on each side of the road is gray and brown with tiny bits of scrub but no other sign of life. A text box in the middle of the image reads, "If I opened my mouth the only thing that'd escape would be nonsense about deserts and goodbyes," then below in smaller font it says, "Death Valley Blooms by S.M. Mack." At the bottom left corner of the image is my bsky handle, @whatsmacksaid.
July 29, 2025 at 9:03 PM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
I try to click through and read the whole article whenever possible, but christ, that Buttigieg quote does not improve in its entirety. Just a pathetic passing of the buck from a politician who's more worried about his career than standing up for kids.
Screenshot from the Advocate article interviewing Pete Buttigieg that reads, "Pressed on Trump's repeated slogan, 'No boys in girls' sports,' Buttigieg declined to echo the rhetoric. 'I think that chest is different from wieghtlifting, and weightlifting is different from volleyball, and middle school is different from the Olympics,' he said. 'So that's exactly why I think we shouldn't be grandstanding on this as politicians. We should be empowering communities, organizations, and schools to make the right decisions.'"
July 29, 2025 at 5:48 AM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
I loooooove how this came out, it's still one of the funniest books I've ever read.
A paperback copy of Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O'Neal. The cover is lime green with bright blue font with a pair of white fangs at the top and bottom of the title. I painted the edges of the pages a bright blue that perfectly matches the typography and IMHO it looks fabulous.
July 28, 2025 at 7:58 PM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
I HAVE MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE 😭
The title page of the special edition of The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid where I stamped a "this book belongs to" mark 90 degrees crooked. Absolutely devastating.
July 27, 2025 at 11:28 PM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
I don't share much about it online, but I am *obsessed* with Death Valley's ecology, landmarks, and even its weird colonialist history.

In fact, I wrote a book about it! It's my dark little novella about a woman who refuses to let Death Valley use her like a battery to fuel the wildflower blooms.
A three by three mood board populated by moody pictures of wildflowers, sand dunes, a Jeep driving through the desert, a lonely asphalt road, and the colored hills of Death Valley. The center square reads "Death Valley Blooms" and "Available 8.12.2025"
July 21, 2025 at 10:03 PM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
*whispers* oh no
A large metal basket from Michael's craft store filled with colorful (fake) flowers with a huge "clearance event" sign on the side.
July 17, 2025 at 3:54 AM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
What am I supposed to do with this little face??
Loki, a brindle (black and tan) dog with a gray snoot and big ears, sits half hidden behind a floor-length window curtain with a tennis ball at his feet. He's looking at something beyond the camera.
June 26, 2025 at 8:17 PM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
Halloween is my favorite holiday, but June is a little early even for me
The left half of an entire aisle in Michael's covered in Halloween decorations. Seriously, just decorations everywhere.
June 19, 2025 at 12:30 AM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
Marina might not like me very much, but she is still graciously letting me stay the weekend to work on my latest writing project.
My friend's cat, Marina, sits prettily on top of a small cat tree, facing but looking away from the camera. She is white, pale gray, and pale brown.
May 24, 2025 at 12:28 AM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
How is this happening????
Screenshot from a weather app that says yesterday (May 10, 2025) had a high of 84° Fahrenheit and a low of 62°, while today had a high/low of 84°/59°. A third line forecasts tomorrow's high/low temperatures to be 69°/56°.
May 12, 2025 at 2:36 AM
whatsmacksaid.bsky.social
My little novella is coming out into the world this summer!!! Death Valley Blooms has been the story of my heart for so many years and I could not be more pleased that my publisher, Neon Hemlock (@neonhemlock.bsky.social), picked it up.

www.kickstarter.com/projects/dav...
A graphic with the Neon Hemlock logo in the upper left corner. The background looks like rough ground, maybe concrete, but in shades of brown. The centered title reads "The 2025 Novella Series" and is followed by six novella titles and a seventh title of a short story collection. The titles, in order, are: "No Such Thing as Duty" by Lara Elena Donnelly, "The Dot Knot" by Tom Jacobs, "The Dreaming of Man" by Nikoline Kaiser, "The Graveyard Shift" by Almah Lavon, "The Dead Withheld" by L.D. Lewis, and "Death Valley Blooms" by S.M. Mack. (That one is me.) The short story collection is titled "Call and Response" by Christopher Caldwell. "The Dot Knot" and "The Graveyard Shift" are working titles and subject to change.
April 15, 2025 at 7:01 PM