SHORT STORY ROADMAP ✨

Blood & Thorn — November 14
In 1934 Kent, renowned widow Rosalind Inglefield tends a rose garden whose blooms never fade and whose beauty defies nature itself. When Theodore Bates, a young journalist, arrives to write about her famed estate, he is drawn into Rosalind’s world of charm, wit, and quiet decadence. As admiration turns to obsession, Theodore begins to sense that in this house of silk and scarlet, beauty is not merely preserved, it is fed.

The Silent Season — November 28
In the far north of Russia, a young priest is sent to a snowbound village where winter never ends and the townsfolk fear a time they call the Silent Season. There he meets Iosefka, a mysterious woman who walks the frozen lake each night with a lantern, searching for something… or someone. As the days shorten and the villagers grow hushed, the priest begins to sense that their faith hides something older than God, and that the silence blanketing the valley is not peace, but an omen.

The Ones Who Danced — December
On Christmas Eve, 1901, a snowstorm traps the sisters of Sainte-Agnès-des-Neiges in their remote convent high in the Laurentians. When a charming cellist appears at their door seeking refuge, his music fills the night with warmth… and something far darker. As his haunting melodies weave through the chapel, devotion gives way to desire, and the boundary between the sacred and the profane begins to dissolve. The Ones Who Danced is a gothic Christmas tale inspired by the folkloric legend La Chasse-Galerie.

Did any of those tickle your interest? If so, head over to Substack (link in bio) to read my short stories for free!

#shortstories #shortstory #shortstorywriting #shortstorychallenge #shortstorywriter

OCTOBER PHOTODUMP 🍂

I've been particularly busy this month, so I've had very few opportunities to get some air and touch some leaves. But here's my little wrap-up.

Photo 1: My spooky gallery wall.
Photo 2: The last traces of summer before nature relents.
Photo 3: A sleepy cat napping on a folded blanket.
Photo 4: The park under a blue sky.

I hope my gremlins had a wonderful October!
Much love,
C.C.

#photodump #fallphotos #photodump✨ #fallphotography #ᴘʜᴏᴛᴏᴅᴜᴍᴘ #FallPhotoshoot #octoberphotodump

After the war, five university students discover Hemlock, a forgotten machine that prints the names of the dead… and every one of them comes true. When the device types Octavia Adkins’s name, fascination turns to dread. Desperate to understand, she forms an unholy bond with Hemlock, only to learn it may love her back. Aporia’s End is a story of intellect and obsession, where philosophy becomes fatal.

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#morallygreycharacters #darkacademiavibes #darkacademiabooks #darkacademiastyle #aporiasend #speculativefiction #thriller #philosophy #writersofinstagram #bookstagram #bookvibes #bookteaser #academiabooks

What does your common sense tell you that you don't give a crap about?

#HistoricalArt #FunnyArt #funnyart #RenaissanceArt #artmeme #ClassicalArtMeme #artmemescentral #ArtHumor #artmemes #ArtHistoryMeme #artmememonday

Velgrave University, 1946.
A hidden machine. A list of names.
Each one written, each one dead.

For Octavia Adkins, what begins as fascination becomes a slow descent into obsession and prophecy. And when her name is written, the clock starts ticking. 🕰️

Would you read that book? 👀

#darkacademiabooks #darkacademiavibes #darkacademiaaesthetics #speculativefiction #thrillerbooks #aporiasend #fallvibes #fallbooks #bookstagram #writersofinstagram #darkacademia #gothicnovel #gothicbooks

READ MY SINFUL NOVEL FOR FREE 😈

I decided some time ago to make Rapture free to read on Substack.
Starting soon, I will publish one chapter every Sunday.

I'll leave the synopsis here, but I highly recommend subscribing to the free tier to receive the new chapters directly in your inbox! ✨

THE LINK TO MY SUBSTACK IS IN MY BIO. 🫶

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In New Sheol, 1949, decadence wears a smile and rot festers beneath. Twins Camilla and Cedric Faust are elected Coryphaei—secret jurors charged with granting a decade of dominion to one of the personified Seven Deadly Sins.

But when they reveal themselves, the game erupts into open war. The Sins circle like wolves, alliances twist, and Coryphaei begin to die despite the sacred rules meant to protect them.

As the city collapses under its own corruption, the Faust twins must navigate a world of manipulation and violence where the most dangerous sin is believing you can outwit them.

Rapture is a dark fantasy of divine decay, fatal ambition, and slow-burning apocalypse—where souls are currency, and survival might cost your humanity.

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#MoodyReads #darkfantasyauthor #DarkFiction #MorallyGray #fantasyauthor #MorallyGrayCharacters #DarkFantasy #rapturenovel #substack #SubstackReads #substackwriter #substackblog

I said I’d share the editing process with you, so here I am—double posting today (sorry!), but a promise is a promise.

It’s hard. So unbelievably hard.

Maybe you don’t experience it this way, but for me, developmental edits are harrowing. Not because they’re tedious (they are), or time-consuming (they definitely are), or humbling (oh boy). It’s because I care. And everything worth caring about hurts.

For me, it’s this part: the edits. The moment when you dismember your story on purpose. Rip arms from the plot. Butcher character arcs. And wonder (while covered in grit and sinew) if you even have something worth stitching back together.

Strangely, I have a clean first draft this time. I had to rewrite my first novel twice. And now? I don’t need a full rewrite. Which makes me suspicious. Like I missed the world’s BIGGEST plot hole.

It feels outlandish not to start over. Which leads to the spiral:
What if an agent spots the flaw I can’t see?
What if it’s obvious and I’m just not good enough to notice?
What if…

So many what ifs.
And right now, I’m drowning in them.

But here’s what we do next. Cynical day: allowed. But now? Now, we move forward. Not with empty affirmations, but with actionable, rational steps:
1. Work on the book like only your best friend will read it. Low pressure, but still high care.
2. Don’t think about agents or publishers. Seriously. NOT YET.
3. Keep going. One edit at a time. You owe it to that one reader whose life your book will change.

That’s it. Monologue over. I’m heading back into the trenches.

But tell me: what’s the hardest part of editing for you? Or, if you’re a reader, what would you say to pull a writer out of the muck?

Much love,
Your editing gremlin, C.C.

#bookediting #writerlife

What do you serve?

#HistoricalArt #artmememonday #artmemes #ArtHistoryMeme #RenaissanceArt #artmemescentral #ClassicalArtMeme #FunnyArt #artmeme #ArtHumor #funnyart

APORIA'S END STARTER PACKS ➡

I had so much fun making these, and they illustrate the vibes perfectly.
Which character do you resonate the most with?

#DarkFiction #darkacademiabooks #mysterybooks #darkfantasyauthor #darkacademiaaesthetic #darkacademiavibes #DarkAcademia #MoodyReads #morallygreycharacters #BookAesthetic #darkacademiamoodboard #AporiasEnd #starterpack #starterpacktrend