Author | Lightnews

DM Shepard @dmshepard.bsky.social · Sep 7

Nothing Gold Can Stay....

A gorgeous fall day north of the Brooks Range.

#Alaska #arcticcircle #workcommute #womeninstem

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DM Shepard @dmshepard.bsky.social · Sep 2

Top of the World Highway. Where the pavement begins-or ends-depending on your perspective.

#ALASKA #alaskaadventure #topoftheworldhighway #heralaskalife

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Reposted by DM Shepard

Amy Oates @oatesam.bsky.social · Apr 5

The Fork in the Road:
"I've lost Bette’s scent.
I close my eyes to focus and adapt. My nose itches as it flattens, tan fur growing over the skin and scratching my browbone. It’s dark and the street’s quiet; no one will see the change. "
#1stLinePit #WIP #A #F #UF #writingcommunity

Moodboard for The Fork in the Road novel in progress, featuring the Appalachian mountains with birds flying over them on one side, and an open book, cozy blanked, and cup of hot cocoa with a spoon in it on the other. In the middle are graphics of a black feather and white magnolia flowers. The title appears on the left side, followed by the pitch: "Someone's kidnapping supernatural beings. Diane Brooks, human and owner of 'The Fork in the Road,' a magical coffee shop and bar, may be the only one who can save them.

Trope Map for The Fork in the Road, a novel in progress. Three images are stacked left to right - a coffee shop counter, a woman with a dark background in red light, and a burning forest. The title "Tropes" sits over the middle image, followed by a list of bullet point tropes: Multi-POV, Women's Rights & Women's Wrongs, Supernatural Kitchen Sink, Mostly queer cast, Mythology in present day, Sentient bar & coffee shop, Enemies to ???

A first page snippet from "The Fork in the Road," a novel in progress. Feathers are lined on the left side of the image, leading to a blue feather at the bottom. A blue text box sits in the middle, featuring text from the first page:
I've lost Bette’s scent.
I close my eyes to focus and adapt. My nose itches as it flattens, tan fur growing over the skin and scratching my browbone. It’s dark and the street’s quiet; no one will see the change. The smell of the city sharpens. Damp earth, muddy grass, and crowded bodies linger in the air. But I still can’t smell her. I twitch my nose and restore it to human form.
The storm that flooded the Appalachian foothills, causing mud slides and chasing me to her mother’s house didn’t cover Bette’s scent. That only happened recently.
Her kidnappers are sidhe, the type to steal a child for their own amusement. The rowan berries smashed on the lawn and the tang of lake reeds proved that. They led her through rivers and on trains to disguise their route, but Bette left clues, marking trees, posts, or whatever else she could find with a spot of blood. She must have bitten at a nail or the corner of her mouth to manage it.
That made it easier to follow their trail, despite being weeks behind. Until I reached Chicago.

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DM Shepard @dmshepard.bsky.social · Apr 5

#1stLinePit #RS #A

A traitor cost me her life. Anyone who betrays me will suffer for what happened to her.

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DM Shepard @dmshepard.bsky.social · Apr 5

Thanks friend ❤️

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DM Shepard @dmshepard.bsky.social · Apr 5

#1stLinePit #A #PR #H #Vampires

Carmilla X Mexican Gothic X Nosferatu

He could survive one more night in this damned frozen hell if he just kept the door closed.

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Reposted by DM Shepard

Inde | M.J. Perez @indesii.bsky.social · Apr 5

Dolphins have more in common with humans than most of us realize. Their social structure is complex; they travel in tight-knit groups—called pods—but they form other relationships outside of them.

#1stLinePit #WIP #A #R #CON

👇 Blurb, small Josie & Will profile, continued opening.

At the center of the image is a blurb that reads: As a marine biologist specializing in sea turtle conservation, Josie Lark has spent her entire life chasing the next coastline, the next job, determined to put as much distance as possible between this version of herself and the grief of her childhood. But when a call from her pregnant little sister drags her home to the sleepy island town of Pelican Cove, Josie returns with a set itinerary: pack up their late mother’s house, put together her restoration proposal for the Gulf Conservation Center, greet her baby niece, and board a flight to her dream job in Australia eight weeks later.
Will Mercer is not part of that plan.
Will is the boy she once loved. He’s her childhood best friend, her first kiss and her first heartbreak, and the one person Josie never quite stopped regretting. While she ran off to college, Will stayed, tied to his family marina and a life Josie didn’t want for herself. With Pelican Cove’s fragile ecosystem and coastal economy in crisis, Josie’s project at the Conservation Center puts her directly in Will’s orbit. The electric chemistry is still there, but so are the ghosts of who they used to be—and the reality that Josie is leaving. Again.
As summer stretches into fall, between long days on the water and a storm that changes everything, Josie begins to question where she truly belongs—and what it would mean to stay.

The background is a pale blue to darker blue gradient from left to right. The bottom of the image reads “@indesii”.

A cartoon image of a white young woman with long and wavy brown hair looking off to her left, wearing white-beige shorts, a peach tank top, a white sports cap, and a small white bag over her shoulders. Multiple arrows lead to various passages of text. These read: JOSIE LARK, 31 YEARS OLD, BISEXUAL, WOULD BURY A BODY FOR HER SISTER, LOVES: LUCY, SEA TURTLES, DOLPHINS, AND TACOS, and HATES: PEOPLE THAT LITTER, WILL MERCER, PEOPLE THAT BLOCK AISLES TO CHAT, WILL MERCER. The background is a yellow to pink gradient from left to right, with a line art border of teal-y blue and green seashells, starfish and conches. The bottom of the image reads “@indesii”.

A cartoon image of a tanned young man looking straight ahead, with his hands in his trouser pockets. His hair is black and tousled. He wears a light brown oversized jumper and dark brown trousers with black shoes. To his right are multiple arrows with various passages of text. These read: WILL MERCER, 30 YEARS OLD, LOVES: MADDIE, FISHING, TATTOOS, AND LOCAL IPAS, and HATES: THURSDAYS, JOSIE LARK, PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO ACCEPT HELP WHEN THEY NEED IT, JOSIE LARK. The background is a yellow to orange gradient from left to right, with a line art border of teal-y blue and green of seashells, starfish, and conches. The bottom of the image reads “@indesii”.

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DM Shepard @dmshepard.bsky.social · Apr 5

#1stLinePit #A #M

Golden Girls X White Lotus X Jawbreaker:

The cruise reception was a plastic surgeon’s wet dream. There had been enough filler and Botox used on the faces in this room to iron the wrinkles out of an elephant’s backside.

Bridge over river with multiple arches and old fashioned globe lights.

Top left: woman holding glass of wine to lips, Top right: bridge with multiple arches over river and old-fashioned globe lights on top,
Center: shadowy person walking down railroads tracks
Bottom right: man and woman kissing, Bottom Left Chateau surrounded by Vineyards

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DM Shepard @dmshepard.bsky.social · Mar 28

This song describes my Boomer mean girls when they rocked out in their heyday...and committed a deadly crime.

Golden Girls x Jawbreaker

#UnhingedPit #innocencelost

youtu.be/6s2zm_crkVc?...

Nick Gilder - Hot Child In The City • TopPop

YouTube video by TopPop

youtu.be

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Reposted by DM Shepard

Jessica DeLand - Author (is getting published! 😱) @delandjessica.bsky.social · Mar 28

Emotion-sucking vampire cereal, the breakfast of abducted ballerinas!

Flavors include:

✅ Kidnapping!
✅ Escape Efforts!
✅ Magic Container!
✅ Lackeys!
✅ High school!
✅ Spying!
✅ Panic attacks!
✅ Slow Burn!

Reader tested, agent approved!

#unhingedpit #Q #YA #F #M #R #FR

Fake Cereal Advertisement with an open cereal box in the center reading "Emotion-sucking vampire cereal" with angry eyes at the top. Arranged around the cereal box with arrows pointing toward it are illustrations of a girl getting kidnapped, a silhouette of a couple looking at each other, three henchmen silhouettes, a girl having a panic attack, a girl in a detective costume with a magnifying glass to her eye, a Tupperware, a stick figure escaping through a door, and a high school. Words are arranged around the cereal box reading "Reader Tested!" "Agent Approved!" "Breakfast of Abducted Ballerinas!" "Fresh Flavors!" "Querying Now!"

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Reposted by DM Shepard

Jessica DeLand - Author (is getting published! 😱) @delandjessica.bsky.social · Mar 28

WAKE, starring:

FMC: "Never Not Gonna Dance Again" by Pink

Love Interest: "Dancing with Your Shadows" by Phillip Phillips

Foil: "Smooth Criminal" by Michael Jackson

Mentor: "Demons" by Imagine Dragons

Antagonist: "Raining Blood" by Slayer

#unhingedpit #Q #YA #F #M #R #FR

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DM Shepard @dmshepard.bsky.social · Mar 28

Just Like That x Jawbreaker
The 70s were wild for Rebecca's dead mother and her squad of mean girls:

💋Lesbian affairs
💊Drugs
♀️Feminism
☠️Murder

One of these women is harboring a deadly secret, to which Rebecca holds the key in her mother's diary. #UnhingedPit #M #A

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Reposted by DM Shepard

David Allen Voyles @davidallenvoyles.bsky.social · Feb 4

ATTN #HORROR LOVERS: Want a free, monthly treat that has links to fun, spooky stuff? No charge, no spam. Just fun stuff for folks who like #Halloween spookiness year round. Check out the archives for past issues here: #DarkCycles davidallenvoyles.com/darkcycles_a...

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DM Shepard @dmshepard.bsky.social · Feb 1

Always exciting as an #indieauthor to spot my book (The Devil's Valley) on the shelf at a store. If you're passing through Ted Steven's International Airport in Anchorage and want a great book, stop by Mosquito Books and support #localbusiness #alaskanauthors

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DM Shepard @dmshepard.bsky.social · Jan 28

Dang it!

a cat with a serious look on its face

ALT: a cat with a serious look on its face

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by DM Shepard

Dawn Berkoski @dawnberkoski.bsky.social · Jan 27

Times up. The choice is either death or permanent confinement. But a chance meeting offers a ray of hope, a path to the freedom Alex and Jason crave. It will pit them against corporate vampires, but the alternative is set in stone.

Blue bloods X Yakuza
#PR #A #2025Pit

Photo of a dead end path located in a dungeon. One side of the dark tunnel leads to prison bars. The other side leads to darkness. But in the middle, a ray of light shines from an unseen doorway, illuminating the stone floor and showing a possible way out. Photography by Dawn Berkoski.

I Am Chosen, Paranormal Romance by Dawn Berkoski

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Reposted by DM Shepard

Elizabeth Land Quant @elizabethlquant.bsky.social · Jan 27

“Three more corpses and it wasn’t even noon.”

First line from FUCK THIS MURDER
- a humorous, foul mouthed mystery

*If Murder She Wrote and Clue were neuro-spicy and totally GAY*

#2025Pit #A #M #autism #Disabilty #LGBTQIA+ #ownvoices #alligators

a cartoon alligator is swimming in the water with its mouth wide open .

Alt: The alligator from Peter Pan is eagerly slapping the water with his mouth wide open.

media.tenor.com

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DM Shepard @dmshepard.bsky.social · Jan 27

I would pick Reba McIntyre to play Kathy

a woman sitting in a chair holding a trumpet with nbc written on the bottom right

ALT: a woman sitting in a chair holding a trumpet with nbc written on the bottom right

media.tenor.com

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DM Shepard @dmshepard.bsky.social · Jan 27

If this were ever made into a movie...I would pick Angela Bassett to play Nancy

a woman in a white dress is standing in front of a car that is on fire .

ALT: a woman in a white dress is standing in front of a car that is on fire .

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by DM Shepard

Brodie Smith @brodiesmith.bsky.social · Jan 27

SONG OF THE LIONESS X BRIDGERTON X REIGN

Achieving Mastery of magic at seventeen isn't easy. Why won't Kyan's family celebrate her accomplishment? How can she prove herself? When an assassin strikes at the king, and a conspiracy unfolds, she'll get her chance.

#Q #YA #F #2025pit

A grid of 9 images in a collage.
1: starry black hands
2: two women in regal fantasy clothes facing away from the viewer
3: a darkly lit apothecary and magic workshop
4: a blue and white cityscape
5: a figure inside a blue fire bubble
6: hands placing a crown on a silhouetted woman's head
7: a woman in black gothic clothes reading a book in a library
8: a snowy village with lights under the house eaves
9: stylised symbology of the sun and moon

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DM Shepard @dmshepard.bsky.social · Jan 27

Thanks, and as I mentioned in another comment, based on a wine cruise I undertook, where I watched a group of ladies in their 70s on a "girls trip" having a VERY good time.

a woman is talking about renting an adult video .

ALT: a woman is talking about renting an adult video .

media.tenor.com

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DM Shepard @dmshepard.bsky.social · Jan 27

Thanks! It was lots of fun to write, and actually based on a wine cruise I went on where there were a group of ladies in their 70s having a VERY good time

three elderly women sit at a table with a tv land logo in the background

ALT: three elderly women sit at a table with a tv land logo in the background

media.tenor.com

Reposted by DM Shepard

Elizabeth Land Quant @elizabethlquant.bsky.social · Jan 27

A closed room country house murder you say?

May I introduce you to FUCK THIS MURDER

🐊🐊🐊

- a humorous, foul mouthed mystery, complete w/ sabotaged pre-wedding jaunts (bad food, poison oak, BEES), rekindled romance, a murder forest, & much more!

#2025Pit #A #M #autism #Disabilty #LGBTQIA+ #OWN

a large white house with a gazebo in the background

Alt: a large white house with a gazebo in the background, and people are running around frantically

media.tenor.com

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DM Shepard @dmshepard.bsky.social · Jan 27

Thank you 😊

two elderly women are sitting at a table in a kitchen . one of the women is wearing a bathrobe .

ALT: two elderly women are sitting at a table in a kitchen . one of the women is wearing a bathrobe .

media.tenor.com

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Brandon Love @blovewrites.bsky.social · Jan 27

17 is hard, but when you're set to take over presidency from your father, survive a ☠️ attempt, are betrayed by the two you love & learn your role is to maintain peace by keeping 200yo lies & manipulating the public or start the biggest war in centuries, 17 is REALLY hard.

#2025Pit #Q #YA #SF #LGBTQ

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