Author | Lightnews

Michael Emond @vinegarmichael.bsky.social · 13h

“I became a monster, and now I have nothing to show for it.”

From my WIP, How Do You Free a Caged Bird?

#WIPsnips #booksky #writesky #writingcommunity #indieauthors #WIP #writing #books #fiction

He bore a thousand-yard stare as he gazed up into the night sky from the ground.

“I can’t cut it as an assassin— let alone as a person,” he trembled. “I’m pathetic…”

His chest tightened. Memories of the kills Leon had performed as the Black Bird of Death flashed before his eyes. Leon pictured the smiling faces of Jamie and Lily, and the horror and disgust he was certain they would feel if they knew the kind of feral beast their big brother truly was.

“I became a monster, and now I have nothing to show for it,” he whimpered. “If I don’t figure something out right now, I am fucking screwed.”

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Michael Emond @vinegarmichael.bsky.social · 1d

How it feels looking at the progress you made after pushing through writer's block to write for an hour and a half.

#writesky #booksky #writingcommunity #indieauthors #authorproblems

a cartoon of spongebob reading a piece of paper with the words now let 's see how it looks so far

ALT: a cartoon of spongebob reading a piece of paper with the words now let 's see how it looks so far

media.tenor.com

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Michael Emond @vinegarmichael.bsky.social · 2d

"Yet here you are, with no trace of any such bloodline and in defiance of that truth. You’re like a freak of nature.”

An expert from my debut novel, Specters: Echoes of Despair, now available to purchase on Amazon.

#booksky #indieauthors #writesky #darkfantasy #urbanfantasy #fiction #newreleases

I was skeptical. Bennet’s explanations all sounded so far-fetched, like something out of a low-budget fantasy anime. His explanations all defied basic human logic.

“This sounds made up,” I said.

Bennet's eyes narrowed, his expression both amused and mischievous.

“To any onlooker, a boy who can see monsters that no one else can sounds like something straight out of a work of fiction,” he said. “Often, the only people who can see Specters and Others are mages from particular bloodlines—bloodlines that are, to put it bluntly, rapidly dwindling to the point of nonexistence. Yet here you are, with no trace of any such bloodline and in defiance of that truth. You’re like a freak of nature.”

Michael Emond @vinegarmichael.bsky.social · 3d

"If you wanted to excel at information gathering the way Viper did, you needed to be able to put on a charming facade and lie through your teeth as easily as you would breathe."

From my WIP, How Do You Free a Caged Bird?

#WIP #WIPSnips #writesky #indieauthors #booksky #writingcommunity

Every interaction Leon had with Viper always felt about as pleasant to him as getting a cavity filled. Granted, Leon always hated having to deal with his fellow agents at Oblivion in general. Viper was an intelligence agent and an assassin specializing in the use of poison. Whenever the Black Bird of Death got a new contract for a kill, Viper would be the one to give him a formal briefing regarding the operation to take place. Leon had at one point heard a rumor that this vile two-faced snake was actually the scion of a large pharmaceutical company that was a front for an old and prestigious clan of assassins, and that he had joined Oblivion to cozy up to the big shots who headed the organization. Despite his obsession with poison, Viper was one of the higher-functioning assassins when it came to interacting in “normal” society. If you wanted to excel at information gathering the way Viper did, you needed to be able to put on a charming facade and lie through your teeth as easily as you would breathe.

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Michael Emond @vinegarmichael.bsky.social · 4d

"Leon desperately tried not to think about the voices of his past victims begging for their lives or the stench of blood that always lingered afterward."

From my WIP, How Do You Free a Caged Bird?

#WIPSnips #booksky #writesky #WIP #indieauthors #writingcommunity #thrillerbooks #fiction

The cupcakes he had made the day before were carefully stored in an air-tight Tupperware container for freshness, and now it was time to prepare the frosting. Leon had already settled on a fresh strawberry buttercream for the cupcakes, setting a bowl of organic, freshly rinsed strawberries he bought just for the occasion. It was simple enough to make for Leon. Buttercream was a frosting made from equal parts sugar and room temperature butter whipped to perfection, Leon choosing in this case to substitute the usual vanilla extract for a strawberry extract instead.

As the stand mixer cranked away with the butter and sugar mixture, Leon prepared a cutting board and a knife, placing a few strawberries on the surface to cut off the tips before finally cubing them. As Leon held the knife in his hand, he grimaced for a moment as an image flashed before his mind. Corpses. Lots and lots of corpses. Each one was brutally stabbed or lying limp with a thrown knife sticking out of a vital vein or artery. The mental image made Leon shudder. He took a breath in, holding it for a moment, before slowly exhaling.

“Pull yourself together…” He muttered quietly to himself.

Leon carried on, finely chopping the strawberries a few at a time. As he did, Leon desperately tried not to think about the voices of his past victims begging for their lives or the stench of blood that always lingered afterward. Even if Leon ever did get the chance to leave Oblivion, would it even be possible for him to lead a peaceful life? After the things he had seen and the atrocities he had committed with his own two hands, Leon knew deep down that he’d never know peace for the rest of his miserable life.

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Michael Emond @vinegarmichael.bsky.social · 5d

Making that final push to finish the first draft of my second book, and I'm constantly having to remind myself that the first draft is always going to be a hot mess, and that's okay.

It's much easier to edit a messy draft than a blank one.

#writingcommunity #booksky #writingandbooks #writesky

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Reposted by Michael Emond

Maky @maky24.bsky.social · 9d

WIP but its so cute. Im still playing around with details but I gotta go to work so hopefully I can return to this soon.

#art #artsky #wip #eevee #illustration #digitalart

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Reposted by Michael Emond

Dylan ⭐️ @dtpowell.bsky.social · 15d

Working on some details & textures! 🏁
#art #sketch #illustration

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Reposted by Michael Emond

Dylan ⭐️ @dtpowell.bsky.social · 17d

Testing new marker brushes & textures in Procreate with this figure sketch!
#art #sketch #procreate

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Michael Emond @vinegarmichael.bsky.social · 22d

Once again, my debut novel is now available in paperback format and is free to read for Kindle Unlimited subscribers!

If you like dark fantasy, be sure to give it a read!

Link to purchase below:
a.co/d/bBiqTce

#booksky #newreleases #darkfantasy #urbanfantasy #indieauthors #kindleunlimited

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Michael Emond @vinegarmichael.bsky.social · 23d

Some quick and dirty portrait practice to keep from getting rusty.

#art #artsky #drawing #portraits #procreateart #digitalart #characterart

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Michael Emond @vinegarmichael.bsky.social · 23d

Me: "Geez, why am I so tired and lethargic?"

Also me: *Stays up until 3 AM playing video games/working on book writing.

#writingcommunity #writesky

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Michael Emond @vinegarmichael.bsky.social · 23d

My debut novel, Specters: Echoes of Despair, is now available for purchase in paperback format!

Link to purchase on Amazon: a.co/d/4CYZd3Y

#booksky #writingcommunity #indieauthors #fantasybooks #darkfantasy #urbanfantasy #literaryfiction #writingandbooks #newreleases

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Reposted by Michael Emond

Dylan ⭐️ @dtpowell.bsky.social · 24d

✏️ Some recent life portraits I did at the Manifest Drawing Center!
#art #illustration #portrait

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Michael Emond @vinegarmichael.bsky.social · 27d

About halfway through the first draft of my second book project.

This piece is quite a bit shorter than my last novel, Specters, but it is shaping up quite nicely.

#writingcommunity #booksky #WIP #indieauthors #writingandbooks #writing

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Michael Emond @vinegarmichael.bsky.social · 28d

Me telling my friend about my next novel:

"Oh yeah, this project won't be as dark and depressing as my last one... It'll be darker!" 😀

#writingcommunity #booksky #writingandbooks #indieauthors #writing

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Michael Emond @vinegarmichael.bsky.social · 29d

Positive Affirmations in 2025:

"This is fine."

"Everything is fine."

"Keep saying everything is fine, and everything will be fine."

#mentalhealthhumor #positiveaffirmations #memes #comedy

a cartoon dog is sitting at a table with a cup of coffee in front of a fire with the words this is fine .

ALT: a cartoon dog is sitting at a table with a cup of coffee in front of a fire with the words this is fine .

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by Michael Emond

Dylan ⭐️ @dtpowell.bsky.social · 29d

🎴Politoed Hanafuda!
#pokemon #art #fanart #illustration

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Michael Emond @vinegarmichael.bsky.social · Sep 30

It's a dark fantasy coming-of-age story, loosely modeled after the five stages of grief, that follows someone who can see ghosts made of human despair after a near-death experience as a child.

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Michael Emond @vinegarmichael.bsky.social · Sep 30

I just released my first ever novel, so ask me anything!

#booksky #writingcommunity #indieauthors #darkfantasy #urbanfantasy #fantasybooks #ama #askmeanything #reading #writing

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Michael Emond @vinegarmichael.bsky.social · Sep 30

My debut novel, Specters: Echoes of Despair, is available for free to Kindle Unlimited Subscribers!

#booksky #writesky #writinandbooks #indieauthors #literaryfiction #kindleunlimited #fantasy #darkfantasy #urbanfantasy #newreleases #reading

www.amazon.com/Specters-Ech...

Specters: Echoes of Despair

Amazon.com: Specters: Echoes of Despair eBook : Emond, Michael, Colby, Scott: Kindle Store

www.amazon.com

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Michael Emond @vinegarmichael.bsky.social · Sep 29

Thank you! I designed it myself.

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Michael Emond @vinegarmichael.bsky.social · Sep 29

My debut novel, "Specters: Echoes of Despair" is available now on Amazon!

#booksky #writingcommunity #writinandbooks #fantasy #darkfantasy #literaryfiction #indieauthors #newreleases #urbanfantasy

www.amazon.com/dp/B0D4F796P...

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Michael Emond @vinegarmichael.bsky.social · Sep 25

I worked on some poetry to work through some of these chaotic thoughts as of late, and I thought I would share what I wrote, as is my First Amendment right.

#writingcommunity #writesky #poetry #booksky #poems #writingandbooks

Wake up to this dystopian fiction brought to life,
Wonder if I’ll make it through this ongoing hellscape alive.
Hear the screams of reason as she’s forced onto her knees,
Beaten senseless by masked agents in all their sadistic glee,
She’s bound and gagged while their cruelty thrives.

Scream into the void while surrounded by misery,
An echo chamber of hate and anger that feeds into this endless tragedy.
Sustained on nothing but sweet nothings and empty promises,
So many go insane as they throw themselves into the abyss.
It’s all according to plan based on their goddamn hypocrisy.

Damned if I do… Damned if I don’t…
Silence feels as suffocating as a punch to the throat.
I’ve long since run out of fucks to give,
Peeling back the rotting flesh on this pig carcass wearing fresh ruby red lipstick,
Revealing the putrid decay that long since festered underneath.

In my hand, I hold a red spider lily.
Conformity was never in the cards for me.
If truth and honesty are a sin, leave me to die,
Because my very existence is already a crime.
This flower will mark the grave for freedom’s demise

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Reposted by Michael Emond

Dylan ⭐️ @dtpowell.bsky.social · Sep 25

Heatmor composition sketch! 🔥
#pokemon #fanart #art #sketch

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