Catherine Ford
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catherinewford.bsky.social
Catherine Ford
@catherinewford.bsky.social
270 followers 450 following 410 posts
Writer of fantasy and kidlit | Homeschool mom | Eternally fighting weeds in my vegetable garden
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catherinewford.bsky.social
SONG TO DROWN RIVERS x BONE SHARD DAUGHTER

🌼 Artistic FMC
🌼 Queen leads soulless cult
🌼 Brooding prince
🌼 Charming rebel spy ally
🌼 Character-driven
🌼 Sub-tropical world

#PosterPitQ #A #F
Woman floating upward through water into light. Text: One woman fights for freedom, conscience, and love in a totalitarian regime in: Shadow’s Gift. When Syrala, trapped in the palace as a pawn, learns the queen severed her subjects’ souls, she must outwit the dynasty to reclaim her own–but to succeed she must betray the prince she’s learning to love. Featuring: Political intrigue, Soul-based magic, Journey of self-discovery, doomed romance
April 19, 2025 at 12:46 PM
catherinewford.bsky.social
The earth at the mouth of the Burrow was warm and loose.
Mullen sank down before it, cradling the stillborn buckling in his arms. He laid it in the Burrow, where the the air reverberated with life, vibrating in time with his heart.
#1stlinepit #A #F #WIP #Cme
Dagger, person holding soil & seedling, bare feet walking on fallen tree, cloaked figure with bow & arrow looking around side of house, peasant with sword, married couple holding sword, peasant woman looking behind her in fog, mysterious underground burrow, tree turning into a hand, burrow under tree.
April 5, 2025 at 2:54 PM
catherinewford.bsky.social
When the familiar emptiness gnawed, a lack Syrala could not fill, she painted. Her grandmother taught her: Seek solitude and focus on your art. Allow space for emptiness, and listen. It will help. For now.
#1stlinepit #A #F #Q #agentguide #agentsguide
Agent's Guide to Shadow's Gift by Catherine W Ford. One woman's fight for freedom, conscience, and love under a totalitarian regime. Adult, grounded epic fantasy with a romantic sub-plot. WC 102,000. Comp titles. Bone Shard Daughter: secret magic, journey of self-discovery, torn loyalties, rising revolution. Song to Drown Rivers: political intrigue, espionage, lyrical prose, slow burn. Midnight Bargain: Freedom through autonomy and true individuality. When Syrala, trapped in the palace as a pawn, learns the queen severed her subjects’ souls, she must outwit the dynasty to reclaim her own–but to succeed she must betray the prince she’s learning to love. Images: man looking down, woman with a spear, figure in a tunnel, dark soul figure, Asian landscapes, shadowy claw figure, woman with melty face, woman looking up with a plea. Perceptive, artistic Syrala longs to escape from her ruthless parents and find a way to fill the strange emptiness within her. When the queen selects her to marry Crown Prince Ailok, Syrala is elated. However, her newfound freedom is not what she expected. Although the brooding prince is supportive, he is powerless against his own mother, who chose Syrala as a pawn to subjugate her influential province. Despite Syrala’s attempts at peacemaking, the malicious queen undermines Syrala, assigns spies to report her activities, and exploits court politics to control her. Then Syrala’s grandmother tells her the truth: to gain power during the War, the queen severed her subjects from their deepest selves, leaving them as shallow husks. An underground resistance – led by those who escaped this fate – begs Syrala to join the fight her grandmother began decades earlier. To persuade Syrala, they reunite her with her own soul, a shadowy mirror-image of herself. No longer empty, Syrala experiences the world anew, her senses vividly connected to the world and, potentially, to old, forbidden gods. But isolated in the palace, she is soon caught between her wish to aid the Resistance and her growing love for Ailok. As the queen’s snares tighten around Syrala and the Resistance leaders, Syrala must use all her wits to navigate treacherous alliances, to subvert the dynasty from within, and to fight for the souls of the kingdom’s beleaguered subjects – and her own.
April 5, 2025 at 1:13 PM
catherinewford.bsky.social
HIS DARK MATERIALS written by John le Carre and the queen is a gender-swapped Jim Jones (with his kool aid)

POV: Unbeknownst to you, your grandmother led a failed rebellion. Now she’s dead, and it’s your turn, but you’d rather be painting.

#unhingedpit #F #A #Q
How to survive your gender-swapped Jim Jones MIL: Lie a lot. Get your husband the prince on your side. Get your own spies. Bring down the dynasty from within.
March 28, 2025 at 3:25 PM
catherinewford.bsky.social
HIS DARK MATERIALS (for adults) X JIM JONES (& his kool aid)

…And the FMC is the only one who knows she’s in a cult.

#unhingedpit #F #A #Q
Text conversation between brother and sister, sister saying she's marrying the prince, but she thinks he likes her. Brother - isn't that good? Sister - maybe if I didn't have to lie to him all the time. Bro - why do you have to lie to him all the time? Sister - NVM
March 28, 2025 at 12:02 PM
catherinewford.bsky.social
SONG TO DROWN RIVERS x BONE SHARD DAUGHTER x MIDNIGHT BARGAIN

🗡️Artistic FMC
🗡️Secret family legacy
🗡️Strong sibling bonds
🗡️Grandmother = teacher & warrior
🗡️Forbidden magic based on strength of soul
🗡️Marriage to brooding prince
🗡️Political intrigue
🗡️Journey of self-discovery

#PopuppitA #luckypit #F #A
brooding prince, dark landscape, woman with spear, small figure in dark tunnel, inky soul figure, demon-like figure, woman looking up.
March 17, 2025 at 8:11 PM
catherinewford.bsky.social
SONG TO DROWN RIVERS x BONE SHARD DAUGHTER

When Syrala, trapped in the palace as a pawn, learns the queen severed her subjects’ souls to gain power, she must outwit the dynasty to reclaim her own – but to succeed she must betray the prince she’s learning to love.

#PopuppitA #luckypit #F #A
Pictures: mysterious temple in forest, masked man, cloaked figure on palace balcony, sub-tropical water garden, statue of young woman with webbing over her face, woman holding a knife behind her back, soul made of stars, burned village, dark queen.
March 17, 2025 at 2:28 PM
catherinewford.bsky.social
An #agentguide to SHADOW’S GIFT, my character-driven adult fantasy

🏵Artistic FMC
🏵️Forced marriage to brooding prince
🏵Queen leads a soulless cult
🏵FMC seeks own severed soul
🏵️Charming rebel spy ally
🏵Journey of self-discovery
🏵 Sub-tropical world

#PopuppitA #luckypit #F #A #agentsguide
Agent's Guide to Shadow's Gift. One woman's fight for love, conscience, and freedom under a totalitarian regime. Adult character-driven epic fantasy. WC 101,000 Comp Titles: Bone Shard Daughter: secret magic, journey of self-discovery, torn loyalties, rising revolution. Song to Drown Rivers: Love and sacrifice, political intrigue, espionage, lyrical prose. Midnight Bargain: freedom through autonomy and true individuality. Perceptive, artistic Syrala longs to escape from her ruthless parents and find a way to fill the strange emptiness within her. When the queen selects her to marry Crown Prince Ailok, Syrala is elated. However, her newfound freedom is not what she expected. Although the brooding prince is supportive, he is powerless against his own mother, who chose Syrala as a pawn to subjugate her influential province. Despite Syrala’s attempts at peacemaking, the malicious queen undermines Syrala, assigns spies to report her activities, and exploits court politics to control her. Then Syrala discovers the truth: to gain power during the War, the queen severed her subjects from their deepest selves, leaving them as shallow husks. An underground resistance – led by those who escaped this fate – begs Syrala to join their fight. To persuade her, they reunite her with her own soul, a shadowy mirror-image of herself. Reunited, no longer empty, Syrala experiences the world anew. But isolated in the palace, she is soon caught between her wish to aid the Resistance and her growing love for Ailok. As the queen’s snares tighten around Syrala and the Resistance leaders, Syrala must use all her wits to navigate treacherous alliances, to subvert the dynasty from within, and to fight for the souls of the kingdom’s beleaguered subjects – and her own. Opening Lines: When emptiness gnawed, Syrala painted. Her grandmother taught her: Seek solitude and focus on your art. Allow space for emptiness, and listen. This will help. For now. Pictures: mysterious temple in forest, masked man, cloaked figure on palace balcony, sub-tropical water garden, statue of young woman with webbing over her face, woman holding a knife behind her back, soul made of stars, burned village, dark queen.
March 17, 2025 at 12:02 PM
catherinewford.bsky.social
UPROOTED X FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
A multi-gen family with a symbiotic relationship with their farmland must protect their family and the god enmeshed in their land from the new king who wants to steal their land, kill them, and destroy their god.
#questpit #F #A #W
Farmland, king crowning self, father and son farmers walking to town, dagger tattoo, mysterious burrow, peasant with sword, young man and woman with heads together, bare feet walking on fallen tree, mysterious forest glen.
February 12, 2025 at 7:19 PM
catherinewford.bsky.social
UPROOTED X FIDDLER ON ROOF
🌳Mesopotamian, edge-of-desert world
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Multi-gen family
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Multi-POV
🪄Symbiotic family & god & farmland
🌳Farm magic vs land reform
❤️Slow burn subplot
👨‍🦱Seduction & betrayal
👨‍👦Meaning of sacrifice
🏜️Slow unraveling

#questpit #F #A #W
Dagger, person holding soil & seedling, bare feet walking on fallen tree, cloaked figure with bow & arrow looking around side of house, peasant with sword, married couple holding sword, peasant woman looking behind her in fog, mysterious underground burrow, tree turning into a hand, burrow under tree.
February 12, 2025 at 4:42 PM
catherinewford.bsky.social
A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS x JASMINE THRONE

🏵Reluctant heroine
🏵️Forced marriage to brooding prince
🏵Queen leads a soulless cult
🏵FMC reunites w/ severed soul
🏵Growing rebellion
🏵️Charming rebel spy ally
🏵Political intrigue
🏵Sub-tropical world

#agentsguide #questpit #F #A #Q
Shadow's Gift. Agent's guide WC 101,000 Comps: Midnight Bargain. A Song to Drown Rivers. The Jasmine Throne. Pitch: When Syrala, trapped in the palace as a pawn, learns the queen severed her subjects’ souls for power, she must outwit the dynasty to reclaim her own–but to succeed she must betray the brooding prince she’s learning to love. Opening Lines: When emptiness gnawed, Syrala painted. Her grandmother taught her: Seek solitude and focus on your art. Allow space for emptiness, and listen. It will help. For now. Syrala stood in her assigned palace apartment and stared at the door. Weeks of banquets, hunts, counterfeit smiles, and saccharine small talk would culminate tonight in the Selection. The queen had ordered the candidates to prepare: to meditate on the teachings of the Goddess Viera. The other candidates had filed into the prayer hall in a public demonstration of obedience. But incessant chatter and judgement had worn at Syrala until she was as parched as clay earth before the seasonal Rains. At the oppressive thought of another hour with preening sycophants, the emptiness threatened to consume her. She yanked off her palace silks, threw on a simple cotton blouse and skirt, snatched up her painting bag, and bolted out into the unforgiving afternoon sun, and into the water gardens, where she could be alone.
February 12, 2025 at 1:50 PM
catherinewford.bsky.social
A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS x JASMINE THRONE
When Syrala, trapped in the palace as a pawn, learns the queen severed her subjects’ souls to gain power, she must outwit the dynasty to reclaim her own soul–but to succeed she must betray the brooding prince she’s learning to love.

#questpit #F #A #Q
Mysterious forest shrine, masked man, cloaked figure on palace balcony, tropical water gardens at night, soul made from stars, statue of young woman with webbing on face, young woman holding knife behind back, burned village, dark queen.
February 12, 2025 at 10:41 AM
catherinewford.bsky.social
A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS x JASMINE THRONE
When artistic Syrala learns the queen severed her subjects’ souls to gain power, she must outwit the queen to restore her own soul and subvert the dynasty, even if it means betraying her husband, the prince she’s learning to love.
#2025pit #F #A
masked prince, soul made of stars, statue of young woman with webbing across face, tea fields with mist, mysterious cloaked figure on palace balcony, young woman with knife behind back
January 27, 2025 at 4:42 PM
catherinewford.bsky.social
SONG TO DROWN RIVERS x JASMINE THRONE

When artistic Syrala, trapped in the palace as a pawn, discovers the queen severed her subjects’ souls to gain power, she must outwit the dynasty to reclaim her own soul–but to succeed she must betray the brooding prince she’s learning to love.

#2025pit #F #A
Mysterious ruins, masked prince, statue of young woman with webbing on face, soul made of stars, cloaked figure on palace balcony, tropical water garden, burned out village, evil queen in black, young woman with knife behind back.
January 27, 2025 at 1:05 PM
catherinewford.bsky.social
When Syrala discovers her kingdom’s religion is really a cult that severs everyone’s souls, she must outwit the cult leader queen to restore her own soul and subvert the dynasty–but to succeed she’ll have to betray the brooding prince she’s learning to love.

#YouDeservePit #F #A #Q
Masked man and statue of young woman with web over face. Mysterious woods with ruined temple. Soul made of stars. Tropical water garden. Young woman holding dagger behind her back.
January 24, 2025 at 9:55 PM
catherinewford.bsky.social
A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS x JASMINE THRONE

When Syrala learns the queen severed her subjects’ souls to gain power, she must outwit the queen to restore her own soul and subvert the dynasty--but to succeed, she'll have to betray her husband, the prince she’s learning to love.

#YouDeservePit #F #A #Q
Masked man, young woman statue with webbing over her face, soul made of stars, sub tropical landscape with mist, mysterious cloaked figure on balcony, young woman with dagger behind back.
January 24, 2025 at 5:12 PM
catherinewford.bsky.social
A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS x JASMINE THRONE

🏵Reluctant heroine
🏵️Forced marriage to brooding prince
🏵Malevolent queen leads a soulless cult
🏵FMC reunites w/ severed soul
🏵Growing rebellion
🏵️Charming rebel spy ally
🏵Political intrigue
🏵Sub-tropical world

#agentsguide #YouDeservePit #F #A #Q
Shadow's Gift, An Agent's Guide. Character-driven Adult Fantasy. WC 101,000 Comp Titles: Midnight Bargain, A Song to Drown Rivers, The Jasmine Throne Pitch: When Syrala learns the queen severed her subjects’ souls to gain power, she must outwit the queen to restore her own soul and subvert the dynasty, even if it means betraying her husband, the prince she’s learning to love. When emptiness gnawed, Syrala painted. Her grandmother taught her: Seek solitude and focus on your art. Allow space for emptiness, and listen. It will help. For now. Weeks of palace banquets, hunts, counterfeit smiles, and saccharine small talk would culminate tonight in the Selection. The queen had ordered the candidates to prepare: to meditate on the teachings of the Goddess Viera. The others had filed into the prayer hall in a public demonstration of obedience. But court activities and judgement had worn at Syrala until she was as parched as clay earth before the seasonal Rains. At the oppressive thought of another hour with preening candidates, the emptiness threatened to consume her. She yanked off her palace silks, threw on a simple cotton blouse and skirt, snatched up her painting bag, and bolted out into the unforgiving afternoon sun, and into the water gardens.
January 24, 2025 at 2:08 PM
catherinewford.bsky.social
A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS x MIDNIGHT BARGAIN

🏵 Wary, crafty FMC
🏵️ Forbidden soul-based magic
🏵️ Evil queen
🏵️ Forced marriage
🏵️ Caring, broken prince
🏵️ Charming rebel spy
🏵 Opinionated soul
🏵 Doomed romance
🏵 Spying & intrigue
🏵 Torn loyalty

#P2Ppit #F #A #Q
Syrala knew the caged bird feeling of being used as a tool. She would not now be the tool of another.
January 17, 2025 at 8:05 PM
catherinewford.bsky.social
A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS x MIDNIGHT BARGAIN

When Syrala discovers the queen severed her subjects’ souls, she must decide who to betray – her own hopeful, broken soul, or her husband, the prince she is learning to love.

#P2Ppit #F #A #Q
Broken prince statue, statue of young woman with web over face, sparkling soul, hands grasping at each other, dagger behind woman's back, dark stairs descending.
January 17, 2025 at 4:34 PM
catherinewford.bsky.social
An #agentsguide for my adult fantasy SHADOW’S GIFT.

A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS x MIDNIGHT BARGAIN, it includes soul-based magic, a sub-tropical world, and an exploration of loyalty, love, and self-actualization under totalitarianism.

#p2ppit #F #A #Q
Title Shadow's Gift under water Comps: Midnight Bargain, A Song to Drown Rivers, The Jasmine Throne. Pitch: When a young woman discovers the queen severed her subjects' souls to gain power, she must decide who to betray -- her own hopeful, broken soul, or her husband, the prince she is learning to love. Opening lines. When emptiness gnawed, Syrala painted. Her grandmother had taught her: Seek solitude and focus on the paper. Leave room for emptiness. Let the lines and the spaces be meditation. It will ease the ache, for now. Weeks of palace banquets, hunts, smiles, and saccharine small talk culminated tonight, in the Selection. The queen had ordered the candidates to pray before her announcement, but Syrala could not bring herself to file obediently to the prayer hall. Court activities and judgement had worn at her until she felt as parched as clay earth before the seasonal Rains. At the thought of the other candidates’ self-serving protestations, a bottomless well yawned within her. Syrala yanked off her palace silks, threw on a simple cotton blouse and skirt, snatched up her painting bag, and bolted out into the fiery afternoon sun, and into the water gardens.
January 17, 2025 at 2:14 PM
catherinewford.bsky.social
MIDNIGHT BARGAIN X A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS

When a young woman discovers that the queen severed her subjects’ souls to gain power, she must decide who to betray: her own soul or her fiance the crown prince.

#Bluepit #F #A #Q
two statues, one of prince one of woman with web over face, knife behind back, dark stairs, female ghostly figure, hands trying to hold onto each other.
January 13, 2025 at 8:59 PM
catherinewford.bsky.social
MIDNIGHT BARGAIN X JASMINE THRONE

When a young woman discovers that the queen severed the souls of her subjects to gain power, she must decide who to betray: her own soul or her husband the crown prince.

Holiday song: River, Joni Mitchell, AKA “Get me out of here”
#CheerPit #SFF #A #Q
Dagger behind back, spooky ghost-like creature, cult figures bowing, female statue gazing up with webbing over face, hand and shadow-hand reaching toward each other.
December 9, 2024 at 11:23 PM