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crbarenza.bsky.social
C.R. Barenza
@crbarenza.bsky.social
95 followers 120 following 31 posts
Author

🏳️‍🌈 LGTQIA+characters
🧠 Mental Health Rep
🇵🇪 Latine and Immigrant experience
🖖🏼 Neurodivergent Rep
#️⃣ Own Voices
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crbarenza.bsky.social
C.R. Barenza @crbarenza.bsky.social · 2d
An Agent's Guide to: THE SHAPES WE TAKE IN THE FIRE!

✌️dual pov/dual timeline
🌶️ open door slow burn
🎶 moody and lyrical
🫂 touch starved
🏳️‍🌈LGBTQIA protagonists
✊🏽BIPOC & minority voices

#Cupit #CR #POC #LGBT #MHR
The Shapes We Take In The Fire: An Agent's Guide A bisexual designer takes a new job working on a high-profile ad campaign with a debt-ridden Latina writer, and chooses to risk his hard-won sobriety and mental health for her love, one he never thought he could deserve—especially after he destroyed his last relationship. For fans of how to end a love story, seven days in june, atmosphere and tomorrow, tomorrow and tomorrow Excerpt: And for the first time in months, he dreamed in color again. The dreams weren’t like before. They weren’t chaotic fever-swamps of guilt and fire, of parties and bodies blurring into chaos. He didn't suffer through another nightmare, masquerading as a memory. The images were gentle, at last. Peaceful. He dreamed of watercolors dripping onto the canvas, drawing on the shape of her hands resting on a notepad. Of an inward current taking shape. Of warmth without fire. THEMES Queer identity 
& reinvention The cost of secrets and self-erasure Recovery as a way of living The impact of trauma on intimacy Class divides 
and power
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
snackswrites.bsky.social
@crbarenza.bsky.social @loumarennewrites.bsky.social @sofiaglass.bsky.social
reviseresub.bsky.social Revise & Resub @reviseresub.bsky.social · 10d
In just TWO WEEKS, #RevPit will be announcing the names of this year's contest editors!

How many editors do you think are participating this year?

Give us your best guess below, and check in here on February 20th to meet them all and see if you're correct!
RevPit: Our 10th Annual Contest is coming! Participating editor announcements will be made on February 20. www.reviseresub.com
February 16, 2026 at 11:18 PM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
sofiaglass.bsky.social
My characters are dramatic as hell, so I had OPTIONS😅

Context: Az sticks her hand in things she shouldn't

-Sanctuary, Ch 3

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #Fantasy #Romance
February 16, 2026 at 1:32 AM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
snailpails.bsky.social
#booksky

next up on the reading list! loving it so far, what a cool concept!

and happy #caturday!
Hidden Pictures
February 15, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
lysanderskyw.bsky.social
Dark Comedy x Faerie Romance
The Fool's Maiden

For those who like it sweet, salacious and never too serious. The Fool's Maiden has been my side project while querying Lamb's Blood, something light but no less twisted.

#Cupit #CFR #RC #MnR
February 15, 2026 at 9:14 AM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
lysanderskyw.bsky.social
Submitting the opening of The Fool's Maiden to @writingdaywksp.bsky.social's Writing Contest! Fellow writers check out this and other contests here!

tinyurl.com/wdwcontest7
First Page Contest #7:  Romance / Women's Fiction / Romantasy -- Judged by Agent Christine Goss of FinePrint Literary
FREE CONTEST FOR WRITERS! Welcome to a  First Page Contest . Contest #7 is for writers of  Romance / Women's Fiction / Romantasy . If you write in this age category, keep reading and submit your...
tinyurl.com
February 9, 2026 at 6:21 AM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
harperlcarnes.bsky.social
When detective Sebastian Cross meets a seductive stranger at a bar, he doesn’t realize the man has been stalking him for years—or that he’s a vampire. As Sebastian’s hunt for a serial killer intensifies, so too does his entanglement with Elias.

#Cupit #DR #PR #LGBT #A
A black-and-white collage arranged in two rows. Top left: a close-up of an open mouth with visible fangs. Top center: a silhouetted person pulling back curtains at a window. Top right: a tray holding sharp metal tools and small containers. Bottom left: a pair of wrists bound tightly with dark fabric. Bottom center: liquor being poured from a bottle into small glasses. Bottom right (foreground): crossed tape reading “CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS.”
February 15, 2026 at 4:33 AM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
harperlcarnes.bsky.social
When Valec enters Crown Prince Cassian’s life, the prince begins to long for a future free of his father’s control. But Valec carries a secret: he’s there at the request of the rebel leader, Lora, seeking vengeance for the atrocities committed to awaken a dragon’s power.

#Cupit #RF #LGBT #A
A collage arranged in a grid. Top left: a dragon perched on the edge of a stone castle wall. Top center: a medieval castle under stormy, smoke-filled skies. Top right: a person’s hands holding a necklace. Middle left: an intense close-up of human eyes with a fiery glow. Center (overlapping in a circular frame): a dragon-like eye with a vertical slit pupil. Bottom left: a hand cradling a small flame in the palm. Bottom center: a red-haired woman holding a sword. Bottom right: the torso of a man in dark clothing with leather straps, standing with arms crossed.
February 15, 2026 at 4:42 AM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
laurelgrantfantasy.bsky.social
Nerissa tells herself that it’s justice & absolution she’s after when she abandons home to save her best friend from Fae abductors — but it’s also the perfect excuse to avoid Andris’ betrayal. Joining the fray could win her trust back, but Andris has no idea the cost.

#cuPit #fantasy #FR
laurelgrantfantasy.bsky.social Author Laurel Grant @laurelgrantfantasy.bsky.social · 13d
#agentsguide to BEYOND THE MIST

🌊 What if it wasn’t curiosity that pulled the little mermaid out of the sea, but guilt?

⚓️ morally grey protagonist
🔥 female rage & 💔
🩸 assassination plot
🗡️ rescue battle
🔮 discovery of magic
🫶🏼 found family

#querying #litagents #writercommunity #author #fantasy
February 15, 2026 at 5:08 AM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
harperlcarnes.bsky.social
PET SEMETARY X THE RITUAL X HANNIBAL

A grieving husband turns to the Old Gods to revive his deceased spouse, but the resurrected man’s insatiable hunger for flesh forces him to choose between love and his own humanity.

#Cupit #HOR #LGBT #A
A moody, warm-toned collage arranged in a grid. Top left: a close-up of a mouth with visible fangs, a hand touching the cheek. Top right: red shoes stepping through a shallow pool of blood while dragging an axe across the floor. Upper center (text): the words “HE BELONGS TO THE OLD GODS NOW.” Bottom left: a stag with large antlers standing in a dark forest. Bottom center: a shadowy human silhouette outlined by a fiery red glow. Bottom right: a cluster of orange-red sunflowers with dark centers.
February 15, 2026 at 4:28 AM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
ariwilde.bsky.social
LEGENDBORN x CARRY ON 🌈with big 5 editor interest 🌈

👑 Pulls the sword. Has to fight for the crown.
🔮 Rival seer sworn to him, disobeying his family
🏫 Politics, prophecies, power
💛 Queer slow burn, fate vs choice
✨ All yearning, no steam
#RF #RoFa #LGBT #YA #Cupit
The Impostor King, YA Fantasy complete at 83k words List of romantic tropes A quote The ship, Seer x True King
February 14, 2026 at 10:04 AM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
despinakarras.com
#Cupit #A #CR #DISR #OnSub
TWISTER x RAIDERS OF THE LOST HEART
Meteorologist Josie Cannon is always prepared for natural disasters. But when she’s forced to cover a major hurricane with her college rival, Theo Andrews, she discovers she’s completely unprepared for just one thing – falling in love.
Book aesthetic with six images. A satellite photo of a hurricane. Two sets of feet tangled in sheets. A TV camera. A beach with palm trees blowing in the wind. Storm clouds. A silhouette of a man and woman about to kiss. And the words "Love You Like a Hurricane".
February 14, 2026 at 6:53 PM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
sidneyquinn.bsky.social
THE AUGUSTINE AFFAIR

A queer, spy vs spy, globetrotting action-romance set against the backdrop of the fashion world.

Fashion mogul (and undercover MI6 agent) Felix finds himself the unwilling partner of assassin Kai after they are both betrayed by their agencies.

#rs #LGBT #cupit #q
A collage of images featuring a gun, a gallery, a woman on the catwalk, another gun, two men kissing, a man taking spy photos, a runway, the London skyline, broken glass.
February 14, 2026 at 2:45 PM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
charlijae.bsky.social
NOT THE END OF THE WORLD, INGRID LINDGREN

A baby tgirl boymodes one night. A straight girl gets kicked out by her ex. They hook up. And that’s just the first three chapters.
more messy queers, more sex, more love beyond binaries.
#cupit #CR #lgbt #a
charlijae.bsky.social Charli Jae Brister (FKA Drillary Layne) @charlijae.bsky.social · 3d
Informed Consent x Make Room For Love

the first months of transition are confusing, especially if you go from egg-crack to HRT in two weeks. Ingrid wants to start over, and Gina’s here to help. But when things start complicated…
Not The End Of The World, Ingrid Lindgren

#wip #cupit #cr #LGBT #a
Ingrid Lindgren is still remembering not to call herself Arnold. She began her transition only three months ago, after decades of repression and denial. She’s won her life back, but not without cost: her fiancée, her job, her stability, and a life that was uncomfortable but safe. Her plan, set in motion while she was in high school, just blew up at age 39. She’s taken a new job in a new city, to work as music director for an opera company…and also as their donor outreach director, which means Ingrid, who hasn’t worn a dress until a few weeks ago, has to polish herself to feminine perfection. But she has money, a place, and time to figure it out. Gina Daniels has a fresh esthetician’s license and nowhere to go after getting dumped. Desperate for a place to stay near her new employer, she attends a mixer and befriends Alfred, a cute boy who rocks her world that night. Learning the truth about Ingrid the morning after, the actually-for-real-heterosexual Gina is hurt and confused, but not scared. They strike up a tentative friendship in the aftermath. After hearing Ingrid commit to high-femme presentation for her new boss, Gina has an idea: help Ingrid be a better girl, and let Gina live here rent free until the lease is up. And sleeping together is too good to pass up—but it’s all casual. Ingrid’s moving out after the lease expires. But as the lessons move from makeup to fashion to etiquette, both women feel a growing attraction that neither wants to explore—Gina’s straightness is a boundary Ingrid respects too much to cross, even though Gina herself crosses it just fine in the bedroom. Still, neither woman sees the other as an option: Ingrid worries Gina won’t want her as she changes, Gina is terrified of her feelings only being for “Alfred”. And every new lesson makes Ingrid worry that Gina only sees her as a project. As they grow closer, meeting Ingrid’s parents and sharing a holiday together, both women fear the closeness blooming between them. Can Ingrid figure ou…
February 14, 2026 at 7:39 PM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
honeycombhermit.bsky.social
Love, Actually X Winnie-the-Pooh X Ground Force
A motley bunch of tenants discover a neglected garden next to their tower block. As they tend it back to life, it might return the favour, teaching them the power of faith, friendship, hard work, love and begonias.
#Cupit #RIR #CR #IR #A #RC #HA #ECO
February 14, 2026 at 3:35 PM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
attorneytrash.bsky.social
wait i HAVE to pitch this one for #CUPIT it literally has cupid in the title. self-proclaimed "breakup artist" gets in over her head when she's hired to prevent the engagement of mafia princesses from feuding families.

🌈f/f/f romcom
🔍old-school PI vibes
😈everyone is slightly terrible
#CR #RC #LGBT
digital illustration of a woman smoking a cigarette; in the background are two pendants in the shape of a broken heart, each half containing the image of a woman's face. over the image are the words CONTRACT CUPID. Syd Hart is a “reverse matchmaker” or “breakup artist”, a professional who uses any means necessary to end other people’s relationships. She has a wide variety of clients: jealous exes, disapproving parents, and even members of the couples themselves. A dyed-in-the-wool cynic, she considers it her calling to put the break in heartbreak. Also, it’s a living. Syd has always maintained she can handle any client—right up until she’s hired by the patriarch of a (definitely not organized crime) family to prevent the engagement of his (definitely not mafia princess) daughter to her (definitely not mafia princess) girlfriend, who also happens to be the scion of his business competitor. His totally normal and above-board business competitor. With the help (and hindrance) of her thrice-revoked PI’s license, her bright-eyed and bushy-tailed intern, Barnaby “Bunny” Wimberly, and a whole slew of meddling definitely-not-mobsters, Syd throws herself into the job—only to find that the biggest challenge of all, to both her heart and her life, might be the happy couple themselves. Chapter One: I NEED TO STOP MAKING ENEMIES Somethin’ a lotta people don’t know about Cupid is that he’s got two sets of arrows. The first set’s the classic: gold, love-drenched, ethically dubious. The kind that hits you in the ass and makes you go heart-eyed for Matt from Advertising, or Matt from Accounting, or just generally Matt from Anywhere who’d never get a date without divine fucking intervention. The other set’s lead. The toxic kind. It doesn’t make the Valentines cards, but it does make divorce lawyers—and me—a pretty decent living. Mostly off chumps with an excess of cash and a shortage of brainpower. “Hang on.” Bunny held up a hand to stop my dictation. He frowned bemusedly at his laptop, which was about two sizes too small for him, and gestured with his mug, which was also two sizes too small for him. Altogether he looked like a dad at a toddler’s tea party. “I don’t know that this is the best advertising copy, boss.” This is what you get for bringing on interns. One minute they’re all let me fix the copier, boss and need a hangover cure, boss? and the next they’re on their high horse telling you how to do your job. “What’s wrong with it?” I asked. “Telling potential clients they have a shortage of brainpower is a little…” He wobbled his hand in the universal sign for iffy. “Also, you’re pretty much guaranteeing no one named Matt will ever hire you.” “Not seeing the problem. We don’t need clients named Matt.” “Our last client was named Matt.” “Yeah, and he sucked. That’s where I got the idea.”
February 14, 2026 at 9:06 PM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
ALCHEMIZED x JADE CITY
Necromancers are honorable craftsmen, and Yadleen was trained by the best among them. When an alchemist crashes into her life with an impossible task, can honor survive?
#Cupit #RF #A #booksky
Chapters 1 - 3 now free on my site!
www.joumontfort.com/tales-of-the...
Art by Legion (@legionattack13)
February 14, 2026 at 10:15 AM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
dmcieran.bsky.social
#CuPit post roundup!
#A #RF
bsky.app/profile/dmci...

bsky.app/profile/dmci...

#amwriting #blueskywrites #writingcommunity #revspirations #WriteSky #WriterSky #Writers
dmcieran.bsky.social Dierdre Cieran @dmcieran.bsky.social · 2d
SHIELD OF SPARROWS X SWORDHEART

🍃 Enemies to lovers
🍃 Forced proximity
🍃 Snowed-in
🍃 There's only one bedroll

#CuPit #A #RF
February 15, 2026 at 3:59 AM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
bmfwriter.bsky.social
A Dowry of Blood X Certain Dark Things

⏳️Dual Timeline
🖤Gothic
🥀Doomed Romance
💀Feminist Horror
🔪Revenge
❤️Sisterhood

#Cupit #WIP #HOR #ROFA #NA
February 15, 2026 at 4:15 AM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
dani-s-writes.bsky.social
RACHEL LINDEN x TJ KLUNE x LIBBY IRIKS

A burnt-out teacher escapes to the Australian outback to gain control of her powers, and finds friendship, a safe love, and a new appreciation for life.

Agents, this cosy spec women’s fiction with romance is seeking a home 💖
#Cupit #A #CL #FBW #amquerying
Pastel-toned collage of photos of a woman in a country theme Warm-toned collage of photos of a man in a country theme Block of dark text on a cream square over a beach background Grid of movie screen shots over a beach background
February 14, 2026 at 7:18 AM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
earthkids.bsky.social
13 GOING ON 30 x ANNA KARENINA

Kitty is ready to make a series of compromises to find happiness, but when a magic meteorite launches her 5 years into the future, she has a chance to fix her life.

🚀 Space Age
💜 Chaotic Bi FMC
🌌 Space Walk Date
🧡 Friends to Lovers
🤷 Why Choose

#Cupit #YA #TTR #LGBT
The same cloudy background but it's light pink and yellow and the top says "For Fans of:" in pink then there are a series of images from left to right: A book cover for Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy that is black and white with faded purple flowers; Chappel Roan in Medieval gear for Good Luck, Babe; the movie poster for 13 Going on 30 with Jennifer Garner dancing in pink pajamas; the book cover for Time and Time again by Chatham Greenfield featuring two individuals sitting by a car gazing at each other; the book cover for Going Bicoast by Dahlia Adler with a girl split in two between New York and the West Coast with a bi color pride flag theme; Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan book cover featuring a girl in a hot dog outfit with other people in costume at an amusement park; the book cover for Imogen, Obiously by Becky Albertalli featuring a girl on a pink college campus. Then at the bottom are the following images: Mabel Pines from Gravity Falls in a blue sweater, Vigilante from Peacemaker in normal clothes, Luna Park from Futurama, Maggie Simpson watching Marge Simpson being hit by a Foucault Pendeulum, Peg from Glass Onion drinking from a red solo cup, Florence Welch from Florence & the Machine on the Everybody Scream album cover
February 14, 2026 at 6:17 PM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
m-rybo.bsky.social
This my favorite scene from my #GraphicNovel
#CUPIT

Lore Olympus x TV show LOKI x High School Musical
👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩 #Sapphic #Romance
📖Greek #Mythology
🌧️ #GrumpySunshine☀️
🧂 #Fantasy (light)
🎒H-School Crush
#RF #SFR #YA #HA #LGBT

#authorilustrator #litagents #kidlit #agentguide #amquerying #querying #pitching
February 15, 2026 at 3:33 AM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
crystalbauthor.bsky.social
crystalbauthor.bsky.social Crystal Bayless ✍🏻is writing & editing✍🏻 @crystalbauthor.bsky.social · 3d
Dear America x A Christmas Vintage

When a young woman feels lost after running from an abusive situation, it is her great grandmother who reminds her that no matter how far we may roam there will always be a place to call home.

#W #A #HR #CR #Cupit
Top left pic is an old art piece of a steamboat traveling down the Missouri River by the old town of Hermann. Top right pic is an art piece of Hermann not long after it began. The title is there A Home in Hermann. 2nd row left pic is of a couple kissing in the town of Hermann in the winter, the pic is made to look older. 2nd row right pic is a pic from the movie A Christmas Vintage which was set in Hermann, it is the main characters kissing in a gazebo in front of a Christmas tree. 3rd row left pic is of people enjoying Oktoberfest in Hermann (it is known as little Germany in Missouri). 3rd row right pic is of the gates of the Hermannhof Inn decorated with two gold deer on the columns and wreaths on the gates. Bottom left pic is a picture of Hermann, Missouri today during the winter. There is a quote on it “No matter how far we may roam, there will always be a place to call home.” Bottom right pic is a picture of Hermann, Missouri today during the spring.
February 15, 2026 at 3:52 AM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
anthonywendel.bsky.social
Kamen Rider X Twilight
The Tragedy of Lancelot: A teenager finds herself protected from a shadowy organization by a mysterious cyborg with connections to her estranged mother. Who is Lancelot and why is he sworn to protect Gwen?
-Mysterious protector
-teenager with anxiety
#YA #Q #R #Cupit
February 15, 2026 at 3:24 AM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
ebthornwriter.bsky.social
My first ever #agentguide for my current WIP 🐺ALL I EVER LONGED FOR🐺 a queer paranormal romance feat:

🐺werewolf boy x human boy
🍃atmospheric forest town
🗡️knife throwing
💙mates

#CuPit #A #PR #LGBT #WIP
February 14, 2026 at 5:24 AM
Reposted by C.R. Barenza
bvbodegom.bsky.social
CABIN IN THE WOODS × JOHN DIES AT THE END

When their detective friend is murdered at their annual gaming retreat, 5 dads must rely on years of #TTRPG experience—and puns—to solve the crime before they're all killed off like NPCs in a badly written supernatural campaign.

#MupPit #A #H #Q #OS
agents guide for DAD BODIES. top left: moodboard layout with 9 squares 3 x 3, 6 have over the top terrified men (the dads), along the top and bottom 3 squares. Blood decal drips from top squares through the middle to the bottom ones. A Victorian mansion silhouette sits in the middle most left square, the title DAD BODIES in the middle, and right of that is the silhouette of a d20 with a skull icon showing. top right: PITCH & COMPS, CABIN IN THE WOODS X JOHN DIES AT THE END X KNIVES OUT, when their detective friend is murdered during annual gaming retreat, 5 dads nust use their years of ttrpg experience—and puns—to solve the crime before they're all killed off like npcs in a badly-written campaign. bottom left: "Fuck me, Troy." “That’s a bit inappropriate, Dave, considering the situation.” Dave averted his gaze from the bloodied corpse of their friend to face him. “Really, Troy? Now?” Troy shrugged. “Marv would’ve laughed.” The grin on his face faltered. Marv was lying in a pool of his own blood. The cause of death was clear, the hilt of the murder weapon protruding from his back. Since Marv was stiff as a board—not much different from his current state—they could rule out suicide. Marv was also more inclined to stab others in the back instead of himself. bottom right: DAD FRIENDS, HORROR AND MYSTERY, DARK HUMOR, SECLUDED MANOR, TTRPG ELEMENTS, DARK AND STORMY NIGHT. 3 SQUARES next to each other. First contains silhouette of an old mansion, middle has TITLE DAD BODIES, third has a skull on a d20
February 13, 2026 at 9:27 PM