Michael Spearwater
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michaelspearwater.bsky.social
Michael Spearwater
@michaelspearwater.bsky.social
50 followers 55 following 210 posts
alt account here for my less child-friendly titles

currently in edits for #romantasy #dystopic and #creaturefeature fiction
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michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Nov. 29 is 'dedicate', so here's a dedication:

"To all the high schools of a certain era, forever interchangeable, regardless of city or state"

#creaturefeature
excerpt from 'Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland' by Michael Spearwater the word 'dedicated' is highlighted the word 'façade' is underlined because MS Word is dumb about things like accents and cedillas (so is my browser's spellcheck, which is giving it a red underline now) --- Here, that meant cleaning up the school. Wilfred Manning High in Alder, Idaho, was an older building, a stately pile of bricks built in a time when a certain uniformity was expected of structures dedicated to higher learning. The façade of baked red clay and molded concrete arches was not substantially different from many other schools of its age in the state, and the only way to tell it from the ones in neighboring counties was the distinct pattern of graffiti gracing its rear walls. A couple days back, some jerks had tagged it up for the fifteenth or sixteenth time, and while JB could sort of appreciate the artistry that went into the crude caricature of the principal spouting profanity, a job was a job. It had to go.
November 29, 2025 at 10:11 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Nov. 28 is 'zigzag'

While the #creaturefeature does not have one of those, it does have a 'crisscross' or two
excerpt from 'Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland' by Michael Spearwater the word 'crisscross' is highlighted in lieu of 'zigzag' -- Her dad was slumped down by the refrigerator, while Pamela was curled up in the opposite corner of the kitchen, sniffling and sobbing. Her arms and legs were a crisscross of thin cuts, from which little beads of blood welled. The floor tiles were spattered with red—not heavily, thank goodness, but enough to make it obvious that there was danger afoot.
November 28, 2025 at 8:41 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Nov. 27, and the word is 'disorganize'

But how about a 'mess' instead?
JB's helping a sorta-friend prepare for a house party, so the mess now is nothing compared to the mess to come (some of which was shown yesterdays WIPSnips, in fact)

#creaturefeature
excerpt from 'Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland' by Michael Spearwater the word 'mess' in 'messy' is highlighted, in lieu of 'disorganize' --- The house was middling big, a 70s-style ranch that took advantage of the slow southern rise of the valley slope. Maybe at some point in the past it had been someone’s second home, kept for the ski season. The lot next to it was empty and level, which was something of a relief. This combined the benefit of fewer neighborly complaints with the convenience of a parking lot. JB had the feeling they’d need all the help they could get for this one. Charlie was waiting for him at the front door. “Hey. Um, thanks for this, man.” “Don’t mention it,” said JB as he came up the steps. “What’ve you got done so far?” “Well, er, I picked up around the living room a lot. Just us guys here, so it was pretty messy. And I got the sound system working. Downloading a bunch of music now.” Charlie led him around the house. “Like you said, I moved all the living room furniture to the sides and relocated the rugs. Obvious breakables went in my room.”
November 27, 2025 at 2:52 PM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Nov. 26 is 'impede'

Not a common word, nor one in my WIP this time.
Thankfully the list is announced at the start of the week, so this word did not 'delay' me any

#creaturefeature
excerpt from 'Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland' by Michael Spearwater the word 'delay' is highlighted, for lack of 'impede' --- It took JB a while to find the house’s circuit breaker, which had tripped several minutes into the electrocution. Most of the delay came from having to navigate the living room in the dark without stepping on anyone. By the time he’d located and reset the breaker, there were still no signs of life beyond a concerto of snores in three dozen different tones. Whatever the dust had been, the stuff was sure potent. Fifteen minutes after the attack, Deputy Braskell arrived in his car. Nodding to JB as he strode in, the man had to whistle as he took in the scene. “Well, damn. Kids these days know how to party.” “Ha. Ha.” Regina failed to laugh. “No, seriously, what’re we gonna do? Some of them are finally twitching, and we don’t know what all that stuff did. Simple knockout? Paralysis? Zombie horde?” All went silent in the Potemkin house foyer as the three of them turned to stare at the room full of unconscious teens. “You just had to say it, didn’t you,” JB groaned. “I was joking!”
November 26, 2025 at 8:45 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Nov. 26 is 'system'

Sometimes systems break down, and other times, they never worked in the first place...

From the #creaturefeature
short excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'system' is highlighted --- “On the subject of video…” JB spared a nervous glance towards the camera set in an attention-grabbing corner of the ceiling. “Would they have anything on those?” Mrs. Farnsworthy bit back a sharp laugh and shook her head. “I’m afraid not. The school had just enough in the budget to put dummy cameras in. An actual security system would have put us so far in the red that they would need to make cuts to the sports program to compensate, and, well…” The teacher shrugged. “It is how it is. Please keep that to yourselves, of course.” “Of course, ma’am,” Reggie replied with a wink.
November 26, 2025 at 1:08 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Nov. 22, and the word is 'crystal'

Hm... this might be a long excerpt, but it needs the lead-in
excerpt from 'Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland' by Michael Spearwater the word 'crystal' in 'crystalized' is highlighted -- So when she pulled her scooter into the school parking lot to find Mel and Cathy waiting for her, she was tired, cranky, crabby, angry, depressed, and lacking any and all semblance of a damn to give. A single word from her friend would be one too many: “There you are—” One digit of Regina’s hand was thrust in Mel’s face, shutting her up quick. It was not the pointer finger. “Shut it. Whatever it is, I do not need to hear it this morning.” “But-but-but…” Mel spluttered. “She wants to know why you’re skipping practice so much,” Cathy translated. “She’s worried, really. We all are.” Regina shrugged. “Life is busy and strange like that. It’s not like we’re doing much good at practice these days.” Mel looked about ready to pop a vein at that, so she pulled her finger away and gave the girl a chance to relieve the pressure. “But!” The syllable shot out with the force of a bullet. “We made a promise, remember? Back in freshman year, when we first joined the squad? To support our team through the best and the worst, even if we’re the only ones cheering them on? N-not when it’s convenient or easy or-or when we’re happy. I know this Jake thing has you a little salty right now—” She’d almost come around to what the girl was trying to say, but the name of her ex broke the mood. “Salty? I’m not salty about that. I am the fucking ocean. People take my crystallized saltiness and serve it at five-star restaurants. Jake could go drown himself in it all and I’d never even notice—that’s how deep I’m upset right now.”
November 22, 2025 at 3:16 PM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Nov. 20, and today's word is 'special'

Sometimes a thing can be special even when it keeps happening
paragraph from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'special' is highlighted --- The squabbling sisters took center stage for the rest of the mealtime entertainment, continuing an argument over what clothes Pamela was and was not allowed to borrow. This had apparently been a recurring special feature at the dining table that week, and both parents routinely ignored pleas for support or intervention. Pamela took this very seriously, going red in the face as she argued. Reggie looked like she was just arguing for the fun of it.
November 20, 2025 at 2:52 PM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Nov. 20, and third's the word

So in that spirit, I have the third instance of 'third' in my #creaturefeature #WIP right here
excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'third' is highlighted --- The school’s cheer team had a room to itself on the third floor of the old school hall, one half of a larger class space that had gotten partitioned for some reason in the past and then abandoned for being too small for regular use. The cheerleaders had taken it over several scholastic generations in the past, in an era when, to judge by the trophies, pennants, and other decorations, the school had been more of a competitive powerhouse. No awards had been added in living memory, a fact which apparently galled Melody Redmond, the current captain by default. Everything in that young lady’s life pivoted on that particular insecurity. Case in point: “What were you thinking, making a scene like that? We’re in the middle of a season here, and we can’t afford to get distracted!” “Good thing I dumped his sorry, lying ass,” Regina replied. “It’s hard to be more distracting than Jake when he’s in the mood to be.” “Sure! Fine! Whatever you say, Gina!” Melody’s arms waved in improbably geometric forms as her nerves gave motion to her stress. “Just break up with one of our better football players…” “Better is relative,” Regina pointed out.
November 20, 2025 at 12:31 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
The #WIPSnips for Nov. 18 is 'retrograde'... really? Retrograde? Do I even...

I do? Wow. I do not remember putting that word into the #creaturefeature #WIP

For reference, this scene is framed as part of a news broadcast
excerpt from 'Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland' by Michael Spearwater the word 'retrograde' is highlighted -- Montgomery: “What are you kids doing here?” Bomber Jacket: “Taking out some monsters, same as usual.” 「Breadbox is dumped on the sidewalk. More tentacles and slime pour out.」 Second young man: “Hey, camera guy. Get a close-up on this.” “You heard him! Hello, Amanda Schumacher, KDHO Channel 9 News. Did you actually kill this yourself? What is it? What’s going on?” Second young man: “We got a call from Mrs. Preston about fifteen minutes ago, about strange noises in her kitchen, so we rushed over. When we arrived, she’d already pulled aggro on the monster here, and it’s a puffer, unfortunately.” “I’m sorry, a….? Bomber Jacket: “A puffer. Produces this glittery yellow dust that knocks you right out. Stone-cold unconscious. Ain’t that right, Marshall?” Second young man: “**** if I can remember.” Bomber Jacket: “That’d be the, what’s the word, retrograde amnesia. Mrs. Preston thankfully won’t remember most of it when she wakes up in a few.”
November 18, 2025 at 2:59 PM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
The #WIPSnips for Nov. 14 is 'week'!

And since it's been a long one over here, I shall end it with a short excerpt for this one

#creaturefeature
short excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'week' is highlighted --- After a brief trip halfway up the stairs to the wash his face and other visible parts, then all the way up for a better change of clothes, he felt ready to leave the house. He spent more time in front of the mirror examining his attempt at a moustache than anything else. Reggie was right; it did look like a caterpillar died on his face. He would shave it off, but then she’d be insufferable about it for the next week.
November 14, 2025 at 3:14 PM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Nov. 12 is 'shirt'!

Gotta have the essentials in the morning

#creaturefeature
excerpt from 'Monsters Among Us - Teenage Wasteland' by Michael Spearwater the word 'shirt' in 't-shirt' is highlighted --- JB’s room took up the entire second-story loft of his house, though that wasn’t saying much. The bed and dresser filled most of it. His feet hung off the end if he didn’t curl up under the quilts on a chilly autumn evening. Sleep hadn’t come easily, but when it did, his trip through the land of Nod was frequently interrupted by toothy trashcans. More than once he’d woken up in a sweat, compelled to check the surveillance via the app Reggie’d helped him set up on his phone. Each time, he could see that the monster had edged itself just a smidgeon in one direction or another. Sunlight poured through the window, and he was having a hard time ignoring it. He needed some breakfast. Last night’s dinner had not been enough to fuel all the brain activity needed for that much homework. He threw on an old band t-shirt and shorts before coming down. The toilet was on its own little half-story off the middle of the stairs, an architectural decision his grandpa had never bothered to explain, so he had a quick stop there before making his way to the kitchen below.
November 12, 2025 at 2:56 PM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Nov. 11 is 'burger'

Any burger can be a good burger

But sometimes the timing's just bad
excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'burger' is highlighted twice --- “Er, hello,” the man said as he approached. “Fancy meeting you here, ha-ha. You wouldn’t happen to, er, how best to ask…” “If you’re here about monsters,” Reggie said quickly and quietly, “then you’ve come to the right place.” More loudly, she added, “Hey, can we get a menu for our friend here?” “No need, ha-ha,” Mr. Henderson protested as he waved to the waitress, an older woman who looked like she should be named Flo, no matter what the nametag said. “Ahem, you have a vegetarian menu, yes? Then I’d like a soy burger, no cheese, extra pickles, if you’d please. Side of fries and a glass of water. Yes…” he said as ‘Flo’ walked away with the order. “I suppose we were all looking for one another after all. That was, er, your video I came across on the internet, yes?” “One of a few,” Reggie confirmed. “We haven’t uploaded the rest yet.” “Excellent work, sir,” Mr. Henderson said to Braskell. The deputy snorted. “I’m not the one you should be saying that to. I’ve never even seen one of these things alive. These two are your local experts.” He flashed a thumb’s-up at the teens. “Credit where it’s due.” “Amazing…” Mr. Henderson shook his head. “I’d assumed an adult or at least someone with experience with hunting and trapping, to catch one of those creatures, and of that size. Someone like your father.” He nodded to JB. Braskell’s laugh was sharp and dry. The young man took a long sip from his glass of iced cola. “Dunno what impression Pop gave you on Friday, but a hunter he wasn’t. Pretty much the opposite.” Next to him, Reggie shrank back into her seat and shivered. “Ah… I am missing something, aren’t I?” Reggie brought up the correct window on the old laptop, so that it now showed the worst-moments reel of the past few days. “Like I said, we haven’t uploaded everything, and for good reason. Can hardly bear to look at it, even. You’ll, ah, wanna…
November 11, 2025 at 9:19 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Nov. 10 is 'local'

Our protagonist here is fed up with supporting local athletes, because the local in question was an awful boyfriend

Too bad certain people just can't let it go
#creaturefeature #horror #lookingforbetareaders
excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'local' is highlighted --- “Sure! Fine! Whatever you say, Gina!” Melody’s arms waved in improbably geometric forms as her nerves gave motion to her stress. “Just break up with one of our better football players…” “Better is relative,” Regina pointed out. “…barely a week before a game! When we need to be spreading school spirit and getting people to support our local athletes…” “Because, of course, even if we can’t all be athletes, we can at least be athletic supporters, right?” she added quickly. “Yes! Er, what?” Mel paused in mid-tirade as the other girls in the room tittered. “Gina! You know what I mean. Who’s going to root for poor Jake, now that he’s got this, this cloud over his head!” “Dude should’ve thought of that before he started with the stories about me and his head,” Regina stated. “I was willing to make this a peaceful and quiet breakup—” Mel was shaking her head. “No, no, no! No breakups just yet! It’s bad for morale!” “I dunno, I’m feeling pretty good about it.”
November 10, 2025 at 9:56 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Nov. 5 is 'trail'

"Trouble on the trail" is technically true for our protagonists here. There's a lot of lying by omission, tho

#creaturefeature #horror
an excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'trail' is highlighted -- God only know what they looked like, stumbling into the convenience store with a bloody JB between them. God and the clerk at the register, who was staring at them with a face not unlike some nameless extra in the first five minutes of a George Romero movie. “Um, is your friend doing okay?” the woman asked, clearly expecting a negative response. She was only a few years older than JB or Reggie, with frizzy hair and a nametag that said ‘Clara.’ “He took a fall,” the doc explained. “Nighttime hike, couldn’t see the trail well, tumbled a bit. You know how it is, ha-ha.” “Er, ha ah?” The one thing the clerk didn’t sound was certain. “Do you, um, need a first-aid kit or something?” “That would be marvelous, thank you. Come along, JB. To the washroom with you.”
November 6, 2025 at 2:23 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Oct. 31 is... 'monster'...

*looks at title of current WIP*

um...

*word search function turns up 178 instances*

OK... let's just go with the first four and see how that goes.

All on page 15?

Well, then...
page 15 of "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater The word 'monster' is highlighted four times. On the left, there is a word search side bar open. It is showing result "1 out of 178" for 'monster' It says "There are too many results to show here" (in the preview) --- “Here!” Reggie was dragging the pressure cleaner over, pushing the lance into his hands. With a firm grip on the handle, JB stabbed the business end between those metal jaws and let ‘er rip. Whoosh. And he almost lost it, then and there. The dial on the engine must’ve been cranked to 11, because the force of pressure nearly launched the thing from his hands. As it was, he was sure to have some bruises out of this. What that blast of water did to the trashcan monster, he’d rather not have seen for himself. Metal sides bulged at the point of impact where the water was punching from the inside. After a few seconds, the deeper-than-rust-red metal buckled outward, ripping and peeling back as a gush of brownish green muck flooded out. Much of it was the usual trash he’d expect to find, but there were also bones—small ones, thankfully—like the monster had chomped a cat of some other family pet. “Oh, gawd…” Reggie made retching noises behind him. Releasing the trigger button on the water lance, he pulled the tool from the monster’s mouth. There were scratched and gouges all the way down the length of metal. The monster’s little toes twitched, and some of those beady purple marbles shifted to follow his movements. “Reggie,” he said slowly, with a calm he wasn’t really feeling, deep down. “Need you to get some more stuff outta Rodney…”
October 31, 2025 at 3:20 PM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
And the #WIPSnips for Oct. 30 is 'spell'

...this #creaturefeature is nominally #sciencefiction / #horror, not fantasy, so I shall have to go with the non-magical meaning here

Good spelling online is practically magic, I suppose
excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the 'spell' in 'spelled' is highlighted --- Back at the house, there was more to distract him. Dishes had sat unwashed for over a day now, and he had a strange and sudden urge to vacuum. Reggie helped by pouring herself a glass of tea and pointing out which spots he’d missed. On its cubby desk in the living room, the old laptop whirred along. Like many things in his life, it was second-hand and heavily refurbished, but it did the bare minimum he needed. Right now, that meant email. “Huh, got something,” Reggie announced, squinting at the screen. “Another conspiracy nut, or someone looking for a bit part in this supposed horror movie they think we’re making?” “Neither.” She read it over again. “Well, maybe a conspiracy guy, but if so then he’s more coherent than most. Everything’s spelled properly, no mention of aliens or government mind control, and not an exclamation point in sight. Pretty reasonable, all in all.”
October 30, 2025 at 8:54 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
Oops, almost forgot the #WIPSnips for Oct. 29, 'broomstick'

This shows up several times in clusters in my #creaturefeature, oddly enough

Here's the last few times
excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'broomstick' is highlighted three times --- JB hadn’t wanted to leave his bed for nothing. He skipped lunch, ignored a message from Reggie, and generally pretended that the real world didn’t exist. He couldn’t keep it up, though. He’d left the thing down there, and he had to make sure it stayed left. So there he was, broomstick in hand, making sure. In the old pen area of the junkyard, the trashcan did not move. This was perfectly ordinary for a squat cylinder of battered sheet metal, regardless of its contents, and JB could not find it in his head to take the thing at its appearance. Once more, for the two dozenth time, he poked it with the round end of the broomstick. For the two dozenth time, this failed to produce any result beyond a light rocking and a thick sloshing sound which he refused to think too much about. His phone sat in his pocket, used once and then ignored. What was he supposed to do with it, take selfies with… with… No. That was beyond morbid. No selfies, no fun, no celebrating the execution. And most definitely no distractions, just in case the trashcan was only playing dead. He jabbed it with the broomstick for the two dozenth and first time. Light rocking, thick sloshing, no murder-tentacles.
October 30, 2025 at 8:49 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Oct. 28, and the topical word for the day is 'costume'

...which doesn't appear in my #creaturefeature about monsters that 'disguise' themselves as everyday objects, so I guess that substitution will have to do
excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'disguise' is highlighted in lieu of 'costume --- Even starting on a full charge that morning, Regina’s smartphone was on track to be in its last gasps at the end of the day, because she’d had the diviner app running on it the entire damn time. Whenever it seemed like there was a free moment or safe opportunity to be had, she used her phone’s camera to scope out anything that could be a monster in disguise, which was damn near everything. So far, she hadn’t had any positives, though there were lingering doubts over the nature of Mr. Siebert’s toupee.
October 29, 2025 at 12:02 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Oct. 27 is "blood-curdling", which my #creaturefeature #horror story does not have, but there are plenty of 'shriek' and 'scream' to go around
an excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'shriek' is highlighted -- Something fell over at the other end of the alley, clanking on the concrete. Regina shrieked, surprised out of her apathy and into a momentary trip back to those moments behind the school the other day. At her side, Jake winced as he held his left ear. “Damn, baby. A little louder next time, why don’tcha? Probably just a cat… Yeah, see?” He nodded as a black-furred shape with a white muzzle and mittens hopped past the pile of old paint cans it had overturned. A soft mew hovered past them. “Nothing to worry about, Gina. Just a cute kitty—” The paint cans split open, on one end six-bladed flowers spreading to reveal ravenous little mouths, while at the other end they fragmented into dozens of tiny legs. They piled on the poor feline, clamping metal jaws onto its tail and flanks. The only thing louder than the cat’s wails of painful demise were Jake’s screams as he caught his own dick in his zipper and ran out the alley as fast as he could.
October 27, 2025 at 8:36 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Oct. 21 is 'second', which makes one wonder why it wasn't slotted for the 22nd?

Seconds matter, of course, but not always in a good way
excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'second' is highlighted --- Sunday morning was… JB couldn’t be sure what adjectives to place there. Better? Hardly. Though the pain had dulled a bit, it still throbbed and hurt more than the bruises he’d got from the kick of the shotgun. But comparisons were all relative, and the word ‘better’ could only compare to the day before, which had been a brand of awful normally reserved for sale at the gift store on the eighth circle of Hell. Taken by that measure, Sunday morning truly was ‘better.’ It was only the second worst day of his life. There were woods out back behind the scrapyard, fenced with barbed wire and NO TRESPASSING signs. The owners were friends of Pop’s, and they traded him occasional favors in exchange for watching over the property. To his credit, Pop had only taken mild advantage of this, using the woods as a target practice range, a site for a still that had only produced a few bottles before self-detonating, and a failure of a grow-op that had gone to seed. Considering all the stuff hidden in those ninety-five acres, it seemed appropriate that Pop himself ended up there, too.
October 21, 2025 at 10:43 PM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
The #WIPSnips for Oct. 20 is 'field'

There's a broad field of meaning for that word, and in this case, it includes 'cover story'
excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'field' is highlighted --- Reggie only shrugged her shoulders when he looked her way, so JB’s brain had to scramble to organize the details properly before they ran through his mouth. “Um, we’re helping out this guy. Doc… Dr. Henderson. He’s a wildlife specialist, um, doing field work. Surveys.” The doc’s own cover story fitted in well enough, so he stuck with it. “We, er, met him last week, when he stopped by… by Pop’s store, to pick up some extra traps.” “Coach Paxton said we could get some extra credit for it,” said Reggie. “Cuz you know how he gets about wildlife stuff. Plus, it’s pretty interesting to see what all is actually out there in the woods at night. In fact, Dr. Henderson said he could use some help sorting samples if we could find the time.”
October 20, 2025 at 10:24 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips Oct. 19, the word is 'trial'

...which is something the heroine of my #upcoming #creaturefeature isn't interested in giving to any monsters at the moment

By this point, she's fed up, burnt out, and ready to move on to 'summary execution' if need be
excerpt from 'Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'trial' is highlighted -- Late in the night, in the silence of a sleeping house, Regina stepped quietly into the garage. It was not a long trip, only a few yards from her room to the door, but it had all the somber gravity of a funeral march weighing down her feet. In her hands was a bucket, and in that, the little bottlecap monster skittered in confusion. As soon as she had the door shut and a towel from the laundry stuck along the bottom to block any light, Regina set up the stands and the cables and one of the lighting gizmos that the doc had in his collection. A pair of thick-glassed welding goggles went over her eyes. Then, by excruciating trial and error, she spent half the night determining exactly which combination of frequencies and intensities of light would best reduce the vile little abomination to a state of fatal crispiness. The tears hurt her eyes more than the flashes did.
October 19, 2025 at 3:00 PM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips Oct.14, and it's time for the "ultimate"... what?

Looking through, I see that the only time that word appears for me is at the end of a villainous conversation

How appropriate.
excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'ultimate' is highlighted --- “Again, yes. A behemoth to dwarf behemoths, a leviathan in fact. Completely unnecessary for our ultimate goals, but what do I know, I’m just the one with the brain…” The man stood calmly in the center of the room, unperturbed by shakes and cracks. “Now, I have said my piece, and you two have had a nice breather, so it is time for us to kill each other, I’m afraid.”
October 14, 2025 at 8:22 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Oct. 13, and some characters are 'push'-ing their luck a little too far

The heroine of this #upcoming #creaturefeature is finding nearly-ex-boyfriends more annoying to deal with than things that go bump in the night
an excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater The word 'push' is highlighted -- “And the rumor?” she pressed. Her eyes were stabbing at him. “Um…” He had this nervous pose sometimes, where he folded both his arms behind his back and somehow reached up to scratch the nape of his neck at the same time. “I… didn’t actually say it that way, or at all. Um, I was still a bit sore that morning, y’know, but I couldn’t really explain it to the guys. Like, where to even start? So they had fun making their own guesses and… and… I didn’t say no to any of ‘em. The whole team came up with the final product, I guess you could say.” She stared at him, daring him to say more, but he maintained his embarrassed silence. The sigh that departed her lungs was only the ghost of her annoyance, given limited voice in the world, but it still made him jump. “I can imagine that, unfortunately,” she said. “So you’ll forgive me?” He practically bounced at the thought. “I’ll keep it under consideration,” she said. “That much pissed-off ain’t vanishing so easily. But.” Regina extended a hand. “Make peace, not war, and all that.” “I thought it was ‘Make love, not war’?” And that damn grin was back. “Don’t push your luck.”
October 13, 2025 at 3:12 PM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
It's #selfpromosaturday for me (hurray for time zones)

So it's time to promote my #travelogue #romantasy!

"A Wager for Wanderlust", like what Jules Verne would've written if he were into high fantasy and playful #spicy content

Still legal to own in most states!

www.amazon.com/dp/B0FBZMX7MP
Front cover of "A Wager for Wanderlust" by Michael Spearwater cover art by LykosVTuber It shows an artistically messy gentleman's desk with sketches of fantastical nudes, a pocket watch, various writing implements, etc. In the background there are statues and portraits, a bookshelf, and books on the floor A portrait of a satyr-like girl, topless and poised for dance. With one hand, she beckons someone to join
October 3, 2025 at 3:09 PM