S. Y. Coffelt
@skywatcher76.bsky.social
Author of short fiction, querying a debut, point and shoot photographer, gardens, sunsets, inveterate complainer in action (no whining). For news about me and The Last Summer Queen, follow at www.sycoffelt.com
Writing a new blog post at www.sycoffelt.com. Why I write short stories (especially since I always wanted to write a novel). The post will go live on November 30th. #fiction #speclit
November 24, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Writing a new blog post at www.sycoffelt.com. Why I write short stories (especially since I always wanted to write a novel). The post will go live on November 30th. #fiction #speclit
"On the sofa’s stained cover is the magical poppet that Gran made for me. It watches me with wide, embroidered brown eyes and sometimes blinks, although since its lashes are also made of thread, its blinking must be a trick of light." From The Last Summer Queen. (Image by Secoura from Pixaby)
November 23, 2025 at 1:26 PM
"On the sofa’s stained cover is the magical poppet that Gran made for me. It watches me with wide, embroidered brown eyes and sometimes blinks, although since its lashes are also made of thread, its blinking must be a trick of light." From The Last Summer Queen. (Image by Secoura from Pixaby)
Not my cat (but close). Just for Caturday fun. (Image from Corina Selberg at Pixaby).
November 22, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Not my cat (but close). Just for Caturday fun. (Image from Corina Selberg at Pixaby).
The air is thick with chiggers. I’m always scratching. We slap mosquitoes off our arms, walking, always walking along I-35, hoping to see a car, hoping to get out of the sun or the rain or the wind, hoping to find a place without bugs. No such luck. From: Dead Trees in Ponds. #speclit
November 21, 2025 at 1:28 PM
The air is thick with chiggers. I’m always scratching. We slap mosquitoes off our arms, walking, always walking along I-35, hoping to see a car, hoping to get out of the sun or the rain or the wind, hoping to find a place without bugs. No such luck. From: Dead Trees in Ponds. #speclit
Newsletter went out as scheduled. Phew. Time to put my feet up for a few hours. Still looking for my readers. Dark fantasy, anyone? How about horror? If you're out there, I'd love to engage. #WritingCommunity #SpecLit #HorrorLit
November 20, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Newsletter went out as scheduled. Phew. Time to put my feet up for a few hours. Still looking for my readers. Dark fantasy, anyone? How about horror? If you're out there, I'd love to engage. #WritingCommunity #SpecLit #HorrorLit
Looking for my audience. Readers of speculative horror and dark contemporary fantasy. My first newsletter will launch tomorrow. (Image by Nika Akin at Pixaby.com)
www.sycoffelt.com
www.sycoffelt.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Looking for my audience. Readers of speculative horror and dark contemporary fantasy. My first newsletter will launch tomorrow. (Image by Nika Akin at Pixaby.com)
www.sycoffelt.com
www.sycoffelt.com
Two days until the newsletter goes out to subscribers. If you read dark fantasy and horror, become a subscriber at www.sycoffelt.com. An economy of words. Never a fee.
November 18, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Two days until the newsletter goes out to subscribers. If you read dark fantasy and horror, become a subscriber at www.sycoffelt.com. An economy of words. Never a fee.
Will it rain? Will it snow? Gotta love Fall. Yesterday, this tree was green and now it's burgundy.
November 17, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Will it rain? Will it snow? Gotta love Fall. Yesterday, this tree was green and now it's burgundy.
Last night's very orange sunset. I'm moving ahead with the WIP even though I feel like stopping to edit. I'm determined to finish the draft and only then starting again from the beginning. Will I finish completely in November? Probably not. Still hoping to get TLSQ launched Summer of 26. #speclit
November 15, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Last night's very orange sunset. I'm moving ahead with the WIP even though I feel like stopping to edit. I'm determined to finish the draft and only then starting again from the beginning. Will I finish completely in November? Probably not. Still hoping to get TLSQ launched Summer of 26. #speclit
I keep looking for images of my FMC. Macy is in her early 30s, dark hair, not beautiful. Maybe this photo (Image by Alexey Klen from Pixabay) comes close. If I ever find the right images, I'm toying with the idea of creating a mood board. #$writingcommunity #speclit
November 14, 2025 at 2:36 PM
I keep looking for images of my FMC. Macy is in her early 30s, dark hair, not beautiful. Maybe this photo (Image by Alexey Klen from Pixabay) comes close. If I ever find the right images, I'm toying with the idea of creating a mood board. #$writingcommunity #speclit
A few thousand words more than halfway through TLSQ. Macy is driving for the first time, on her way to a small Midwestern city (for the first time). Is she scared? Nah. Driving. So many people drive every day. How hard can it be? #writingcommunity #speclit
November 13, 2025 at 2:53 PM
A few thousand words more than halfway through TLSQ. Macy is driving for the first time, on her way to a small Midwestern city (for the first time). Is she scared? Nah. Driving. So many people drive every day. How hard can it be? #writingcommunity #speclit
Last night, for the first time ever, I saw the Northern Lights. I also enjoyed all the photos from around the country. Here's mine, taken in eastern Kansas. Watching the skies for another sighting tonight.
November 12, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Last night, for the first time ever, I saw the Northern Lights. I also enjoyed all the photos from around the country. Here's mine, taken in eastern Kansas. Watching the skies for another sighting tonight.
Last night's colorful sunset. We don't get as many of these anymore. So, a question for creatives, Is Canva considered AI? Asking for a friend.
November 11, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Last night's colorful sunset. We don't get as many of these anymore. So, a question for creatives, Is Canva considered AI? Asking for a friend.
This morning's dawn. Today I'll pass the halfway mark on 50k words in November. But. I also have to make time to finalize my newsletter, going out on the 20th. A horror book review. An update on TLSQ. This month's wild Tarot card. Why short stories. Check it out. www.sycoffelt.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:47 PM
This morning's dawn. Today I'll pass the halfway mark on 50k words in November. But. I also have to make time to finalize my newsletter, going out on the 20th. A horror book review. An update on TLSQ. This month's wild Tarot card. Why short stories. Check it out. www.sycoffelt.com
Sunday. Start of a new week. A walk in the forest sounds like a good plan. Instead, I'm at my desk scribbling away. (Image by Tommy from Pixaby).
November 9, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Sunday. Start of a new week. A walk in the forest sounds like a good plan. Instead, I'm at my desk scribbling away. (Image by Tommy from Pixaby).
Writer friends: What are your thoughts on the word "that?" I hear it when people speak (in life, not fiction) all the time. "What do you think of that?" "That's the best I've ever seen." As a nonspecific particular, is it as bad as "all that" in writing? (Image by Mahbub Hasan from Pixaby).
November 8, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Writer friends: What are your thoughts on the word "that?" I hear it when people speak (in life, not fiction) all the time. "What do you think of that?" "That's the best I've ever seen." As a nonspecific particular, is it as bad as "all that" in writing? (Image by Mahbub Hasan from Pixaby).
A row of red. I'm inside, writing as fast as I can, but November tempts me outside to find more sites like this one. How's it going for you? #skywriter
November 7, 2025 at 2:13 PM
A row of red. I'm inside, writing as fast as I can, but November tempts me outside to find more sites like this one. How's it going for you? #skywriter
Taking time off to stare out my office window. Squirrels gathering acorns for the winter. Working on a short story sub call. How's your day going?
November 6, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Taking time off to stare out my office window. Squirrels gathering acorns for the winter. Working on a short story sub call. How's your day going?
I'm about halfway through my WIP and soon I'll get stuck. I used to call this stage "writer's block" but now I know it's a sign for me to stop and think and maybe let my subconscious percolate. Maybe switch to writing with a pen. Anyone else? (Stock photo by Alfons Landsmann from Pixaby).
November 5, 2025 at 6:27 PM
I'm about halfway through my WIP and soon I'll get stuck. I used to call this stage "writer's block" but now I know it's a sign for me to stop and think and maybe let my subconscious percolate. Maybe switch to writing with a pen. Anyone else? (Stock photo by Alfons Landsmann from Pixaby).
It's only the fourth and I'm already distracted. Errands and company coming. Love company but getting refocused is my task today. Goal is to add 2k words to my WIP. (Image credit to Yerson Retamal from Pixaby).
November 4, 2025 at 2:26 PM
It's only the fourth and I'm already distracted. Errands and company coming. Love company but getting refocused is my task today. Goal is to add 2k words to my WIP. (Image credit to Yerson Retamal from Pixaby).
Do you have a quirky writing habit? Mine is silence. Total, utter silence. I see all the folks who have playlists to write by and I'm more than a little jealous. I've tried. Love music. Have favorites. But if there's a sound, I don't write. (Image by Willgard Krause from Pixaby).
November 3, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Do you have a quirky writing habit? Mine is silence. Total, utter silence. I see all the folks who have playlists to write by and I'm more than a little jealous. I've tried. Love music. Have favorites. But if there's a sound, I don't write. (Image by Willgard Krause from Pixaby).
This version of The Last Summer Queen is the same only different. I'm aging up the characters, which means a different voice and a different approach to both conflict and stakes. At least the descriptive details and passage of time can be the same. So far. (Photo from Pixaby.)
November 2, 2025 at 5:10 PM
This version of The Last Summer Queen is the same only different. I'm aging up the characters, which means a different voice and a different approach to both conflict and stakes. At least the descriptive details and passage of time can be the same. So far. (Photo from Pixaby.)
Happy November. Today starts the 30-day sprint to 50k words. Anyone else doing some version of writing a novel (or a goodly chunk of one) in 30 days? Let's motivate each other. (Image from Pixaby).
November 1, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Happy November. Today starts the 30-day sprint to 50k words. Anyone else doing some version of writing a novel (or a goodly chunk of one) in 30 days? Let's motivate each other. (Image from Pixaby).
Here's something totally new to me. Instead of shipping with dry ice, this mail order pharmacy sent frozen plant food gel. Has anyone else seen this? #gardeningsky
October 28, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Here's something totally new to me. Instead of shipping with dry ice, this mail order pharmacy sent frozen plant food gel. Has anyone else seen this? #gardeningsky