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Hurrah hurrah!!! Hello @akiwitch! I'm your pinch-hitter for the @writeblrgarden Secret Santa event!
I've been wanting to make this since reading part of Summoning Trouble you shared a while back, so I'm glad to have finally gotten the excuse to do it!!
Welcome to The Author's Archive
I'm Cassandra Erica, local girlish-shaped thing carrying she/they pronouns under each arm (despite how much more difficult it makes grocery shopping). For a full year - that's three-hundred and sixty-five days for all you number fans out there - I wrote at least one thing every day and posted to this blog. Those are Brain Curds, by the way - and nowadays, most weeks see five of them.
"So," you're wondering, "what have you written so far? What are you working on? Are you going to keep up this weird reflexive second-person perspective?" To answer back-to-front: no, many things, and not quite as many things. Here are some lists!
~~~
RELEASED ON NOTSOCHEEZY.COM!
The Real Me (2022, Short Story)
There's something a bit off about businessman Mr. Shirley Jones. What's he hiding?
Three Takes on Death (2022, Short Story)
What might happen when we die?
Pink Bow (2022, Novella)
Who knew trying on one dress at the mall could change a person's entire life? Chris - or, uh, Kris - certainly didn't. Was it just a dress inside that box with the pink bow, or was it something more?
Passable. Episode One - The Virgin (2024, Writer's Block Short)
The pilot episode (of sorts) for a trans sitcom. Lily gets herself a date with a little something extra. Sarah racks her brain to keep her boyfriend sexually satisfied without breaking chastity. Alice and Brayden run a 'scientific' study with a virgin busboy.
Anthill Theory (2025, Short Film)
A grocery store clerk's autonomy is tested when he lives Friday after Friday of a time loop he doesn't know he's in.
Plus some other stuff, don't worry about it.
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BRAIN CURDS
Brain Curds are lightly edited daily writing - usually flash fiction and sometimes terrible on purpose. Click here to see some of the greatest hits! Here are some of the more notable series:
The Frank Program
Frank hosts a podcast with high profile guests, and he's not afraid to tell you "what they don't want you to know," but he has plenty of his own secrets.
Quantum Fates
On a day that ought to be like any other, Trevor wakes up from a nightmare with a splitting headache, a voice in his head, and visions of the near future.
Passable.
Four trans college students share an apartment in Irvine and screw up each others' lives through sheer lack of scruples.
Government Man
Government Man is from the government.
Solarpunk 3072
Eustace lives in a far-off post-scarcity utopia, where he (like everyone else) has everything. The only problem is he’s missing a purpose.
Cole Nicole
Genderfluid femboy model, Cole Nicole, navigates life just outside the spotlight.
Veronica
Via gruesome means, Veronica gets her revenge - a dish best served at 98.6 degrees.
The Prom Consort
Kelly finds herself roped in to an arrangement (don't call it a love triangle) that might just be profitable. That is, if old wounds don't prove too painful.
~~~
WIP!
A Covenant of Rust (Novella) This is the part where I ignore it for a year.
A newlywed couple moves into a 1950s prefab home in early 2020, but finds more hidden beneath the surface than the floor plan could reveal. Will forgotten secrets and isolation bring them together, or tear them apart?
Blue Rabbit (Short Story) Pre-Final
Sequel/companion to A Covenant of Rust. I keep telling myself I'm going to finally finish this one, but it'll have to wait for its sibling project.
The Order of the Degenerati (Novel) Outlining
A secret society was formed after the tragedy of the holocaust to make sure it never happened again. Unfortunately, nowadays the most they can do is make YouTube videos go viral.
It Goes Up (Never Never NEVER NEVER NEVER) Complete
You will never read it.
And MORE! THERE IS ALWAYS MORE!
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MY BOOK!(?)
Publishers don't seem super interested in collections of short stories, and I'm afraid a collection of short stories and novellas may make a literary agent's head explode, so expect to see Tales from Starved Childhoods as a self-published debut! It includes a fully rewritten new version of Everyone Has Their Price (2017); newly revised versions of Next Day Delivery (2017), The Real Me (2022), Three Takes on Death (2022) and Pink Bow (2022); and all-new stories still in progress.
Tales from Starved Childhoods is set to be the physical manifestation of my early career as a writer, so stay tuned and look for it someplace books are sold!
~~~
If you'd like to be one of my readers or vice versa, don't hesitate to reach out! I'm shy but I won't bite without consent.
I'm always happy to have more eyes on what I'm making and I'm always happy to read something new. It helps with the burnout. I'm open to most any genre - I don't really think much about labels when coming up with ideas.
If you work for a publisher and you see something you like, send an email to [email protected] with the subject line, "Business Factory."
INSANE ASYLUMS, CANNIBAL PROPHETS, ELDRITCH CULTS, & SELF-PROCLAIMED GODS GALORE
A WIP INTRODUCTION — OF ILL REPUTE
GENRE; Dark Fantasy, Occult Horror, Romance (?)
TARGET AUDIENCE; Adult
STATUS; Outlining and Drafting
TARGET WORD COUNT; 40K — 60K
CONTENT WARNINGS; gore, violence, torture, cannibalism, abuse and exploitation of mental patients, sexual content
SUMMARY; When a new patient who calls himself Yoska Menik and boldly declares he is a god arrives at The Maker’s Sanctuary—an insane asylum with a reputation built on less than holy monks, shrieking lunatics, and inhumane practices—he is quickly dismissed as a madman. While everyone believes Yoska Menik’s another deluded lunatic, Valentin, a fellow inmate harbouring a dangerous secret of his own, finds himself inexplicably captivated by him…even as increasingly strange occurrences begin to unfold around the asylum. As his relationship with Yoska Menik deepens, blurring the line between madness and sanity, Valentin must learn to navigate the treacherous path between his forbidden desires and the dangers they present.
THEMES/TROPES; Faith, Belief, (Abuse Of) Power, Revenge, Rebellion, Religion, Identity, Tradition, I-Don’t-Like-You-Very-Much To I-Will-Serve-You-All-My-Days, Found Family (Kind Of…)
CHARACTERS;
Valentin — Alleged cannibal. Prophet. Performer of strange blood rituals at midnight. He’s also an opium addict, but we don’t talk about that.
Esa St. Edvin — A god (self-proclaimed) with dubious eldritch powers (unconfirmed). If you call him Yoska Menik, it’ll make his day.
Martja'ysa Bruheimer Isko-Sanni — A formerly wealthy divorcée who may or may not be able to commune with spirits. Moody, melancholic, prefers solitude.
Johannes St. Lendzell / Ly — Purported victim of demonic possession. Cried and clawed at walls often. Friend of Valentin. Dead.
Pia St. Ørjan — A woman who believes she’s made of glass. Approach with caution.
Jin ij Phanom Sieng — Valentin’s younger brother. Merchant. Rebel fugitive and woefully bitter about it.
Father Paavali — The Maker’s Sanctuary Monk #1. Cruel, contemptuous, and violent.
Father Mika — The Maker’s Sanctuary Monk #2. His kindness, compassion, and love for his wardens often mask his perverted urges.
STARRING A CAST OF;
Creepy monks
Creepier cults
Strange supernatural happenings disguised as miracles
Ritualistic cannibalism
Blood magic
Wacky religious prophecies
Cruel and unusual punishments
Opium addicts
Failed rebellions
Surreal sex dreams
A gothic insane asylum
One (1) ghost
TAGLIST; Ask To Be +/-
MAIN TAG; Forthcoming!
OF ILL REPUTE is a WIP I began working on in 2018 and promptly dropped (for many reasons). However, as you can clearly see, I’m picking it back up again! If you’d like to know more about it and it’s world, here are two posts where I go into more detail about its setting. More posts about its worldbuilding (and characters) to come!
Louise "Lou" Ledet [NYTF]
Right on cue, Lou came stalking out of the woods. She crouched by the body, scanning the forest floor. Her hood was pulled back revealing her stern face, shaved head, and eyes that could cut steel. (Knight of Dawn, Chapter 11)
Came across this a while ago and thought it looked fun:
a sinking feeling
A silent breeze passes by, quiet, subtle, faint.
One could barely feel it, let alone notice it. My head hung high, and my eyes were barely open. Small bubbles materialized from my mouth, my throat had gone sore, and I had no control of my physical body any longer.
I was slowly becoming one with the water.
My skin was wrinkled, and my body was numb. The ocean water filled my lungs, and the saltiness became a familiar taste on my tongue. For days, weeks, months, perhaps years, the water has stayed completely still. A constant state of deafening silence, with no one to hear it except me. Though my body was worn down, my mind still raced with anticipation.
I can feel it coming, I really do. The only question is when?
It could come at any moment, like a thief in the night. Like an owl soaring through the skies, like the swift air breeze that softly kisses your skin. I was pushing my luck, grasping at every single straw, and taking all my chances. I offered everything, my body, soul, and mind.
Yet nothing's changed.
My body was ever so slowly descending into the deep ocean trenches. I tried to scream, yet no one can hear me. I flail my body, yet no one can see me. My voice, now replaced with faint and choked pleas, my limbs weighed down by non-existent chains. I am reduced to a husk of my former self, waiting merely for the inevitable. My consciousness will continue to bang against its cage, screaming to a god that doesn't exist, as I wait for the Earth to swallow me whole.
However, the tides have changed.
The currents have gotten stronger, and the serene waves have become furious. The bleakness was disrupted by a sudden and unexpected presence. The wind howled, and the thunder cried out a noise I had never heard before. Large silhouettes covered the ocean blue and bright rays engulfed the grey skies, devouring the darkness.
Then from a distance, I could hear a band of foghorns.
It's coming.
(inspired by this prompt)
GET TO KNOW ME
I. Honestly wasn't anticipating to get tagged when I have done a terrible job of even putting something as simple as an intro. But thank you @lividdreamz for considering tagging me. I apologize it took me a few days to respond, work and all.
Rules: Answer the questions, and then tag nine (as many as you want) people you want to get to know better!
Favourite Colour: Never ask me what my favorite color is because I like too many. Blue? Orange? Yellow? Red?
Currently Reading: I carry a PDF of White Oleander because it's something I like to read over and over, especially when I am bored at work. I have been reading the first book of Marissa Meyers' Renegade Trilogy time to time.
Last Song: Seize the Power by YONAKA, which had kind of part of something I am trying to write. Or at least, I hope to incorporate! At the very least, it's inspiring a new character.
Last Series: I don't really watch a lot of series. I watch kind of crime shows? In Pursuit With John Walsh count?
Last Movie: I rewatched The Book of Life recently!
Sweet/Savoury/Spicy: I think it depends on the food; I tend to like a lot of stuff. I have a hell of a sweet tooth at times.
Currently Working On: (The real question is what I am not trying to work on anymore.) The thing I am working on is my "Halos and Poppies WIP", and kind of outlining what the hell I want for it.
Tagging (with no pressure!): So rather than the nine because I only have a few following me, I'll just tag you, but please don't feel compelled to do it if it is not your thing: @verba-writing @freedominique @kcsmall @thepixiediaries
UQuiz Tag
I was tagged by @bardic-tales. Thank you for the tag! I've been tagged in a lot of tag games and I've been meaning to respond to a lot of them, but I've been a low on spoons recently. This one is one of the few that was easily doable, so doubly thank you. <3
Magma Writer
"Molten rock that still has to surface. You're the perfect mix of fire and earth, and your story shows it, having the best of both worlds. You're the writer that holds fire on their fingertips and kisses their lovers goodbye in the most painful way. You're able to build long stories that burn on the inside. You break the human soul, touching with infinite grace the right cords. You are an artist of the elaborate pain and heavy angst only a constructed and long story can give. If i could see in your eyes, i would be looking at your soul dancing on an unstable floor, flames all around it, to protect it and to forge it. Your love burns hot and infinite inside of you, and sometimes, when it slips out, you're afraid that it could burn too much. But the right people will know how to love you, and every bright tongue of fire your soul is made of. Your stories are the ones that make the world change."
Hahahaha, I agree with a lot of this and I find it fascinating. I'm not sure if this is who I want to be, who I hope I am, or who I believe I am. Maybe all of the above.
Tagging: @bardic-tales @cedar-west @author-a-holmes @writingonesdreams-main @druidx @indecentpause @kittensartswriting @aalinaaaaaa
