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K. J. Harrowick

@kjharrowick.bsky.social

1.7K followers 4K following 350 posts

SFF #Author. THE MOUNTAIN AND THE MOON - 2026. #WriteHive Mentor. Co-Founder of #iknowwhyshestayed www.kjharrowick.com 🌮

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K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 4d

I've been a bit silent on socials lately so it's time to introduce myself again for all my new followers. ❤️

I'm K. J. Harrowick (Kat), a SFF author who also lingers in nonfiction. By day I'm the co-founder and CTO of @iknowwhyshestayed.bsky.social - at night I roam the dark halls of strange worlds.

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K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 23h

It's the last day of the weekend...

...what are you doing today to relax and enjoy the time?

I'm giving myself the morning to knock out all the small things that got missed during the week. It sounds like work, but really it's just taking a broom to my brain to clear the clutter.😂

squidward from spongebob squarepants is pouring a bottle of water into a brain .

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K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 1d

I would love to know what other readers are experiencing, and if they're finding exemplary books through alternative searches, or also coming up with the same algorithms feeding them books they've already read or highlisters only. 5/end

K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 1d

It has me asking... where are these lists coming from? Are they paid for by publishing companies? Is it one list shared dozens of times?

And... are there any readers out there creating lists of amazing books that are unknown, Indie, or midlist that no one's heard of?

4/

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K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 1d

Example: I'm always on the hunt for second world SF, or deep space SF bordering on cosmic horror. Yet even these lists showcase earth-based medical/plague SF because they're high moneymakers. 3/

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K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 1d

By the same books, what I mean is the top 10, been around for eons, books listed as 'best as.'

It has me wondering, how many people out there are experiencing the same thing? Dozens of 'best of' lists that only talk about older/established money makers, but don't really go deeper. 2/

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K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 1d

Day 4 of attempting to drift around on social media and let's talk about favorite book lists... or best of lists.

I'm always on the hunt for another story to read. I'll research articles, blog posts, book sites, compilations, tiktok, book communities, and I keep running into the same books. 1/

a person 's finger is pointing to a book titled " hundertjahrgeschichte "

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K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 2d

It's Friday night and I need a new book to read. Something in the vein of the Donovan series - SF on alien worlds with a caustic splash of horror.

OR

Something very Noir - Think Sin City in a Steampunk'ish world.

K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 2d

Or if you're feeling really fancy, you can dip onto my website and watch some of the videos I've done for #WriteHive, #WeeknightWriters, and even hear me totally not winning a no-points game show!

kjharrowick.com/articles/

Articles & Press

Articles & Press A Designer's Guideto Cover Art We’ve heard from authors on their experience in working with a cover artist. Now it’s time to hear from the other si...

kjharrowick.com

K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 2d

And of course the amazing Amy Hutchinson and Ann Richards did the audiobook version of my co-authored memoir I KNOW WHY SHE STAYED, which has zero dragons but at least one Firefly reference.

www.amazon.com/I-Know-Why-S...

I Know Why She Stayed

Amazon.com: I Know Why She Stayed (Audible Audio Edition): K. J. Harrowick, Kasey Rogers, Amy Hutchins, Ann Richardson, Everyone Needs Roger: Books

www.amazon.com

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K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 2d

You can also hear the first chapter of BLOODFLOWER read by the amazing TotalDeathAnnihilation on YouTube.

bsky.app/profile/kjha...

K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · Jul 29

Reminder that the amazing TotalDeathAnnihilation (Mason) did an audio version of my book's first chapter. #ScienceFantasy #SwordandPlanet #Romance

www.youtube.com/watch?v=88TM...

Bloodflower

YouTube video by TotalDeathAnnihilation

www.youtube.com

K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 2d

Day 3 of getting publicly social again and let's talk author readings, audiobooks, etc. 😍

I'll be doing an 8-minute reading of LIGHT BEYOND THE GLASS alongside 5 other authors and their stories for #SWSWQR

Register for FREE and join us on Nov 7 at High Noon: www.eventbrite.com/e/first-frid...

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K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 3d

snoop dogg is wearing a top hat and a bow tie and saying oh fo sho .

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K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 3d

And ^this is the wonderful artist who illustrated the gateway. ❤️ Another wonderful person to follow and hire.

K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 3d

Oh, you're so welcome! 🥰 I'm glad it resonated.

K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 3d

My goal is to keep writing. Keep creating worlds, constructed languages, and characters with intense and interesting stories.

So that one day, when I have alzheimer's (seriously, let's hope not), I'll have a bookshelf filled with all my favorite stories. 🥰 14/end

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K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 3d

Since Bloodflower's release I've written more books, short stories, novellas, and some nonfiction.

I adore being an indie author.

Will I ever try querying again? Maybe. It's not off the table, but it certainly has to be the right book. 13/

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K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 3d

And that resulted in this lovely piece of work: where RPG and unique worlds come to life. 12/

kjharrowick.com/books/bloodf...

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K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 3d

So I dug deeper, did research, and realized that right now, my path is as an indie. A space where I can explore the boundaries of a genre-style voice, mash science fiction, fantasy, and horror together in a blended grimdark world, and tell my stories the way I envision them. 11/

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K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 3d

During this time, working through my RevPit book, another editor friend said something to me that still resonates to this day.

"You're not a commercial writer."

^This wasn't a criticism, it was like opening a door to a higher knowledge. She was right... I'm a genre writer to the core. 10/

K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 3d

... met my editor!

I have to gush about her because it's in our contract. 🤣 Kidding...

But seriously, @fromcarly.bsky.social is absolutely magical. Everyone go hire her immediately.

But seriously, this amazing woman taught me so much, and still does. She is a goddess. 9/

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K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 3d

I started again - critiques, round robins, new stories, more craft books, but something wasn't hitting.

Until I had an epiphany.

I could write a sentence. I couldn't tell a story. 🙈

Cue a whole new series of craft books and learning, that resulted in winning RevPit and... 8/

K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 3d

Then came an offer.

You can't imagine the excitement I felt. Except something was off. Didn't resonate.

- The editor hadn't actually read my book.
- 3/200 covers were okay, barely.
- During the call, the editor seemed confused by baseline questions.

So I passed, and shelved the book. 7/

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K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 3d

Then came querying... which resulted in such gems as:

- Nope.
- Learn to write.
- Hard pass.
- *ghosting*
- Too SF
- Too literary
- Not SF enough
- Not literary enough
- Too dark

To be fair... that last one is kind of a compliment. 😘 6/

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K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 3d

I decided to try for a traditional book deal and learn everything I could about writing, book markets, the whole industry... so I began learning, crafting, interacting with other writers.

It saved my ass.

The more I learned, the more I realized I knew absolutely nothing. 5/

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K. J. Harrowick @kjharrowick.bsky.social · 3d

My first attempt at a novel was absolutely rotten.

Written like an RPG
9+ POVs
Lots of stuff but no story

... and I almost made the mistake of publishing it. Almost. That would have killed my book (and any series) stone dead. 4/

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