Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie @tempestteapot.bsky.social · 15h

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #amquerying #writesky 💙📚 🪐📚 Ghost story vibes & feminist journey, “Haint Blue” in VOICES LIKE THESE @story-forge.bsky.social When you work in a haunted house, the fake monsters are your family and real props open dimensional windows. Buy indie bit.ly/4mLwQSw
Prize = grant

Stupid, stupid, Lizzie must think I’m so stupid, going back to Todd again and again.
Lizzie broke the awkward silence. “You can stay on our couch as long as you need to, Cassie. You don’t have to go back alone to the apartment for your stuff.”
“How am I going to afford a new place? I don’t have anything lined up after Nightmare Farm closes down in November. I don’t even know what rent costs!”
Let me handle the rent, Cassie. No one expects a theater major to understand finances. A few more semesters and Dr. Slava will make me his assistant. When he has a working prototype, he’ll take us all to Berlin with a huge research grant.
Lizzie rolled her eyes. “You’ll figure it out. What about that year-round haunt in Vegas?”
Cassie picked at the corpse-blue paint on her bare arm. “I’d never get that. Who’d believe I could manage a real team? I can’t even keep Todd from sabotaging my haunt family.”

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Reposted by Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie

Louise Hughes @trailofleaves.bsky.social · 2d

ICYMI, new story this week! Last of the year (probably). Features a hot shot pilot, a retired but persistent ambulance, and snacks.

Louise Hughes @trailofleaves.bsky.social · 4d

Out today, in the autumn issue of @kaleidotrope.bsky.social, my story of a space pilot dealing with her first clone resurrection, with a little help from the rescue ship's AI and several kinds of cheese.

The Nine Crashes of Flight Lieutenant Hilla Quinn

www.kaleidotrope.net/autumn-2025/...

“The Nine Crashes of Flight Lieutenant Hilla Quinn” by Louise Hughes

www.kaleidotrope.net

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Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie @tempestteapot.bsky.social · 1d

Stubborn AF. Kahyla has a nickname of redbird, like a barn swallow that divebombs to protect her nest. Great when her cause is right but she doesn’t have all the answers. She‘s learning to make room for other worldviews but the story throws her a lot of curveballs.

Ange @gunsmile.bsky.social · 2d

#PlotTober Day 9: MC personality & behaviors

Answer the prompt on the card by quoting this post. Remember, answering a prompt is always optional. Even if you don't share it publicly, I hope the prompt encourages you to think about it privately.

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt #WriteSky

#PlotTober - a WIP plotting game by @gunsmile.bsky.social

9. What are some personality traits and behaviors, both positive and negative, that you think would suit your main character(s)? How do these traits affect your main character's goals and motivations?

Remember: Use the #PlotTober hashtag, engage with others, and have fun!

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Reposted by Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie

Ange @gunsmile.bsky.social · 2d

#PlotTober Day 9: MC personality & behaviors

Answer the prompt on the card by quoting this post. Remember, answering a prompt is always optional. Even if you don't share it publicly, I hope the prompt encourages you to think about it privately.

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt #WriteSky

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Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie @tempestteapot.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks! I had someone who was an astronaut candidate look at it. I changed this scene a lot in later drafts. Hooray for more grab bars!

Reposted by Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie

taylr @taylordahlin.com · 1d

hi star tribune, please read this! i explain it all and why this is so bad! just because it wasn't in the decision that was emailed to you as part of the press release doesn't mean you shouldn't do your own research on top of it, right? right? 😔

taylordahlin.com/f/john-walls...

John Wall's Testimony Raises Questions About His Role in Ward 2

An evidentiary hearing was held on September 25th for the Robin Wonsley and Michael Wilson vs. John Wall case after Judge Christa Moseng found there was probable cause to believe the violations allege...

taylordahlin.com

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Reposted by Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie

Glen Weatherhead Writes @glenweatherhead.bsky.social · 8d

My noble dark fantasy short story, "Shadows of the Mountain", is now published via StoryForge in their first anthology!

This story means a lot to me personally, and has some important lore moments that tie in to my WIP novel 👀

Check it out alongside a bunch of other amazing authors! 👇

Voices Like These: A Short Story Anthology — StoryForge

StoryForge has published our first book! 20 short stories compiled into one anthology. Every story is a window to a different world. Which window will you open first?

storyforge.com

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Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie @tempestteapot.bsky.social · 1d

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #amquerying #writesky

From my short story “My Body as a Spacesuit.” Pim tries to repair her jumpship.

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Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie @tempestteapot.bsky.social · 2d

A fastidious villain just makes me dislike them more.

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Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie @tempestteapot.bsky.social · 2d

Kahyla loves Despard and knows he’s sacrificing a lot for her. She’s fighting against the teachings of the priests who say all Ferruthans and mages are evil. Use her magic and her own crew would turn against her. Do nothing and her people die, helpless against the demonflood.

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Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie @tempestteapot.bsky.social · 2d

#PlotTober

Despard’s father told him he’s weak for caring about others. His Da wanted him to come home a rich and fearsome pirate. Most pirates in Ferruth pretend to privateering against Huxen. Now he’s oath-sworn to the junior queen of Huxen, his beloved Kahyla. War breaks and his country calls.

Ange @gunsmile.bsky.social · 3d

#PlotTober Day 8: Conflicts for the MC

Answer the prompt on the card by quoting this post. Remember, answering a prompt is always optional. Even if you don't share it publicly, I hope the prompt encourages you to think about it privately.

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt #WriteSky

#PlotTober - a WIP plotting game by @gunsmile.bsky.social

8. What are some potential reasons the main character(s) haven't, couldn't, and/or can't pursue these goals yet? Consider other characters, backstory events, circumstances, environmental factors, etc.

Remember: Use the #PlotTober hashtag, engage with others, and have fun!

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Reposted by Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie

Samantha Boo-reaux @woodenvelt.bsky.social · 2d

Wren is hiding in a wardrobe while Spencer's aunt and her best friend change the sheets on his bed.

From my romantasy wip about a priest of the dead and a thief with a heart of gold.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingPrompts #WritingCommunity #Wrencer

“There has been a blanket in my mum’s wingback chair on two separate occasions in the last few days,” Sylvia’s words were crisp and confident. “And a stack of books beside it today.”

“And that’s important because?”

“Because Spencer never sits in Mum’s chair. He’s too tall for it.”

Wren felt oddly conflicted. On one hand, Sylvia’s suspicious nature endeared her to Wren as a kindred spirit. On the other, she couldn’t exactly spring out of the wardrobe and congratulate the woman on her powers of deduction.

“Sylvia.” A sigh as deep as Saltbeard’s dungeons rattled out of Mrs. Privens. “I have known you since we were both running around with dirt on our knees and pigtails in our hair.”

“Your point being, Etta?”

“No point,” Mrs. Privens insisted. “I just want you to remember all those years between us before I say my piece and you get your back up.”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.” Having never seen Spencer’s aunt, Wren couldn’t judge whether they looked anything alike, but there was undoubtedly a strong resemblance in the way Sylvia’s voice turned frosty and stiff.

“I’ll spell it out plain, then. Ever since you retired, you’ve had your nose so far into Spencer’s business the boy can’t break wind for fear you’ll pass out.”

A surprised chuckle caught behind Wren’s teeth, only held in check by years of practice and the hand she clamped over her mouth. Mrs. Privens had more brass under her starched skirts than Wren had given her credit for. She suddenly didn’t care that her leg was starting to fall asleep or that a stray belt buckle was digging uncomfortably into her back. This was a better show than the Quintisday Follies on opening night.

“Etta May Privens, I never…”

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Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie @tempestteapot.bsky.social · 2d

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #amquerying #writesky #epicfantasy 💙📚 🪐📚

From my Epic Fantasy novel Demon’s Bargain. Falsely accused, Despard rots in a cell. The Baron could help, but his price is an alliance marriage to Kahyla. Redbird is Despard’s nickname for his beloved Kahyla.

Dungeon = cell

A clatter of doors, a dance of candlelight, and a startlingly fresh breeze warned Despard that someone had arrived outside his cell. His door opened and the jailer placed a three-legged stool inside.
“Give a knock when you’re done, Your Grace,” said the jailer.
Blocking the light from the other room, Baron Gooseport entered and sat carefully on the stool. His trousers were an imperceptible dark color, but his jacket was brilliant white. A silver goose quill formed the clasp of his dark green woolen capelet. Blond hair drooped around his face.
The door rattled and shut, latched but not locked. The silence stretched awkwardly.
Was that whisper the beating of redbird wings or his heart?
Dammit I won’t beg, not if it hurts her.
“I’m not going to bow, if that’s what you’re waiting for,” said Despard.
“There isn’t room,” said Gooseport with a snort. “But not the welcome I expected for someone who could help you. You’re drowning in trouble but refuse a rope?”
Despard tried to read the other man’s eyes in the shadows. “Is Kahyla married?”
Gooseport shook his head. “Not without permission from her Paer.”
“But did she agree? Did she promise you anything to help me?”
“Not yet,” said Gooseport, leaning into a shaft of light. “But I can’t keep spending favors on maybe. I’ve already lost standing by arguing for you. As a Ferruthan, their suspicion runs heavily against you. The patricians are convinced you took advantage of her and then pressured her into naming you her Paer.”
“Because an evil Ferruthan would do that, not a pious Huxen like Bizal.” Despard scooted back against the wall.

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Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie @tempestteapot.bsky.social · 3d

For Despard, it’s primarily love for Kahyla. He‘s seen what a demon-mage can do and almost lost her, so he knows the danger of demons on the loose. But he doesn’t have the same cultural revulsion for mages that Kahyla does and has his own loyalty to his home country and father-issues of his own.

Ange @gunsmile.bsky.social · 4d

#PlotTober Day 7: Main character motivations

Answer the prompt on the card by quoting this post. Remember, answering a prompt is always optional. Even if you don't share it publicly, I hope the prompt encourages you to think about it privately.

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt #WriteSky

#PlotTober - a WIP plotting game by @gunsmile.bsky.social

7. Now that you've come up with some goals for your main character, ask yourself: why do they care? What are some potential motivations for pursuing these goals, even against their better judgment or self-interest?

Remember: Use the #PlotTober hashtag, engage with others, and have fun!

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Reposted by Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie

Louise Hughes @trailofleaves.bsky.social · 4d

Out today, in the autumn issue of @kaleidotrope.bsky.social, my story of a space pilot dealing with her first clone resurrection, with a little help from the rescue ship's AI and several kinds of cheese.

The Nine Crashes of Flight Lieutenant Hilla Quinn

www.kaleidotrope.net/autumn-2025/...

“The Nine Crashes of Flight Lieutenant Hilla Quinn” by Louise Hughes

www.kaleidotrope.net

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Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie @tempestteapot.bsky.social · 3d

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #amquerying #writesky 💙📚 🪐📚 With ghost story vibes and a feminist journey, “Haint Blue” in VOICES LIKE THESE from @story-forge.bsky.social When you work in a haunted house, the fake monsters are your family and real props open dimensional windows. More at bit.ly/46BBttP

“You can trust Lizzie. She can hide you from angry Daddy.” Sharing beers after the haunt closed, Lizzie had slurred through a song she sang to calm her patients in the pediatric ER. “She knows Momma’s lullaby - the Water’s Wide.” Cassie only sang the first verse, skipping the later verses about love betrayed.
The boy turned, starting to hum. Cassie licked her dry lips and sang.
The water’s wide, I can’t cross o’er
The child’s pale legs crawled.
And neither have I wings to fly.
Smoke swirled as he opened the actor’s door.
Give me a boat that can carry two.
The door closed behind him.
And we shall cross, my love and I.
Cassie wiped another smoky tear from her eyes. Safe, he was safe with Lizzie. She stared at the blank wall as the light died away and the device faltered into silence. A persistent buzzing sounded from her shoulder.
Cassie picked up the fallen earpiece and mashed it into her ear.
“Cassie, do you copy?” Lizzie’s voice bounced through the line. “Cassie, where are you?”
Cassie keyed the mic. “Cassie here.”
Her thumb fell away from the button. Where was she? Right where she was needed. By November, long gone from Todd and building a new life.

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Reposted by Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie

Ramblings of a Wannabe Writer @kaylee-scott.bsky.social · 3d

Today’s #wipsnips word is “safe”. #writingcommunity #writingprompts #writersky #writesky #parenting #babies #parenthood

I always wanted to be a mom. Okay, that’s not true. There was a period in my life where I could not understand anyone wanting that kind of responsibility and being financially, physically, and emotionally tied down like that. It seemed so suffocating to me. What happens if you have a baby and realize “eh, this just isn’t for me?” You can’t return them. I mean, okay, there are Safe Havens. And they serve their purpose. But they’re also for extreme scenarios and you can’t drop off a teenager there. This isn’t like buying a pair of expensive shoes and realizing they pinch your toes so you bring them back. This is a human. This is growing a human, birthing a human, naming a human, and literally being the only way that human survives day in and day out for a really long ass time. It is not sunshine and rainbows. It’s not adorable onesies and lullabies. It is up-the-back and into the hair shit explosions covering those adorable onesies while you sing made up songs about how you wish this screaming banshee would just stop crying for seemingly no reason so you can get some sleep for the first time in months. It is a war zone that you are entering, essentially, unarmed.

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Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie @tempestteapot.bsky.social · 4d

That’s why I decided to do this story for #plotober. I have great ideas for before the pirates (marriage is what bwings us together) and the pirate attack itself and the fallout (navy won’t pay the prize money? Let’s steal the ship back!). But the final climax is a vague fog.

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Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie @tempestteapot.bsky.social · 4d

a man in a black costume is standing next to a woman in a field .

Alt: a man in a black costume is standing next to a woman in a field .

media.tenor.com

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Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie @tempestteapot.bsky.social · 4d

1 large goal of finding a defense against the coming demons but many smaller goals along the way. I’m concerned that the smaller goals will overwhelm the final mcguffin at the end. Kidnapped by pirates is hard to top but raises the stakes for them to escape and continue their journey.

Ange @gunsmile.bsky.social · 5d

#PlotTober Day 6: Main character goals

Answer the prompt on the card by quoting this post. Remember, answering a prompt is always optional. Even if you don't share it publicly, I hope the prompt encourages you to think about it privately.

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt #WriteSky

#PlotTober - a WIP plotting game by @gunsmile.bsky.social

6. Main characters are driven by actionable goals, but not every goal is created equal. For your MC, they should be specific, tangible, personal, achievable, and urgent. Can you think of some goals for your MC that meet this criteria?

Remember: Use the #PlotTober hashtag, engage with others, and have fun!

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Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie @tempestteapot.bsky.social · 4d

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #amquerying #writesky 💙📚 🪐📚 With ghost story vibes and a feminist journey, “Haint Blue” in VOICES LIKE THESE from @story-forge.bsky.social When you work in a haunted house, the fake monsters are your family and real props open dimensional windows. More at bit.ly/46BBttP

Lizzie held Cassie’s shoulders, forcing her to meet her eyes. “If he shows up at the gate, he’s not getting in. Security knows what he looks like.”
“In a mask?” Cassie tugged a stray hair out of the drying latex, ignoring the pain. “Last week, he sweet-talked his way on site with a new prop, talking like he knew the Nightmare Farm owner.” Collecting odds and ends from the university labs, Todd would wire them up, showing off his engineering skills to his adoring girlfriend. Most of the junk in the mad scientist room came from him. “After dumping the prop, he showed up at the flaming coffin scene.”
“Oh, Cassie–”
“He didn’t know about the trick door, so I snuck away before he could start any of his arguments.” She hunched her shoulders as though she could repeat the vanishing act.
Tapping Cassie’s chin, Lizzie said, “You’re smarter than you think…And you missed a spot while slitting your throat.”
Cassie grinned and snapped the scissors at her. “Begone, foul demon!”

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Reposted by Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie

Samantha Boo-reaux @woodenvelt.bsky.social · 4d

Things are warming up in the kitchen...

From my romantasy wip about a priest of the dead and a thief with a heart of gold.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingPrompts #WritingCommunity #Wrencer

Unfair, Wren smirked, closing the last few steps between them. It seemed Spencer was the rare sort of person who could be damp and rumpled and devastatingly handsome all at once. It was becoming a worryingly common occurrence of late for Wren to find herself in close proximity to the good brother. And yet, not worrying enough for her to back away from him.

“Thank you.” Spencer’s voice was a low rumble, as dark as aged mahogany. It was dangerous, that voice. It turned all her sharp and clever bits into claggy day-old porridge. Wren’s eyes lingered on Spencer’s skin, prickled with gooseflesh and pink from scrubbing. A black blob still stained his jaw at the corner.

“You missed a bit.”

Her fingers moved without bothering to consult her addled brain, catching the hem of the towel around his neck to brush at the dark smear. Wren’s thumb stroked idly back and forth, slowly revealing the stubble-dusted skin underneath. Her heart thundered like hoofbeats, the rhythm of a panicked mare that had thrown off its lead. Spencer’s gaze turned dark and depthless, his earlier amusement swallowed up by something else entirely.

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Reposted by Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie

story-forge.bsky.social @story-forge.bsky.social · 5d

Guided By The Lost, by @liampboyle.bsky.social
Haint Blue by @tempestteapot.bsky.social
Lehol by @odepoptop.bsky.social
Christ's Blood by @anyajulchen.bsky.social
I am A Button by @pandorahasabox.bsky.social
Shadows of the Mountain by @glenweatherhead.bsky.social

💖💖💖

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Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie @tempestteapot.bsky.social · 5d

According to legend, the wizard-kings were killed and their demons driven out by the Grand Ry's ancestors, but no one knows how. None of the demon-hunters remain and the chain of oral knowledge was broken after a massacre. Why are the monasteries evenly spaced around the last battlefield?

Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 11d

Here are the #OctoberWorldbuilders prompts!

Assuming I'm not doing other peoples prompts (I haven't seen any yet that I really want to do?) I might actually stay on top of these, this time around 🤣

I just realized I can actually fit all the text in the alt text, woo hoo!

October Worldbuilders prompt list

WEEK 1: DESERTS
1: Name of a desert in your world
2: What’s your desert society like?
3: Desert town architecture
4: Desert animals/plants
5: Myth/legend/religion about
desert
6: How do they survive?
7: Clothes/dance/music from
desert society

WEEK 2: SPORTS AND GAMES
8: Does your MC play a sport?
9: Board games in your book’s world?
10: Competitive game/sport
11: Cooperative game/sport
12: Equipment/pieces
13: History/famous figure involved in a sport/game
14: Strategy for winning

WEEK 3: INFRASTRUCTURE AND CITIES
15: Trade routes
16: Fire/police/hospital services
17: Where does their food come from?
18: Tech: Electricity? Steam power? Mills?
19: Sanitation, sewer system, hygiene
20: Who developed the infrastructure? Government employees? Soldiers? Private business? Are taxes or slaves involved?
21: Housing (Style? Architecture? Amenities available in your world?)

WEEK 4: AESTHETCS/VIBES
22: Share a moodboard or art
23: Aesthetics of a town/city
24: Overall vibe of your story/book/wip
25: Religious/cultural vibes/influences
26: Clothing and accessories
27: What feeling or thoughts do you hope your readers come away with after reading your story?
28: Something special about your world

Extra days:
29: Plans for next month
30: Recent character you’ve created
31: Which of your characters would you like to see someone cosplay? (Or who would you cosplay yourself?)

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Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 aka Radiation Rosie @tempestteapot.bsky.social · 5d

Trying to keep it to just the two MCs, at least as POV, but the privateer captain may insist on getting her own subplot. The legend of Anne Bonny and Mary Reed are inspirations for some of her exploits. Anne escaped execution claiming pregnancy.

Ange @gunsmile.bsky.social · 6d

#PlotTober Day 5: Main character ideas

Answer the prompt on the card by quoting this post. Remember, answering a prompt is always optional. Even if you don't share it publicly, I hope the prompt encourages you to think about it privately.

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt #WriteSky

#PlotTober - a WIP plotting game by @gunsmile.bsky.social

5. How many main characters would suit your WIP? What are your initial ideas for them? What are some inspirations for them that you can draw on from existing media you enjoy?

Remember: Use the #PlotTober hashtag, engage with others, and have fun!

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