C.S. Madsen
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csmadsen.bsky.social
C.S. Madsen
@csmadsen.bsky.social
130 followers 210 following 440 posts
I'm the #author of the #Mythicals universe, as well as a parent of two wonderful little kids. I drive a #Subaru #BRZ and love every second of it. Still trying to figure life out.

https://linktr.ee/CSMadsen
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csmadsen.bsky.social
C.S. Madsen @csmadsen.bsky.social · Oct 2
Begging Your Pardon, Mister Wolfe ( #BYPMW ) is now querying. I saw others setting up these neat slide decks for potentially curious literary agents, and thought I'd do the same. Thoughts and feedback welcomed!
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#AmQuerying #UrbanFantasy #Supernatural #Thriller #Mythicals #Universe #Flagship #Entry
A hardcover mockup of a book, with text above it stating: Begging Your Pardon, Mister Wolfe By C.S. Madsen An Urban Fantasy/Supernatural Thriller, with Mystery, Romance, and Mild Horror Themes (Approximately 90,000 Words) *All artistic assets featured were commissioned from Karianne Hutchinson, and are owned by me. A simple slide listing comps in three categories: TV/Movies: Supernatural The Crow Lost Girl Preacher Books: The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher American Gods by Neil Gaiman Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey Video Games: Cyberpunk 2077 Thief: The Dark Project Control Vampire The Masquerade - Bloodlines An infographic showing the following: Okay… What Can I Expect? (Tropes and Concepts) A World Shaded with Gray Morality The world is never just black and white. Secret organizations, ambiguous powers, and ancient conspiracies fuel the narrative threatening to consume Erik’s life. Found Family A distant, mysterious brother with startling resources, a haunted seer, and many more unique characters come together to make a stand for Erik’s sake. Reluctant, Everyman Hero Erik never asked for power or influence. He only wanted to keep his head down and move past his personal tragedies. Fate had something else in mind. Spirit/Host Bond Lykaios. A semi-feral, bloodlusting, mischievous woman’s spirit, battle-scarred and keen to exact revenge on Erik’s behalf. …And it doesn’t stop there. A stylized icon of a snarling wolf with its left eye replaced by a series of three jagged scratch marks, followed by a block of text: The Wolfe series is the flagship of the Mythicals Universe, a shared world where every story is a different front in a single, ancient conflict. It explores an existence defined by a cosmic schism, where every unique character—primal spirits, dragon lords, and vampires contrasted by the very human operatives sometimes caught in the mix—must each choose their path through the infinite shades of gray present in humanity—and divinity. BOOK ONE: Begging Your Pardon, Mister Wolfe—Currently Querying!
csmadsen.bsky.social
I wrote the ending to Tumbled Emeralds today.

Now for a polish/expansion pass. Cut some fluff. Add some depth. Add missing sensory details. Make it sing in the dress rehearsal, and distribute it to the heartbreakingly short list of alpha readers.

#TumbledEmeralds #HeavyCrowns

✨👑✨
December 16, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Reposted by C.S. Madsen
sadiehartmann.bsky.social
You're not "late to the party" when you enjoy an old book for the first time. Books don't have an RSVP deadline. The party started long ago, and guests show up when they're meant to.
November 23, 2024 at 2:02 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
December 9, 2025 at 11:04 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
Exactly one week ago, I posted 109 pages and about 31,000 words.

Now I'm at 168 pages and 47.5k words.

With a full-time job, two adorable kids, and a household that I do chores in.

I'm cookin'.

#TumbledEmeralds #HeavyCrowns

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December 8, 2025 at 11:40 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
Hey there, #WIPSnips community! I will return soon, I'm sure. I spend a lot of time on posting a WIPSnip, because I'm anxious and a perfectionist. That time is better spent (right now) invested in my writing. I'm hitting about 2K words per day as a "plants" writer. (Discovery in a framework.)

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December 8, 2025 at 3:19 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
Hey errybody. Sorry for not taking part in #WIPSnips recently. I've been directing every drop of writing prowess into a concentrated spray at my WIP, and I haven't really stopped to do anything else but eat, sleep, and work my boring, underpaid, full-time job.

Thanks for your patience.

👑🐺
November 26, 2025 at 6:30 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
Whoa. Wow... What?

"Forgive me Father, for I have synth'd."
vuc.bsky.social David✶🇬🇹 @vuc.bsky.social · Nov 20
He said "Amen" straight into the drop

Lmao Pope Leo threw a rave for an archbishop's 75th birthday this is kind of incredible
November 24, 2025 at 7:34 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
New life goal:
Acquire a pair of extravagant bloomers. :D
hacarlson.bsky.social H.A.Carlson @hacarlson.bsky.social · 29d
Here is today's peek into Grimholt Hollow with #WIPSnips word of the day direction.
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #HildeCrostlyextravagantbloomers.
She didn’t know what awaited her beyond Hearthmere. Didn’t know if Torngate was the answer or a step in the right direction. Asta did know that if she stayed, she’d dry up like dust in the fields, watching seasons change from the same patch of earth. Become bitter like Hilde Crostly and her extravagant bloomers.
November 21, 2025 at 11:16 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
Today's #WIPSnips is #direction.

In #TumbledEmeralds, Andee wants to allow her mom to cry in peace. She runs to her favorite haunt: a hobby shop. But... her classmate is trying to rob it. How will she react to Frank violating her holy sanctuary?

#HeavyCrowns #YACrossover #Mythicals #Universe

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A screenshot of a word processor, with the word "direction" highlighted in pastel green. The text reads as follows: She was shocked to have the door opened not by Gerald or Troy, but by one of her graduating class members, a quiet guy named Frank. His hood was up, and he had something—nylon panties?—pulled tightly over his face, obscuring it… just not well enough to hide his identity from her. An old double-barreled shotgun rested uneasily in his hands, loosely pointed in her direction. Frank with a gun. Impossible.
November 21, 2025 at 4:24 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
Today's #WIPSnips is #special.

In #TumbledEmeralds, Andee's father has very deep influence in the small town she's lived in for six years. She gets pulled over for rolling a stop sign, and wonders if it's because of him that she drives away without a ticket.

#Mythicals #Universe #HeavyCrowns

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A screenshot of a word processor, with the word "special" highlighted in pastel green. The text reads as follows: What was up with the officer’s response, just chucking her license through the window without a word and driving off in the opposite direction? The reasonable part of Andee chided her for being a conspiracy theorist. She wasn’t special; the cop just had to respond to a real emergency somewhere on the other side of town. That was the most reasonable thing to think, but Andee had a very insistent gut feeling that his response was based on what he found when he went back to his cruiser to run her license. Her father’s shadow seemed to whisper its involvement in everything. Was she being paranoid, or was she just right?
November 20, 2025 at 7:58 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
Today's #WIPSnips is #third.

In #TumbledEmeralds, Andee's father explains the reasoning for why Reginald, the reprehensible Lord of the Bronze Flight, is not only allowed to persist, but is even being protected.

#HeavyCrowns #WIP #AmWriting #Mythicals #Universe

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A screenshot of a word processor, with the word "third" highlighted in pastel green. The text reads as follows: “I’m afraid he did, Andee. Though he has a rightful claim to his throne, Reginald is tyrannical and deplorably infantile in the way he operates. There are only three reasons we are stepping in to save him from the Keepers. First of course, is our pride as dragons. We cannot be seen as dishonorable or weak. Second, to place him firmly in our debt. Third? His son and heir has none of his experience, but flails with twice his petulance. If we allow Reginald to die, humanity—and especially our interests—will suffer far more than they currently do with Reginald at the helm of the Bronze Flight.”
November 19, 2025 at 4:38 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
Today's #WIPSnips is #retrograde.

...

...

...

Welp.

See you tomorrow.

#HeavyCrowns #TumbledEmeralds #BYPMW #OftDTftW #Mythicals #Universe #WhyAmIHashtaggingWhenIDidNotDoThePrompt #Help #SocialMediaHasMeInItsNet #MyGodWhyDoTheyLetUsKeepGoingWithThese

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November 18, 2025 at 3:48 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
Today's #WIPSnips is #spend.

Andee's school friend Frank has a father who struggles with alcoholism. Here, she encounters Frank in one of the most unexpected ways possible: A robbery in progress. With Frank as the robber.

#TumbledEmeralds #HeavyCrowns #Mythicals #Universe #WIP #AmWriting

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A screenshot of a word processor, with the word "spend" highlighted in pastel green. The text reads as follows: This was the same sweet boy she’d swapped gaming recommendations with a week ago? They had plans for him to lend her an old system so she could try his favorite title, Fantastic Finale: Tactical. He was sweet and lived alone with his dad, who made him mow lawns and do odd jobs to earn the money that his father would immediately spend on bottles from the liquor store. Throughout their time in school together, Frank never complained, and he’d confided in Andee that he truly believed his dad would get better soon. For that, she pitied the boy… yet here he was with a gun and a mask. Not very pitiable. His trembling voice snapped her out of her memories.
November 17, 2025 at 5:22 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
Today's #WIPSnips is #week.

In #TumbledEmeralds, Andee has long been painfully aware that her disgustingly wealthy father is both manipulative and dishonest. Buying off a judge is just another Tuesday for him, and she knows it.

#HeavyCrowns #UpperYAContemporaryFantasy #YACrossover

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A screenshot of a word processor. The word "week" is highlighted in pastel green, and the text reads as follows: Andee thought back to when she was a preteen, dealing with her first bully. Much to her dismay, she was known as one of the most beautiful girls in school, but she was no pushover. Years of Sambo, Krav Maga, even a little Wushu—she knew how to handle herself. When Jerome had thrown a water balloon full of urine at her, she’d dodged the splash effortlessly, but the smell was unmistakable. Only her dad’s lawyers had kept her out of repercussions for immediately dropping the putrid boy into a fetal curl of pain where he’d stood proudly laughing only moments before. The legal foxes had gotten her off with the argument that ‘a biological weapon’ had been used. Almost bored, the judge ruled in her favor, but she’d noticed when he drove by the school in a brand new Mercedes a week later.
November 14, 2025 at 3:38 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
Today's #WIPSnips is #build.

In #TumbledEmeralds, Andee's father is entrenched, and he seems to be connected to everyone. She wants to build her own list of contacts, without having their loyalty paid first to her father.

#HeavyCrowns #UpperYAContemporaryFantasy #YACrossover

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Word processor text that has the word "build" highlighted in pastel green. The text reads as follows: Beaming at their gratitude, the old Andee came out a bit, and she gave a shy wave as the elevator doors closed. The nearly silent glass cylinder ushered her back to her new home, a fishbowl so high in the sky she could parade around naked and nobody would ever see. Well, she could after she got the keycards changed. That was problematic, because she knew she wouldn’t be able to out-do her father’s connections. Whoever she found to do work like that would likely already be known to him. Andee scowled. There had to be a way to outmaneuver him. What did she have that he didn’t? Empathy. That was the ticket. That was her edge. If she built genuine connections with the people she interacted with, if she did them favors first, then she knew she could build more loyalty from those people than her father could ever command with his money and influence. It felt like a distorted Russian doll, planning to use genuine empathy and kindness as a tactic. It was the best move forward.
November 13, 2025 at 10:42 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
TRIGGER WARNING: Being seen in a state of partial undress.

Today's #WIPSnips is #shirt. In #TumbledEmeralds, Andee just moved into a fancy penthouse, and doesn't realize the doorbell uses a two-way video call until it's too late. Her reaction is... different.

#HeavyCrowns #Mythicals #Universe
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A screenshot of a word processor, with the word "shirt" highlighted in pastel green. The text reads as follows: She’d just thrown on some clean underclothes from her bag when the elevator buzzed. Running over to the panel, she was horrified to see that it was a video call with Claudio, and she’d just appeared on the high-resolution monitor in her underclothes. Freezing in horror, her mind felt a talon curl up inside, and the tiny version of her on the monitor didn’t allow her expression to break. Leaning forward slightly, she gave a jaunty wave to her father’s lackey. “As you can see, I’m not quite ready to go. I’ll be down in a minute.” Not waiting for his response, she hit the clearly-marked “End Call” button, then dashed back to her gym bag, unrolling a t-shirt and a fresh pair of sweatpants. She was annoyed that Claudio had seen her in that state, but it couldn’t be undone, and something in her mind was dismissive of the whole affair. She kind of agreed with herself—it wasn’t really an important event, in the scheme of things. Andee blinked and cocked her head. What? A week ago, she would’ve called Denise in tears and probably sobbed for hours about it. Whatever it was, she just couldn’t quite bring herself to care about a random twenty-something dude seeing her in her bra and panties, and that felt really weird. It was annoying to her, but not hurtful. It wasn’t that she had no shame, it was… what? She couldn’t quite define it to herself.
November 12, 2025 at 7:18 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
Today's #WIPSnips is #burger.

In a rare moment of pure levity, Anna Florakis gets to try a hamburger from Burger Royalty, something she always hoped to do if she ever got to visit America. Erik feels privileged to witness her wholesome reaction.

#UrbanFantasy #Supernatural #Thriller #BYPMW

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Word processor screenshot with two instances of the word "burger" highlighted. The text is as follows: “I am the burger queen!” she cackled, achieving a victorious, sloppy bite. Chewing thoughtfully for a few moments, she gulped her mouthful down and grinned at us. “So this is what American food is like! It tastes a lot better than I was led to believe. Really, it’s delicious. I read about this Burger Royalty place when I was a child, and I always swore to myself I’d try it out if I ever went to America. I simply had to have one of these tiaras.” She used her finger to tick an invisible box in front of her, making a sound like a cash register as she did so. It was hard holding back my mirth from watching her enjoy her experiences with such a genuine, innocent air. I didn’t want her to think I was laughing at her. There was just a wholesome, delightful feeling seeing her so happy, and that sort of emotion was decidedly rare in this strange new world.
November 11, 2025 at 3:36 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
@beccapodos.bsky.social Thank you for the kind words of encouragement and for taking the time to review my query! (And for the time it takes to read this gratitude.) I'll be querying you again soon (if you're open) for a different book in my universe. Until then, best wishes, and keep on thriving!
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November 10, 2025 at 11:11 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
Ten days late? Pfft.

I'm CS Madsen. I devoured the Beverly Cleary universe when I was 6, and have now read over 1000 novels.

I started writing seriously when I recognized that my own casual writing was AT LEAST on par with plenty of the stuff sitting on bookshelves in libraries and stores.

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woodenvelt.bsky.social Snow-mantha Breaux ❄️ ☃️ @woodenvelt.bsky.social · Nov 1
Welcome to #Bookvember Day 1!

Follow the directions on the prompt card and share your love of the written word with others.

#BookSky #WriteSky #Books #Authors #WritingCommunity
Bookvember, a book share prompt game for writers and readers by @woodenvelt.bsky.social Day 1: Introduce yourself and share how you came to be a reader/writer. What is your reader/writer origin story? Remember: Quote post using #Bookvember. Use alt text for images. Have fun and interact with others!
November 10, 2025 at 4:23 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
Back from an illness! Today's #WIPSnips is #local.

😁! This is the first snippet from Book 1 of my new literary pillar! #HeavyCrowns launches with #TumbledEmeralds, Andee's tale. Her father is powerful, with a #draconic secret, and she's about to inherit more than most could ever hope to handle.

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A screenshot of a word processor. The word "local" is highlighted in pastel green. The text reads as follows: With no money to speak of, there were only two places Andee could really go after eight. Her town was small and conservative, so shops closed at seven on weekdays and stayed closed on Sundays. The smattering of dive bars remained open, as did the solitary big-box store, but she was too young for a bar and too poor for impulse shopping. That left her favorite haunt: the local game store. She’d left her mom to unleash her bucking, tightly reined emotions, electing to take a gym bag full of her favorite trading cards as she left with the keys to the car. Each of her decks was carefully collected, sleeved, and boxed in a protective, shock-absorbent case, so she was comfortable with gently tossing the bag into the back seat before turning the key halfway to start the car's electrical system. Waiting the few seconds in that mode that were required to coax the engine to start, she turned the key all the way, and the old ‘boat’ sprang to life with a throaty rumble.
November 10, 2025 at 4:10 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
I've locked in the first three chapters of the first book of another of my universe's narrative pillars, the Heavy Crowns series. Tumbled Emeralds is coming along nicely, and I'm very pleased with how I was able to take on a POV shift as I have. Wolfe=First Person, Crowns=Close Third Person.

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November 5, 2025 at 9:33 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
Today's #WIPSnips? #Trail. I chose a long snippet, because #Silenus doesn't deserve to have the stage pulled out from under him. He joins a scene where Erik's reality truly steps from the shadows, unveiling itself as something... different.

#UrbanFantasy #Supernatural #Thriller #BYPMW #OftDTftW

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A screenshot of a word processor, with "trail" highlighted in pastel green as part of the word "trailed." The text reads as follows: Baku trailed off as a heavyset, florid-faced man that I didn’t recognize from among the guests staggered into the bathroom, visibly sweating. His sweat stunk strongly of some kind of sweet alcohol to me, though I imagined the potency wasn’t noticeable to my newly minted informant. Our interrupting visitor had a shock of white hair that didn’t quite cover the top of his head, but was drawn into a long ponytail that seemed to make up for the forward coverage his heavily receded hairline had failed to produce. Mopping at his face with an oversized silk handkerchief, the man withdrew a full-sized bottle of wine from within his jacket, which he swigged heartily, pausing mid-swig to notice us for the first time since his arrival. He stared at us blankly, then cast his gaze down to slowly consider the label with a pronounced squint. Seemingly satisfied by what he read, he unsteadily held it out toward me. “Here ya go, kid. Ya got a lot on your plate, and this is the good stuff.” I hadn’t even formed the words to refuse when his face drew into something akin to a child’s pout, and he pulled the bottle away. “Suit yerself.” He mumbled, taking another swig. He eyed Baku suspiciously, halfheartedly offering the vintage, only to once again withdraw the offer before his intended recipient could respond. “Who woulda thunk the two most stressed out people here would be so against relaxing a liddle…” a hiccup snuck its way past his lips, which he promptly drowned with more wine. He rolled his gaze toward me for a moment. “Go on kid…” he slurred, a tendril of plum-colored drool venturing from the corner of his mouth. “Yer brother’s got lots to say to ya an’ not a whole parcel o’ time to tell it to ya.”
November 5, 2025 at 4:23 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
Today's #WIPSnips is #steel. This allows me to post the very beginning of my first book, Begging Your Pardon, Mister #Wolfe!

Erik's world begins to shift, starting with an encounter with #Baku, an uninvited spirit greedily consuming his nightmares.

#BYPMW #UrbanFantasy #Supernatural #Thriller
A screenshot of a word processor, with the word "steel" highlighted in pastel green. The text reads as follows: “I am sated.” The oddly hairless, middle-aged Asian man sitting before me inhaled with deep satisfaction, rocking back in his stainless steel chair with a discordant, grinding scrape. Balanced precariously on the chair's back legs for a moment, he straightened the tie that completed his perfectly tailored, yet otherwise entirely nondescript, blue business suit. He then belched with such a powerful reverberation that his black, mirrored sunglasses rattled on his face, emphasizing his lack of eyebrows. Appearing not a day older than forty, he wore a small, golden name tag that read “貘 - B.Aku.” Producing an intricately patterned, gold-colored handkerchief from an inner pocket, he dabbed it at his mouth with the gentle precision of an action performed countless times before. He certainly seemed ‘sated,’ but by what? There were no signs of food or utensils. The air was sterile, devoid of even the faintest aroma of a meal.
November 4, 2025 at 3:48 PM
csmadsen.bsky.social
I love spinning stories out of emptiness. There was nothing here, now there's a coming-of-age tale! Tahdahhh!
November 3, 2025 at 9:25 PM