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Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 21h

DAY 31

The ritual was a success! And here we are in the mortal realm, just in time to disperse our sugary sacrament. You have learned much, class.

A most spooky and happy Halloween to both mortals and fiends, from my class and me, to you!

#TibbyTime

A skeleton dressed in tweed sits in a wooden chair outside, surrounded by small toy skeletons and with a jack o lantern bowl of candy.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 1d

DAY 30

Yes, that’s it, class! Channel your spooky essence into the mystical stone. Let it flow through your pentagram of corn syrup and Red No. 40. Feel the Hallow draw near!

What? Of course you can’t play a kazoo instead of chanting. You don’t even have one!

#TibbyTime

A skeleton dressed in tweed sits in shadows on the floor. Before him is a pumpkin and a few candles/oil lamps. These illuminate a pentagram of Nerds candy boxes with a spherical stone inside, and a small toy skeleton at each point of the star.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 1d

Fabulous, thank you! Very much looking forward to it.

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Reposted by Gus Ryer

J. Morgyn White @jmorgynwhite.bsky.social · 2d

Readers are talking: Too Cursed to Kiss:
“Harlan was a fiesty, mouthy, relatable FMC that l’d be proud to call my best friend!”
“💋 Cursed-kiss romance
🌃 Urban fantasy suspense
🩶 Morally grey hero
🔮 Reality-warping magic
🖤 Shadow monsters”
“sinks its claws into you from page 1 and doesnt let go!!!”

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Reposted by Gus Ryer

Fran Wilde @franwilde.bsky.social · 2d

Hello, heist fans! On Nov. 9, Im teaching a virtual heist workshop!

I’ve done a terrible job promoting it because of book tour brain - so! If you are interested in writing heists, give it a look! Help me spread the word! (The art was 100% done on the run, btw!)

www.eventbrite.com/e...

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Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 2d

Very interested, as I'm revising a SF heist at the moment!

I'm going to be traveling for a wedding though, and if I run into any delays I might miss part/all of it. Any chance this will be recorded? Or will there be a repeat event?

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Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 2d

Ooh, sounds like one hell of a ride!

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Reposted by Gus Ryer

MechaniChris @chrisakins.bsky.social · 2d

GRIM PORTENTS

HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE X CONSTANTINE

A man is murdered by a hell-beast on his wedding day. Now, with the help of the reaper who collected his soul, he must uncover who is releasing monsters from Hell if he wants to return to the life he was robbed of.

👻 #SP #F #H #PN #OWN #GhostPit

Grim Portents cover featuring a skeleton hand holding a feather and emerging from an open book. The title is on a burning banner that envelops the feather and a large beast looms over it all. At the top, the tagline reads: Welcome to the first day of the end of your life…

"I HAD ALWAYS TOLD MYSELF IT WAS A FIGMENT OF MY IMAGINATION, THE MIND PLAYING TRICKS.
IT WAS JUST A SHADOW. BUT NOW THE MONSTER HAD BEEN GIVEN A NAME, AN IDENTITY.
IT WAS REAL."

Bill Baker wants nothing more than to marry the woman he loves, but when his wedding is interrupted by a rampaging hell-beast, his life is thrown into disarray.
Desperate for a second chance, he will do anything to set his future back on track.
Now, with the help of a soul-collecting reaper named Sonny, he must uncover who is releasing monsters from Hell, in order to earn back the life that was stolen from him and prevent the oncoming end of days.
Faced with the choice between what is right and what is easy, Bill may have to sacrifice all he holds dear for one last shot at life.

Black and white sketch of characters Bill and Sonny. Bill is a dark featured man in a suit and kind of a Mark Ruffalo vibe. Sonny is a rotting corpse man with a cardigan.

Ad for Grim Portents, featuring a print copy of the book and an ebook on an iPhone. A QR code that takes you to my website and the words “Scan to learn more about debut paranormal fantasy novel Grim Portents” below it. Under that, it says “Available online anywhere books are sold!” And above it all is the tagline “Welcome to the first day of the end of your life”

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Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 2d

ASHES OF THE SUN ➕ NOTES FROM THE BURNING AGE

When a machine god severs the world from ancient nanotech, two engineer priests, a blademaster & her warrior-poet twin must hunt it for a cure—and revenge.

Failure will doom the world to divine wrath. Success may be deadly

#GhostPit #Q #A #SF #F

A giant, spaceship hovers over a dusty, walled fantasy cityscape. In the foreground, two figures stand in shadow looking out over the scene. The words 'An Agent's Guide to CASCADE, by Gus Ryer' is along the top. His website, gusryer.com, is below.

A slide with metadata and story elements for CASCADE:

Genre: Science Fiction w/ Fantasy Elements
Wordcount: +-130,000

It also shows the book covers for the following:
ASHES OF THE SUN, Django Wexler
THE ARCHIVE UNDYING, Emma Mieko Candon
ELDER RACE, Adrian Tchaikovsky
NOTES FROM THE BURNING AGE, Claire North
Ps5's Horizon Zero Dawn

Below that are the following phrases:
Found family
Failed terraforming
A vast, hidden history
Nanotech magic system
Epic fantasy quest in a sci-fi world
Ancient mechanical gods
Arachnid mammals & guard drones
Sword (1) vs. Railguns (lots)

$A warrior woman w/ a winged helmet, armor, cape, and spear is along the right side of the image, fractured into triangles. Part of the following pitch is along the left: 2,000 years in the future, a galactic human empire fell, severing TRAPPIST-1e from other inhabited worlds before its terraforming could be completed. Wild nanotechnology ravaged the land, and civilization fell into a dark age. Eventually, the God Keepers—engineer priests who restored ancient nanotech—rose to power. While Lendi dreams of life outside the God Keepers, Falder is desperate to keep his best friend from abandoning their order—and him. But, when an ancient machine god crash-lands in a ball of fire and gray death, it severs Keepers from nanotech, plunging the world back into chaos. Meanwhile, Sedna and Renfrik have little patience for Keeper rules or mysticism. But, when a flood of nanites in the god’s wake consumes their home, they’re left with nothing to protect but each other...$

Chapter 1

THE RUSH IS ON! This Tuesday, Planetfall, Inc. announced it would join the rash of megacorps racing to deploy terraforming infrastructure through the newly stabilized Taurine Strait. Previously dominated by New World Corporation, the franchised development of pseudoterra worlds is slated to be the hot market sector of the twenty-fifth century.
-Excerpt from InvestSyder: Stellar Ed., June 15, 2398

The streets of Mahyan never fully slept. Night’s darkness, not yet broken by either the sun’s rise or the blinding, baleful Eye of Toros, wrapped Lendi more completely than her robes. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that eyes were on her. She wanted nothing more than to run.
An eager vendor barred her way with his stringy arm. “A fine morning calls for a fine meal, miss.” He smiled and fanned out a selection of skewered mutton and whalemeat wrapped in sea grass. Pungent, spiced oil dripped onto the dusty street.

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Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 2d

Ooh, what a great setup - love this!

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Reposted by Gus Ryer

Bee Morris 🐝 is querying! @beemorris.bsky.social · 2d

Alice can see ghosts – and frankly, she’s had enough of them 👻 #PitDark #PN #UF #NA

But when stubborn cleaner Rani ropes her into scrubbing haunted houses & solving her twin brother’s murder, Alice finds herself knee-deep in spirits, secrets, and a serial killer who is closer than she thinks.

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Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 2d

Oh man, this is right up my alley!

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Reposted by Gus Ryer

Susie Lindau @susielindau.bsky.social · 2d

Misery + Darcy Coates | Gothic Dual POV
When a sentient house attacks a pensive novelist while a hellbent psychopath lurks, he isn't safe inside or out. His badass sister races against time to save him, but they must face 2 monsters to last the night.
#GhostPit #A #T #G #H #SPEC

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Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 2d

Thank you so much!!

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Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 2d

QUANTUM MAGICIAN ❌ LOGAN LUCKY

When an AI-piloted space freighter threatens her home station, aging & indebted traffic controller Dez decides to rob the hell out of it

She's got a plan & a crew with baggage. But, when things aboard the ship aren’t as expected, all bets are off

#GhostPit #W #A #SF

A collage of images around a central glowing circle, within which is a sci-fi rendition of the Vitruvian Man and the words: ALWAYS ACCORD

Around it is an image of a space station; a mobster with a poorly-edited VR visor; an elderly woman standing against a sci-fi cityscape squinting while she shoots a laser pistol at the space station; and an elderly man astronaut with an uncertain expression.

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Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 2d

ASHES OF THE SUN ❌ HORIZON ZERO DAWN

When a machine god severs the world from ancient nanotech, two engineer priests, a blademaster & her warrior-poet twin must hunt it for a cure—and for revenge.

Failure will doom the world to divine wrath, but success will be deadly.

#GhostPit #Q #A #SF #F #SFF

$A warrior woman w/ a winged helmet, armor, cape, and spear is along the right side of the image, fractured into triangles. Part of the following pitch is along the left: 2,000 years in the future, a galactic human empire fell, severing TRAPPIST-1e from other inhabited worlds before its terraforming could be completed. Wild nanotechnology ravaged the land, and civilization fell into a dark age. Eventually, the God Keepers—engineer priests who restored ancient nanotech—rose to power. While Lendi dreams of life outside the God Keepers, Falder is desperate to keep his best friend from abandoning their order—and him. But, when an ancient machine god crash-lands in a ball of fire and gray death, it severs Keepers from nanotech, plunging the world back into chaos. Meanwhile, Sedna and Renfrik have little patience for Keeper rules or mysticism. But, when a flood of nanites in the god’s wake consumes their home, they’re left with nothing to protect but each other...$

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Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 2d

DAY 29

All right class, the big night draws nigh. Few tasks remain before your final test, and few as important as carving your own Jack ‘o Lanterns.

Pick a face to reflect your inner ghoul, and rend it from the gourd!

#TibbyTime

In the foreground, a small skeleton sits on a pumpkin and holds a small orange knife. A skeleton dresses in tweed sits at the table, papers scattered before it with the faces of Jack o lanterns printed. Other small toy skeletons are scattered about looking at the papers or pumpkins.

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Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 3d

PHEW. All posts scheduled for both #GhostPit and #PitDark (latter over on Twitter). Can't wait to see everyone else's pitches!

It's going to be a busy day tomorrow, but I'll be on when I find breaks. See you there!

#WritingCommunity #AmQuerying

han solo from star wars is making a funny face with his hand on his head .

Alt: Harrison Ford as Han Solo salutes.

media.tenor.com

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Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 3d

DAY 28

After four days of darkness, we heard a rumble as our prison door was unblocked. A crack of light split the inky atmosphere. I lowered the book I’d been reading to class.

A skeletal silhouette stood in the closet doorway. Tiny Tibby had returned.

#TibbyTime

A small toy skeleton stands in the foreground of an open doorway with an arm raised in greeting. A large skeleton and several together small toy skeletons sit in a dark closet as if having been trapped there for a couple of days.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 3d

Well, they certainly sound immature

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Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 4d

DAY 27

A job well done. Gonna kick back on the flight home. Even the wicked deserve some tiny rest.

#TibbyTime

A small toy skeleton reaches toward a JetBlue setback entertainment interface. Monsters Inc. is the selected movie.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 4d

DAY 27

A job well done. Gonna kick back on the flight home. Even the wicked deserve some tiny rest.

#TibbyTime

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 5d

DAY 26

Ah ha! After a grueling trek through the desert, enduring sandy joints, and having to slum it in *shudder* 3-star hotels, I finally found it: a Stone of Power.

Now that big galoot Tibby will have no choice but to admit I’M the Big Bone of this operation!

#TibbyTime

A small toy skeleton poses in a kneeling position near a cactus, one hand placed on a roughly-spherical, pinkish stone.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 7d

DAY 25

What do you mean, you can’t find him? He’s a demonic little skeleton wandering through the desert. How many can there be?

That’s not an excuse. Bring me Tiny Tibby!

#TibbyTime

A skeleton dressed in tweed looks out a window and talks on a child’s red toy cell phone.

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Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 7d

DAY 24

Climb every mountain? Ford every stream?? I got the first one figured, but where am I supposed to find any water around here??

#TibbyTime

A small toy skeleton climbs a rock in an arid, desert mountain with cacti in the background.