Harper L. Carnes ❄️
@harperlcarnes.bsky.social
Gray-ace & aegosexual lesbian. Coffee addict. Dog, lizard, tarantula, & bunny mom. #Actuallyautistic. Writer of monsters. Survivor of worse. Creating a space to heal via fiction.
Author of dark romance, fantasy, & horror. 🔞
www.harperlcarnes.com
She/They
Author of dark romance, fantasy, & horror. 🔞
www.harperlcarnes.com
She/They
#Smutcember 10
It depends on who I’m sharing it with. If it’s just friends, then no, but if it’s fully published I’ll have moments when I’ll literally want to hide, cause I’ll remember at random times people are reading the spice I wrote. I think I’m slowly going from mortified to amused though.
It depends on who I’m sharing it with. If it’s just friends, then no, but if it’s fully published I’ll have moments when I’ll literally want to hide, cause I’ll remember at random times people are reading the spice I wrote. I think I’m slowly going from mortified to amused though.
#Smutcember for Hump Day asks:
Do you struggle with sharing your smutty writing? If so, what internal or external obstacles have been the most challenging? If not, what advice would you give someone who's struggling but wants to share their work?
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
Do you struggle with sharing your smutty writing? If so, what internal or external obstacles have been the most challenging? If not, what advice would you give someone who's struggling but wants to share their work?
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
December 11, 2025 at 2:30 AM
#Smutcember 10
It depends on who I’m sharing it with. If it’s just friends, then no, but if it’s fully published I’ll have moments when I’ll literally want to hide, cause I’ll remember at random times people are reading the spice I wrote. I think I’m slowly going from mortified to amused though.
It depends on who I’m sharing it with. If it’s just friends, then no, but if it’s fully published I’ll have moments when I’ll literally want to hide, cause I’ll remember at random times people are reading the spice I wrote. I think I’m slowly going from mortified to amused though.
#Smutcember 9
All of the above. And I feel like each aspect is a chance to explore who a character is on a deeper level.
All of the above. And I feel like each aspect is a chance to explore who a character is on a deeper level.
Our #Smutcember prompt for today asks:
When writing sex in your stories, do you prefer to write the build up, the act itself, the aftercare, or all of the above?
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
When writing sex in your stories, do you prefer to write the build up, the act itself, the aftercare, or all of the above?
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
December 11, 2025 at 2:09 AM
#Smutcember 9
All of the above. And I feel like each aspect is a chance to explore who a character is on a deeper level.
All of the above. And I feel like each aspect is a chance to explore who a character is on a deeper level.
#Smutcember 8
For me it depends on the story. I’ve written fast feelings, fast physicality and slower feelings, and also completely slow burn.
For me it depends on the story. I’ve written fast feelings, fast physicality and slower feelings, and also completely slow burn.
Merry Monday, #Smutcember!
In your stories, do you prefer a slow burn or fast feelings? What appeals to you the most about writing your preferred pacing?
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
In your stories, do you prefer a slow burn or fast feelings? What appeals to you the most about writing your preferred pacing?
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
December 11, 2025 at 1:52 AM
#Smutcember 8
For me it depends on the story. I’ve written fast feelings, fast physicality and slower feelings, and also completely slow burn.
For me it depends on the story. I’ve written fast feelings, fast physicality and slower feelings, and also completely slow burn.
December 11, 2025 at 1:49 AM
December 9, 2025 at 5:34 AM
#Smutcember 5
I like to mix longing with complications, or even fear or trauma. It’s what exists underneath all the damage that I find fun to play with. The fact that love can ruin as much as save. And banter. Gotta love the banter.
I like to mix longing with complications, or even fear or trauma. It’s what exists underneath all the damage that I find fun to play with. The fact that love can ruin as much as save. And banter. Gotta love the banter.
#Smutcember, it's time to talk about our work! To start off:
How do you build chemistry between your characters? You can speak in general terms or give specific examples, whichever you prefer.
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
How do you build chemistry between your characters? You can speak in general terms or give specific examples, whichever you prefer.
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
December 9, 2025 at 4:19 AM
#Smutcember 5
I like to mix longing with complications, or even fear or trauma. It’s what exists underneath all the damage that I find fun to play with. The fact that love can ruin as much as save. And banter. Gotta love the banter.
I like to mix longing with complications, or even fear or trauma. It’s what exists underneath all the damage that I find fun to play with. The fact that love can ruin as much as save. And banter. Gotta love the banter.
#Smutcember 4
I read all kinds. So they’ll definitely be stuff that I read and don’t write and vice verse.
I read all kinds. So they’ll definitely be stuff that I read and don’t write and vice verse.
Last establishing question, #Smutcember:
Do you read different kinds of smut than you write, or is that Venn diagram a circle?
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
Do you read different kinds of smut than you write, or is that Venn diagram a circle?
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
December 9, 2025 at 2:20 AM
#Smutcember 4
I read all kinds. So they’ll definitely be stuff that I read and don’t write and vice verse.
I read all kinds. So they’ll definitely be stuff that I read and don’t write and vice verse.
#Smutcember 3
I think I enjoy writing it a bit more than reading it since it gives me more control over what happens and space to work through emotions if needed.
I think I enjoy writing it a bit more than reading it since it gives me more control over what happens and space to work through emotions if needed.
Continuing our #Smutcember setup:
Do you have a preference between reading smut or writing it, or perhaps engaging with it in a different form of media entirely? If so, what about that form of engagement appeals to you the most?
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
Do you have a preference between reading smut or writing it, or perhaps engaging with it in a different form of media entirely? If so, what about that form of engagement appeals to you the most?
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
December 9, 2025 at 2:18 AM
#Smutcember 3
I think I enjoy writing it a bit more than reading it since it gives me more control over what happens and space to work through emotions if needed.
I think I enjoy writing it a bit more than reading it since it gives me more control over what happens and space to work through emotions if needed.
#Smutcember 2
I’ll read pretty much any level of spicy fiction. Write too. I’m not sure it really varies too much between what I like in private and public, though not everything is necessarily a sexual liking. Sometimes I just like watching characters be messily human.
I’ll read pretty much any level of spicy fiction. Write too. I’m not sure it really varies too much between what I like in private and public, though not everything is necessarily a sexual liking. Sometimes I just like watching characters be messily human.
As we continue into #Smutcember, it's important to know:
What is your spice comfort level? Does it vary between what you enjoy privately and what you're willing to share? Do you have hard boundaries for what you engage with?
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
What is your spice comfort level? Does it vary between what you enjoy privately and what you're willing to share? Do you have hard boundaries for what you engage with?
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
December 9, 2025 at 2:03 AM
#Smutcember 2
I’ll read pretty much any level of spicy fiction. Write too. I’m not sure it really varies too much between what I like in private and public, though not everything is necessarily a sexual liking. Sometimes I just like watching characters be messily human.
I’ll read pretty much any level of spicy fiction. Write too. I’m not sure it really varies too much between what I like in private and public, though not everything is necessarily a sexual liking. Sometimes I just like watching characters be messily human.
#Smutcember 1
Hi, I’m Harper. I’ll be doing characters from two of my WIPs. Mikołaj and Chris from a horror romance, and Elias and Sebastian from a dark romance. And possibly others depending on the questions.
Hi, I’m Harper. I’ll be doing characters from two of my WIPs. Mikołaj and Chris from a horror romance, and Elias and Sebastian from a dark romance. And possibly others depending on the questions.
Welcome to #Smutcember, folks!
To start things off, introduce yourself and the work(s) or characters you plan on discussing this month. You can focus on one relationship or several, it's up to you!
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
To start things off, introduce yourself and the work(s) or characters you plan on discussing this month. You can focus on one relationship or several, it's up to you!
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
December 9, 2025 at 1:37 AM
#Smutcember 1
Hi, I’m Harper. I’ll be doing characters from two of my WIPs. Mikołaj and Chris from a horror romance, and Elias and Sebastian from a dark romance. And possibly others depending on the questions.
Hi, I’m Harper. I’ll be doing characters from two of my WIPs. Mikołaj and Chris from a horror romance, and Elias and Sebastian from a dark romance. And possibly others depending on the questions.
Reposted by Harper L. Carnes ❄️
Reposted by Harper L. Carnes ❄️
I don't think Netflix should get to eat anything else until it finishes all the prematurely cancelled shows on its plate
December 6, 2025 at 1:31 AM
I don't think Netflix should get to eat anything else until it finishes all the prematurely cancelled shows on its plate
Reposted by Harper L. Carnes ❄️
I think there’s something about drawing a weird deer in the woods every so often that feels paramount to being a fantasy/speculative fiction artist
December 4, 2025 at 10:17 PM
I think there’s something about drawing a weird deer in the woods every so often that feels paramount to being a fantasy/speculative fiction artist
I’m sore tonight. Maizie has volunteered herself as a heating pad.
I am also thirsty, but I do not want to disturb the furbaby.
I am also thirsty, but I do not want to disturb the furbaby.
December 6, 2025 at 1:52 AM
I’m sore tonight. Maizie has volunteered herself as a heating pad.
I am also thirsty, but I do not want to disturb the furbaby.
I am also thirsty, but I do not want to disturb the furbaby.
I saw this on a Pinterest ad. I needs it but I don’t want to go on temu to get it.
December 4, 2025 at 11:17 PM
I saw this on a Pinterest ad. I needs it but I don’t want to go on temu to get it.
Rapists are responsible for 100% of rapes. Not what a victim wore, fantasized, drank, if they flirted, how late they were out, what they posted online, what media they watched, their mental health, their relationship status, their past consent, or the fact they froze or fawned instead of fought.
December 4, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Rapists are responsible for 100% of rapes. Not what a victim wore, fantasized, drank, if they flirted, how late they were out, what they posted online, what media they watched, their mental health, their relationship status, their past consent, or the fact they froze or fawned instead of fought.
More than one song is on playlists for several WIPs.
December 4, 2025 at 3:35 AM
More than one song is on playlists for several WIPs.
#HorrorWritersChat Q4
In the past, some people spent a long time trying to control what I was allowed to do, think, feel, like, or create, and writing the stories I do is my way of rebelling against all that. No one gets to decide who I get to be anymore, and that brings me joy.
In the past, some people spent a long time trying to control what I was allowed to do, think, feel, like, or create, and writing the stories I do is my way of rebelling against all that. No one gets to decide who I get to be anymore, and that brings me joy.
#HorrorWritersChat Q4
Now to The Horrors.
In his blog post
CREATING PERSONAL MEANING IN A DARK WORLD IS HOW WE TAKE A STAND,
Matt said “finding joy in being a creative person is an act of rebellion.”
Share a creative outlet that brings you joy and/or feels like an act of rebellion.
Now to The Horrors.
In his blog post
CREATING PERSONAL MEANING IN A DARK WORLD IS HOW WE TAKE A STAND,
Matt said “finding joy in being a creative person is an act of rebellion.”
Share a creative outlet that brings you joy and/or feels like an act of rebellion.
December 4, 2025 at 2:15 AM
#HorrorWritersChat Q4
In the past, some people spent a long time trying to control what I was allowed to do, think, feel, like, or create, and writing the stories I do is my way of rebelling against all that. No one gets to decide who I get to be anymore, and that brings me joy.
In the past, some people spent a long time trying to control what I was allowed to do, think, feel, like, or create, and writing the stories I do is my way of rebelling against all that. No one gets to decide who I get to be anymore, and that brings me joy.
#HorrorWriterChat Q3
A dream that made it into a WIP was one where I saw something sticking out from under my nail. I ended up pulling my finger open to find I was infested with moths. The thing sticking out from under my nail had been an antenna.
I woke calmly and said, “that’s going in a book.”
A dream that made it into a WIP was one where I saw something sticking out from under my nail. I ended up pulling my finger open to find I was infested with moths. The thing sticking out from under my nail had been an antenna.
I woke calmly and said, “that’s going in a book.”
December 4, 2025 at 1:12 AM
#HorrorWriterChat Q3
A dream that made it into a WIP was one where I saw something sticking out from under my nail. I ended up pulling my finger open to find I was infested with moths. The thing sticking out from under my nail had been an antenna.
I woke calmly and said, “that’s going in a book.”
A dream that made it into a WIP was one where I saw something sticking out from under my nail. I ended up pulling my finger open to find I was infested with moths. The thing sticking out from under my nail had been an antenna.
I woke calmly and said, “that’s going in a book.”
#HorrorWritersChat Q2
Horror lets me turn what hurt me into something I can control on the page. It lets me say the things I couldn’t say then. It’s a form of catharsis as well as a safe space to explore the darker aspects of humanity and emotions.
Horror lets me turn what hurt me into something I can control on the page. It lets me say the things I couldn’t say then. It’s a form of catharsis as well as a safe space to explore the darker aspects of humanity and emotions.
#HorrorWritersChat Q2
This is one of Matt’s favourite questions to ask us:
What does horror mean to you?
This is one of Matt’s favourite questions to ask us:
What does horror mean to you?
December 4, 2025 at 12:34 AM
#HorrorWritersChat Q2
Horror lets me turn what hurt me into something I can control on the page. It lets me say the things I couldn’t say then. It’s a form of catharsis as well as a safe space to explore the darker aspects of humanity and emotions.
Horror lets me turn what hurt me into something I can control on the page. It lets me say the things I couldn’t say then. It’s a form of catharsis as well as a safe space to explore the darker aspects of humanity and emotions.
#HorrorWritersChat Q1
Hi, I’m Harper. Some horror subgenres I write: eldritch, paranormal, dark fantasy, & cannibal—in various combinations & all involving romance.
I’ve enjoyed being in this community Matt built. He created a space where so many of us felt welcome to share our thoughts and work.
Hi, I’m Harper. Some horror subgenres I write: eldritch, paranormal, dark fantasy, & cannibal—in various combinations & all involving romance.
I’ve enjoyed being in this community Matt built. He created a space where so many of us felt welcome to share our thoughts and work.
#HorrorWritersChat Q1
Thanks for attending our gathering today.
First, introduce yourself & share the horror subgenres you write.
Then, please share a happy memory you have of Matt OR a happy memory of being part of this community he started.
If the feelings are too raw right now, post a candle 🕯️
Thanks for attending our gathering today.
First, introduce yourself & share the horror subgenres you write.
Then, please share a happy memory you have of Matt OR a happy memory of being part of this community he started.
If the feelings are too raw right now, post a candle 🕯️
December 4, 2025 at 12:16 AM
#HorrorWritersChat Q1
Hi, I’m Harper. Some horror subgenres I write: eldritch, paranormal, dark fantasy, & cannibal—in various combinations & all involving romance.
I’ve enjoyed being in this community Matt built. He created a space where so many of us felt welcome to share our thoughts and work.
Hi, I’m Harper. Some horror subgenres I write: eldritch, paranormal, dark fantasy, & cannibal—in various combinations & all involving romance.
I’ve enjoyed being in this community Matt built. He created a space where so many of us felt welcome to share our thoughts and work.
Reposted by Harper L. Carnes ❄️
I wish the women who came forward were spotlighted more than the pedophile himself. It just seems like another way for it to be HIS story and not those victims. Every survivor ever, deserves justice.
December 3, 2025 at 5:01 AM
I wish the women who came forward were spotlighted more than the pedophile himself. It just seems like another way for it to be HIS story and not those victims. Every survivor ever, deserves justice.
This was fun to do this year. The fake blood did NOT want to stick and stay at first though.
December 3, 2025 at 2:48 AM
This was fun to do this year. The fake blood did NOT want to stick and stay at first though.
Reposted by Harper L. Carnes ❄️
So close to having vampire/detective dark romance book completely drafted, but boy am I exhausted.
When this is done I want a vacation, but I’ll need to do enough self edits to prepare it for input from other people before I can actually rest.
When this is done I want a vacation, but I’ll need to do enough self edits to prepare it for input from other people before I can actually rest.
December 2, 2025 at 11:47 PM
So close to having vampire/detective dark romance book completely drafted, but boy am I exhausted.
When this is done I want a vacation, but I’ll need to do enough self edits to prepare it for input from other people before I can actually rest.
When this is done I want a vacation, but I’ll need to do enough self edits to prepare it for input from other people before I can actually rest.