Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26 @sarahgwrites75.bsky.social · 2d

The official acquisition announcement for my epic romantasy which will be published by Second Sky books next spring! I'm absolutely thrilled with the incredible home I've found for Sorrow and Matthias.

The Bookseller @thebookseller.com · 22d

Second Sky’s commissioning editor Sophie Judge has signed two new fantasy series, from debut authors Pennerson and Gallego, in her first acquisitions for the Bookouture imprint. Book one will publish in March 2026 👇 #BookSky

Second Sky snaps up two new fantasy series from debut authors Pennerson and Gallego

ebx.sh

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Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26 @sarahgwrites75.bsky.social · 21d

Popping on here to announce that my epic gothic romantasy 'Heart of the wolf queen' will be published by the fantastic team at Second Sky books in Spring 2026! Featuring a partially sighted FMC, second chance, marriage of convenience, dark magic, secrets and of course, an animal companion!

When he says 'I love you' but Matthias says 'I don't just love you. You're the star guiding me through the pitch of night. My tether in the storm. I'll rebuild this world for you. Tear the cosmos from Vyrus' hands, make you its queen and it still won't be enough to show you how I adore you.'

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Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26 @sarahgwrites75.bsky.social · Sep 8

Announcing the title of my epic romantasy coming Spring 2026!
#Romantasy #epicromantasy #debut

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Reposted by Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26

~CRK @authorcrk.bsky.social · Aug 16

#posterpit #ya #wip

Everything always changes. Friends, life, perspectives, relationships. Cera hates it. Why does everything always have to be ruined? Will her new life be ruined, too?

Magical realism
Meta-narrative about revision/revising your life and self
Mental health advocacy
Dark humor

Poster of a sunset-colored cityscape of tall buildings. With text: a city with hidden spaces, girls with their own secrets, a rewritten reality, an unfinished portrait, inevitable changes. Change is Cera’s worst enemy. Subtle, Flowing Changes.

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Reposted by Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26

Quinn Cameron @cquinnwrite.bsky.social · Aug 7

Are you shopping for a new fall read?

Mark your calendars because First Oaths is coming October 1st! Preorder the first book in this cozy romantasy series!

Only $2.99 for a limited time!

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Reposted by Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26

Berna is querying 🧿 @bernawrites.bsky.social · Aug 6

Cordelia likes people, photography & observing Nate making cocktails.
Nate hates everything, especially his sweet regular Cordy. But when his boss tasks them with creating a new cocktail menu, things get shaky, feelings get mixed, & everybody is craving a drink #questpit #rc #wip

A collage with a cocktail menu, a man and a woman, a girl with a camera, a man pinning a woman against the wall and kissing her and some wine bottles. #questpit

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Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26 @sarahgwrites75.bsky.social · Aug 6

I was so lucky to read the opening of this incredible epic fantasy and it left me desperate to keep reading! #Agents Don't miss out! I mean...just look at that pitch!

Mel Reynard @meljrey.bsky.social · Aug 6

JASAD HEIR/GODKILLER
If anyone finds out she’s a changeling they'll 💀 her. Finding a powerful relic could free her people from oppression & she’ll do everything to keep it. But failure to unearth its secrets will mean her death & the loss of all magic forever. #QuestPit #F #Q #A

A photo of a dark haired woman in the jungle. Title: An Agent/Reader Guide to The Breath of SIlence - A fantasy novel by M J Reynard

A rainforest photo with the following text:
The Pitch
In a world where magic is forbidden, an outcast shifter & a broken soldier form a fragile alliance to smuggle a relic, but as betrayal leads to murder, they must stop a vengeful sorceress or lose all magic – forever!
The Breath of SIlence by M J Reynard

Illustrations of a POC woman in leather armour and a Caucasian man in a Regency style shirt and coat with brown hair.
The following quotes:
"He's a liar!"
"She's hiding something."
City in the sky!
Changelings & sorcerors
Magical Prejudice
Fish out of water
Two slow burn romances!
Immortals & Reincarnates
Dragons vs Tigers
The Breath of SIlence by M J Reynard

A photo of a rainforest with the Title "Comps":
A Feather so Black - magical woman in a non-magical world
The Last Vigilant - A broken man with a life debt
The Jasad Heir - Forbidden magic
The Bone Shard War - life & death battles & creatures
One Dark Window - slow burn sub plots & immersive

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Reposted by Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26

Menaka #AmQuerying @menakawrites.bsky.social · Aug 6

SHEILD OF SPARROWS x ATTACK ON TITAN
❤️‍🔥 high heats
🏜️ desert setting
⚔️ magic weapons made of gods
🧠 PCOS, PMDD
🖤 shadow magic from animals
💕enemies to lovers and forbidden romance
🤎 POC cast
🏳️‍🌈 bi MC

#A #Q #Questpit #RF #Romantasy

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Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26 @sarahgwrites75.bsky.social · Aug 4

Created some art of the MC of my romantasy, Sorrow Villente
#krita #romantasy #characterart #digitalart

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Reposted by Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26

Amphorae Publishing Group @amphoraepublishing.bsky.social · Aug 3

✨ Fantasy & Romantasy Writers! ✨
Got magic, longing & unforgettable characters? We want your manuscript!

📩 [email protected]

#OpenSubmissions #Romantasy #FantasyBooks #AmQuerying #IndiePublisher #BookCommunity #CallingWriters #WritingCommunity #Booksky

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Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26 @sarahgwrites75.bsky.social · Aug 2

#WritingLifeMonthly Aug 2nd

Sorrow and Matthias were childhood friends, so there's not a scene where they 'meet'. However, they do talk about the first time they met!

From my epic romantasy, coming Spring 26
#Romantasy #romance

“Do you remember the first time we met?” I asked. There was a scurrying from a nearby bush and Pablo dived after it. The little mouse rested on my shoulder, cleaning his long whiskers. A smile tugged at the corner of Matthias’ face.
“I remember Elspeth warning me you were feral.” He turned, his mouth ready to speak when his eyes widened as he spotted the mouse.

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Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26 @sarahgwrites75.bsky.social · Aug 1

I've just had my structural edits from my editor (still sounds mad!) so I'm working on making it the best I possibly can, especially as it's the summer holidays and I'm off work!
#Romantasy

Tracey Lee @traceyleewrites.bsky.social · Aug 1

❤️#WritingLifeMonthly August Day 01❤️

What are your goals for this month, my lovelies?

#WritingCommunity #romancewriters #romantasy #romanceauthors #writersofbsky #writinggoals #authorgoals

August #writinglifemonthly Romance
Day 01 This month's writing goals
Build Community - Share. Like.Comment in Group. @traceyleewrites

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Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26 @sarahgwrites75.bsky.social · Jul 25

I know! I felt safe here. TBF Bluesky shut the account down really quickly and were great about helping me ensure it's safe and secure.

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Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26 @sarahgwrites75.bsky.social · Jul 25

Oh, it was horrid. They only had my account for about 15 minutes, but it terrified me. Sorry for any upset it caused.

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Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26 @sarahgwrites75.bsky.social · Jul 16

Thanks for the message think I'm sorted now.

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Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26 @sarahgwrites75.bsky.social · Jul 16

Yep. Can't reset it either

Reposted by Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26

#SmallPitch @smallpitch.org · Jul 7

The #SmallPitch pitch submission window is now OPEN for 48 hours!

Key reminders:
- Unagented writers only
- Finished manuscripts only
- One pitch per manuscript only
- Up to 3 manuscripts per writer
- No hashtags in your pitch
- Comps & emojis are okay
- Check our website for full guidelines & FAQ

#SmallPitch Submission Form

Please use this form to submit your pitch. A few reminders: You can pitch up to three manuscripts, with a limit of one pitch per manuscript. One pitch per form submission. Reload the form after submi...

forms.gle

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Reposted by Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26

Hayden ✨ is querying! @haydendreaming.bsky.social · Jun 9

An #agentsguide to THAT WHICH DEVOURS, my new adult dark fantasy romance, featuring:
🎭monster masquerading as a court jester
👑princess who sees ghosts
🔪enemies to lovers
❤️‍🔥dual pov sapphic slowburn w/ mutual pining
🪦gothic & dark fairytale vibes
🍄eldritch mire oozing w/ magic
#agentguide #amquerying

An Agent's Guide to THAT WHICH DEVOURS

104k words | new adult sapphic dark fantasy romance | dual POV

The background is "And she never returned", an 1892 painting by Alfonso Simonetti. A woman sits on a cliff's edge beneath a full moon.

pitch

Princess Lenore is cursed to see ghosts. Court jester Fen is a monster hiding in plain sight. Lenore plans to slay Fen—until her brother is kidnapped by Others from the bog. Only Lenore knows where he was taken. Only Fen can lead her there. If they want to save the prince, they must work together, but Fen swore never to return for a reason. A long-dormant beast stirs within her. It hungers. Lenore must face her fears, and worse, her own dark desires.

comps

ANATHEMA by Keri Lake
-spooky, macabre world
-slow burn romance
-gothic

NETTLE & BONE by T. Kingfisher
-sharp humor
-whimsical, dark fairytale atmosphere

tropes and themes
-enemies-to-lovers
-(murder attempts are made)
-dual POV
-sapphic yearning
-gothic
-slow burn
-feminine rage
-inner monsters
-complicated sibling relationships
-eldritch bog
-body horror

On the left is my drawing of Fen, bowing with her arms outstretched. She has grey-brown hair and gray-ish eyes. She's wearing a jester's motley of blue, red, and yellow. Lightning flashes outside the windows in the background, while orange torchlight glows from above.

On the right is my drawing of Lenore standing in the rain, holding a bunch of heather. She is pale with long wavy reddish brown hair and dark brown eyes, looking solemn. She's wearing a long white dress. The background is misty and dark in the rain, with a shaft of sunlight illuminating the ground in front of Lenore.

excerpt
Lenore hardly registered her words. The darkest of dreads blossomed in the depths of her heart. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t move. Not merely stiff from sitting for so long. Cold spread through her, cold so sharp it hurt, like shards of ice had pierced her lungs.
Black ichor spurted through her clenched teeth with a strangled gurgling sound. Inch by lurching inch, she forced her eyes down.

Two gnarled spectral hands protruded from her chest, curling long crooked fingernails into her skin through her dress. They lifted her up until her legs dangled limply beneath her, toes barely touching the ground.

A voice like the breaking of ice spoke close to her ear. “What have we here, dearest? A frail little fawn caught frolicking beyond her father’s walls?”

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Reposted by Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26

Rikibeth @rikibeth.bsky.social · Jun 8

"It's really hard to fathom that the guy making my pizza for 25 years is a gangster and a terrorist, and the person who shows up in an unmarked car wearing a mask and body armor comes to take him away is somehow the good guy".
~ Connor Simon,
Restaurant owner in PA

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Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26 @sarahgwrites75.bsky.social · Jun 6

That's seriously good! Love it.

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Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26 @sarahgwrites75.bsky.social · Jun 5

Her skin prickled despite the glare of the July sun. He stood there, arms spread wide, same cocky grin on the face she'd once adored. She swallowed. Mouth dry and late, far too late, her fingers stumbled as she closed the door. His polished shoe stamped down, hands slipped into pockets. #WriteCBC

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Reposted by Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26

Erin @erinaries.bsky.social · May 29

#litagents, I'm happy to present my #agentsguide #agentguide for my #amquerying adult speculative novel, THE WORLD OF NO, complete at 97k words.
It features:
🟢 coming of age (even for adults)
⚫️ second chance love
🟢 twisted realities
⚫️ Life is messy; jump the hell in already.

Title of my novel; blurred images of faces behind a veil

The pitch for my novel, with a moodboard featuring doors, a dark forest, an empty factory, and shadow figures lurking in doorways.

The covers for my comp titles: The Midnight Library, Under the Whispering Door, The Hollow Places, and Dark Matter

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Sarah G, Epic Romantasy debuts Spring 26 @sarahgwrites75.bsky.social · May 29

#WIPSnips There's no cart, wagon or anything similar in my sequelwip yet, so I went for lift instead!

Musa swallowed, before lifting his filthy cotton shirt slightly, exposing the stark hollow of his hip bone, my gut clenching at the sight of a tattoo etched into his stomach. The wrinkled skin about the marks laced with Vyrium, tinged with dark green.

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