Eliwood S. Gheist
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eliwoodsgheist.bsky.social
Eliwood S. Gheist
@eliwoodsgheist.bsky.social
1.3K followers 630 following 7.4K posts
https://eliwoodsgheist.com

Writer, 30ish, queer. We write alone, but we're writing together.

🚫genAI🚫

ebook of Bludeye Beach is out now! Learn more: https://hookandquillpress.com/our-books/

Member of @hookandquillpress.com
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eliwoodsgheist.bsky.social
Eliwood S. Gheist @eliwoodsgheist.bsky.social · Dec 18
Hey, friends!! BLUDEYE BEACH is now up for digital preorders, and will be available on January 1st, 2026! (Physical version to follow!)

Can you believe how gorgeous this cover is?? My dear, dear friend @kitschmyarts.bsky.social designed it and I can't stop staring❤️

#writesky #writingcommunity
A book cover featuring an illustrated beach with a large cave just off of center. at the top it reads "No one walks home alone at night." In the middle it reads "Bludeye Beach" by Eliwood S. Gheist. At the bottom it reads "Book 1 of the Bludeye Beach Series" The cover is in the center of a graphic that reads "Book your vacation to Bludeye Beach. Gravity Falls x Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Written by Eliwood S. Gheist. Slowburn romance. Cryptid menagerie. Anxious bean FMC. If your'e scared, do it scared. Digital preorders open 12/18. Details Below"
Reposted by Eliwood S. Gheist
isaacxisaac.bsky.social
Today's #WIPSnips is hot off the presses!! Just added it to the 2nd draft this week.

Though I'm waffling on some aspects of it because maybe it's a bit TOO on-the-nose thematically.
One must understand that to a gentleman in these days, there was nothing so intolerable as to be given the lie. Not to lie—most of them did that as a matter of course, and, just as for such trivial sins as drunkenness, blasphemy, kidnap, and murder, a man could be forgiven of it with a squint. But to be given the lie, that is to be called a liar, reduced a gentleman to a knave. A man’s word was his honour and his honour was his word, and without the honour of his peers man lost his right to his place, to hold his head up and, equally, to look down. To suffer such an insult and fail to answer it was to be, as a man, obliterated, and it was as much in this defence as that of his mere person, that a bravo like this one carried a sword.
February 12, 2026 at 6:03 PM
eliwoodsgheist.bsky.social
Happy #WIPSnips 12 - Defens(ive)

From EYES SHINE SILVER IN MOONLIGHT. I suspect Ramsey already has an idea of what happened between Luke and Isabelle 🤭
Ramsey led Luke to the small gym, thankfully quiet this early in the morning. “C’mon, I’ll race you on the treadmill.” “Racing is the opposite of the point on a treadmill,” Luke complained, but he followed her to the back of the row of long machines. It smelled sharply of rubber and sweat. Despite being the only two there, Luke immediately headed for the back corner, and Ramsey trailed after him. They needed a chance to chat away from prying, lupine ears. “What’re you setting your speed for? No, wait, what incline?” Ramsey asked. He threw her an exasperated look. “I’m here, aren’t I? You're supposed to be on patrol,” he rumbled. “Thirty minutes. Twenty. Isabelle’s up there, anyway. And say, speaking of Isabelle …” she drawled. Luke immediately rolled his eyes. “What about her?” he grumbled, in a voice that was definitely circling defensive and cagey. “You know, I wonder how she spent moonlust,” Ramsey said, a little more loudly than necessary.
February 12, 2026 at 4:48 PM
eliwoodsgheist.bsky.social
Bludeye Beach has been out for six weeks now, which seems even more impossible than that this book is finally out in the world in the first place. So here's some publishing stats from my indie author debut 🥰
#writingcommunity #indieauthor #hqpress
February 12, 2026 at 3:05 PM
eliwoodsgheist.bsky.social
Happy #Febchantment 12!

So for actual creators of magical objects, the type of folks most easily able to do that kind of work are Humans and Fae. They have different styles & methods, but for those who can do that work, it's mainly a matter of access to education. 1/11
professoremily.bsky.social Prof Emily @professoremily.bsky.social · 13h
#Febchantment Day 12

What does it take to be considered a "master" of your magic system?

Is it about the range of your techniques? The difficulty level? The amount of knowledge in your head? Your ability not to set yourself on fire?

Or perhaps there IS no "mastery"?

#writingcommunity #writesky
#Febchantment prompt for Feb 12: What are the requirements or standards to be considered a "master" of this magic system? Text is white letters on a blue background featuring a magic book with lots of sparkles, and a yellow octopus dressed as Glinda the Good Witch sitting in the bottom right corner. Hosted by @professoremily.bsky.social
February 12, 2026 at 1:14 PM
eliwoodsgheist.bsky.social
Keyboard update:
It is still Different. But maybe. That's okay ☺️
February 12, 2026 at 11:58 AM
Reposted by Eliwood S. Gheist
karamoonauthor.com
A fresh snippet from my third draft of A Prayer for the Pirate Queen 🏴‍☠️💜⚓️

#writers #WritingCommunity #writesky #hqpress
"... it seems a fairly straightforward case, as you've described it. I'll treat you right now, with a combination of physical therapy and prayer, and all going well, you should be feeling yourself again—" Geni's words dried up as she realised what she had just promised.  She was going to have to massage Kallista. "Very well then," Kallista said, hands open. "What do we need to do?" "I'll just, um ... would you take your jacket off, please?" Kallista did as she was told. The massage to come would be a lot easier if she would also take off her shirt, but *that request was very much not going to leave Geni's mouth*. From A Prayer for the Pirate Queen by Kara Moon
February 12, 2026 at 10:33 AM
Reposted by Eliwood S. Gheist
professoremily.bsky.social
#WIPSnips #amwriting #writingcommunity #writers #writesky

"vibe" -> "feeling"

Young Noah has an important bedtime chat with his mom, shortly before she mysteriously disappears... 👀

From #Tenement, my dystopian mystery about people living in an infinite building.
“Because I broke a Rule.” She didn’t say anything for a very long time—only stared at me, her mouth set in a stern line. She looked angry, but somehow I got the feeling it wasn’t me she was angry at. “Don’t you...?” I asked. “I mean, aren’t you gonna ask which one?” She shook her head. “No, I’m not. It doesn’t matter.” “Because breaking any of them is equally bad?” Her expression softened. “No, Noah.” That surprised me. Any of the other adults would have said yes, no question. And she seemed to realize that she’d said something mildly blasphemous, because a look of slight panic flashed across her face. But then she became solemn again. “Listen to me, sweetheart.” She leaned closer, dropping her voice to a confidential whisper. “Don’t ever tell anyone I’ve told you this—not even Nan or your father. Not even Kazuo, okay? The Rules are...” Hesitating, she glanced around, then dropped her voice even lower. “The Rules are there to stop you from asking questions,” she said. “Stop you from really exploring. But you can’t stop, alright? You gotta keep on asking, keep on exploring. There’s a lot more to this Tenement than most people think.”
February 11, 2026 at 12:49 PM
eliwoodsgheist.bsky.social
Happy #AwesomeCharacters!

In Bludeye Beach, Edie and Milo were each other's first love when they met as teenagers. When Edie goes back ten years later, they've each experienced more of the world and dating, but never really forgot each other ❤️
charliedeltawrites.bsky.social ❄️Charlie (Chelizabeth) Delta ☃️ @charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 1d
Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters

It's February, so let's talk about romance just a bit!

Who was your character's first love?

Was it a positive relationship for them or less so?

How did it end (if at all), and how did that affect them?

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
February 11, 2026 at 11:36 AM
eliwoodsgheist.bsky.social
Happy #Febchantment 11!

In Eyes Shine Silver in Moonlight, most of the magic are inherent abilities of different life forms, with some skilled in creating magic objects and industry, which can make said scribes wealthy.
In short...the limitations are generally birthright, which determines access.
😬
professoremily.bsky.social Prof Emily @professoremily.bsky.social · 1d
#Febchantment Day 11

What limitations did you put on your magic system to keep it from becoming too OP? Is power in short supply? Do spells take a physical toll on the body?

Note that this is about magic done RIGHT. Day 13 will be about when magic goes horribly wrong!

#writingcommunity #writesky
February 11, 2026 at 11:29 AM
eliwoodsgheist.bsky.social
Oh hey, that's me again! I really enjoyed making this episode, since I got to talk about 🤩 worldbuilding!!! 🤩

#podcasts #indieauthors #writesky
February 10, 2026 at 3:24 PM
Reposted by Eliwood S. Gheist
professoremily.bsky.social
#Febchantment 10

#Atlantis:
When doing magic, the clergy always recite incantations in the "Divine Speech." Most regular people believe you HAVE to use the gibberish words to make the magic work.

This is all bullshit 😂

It's basically just a gatekeeping thing. That said, a mantra can help...🧵1/5
professoremily.bsky.social Prof Emily @professoremily.bsky.social · 2d
#Febchantment Day 10

How is magic actually performed? What kinds of speech or actions are needed to execute a successful spell? An ancient incantation? A hand sign? Martial arts movements?

Or is it enough simply for the caster to THINK their spell into existence?

#writingcommunity #writesky
February 10, 2026 at 2:07 PM
Reposted by Eliwood S. Gheist
professoremily.bsky.social
#WIPSnips #writingcommunity #writers #writesky

Kena backstory! This guy Jakuun meets him while Kena's working as an illegal forger, & quickly starts to suspect Kena has something a little "sun god"-ish about him...

From my upcoming book THE GODS OF ATALANTIS, Part 1 of my #Atlantis trilogy.
“I’m not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not,” Jakuun chuckled. “But I’m not going to turn you in, I swear. I only came here because I wanted to meet you.” The boy frowned. “Why?” “Well—I’m not sure.” Jakuun furrowed his brow too. “Just some kind of feeling I had.” An interesting thought had occurred to him. This boy—he had such a way of speaking, such a penetrating way of looking at the world. He was a master of letters, a grower of gardens. And his eyes looked as though they’d been touched by drops of liquid sun. Not that eye color actually mattered, of course. But it didn’t hurt the aesthetic. “You said you came of age at the end of the last cycle, ona?” Jakuun asked. “That would make you—?” “Twelve. Almost thirteen.” “And when exactly were you born, abja?” The boy gave him a strange look. “Why do you ask?” “I’m just curious.” He hesitated. “The Dragon Spring of the second cycle, just before the Moon of the Dead.”
February 10, 2026 at 1:32 PM
eliwoodsgheist.bsky.social
Happy #WIPSnips 10 - Liquid!

From RETURN TO BLUDEYE BEACH. Edie & company certainly aren't in Kansas anymore 👀
As soon as Edie stepped into the mist, she couldn’t really describe the sensation; thousands of tiny, skittering things flitting over her skin, like sinking miles underwater but breathing air like liquid honey. Her blood felt like it could race through her veins without waiting for her heart to pump it through. When she glanced around, she could see Milo grimacing, his hand gripping hers even tighter. Manny hunched his shoulders and curled his fingers into and out of a fist. Alexandra continued to thread her rosary through her fingers. This time, Edie could be certain she wasn’t imagining the glinting light surrounding the wooden beads.
February 10, 2026 at 1:33 PM
eliwoodsgheist.bsky.social
Oh hey, that's me! This was easily one of my favorite episodes. It comes out tomorrow, I hope you enjoy!
fromtreetobook.bsky.social From Tree To Book: Writing Group @fromtreetobook.bsky.social · 3d
A new episode is dropping tomorrow, February 10th! Come listen to Anna, Sam, and Eliwood talk about worldbuilding in our writing ❤️

#podcasts #writingcommunity #writingpodcast
February 9, 2026 at 9:59 PM
Reposted by Eliwood S. Gheist
professoremily.bsky.social
#WIPSnips #writingcommunity #writers #writesky

It's Mireia & Kena's first day after being ~selected~ as the new avatars of the gods. Perhaps that's why Kena reacts so strongly to the king's talk of skeptics? 🤷‍♀️

From my upcoming book THE GODS OF ATALANTIS, Part 1 of my #Atlantis trilogy.
“Come, sa’aba, what’s the harm?” Minacaal said. “This man Qiadaan, he is a teacher who gives lectures all around Atalantis. He’s gathered something of a following in recent years, and his ideas are fascinating. Have you heard of him?” Mireia shook her head. Kena stared silently down at his plate. “He makes a compelling argument that the gods don’t exist at all,” Minacaal went on, “and all of the Sun Fathers and Sea Mothers in history were just ordinary humans selected to play the part based on common personality traits. He says the only reason we still cling to the story of the gods is because it gives structure to our society. Of course, I don’t agree with him. But it does make you wonder, doesn’t it?” “I wish you hadn’t brought it up, ba’at,” Aiamin scolded him. “We’re dining with the gods, and you want to talk about a man who believes they don’t exist?” “I’m curious to know what they think,” Minacaal argued. “Who better to ask than the gods themselves? They ought to know if they’re real or not, shouldn’t they?” Mireia wasn’t sure what she thought. But Kena spoke, his quiet voice unexpectedly biting. “I think Qiadaan is a charlatan,” he declared. “He likes to say shocking things for the sake of angering people, nothing more. I don’t think even he really believes what he says.” Mireia was surprised at the vehemence of his answer. She hadn’t taken him for someone who would care passionately about defending the gods. “I agree completely, Sun Father,” said Aiamin. “I’ve been trying to tell my ba’at the same thing for ages, but he never listens to me.”
February 9, 2026 at 2:01 PM
eliwoodsgheist.bsky.social
I got a new, different keyboard!
Pros: new
Cons: different
a cartoon hamster with a question mark above its head
Alt: a cartoon hamster with a question mark above its head
media.tenor.com
February 9, 2026 at 7:17 PM
Reposted by Eliwood S. Gheist
alexfromawen.bsky.social
#Febchantment Day 9

Ostensibly, a Vibrational Bender needs no ingredients but their own will and life force. I won't really get into the actions as that's tomorrow's prompt. But before the actions come, a Bender must first harness their own vibrational energies, which can be a difficult concept 1/8
professoremily.bsky.social Prof Emily @professoremily.bsky.social · 3d
#Febchantment Day 9

Let's talk magical tools! What does someone need to do magic in your system? An arcane focus (e.g. wand, staff, orb)? A book of spells? A musical instrument? A bunch of obscure ingredients?

If you have magical companions, they would count here 😁

#writingcommunity #writesky
February 9, 2026 at 5:43 PM
eliwoodsgheist.bsky.social
For an octopus, he sure gets around!!
hookandquillpress.com Hook & Quill Press @hookandquillpress.com · 3d
We've been busy behind the scenes at Hook & Quill Press, but sometimes we can't help but wonder what Quillbert gets up to...

#whereintheworldisquillbert #hqpress
February 9, 2026 at 5:51 PM
Reposted by Eliwood S. Gheist
pamelaelaela.bsky.social
A tough moment for Danbi.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting #AmQuerying
📚💙
But in his eyes, there’s too much regret, and the old feeling comes back—like I’m waiting on a dock for a ship that doesn’t seek harbor. Its familiarity is savage, but there’s a criminal comfort in the understanding it grants me. “But now,” I say, and I can’t help glancing at his lips before I look back into his eyes, “[REDACTED] is here. And we’re closer than ever to [REDACTED]. And the promise you made to her is wrapped up with the promise you made to save him. And you won’t break them. Because you’re you.” Misery surges across his face. “I have to try.” No. But I nod. The single step I take away from him then is harder than every step I ever took to get closer. Choose me, my heart screams. But I say, “You have to.” Maybe I should be angry, maybe I should quake with resentment, but I don’t. I see it now—why it always felt like he was fighting the current of the tide that drew us together. And I understand what it means to him to honor his promise. I don’t tell him, but part of it has already become mine as well. I will defeat [REDACTED]. I’ll do everything in my power to make this world closer to what it can be. I’ll do it because I can’t not. I’ll do it because, maybe, I can. Our gazes refuse to diverge, and I wonder if this is the interlude or the closing, a change in key or the discordance of a mistake. Inside the ballroom, the music stops.
February 9, 2026 at 12:10 PM
eliwoodsgheist.bsky.social
Happy #WIPSnips 9 - Select!

From EYES SHINE SILVER IN MOONLIGHT, a werewolf romantasy detangling a cult. Isabelle has to see MLI Luke face to face with his ex, Mary Anne, a Priestess of the Lunar Mother advocating for the new Church of the Eternal One.
Seeing Mary Anne standing so close to Luke, with his long dark hair and chiseled features, Isabelle couldn't help but see them as two sides of the same beautiful coin, like statues carved solely for the pleasure of displaying peak Werewolf physiology. “I heard you joined the Order of the Lunar Mother,” Luke said stiffly to Mary Anne. “But this isn’t … I’m sorry, that doesn’t give you clearance …” Mary Anne laughed. “The Lunar Mother accepted sponsorship of the Eternal One and helped coordinate the building of this Temple to welcome the new order. There are more than a few of us who understand that faith is not limited. The Eternal One, journeying as they are through the stars back to us, could be an envoy for the Lunar Mother herself. I pride myself as one of a few specially selected priests to lead worship for both our Goddess Luna, as well as the Eternal One.”
February 9, 2026 at 12:17 PM
Reposted by Eliwood S. Gheist
gunsmile.bsky.social
I started to answer this question for TD and COTBM, but the quick and easy answer is: "Both MMCs have military training and are highly skilled at hand-to-hand combat and firearms, while neither FMC has any fighting ability whatsoever."

So let's talk about different sets of characters today. 🧵
charliedeltawrites.bsky.social ❄️Charlie (Chelizabeth) Delta ☃️ @charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 3d
Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters

Let's talk fighting styles!

How does your character fight? Do they wield weapons? Magic? Are they a brawler? Or do they have a more sophisticated fighting style?

Or are they a pacifist who would never fight?

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
February 9, 2026 at 2:02 AM
eliwoodsgheist.bsky.social
Happy #AwesomeCharacters!

In Eyes Shine Silver in Moonlight, the Werewolves don't bother with weapons - they *are* the weapons 😊 hardware would just slow them down.

In Bludeye Beach, Edie very rarely attacks anyone directly. In the first book, she punches one guy in the face (deserved).
charliedeltawrites.bsky.social ❄️Charlie (Chelizabeth) Delta ☃️ @charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 3d
Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters

Let's talk fighting styles!

How does your character fight? Do they wield weapons? Magic? Are they a brawler? Or do they have a more sophisticated fighting style?

Or are they a pacifist who would never fight?

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
February 8, 2026 at 11:30 PM
Reposted by Eliwood S. Gheist
woodenvelt.bsky.social
#SundaySnips

Wren is having trouble getting to sleep.

From Thief of Death, a romantic fantasy about a priest of the dead and a thief with a heart of gold.

#WritingCommunity #Writingprompt #Wrencer #HQpress
Depending on the priest was a mistake. Letting herself get comfortable under his roof was an even bigger blunder, one Wren was watching herself make, seemingly without any ability to stop it. It was too easy sitting at the good brother’s table, listening to the silky timbre of his voice as he recounted his day; too serene nestled in his study, surrounded by the faintly dusty smell of old books and leather, basking in the sidelong smiles Spencer gifted her from time to time. Instead of inspiring a yearning for the tidy flat over her antique shop, the time spent under Spencer’s roof cast Wren’s memories of home in a harsh and lonely light. She had her own comfortable chairs, her own books, her own cozy kitchen not so far across the blue-gray sea, newer and finer than anything she’d find in the rectory. And yet, her single armchair beside the hearth seemed suddenly bereft, one of a matched set missing its mate. That her kitchen didn’t harbor a single wobbly seat had become a dire oversight. Even her bed linens, always soft against Wren’s skin, would be lacking without the faint scent of incense clinging to the weave.
February 8, 2026 at 2:37 PM
eliwoodsgheist.bsky.social
Happy #SundaySnips - Yearn!

Unfortunately I don't have the word itself, but I do have this snip from Eyes Shine Silver in Moonlight where Isabelle is yearning for something she already has, but doesn't understand or know how to keep.
He was kind. Too kind. Too gentle, and too caring. The look in his eyes after they’d kissed, the way his hands threatened to take her apart. The gentle reverence he held. I can’t do this unless I know you’re with me. Isabelle didn’t understand it. She didn’t understand why he wouldn’t just take as much as he wanted, so that she would know how to exist in a way that wouldn’t repulse him. How was she supposed to know how to be wanted, without understanding what Luke would take? That she would be heartbroken at the end of two months was a given. She already craved too much of him, and his gentle eyes. She’d fallen asleep inches away from him, in a bed too narrow to avoid touching. She never slept in the same bed as anyone else. Not ever.
February 8, 2026 at 1:25 PM
Reposted by Eliwood S. Gheist
professoremily.bsky.social
#Febchantment 7

Mireia uses a crystal to break out of a room.

The spell she does here (Deconstruction) isn't all that impressive itself...

What's impressive is that this is her 1st time using a crystal, with no training, & she does it intuitively without the "correct" incantation 👀
#Atlantis
The wall itself, she suddenly thought, was like the sea: not a single object, but a mass of infinitely small droplets that could be scattered and evaporated like water. That was all the whole world was, she saw. Every tree and rock and wave and building and person. Just uncountable clusters of droplets bumping against droplets, that could all be broken down and reshaped however she pleased. And beyond this world—beyond the walls of reality—there were other worlds, all made of droplets, all only droplets themselves in a vast sea of universes. And through it all, there was a current that flowed—a bloodstream. It was the same current now running between her body and that crystal. It was a snaking river that threaded the worlds together like beads on a string. It wove and sang and gusted through all the spaces between the droplets, and Mireia was the sail that could catch it. The energy was pulsing through her body, circulating through her veins. “There is no wall,” she declared, and her voice sounded low and strange, as if it belonged to someone else. “It’s only droplets. There is no wall! It’s only droplets!” A small light sparked to life inside the crystal. “What does she think she’s doing?” Xa’aba cried again. “I don’t believe it,” murmured Icozoue. Mireia pushed their voices out of her head, focusing just on the feeling of the crystal and the idea of dissolving the wall into the droplets it was. Her words became a chant, growing louder with each repetition. “There is no wall it’s only droplets! Break it down to nothing! Do as I say! THERE IS NO WALL IT’S ONLY DROPLETS!” The crystal seemed to vibrate in her hand, boiling over with energy. And an instant later, the wall before her rippled like the surface of a pool. It rippled again—it thrashed, it quaked—then the stones shattered into trembling particles, which all evaporated into empty air. And just like that, there was no wall. The water went gushing out through the opening, taking Mireia and the fish with it.
February 7, 2026 at 12:45 PM