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S. C. Mills

@scmillsbooks.bsky.social

1.1K followers 1.9K following 78 posts

🏳️‍🌈 Queer SFFH author 🪼 Viable Paradise 2025 📚 Fiction in Heartlines Spec, Frivolous Comma, elsewhere 🏆 NYC Midnight winner 🥋 Jiujitsu purple belt bio.site/scmills

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S. C. Mills @scmillsbooks.bsky.social · Aug 12

I’m so pleased to finally be able to share my winning NYC Midnight story with everyone.

I write about grief often—it’s how I process, and how I work though my fears. This story was no exception.

NYC Midnight @nycmidnight.bsky.social · Aug 12

We are proud to present the winning story from last year's 500-word Fiction Challenge! Read "Watchmaker's Hands" by
@scmillsbooks.bsky.social at nycmidnight.co/411DmwA. Original illustration by Yevgenia Nayberg. Enjoy, and get ready for this year's 500-word challenge kicking off on August 15th!

Watchmaker’s Hands — nycmidnight

Steady as the earth below, until they weren’t. Length: 500 words Year: 2024

nycmidnight.co

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S. C. Mills @scmillsbooks.bsky.social · 6h

Lucio is a court mage in Lamendo, an Imperial vassal state. When his rebel sister tries to assassinate Lamendo's puppet ruler—his amor—his illusion of safety by compliance shatters. Autistic trans MC, music-based magic. THE TRAITOR BARU CORMORANT x METAL FROM HEAVEN.

#DVPit #F #Novella #TV #Latine

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S. C. Mills @scmillsbooks.bsky.social · 1d

My story "His Soul Lives in the Air" is live on MetaStellar! I originally wrote this for a Writing Battle competition back in January.

read it: www.metastellar.com/fiction/flas...

& my blog post: www.scmills-books.com/blog/open-vein

Thank you @metastellar.bsky.social & @writingbattle.bsky.social!

His Soul Lives in the Air

Racing to see her dying grandmother, Rebecca confronts her fear of flying only to discover that some passengers carry more than just luggage from the past.

www.metastellar.com

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S. C. Mills @scmillsbooks.bsky.social · 2d

Congrats!

S. C. Mills @scmillsbooks.bsky.social · 7d

Apex’s kickstarter is open! Fund the (dark) arts!

Lesley Conner @lesleyconner.bsky.social · 7d

The Apex Magazine 2026 Kickstarter is LIVE!

Our initial goal is $20K to fund four issues for next year, with the opportunity to unlock issues five and six through stretch goals. I really, really want to go back to six issues a year! www.kickstarter.com/projects/ape...

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S. C. Mills @scmillsbooks.bsky.social · 23d

If Nahadoth isn’t a romantasy shadowdaddy, I don’t know who is 🥰

Reposted by S. C. Mills

Aggie Novak @aggie-novak.bsky.social · 28d

Excited to share my piece for Augur's micro fiction contest!
@augursociety.bsky.social l
#AugurMicros2025

Soothsayer for the 21st Century
by Aggie Novak

You come to me—
(fabric draped, costume jewelled, incense clouded).
You ask me real questions, but you don’t seek real answers.
You want—
Comfort. Platitudes.
It’s not your fault, there was nothing you could do.
Tell me, you ask—
What the future holds. Where I will be in 20 years.
How successful. How loved. How normal.
I draw the cards—
The Star, reversed. All hope gutters out.
The Tower. Cities, fire in their bones.
The World, reversed. The circle breaks.
Well? Your eyes wide, full of—
Hope, I say.
New constellations. Collapse clears the way.
The world resets.

@augursociety
#augurmicros2025

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S. C. Mills @scmillsbooks.bsky.social · 29d

thanks to @potentialyeti.bsky.social for bringing this into the world

ChatGPT fucks my wife and I'm really not all that pressed about it.
A natural evolution on our path to enlightenment, the fatal flaw made obsolete.
She enjoys the median output of the best lovers in history:
Alcibiades' favorite positions, King Edward's lessons from the sex chair. Cleopatra's dominating presence, Solomon's finest poetry, in a package just the right size, delivered how and when she wants it—
Work smarter, not harder, right?
It sends me an automated email to let me know the labor I've conserved in a weekly insights report: Hours logged, achievements reached, orgasms tallied.
It saves me on average 15 minutes a day, every day, that I can spend checking my email.
But I press my ear against the door, sometimes, and wonder what I'm missing.
- Abigail Sims

S. C. Mills @scmillsbooks.bsky.social · 29d

Congrats writer friend! I loved beta reading this and I'm thrilled to see it in print.

Jaime Gill @jaimegill.bsky.social · 29d

This makes me so happy I could cry. Black Sky, Blue Earth - my aching story about climate collapse & personal rebirth - is the lead story in this year’s @oysterriverpages.bsky.social. It has a lot of my soul in it. Please read it & all of Oyster River’s work

www.oysterriverpages.com/black-sky-bl...

S. C. Mills @scmillsbooks.bsky.social · Sep 1

Do I regret making the original deadline? No. Do I feel serious FOMO about the extra 15 days? Absolutely I do

S. C. Mills @scmillsbooks.bsky.social · Aug 31

Today’s horror story inspo

Insta Science @instascience.bsky.social · Aug 31

Stunning footage of a rare dark coloured deer, with estimates suggesting they make up less than 1% of all deer.

S. C. Mills @scmillsbooks.bsky.social · Aug 31

Just sent in a novelette and a novella! Gonna be tough to type for the next 12-16 weeks with all my fingers crossed.

Augur Society | Augur Issue 8.1 is NOW LIVE ! @augursociety.bsky.social · Jul 7

HEY SFF WRITERS 👋✨

We want your books.

So we can acquire them.

And print them.

For our ✨🪶 SOON TO BE LAUNCHED PRESS 🪶✨

Submissions are open until August 30. 12.5k-40k words.

Guidelines are live on our site, found down-thread.

Pass it on 👀

Augur press novella and novelette submissions now open! Be a part of augur press’ debut line up. We’re looking for works from 12,500-40,000 words to launch as print books in 2027-2029. Canadian & international authors welcomed. Open July 6-August 30. Guidelines at augursociety.org/press-submissions.

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S. C. Mills @scmillsbooks.bsky.social · Aug 27

Putting the finishing touches on a novella and a novelette to send your way! Not even feeling the slightest amount of deadline stress, nope, none at all 😅

S. C. Mills @scmillsbooks.bsky.social · Aug 26

Another scary one by talented horror author (and my friend) Rachel Savage.

Rachel Savage @rachelsavagewrites.bsky.social · Aug 26

Super stoked to have my weird little story published in @dogthroat.com. They've got some rad stories on there. Y'all should go check them out. Especially The Rapture Machine by Joshua Walker. Talk about gorgeous.

The Night Mothman Crashed On Black Mountain And Other Lies I Told Myself by Rachel Savage

That particular night, I’d escaped from the trailer out my window, The Night Mothman Crashed On Black Mountain And Other Lies I Told Myself by Rachel Savage

dogthroat.com

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S. C. Mills @scmillsbooks.bsky.social · Aug 12

NYC Midnight @nycmidnight.bsky.social · Aug 12

Watchmaker’s Hands — nycmidnight

Steady as the earth below, until they weren’t. Length: 500 words Year: 2024

nycmidnight.co

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S. C. Mills @scmillsbooks.bsky.social · Jul 18

This story will make you cackle, especially if you live in and love the PNW

Ben Daggers @bendaggerswrites.bsky.social · Jul 18

One of my comedy pieces has just been published by Egg+Frog. Check it out below:
eggplusfrog.com/flash-report...

flash: Reporter Notes for the Artisanal Vendor of the Year Contest – EGG+FROG

eggplusfrog.com

S. C. Mills @scmillsbooks.bsky.social · Jul 18

Congrats to my writer friend ES, and the other finalists and winners. Well deserved!

Indigo Rue @indigorue.bsky.social · Jul 18

Congratulations to the 2025 WestWord Prize Winners and Finalists! @retreatwest.bsky.social
@quickasaflash.bsky.social, @joycewhitevance.bsky.social, Charlie Swailes, Bethan Crymble, Dreena Collins, and Andrew Stancek

Please check out their stories and mine here:

WestWord Prize 2025 Winners

Read the winning and shortlisted stories

westword.substack.com

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S. C. Mills @scmillsbooks.bsky.social · Jul 15

I saw them at a festival in 2019. Also cried through half the set. RIP

S. C. Mills @scmillsbooks.bsky.social · Jul 15

Whenever I spend the day crying,
my friends tell me I look high. Good grief,

they finally understand me.
Even when the arena is empty, I thank god

for the shots I miss. If you ever catch me
only thanking god for the shots I make,

remind me I’m not thanking god.

Reposted by S. C. Mills

Theo Transcendragons @theodoresnapdragon.bsky.social · Jul 13

Loyalty, love, and life are at war in MAGE BY BLOOD.
- #OwnVoices trans man MC 🏳️‍⚧️
- Magic rune tattoos ✨
- Unique fantasy world 🌌
- Focus on sibling relationships 👥
- Broken family dynamics 💔
- Fierce women 🗡️
- Queer relationships 🏳️‍🌈
- Lies, betrayals, secrets ❤️‍🔥
#BluePit📖 #A #F #Q #TR #OV #bluepit

An edit of a movie poster with a dark background. It features a pale outstretched hand with smoke coming up, apparently emitted by the hand. Over the image are the words “Mage By Blood” in red letters. In smaller white letters are the names Theodore Snapdragon, Izak Biralei, Theodoric Heirdic, Adaline Helmorpus, and Nalai Biralei. In the bottom in yellow letters is the questions “Where do your loyalties lie?”

Art of a huge, bleached tree in red grass with a light glowing in from of it. Art of a massive tree in red grass with the words “Mage By Blood” and my instagram handle @transcendragons over it

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Reposted by S. C. Mills

Fox Rivera (she/her) @talesofavixen.bsky.social · Jul 13

Yo #BluePit I'm a #POC #TR #DIS author, #Q -ing my #NA #HS #F novel "What God Made Shark" for #BluePit📖

A runaway slave turned sky-pirate fights a church of holy dragon riders in a world inspired by the indigenous cultures of the Caribbean & Ireland. #POC & ##LGBT cast. #FreedomIsSomethingYouTake

Text on a background depicting two sailing ships in rough seas.

The text reads:
What is What God Made Shark?

WHAT GOD MADE SHARK (70,000) is a fantasy novel about the relationship between responsibility, systemic power, and personal liberty. It uses Caribbean and Celtic folklore to build an allegory for the European exploitation of native communities and unearths the stories of indigenous bravery buried by years of colonizer-led history. The world within has a similarly rich cultural fingerprint to that of Natalia Hernandez’s The Name Bearer, addresses complex issues inspired by real history in step with those found in R.F. Kuang’s The Poppy War, and the high stakes swashbuckling action fans of Falencia Jean-Francois’s Devil of the Deep will love. Readers prioritizing femme BIPOC leads, compelling queer casts, and narratives aiming to both entertain and impact will want WHAT GOD MADE SHARK in their hands.

Text on a background depicting two sailing ships in rough seas.

The text reads: What God Made Shark Plot Pitch:

Thanks to the magic of star-sugar, the ships of Brae Cairn have gone from surfing the sea to sailing the sky. But the greed of northern crowns comes at a cost, paid in blood by the enslaved indigenous people of the Viridis Isle forced to cut their cane. One of these slaves, Zailvia, refuses to obey and so becomes cursed by an omniscient basilisk, sleeping as ink on her skin. Faced with the rope, she flees to the Rosethorn, a pirate vessel captained by the esoteric Lilyvine. Aboard, Zail learns to hold heavy responsibility as a sailor and take what’s rightfully hers as a pirate.
Hunting her is Tadgh, a dragon rider drafted by the church of the Great Wyrm, who’s chance to become the first dragoon of their crown conquered homeland hinges on capturing the basilisk bearer alive. The church elders watch them closely, ready to snatch their precious yet precarious privilege at the first misstep. Tadgh must become a merciless dragoon, the walking heat of His sun, or risk dying a worthless dog.
As slave and soldier, Zail and Tadgh cyclone around one another in a hurricane of hearts. They force each other to look inward and ask what they are willing to do to break their chains while both learning that freedom isn’t something you are given, it’s something you take.

Text on a background depicting two sailing ships in rough seas.

The text reads:

Why What God Made Shark?

Sapphic Sky Pirates
Dragon Riders
Authentic Indigenous Caribbean and Irish folklore
Inspired by the Golden Age of Piracy (18th century)
BIPOC & Trans leads
Enemies to Allies (and maybe more?)
Magic tattoos & Sword fights
Loveable animal companions
Black & Boricua Trans Author
Anti-colonial themes
#FreedomIsSomethingYouTake

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S. C. Mills @scmillsbooks.bsky.social · Jul 13

Lucio is a reluctantly loyal court mage in an Imperial vassal state. When his rebel sister attempts to assassinate the local puppet ruler—Lucio’s not-so-secret amor—his illusion of safety by compliance shatters. He must protect his family, even from each other.

#BluePit 📖 #Q #A #OV #TR #LGBT #F #R

S. C. Mills @scmillsbooks.bsky.social · Jul 13

THE ELEGY AT LAKE LAMENDO

THE TRAITOR BARU CORMORANT x A TASTE OF GOLD AND IRON
✨ Dark second-world fantasy novella
☀️ Pre-Colombian Americas inspired setting
✊ Queer found family vs. the Empire
🎶 Music-based magic system
🏳️‍⚧️ Trans MMC
🏳️‍🌈 Royal/servant M/M romance

#BluePit 📖 #Q #A #OV #TR #LGBT #F #R

Moodboard: instruments (flute and rattle), sheet music, desert at night, a lake in a cave, a jail cell, adobe homes.

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Reposted by S. C. Mills

wott is querying! @wottenmoss.bsky.social · Jul 13

NETTLE & BONE x DARK AND DROWNING TIDE

💕clueless lesbians
☠️perilous journey
🌲mildly haunted forest
🍄giant mushrooms
✨ill advised rituals
🌈queer & autistic cast
🎶original music composed by the author

#BluePit #BluePit📖 #Q #F #LGBT #TR #ND #OV

wott is querying! @wottenmoss.bsky.social · Jul 13

A troublemaker chosen by the spirits breaks an ancient tradition to keep her best friend (not her crush, obviously) by her side, resulting in deadly–and possibly apocalyptic–consequences

#BluePit📖 #Q #F #LGBT #ND #TR #OV #agentguide #agentsguide

Text: an agent’s guide to WHEN THE MAGPIE FLIES by M. H. Wottenmoss. 75k queer fantasy, adult/upper YA, series potential
Light blue-gray black ground with a flock of birds

Pitch:
In a realm overgrown with wild spiritwoods, humanity’s only protection is the Conduits. Newly-chosen Conduit and incurable troublemaker Magpie of Lornwhen has everything she’s ever wanted at her fingertips. All she has to do is complete her journey of ascension through the spiritwoods, and then she’ll live the privileged life of one of humanity’s beloved defenders. She’ll never have to worry about struggling to survive again.

But Magpie has never been good at doing what she’s told, and when she breaks an ancient tradition, the spirits start killing off the fledgling Conduits—and it seems like it’s her fault. Besieged on all sides by threats from humans and spirits alike, Magpie is faced with an impossible choice: abandon her dreams, or risk losing her best friend forever.

But the wheels of fate have been set in motion, and it may be too late to save themselves—a ravenous darkness looms in the sky, and it's been waiting a long time for humankind’s defenses to waver.

Excerpt:
You couldn’t always see the Shadow in the sky; most of the time it was a tiny spot of darkness marring the daytime sky like an inverse star. It wasn’t something you could set your clock or your compass to, either. It changed size and shape and location with no clear pattern.

The hedgemages liked to try and divine some sort of meaning from it, which was a bit dumb in Mag’s opinion. The Shadow was what it was. Sometimes it was bigger. Sometimes it was smaller.

Sometimes it swallowed the entire sky.

Mag didn’t mind, really. It was usually a great excuse to take a nap. Unfortunately, sitting on a shallow ledge twelve stories high wasn't really a good place for that. It was only marginally worse than napping on top of the giant mushrooms in the spiritwoods, and Mag… would not admit to doing that anywhere Calla might overhear.

A line-drawing scene of forested mountains and giant colorful mushrooms, with a dark shadow in the sky and a bird flying toward it.

Featuring text:
-monstrous spirits
-mildly haunted forest
-giant mushrooms
-ill advised rituals
-slow burn sapphic romance
-autism rep
-introspective, hopeful, and fun
-a Shadow in the sky that occasionally swallows the sun
-original music composed by the author

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Reposted by S. C. Mills

Jazmin Conde Nuñez @jcondenunez.bsky.social · Jul 13

🩸👑💀PENNY DREADFUL x HERCULES

Gothic horror meets Greek mythology in this epic historical fantasy novel about gods of the underworld & their family drama, slaying monsters, breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma, and falling in love along the way to Hell

#BluePit📖 #Q #HS #F #R #A #POC #LGBT

moodboard: from top left clockwise, foggy picture of london, a rose on fire, a closeup of a hazel eye, a sword, a vampire, rome, a woman with red lipstick and a veil over her eyes, a wolf howling, a silhouette of two people about to kiss with a red and black color scheme, and THE BLOOD OF A DIVINE in the center

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Reposted by S. C. Mills

Zed Prospero @zprospero.bsky.social · Jul 13

GOOD OMENS X THE OFFICE

Virgil Mora, Hell's Consultant, has 3 months to turn the business around to save Lucifer, the angel he's fallen for, getting a celestial pink slip.

But his old job, and mistakes, come back to haunt him. Literally.

#BluePit 📖 #W #A #F #LGBT #ND

A magazine style cover on an orange background surmounted with the title "Hell is Work"

There's a dark picture of a silhouetted businessman lit by a wall of fire burning behind him.

The text:
VIRGIL MORA - The Consultant

"We will restore heaven's faith in Hell"

Hell Is Empty and all the demons are in polo shirts

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Reposted by S. C. Mills

🌱 El(iza)beth 🌬️ K 🔥 T 🌊 @arachnereid.bsky.social · Jul 13

Clan of the Cave Bear x A Psalm for the Wild-Built

Long after collapse, an empath leads a quest across the former US to retrieve a key to peace.
Her mission becomes about more than saving her people; it offers humanity a way forward in a world desperately in need of change.
#BluePit 📖 #SP #Q #CliFi

a hand drawn map of a route across a sea-risen US, superimposed over a background of hopeful leaves sprouting from trees in an sunset sky over the Earth

elemental magic
visions
survival skills
climate fiction
#clifi
indigenous futurism
plant medicine
meditation
wilderness
permaculture
neotribalism
community
backpacking
post-apocalyptic
hopepunk

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