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Susanne Schmidt

@sharkiatwrites.bsky.social

1.3K followers 770 following 860 posts

Horror/Fantasy Author. BBNYA 2024 finalist. SFINCS 1 semi-finalist. Dabbler in Digital Art. Grower of Pumpkins. Creator of the Spooky Thread / Spooky Spotlight. Website: https://susanneschmidt.me Links: https://linktr.ee/susanneschmidtauthor

susanneschmidt.me

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Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · Jul 11

Did you know I write a horror series called the Order of the Strawberry Circle? Think Coraline, but set in a small town in Germany with monsters out of local folklore.
It's wide and filled with my weird illustrations. I highly recommend starting with Bad Grains (the Halloween one!).

Links 🔽

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Reposted by Susanne Schmidt

Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 14h

Tired of being recommended the same 10 books? The Under-Rated bundle is here to bring you tons of hidden gems.

itch.io/b/3305/under...

📦 📚 💙

Itch.io under-rated bundle Oct 9th to 13th
Bringing attention to the best books you've never heard of.

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Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 14h

Tired of being recommended the same 10 books? The Under-Rated bundle is here to bring you tons of hidden gems.

itch.io/b/3305/under...

📦 📚 💙

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Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 2d

Wallpaper is the worst.

Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 2d

The other day, someone found out I'm a writer and asked me if I write "real" books, and idk what that means?
What's a not-real book? Not trad-pubbed? Not available in the bookstore down the road? Or was it meant as novel-length vs. short stories?

Reposted by Susanne Schmidt

Alan K. Dell @alankdell.bsky.social · 5d

Man, If I can't fuckin sell my spooky book during spooky season wtf am I even doing? 😂

Alan K. Dell @alankdell.bsky.social · 6d

Grab a new Event Horizon-inspired cosmic horror for #SpookySeason 🎃

A rescue mission to a stranded starship turns into a nightmare for Helene Cross and her crew when their minds are ensnared by an entity from beyond the stars.

books2read.com/thego...
alankdell.itch.io/th...

📢📚 | 🩸📚🪐 | 🤏📚

Tablet mockup of The God Sun on the right in front of a space background of an ominous red dwarf star. On the right are selected review extracts. The text reads: “Brutal, bloody, and disturbing”, “Brilliant read. Well written. 100% recommended”, and “It had that creeping discomfort I’ve come to expect from space sci-fi stories that lean towards the dark side”. Underneath the book, the text reads: “Available widely. Books2read.com/thegodsun.”

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Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 6d

A recommendation for Rotten Roots! (Also, the first time I've been called someone's favorite horror author. That feels like a major milestone. Thank you, Nils!)

Read Indie Fantasy.com @blog.readindiefantasy.com · 6d

(reposted with image alt text)

Hey all, Nils here.
Apparently, spooky season is upon us, and I want to kick it off by sharing my thoughts on a short story by my favourite horror author, Rotten Roots, by @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social

www.readindiefantasy.com/book-recomme...

Banner image for the Book Recommendation of Rotten Roots. The banner has the cover of the book on top of a very grainy, monochrome image of some book shelves.

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Reposted by Susanne Schmidt

Courtney Milan @courtneymilan.com · 7d

Hey authors, the official list of Anthropic works is available for searching.

secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/lookup

Submit a Claim

secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com

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Reposted by Susanne Schmidt

Read Indie Fantasy.com @blog.readindiefantasy.com · 7d

We've got a big announcement to make! For the entire month of November, we're going to be hosting an event celebrating indie and self-published SFF authors that we're calling... A Month of Rain and Reads!

But we'd like YOU to get involved! Find out more:
www.readindiefantasy.com/announcing-a...

A banner image showing a planner with autumnal decorations and stickers along with calligraphy spelling out A Month of Rain and Reads. There is a stack of indie books in the background and a cup of coffee.

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Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 8d

😂 That makes the thought of fake discord communities a lot less scary. All the bots will be very enthusiastically asking you about 'Untitled' as well.

Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 8d

Oh good, now they're adding fake discord communities to this scam. 🙃

Lili Saintcrow @lilithsaintcrow.com · 8d

"Basically, if you have a published book, you're a target."

Genre Grapevine: Book Club Scams Are a Warning of Emerging AI Super-Scams

"...offering what's being called the book club scam, something a large number of authors have received in recent weeks."

www.patreon.com

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Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 8d

If you missed out on the Spooky Bundle and are in need of spooky books, this is just a reminder that you can get Bad Grains, Whiteout, and Rotten Roots for just $5 until the end of October.

itch.io/s/159971/str...

Strawberry Circle Spooky Season Bundle by Susanne Schmidt

A bundle by Susanne Schmidt, $4.99 for Bad Grains (The Order of the Strawberry Circle Book 1), Whiteout (The Order of the Strawberry Circle Book 2), Rotten Roots

itch.io

Reposted by Susanne Schmidt

A.M. Weald - buy Fimbulvinter's Fires ❤️‍🔥 @amweald.com · 8d

TOMORROW ❤️‍🔥

"Fimbulvinter's Fires"

🥶 apocalyptic survival horror
🌈 gay man x pan enby (achillean) 🌶️
🗣️ language barrier + conlang
❄️ there's only one snow shelter
😩 hurt/comfort
🪓 touch him and die
🤬 be gay do vengeance

🩸📚🪐📚💙📚🌈🚀💫💜😱
Info: amweald.com/fires

tomorrow
Crash into this queer
sci-fi snowpocalypse

fimbulvinter's fires character Art description: Ash and Leim (pronounced Lime) embracing tenderly during a blizzard wearing parkas. Ash is shorter by a head with light brown skin and dark hair and beard. Leim who is embracing Ash from behind is tall, pale-grey, with grey-blonde hair, and has a bony ridge running up the center of their forehead. Leim has their hand over Ash's, and Ash's hand is placed over his own heart. They both have their eyes closed as if relieved and taking a moment to just hold one another as a blizzard rages around them.

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Reposted by Susanne Schmidt

Sloth & Envy Press @slothandenvy.com · 9d

Subs open through Sep 30th! It’s not too late to submit your art/stories!

Toad Shade Zine @toadshadezine.com · 14d

We've had two stories withdrawn from this submission period! I love congratulating people for getting their work published.

But just a reminder that We're All Going to Die is open for subs for one more week!
toadshadezine.com/submissions/
#horrorwriting #zine #fuckAI

Submissions – Toad Shade Zine

ToadShadeZine.com

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Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 10d

3 Hours Left! Get it now.

Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 10d

Only 14 hours left to grab the Spooky Bundle! 🎃👻🍂

Lots of great scares, tons of different kinds of horror.
For a limited time only, snatch up 25 spooky, scary, and terrifying reads for only $13.

itch.io/b/3260/spook...

#bookbundle #horrorlit 📚💙 🩸📚💀

Books in the bundle:
Books and Bone by Veo Corva
Engagement To Die For by Claris Lam
The Young Necromancer's Guide to Ghosts by Vanessa Ricci-Thode
Bad Grains (The Order of the Strawberry Circle Book 1) by Susanne Schmidt
Magical Mayhem by Niranjan
Ghosts of the Catacombs (Parisian Ghosts 1) by Janna Ruth
The Mansion by Niranjan
Yverwood Witches [Complete Collection] by Amara Lynn
A Haunting at Hartwell Hall by Rachel Bowdler/Bryony Rosehurst
Black Masquerade: The Third Nightmare by Stuart Tudor
Our Broken World: The Fourth Nightmare by Stuart Tudor
Bailuchien by Rebecca Crunden
Haze by Rebecca Crunden
Ghosts of the Crusade (Parisian Ghosts 2) by Janna Ruth
Water's Edge by Ellie Lieberman
The Dark Side of Super by Matthew Siadak
The God Sun by Alan K. Dell
Dark Heart of Ilmoure by Cara N. Delaney
Lantern by Burgundy Athena Pendragon
My Lord by L. B. Shimaira
Claimed by the Undead by C.L. Carhart
Rotten Roots by Susanne Schmidt
A Whisper of Leaves by Ashley Capes
5:37 by A. P. Howell
The Ghost in the Machine by Natasha O'Connor

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Reposted by Susanne Schmidt

Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 10d

🧵 A hobby of mine that I seldomly talk about is that I'm obsessed with Korean murder shows aka #kdramas about serial killers.

My all time favorite is probably Beyond Evil which is just so good and also sad and tragic. The story twists and turns until you suspect absolutely everybody.

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Reposted by Susanne Schmidt

The Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship @thesfincs.bsky.social · 10d

Interested in seeing which teams are reading which novellas? Check out the team allocations and learn about the teams!
#writers
#booksky💙📚🪐
www.sfincscompetition.com/sfincs3

SFINCS3 | The Speculative Fict

www.sfincscompetition.com

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Reposted by Susanne Schmidt

Shimaira ⛥ @shimaira.com · 10d

Last 4 hours ⏳ claim it while you can!
itch.io/b/3260/spook...

🩸📚😱📢📚💙 #DiscountBooks

Shimaira ⛥ @shimaira.com · 13d

There's a change in the air, and (if you're in the northern hemisphere) days are getting shorter…
🎃 Spooky season is coming 🦇
If you want a headstart, go grab these 25 spooky books for just $13 🙌 (Regularly $80😱 Save 83%! 🔥)
itch.io/b/3260/spook...
~
🩸📚😱📢📚💙 #DiscountBooks

Spooky bundle on itch dot io.
Books in the bundle:
Books and Bone by Veo Corva
Engagement To Die For by Claris Lam
The Young Necromancer's Guide to Ghosts by Vanessa Ricci-Thode
Bad Grains by Susanne Schmidt
Magical Mayhem by Niranjan
Ghosts of the Catacombs by Janna Ruth
The Mansion by Niranjan
Yverwood Witches [Complete Collection] by Amara Lynn
A Haunting at Hartwell Hall by Rachel Bowdler/Bryony Rosehurst
Black Masquerade: The Third Nightmare by Stuart Tudor
Our Broken World: The Fourth Nightmare by Stuart Tudor
Bailuchien by Rebecca Crunden
Haze by Rebecca Crunden
Ghosts of the Crusade by Janna Ruth
Water's Edge by Ellie Lieberman
The Dark Side of Super by Matthew Siadak
The God Sun by Alan K. Dell
Dark Heart of Ilmoure by Cara N. Delaney
Lantern by Burgundy Athena Pendragon
My Lord by L. B. Shimaira
Claimed by the Undead by C.L. Carhart
Rotten Roots by Susanne Schmidt
A Whisper of Leaves by Ashley Capes
5:37 by A. P. Howell
The Ghost in the Machine by Natasha O'Connor

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Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 10d

If I write a first draft on the Remarkable and later edit in Scrivener, which uses curlies, you'll easily get those same inconsistencies. The apostrophes especially are hard to even notice and edit out, even when you know to look for them.

(3/3)

Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 10d

Also, on the topic of quotation marks and apostrophes: My Remarkable uses straight quotation marks and apostrophes.

(2/3)

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Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 10d

Some good points here, but I can't help but worry that these signs can easily also be found in human writing.
Of course, the em-dashes are mentioned and I'll say it again: Us writers like using them, too. That's why the LLMs use them, because they are trained on our books and articles, etc.
(1/3)

Mike Dickison @adzebill.bsky.social · Aug 31

Wikipedia editors trying to fend off the onslaught of AI crap have crowdsourced some telltale signs of LLM-generated writing; it might be handy for editors and proofreaders generally. Thanks to @ellenrykers.com for pointing me to it. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...

Wikipedia:Signs of AI writing - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

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Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 10d

If you like the topic of killers, make sure to also check out my #SpookySpotlight for this week.

bsky.app/profile/shar...

Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 12d

#Horror fans
it's #SpookySpotlight time! This week I'm featuring two killer stories by @amweald.com and @jalentellisbooks.bsky.social + an interview with A.M. Weald.

Got artwork or a story of your own that fits the theme? Feel free to share it in the thread!

#artshare #bookshare
💙 📚 👀 🩸 📚 💀

Spooky Spotlight graphic by Susanne Schmidt featuring a drawing of a blond girl with braids in an old-fashioned pink dress. She is holding a bloody ax, with bloodstains on her dress and hands as well.

Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 10d

...most of whom work at a smalltown supermarket and all of whom look suspicious. I think it is such a good piece on societal expectations and those who don't conform and how quickly non-conformers can become persons of interest in investigations.

Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 10d

The Killer's Shopping list. I just finished watching this one last night and it became the inspiration behind this post. It's fun, it only has 8 episodes, so it keeps moving at a fast pace, and I loved what they did with the characters...

Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 10d

Through the Darkness is the Korean version of Mindhunters, following the first unit that seriously looks at serial killers in Korea and referencing real life cases.
I'm a huge Mindhunters fan, but I liked Through the Darkness even more, partially because we get a finished story.

Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 10d

Stranger has a neurodivergent main character who completely ignores the hierarchies of Korean society and isn't exactly polite, but he's a damn good investigator and paired with the right team it's a joy to watch him work.