Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

St John Starling (evil now)

@stjohnstarling.bsky.social

550 followers 94 following 630 posts

Retired jazz musician | Author of What Manner of Man | He/him | Mostly on Tumblr 🦇 Blog: https://stjohnstarling.tumblr.com 🦇 Newsletter/read for free: https://stjohnstarling.substack.com 🦇 BUY WMOM: https://stjohnstarling.itch.io/what-manner-of-man

stjohnstarling.tumblr.com

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

St John Starling (evil now) @stjohnstarling.bsky.social · Apr 14

St John Starling; bird of ill omen and author of queer novels of subversive high camp. My artist and editor is
@beastliness.bsky.social

What Manner of Man: a blasphemous gothic romance about a priest and a vampire
Follow my work: stjohnstarling.substack.com
Patreon: www.patreon.com/stjohnstarling

16 25

St John Starling (evil now) @stjohnstarling.bsky.social · 5d

Festive tidings! 🎃 This week on Patreon, I bring you the first weekly update on my progress with A Companion in Vice of Halloween — this week: disentangling a rat's nest of plot threads.

The Best Laid Plans of Monsters and Men -> www.patreon.com/posts/best-l...

2 2

St John Starling (evil now) @stjohnstarling.bsky.social · 12d

Today on Patreon: some reflections on my protagonist and the manner in which the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

Lend a Hand -> www.patreon.com/posts/lend-h...

1 1 1

Reposted by St John Starling (evil now)

Mal @malacandrax.bsky.social · 15d

Is Father Eugene...you know? 🧚‍♂️

1 9 55

Reposted by St John Starling (evil now)

Hari Conner @haridraws.bsky.social · 16d

🩸 OUT TODAY 🥀
Disappear into a dark forest and get seduced, devoured, and perhaps escape your job for good, in NIGHT AT THE VAMPIRE CASTLE: A choose-your-own-romance for adult readers

✶ No experience needed
✶ Replayable
✶ Illustrated
& out now www.hari-illustration.com/natvc

Hari holding a copy of the book 'night at the vampire castle' while wearing a suitably vampiric shirt with a ruffly collar - the graphic reads 'out today!'

Photo of an open copy of the book 'night at the vampire castle' where you can see the text and an illustration of an ominous castle on a stormy night

10 65 140

Reposted by St John Starling (evil now)

Ram Lightly @ramlightly.bsky.social · 15d

I just wanted to draw some smooches ❤️

13 210 950

St John Starling (evil now) @stjohnstarling.bsky.social · 14d

ADORABLE

St John Starling (evil now) @stjohnstarling.bsky.social · 14d

This is one of the things that Disco Elysium knocks out of the park.

St John Starling (evil now) @stjohnstarling.bsky.social · 14d

The more fantastic the baseline of your setting, the harder it becomes to convince your reader that they should be impressed by any particular fantastic thing in it.

1 1

St John Starling (evil now) @stjohnstarling.bsky.social · 23d

I want to see the Distant Ominous Music on tour

Reposted by St John Starling (evil now)

☀Hyde Angelus☀ ➡️ GGC @hydeangelus.bsky.social · Sep 7

15 340 1.5K

St John Starling (evil now) @stjohnstarling.bsky.social · Sep 7

🙇‍♂️

Goth Auntie @cupcakegoth.bsky.social · Sep 7

Greetings from the 2025 Vampire Masquerade Ball!

The line to dedicate yourself to me as a thrall begins stage left.

1 4

Reposted by St John Starling (evil now)

Hari Conner @haridraws.bsky.social · Sep 2

Art previews for my new vampire choose-your-own book (out 3 weeks today in the US!!) - including more romanceable NPCs, part 2 🥘🐶💦 with extra art and ending illustrations by @malacandrax.bsky.social

www.hari-illustration.com/natvc

B&W art previews from the interiors of the book 'night at the vampire castle' by Hari - snippets of a man's hand on a battered armchair in a dark private library full of old books...

Graphic with B&W art previews from the interiors of the book 'night at the vampire castle' from the guest artist Mal Marwood, showing snippets of male characters - one seems to be bearded in a knit jumper, opening the lid of a cooking pot in a cosy scene. The other looks... wolfier

2 18 67

St John Starling (evil now) @stjohnstarling.bsky.social · Sep 2

I was such a good patient, the dentist gave me extra teeth. Just as a treat.

St John Starling (evil now) @stjohnstarling.bsky.social · Sep 2

Survived the dentist. 👍

1 4

Reposted by St John Starling (evil now)

☀Hyde Angelus☀ ➡️ GGC @hydeangelus.bsky.social · Sep 1

Shop Update!!
I just made a batch of my first paper bookmarks :) and there's new stickers, prints, and mini prints. I'm having sales on a lot of things!! There's still some shirts and prints left to help out my friend, too!

You can find it all here !
hydeangelus.bigcartel.com 💗

2 48 100

St John Starling (evil now) @stjohnstarling.bsky.social · Sep 1

The first rule of unethical human experimentation is to have fun and be yourself.

1 5

Reposted by St John Starling (evil now)

☀Hyde Angelus☀ ➡️ GGC @hydeangelus.bsky.social · Sep 1

5 41 230

St John Starling (evil now) @stjohnstarling.bsky.social · Aug 31

Repeating firmly to myself that I can be trusted around beautiful, haunted-looking boys - I will not bind them half-naked to a tree or marble column and shoot them full of holes with my bow and arrow.

4 12

St John Starling (evil now) @stjohnstarling.bsky.social · Aug 31

to assesses how the work would come across to you if you weren't the author. Learning how to fill the role of your own audience will make you a far better writer.

St John Starling (evil now) @stjohnstarling.bsky.social · Aug 31

“Write for yourself” really shouldn’t be a license to write like nobody but you exists. Instead, it's a call to adopt another perspective - to step back from the process of creation and read what you've written as if someone else wrote it -

1 1 5

St John Starling (evil now) @stjohnstarling.bsky.social · Aug 30

If you’re self-publishing, it’s a good idea to know what real, existing people you’re writing your novel for from the very first stages of conceiving of your story.

St John Starling (evil now) @stjohnstarling.bsky.social · Aug 30

and slowly be dragged by the undertow of online social pressure into becoming the same as everyone else.

1 4

St John Starling (evil now) @stjohnstarling.bsky.social · Aug 30

If you can’t bear spending time reflecting in a practical, material way on who you want to read your novel and how you’re going to get their attention, you’re likely going to fall backwards into whatever the marketing trends of the moment are-

1 6

St John Starling (evil now) @stjohnstarling.bsky.social · Aug 29

💜💜💜💜💜

St John Starling (evil now) @stjohnstarling.bsky.social · Aug 29

Getting people to read your novel is an undertaking almost as difficult as writing the novel itself, and it’s worth approaching with the same care and thoughtfulness. If what you’re doing feels humiliating, it’s probably not worth doing. You have more agency over this than you think.

1 13