R. Ruhl is Querying🌙
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writingruhls.bsky.social
R. Ruhl is Querying🌙
@writingruhls.bsky.social
140 followers 110 following 260 posts
Querying a horror novel!

MFA in Writing Popular Fiction. HWA member. STEM background. History, astronomy, & Renaissance fair fan. Friend of a fussy dachshund. I'm a cane user and my work focuses on disability rep.

https://linktr.ee/raruhl
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writingruhls.bsky.social
🎃👻
"I gotta focus" meme template with George Constanza from Seinfeld. It's edited to say "I gotta focus. I'm shifting into gothic mode."
October 31, 2025 at 1:04 AM
writingruhls.bsky.social
1 day till Halloween. Wanted to share these awesome pumpkins my mom carved! I drew the face on the little one 😄
Three jack o' lanterns. The first one is carved with a cat, bat, and jack o' lantern. The second one has a jagged smile and large eyes. The third one has a tiny happy face.
October 30, 2025 at 1:02 PM
writingruhls.bsky.social
The Scald Crow by Grace Daly is out today! I received an ARC and had nightmares about how it might end until I finished it. A woman is haunted by supernatural occurrences and undiagnosed chronic pain that make her question her perceptions of reality. And there's a cat!
#booksky 📚💙 #horror #halloween
Two books are labelled as such: "Unwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World" + "Celtic Myths" = The cover of "The Scald Crow" has a tuxedo cat holding a bloody bird.
October 14, 2025 at 3:16 PM
writingruhls.bsky.social
Getting ready for fall with some tiny pumpkins and chilling reads! Featuring:
The Macabre by @kosokojackson.bsky.social
The Rust Maidens by @gwendolynkiste.bsky.social
A preorder of America's Most Gothic by @leannareneehieber.bsky.social
#booksky #halloween #horror #autumn
Two books, The Macabre and The Rust Maidens, are on an orange leaf print background. Two white pumpkins. The cover of America's Most Gothic: Haunted History Stranger than Fiction, captioned "Preordered: coming 9/30!"
September 22, 2025 at 11:47 PM
writingruhls.bsky.social
My TBR list watching me do nothing but reread the Murderbot series (TFW your comfort media is the story about the character who fixates on comfort media):
#booksky
The Pillsbury doughboy has an alarmed/judgemental expression.
August 29, 2025 at 1:52 PM
writingruhls.bsky.social
Put together the animal crossing birthday party set today for my birthday 💜
The "Julian's birthday party" animal crossing Lego set with mini figures around a table with cake, presents, and a cherry blossom tree.
August 23, 2025 at 3:50 PM
writingruhls.bsky.social
#QueerPit #A #H
Summary and more info about Half Sick of Shadows, the gothic horror novel I'm querying. This info can also be found at my website, which is linked in my bio!

The moon and stars bear constant witness as the plot unfolds. A night-sky background for this post is only fitting. 🌓✨
Half Sick of Shadows is inspired by Dracula with a Lovecraftian tone and told through disability and queer lenses. This novel will resonate with anyone who’s doomscrolled on diagnosis websites. In a setting inspired by the Gilded Age with a modern approach to diversity, historian Aidan and tailor Lucy accept work at a remote manor owned by an old money family rumored to know the secret to immortality. Aidan and Lucy don’t believe the myths, but they can’t turn down their sole employment prospects. Aidan needs a research project to prove himself to colleagues who doubt him because of his chronic illness, and Lucy needs the generous salary to afford both rent and medicine. They form a friendship, something both have been starved for, as work and family have always taken priority. The reclusive manor owners, siblings Valentine and Cordelia, wish to escape the shadow of their family name yet never seem to be seen in daylight. Valentine wants Aidan's help in learning the secrets of their ancestors, and Cordelia enlists Lucy for preparations for a masquerade ball to gain social status. The siblings are taken with Aidan and Lucy despite the taboo of the class divide. As they engage in methodical seduction, Aidan’s health worsens inexplicably, Lucy grows paranoid the manor itself could be harming them, and their nightmares blur with reality. The more they try to resist the draw of the siblings, the worse they feel. Is their friendship powerful enough to help them overcome these robber barons who physically drain the life of the working class? Themes include the power of platonic love, the importance of community in opposing the harms of capitalism, queer and trans joy, generational trauma, and the 19th century fiction themes of progress vs tradition vs the environment. The novel also subverts gothic gender expectations, presenting a female character in the “investigative hero” role and a male character that experiences a decline into distraction. When reading Dracula, I was pondering the horror trope of mystery illness and was struck with the idea of a character who already deals with disability and for that reason isn't quick to realize something strange is happening. The page becomes a space to explore fears of misdiagnosis and dismissal, being told it's all in your head or that you don't know your own body. In real life, diseases have scientific causes, but wouldn't it be more fun if sometimes it was an actual monster? This novel would appeal to readers of Mexican Gothic, Reluctant Immortals, and the "Dracula Daily" newsletter.
August 15, 2025 at 9:32 PM
writingruhls.bsky.social
#QueerPit #A #H HALF SICK OF SHADOWS: Gothic horror, disability lens, 1890s setting w modern diversity. Inspired by Dracula w Lovecraftian tone. 2 friends working at a remote manor must uncover bloody secrets and resist seductive nightmares to oppose robber barons that physically drain the people.
A moodboard with 9 pictures. In order from left to right, top to bottom: a frozen white flower, a first quarter moon, a drinking glass with drops of blood, a golden mask, iron gates that lead to a mansion, a violin, a broken mirror with the reflection of a hand, a foggy evergreen forest, and a yellow flower on a striking dark background.
August 15, 2025 at 2:22 PM
writingruhls.bsky.social
Seal pose
#dachshund #dogsky #dogs
A black dachshund has her head lifted back in a way that makes her look like a seal.
August 10, 2025 at 10:32 PM
writingruhls.bsky.social
Last weekend I had the joy of going to Squonkapalooza for the second year in a row with my pals! Highly encourage you to read about Pennsylvania's most famous cryptid, the sad Squonk, if you've never heard of it. Got the chance to meet some local horror authors too!
A wooden standee of the Squonk, a creature shaped similarly to a pig with wrinkly skin and big blue tears.
August 8, 2025 at 3:18 PM
writingruhls.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

Day 20: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
#booksky #bookchallenge #literature
A page from a textbook that is entitled "Sir Gawain and the green knight." Simple black text on white paper.
July 27, 2025 at 11:35 AM
writingruhls.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

Day 19: The Complete Sherlock Holmes
#booksky #bookchallenge #literature #mystery
"The complete Sherlock Holmes" is a large tome. The cover is brown with gold, white, and black embellishments. Front cover has the title in an oval frame with illustrations of a deerstalker hat, pipe, and magnifying glass. The spine has a golden lock. Beside the book, pointing at the spine is a golden/brass key. Book is on a blue galaxy print background.
July 26, 2025 at 12:35 PM
writingruhls.bsky.social
#BluePit 📖 #A #Q #H #DIS #LGBT
HALF SICK OF SHADOWS: Gothic horror, 19th cent setting w modern diversity. Inspired by Dracula w Lovecraftian tone. 2 friends working at a remote manor must uncover bloody secrets and resist seductive nightmares to oppose robber barons that physically drain the people.
A moodboard with 9 pictures. In order from left to right, top to bottom: a frozen white flower, a first quarter moon, a drinking glass with drops of blood, a golden mask, iron gates that lead to a mansion, a violin, a broken mirror with the reflection of a hand, a foggy evergreen forest, and a yellow flower on a striking dark background.
July 14, 2025 at 1:55 AM
writingruhls.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

Day 18: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
#booksky #bookchallenge #literature
The cover of "things fall apart" is red, and two outlined profiles face each other. Each profile is filled with smaller line patterns; one is white with black lines and the other is black with white lines.
July 11, 2025 at 12:07 PM
writingruhls.bsky.social
If you see this, quote with a robot that isn’t from Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who or Transformers.

From "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951).
July 9, 2025 at 8:15 PM
writingruhls.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

Day 17: My favorite children's book from when I was little, "I'll Be Home Soon, Snoopy"
#booksky #bookchallenge #literature
"I'll be home soon, Snoopy" has a red cover and shows Charlie Brown walking with Snoopy holding onto him. The book is on a celestial print background with crescent moons.
July 2, 2025 at 1:14 PM
writingruhls.bsky.social
DISABILITY PRIDE MONTH WEEKLY WRITING PROMPTS

Join me this July in chatting about WIPs and what rep means to you! EVERYONE is welcome to join, no matter how you identify within or without the disability umbrella.

Use the tag #DisabilityWriting

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
Graphic of gold font on a blue background. Text reads: DISABILITY PRIDE MONTH WEEKLY WRITING PROMPTS JULY 1: Intro: Talk about your WIP and characters. JULY 8: Subversion: How do you challenge harmful tropes in your genre? JULY 15: Recs: Share your favorite media with disabled characters. JULY 22: Joy: Talk about anything that makes you happy as a disabled writer. JULY 29: Finale: Our lives aren’t only our disabilities. Post anything you’d like to shout out or that you’re looking forward to.
July 1, 2025 at 4:50 PM
writingruhls.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

Day 16: King Lear
#booksky #bookchallenge #literature
A Folger shanespeare copy of King Lear with a purple cover. It's on a celestial background framed by crescent moons. King Lear is open to a page in act 3 scene 4. There's an illustration of a monstrous pelican. Specifically I wanted to showcase the quote "The Prince of darkness is a gentleman."
June 30, 2025 at 12:27 PM
writingruhls.bsky.social
I am now a Master!
A white person in a black graduation cap and gown with a red tie, standing in front of a bright window.
June 30, 2025 at 2:16 AM
writingruhls.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

Day 15: Hamlet ft. my tiny antique pocket copy from 1880
#booksky #bookchallenge #literature
The spine of a book that is held to show it's small enough to fit in a hand. At the top of the spine is a gold eagle. Text in gold reads "Shakespeare XI: Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, Pericles. Handy Volume Edition." A logo with the letter R in a gold circle is at the bottom. Side angle picture of the spine with the top cover of the book. It is plain blue with no other decorations on the cover. Inside cover page reads "Shakespeare" and penciled in at the top is the year 1880. Book is open to the first page of "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" with the list of "persons represented" on the left.
June 17, 2025 at 2:38 PM
writingruhls.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

Day 14: Macbeth
#booksky #bookchallenge
The spine of a copy of Macbeth that is simply brown with gold lettering. The background has a crescent moon. The book Macbeth, open to pages for act 2 scene 2.
June 16, 2025 at 5:43 PM
writingruhls.bsky.social
You know you've made it home when you immediately hit a crater-sized pothole the second you cross the state line 🕳️🫶
A "welcome to Pennsylvania" highway sign, white with the Liberty bell in blue. Sign also reads, "Est. 1681. Let freedom ring. Josh Shapiro, Governor."
June 16, 2025 at 12:58 AM
writingruhls.bsky.social
Last hurrah for Stoker Con 2025... I'll be here today!
June 15, 2025 at 12:00 PM
writingruhls.bsky.social
Horror Prom outfit from #StokerCon 2025❤️🌕
A white person with glasses wearing a black 3 piece suit with a black/gold paisley cravat, moon pin, eyeball pin, and holding a cane. The jacket has bright red spots at the bottom like petals or blood drops. Backdrop has a knife and says "horror.org"
June 15, 2025 at 11:36 AM
writingruhls.bsky.social
Things I plan to go to on Saturday at #StokerCon! Come say hi to me, I'd love that 🙂
June 14, 2025 at 2:08 AM