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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 20/12/2025

All set up and ready for my first ever book signing! Prairie Fox Books in downtown Ottawa IL, 3-6pm today! #IndieAuthor #IndieBookshop #WriteSky

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

To celebrate the launch of Children of Dusk, my first book, The Curious Snowflake is #FREE on KDP from 12/14-12/16!!! Go get yourself a copy, and if you do, please leave an honest review, it’s the biggest help you can give an #IndieAuthor a.co/d/gOUsVID #FreeBook #WriteSky

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

Three days until my #urbanfantasy novel Children of Dusk launches!!!! So as part of my #ChapterCountdown here’s an excerpt from chapter 3. #YAFantasy #WriteSky #IndieAuthor

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

#ChapterCountdown time! 5 days until Children of Dusk launches, so here’s an excerpt from chapter 5. #writesky #IndieAuthor #YAFantasy

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Join me for my Chapter Countdown! My #YAFantasy novel Children of Dusk launches in 11 days, so here is an excerpt of me reading from Chapter 11. #WriteSky #IndieAuthor #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

To ramp up for the launch of Children of Dusk, I’m posting a Launch Countdown video each day until the 15th! Each day I will post an excerpt from the chapter based on how many days are left, here’s one from Chapter 13. #IndieAuthor #WriteSky #YAFantasy

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

#WIPSnips for 11/25: system How this for the vibe; here’s how the magic system works in Children of Dusk. Enjoy! 🤪 #WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #IndieAuthor

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

Since some of my ARC readers asked, here’s a quick pronunciation guide for Housetongue, the completely made up language in Children of Dusk. #BookSky #WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #WritersofBluesky

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

#WIPSnips for 11/21: Crystal Even in this era of dying belief in magic, our world is crisscrossed with Leylines, conduits of elemental energy. The places where they cross are called leypoints and they are places of great power. #IndieAuthor #Writesky

The staircase went down perhaps thirty steps, curving back on itself, then opened onto a chamber that looked to run the entire length of the house. It appeared to be a natural cave, but the ceiling had been buttressed here and there with stout wooden pillars. The moment Tim set foot into it, he was almost overwhelmed by the sense of power in the room. This place had seen weaving the likes of which he could barely contemplate.
In the center of the room jutted a massive, slightly asymmetrical crystal of smoky quartz, perhaps four feet tall and as thick around as a tree trunk. Every facet and surface of the crystal was etched with fine, spidery symbols, and looking at them gave Tim a strange, reverberating sensation in his mind, like when he’d first heard the twins speaking Housetongue. Vee took one look at the crystal and stopped dead in her tracks.
“You built your house on a leypoint?”
“Young lady,” said Annika archly, “how old do you think I am?”

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

#WIPSnips for 11/21: direction Weaving, the magic system in Children of Dusk, consists of drawing in elemental energies from the world and combining them together in different ways. Here, my MC Tim gets his first tutorial on it. #WriteSky #IndieAuthor #UrbanFantasy

No, and don’t try to get me off subject." She shifted again. “It’s easiest to draw the energies if you have an obvious source: a campfire, a stream, a forest, an open field, but that’s not always convenient. So the more usual way is from the four cardinal directions.”
“From the what?”
“Like a compass. Look." She reached inside her shirt, pulled out a pendant on a long silver chain, and held it so he could see it. About the size of an old silver dollar, it did look a bit like a map compass. A central square of black surrounded by four triangles pointing up, down, left and right in green, red, blue and yellow, respectively, bound in a circle of silver. “This is the symbol of the Children of Dusk. It’s tradition that we each get a piece of jewelry with this on it for our thirteenth birthdays, a pendant for girls and a ring for boys." She indicated each of the triangles with her thumb as she talked. “North is Earth, East is Air, South is Fire, West is Water.” She then pulled the chain up over her head and pressed the pendant into his left hand. “Hold that and close your eyes.”

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

#WIPSnips for 11/20: special Seekers like Vee and Gideon search the world for potential Weavers, and new potentials usually can only handle Weaving one or two elements at a time. Tim is not the usual new potential. Children of Dusk, coming 12/15! #IndieAuthors #WriteSky #UrbanFantasy

Seekers usually,” he cast another glare at the twins,” introduce potentials to this world slowly, let them get used to the idea and learn their strengths. But while what these two did with you was unorthodox to say the least, I cannot fault them for their excitement.”
“Why? What’s so special about me?”
“Dude,” Gideon sat up and leaned in towards Tim, elbows on knees, “you do things instinctually that normally take people months to learn, stuff that even Vee and I couldn’t get that fast, and we were born Duskers. That’s why I was kinda hesitant about you at first.”
“What, did you think I was a Midnighter in disguise or something?”
“Yeah, he did,” said Vee, and her brother shot her a dirty look. “What, you did!”
“So did you, Vee,” Tim cut into the middle of their budding argument. “That’s why you got all weird after you healed me.”
“Healed you?" Kieran looked concerned. “From what?”
“He got jumped by some jocks, beat him up pretty bad. Luckily we were there to bail him out." Vee sat up and leaned in towards Kieran. “K, he can draw all five already.”
Kieran gave her an incredulous look, then got up out of his chair and crouched down in front of Tim, holding out his hands.
“Show me.”

$Tim shrugged and took the older man’s hands. He closed his eyes, breathed out, and reached. Immediately, all the elements were there, shimmering at the edge of his consciousness, ready to be used. He drew hard on all five, feeling a puckish urge to show off a little, and started weaving, making it up as he went, layering the elements together almost by whim. He felt a little how he imagined Jackson Pollack must’ve felt, splattering and scribbling away on his massive canvases. Layer upon layer, finer and finer detail, he pushed his concentration to the limit, his eyes rolling back in his head. “Tim, what are you….oh my god." Vee’s voice was a hushed whisper, almost awed. “Whoa,” muttered Gideon. Tim slowly opened his eyes, still concentrating with all his might on holding the dozens of elemental threads in place. Hanging in the gloom above them was a massive spiral of light, a fractal pattern twenty feet across, shining with all the colors of the rainbow and then some. The twins gazed raptly up at it, the colors playing across their faces like Christmas lights, and even Kieran seemed impressed. He looked at Tim with a mixture of pride, amusement, and consternation. “Very pretty, but I’d rather you not make something like that inside my house. Release the layers slowly, otherwise that thing is going to go off like a skyrocket.”$

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

#WIPSnips for 11/16: spend The Duskrealms are dying. As belief in magic and the supernatural fades from our world, so do the ‘Realms, literally. As a side effect, time does some really strange things there, as Tim discovers in this excerpt. #WriteSky #IndieAuthor #UrbanFantasy

But yeah, K’s right,” said Gideon, standing and stretching, “we need to boogie before the Turning.”
“The what?”
“Time’s different here,” Vee explained. “How long do you think we’ve been here, Tim?”
“Umm,” Tim thought about it and was completely flummoxed. It felt like almost no time had passed, like they’d just arrived, yet he knew he’d talked for a long time.
“Think that’s a trip?” Gideon grinned at Tim. “Go feel your mug of tea.”
Tim walked over and picked up his drink. Two-thirds of it was gone, but the remainder was just as piping-hot as it had been when Kieran gave it to him.
“That’s impossible,” he muttered.
“No,” said Kieran, “that’s time in the Duskrealms. It moves in fits and starts, moments staying suspended then hours popping by in a blink. It’s always twilight here, always the between-time, but it occurs at dawn as well, not just dusk, and sometimes the shift from one to the other is rather jarring. We call those abrupt leaps forward a Turning, and once you spend some time here you will learn to feel when one’s coming. There’s one about to occur, and I think it would be best to get you back before it happens.”

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

More reviews dropping for Children of Dusk!!!! I cannot describe how this makes me feel! 🫶🥰😁 #WriteSky #IndieAuthor #ARCReviews #QueerWriters #AuthorsOfBluesky

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

#WIPSnips for 11-16: run Weavers can sense when someone near them uses magic, though what they sense is unique to each person. For some it’s warmth or heat, for others it’s sound or vibration. For Tim, it seems, he gets goosebumps. Children of Dusk launches 12/15! #WriteSky #IndieAuthor

“I saw you at that dopey rally yesterday, right?”
“Yeah,” said Tim, and he could feel his cheeks getting hot again. “Sorry about that.”
“No, no biggie, the timing was just…” she considered for a beat, “interesting.”
“Aah, there’s that stupid thing,” said Dan at last, “now, let me see…” he started tapping and scrolling away at his phone. Suddenly Tim felt a massive wave of goosebumps run up his arms. He shuddered involuntarily, rubbing his arms with his hands, and noticed Vee watching him very closely, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
“Alright,” said Dan, unaware of the exchange, “how is Thursday, same time sound?”
“Perfect,” Vee replied.
“Am I rescheduling Gideon as well?”
“No, just me.”
“Gideon?” Tim asked.
“My brother. Big guy I was talking with at the rally? Looks like me but reimagined as a Neanderthal?”
“Alright, done and done,” said Dan, placing his phone back in his desk drawer and wiping his hands. “Anything else, my dear?”
“Nope, thanks Dan." She turned to the door with the same decisive, bouncing step Tim noticed the day before. She pulled it open then glanced back at Tim with a smile.
“See ya soon, Tim,” and she left

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

FIRST REVIEW OF CHILDREN OF DUSK!!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 These are the moments authors daydream about. You wake up in the morning, get a cup of coffee, open social media, and there is, a reader absolutely GUSHING over what you’ve written. Children of Dusk comes out 12/15! #WriteSky #5StarReview #AuthorLife

A long and enthusiastic 5 star review of Children of Dusk

An image describing Children of Dusk: great for all ages, page turner, great world building, unique magic system, fast read, comes out 12/15

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

One of my #ARCReaders just reached out to me on Tiktok, and… just WOW! These are the sorts of comments that make an #indieauthor absolutely float off the ground! #WriteSky

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

#WIPSnips for 11/15: progress I had to be very careful about posting this, one paragraph higher would have been a MAJOR spoiler. 😱 Have I mentioned that Naldumiel and his snark is my favorite character in the book? Cuz he’s my favorite character in the book. #Writesky #UrbanFantasy

What are you implying?” asked Annika, “what about the war?”
“Let’s just say,” the Midnighter’s smug attitude reasserted itself,” that things have progressed while you’ve been gone.” A musical tone sounded from Naldumiel’s pocket. He pulled out his phone, thumbed at it for a moment, and smiled.
“Well,” he said as he slipped it back into his pocket, “this has been fascinating, but I have more pressing matters to attend to.” He turned to leave.
“Where are you going, Naldumiel?” For the first time there was a hint of fear in Annika’s voice.
“Oh, I think you know. Did you think I was hanging out on your porch for the scintillating conversation?” He turned his collar up against the tapering drizzle. “But I will leave some friends with you to keep you company. Wouldn’t want you to get lonely, would I?” He turned to one of the possessed jocks. “If they come out that door, kill them all,” he glanced back, “the little ones first. Annika?” He turned back and set the butt of his staff on the ground, “if I ever see you again, I will happily kill you. Tim,” he hesitated, and something like real regret crossed his face, “you’re a fool.” He turned, stepped into the shadows of the nearby trees, and disappeared.

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

#WIPSnips for 11/13: build Traveling from our world to the Duskrealms can only occur at certain places and times, and even then it’s not easy, as Tim discovers here. #WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters

The sensation continued to build. At first Tim kept his eyes open, focusing on Gideon’s back, but eventually it was too disorienting to even do that. He squeezed his eyes shut and just concentrated on his feet. Left, right, left, right, the twisting vertigo increasing more and more. Tim gritted his teeth and willed himself to remain upright. He felt Vee’s hand jerk and he clamped down, not sure whether he was trying to help her or desperately clinging to something solid. Suddenly he felt a different sensation, a strange resistance, as though the air around him had thickened. He pushed forward one last step and the entire world seemed to snap 180 degrees around. He stumbled forward, the vertigo gone, and released his death grip on Vee’s hand in order to keep his balance. He bent over, hands on his knees, eyes closed, head throbbing, willing his stomach to behave itself, breathing slow and deep. Just ahead of him he heard the unmistakable sound of one of the twins losing their battle with the nausea.

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

#WIPSnips for 11/12: shirt High school gym class sucks under the best of circumstances. When you’ve got burn scars like Tim, however, it’s a very special kind of hell. #WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters

Tim took a deep breath, stomach knotting, and pulled his uniform out of his gym locker. The weather had continued hot, so his mom had picked him up one of those thermal arm bands that basketball players use so he could stop wearing long sleeve shirts. But that only covered him from wrist to bicep. He quickly stripped off his shirt, trying to be both swift and nonchalant, but he still heard the conversations around him die as the extent of his scarring was revealed, running down his entire left side from hairline to hipbone.
“The hell happened to you?” said a mocking voice behind him. Tim ignored it and pulled his gym shirt on. Someone else giggled nervously.
“Talking to you, freakshow. How’d you get a face like that?”
Tim knew he was going to have to deal with this crap sooner or later, and that he’d really only have one chance to not be labeled as a bullying target. He kept his face impassive as he turned, even though his heart was thumping in his chest so hard he was sure his ears were twitching in time with it.

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

#WIPSnips for 11/11: burger Here, our MC Tim has to contend with explaining to his nosy, suburban realtor mom about Vee and Gideon, without, ya know, letting her know they’re magic wielders from another dimension who’ve recruited him to save the world. No biggie. 🤣 #WriteSky #UrbanFantasy

That’s why you have the phone, Tim, so I don’t freak out.” She looked up at him for a moment, then smiled. “I can’t stay mad at you. Just like your dad.” She held up the bag. “C’mon, sit and eat. Unless you filled yourself up on scones, that is.”
Tim grinned and joined her at the table, grabbing the bag and emptying out the contents. She watched him as he unwrapped his burger and dug in, a tiny half-smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
“What?” he mumbled around a mouthful of fries.
“Well?” Anna rolled her eyes innocently. “What’s she like?”
“Mom! She’s just a friend, her and Gideon both.”
“Yah-huh”, she said, blatantly unconvinced. “So what’s she like?
Tim huffed through his nose and popped another fry in his mouth, considering. “Six-and-a-half feet of enthusiasm in a five-foot package.”
“So, definitely an “opposites attract” situation then, huh?”
“Mom, I told you…”
“…she’s just a friend, I heard.” She took a sip of her own soda that had been sitting neglected on the table, leaving a ring of moisture there. “They’re good people? I can trust you on that, right?”

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

#WIPSnips for 11/10: local Weaving works much MUCH better in the Duskrealms than it does in our world because not enough people here believe in magic. Here, Kieran uses science to explain how belief and consciousness directly affect reality. #WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters

Okay, gonna get a little esoteric here, so try to keep up. Do you know anything about quantum mechanics?”
“Actually, yeah." Tim was amused at the look of surprise on Kieran’s face. “I love science. I read a bunch of books on quantum mechanics. Weird stuff, but really cool: wave functions and non-locality and how the act of observing something changes it, that experiment with electrons behaving like waves until they’re measured and then they become particles.”
Kieran snapped his fingers and pointed at Tim. “Yes, Feynman’s double-slit experiment, that’s the one! He showed that matter is affected by observation. There are even experiments showing that animals can do the same. This is how we think Weaving works. Some people inherit the ability to manipulate this effect consciously, to literally bend matter and energy as an act of will." He took a swig of tea before continuing. “Now, think about this. If multiple beings observe a single thing, what happens?”
Tim thought for a moment. “I’d think that it would kinda solidify things, set them in place even more.”
“Ha!" Kieran gave the twins a triumphant stare. “You two need to hang out with this one more, maybe he’ll rub off on you.”

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

#WIPSnips for 11/8: picture One of the signs a person is a potential Weaver is the ability to understand the language the Opacaroi call Housetongue. Here, Tim gets to hear it for the first time. Side note, I think “Taruch vo ma ne’anta ye” would be great on a merch shirt. #WriteSky

Why do you care?" Like Vee, Tim’s tone was frankly curious. She stared at him, seeming to be gathering her courage or something similar. Then she leaned in closer, and said in a half-whisper:
“Taruch vo ma ne’anta ye.”
At least that’s what Tim’s ears heard. But what his mind heard was a different story.
“Because you can understand me.”
“What the… you… I just…" Tim stammered.
“Shh,” said Vee, and she put a finger to his lips to shush him. “Ka taruch vo ma oholo nes ye tan feich," she whispered. But again, Tim’s mind heard perfect English.
“And because you can feel it when I do this." Goosebumps ran up Tim’s arms, and the lights flickered.
“That was weird,” said Mrs Gibson. “In any case, it is now 3:30, your quiet hour begins now.”
Vee immediately sat up, hands folded in front of her, the very picture of studiousness if one ignored the impish grin on her face. Tim, on the other hand, remained where he was, turned sideways and leaning in towards her. The expression on his face was similar to someone who has just been hit in the head with a bat, but hasn’t felt the pain yet. What the hell just happened? Was he going nuts? Was Vee messing with him? What in the name of…
“Mr. Hansen!”

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

#WIPSnips for 11/8: little Tim’s father Victor is an institutionalized paranoid schizophrenic. Most of the time his medications keep the illness in check, but here, unfortunately, Tim gets to see his dad at his worst. #WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters

“Watching, always watching, always making sure, never think I notice but I do, I see the patterns." A cold fist seemed to clench in Tim’s stomach. He’d rarely seen his father like this. “Little spies, little eyes, little monitors, can’t let them see, keep clandestine." He emphasized each syllable of the word, hissing the S out between clenched teeth. He turned abruptly and started, as though he had expected the room to be unoccupied. His eyes were wide, shiny, and a faint gloss of sweat beaded his forehead and cheeks. His gaze flickered to each of them in turn, finally coming to rest on Tim. With what seemed to be a massive effort, he gathered himself, breathed deep and closed his eyes.
“Please go,” he said in a half-whisper. “The glass is cracking and when it breaks there will be blood and shrapnel and…” he opened his eyes and looked at his son. “I will not hurt you again. Ever." His mouth twisted with disgust and his eyes closed again. “No matter what I see.”

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

#WIPSnips for 11/7: movement When he was 7, Tim almost died in a fire, and he has never talked to anyone about it, until now. This scene was the culmination of the most difficult and most rewarding writing I have ever done. It took me a month to get through it. #WriteSky #UrbanFantasy

“How long were you in the hospital?” Kieran asked.
“About six weeks. My mom came home just as it happened, otherwise I probably would have died and the house would have burned down. As it was,” he smiled ruefully, “it wasn’t the burns, it was the infections afterwards that kept me in. The grafts wouldn’t take right, I almost lost my hand, and I had to do physical therapy for years to get the full range of movement back." He rubbed the back of his hand. “I don’t have much feeling in it either.”
“Is that why you do that flexing thing?" Gideon held up his own hand and moved it back, forth, side, side.
“Yeah, it’s a nervous habit now." Tim fell silent. He felt emptied out, wiped like he’d just run a 5K. Now that he’d finished, he really didn’t know what would happen. Suddenly Vee stood up and walked over to him, the light behind her obscuring her face. She stopped in front of him and held out her hands. Tim hesitated, then took them and she pulled him to his feet. As he stood, the light shifted on her face and he noticed the tracks of tears on her cheeks. She looked up at him, smiled, and threw her arms around his neck.
“Bravest. Thing. Ever,” she whispered in his ear.

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

I am trying to use the Clock App as a self promotion and sales app for Children of Dusk, but I need to get to 1k followers before I am allowed to post shop links. Well I must be doing something right, because I went from 500 followers on 11/1 to almost 850 today! 🥳 #WriteSky #IndieAuthor

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

#WIPSnips for 11/5: trail Vee and Gideon Melan are fraternal twins, and facially they look a great deal alike: long oval faces with dark eyes and hair and prominent noses. Physically, however, they couldn’t be more different. #WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters

As everyone rose and the sea-roar of chatter ramped up, Tim risked a quick glance at the siblings. Their backs were to him now, and he noticed that they were far less alike while standing. The boy was well over six feet, broad in the shoulders and thick in the middle, with long, swinging arms. The girl, however, was a pixie, all elbows and collarbones and a foot or more shorter than her brother. Yet somehow she seemed to be the leader of the two, cutting and bouncing through the crowd with him trailing behind like a trained bull. Then the milling of people cut them from view.

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

#WIPSnips for 11/4: steel In ancient days, the founders of the Opacaroi created seven magical spears, the Aigloi, and gifted them to the leaders of the seven Great Houses. Among other things, an Aiglos amplifies a Weaver’s magical abilities. #WriteSky #YAFantasy #queerwriters

The group reached the same grove where Tim, Annika and the twins had arrived, and he saw two Duskers there, weaving something massive, something that made the air between them flex and distort like a heat mirage. Meneleas approached the distortion and held out a hand. To Tim’s surprise, an Aiglos appeared in it, one very different from his mother’s: steel gray edged with soft gold, like sunlight filtering through storm clouds. He set the haft of the spear on the ground between his feet, lowered his head, and drew. Tim’s arms crawled with goosebumps, and he was unsurprised to find that Meneleas was indeed strong, at least as strong as his father. The air before him seemed to twist and tear apart, revealing a flat, black hole, rippling to color at the edges, like oil on a pond. Without hesitating, Meneleas stepped through and vanished, followed by the rest of the entourage. Tim swallowed.

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

ARC READER TIME!!!! Children of Dusk launches 6 weeks from today! 😱 I am now taking applications for ARC readers! The plan is to send out copies around the 15th of this month to give plenty of time. If you’re interested, comment below. #WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #ARCReaders

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

#WIPSnips for 11/1: ancestor Tim knows his new friends as Vee and Gideon Melan, just a couple of punk rock ne’er do well teenagers. The truth is quite a bit more dramatic. #WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters

Well,” Gideon hesitated, “she probably glossed over this part too, knowing her. Our dad, he’s kind of an important guy in Avalon. Kind of the important guy, actually.”
This time Tim stopped. “Okay, hold up. If she really is Princess Genevieve, I…” He thought for a second. “I’m not sure whether I would want to hit her with a stick or just tease her endlessly.”
“Oh, definitely the latter,” Gideon nodded with mock severity, “it would hurt more." They both laughed.
“Come ON!” Vee shouted from the bottom of the hill. They started down again.
“First Speaker,” Gideon continued. “That’s his title. First Speaker Meneleas ko Tobias Corvitae.”
“Meneleas,” said Tim thoughtfully. “Melan?”
“Exactly. Lots better than Heartblood in Latin. We must have had an overdramatic ancestor. I am Gideon ko Meneleas Corvitae, she is Genevieve no Seriah Corvitae.”

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

#WIPSnips for Halloween! 🎃 Monster Tim’s father has schizophrenia, and in the current day he is institutionalized. In this flashback to Tim’s childhood, he tries to tell then-seven-year-old Tim what his disease is like. #WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters

I’m so sorry." Daddy is quiet for a moment. “I want to tell you something. I think you’re old enough to understand it now. Have you ever had a daydream so strong it seemed real?”
“All the time.”
“And have you ever had a daydream that scared you?”
Timmy nods his head vigorously. “Like when the shadows at night look like monsters?”
“Just like that." Daddy takes a big breath before continuing. “Timothy, I have a problem where I can't control my daydreams. They seem as real as anything to me, and I can’t make them stop.”
Timmy’s eyes grow wide at that thought. “It sounds really scary.”
“It is, buddy. It really, really is. There are special medicines I can take that help, but they have side effects. That means that they help, but they do other things too. They make me very sleepy, which isn’t that bad, but they also make it so my imagination doesn’t work right.”
“But you need that to make your stories!" Daddy had told Timmy many times how writing worked. “How can you write your stories if you can’t daydream them first?”
“Just so, and that is what I want to talk about with you.

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

Yay, one I can do! 🤣 #WIPSnips for 10/30: spell A Denier is a member of the Duskers who leaves their society and gives up magic completely. Is Tim’s father one? You’ll have to read it and find out! #WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters

The Hansen house was a Victorian enormity of peaked roofs, arches, and towers on a double lot, all done in brown fieldstone, towering a full story over the not-inconsiderable houses nearby. A tall wrought-iron fence surrounded the property, and massive oaks arched over the well-kept grounds, full of shady nooks and greenery. As the ‘Bus slipped through the gate, Tim thumbed the app again and it closed behind them with a hum and a clang. At the sound, Vee jumped as though she’d been goosed, and Tim rubbed his arms unconsciously.
“Did you feel that?” asked Vee.
“Feel what?”
“Proof that your dad really is a Denier. There are old weaves in the fence, defensive stuff. Didn’t you feel them activate when the gate closed?”
“Yeah, I guess I did.” He’d always felt that chill when the gates closed, even as a kid. Now he knew why.
“Well congrats,” chimed in Gideon, “your castle is protected by magic spells.”

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

Where are my #ARCReaders? Applications for ARC readers for Children of Dusk start Nov 1st! The rules are simple: you get a FREE digital copy of my book early, and you leave me an honest review as close to launch day (12/15) as possible. Comment if you’re interested! #IndieAuthor #WriteSky

Applications for ARC readers for Children of Dusk start Nov 1st! The rules are simple: you get a FREE digital copy of my book early, and you leave me an honest review as close to launch day (12/15) as possible. Comment if you’re interested!

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

#WIPSnips for 10/27 🎃, how about a whispery screech instead of a bloodcurdling howl? For reference, vrolachi are shadow-demons, normally deadly but these are sent to capture Tim, not kill. #WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #SpookySeason

Go,” Tim reached for this new thing, which seemed to be. . . beneath the other elements.
“To,” he drew it into himself, and was filled with a cold fire. The vrolach cocked its head, as though it heard a strange noise.
“HELL!” With every bit of his strength, Tim twisted this new power into a piercing blade and drove it directly into the vrolach’s blank, white eye. It shrieked in agony, a high, whispery screech that dug into Tim’s ears like a drill bit, stumbled back three steps, and exploded into a cloud of black motes. For a heartbeat, all of them stared at the spot where the Kyle-thing had stood, then the three remaining vrolachi turned slowly back towards Tim, hissing, their flat eyes full of fury.
Now I’m going to die, thought Tim.

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

#WIPSnips for 10/24: complete rather than total Here, Tim gets to experience magical healing for the first time, after getting pretty badly roughed up by some bullies. #WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters

Nice, huh?" Vee asked. “Alright, now take a deep breath and release the energies as you exhale." Tim did so, and immediately felt deflated, as though some of the light had gone out of the world. He made a small, disappointed sound in the back of his throat. Vee chuckled.
“Yeah, it’s always a downer when you let go. Sit up, tell me how you feel.”
Tim sat up tentatively, expecting his head or ribs or back to object, but other than a slight twinge from his temples he felt fine.
“Wow, that’s. . . amazing." Tim reached and touched where Kyle hit him with the crutch. A few small flakes of scab came off on his fingertips, but the bloody gash had completely healed. He then unwound the elastic bandage from his left wrist, flexed it, and found it pain-free for the first time since his visit to Forestview. He smiled, but it faded from his face as he examined the unchanged scarring on the back of his hand.
“Guess your mojo can’t do anything about scars, huh?" He turned around and found Vee watching him warily. “What’s wrong?" he asked.

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

#WIPSnips for 10/23, the best I can do is a hill. 🤣 Vee and Gideon are exiles on a mission; find a potential Weaver and they can return to Dusker society. So needless to say, they’re pretty excited when they find Tim. #WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

#WIPSnips for 10/23: charge One of the first fighting techniques Duskers learn is to create a “combat weave”, a way to magically enhance one’s strength and agility. Here, Tim puts one to good use when some possessed jocks try to kidnap his mom. #WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters

Then there was a squeal and a crunch, and Gideon swerved towards the curb, swearing fluently in Housetongue. Before the ‘Bus was even stopped Tim was grabbing the door handle. Outside was a mess. Another vehicle, a late-model SUV, had T-boned his mother’s car as it went through an intersection. Already, teens in familiar letter jackets were climbing out, gathering around the wreck of Anna’s car. Blind rage washed over Tim and he charged, forming the fighting weave Vee had shown him as he ran. The vrolachi sensed his weaving and turned, but not in time. Tim went airborne and kicked one in the chest hard enough to send him flying over the hood of the car, then pivoted and roundhoused another without touching the ground. A third got in one swing before Tim bounced him off the SUV with a blast of Air, then slammed him to the ground. He turned to see Vee and Gideon take down the other two. He hurried to the driver’s side of the car.
“Mom? MOM!” Anna was unconscious, blood running down the left side of her face from a cut above her hairline, the window spiderwebbed from where her head had obviously hit it. The door was crushed, so Tim placed his fingertips against the glass, wove Air, and pulled sharply outward. The safety glass shattered into tiny cubes and scattered across the pavement.

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

#WIPSnips for 10/22: second Trigger Warning: bullying. The event that activated Tim’s latent magical abilities also gave a bully named Kyle Petersen a sprained ankle. Now Kyle and his friends want payback and Tim is very outnumbered. #WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters

You’re a good runner, Freakshow, but there’s no place to run now, is there? C’mon out!" Laughter, from several people. Tim looked up and saw half a dozen figures silhouetted against the afternoon sun, one of them on crutches.
“Did a number on my ankle, numbnuts,” said Kyle Peterson, “so, on the count of three, we’re coming in there to do a number on that ugly face. One! Two!”
Tim didn’t wait for three. He scuttled up and bolted, zigzagging between the support posts of the bleachers. He heard yells and running feet behind him and thought, just maybe, he had a shot at getting in the clear. But then he saw three more silhouettes ahead of him and knew he was in trouble. A thick surge of anger pulsed through him and, instead of dodging off to the side, he lowered his shoulder, bowling into the ginger jock from his gym class and knocking him flat. He ducked under a second and swung his backpack at him. He connected, but then hands grabbed him from behind, fists hit his kidneys, his ribs, a foot caught him behind the knee and he went down. A looping punch caught his chin and he saw stars, a foot trod on his bad wrist, making him cry out and fall, and then the fists, feet, and what felt like a metal rod came from all sides. He went fetal to protect his face.

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

I’ve been working on some merch ideas for the launch of Children of Dusk, what do you think of these? The first one is a phrase that means “because you understand me”, the second is the Elemental Compass. #WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

#WIPSnips for 10/20: field The magic system in Children of Dusk, called Weaving, involved drawing in elemental energies from the world and combining them for different effects. Here, our MC gets a tutorial. Second image is of the symbol on Vee’s necklace. #WriteSky #UrbanFantasy #QueerWriters

She shifted again. “It’s easiest to draw the energies if you have an obvious source: a campfire, a stream, a forest, an open field, but that’s not always convenient. So the more usual way is from the four cardinal directions.”
“From the what?”
“Like a compass. Look." She reached inside her shirt, pulled out a pendant on a long silver chain, and held it so he could see it. About the size of an old silver dollar, it did look a bit like a map compass. A central square of black surrounded by four triangles pointing up, down, left and right in green, red, blue and yellow, respectively, bound in a circle of silver. “This is the symbol of the Children of Dusk. It’s tradition that we each get a piece of jewelry with this on it for our thirteenth birthdays, a pendant for girls and a ring for boys." She indicated each of the triangles with her thumb as she talked. “North is Earth, East is Air, South is Fire, West is Water.” She then pulled the chain up over her head and pressed the pendant into his left hand. “Hold that and close your eyes.”

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

#WIPSnips for 10/19: Trial Well, this is kind of a spoiler if you had the context of the rest of the book, but I think out of context it’s fine. And it’s the only time Trial shows up in the whole manuscript 🤣 #WriteSky #YAFantasy #QueerWriters

Annika no Titania Serafi,” he said in a ringing tone. “Sixteen years ago, you violated the most sacred laws of the Children of Dusk. You consorted with our ancient enemy and committed high treason upon your people. You escaped justice and, with the help of individuals we shall not name here, went into self-imposed exile from the Duskrealms and from Opacaroi society. The Ban of the Lethe was placed upon you at this time, concealing your whereabouts and effectively making your exile complete. Is everything I have stated correct.”
“Yes,” said Annika.
“It was decided in your absence that, as long as the Ban held, your punishment was sufficient and no further action would be taken upon you or your family until and unless such time came as to make it unavoidable.” His gaze went briefly to Tim. “The Ban has since been broken, and you and your family have interacted with Opacaroi society once more, violating the terms and allowances of your exile. The Gray Council has issued a warrant for your immediate arrest. You will accompany us to Avalon, there to stand trial for your crimes.”

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

#WIPSnips for 10/18: dodge This may be my favorite bit of dialogue between Tim and his mom. #WriteSky #YAFantasy #QueerWriters

Anna considered him for a moment, then smiled. “Fine, but this is the last time I will accept the “I forgot to text you” excuse. Are we clear?”
“Crystalline.”
“Well,” she stood up, “I’m going to go clean up. Do you have homework?”
Tim fixed her with his best are-you-serious stare.
“It wouldn’t kill you to do some from time to time, you know.”
“Yes,” Tim nodded severely, “yes it would. I would die. Painfully.” He went boneless in the chair, head to the side, tongue hanging out, and gurgled.
“Don’t be smart.” She swatted playfully at his lolling head. He dodged, and they smiled at each other.
“Love you, kiddo.”
“Love you too, Mom.”

0202

Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

#WIPSnips for 10/17: lounge instead of loaf When you almost die from a fire as a kid, fireplaces can make you a trifle uncomfortable, as does talking about how you got those scars in the first place. #WriteSky #YAFantasy #QueerWriters

Just then Kieran bustled up carrying a tray laden with mugs, a kettle, and a basket covered with a cloth. A sweet, baked smell arose from the basket, and Tim’s stomach lurched with hunger.
“Well, come come come,” Kieran gestured with his head, “much to talk about, and talk always goes better with food and drink." He moved towards the fireplace, which was surrounded by an assortment of mismatched but comfortable looking furniture. Vee chose a low, round seat and curled up in it like a cat, gazing happily at the fire. Gideon lounged in a loveseat, his big feet dangling over one arm. Tim picked a large, high-backed chair, between the twins but further back.
“You don’t have to sit so far away,” said Kieran as he set the tray down on a nearby coffee table.
“Sorry,” said Tim softly, “not real fond of fireplaces.”
“Understandable,” Kieran nodded, and busied himself with the mugs and kettle, saying nothing more, but Tim saw Vee’s eyes flicker towards him, and Gideon suddenly found his left thumbnail fascinating. He knew what they wanted, but he wasn’t ready to talk about that. Not yet.

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

#WIPSnips for 10/15: care One of the surest signs that someone is a potential Weaver is the ability to instinctively understand the language Duskers call Housetongue. Here, Tim gets to hear it for the first time. #WriteSky #YAFantasy #QueerWriters

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

#WIPSnips for 10/14: best rather than ultimate The only thing worst than your first day of high school? Your first day of high school when you have to contend with bullying because of burn scars on your face. #WriteSky #YAFantasy #QueerWriters

Nervous? First day and all?" Anna took the day off from work to drop him off, and so had forgone the usual primping and preening. Dressed in a simple blouse and denim shorts, she looked both younger and older than usual.
“Yeah. A lot, actually." Despite the continuing heat, Tim still wore his long sleeves.
“Can I tell you the truth, kiddo?" She turned towards him. “High school is hell. Well,” she smiled a little, “not all of it. You are going to meet some of the most unpleasant people you will ever come across over the next four years, but you are also going to make some of the best friends you will ever have.”
“Doubt it." Friends had never been Tim’s strong suit, even before the scars.
“Count on it. Maybe not today, maybe not for a while, but you will.“ She reached out and cupped the left side of his face, her hand faintly cool against the scars. “Remember, these are not you. You are not your scars, or your fears, or your memories. You are you. And there are people in that building that will respond to that.”
“Hope so.”

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

Seven years ago, an accidental fire left Tim Hansen horribly scarred. Now, at fourteen, Tim wants nothing more than to get through high school. But when a bullying incident triggers his latent magical abilities, he finds himself drawn into a hidden mystical society. #LGBTQWriteathon #WriteSky

0102

Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

#WIPSnips for 10/13: push Vee might have just a tiny little itsy bitsy problem with people telling her what to do. As Tim is about to find out, the hard way. 🤣 #WriteSky #YAFantasy #QueerWriters

What?” She regarded him with just a hint of a smile. “Did you think I was gonna ditch you or something?
“Actually, yeah, I did.”
She snorted. “Shows what you know. C’mon, Gids is waiting.”
“Hang on, I gotta tell you something.”
“Tell me in the van.” She shouldered her backpack and started walking towards the stairwell. Tim jogged after her.
“Vee, just stop for a sec.” She ignored him, so he grabbed her elbow. “Genevieve, stop!” She turned on him, snarling.
“Don’t you ever tell me what to DO!” A jolt of electricity shocked Tim’s hand. He pulled away, wincing and shaking it. She turned away and started to push the door to the stairwell open, but he’d had enough. With a quick weave of Air, he slammed it back shut in her face.
“Let go of the door, Tim,” she said without turning.
“No.” He felt her start to attack his weave, so he redoubled it, twisting the strands into ever more complicated patterns.
“Let go of the door, Tim,” this time through gritted teeth.
“Not until you listen to me.”

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Author James C Struck @curioussnowflake.bsky.social · 12/10/2025

#WIPSnips for 10/12: hope Tim’s father Victor is an institutionalized paranoid schizophrenic, and this is the first time in 6 months that he’s been able to visit his dad. #WriteSky #YAFantasy #QueerWriters

Timothy?" Tim’s heart gave a pleasant squirm in his chest. It was one of his dad’s things, always calling him by his full name. Hearing it gave him a tiny flicker of hope. This was still his dad. Vic unfolded himself from his corner, still staring at him with an odd intensity. As he stood, Tim realized with a shock that he was only a handbreadth shorter than his dad. Vic seemed to notice this too, because he eyed Tim up and down, his brows slightly furrowed. He placed both his hands on Tim’s shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes.
“Stop. Growing,” he said, a ghost of a smile flickering across his face, and he pulled Tim into a tight hug. He sensed the heavy footsteps of Al the Orderly moving towards them, but the doctor murmured something and no one broke up their embrace. He felt his father shift to look up past Tim’s head.
“This is my son, gentlemen. I would never…” he stopped and stiffened. Tim broke off the hug suddenly, once again unconsciously flexing his left hand, and tried to turn away. Vic caught him by the shoulders again, turning him back and gazing intently at him. His gray eyes scanned over Tim’s features, especially the left side, regret and remorse etched into every line of his whiskered face.
“I will not hurt him,” he finished,

0202