this texas heat has turned me into a monstrous, nasty, beastly, horrid, deeply unpleasant creature to be around
hali hyland 💋
@haliwriteswords.bsky.social
747 followers 332 following 68 posts
romance author, cryptid barbie, neil josten’s girlfriend.
![Same background as others. OPENING PAGE at the top. Writing sample: the page in ombre yellow/orange text. Two deep plum tarot cards in the top corners, one with a sun and one with an eye. Golden page break. Then, the following text in Times New Roman inside of a white-colored, rounded-corner box: Death is staring at me.
Rather, the Death card is staring at me for the third time this reading. I can’t possibly hide it from my regular client, Frannie, again. She’s been on a journey of rebirth for a while and is at the precipice. The precipice of a mental breakdown or a breakthrough is yet to be determined.
I arrange the cards, taking in Death, The Tower, and Eight of Pentacles in reverse. When I shift the spread, the navy celestial tablecloth snags on my nail, toppling over a labradorite curvy goddess carving. Biting my cheek, I flip another. Five of Swords. Shit.
“What? What’s wrong? Why are you making that face? That’s never a good face.” Frannie’s round, hazel eyes are filled with what I’ve come to know as anticipatory terror.
Poor thing is an anxious wreck. I’m trying to guide her, not send her into a doom spiral about her life. “You know these cards aren’t omens or premonitions. They’re pillars of guidance, leading you along your path. This one…” I sigh, cracking my knuckles, rings scraping against my dry skin. I have got to restock my lotion. Eleven minutes left on the timer and twenty to my last client. Maybe I’ll stop by Sephora before dinner.
“Jade?”
Oh, right. The reading. I shake my head. “The Death ca—”
“Death? Please, no. Anything but Death.”
“The Death card,” I repeat, “means your cycle is ready to renew. Paired with The Tower? Well, it’s time. Your spirit guides aren’t waiting for you to feel ready—they’re pushing you over the edge. This is rock bottom. Know what’s on the other side is a brighter version of you.”
We’ve hit rock bottom over our last three readings, but maybe this time will stick. [cont]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:xrnw5sea7coaxzrmdmfyytg2/bafkreie4zczuy2zinxbfe4dxx3eml4kzu4ozg6aezyx3fagg2eumawq5n4)
![[The background is an image of three pomegranates, one of which is cut in half, showing seeds. The image is tinted a dark pink fading into black.]
A Reader's Guide to THE HEART IS A WEAPON
TROPES
- toxic vampire lovers
- age gap romance
- found family (sort of)
- siblings on opposing sides
- unreliable narrator
- predator/prey imagery
- humanity vs. monstrosity
- conflicting identity
- love as a choice
PITCH
Ten years after her death and disappearance, a vampire must choose between the tender past she left behind and the seductive promises of the future. Both have her heart. Which one will she betray?
COMPS
- MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite
- HANNIBAL
- INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE
- THE LESSER DEAD by Christopher Buehlman](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:3mbiqnsd5kcchkt53vldmoan/bafkreielvsrqlvo62fjm2aj4pjatjybfr22ykpu6pkknuevwrulozxc2ny)
