iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦, 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦? 𝘙𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦, 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. #Queerpit #A #F

Title page, muted green background with green sprigs in the corners and a muted watercolor yellow flower at the center. Title: The Mage who Carved out his Soul by Melanie Locke. Text at the bottom: A 105K dual timeline science fantasy standalone with a romantic tragedy at its center.

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

🧙 The Era of Mages, where magic kills its wielders. A dying mage and his lover seek an alternative. 🔬 The Era of Thaumaturgy, where magic PhDs must end a Blight A tragic romance binds these eras. To save the world, the PhDs must understand what happened long ago #queerpit #A #F

Digital art, by me. A plant filled greenhouse as background, with a table and several shimmering stones laying atop it. A man with long brown hair and light brown skin sits against the table, reading a notebook titled "Notes of Ash Carpenter". He wears purple floorlength robes baring one shoulder, and beneath his colarbone sits a shimmering stone. Beside him stands a taller, bulkier man with black hair, a bear and a fair skin. He wars a green tunic, brown pants and boots, and holds several books against his chest. He has his free arm wrapped around the other man.

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴. ⁣𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭.⁣ #Queerpit #F #A

Muted mint green image, with muted yellow flowers and green twigs. Text at the bottom: Comps. Three pictures in triangle formation. Left: book cover of Slow Gods by Claire North. Accompanying text: Exploration of love and humanity & Autism representation. Middle: poster of Arcane season 2 featuring Viktor. Accompanying text: Giving up & regaining emotion. Magic science blend & its tragic creators. Right: cover of the Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri. Accompanying text: Doomed reincarnating lovers.

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

A dying mage and his partner research a way to wield magic without killing its mage, but their love turns to tragedy, leaving them separated, soulless, and immortal. Centuries later, their reincarnated souls must help the immortals die before their pain consumes the world. #Queerpit #A #F #ND

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Made a new moodboard for my dark fantasy #WIP Expect 📿 a rebellious, imprisoned priest 🦢 a God of Love with a savior complex. They sit, of course, at the center of the moodboard 💔 a toxic god/priest romance (m/nb) 🗡️ a demon assassin turning on her master 🔥 a rebellion against a fascist empire

Moodboard, dark yellowish color scheme. Top left: gallows. Top middle: hand wearing a jewel ring. Top right: antlers. Middle left: crystals, herbs and cinnaom sticks in a bowl. Middle: Light skinned person with pink hair blowing in the wind, face turned away and ice closed. Middle right: forest. Bottom left: Hand held up as if in prayer. Bottom middle: hall in Versailles palace. Bottom right: sword.

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

I've started querying the Mage who Carved out his Soul! This tragic science fantasy might be among the weirdest things I've written, but I'm happy with how it turned out. Here's my agent's guide. #writing #agentsguide #querying #fantasy #sff #agentscheckthisout #queryingwriter

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

ARCANE x THE ISLE IN THE SILVER SEA 💔 doomed reincarnating lovers 🧙 mages who die once they're out of magic 🔬 a new magic system through science 🤓 nerd x nerd ⌛dual timeline 🖤 the consequences of repressed emotions 💆(mostly) consensual soul removal #questpit #A #F #LGBT #ND #Q

Title page agent's guide. Title: "The Mage who carved out his Soul by Melanie Locke". Lower "a 105K dual timeline science fantasy standalone with a romantic tragedy at its center". Pale green background with plant details and a yellow flower at the center.

Pitch page, paper background with plant edges and yellow flowers. The era of Mages: a dying mage and his partner seek a way to use magic without slowly killing its wielder. But their love turns to tragedy, tearing them apart when both become soulless immortals. The era of thaumaturgy: Two magic PhDs must end a Blight consuming all that is alive. They must uncover the truth of what doomed these immortals and help them die before their pain destroys the world.

Comps slide, green background with plant details and flowers. At the top, poster of Arcane featuring season 2 Viktor. Text: Giving up & regaining emotion. Magic science blend & its tragic creators. Left bottom: cover of Slow Gods by Claire North. Text: Exploration of love and humanity & autims representation. Bottom right: The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri. Text: doomed reincarnating lovers.

Excerpt. Papery background, with frame of yellow flowers. Leander took his own soul in a tight grip, and for a moment, all he’d ever felt flooded his being. After years of silence, he screamed into the dark night, casting out everything that had once defined him. An alien sound, even to himself, something guttural and raw and nothing like the person he’d once been.
Mages didn’t feel, and they didn’t let it show. Leander had lived by those rules, had never lost himself to rage or terror or sorrow, and once this was done, he never would again. But for a single moment, he broke down for the darkness to see.

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

ARCANE x THE ISLE IN THE SILVER SEA A dying mage and his partner create a magic system that doesn't kill its wielder. But their love becomes tragedy, spreading a Blight centuries later. Their souls reborn, they must unravel what doomed them, or see the world consumed. #Questpit #A #F #LGBT #ND #Q

Digital art. Greenhouse scenery with a table with magestones on top. A man with long brown hair and light brown skin sits against the table. He wears floor length purple robes draped across one shoulder, revealing his magestone. He is reading a notebook. Ash stands beside him with an arm wrapped around him. He is a broader man, carrying several books within his free arm. He wears a green tunic and brown pants and boots, and has a lighter skin with black hair and a beard.

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Finished my painting of two of the main characters of Mage WIP, soon to enter the query trenches.

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

🧙 The Era of Mages, where magic slowly kills its wielders and a mage and his partner seek to end this 🔬 The Era of Science, where magic researchers must end a Blight ravaging all that lives Tragedy connects these eras, and only untangling its roots can save the world #Questpit #A #F #LGBT #ND #W

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY x THE RAVEN SCHOLAR 👁️ a gay seer burdened with saving the world 🚒 a butch lesbian firefighter he convinces she's the Chosen One 😱 a Fear based apocalypse set to end everything Without a real Chosen One, what could possibly go wrong? #Questpit #A #F #LGBT #ND #Q

Opening page to agent's guide. Text: Agent's guide to You are Not the Chosen One, an adult queer fantasy by Melanie Locke. Placed at the center of an artdeco frame with black and golden coloring

Part two of the agent's guide. Artdeco background with black and gold. Pitch: When Seer Cass learns there's no Chosen One to save the world from a Fear based apocalypse, he tells firefighter Esti she's the Chosen One. If she ever learns he lied, the world will end. Comps on the right with covers and a poster. The Umbrella Academy season 1 poster, the Last Hour between World, the Raven Scholar, Dark Rise.

Snippet. Same background as previous picture, with messy paper on top. Text: “How did it feel?” she asked, voice soft. Careful.
For a moment he looked at her, eyes like broken glass. He sat up, fists clenched. “Bad! It feels fucking bad, okay? But it doesn’t matter. If I have to kill one man to save a village then that is what I will do. You can’t save the world without getting blood on your hands. And the worst thing is, it didn’t even work.”
Esti didn’t know what to say. Cass stared into the distance, arms wrapped tight around his body. He’d never looked so small before. And yet Esti knew what he was capable of. It mattered little how he felt, his sorrow didn’t bring the mayor back. And perhaps he would have died no matter what. Perhaps Cass had done the best he could in impossible circumstances. But Esti couldn’t forget he’d murdered a man in cold blood.
“I didn’t ask for this, you know.” Bitterness spilled out like a basilisk’s venom. “Being the seer meant to stop the Fear, having only one year left.”

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

GODKILLER x WITCH KING 🏰 An empire built on hatred of demons 🗡️ An escaped demon assassin 🏛️ A condemned priest ❤️ And the newly born god of Love Together, they must return compassion to the world. But Love is a dangerous force, and its god is no different. #Questpit #A #F #DF #W #LGBT

Moodboard. Top left: piece of antler against lack background. Top middle: lit candles against black surface. Top right: bloodied white rose on white surface. Middle left: Dark picture of knight with helmet atop a horse. Middle: red moon and clouds against a dark sky. Middle right: piece of a cathedral against dark cloudy sky. Bottom left: blue glowing mushrooms against dark background. Bottom middle: pair of hands held up in prayer. Bottom right: supply of herbs and crystals in a basket for witchcraft

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY x THE RAVEN SCHOLAR 👁️ a gay seer determined to fake it till he makes it 🚒 a butch lesbian firefighter who thinks she's the Chosen One 😱 a Fear based apocalypse set to end the world Without a real Chosen One, what could possibly go wrong? #Questpit #A #F #LGBT #ND #Q

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

A dying mage and his lover research a way to wield magic without killing mages, but tragedy leaves them separated, soulless and immortal. Centuries later, two magic scientists must retrace their mistakes and help them die before their pain consumes the world. #Questpit #A #F #LGBT #ND #W

Moodboard. Top left: wooden staff standing against pillar. Top right: misty greenhouse. Middle: crystal in a hand. Middle right: tropical plants. Bottom left: spiral staircase in library. Bottom middle: open book. Bottom right: typewriter on desk.

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

I officially #amquerying You are not the Chosen One, my adult queer fantasy with a fake Chosen One premise Below is my agent's guide:

Snippet, same background as previous. Text: “How did it feel?” she asked, voice soft. Careful.
For a moment he looked at her, eyes like broken glass. He sat up, fists clenched. “Bad! It feels fucking bad, okay? But it doesn’t matter. If I have to kill one man to save a village then that is what I will do. You can’t save the world without getting blood on your hands. And the worst thing is, it didn’t even work.”
Esti didn’t know what to say. Cass stared into the distance, arms wrapped tight around his body. He’d never looked so small before. And yet Esti knew what he was capable of. It mattered little how he felt, his sorrow didn’t bring the mayor back. And perhaps he would have died no matter what. Perhaps Cass had done the best he could in impossible circumstances. But Esti couldn’t forget he’d murdered a man in cold blood.
“I didn’t ask for this, you know.” Bitterness spilled out like a basilisk’s venom. “Being the seer meant to stop the Fear, having only one year left.”

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY x THE RAVEN SCHOLAR 👁️ a gay seer who will fake it till he makes it 🚒 a butch lesbian firefighter turned "Chosen One" 😱 a Fear based apocalypse that will end the world Without a Chosen One, what could possibly go wrong? #queerpit #A #F #EF #UF

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY x THE RAVEN SCHOLAR When seer Cass learns there’s no Chosen One to save the world from a Fear magic based apocalypse, he tells firefighter Esti she’s the Chosen One. If she ever learns he lied, the world will end. #queerpit #F #A #EF #UF

Title page to agent's guide. Artdeco frame, black with golden brown striped patterns. Text: an agent's guide to: You are not the Chosen One, an adult queer fantasy by Melanie Locke

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY x DARK RISE 👁️ a gay seer who will fake it till he makes it 🚒 a butch lesbian firefighter turned "Chosen One" 😱 a Fear based apocalypse that will end the world What could possibly go wrong? Entering the trenches soon! #Questpit #A #F #Q #LGBT

Snippet. Art deco background, same as previous slide. Piece of messy paper on top, with the snippet text: “How did it feel?” she asked, voice soft. Careful.
For a moment he looked at her, eyes like broken glass. He sat up, fists clenched. “Bad! It feels fucking bad, okay? But it doesn’t matter. If I have to kill one man to save a village then that is what I will do. You can’t save the world without getting blood on your hands. And the worst thing is, it didn’t even work.”
Esti didn’t know what to say. Cass stared into the distance, arms wrapped tight around his body. He’d never looked so small before. And yet Esti knew what he was capable of. It mattered little how he felt, his sorrow didn’t bring the mayor back. And perhaps he would have died no matter what. Perhaps Cass had done the best he could in impossible circumstances. But Esti couldn’t forget he’d murdered a man in cold blood.
“I didn’t ask for this, you know.” Bitterness spilled out like a basilisk’s venom. “Being the seer meant to stop the Fear, having only one year left.”

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

TO SLAY OR NOT TO SLAY, THAT IS THE QUESTION ⚔️ a knight who sets out to slay a dragon 🦌 a shapeshifter who will stop at nothing to prevent that 🌳 a deadly magical forest with a will of its own To do what is right,should the knight kill the dragon, or save her? #questpit #F#A #W #LGBT

Moodboard. Medieval foresty vibes. Top left is a white statue of a dragon against a black background. Top middle: white horse standing among bushes. Top right: Zoomed in on medieval armor chest plating with a golden hue. Middle left: helicopter view of forest with thick mist above. Middle: medieval castle with bridge/road leading to the gate, surrounded by misty forest. Middle right: sword lying on a wooden table. Bottom left: Dark green forest, low perspective. Bottom right: brown bear on an orange ish field

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

A dying mage and his partner seek to wield magic without killing mages, but both become soulless immortals, causing deadly blight. Centuries later, two magic scientists seek to end this blight. They must discover how to kill an immortal, or watch the world be consumed. #Questpit #F #A #W #LGBT

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

I realized I hadn't posted my #agentsguide seperate from Questpit yet, so here it is!

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

To slay or not to slay, that is the question Knight Quinn sets out to slay a dragon. Illegal shapeshifter Adrian will do anything to prevent that. As they meet in the deadly magical forest, dependent on each other to survive, Quinn must decide what's right. #WIPPit #A #F #RF #LGBT #ND #FBW

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

ONE DARK WINDOW x MALICE Shadow sorceress Evelyn has been having nightmares of a monster seeking to use her powers. Together with witch Lydia she must find out what the monster wants from her, before she loses herself to it. #questpit #A #F #Q #LGBT

Agent's guide title page: An agent's guide to Before the Shadows Fall. A 98K sapphic adult fantasy with gothic elements. Background: dark green with trees, a pale woman with black hair and a strapless dress holding a rose

Pitch: All unwilling princess Evelyn wants is an escape. Caged in a palace, she grieves the loss of her twin brother, struggles to control the shadow sorcery inside of her, and lately she’s been having nightmares—the same nightmares her brother had before he died. She sees a monster that demands she use her magic in its service. If Evelyn ever wants any peace, she must get the monster out of her head.

Witch and healer Lydia sets out to investigate a dark presence that’s settled in the forest near her village. She discovers a connection between the monster that lurks in her forest and threatens her village and Princess Evelyn’s the shadow sorcery. To keep her people safe, Lydia needs Evelyn’s help.

Trope map. Same picture as previously. For fans of: Malice, One Dark Window, The Crimson Crown, Harrow the 9th. Mentioned tropes: childhood friends to lovers, recovery after trauma, twin who may or may not be dead, a fucked up deer (and other monsters), shadow magic, nature based healing magic, goth gf x cottagecore gf

Excerpt: The falling sun cast long shadows. They danced to Evelyn and covered her. Evelyn let out a sob, or perhaps something closer to a scream. The raw emotion punched Lydia in the gut, but Evelyn needed support. Lydia couldn’t leave her to deal with this alone.
“Evelyn, I am so sorry. I know how hard this must be for you, and it’s okay to feel whatever you must be feeling.”
Evelyn growled, the shadows around her grew. “Lydia, I need you to step away.”
“I won’t leave you—”
“Stay away!”
Evelyn screamed and as she did a wave of shadows burst out. It stopped just before crashing into Lydia, and floated back where it belonged.
Evelyn glanced up, tears glistering in her eyes. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

A knight sets out into an enchanted forest to slay a dragon. A shapeshifter will do anything to prevent his success. When the two meet in the woods, they must rely on each other to survive. As they grow closer, the knight begins to question if he should slay the dragon. #questpit #W #A #F #LGBT

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

ONE DARK WINDOW x MALICE A cottagecore witch love interest with healing magic who would be the perfect main character for a cozy fantasy but instead her girlfriend is a shadow sorceress haunted by a monster so now she has to go through the horrors #questpit #A #F #Q #LGBT

Moodboard. Cottagecore. Top left: plus sized redhead woman. Top middle: a basket with a book and herbs. Top right: spellbook, herbs and candle. Middle left: stone circle. Middle right: mirror and strawberries. Bottom left: cottage w flowers. Bottom middle: path in forest Bottom right: tea w flowers

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

ARCANE x OUR INFINITE FATES A dying mage and his partner seek to prevent magic from killing mages. Their efforts turn them both into soulless immortals. Centuries later, two magic scientists seek to stop a blight, and they must find a way to kill these cursed gods. #Questpit #F #W #A #LGBT

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

#Agents I started querying my gothic Sapphic fantasy! Shadow sorceress Evelyn has been having nightmares of a monster seeking to use her powers. Together with witch Lydia she must find out what the monster wants from her, before she loses herself to it.

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Melanie is querying @melanielocke.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

Finished another round of revisions on Shadows! This book has been in progress for a long time (first draft in early 2021), and has changed shape a lot, but it's getting close. Here's my drawing of the main character, Evelyn, a shadow sorcerer haunted by a monster in her nightmares.

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