iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 13h

Yep, the easy interface is the only D2D pro for me since I bought my own ISBNs. I’m still using it, though, because I don’t have the time/motivation to move everything over at the moment.

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 17h

They added annual fees and revision fees for print. The latter is the reason I originally left Ingram Spark.

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

I’ve been so stressed by work & finances lately, I doubt I’ll manage to finish the Sunrise bookmark in time. I haven’t had the mental bandwidth to advertise preorders much or even send a preorder announcement to my lil mailing list, never mind draw anything I’d be proud of. idk yall I’m tired 🥲

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

trying to find coloring pages for my child makes me want to kms these days so much ai shit

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Ironically, however, I think published canon Ice Monroe is MORE (melo)dramatic than the original 17yo sociopath edgelord eventual spree killer version

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

In the original version of Sidetracked I wrote at age 13, Ice surprised Jayde & James in the kitchen by smashing his way through a skylight on the roof while in human form, which is way edgier and more dramatic than jumping down from a second-floor banister in feline form.

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

lowkey work week from hell, and I have a sneaking suspicion that things will only get worse bc this is my current assistant teacher’s final week & admin have not hired a replacement yet 🥲 gonna stop & buy popsicles on my way home tonight (for morale)

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

seriously considering buying a new ebike (one properly sized for short mfs like me) I fear that Affirm payment plans will eventually be my downfall 💀

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

“I get the feeling he just has that effect on people,” I say, swiping an arm over my eyes before I have a chance to cry about it. “Like an infectious disease that ruins the life of anyone who contracts it.” #WIPSnips from Sunrise: Sidetracked Epilogue Novella

He shakes his head. "I don't know who I'd be now if I never met Ice. I don't even know if I would've managed to keep myself alive through middle school without the Monroes. But, sometimes, I wonder if I would've been better off. Ice changed my life, and it was…not for the best."

"I get the feeling he just has that effect on people," I say, swiping an arm over my eyes before I have a chance to cry about it. "Like an infectious disease that ruins the life of anyone who contracts it."

"Huh?" He glances at me, wide-eyed, then laughs. "I mean, yeah? I guess you're right. He's a pro at getting under your skin. Always has been. Weird metaphor, though."

{ PERSONALLY, I THINK DISEASE IS THE PERFECT METAPHOR. }

{ HE CERTAINLY INFECTED YOU, DIDN'T HE? }

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I feel like if I draw something stupid first, I’ll feel competent enough to line my bookmark sketches but my list of stupid drawing ideas is too long for me to pick one

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

an impromptu dinner party happens in Resignation (at Ice’s impulsive, potentially sadomasochistic request), and it sucks for everyone involved Night cooks/hosts Ice talks the most, as usual Jayde tolerates it James wants to die Alyssa has no idea what is going on I had fun writing it 💀

"I'll bring drinks," Night says as she looks over the table. "What would everyone like?"

"Wine would be lovely," Alyssa says.
She nods. "Of course. And you?"

"Vodka," Ice says.

"Vodka?" she echoes sharply.

"Neat," he says.

Night blinks. "Um... Alright." Then, forcing a smile, she looks to me and James.

"And for you two?"

I say I'm good with the water I already have, but James says nothing. He looked down at the empty porcelain plate in the center of his carefully arranged place setting the instant she addressed us.

"James?" Night asks, her pleasant expression having slipped ever so slightly. "Wine, ginger ale, water...?"

"Water is fine," he breathes.

"Oh, come on now, James." Ice laughs breezily, chin resting on interlaced fingers. "You don't want to drink with us? Are you sure? If you dislike wine, you're welcome to our liquor. It's no trouble. Truly. So, what do you prefer these days? Vodka? Tequila? Whiskey? I imagine Night can scrounge up a mixer if you still can't take it straight."

Anger swells in my chest. I glance at James—his wide eyes glued to the table, hands tense in his lap and back to Ice.

"No," I say, surprised by how even my voice sounds. "James is my ride home. I'd feel better if he didn't drink."

"Oh? Where are you staying now?"

I force a smile. "That is none of your business."

"So, Ice," Alyssa says, her tone gentle as she smiles. "I'm simply dying to know. What's the story here? Who is this girl to you?"

And... here come the questions.

"Who? Jayde?" Ice looks across the table to me, his eyes a bit wide. "Oh. Yes. Right. I suppose she is...an ex-girlfriend."

No way. Is that what he's going with now? As far as I know, he's never had the guts to call me his girlfriend before. But now he will? So casually, right in front of James?

"Truly? You dated a human. How intriguing."

"Oh, no; I assure you, it's hardly as intriguing as it sounds," he says with eyes averted and his glass at his lips. "It didn't last long."

Stop. The fucking vodka... That is so disgusting.

"And this man?" Alyssa asks. "James, you said?"

Yes. James.

He hasn't said a word in several minutes and is clearly struggling to avoid causing a scene himself.

"Her new boyfriend, of course," Ice says.

"Ah. I suppose that explains the tension in the room."

My god... It doesn't even begin to explain the tension in the room.

"You've revealed your family secret to her, then?" she asks.

She just referred to me as human. If I didn't know, wouldn't I be super confused right now? Of course, I know about immortals. Why even ask? Ah... I'm gonna lose my mind.

"Oh, yes," Ice says brightly. "I sponsored her back in June. Jayde knows all about immortals. In fact, she can turn into a cat herself. And, since then, she's dated two of us, probably fucked one—"

"Ice!" Night cries as her dropped fork clatters against porcelain.

I feel myself blanch, but I tear my attention from Ice to check on James. He's frozen, glassy eyes wide and glued to his plate. Cheeks pale. One hand gripping the table's metal frame.
Then Alyssa laughs.

“Oof— You're not over it, are you? In that case, perhaps you shouldn't have invited them for dinner."

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I stared at a framed painting of a wild meadow backed by green, rolling hills. It was more realistically rendered than the other one he had hanging in the living room and so detailed I swore I could make out individual flower petals and blades of grass in the field. #WIPSnips from Something Familiar

That day, Daniel's house felt different. There were even more mismatched antiques displayed on pedestals and shelves, along with a few paintings I hadn't seen before.

"Where do you get all this stuff?" I asked, something I had wondered for a while.

"Oh, it's been piling up for centuries." He shot me a wry look before heading into the kitchen. "Did you think I went all that time without keeping any of my belongings?"

"I guess I never really thought about it."

I stared at a framed painting of a wild meadow backed by green, rolling hills. It was more realistically rendered than the other one he had hanging in the living room, and so detailed I swore I could make out individual flower petals and blades of grass in the field. The signature, a pair of initials hidden in the bark of a tree in the foreground, caught my eye:

DB

I still can't believe it took me so long to realize that Daniel was the artist responsible for the paintings. I shouldn't have been surprised, really, but it looked like something that belonged in an art gallery—or museum.

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Still, I feel a bit overwhelmed and hopeless at times. Honestly not sure if I’ll manage to finish the Sunrise bookmark in time, but I’m also not sure if anyone will actually preorder a physical copy from me, so maybe it doesn’t matter 💀

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

It took 4 years after I published Sidetracked Part 1 to earn back what the $575 I spent on ISBNs. God knows how long it will take me to earn back what I spent on my vendor display and start actually profiting from doing events. But at least I’m having fun and getting my books out there.

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I’m not a failure I completed a 4.5 book series & started vending at events. Still not earning more than I’ve spent, but vendor booth overhead costs are killer. I fully believe I’ll get there eventually (even if I’m never able to quit my day job & do art/books full time), but I’m impatient. lmao

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

having one of those pessimistic “I’ll never become even a remotely successful author/artist” evenings I blame it on the fact that I have a mild headache and also spent basically all day playing cookie run kingdom

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Not a WIP (this is from Resignation: Sidetracked Part 4), but I couldn’t find any instances of “dent” in Something Familiar or To Break A Curse. #WIPSnips

With a heavy sigh, I continue the search for something worth my time. I take the first step. And my foot lands on something small and solid. A tiny crunch beneath my shoe's thin sole.

I step back and look down.

A pen.

It's just a pen. A cheap, grey BIC pen with no cap and tiny dents on the end from being chewed on. I've seen a few of these pens this summer. James uses them when he writes in his notebook—to keep notes and lists or whatever.

I kneel down.

But, as I reach for the pen, my head fills with static. Intense panic seizes my chest. Why? It's a pen. Frustrated, I power through the discomfort. My fingertips brush the plastic, and my dreamscape shatters.

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Lætus @bajamothblast.vanadiel.network · 02/10/2024

now that it's october im legally allowed to post this

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I tried drawing tonight, but I am so not in the mood for drawing. I am Stressed, and not wanting to draw when I still need to finish the Sunrise bookmark is making me even more Stressed. 😫

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Mike Wiser @drmikewiser.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Remember: Darwin's note of "I am very poorly today & very stupid & hate everybody & everything" was written on Oct 1 (1861). Thus we are free to celebrate Very Poorly And Very Stupid Hatred Day today.

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

how many events do you figure I need to do a year to be considered a “serious” author/artist? 🤔 (I’m kind of joking but also omg I am so glad I decided to only do spring & summer events this year)

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S. Morgan Burbank | Project Tasman Releases Nov. 11 @anotherindiewriter.com · 01/10/2026

Preorders for Project Tasman are finally live! Want to get your copy of the dystopian psychological thriller where a woman stuck in a government experiment has to choose who close to her lives and dies? Get your copy now! Full list of retailers below. #booksky 🌈🚀💫 #bsnm 🌈📚 gorlskiss.com

A black and white cityscape viewed from a rooftop. White text is overlayed reading "Society has abandoned us". Then, below in bright pink text is "embrace yuri" and "preorder now" "gorlskiss.com"

A book cover for the book Project Tasman by S. Morgan Burbank. A woman with dark brown hair is free falling in front of a group of green, blue, and purple lights. She is wearing a blue zip-up hoodie and a black t-shirt along with blue jeans. She has black eyeglasses, as well as piercings on her right eyebrow and nose. She is watching a number of poker chips -- one each purple, red, yellow, black, and blue -- falling through the air near her. A sixth chip is resting in her right hand, this one colored white.

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I like to think that Jayde will eventually stop feeling bad about secretly wishing that Ice will be stuck wallowing in self-inflicted misery for eternity while she moves on with her life. #WIPSnips from Sunrise: Sidetracked Epilogue Novella

{I BET HE'S HOLED UP IN HIS BOUGIE APARTMENT RIGHT NOW, DRINKING LIQUOR BY HIMSELF WITH THE HEAT CRANKED UP TO FEND OFF THE COLD. }

Sad.

{ MORE LIKE PATHETIC. }

Still, I can't help wondering. How long did it take him to recover from his injuries? They were as severe as the last injuries I endured, if not worse, but he was apparently conscious the next day and stable enough to be transferred to another hospital the day after that.

The only lasting effects I deal with, besides the scars, are a bit of tightness in my right side when I bend or twist a certain way and random bouts of discomfort in my right hand. Knowing Ice, it's totally possible he has no scars to show for it, let alone lingering aches and pains.

{ LIKE NOTHING EVER HAPPENED. HOW UNFAIR.}

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

#LitHodgepodge 1 I’m Sam, an indie author/artist from the PNW, writing character-focused contemporary fantasy as SK Kelley. I’ve written about cat shifters (Sidetracked series), magic users & familiars (Something Familiar), and mysterious curses + gay girls (To Break A Curse).

Literary This or That
(my choices)

PAPERBACK
SERIES
TEARS
HERO
CHARACTER-DRIVEN
COMPUTER
BOOKMARK
PLOTTER
LUSH
TEA
SALTY
SOUNDTRACK
SLOW CRAFT
MIDNIGHT

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Sidetracked’s cozy, holiday-themed epilogue novella, SUNRISE, is now available for preorder! print preorder form (including optional PURPLE sprayed edges!): forms.gle/9WNdie9N5hMR1hwL6 itch (epub): intpsam.itch.io/sunrise Kobo, Kindle, Nook, Smashwords, etc: books2read.com/STepilogue

intpsam.itch.io

Sunrise: Sidetracked Epilogue Novella by SK Kelley (intpsam)

Cozy, holiday-themed epilogue novella set after the end of Sidetracked Series.

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I’d rather see 500 books with “ugly” covers put together in KDP’s trash cover creator than see a single AI generated cover

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

[My] camera lost it the second she entered the frame, going fuzzy and distorted, a lot of black and white but no fine detail. It caught us both off guard, then Em sighed. “Yeah, I kinda figured I messed cameras up somehow,” she said tiredly. #WIPSnips from To Break A Curse

"You good?" I asked.

She nodded, but I was still worried, so I opened my phone's camera and switched it to selfie mode. I just wanted to show Em how her hair turned out, but my camera lost it the second she entered the frame, going fuzzy and distorted, a lot of black and white but no fine detail. It caught us both off guard, then Em sighed.

"Yeah, I kinda figured I messed cameras
up somehow," she said tiredly.

I took a picture of her just to see, and it ended up looking like one of those low quality nighttime images on r/Paranormal. I could see the wood wall on the edges of the photo, but the space where Em sat was a weird, dark void with white specs in the general location of her eyes and mouth. Her hoodie was fairly clear in the frame, though.

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

surely, there’s no good reason for a person to drive 20-30mph over the speed limit down a 15mph school zone street and yet

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Rachel stared at me in confusion. “Why would Tamber ask you out? You’re not even gay.” “WELL—“ I cleared my throat and looked away sharply. “About that... I did kind of admit to being bicurious one time I ran into her crying in the hallway.” “Oh!” #WIPSnips from To Break A Curse

I took the deepest breath of my life. But I trusted Rachel to not judge me too
horribly. So I gave up trying to hide something so stupid.

"Tamber tried asking me to go to homecoming with her," I said. "Like...she waited for me outside of the student council room, holding a cringey sign and everything. In front of everyone in the student council. It was...humiliating, and I...wasn't very nice about it. I made fun of her. Humiliated her back. Hurt her feelings or whatever."

Rachel stared at me in confusion. "Why would Tamber ask you out? You're
not even gay."

"WELL—“ I cleared my throat and looked away sharply. "About that... I did kind of admit to being bicurious one time I ran into her crying in the hallway."

"Oh!"

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Not a WIP, but this is apparently the only time I’ve used “prime” in anything I’ve written. lol #WIPSnips from Resignation: Sidetracked Part 4

"But I never met you or anyone else from Human-Immortal Affairs. I didn't even know I had a case manager until yesterday."

His frown grows more uneasy, and he leans forward again. "Ice Monroe has money and extensive family and business connections. By all appearances, he was a model citizen—rather young, yes, but a prime candidate for the sponsorship program—so your case was considered low-risk, high-reward. In short, he avoided the usual consultation with Human Advocacy by working with upper admin and the Morphology Research Division instead. I did not speak with Ice until after your application had already been approved. Your file was prepped and on my desk before I ever met him in person."

"How is that allowed? Just because he has money?"

"Money is power, Miss Palmer," he says mildly.

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

on an airplane, on the bank of an alpine lake, on trail while backpacking, while wandering around old San Juan in Puerto Rico, on carnival rides, in the immediate aftermath of experiencing a car crash, at Disneyland My brain is a constant stream of character moments. lol

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Sparrow 🐝 @sparrowbee.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Hey it’s my birthday today! 🥳 It’d be really cool if you bought a copy of my first book for yourself or a pal who enjoys queer romantasy with a couple of snarky idiots who accidentally fall in love with each other ✨

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Freya Faust @freyafaust.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I'm already ahead of the curve.

A really bad or amazing art rendition of PREORDER RABID DOGS OR THE CAT GETS IT featuring my cat and a stock photo of a water gun

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Skyla Dawn Cameron @skyladawn.ca · 24/09/2026

Said as a bad thing: "people increasingly view everything they do and create as property"--yeah I cannot fathom why people who are largely broke with less and less control over their lives, priced out of housing and groceries, might feel ownership of the things they create themselves. Total mystery.

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

that feel when your very serious, unfunny friend teases you in an attempt to make you feel better, but it only makes you feel worse #WIPSnips from Something Familiar

“He saw her with me, and, to avoid raising suspicion, I had no choice but to introduce her to him."

The ghost of a crooked smile appeared on Amun's face, though he was clearly not impressed. "You seem more concerned for your conjurer's safety than mine. Perhaps it is the same human fixation, after all."

"I won't deny it, but—“

He silenced my fumbling with the
casual wave of his hand.

"I meddle, Daniel." His voice was thick with dry humor, which truly shocked me. "It is your duty as a familiar to be concerned for your conjurer's safety, and your concern is certainly not misplaced."

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Sunrise is barely a novella at 42k words, but it is tiny in comparison to the rest of the series (125-190k words per book)

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I have definitely shared this snippet before, but here it is again. #WIPSnips from Sunrise

I'm going to win.

James comes up closer behind me. Around me, to the left. I feel his feline shoulder brush the fur over my hip, so I jump, hoping to cross the finish line before he overtakes me, but something snags me as I land. Snags the cord around my neck. I try to stop, but my paws slip in the loose sand, and the necklace clips my ear as it comes off.

I tumble the rest of the way down the hill in human form.

"Jayde!"

I land on my back, heart pounding against my ribs as I stare up at the clouds. James stumbles into view and drops to his knees beside me, flinging sand into the air. His hands are on me before I have a chance to look at him properly.

"Are you okay?" he asks breathlessly. "Are you hurt?"

When I open my eyes, I realize he's afraid.

I haven't seen that look on his face in a long time. For some reason, it makes me laugh. I roll toward him, curling into myself with my hands on his knee, laughing so hard my stomach hurts.

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✨💜 king 💜✨ @king-reinhardt.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Normalize blocking AI users 💜

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Tamber recovered from her breakup impressively well considering she had a meltdown when it first happened. In fact, she was more energetic and less moody than usual following the breakup. After that first day, anyway. #WIPSnips from To Break A Curse

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

is this a genius idea, or am I insane??

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

what if artists published art books, but they’re full of scans from their teenage sketchbooks with titles like like “POV: We’re high school freshmen in 2010, and I’m showing you my sketchbook”

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

the only artwork I have of them is from way back in 2020 !!!!

alcohol marker illustration of Rachel Thorne (teenage girl with messy orange hair, light brown eyes, and glasses holding a phone with the flashlight on

Alcohol marker illustration of Em / Miranda Blake in monster form (skeletal form, long pale blonde hair, ice blue eyes with black sclera, and long dark flows for hands

Alcohol marker illustration of Tamber Webb (smirking goth girl with hazel eyes holding a jar of black liquid)

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

once Sunrise is out, and I’m finally free from book deadlines, I’m gonna draw the To Break A Curse girls I SWEAR

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🌚Sam (SK Kelley)🌝 @skkelleywrites.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I followed a familiar game trail deeper into the forest toward a GPS marker l’d stuck on the creek several weeks back, using my phone’s flashlight to guide the way. The further I went, the weirder I felt, and I wasn’t used to feeling weird in the woods. #WIPSnips from To Break A Curse

I dressed in my warmest clothes, grabbed a pocket knife from the kitchen junk drawer, and headed out into the night. There had been a few rainy days in the past week, so l was curious if Whipple Creek had any water in it yet.

I followed a familiar game trail deeper
into the forest toward a GPS marker l'd stuck on the creek several weeks back, using my phone's flashlight to guide the way. The further I went, the weirder I felt, and I wasn't used to feeling weird in the woods. It wasn't long before I came across something especially unusual.

Long, deep gouges in the bark of a tree at chest level. They looked recent, but I couldn't figure out what could have caused them. I'd seen black bear scratches on trees before—it wasn't unheard of to see bears in the woods around Raven Point—but the gashes in the tree were nothing like bear markings. They didn't resemble ax or machete cuts either.

Claws, my overactive imagination
said, like the Rake.

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