https://dirkbannionbooks.com/ I'm an indie author writing from western North Carolina, where the veil is thin. Currently reporting on a series of mysterious disappearances on the shores of Cape Cod, and the hellish abomination that may be responsible.https://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3llxbdsxics2oSo glad to see that, despite the chaos, art and the written word remain a strong priority on #bluesky. We're doing a good job, folks. Don't stop.04 Apr 2025 01:30 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3llxbdsxics2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3llukenkhhc2pIt's been a long time since I've managed to be productive in adding net new words to my novel. And it bothers me that that's the case, but I know I'm not alone. How do you deal with dry spells?02 Apr 2025 23:33 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3llukenkhhc2phttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3lka5rabf5c23My favorite is anything involving bodies of water. Killer shark? Check. Haunted lake? Right on. Hikers boiled in a hot spring? I'm there. I think I rely too heavily on the "maybe it's ghosts, or maybe he's just insane" trope. Just make up your mind! 😜 #horrorwriterschat [contains quote post or other embedded content]13 Mar 2025 03:29 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3lka5rabf5c23https://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3lk27ndtqm22qHuge thanks to @taggartrehnnauthor.bsky.social . Please follow all these great folks (including me, why not? 😄) and Taggart while you're at it. [contains quote post or other embedded content]10 Mar 2025 18:47 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3lk27ndtqm22qhttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3ljixiqd2ay2rI'm consistently inconsistent, and I know I need to change. So help me out: What's your writing routine? Do you have one? Does it make a difference? #WriteLife #WriterLife03 Mar 2025 22:06 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3ljixiqd2ay2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3ljggzgpfdz2y“She rose until he could see her slender neck and narrow shoulders. The same yellow sweater she’d been wearing that night more than a month ago. ‘Hello, dear,’ the man said, voice quavering and quiet. ‘I’ve missed you.’” buff.ly/4jWNwGy #HorrorFiction #HorrorNovel #WritingCommunity02 Mar 2025 22:06 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3ljggzgpfdz2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3ljdwkjaesc23Here's a new/old flash fiction piece. I actually wrote it two years ago and unearthed it while hunting through my eternal Google Drive. I was pleasantly surprised. Check it out. #Authors #Writing #WritingCommunity #WriteLife #WriterLife #Indie #SelfPub #TradPub #AmDrafting #AmEditing01 Mar 2025 22:06 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3ljdwkjaesc23https://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3ljdmin6xxx2l“The light froze, and the meat spoke. ‘This is three-zero-nine. I need an ambulance to Rockford Beach—possible drowning.’ The creature had heard similar sounds before, just before feeding, but usually they were inarticulate screams.” buff.ly/4jWNwGy #HorrorWriters #HorrorNovel01 Mar 2025 19:06 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3ljdmin6xxx2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3ljan2vp5s62mAs a civilization, we've somehow all agreed that Bonnie Tyler's performance in Total Eclipse of the Heart isn't the result of a serious break with reality, and I'm not sure how I feel about that.28 Feb 2025 14:38 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3ljan2vp5s62mhttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3lj64lmv3op2m“Sal took a few steps toward the girl. He bent at the waist and asked the girl if she was okay. Then he cried out. His body crumpled and tumbled into the girl and over the side of the pier with her, and into the water.” Wanna beta? https://buff.ly/4jWNwGy #HorrorFiction #HorrorStory #BetaReaders27 Feb 2025 14:38 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3lj64lmv3op2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3lj4zmezams2r“Julio’s boot connected with one of the eyes, which sunk deep. The thing shuddered and froze, then doubled its efforts. Keeping half its legs beneath it, anchoring it to the sand, it whipped another tentacle around Julio’s throat.” Beta? https://buff.ly/4jWNwGy #HorrorStory #WritingCommunity27 Feb 2025 04:12 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3lj4zmezams2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3liyx22ren723❓ Hey authors! A question: Step back from your current WIP (or don't, I'm not your mom) and show me the silliest, most comedic snippet you've written. Google Doc links might be best. I'll start: 25 Feb 2025 13:15 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3liyx22ren723https://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3lixobscumd2i“The man was no longer there. Instead, a pale, pulsing mass of flesh lurched toward him, with skin that seemed perpetually out of focus--a bulbous mound on a roiling pile of snakelike legs and two huge, alien eyes. In an instant, it was upon him.” Beta? https://buff.ly/4jWNwGy25 Feb 2025 01:06 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3lixobscumd2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3liv5stp2u42o“The man knelt in the surf, unmoving. ‘Sir? The beach is closed.’ Julio said. ‘I’m going to need you to vacate the premises, sir.’ The man didn’t say anything, or even turn to acknowledge he’d heard. And he didn’t move.” Beta? https://buff.ly/4jWNwGy #HorrorBooks24 Feb 2025 01:06 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3liv5stp2u42ohttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3liubfsqxv22dI just noticed how many times my short stories include "An elderly man in a porkpie hat". I'm running through a bunch of them and I've decided it should be a drinking game. What a weird thing to turn into an idiosyncrasy. I've never even seen an elderly man in a porkpie hat, far as I can remember.23 Feb 2025 16:37 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3liubfsqxv22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3liozs2eye42x“It didn’t fully grasp the concept of tides, but the creature instinctively tended toward shore when the tide was ebbing and the surf was calmest. It didn’t relish dry land… but that's where warm meat was most plentiful.” Beta? https://buff.ly/4jWNwGy #HorrorCommunity #BetaReaders #AmWriting21 Feb 2025 14:38 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3liozs2eye42xhttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3lina4pshyy2n“He saw Alice standing in the tide with her back to him, her pink swimsuit bright against the deep blue-green of the waves. She was pointing out over the water and shaking her head. ‘Where’s Dani?’ Cheri called. Beta? https://buff.ly/4jWNwGy #HorrorStory #HorrorBooks #BetaReading20 Feb 2025 21:26 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3lina4pshyy2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3likrvctgys2jHe reached out and touched her shoulder, and the woman’s pale flesh clouded with the color of a deep bruise. The shoulder lost its shape and squirmed out of his grip... He cried out before it yanked him into the water.” https://buff.ly/4jWNwGy #HorrorBooks #HorrorCommunity #BetaReadersWanted19 Feb 2025 22:06 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3likrvctgys2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3lijv6pf2ec25The sheer volume of AI bots and insanely pushy "pay me to hype your book" folks blowing up my DMs is just really annoying, and kind of sad. I like being here, but not for that.19 Feb 2025 13:32 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3lijv6pf2ec25https://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3liigjoxxsm2l“He knew a body could be in a horrible condition after just a few hours in the water, but her flesh hadn’t paled or bloated; she didn’t look like she’d drowned. Still, something about the body looked wrong to him. The limbs were too... soft.” https://buff.ly/3CKI8pv #HorrorNovel #AmWriting18 Feb 2025 23:37 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3liigjoxxsm2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3ldxz7x55ss2qA story of royal revenge. This is a #flashfiction story you can digest in four minutes. Enjoy! Wolf’s Paw and Pond Thistle https://dirkbannionbooks.com/wolfs-paw-and-pond-thistle/23 Dec 2024 13:15 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3ldxz7x55ss2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3lds3i2wgrk2uSomething a little different for the Christmas season. Pass it along #blueskyauthors. #authors #readers #comedy #historicalfiction #biblical #Jewish Oily Josh and the Greasy Bois Find Religion https://dirkbannionbooks.com/oily-josh-and-the-greasy-bois-find-religion/21 Dec 2024 04:40 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3lds3i2wgrk2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3ldjx5fmj2k2tSo, how much of YOU ends up in your MCs? #authors #writers #novelists17 Dec 2024 23:01 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3ldjx5fmj2k2thttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3ldac5eozd22nThis #flashfiction piece gives me Twilight Zone vibes. Me, My Wax Figure, and the End of the World https://dirkbannionbooks.com/me-my-wax-figure-and-the-end-of-the-world/14 Dec 2024 02:51 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3ldac5eozd22nhttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3ld5svnkaec2tHere's Chapter 2 of my WIP. I'd love your opinions #booksky 😱 New Excerpt from Mimic (working title only) https://dirkbannionbooks.com/new-excerpt-from-mimic-working-title-only/13 Dec 2024 03:13 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3ld5svnkaec2thttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3lcs7czjjvk2e#flashfiction “Do it again, Otis!” Otis adjusted the helmet on his head and squared off with the barn. With another flying leap, he rammed his head into the clapboard wall and collapsed to his knees. https://dirkbannionbooks.com/do-it-again-otis/08 Dec 2024 12:23 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3lcs7czjjvk2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3lcjd3s6gis27Hot and fresh #flashfiction in the bag. This one's creepy. I'd love your thoughts on it. Fire Sale dirkbannionbooks.com/fire-sale/ #horror #horrorstories #horrorwriters https://dirkbannionbooks.com/fire-sale/04 Dec 2024 23:37 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3lcjd3s6gis27https://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3lcib64obps2vIs it just me or are there a hell of a lot of people that jump into your DMs instantly upon following? Maybe I'm not up to date on social media etiquette, but that turns me off in an instant.04 Dec 2024 13:30 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3lcib64obps2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/author-dirkbannion.bsky.social/post/3lcbw4ganks25Hey Bluesky #WritingCommunity, I've already shared Chapter 1 of my soon to be finished horror novel, and now, here's Chapter 2.📚😱 New Excerpt from Mimic (working title only) https://dirkbannionbooks.com/new-excerpt-from-mimic-working-title-only/ #horrorlit, #horrorbook, #horrorwriter, #hwa, #horrorwriting, #horrorwrite,02 Dec 2024 00:56 +0000at://did:plc:pb52daqhzpfhhhhmd6rnledv/app.bsky.feed.post/3lcbw4ganks25