@kmherkes@wandering.shop
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kmherkes

@kmherkes@wandering.shop

I drink tea, collect puns, & write things. Energy level & attention span are variable, hair color is subject to change without notice.

#SFWA
#Writer
#Bisexual
#ADHD
#Neurodivergent
#EDS
#CraftAdjacent

Avatar: a woman wearing glasses & a green hoodie holding a huge, brown longhaired cat in front of her face.

Header: "K. M. Herkes, author, gardener, cat wrangler" printed in black next to a portrait of a brown longhaired cat on a vertical gradient blue-to-pink background.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

kmherkes, to writing
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Once again, I present my humble offering to anyone seeking a cozy sci-fi read:

Weaving In The Ends, a novella duology that starts with a summer fling & ends with a comedic Winter Solstice brawl.

It's a feel-good chosen family story, and it's a quick read that can be read as a standalone, or as an easy springboard into the world of 2 connected novels.

Available in print & ebook now, audio coming soon!

https://books2read.com/WeavingInTheEnds

@bookstodon

kmherkes,
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@OETearmann @bookstodon

Awwww, thank you for saying that!

I know I'm biased, but I certainly think they're great.

kmherkes, to writing
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It's been a hectic couple of days. So I wrote about it. As one does.

I'm still working out elements of the new blog's format, like, oh, post URL slugs and default images, because I approach design like I'm conducting experiments (How does it look if I change this? Oh, NO. Ew. What about this? Oo, pretty.)

So much fun.

https://kmherkes.com/brain-bubbles-blog/cbq86d7h6b1xsyr1vfd2gq9nx9d66h

#writing #blog

mishellbaker, to random
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No YOU have a massive crush on Claudia Black.

kmherkes,
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@mishellbaker

It's true, I totally do.

kmherkes, to books
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The Sharp Edge Of Yesterday is a modern fantasy novel about coming of age in middle age & changing the world one choice at a time.

In a world where one in ten people will develop supernatural powers in middle age…
Five disillusioned idealists and a passionate teen activist take on the federal government, save lives, and cope with past & present traumas

https://books2read.com/SharpEdge

@bookstodon #books #fantasy #SFF #bookstodon #RolloverFiles

kmherkes, to random
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Last day of #Minicon. It's been a really good con. Loads of fun, great panels & more.
Hanging out for another hour or so, but not expecting much action. it's pretty quiet in the hall.

MsHearthWitch, to food
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Time to play the game y'all. What's for dinner?

#food #WhatsForDinner #dinner #MySlowLife

kmherkes,
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@MsHearthWitch
Oo, fun game.

Chicken pot pie?

kmherkes,
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@MsHearthWitch

Looks scrumptious!

I love the idea of thyme dumplings.

kmherkes, to random
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Fellow writerfolk, would you please brag on your cover artists to me?

I need fresh art for a scifi/fantasy story collection I have in the pipeline, to clearly distinguish it from my 2 existing series.

The title will be 'Relics From A Traveling Show," and the general tone is warm & whimsical.

I have a soft spot for Illustration, but digital painting or stock image manipulation are also great. No AI, pls.

Bring on the recommendations!

#WritingCommunity

18+ kmherkes, to Cats
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Mister Pips is Exceedingly Displeased with me for denying him the freedom of the countertops.

(Picture hidden because his supervillain stink-eye is too powerful to leave unshielded.)
😹😹😹
#MaineCoon #Cats #catsofmastodon

kmherkes,
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@thepoliticalcat

Pips couldn't hold a grudge even if he had thumbs.He's sacked out next to me for a nap now.

Unless he's trying to lure me into a false sense of security before pouncing. So hard to tell, with cats.

kmherkes, to scifi
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My humble offering to anyone seeking a weekend read:

Weaving In The Ends, a #scifi #romance novella duology that starts w/a summer fling & ends w/a Winter Solstice brawl.

It's the closest I have to a feel-good story, it's a cozyish quick read that can be read as a standalone, or as an easy springboard into the world of 2 connected novels.

Available in print & ebook now, audio coming soon!

https://books2read.com/WeavingInTheEnds

#Books #Reading #Bookstodon @bookstodon

kmherkes,
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@diazona @bookstodon

Delighted for it to be there. I do love a good list. 📝

kmherkes, to writing
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Inner critic: so, what did you do today?
Me: watched the rain, drank tea, daydreamed about story elements, played with the cat.
IC: yes, but what did you DO?
Me: Existed, happily.
IC (getting annoyed now): No, but seriously, what did you accomplish, produce, or MAKE? Where are your results?!
Me: Hahahaha, joke's on you. Some days, happy IS a result.
IC: sulks off in a huff

#ImaginaryConversations
#Writing
#RestDay

kmherkes, to random
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I have finally watched The Marvels, and I will be watching it again, because it was effing adorable & I want more.

It was far from perfect, mind you. Lots to critique, esp. the...oop, no spoilers...but, phooie to the haters. It rocked.

Give me all the "geeky women save the day + tentacle kitty farce scenes" stories & infinitely fewer "dude shreds reality bc emotions are hard" ones, thank you.

(Also, flerkens are just the most absurd idea ever but I love them anyhow.)

kmherkes, to random
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#WordWeavers 27 Have you written poetry?

Yes. Not published, but I enjoy haiku, and now and again I come down with a case of free verse.
Funny story, the title of my book "The Sharp Edge Of Yesterday" is a line from a poem that only exists in that book's world (and on my computer hard drive.)

That book's MC wrote a lot of poetry, which I actually had to write for real, of course, because research!.

I love reading poetry, though.

kmherkes, to Cats
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Mister Pips shows off his best table manners.

#Caturday #Cats CatsOfMastodon

kmherkes, to random
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Blogging about being away for a few days adventuring offline.
Which of course means I'm online reporting about it & craving feedback even though I don't respond to feedback.

A study in contradictions, that's me.

https://dawnrigger.com/winter-retreat-1/

kmherkes, to sciencefiction
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I have my panel schedule for Capricon 44 (happening in 3 weeks, ack!), and holy shrews & gerbils it's going to be a busy weekend.

It's all very exciting, and I'm TOTALLY not feeling daunted & freaked-out about sharing a reading slot with Cecilia Tan, nope, not at ALL.

<cue running in circles & arm-flailing>

#WritingLife #Capricon #ScienceFiction

kmherkes, to random
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Sharing good things:

  1. Despite much help from the cat, I fixed the awful way my site landing page showed up on mobile. it was easy once I found what I screwed up in the first place. (that should be my life slogan, tbh)

2, Someone took time to let me know they were loving my book. (Cue heart melting gifs.)

  1. My most recent blog post about life stuff is getting ten time the response I usually get.

It's a nice way to head into the weekend year end, ya know?

#WritingCommunity

kmherkes, to Cats
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Here's a story in 5 pics I like to call, "How My Cat & I spent Christmas"

A bit belated because my local Fediverse server was down Christmas Eve & then my internet was down for a good while after that.

Don't be daunted by the Patreon domain, it's a public post, most of mine are. Original pics do have alt-text.

#cats #MaineCoon #WritersCat #Catstodon

https://www.patreon.com/posts/this-week-with-95333071

mishellbaker, to random
@mishellbaker@wandering.shop avatar

I'm in kind of a romancey mood... anyone recommend any good series for binge-watching that have great romance stories in them? I've already seen Bridgerton, obvi.

Doesn't have to be a "romance series" like that but should heavily feature some good swoony romantic subplots.

Or even recs for recent great rom-com movies (I haven't really kept up with movies in the past several years). Saw Crazy Rich Asians, but I think that was the most recent one I saw.

kmherkes,
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@mishellbaker
There's “Red, White & Royal Blue,” a sweet LGBTQ+ romance. It was an Amazon original movie this summer. Might be library/rental/dvd by now too.

And one of the leads in that was also Prince Charming in a more traditionally romancey musical retelling of Cinderella also done by Prime Video. That was surpisingly satisfying too.

kmherkes, to random
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#WordWeavers 11 Who supports your writing the most?

Ah, wow. This is a toughie. Most to least isn't how I measure. I heart all the supports, from my superhero Spouseman who alpha reads AND supports us both financially, to every reader who's ever bought my books & said something kind about them.

but NGL the most meaningful help comes from you fellow writers. You're there for me w/ideas &resources when I need 'em, & you just get it when I'm stuck & frustrated & need to vent.

kmherkes,
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#Wordweavers 12 12. Have you ever wanted to give up writing?

Nope. Sure there have been days (months/years) when I don't write, but I've never thought of those not-writing times as giving up, only...necessary pauses.

What keeps me going is a refusal to beat myself up over metrics like word counts, "daily writing" or speed of draft completion. Words are patient, I have found.

Professional & productive are not synonyms, even if capitalism wants us to believe they are.

IMHO YMMV etc.

kmherkes,
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#WordWeavers 13 Share a great writing review/ message/ compliment

My trifecta:

  1. someone once compared my books to Sharon Lee & Steve Miller's work. The Liaden series is a huge influence on my writing, so that one = smiles forever.

  2. a Goodreads review called my style "a wonder...terse and spare, a lean greyhound eating up the track." O.O

  3. My brother complained bc no one warned him I wrote hot sex scenes. (There's no actual sex in my books. TV-14, at most. So it makes me giggle.)

kmherkes,
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#WordWeavers 14. Do you write characters with different sexual orientations and gender identities from your own? What guides your writing?

Welp. Yes. If I stuck to my own, my books would only have gender-nonconforming demi-bi women pairbonded with cis-het men...which, cool by me, but maybe limiting?

The further from my own experience I get, the more research & sensitivity checking I do, but I want to write realistic & relatable characters. Including sexual diversity has to be part of that.

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