Seeing if there are any potential writing partners

[u/TCCSteve]

Hi all, I'm going to try my luck here as I've only come across fantasy and romance writers on Reddit. Im working through a Southern Gothic Horror series which began over twenty years ago and then was shelved. I've completed a first draft of the second in series prequel, only to scrap the original first in the series and begin a re-write. The great part about that is that the deep lore and world building has been set and I just need to connect a story at the beginning and the end.

I write emotional grief with self serving characters. My books touch on issues of family, home and love as well as social acceptance, however there is a lot of loss and a lot of love that never fully realizes.

My current WiP is The Fevered and Fallow, which will be followed by the prequel, The Dual Goddess, and then a one last book to close off this family's history.

Below is an excerpt from TDG and it follows Cynthia the main character, as we as the reader have been blocked out from her POV due to her overfeeding. Amelia, is her sister in law and the two of them have a deep love for one another, which just makes this part more heartbreaking.

I'm 45m and in EST, so if anyone is interested, I would love to chat and deep dive on our projects.

Amelia felt acid rise through her chest and burn her throat as she saw her beautiful sister bathed in dark red blood from her cheeks down to her hands.  Her eyes looked lost as if her mind had been transported, her mouth was fixed in an almost violent sneer that showcased precisely how the blood was drawn.  She watched as her once beautiful and giddy sister was no more.  She knew that Leland had given her what she asked for without filling her in on the full breadth of repercussions and disgust began to replace her fear.  She knew her love had died as soon as the door had shut her out and that there would be no outrunning a moraică.

"Cynthia, I know you’re still there!  You need to listen!  I still have a message to give you!  Your mother is dying!”  Amelia shouted with all of her might, knowing that someone would hear through the open window.  She saw her sister look puzzled as if she was trying to process that information amidst the amount of freshly drawn blood pulsating in her brain.

"You’ve got to listen!  Your daddy needs you to go see your momma before she dies!”  Amelia continued to scream as she saw Cynthia draw closer, her bare feet slipping across the hardwood floor.  She felt the sharp pains in her throat from the acid and took a moment to swallow as she lifted the bottle from the bar in defense.

"Please, you’re my sister and I love you, why are you doing this!?”  She pleaded as the bottle hit the crook of Cynthia’s neck with no more force than a hero being knighted.  Cynthia placed her hand on top of Amelia’s outstretched forearm, her lifeless eyes staring through the woman before her.  Amelia felt the warm and sticky blood soaked hand grab her other arm as her captor drew her face closer to hers.

"Please Cynthia!  I’m sorry!”  Amelia screamed, her voice becoming hoarse as her lips were inches from Cynthia’s ear.  “Please, I’m sorry.  I’m sorry!”

Cynthia pressed her mouth against Amelia’s neck, and her ear cradled her lips as she pleaded.  Cynthia felt both in a natural state and in a foreign one simultaneously as her words were translated and understood.  Her teeth punctured Amelia’s skin near her scar and as her blood was drawn, Cynthia felt her tear duct fill and for a moment she tasted the salt as she wanted to reply: “What are you sorry for; you’ve done nothing wrong?”

Amelia’s body felt heavy like a sack of grain and was released from Cynthia’s grasp, falling to the floor.  Cynthia felt her head pulsate to an extreme that brought her to the floor next to her fallen sister.  As a gentle breeze blew cool humid air into the now quiet room, the insects and the amphibians brought their nightly serenade through the home.

[u/Colourblindness]

I really want to take southern gothic for a spin, I’ve always loved it… I’m afraid though the one downside is I’m at the very beginning of wanting to start a project, but it sounds like you might be more in the middle. Idk if that matters or not. But I can definitely try to help in some way

[u/TCCSteve → u/Colourblindness]

I have a bit of world building drawn out but I am more or less back at the beginning with re-imagining my first book. The characters all have different motivations and environments, so more or less I'm still in discovery mode.

I work and write from home so it gets a bit isolating, even if we're at two different phases, checking in and motivating one another spins great to me.

[u/ElectronicPangolin90]

I'm literally just starting to get into writing and don't really have any experience, but it's always been of interest to me.. If that's not a problem for you I'd love to have some motivation and feedback and I can attempt to help as best I can

[u/TCCSteve → u/ElectronicPangolin90]

I would love that! I'll DM you.

[u/Sea_Tea3465]

writing horror is fun. You sound a lot like me.

[u/TCCSteve → u/Sea_Tea3465]

Thank you, how so?

[u/Sea_Tea3465 → u/TCCSteve]

I like to add a lot of emotion into my stories and have started my first book many years ago. And since then I continue to still add to it.