✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ (@authorjoyshaw) header
✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ (@authorjoyshaw) profile picture

✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨

@authorjoyshaw

Mom • Teacher ✨ Dark Myth-Tech Fantasy author #CPTSDsurvivor ⚔️Scarred heroines—fierce as their readers. #RevPit 2026 | #10Queries ➡️ https://xitter.cf/t.co/qQEEjAJmbP

 Ann Arbor ✡️☮️💕 #bekind
joy-shaw.com
Joined January 2010
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  • Followers2.4K
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Photo by ✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ (@authorjoyshaw)Photo by ✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ (@authorjoyshaw)Photo by ✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ (@authorjoyshaw)Photo by ✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ (@authorjoyshaw)Photo by ✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ (@authorjoyshaw)Photo by ✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ (@authorjoyshaw)Photo by ✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ (@authorjoyshaw)Photo by ✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ (@authorjoyshaw)Photo by ✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ (@authorjoyshaw)Photo by ✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ (@authorjoyshaw)
What if trauma became coded runes on your skin? And an authoritarian regime hunted the marked, harvesting your grief to fuel its power? JESSICA JONES × ARCANE They call her SCARella. She’s the only one who gives a damn about post-Collapse Manhattan’s disappearing girls. ──── ⟐ ∞ ⟐ ──── A trafficking survivor turned vigilante stalks beneath a skyline of drones, wielding a sentient flaming machete to rescue girls from a grief-harvesting regime. When she allies with a subterranean rebel, her trauma-made-visible glyph mutates, threatening to remake her into the predator she hunts. 🔥 ──── ⟐ ∞ ⟐ ──── Some things don’t just break you. They remake you. Her trauma became code. Her code became power. Now the system wants it back. 🔥 ──── ⟐ ∞ ⟐ ──── 🔥 vigilante with CPTSD 🧬 trauma coded into skin as runes 🧠 reclusive subterranean inventor 🐀 rat seers 🩸 trafficked girls ☄️ post-Collapse Manhattan 😭 grief = harvestable magical energy ⚙️ emotion-run weapons 🕯️ healing as resistance ❤️ love as presence ──── ⟐ ∞ ⟐ ──── #QuestPit #Adult #CyberpunkFantasy #SpeculativeFiction #MythTech #CPTSD #WritingCommunity #WritersOfX
Cyberpunk fantasy poster featuring the vigilante SCARell standing in a flooded tunnel, gripping a flaming machete. A glowing rune appears on her chest and along her arm. Title reads SCARELLA: THE MACHETE MARAUDERESS with the tagline: “Some things don’t just break you. They remake you.”

ALT Cyberpunk fantasy poster featuring the vigilante SCARell standing in a flooded tunnel, gripping a flaming machete. A glowing rune appears on her chest and along her arm. Title reads SCARELLA: THE MACHETE MARAUDERESS with the tagline: “Some things don’t just break you. They remake you.”

Promotional graphic for SCARella: The Machete Marauderess. Two glyph-marked hands reach toward a glowing butterfly. The image includes the pitch, comps, and themes of trauma, healing, found family, and love as presence.

ALT Promotional graphic for SCARella: The Machete Marauderess. Two glyph-marked hands reach toward a glowing butterfly. The image includes the pitch, comps, and themes of trauma, healing, found family, and love as presence.

Collage-style moodboard featuring glowing infinity symbols on two hands reaching, a small rat with magical light, a red eye, armed soldiers, a futuristic flying drone, a tunnel with train tracks, a city in ruins, and a lush cave with a waterfall where two figures stand beneath the light.

ALT Collage-style moodboard featuring glowing infinity symbols on two hands reaching, a small rat with magical light, a red eye, armed soldiers, a futuristic flying drone, a tunnel with train tracks, a city in ruins, and a lush cave with a waterfall where two figures stand beneath the light.

Graphic titled “Heart of SCARella” with a lyrical excerpt about a character’s internal conflict, wanting connection but feeling trapped by fear, trauma, and the risk of fracturing into something unrecognizable.

ALT Graphic titled “Heart of SCARella” with a lyrical excerpt about a character’s internal conflict, wanting connection but feeling trapped by fear, trauma, and the risk of fracturing into something unrecognizable.

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Friends, it’s my birthday today, and I’m feeling strangely unsettled. Maybe it’s the state of the world. Maybe it’s the looming midterm election. Maybe it’s feeling in limbo with my book, finished, but still chasing those final polishes and wondering when I’ll finally call it done. Or maybe it’s just one of those birthdays that makes you pause and reflect. In any case, send me a happy GIF. I could use a little joy today. ❤️🎂 #BirthdayThoughts #AuthorLife #WritingCommunity #FindingJoy
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Fiction often portrays love, magic, or technology as a cure for trauma and mental illness. But what happens when healing means erasing who someone is? In my latest blog post, I explore ableism in storytelling, the importance of agency, and why characters don’t need to be “fixed” to be whole. Read more on my blog: [joy-shaw.com/2026/10/28/char…] #WritingCommunity #MentalHealthRepresentation
Characters Don’t Need to Be Fixed to Be Whole

Characters Don’t Need to Be Fixed to Be Whole

Fiction often portrays love, magic, or technology as a cure for trauma and mental illness. But what happens when healing means erasing who someone is? Exploring ableism in storytelling, the importa…

joy-shaw.com
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✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ retweeted
questpit || next event: NOV 4th (@questpit) profile picture
questpit || next event: NOV 4th@questpitOct 5
We’re officially less than a month away from our last #questpit event of the year!! We’re very excited to host once again and cannot wait to see what’s in store.
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✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ retweeted
Tali Shammas (@talishammas) profile picture
Tali Shammas@talishammasOct 21
🎉 QUERY LETTER REVIEW GIVEAWAY 🎉 With surgery scheduled for Friday, I need some excitement to distract me. So I’m giving away one query letter review - to enter, just comment the genre you write, then like and repost this post. I’ll pick a winner on November 4.
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His time to shine 🌟
Image from Allie Nguyen 🌞🌙 Preorder BLOOD OF SILVER (@alliewritesalot)
You’re unable to view this Post because this account owner limits who can view their Posts. Learn more
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✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ retweeted
Colubrina_ (@Colubrina_) profile picture
Colubrina_@Colubrina_Oct 9
I sold a book :) (links to all the things in comments)
Image from Colubrina_ (@Colubrina_)
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Guess what? I’ve decided to delay querying until sometime next year. Why? Because I’m not quite ready emotionally, and my manuscript could benefit from a little more feedback, some distance from my own eyes, and a few final polishes. Am I okay with that? Absolutely. There’s no rush to start querying. In fact, I think rushing into the process before you’re truly ready can cost you more in the long run. I’d rather give myself the time and space to determine when I’m ready than rush into something I might regret later. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your manuscript, and yourself, is give it time. 📚❤️
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✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ retweeted
Madelyn Knecht (@MadelynKnecht) profile picture
Madelyn Knecht@MadelynKnechtOct 9
TODAY ONLY! If you're looking for a chance at free feedback from editors on your query letter + opening pages (including me), submit to RevPit's 10Queries event (hosted on Bluesky): forms.gle/kEva6UBKdYLS1z2y6
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You only get one life. Live it fully. Chase your dreams. Work toward your goals. Take the chances you’re afraid to take. Don’t look back one day and wish you had tried. Make this life count. 🤍
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✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ retweeted
Alyssa Matesic (@AlyssaMatesic) profile picture
Alyssa Matesic
@AlyssaMatesicSep 11
As an editor, I deeply believe in the value of getting feedback on your story. But that doesn't mean you should let just anyone read it and give you their thoughts. Because feedback from the wrong person can be actively HARMFUL to your process. It might... ❌ send you down a revision path in the wrong direction ❌ shake your confidence in scenes that are actually working ❌ push your book toward the wrong genre conventions ❌ leave you more confused than when you started I've seen writers get burned by bad feedback so many times. So before you hand over your manuscript, ask: ✅ Does this person read (and understand) my genre? ✅ Do they have editorial experience? ✅ Can they effectively articulate WHY something isn't working? Feedback is only as good as the person providing it. Be selective and thoughtful in who you share your story with!
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Really? 2,443 followers? How did that happen? 😂 I’m over here like, wait, what? To all my new follows—hey, thanks! 👋 Welcome! Hope you enjoy writing, reading, and editing as much as I do. ❤️📚 #writingcommunity #writersofX
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You know that moment when something just clicks and you’re sitting there like, “Oh wow. Yeah. That works.”? That happened to me today with my logline. After months of wrestling with it… I finally have it, guys!! One step closer to querying. 🙌📚 #WritingCommunity #WritersOfX #editing
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✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ retweeted
rachel mcmillan 🇨🇦 (@rachkmc) profile picture
rachel mcmillan 🇨🇦@rachkmcSep 5
WRITERS ARE COOL ALL OF YOU ARE COOL
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✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ retweeted
✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ (@authorjoyshaw) profile picture
✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨
@authorjoyshawJul 24
What if trauma became coded runes on your skin? And an authoritarian regime hunted the marked, harvesting your grief to fuel its power? JESSICA JONES × ARCANE They call her SCARella. She’s the only one who gives a damn about post-Collapse Manhattan’s disappearing girls. ──── ⟐ ∞ ⟐ ──── A trafficking survivor turned vigilante stalks beneath a skyline of drones, wielding a sentient flaming machete to rescue girls from a grief-harvesting regime. When she allies with a subterranean rebel, her trauma-made-visible glyph mutates, threatening to remake her into the predator she hunts. 🔥 ──── ⟐ ∞ ⟐ ──── Some things don’t just break you. They remake you. Her trauma became code. Her code became power. Now the system wants it back. 🔥 ──── ⟐ ∞ ⟐ ──── 🔥 vigilante with CPTSD 🧬 trauma coded into skin as runes 🧠 reclusive subterranean inventor 🐀 rat seers 🩸 trafficked girls ☄️ post-Collapse Manhattan 😭 grief = harvestable magical energy ⚙️ emotion-run weapons 🕯️ healing as resistance ❤️ love as presence ──── ⟐ ∞ ⟐ ──── #QuestPit #Adult #CyberpunkFantasy #SpeculativeFiction #MythTech #CPTSD #WritingCommunity #WritersOfX
Cyberpunk fantasy poster featuring the vigilante SCARell standing in a flooded tunnel, gripping a flaming machete. A glowing rune appears on her chest and along her arm. Title reads SCARELLA: THE MACHETE MARAUDERESS with the tagline: “Some things don’t just break you. They remake you.”

ALT Cyberpunk fantasy poster featuring the vigilante SCARell standing in a flooded tunnel, gripping a flaming machete. A glowing rune appears on her chest and along her arm. Title reads SCARELLA: THE MACHETE MARAUDERESS with the tagline: “Some things don’t just break you. They remake you.”

Promotional graphic for SCARella: The Machete Marauderess. Two glyph-marked hands reach toward a glowing butterfly. The image includes the pitch, comps, and themes of trauma, healing, found family, and love as presence.

ALT Promotional graphic for SCARella: The Machete Marauderess. Two glyph-marked hands reach toward a glowing butterfly. The image includes the pitch, comps, and themes of trauma, healing, found family, and love as presence.

Collage-style moodboard featuring glowing infinity symbols on two hands reaching, a small rat with magical light, a red eye, armed soldiers, a futuristic flying drone, a tunnel with train tracks, a city in ruins, and a lush cave with a waterfall where two figures stand beneath the light.

ALT Collage-style moodboard featuring glowing infinity symbols on two hands reaching, a small rat with magical light, a red eye, armed soldiers, a futuristic flying drone, a tunnel with train tracks, a city in ruins, and a lush cave with a waterfall where two figures stand beneath the light.

Graphic titled “Heart of SCARella” with a lyrical excerpt about a character’s internal conflict, wanting connection but feeling trapped by fear, trauma, and the risk of fracturing into something unrecognizable.

ALT Graphic titled “Heart of SCARella” with a lyrical excerpt about a character’s internal conflict, wanting connection but feeling trapped by fear, trauma, and the risk of fracturing into something unrecognizable.

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Here’s another reminder… We writers want to write. Not audition for the algorithm daily.
✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ (@authorjoyshaw) profile picture✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨
@authorjoyshawMay 29
Some days, the writing part feels like the easy part. #WritingCommunity #AmWriting #WritersOfX #AuthorLife #WritingLife
Photo of hands typing on a laptop with a Word document open. Large text on the screen reads: “I came here to WRITE. Not to be a content creator. Definitely not to audition for the algorithm daily.”

ALT Photo of hands typing on a laptop with a Word document open. Large text on the screen reads: “I came here to WRITE. Not to be a content creator. Definitely not to audition for the algorithm daily.”

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Five years ago, I stopped writing. Not because I wanted to, because life happened. One year ago, I returned. Today, after 19 revision passes, my manuscript is preparing to enter the querying trenches late this fall. I wrote about my journey here: joy-shaw.com/2026/09/05/the-…
Image from ✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ (@authorjoyshaw)
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✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ retweeted
𝓓𝓮𝓵 (@delonperc) profile picture
𝓓𝓮𝓵
@delonpercSep 3
CPTSD AWARENESS 🏮 DAY 3 Sometimes the past doesn’t return as a memory. It returns as a feeling that’s far too big for the room you’re standing in. That’s one way an emotional flashback can feel. There may be no image, no clear memory, just fear, shame, helplessness, abandonment, or that overwhelming sense that something needs to be fixed right now. 🧵
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✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ retweeted
Courtney Reece (@courtneyreece0) profile picture
Courtney Reece@courtneyreece0Sep 3
7 full requests out of 38 total sent and the most recent one made my jaw dropppppp🎀🦌 i’ve been battered and bruised by the query trenches many times, but my advice stays the same through it all: stay delusional, keep writing, and don’t ever give up✨
Image from Courtney Reece (@courtneyreece0)
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✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨ retweeted
Alyssa Matesic (@AlyssaMatesic) profile picture
Alyssa Matesic
@AlyssaMatesicSep 3
Dear writer, If you're deep in the revising trenches, fearing you're not making your story any better (in fact, maybe making it WORSE), here's what I want you to do... And I promise it'll be the MOST effective thing you can do for your story... And you can do it RIGHT NOW... Take a break. Yep. When you have spent months — sometimes years — living inside your story, you stop reading what is actually on the page and start reading what you intended to put there. You fill in the gaps. You skim over the rough patches. So if revision feels impossible right now, it's probably just because you're too close. And that is completely okay. Once you get some distance from it and return, you're going to see the story — and what it needs — SO much more clearly. Sincerely, Your friendly neighborhood book editor
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Sometimes I think writers are almost afraid to let a book look too polished. But isn’t that what revision is for? I rewrote my book from the ground up a year ago. Since then, I’ve completed 17 revision passes, followed by a clarity pass and a compression pass, bringing the total to 19. And that came after shelving the book for five years before I finally had the guts to rewrite it. Yes, my book is polished to the best of my ability. It should be. I’ve spent a year questioning words, cutting repetition, strengthening character voice, fixing continuity, tightening scenes, listening to beta readers, and making thousands of tiny decisions about what belongs on the page. Sometimes I even keep the technically “imperfect” sentence because it sounds like my character. Revision isn’t about sanding every edge off a story until it sounds perfect. It’s about making the book sound more like itself. I’m about to query, and I want agents to see the strongest version of this story I know how to make. I did the work. I’m going to let the book look like I did. #WritingCommunity #WritingProcess #BookRevision #WritersofX
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