Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷

@helynalc

author of SKYLARK IN THE FOG (2022) and IMBUED (2024) • radio astronomer • she/they ✨ // #SFINCS and #SPSFC judge 2025-2026 // • we reach forward • // NO genAI or LLMs All links in one place: helynalclove.com/links

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Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· 19d

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· 19d

#SPAAW 💙📚 If you say Claudie Arseneault's name, I will immediately think of the tireless and passionate work she's doing to support, advertise, and publish aromantic and asexual indie fiction, championing books with emphasis on platonic relationships. I have read Baker Thief and Painted Flock

The cover of Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault

The cover of Awakenings, the first book in The Chronicles of Nerezia series by Claudie Arseneault

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· 19d

#SPAAW 💙📚 It was back in the ol' wattpad times around 2021 when I got to know Sean Browning, reading I Don't Seem So Bright in A Well-Lit Room as he posted it chapter by chapter. Later, we became "publishing buddies", as he was the one who thought of including me when a friend intended to

The cover of I Don't Seem So Bright in a Well-Lit Room by Sean Browning

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· 19d

#SPAAW 💙📚 Bridges of Smoke by Julie March did not promise to be a happy read: it is about a virus that brings about the tech-bro post-apocalypse, and I read it in 2022 which was certainly a Time. Still, I fell immediately in love with Leecie, Bolton, and Luke (and started my life-long vendetta

The cover of Bridges of Smoke by Julie March

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· 20d

#SPAAW 💙📚 The first things that drew me to Far Removed by C. B. Lansdell were the cover (created by the author), the promise of a story about a non-human civilization inhabiting a distant moon, then Coe's delightful discussions about world-building and characters on social media. Reading the book,

The cover of Far Removed by C. B. Lansdell

The cover of Our Ways Unmasked by C. B. Lansdell

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· 20d

I haven't mentioned in a while but my dark, lush, introspective fantasy duology about figuring out how to live after near-incapacitating trauma and the loss of your sense of self (+ weird, ancient magic, dead gods revived, and forbidden love) is soon complete! Get ARCs, preorder, buy! ⬇️ #SPAAW 💙📚

The cover of Untwined by Helyna L. Clove

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· 20d

#SPAAW 💙📚 Sheila Jenné captivated me with the setting of her first book, Black Sails to Sunward, a sapphic "sailpunk" adventure with regency aesthetics and social structure where space ships fly with solar sails and no real electricity is used in the world. There are pirates, and war, and a second-

The cover of Black Sails to Sunward by Sheila Jenne

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· 20d

#SPAAW 💙📚 I'm pretty sure Perception Check by @astridknightauthor.bsky.social changed my brain chemistry. This book, y'all. I think it was one of the first from the genre of books I just call "trauma therapy SFF" that I read. Inspired by TTRPG worlds, character archetypes, and mechanics, it tells

The cover of Perception Check by Astrid Knight

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· 20d

#SPAAW 💙📚 I first "met" David Green at Bristolcon and Eastercon where I really liked his discussions on panels related to mental health, autism, and asexuality in books/writing. Later I found out about his creative writing courses and participating was one of the best things that happened to me

The cover of Magic, Maps, and Mischief by David Green

The cover of In Solitude's Shadow (Empire of Ruin book 1) by David Green

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· 21d

#SPAAW 💙📚 I've only recently gotten to reading the first two books of S. A. Tholin's military sci-fi series, the Primaterre, but I consider myself really lucky that she keeps writing books in this universe, because I'm really looking forward to getting lost in them again and again. This is

The cover of Lonely Castles by S. A. Tholin

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· 21d

#SPAAW 💙📚 The Erstwhile Tyler Kyle by @stevewestenra.bsky.social found me in spooky season, and made the end of my November a scary, slightly unhinged time...but in a good way! :D The book in which half of a popular paranormal Youtuber duo travels to an isolated island to look for his

The cover of The Erstwhile Tyler Kyle by Steve Hugh Westenra

The cover of The Wings of Ashtaroth by Steve Hugh Westenra.

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· 21d

#SPAAW 💙📚 I always loved that the covers of the Cardplay Duology give such a strong action-adventure anime vibe. The books are SO. FUN. and dynamic, an intriguing world and magic system, colorful abilities and such a diverse crew! I LOVED my time with these books and I recommend them to everyone who

The cover of Bloody Spade by Brittany M. Willows

The cover of Bleeding Heart by Brittany M. Willows

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· 21d

#SPAAW 💙📚 Vesper Doom has been a constant presence for me since I sidled myself into the indie writing community first in the Bad Place & then on several other different platforms. An amazing, supportive person who writes imaginative books. Her The Binding of Bloom Mountain remains one of my

The cover of The Binding of Bloom Mountain by Vesper Doom.

The cover of Astrophobia, a short story anthology of space horror curated by Vesper Doom.

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· 21d

#SPAAW I met Laurie Janey's The Crossing when I did my BBNYA First Chapter Readthrough in 2023(?) and boy, that effort was already worth it for discovering this book. A melancholy, slow-paced science fantasy with parallel universes and some kind of enigmatic nature-science-magic that is in its roots

The cover of The Crossing by Laurie Janey

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· 25d

Currently reading The Buffalo Hunter Hunter...not an easy read but very compelling! And here's a pic from my walk to the workplace from a couple of weeks ago. I hope you can feel better soon 💜

Some nice greyish sunbeams from clouded sky above lush green brush and hills in fhe distance.

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· 26d

can you tell

A plushie of a pink axolotl on a background of fire with the text "i'm seriously at my limit"

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· Jul 11

#WIPSnips Untwined Chapter 7, Kanmane Palace under attack and we're...not well 👀😬

Aesh crouched with an impatient grunt, taking my arm and looping it around their slim shoulders without a word.
“What’s going on outside?” I breathed. Aesh lifted me like I was a pack of twigs. I held on, every part of me in pain as they dragged me towards the door. “Where are you taking me?”
“Out of here. The palace is under attack.”
Another hit shook the structure around us while we clambered out to the hallway. My heart thumped, the implications surging through my head. “Under attack from…?”

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· Jul 7

Look at them both together! 🥹🥹🥹 💙📚

The cover of Imbued by Helyna L. Clove. The digital art is very painting-like and features lush, thorny vegetation in purple and green colours on all sides, surrounding a white calla lily. The stalk of the lily is clutched by golden, sparkly, magical threads as if they were pulling it towards the ground. The cover is framed by golden swirly framing art, and the title and author name are written on it also with gold.

The cover of Untwined by Helyna L. Clove in the same painting-like, ethereal style. It depicts a purple-pink lotus flower with a bright yellow center on a lake surface surrounded by lily pads. The pads and the water are in brighter and darker colors of golden yellow. Golden magical threads are whirling around the flower. The cover is framed by golden swirly framing art, and the title and author name are written on it also with gold.

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· Jul 6

Just finished Lonely Castles, the incredible book 2 of the Primaterre series by @sofietholin.bsky.social last night and y'all...this series is so. good. An action-heavy military sci-fi with so much heart, hope, mindfucks, excellent characters, and such an interesting universe.

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· Jul 4

T-3 until the cover reveal of Untwined! 💙📚 I'm running out of cover facts!! Ask me anything about the book??!

A trope map-style graphic with labels around the graphic of a book in the middle pointing at it. On the book graphic, it reads: Helyna L. Clove, Untwined (Imbued #2). The background is a blurry, gold and brown colored image showing lily pads on water. The edges of the picture have fancy corner graphics.

The arrowed labels around the book say:
- pesky lost goddess inside my head (but sad)
- my grief and trauma embodied in corrupted magic? Right in front of me??
- ancient underground high-tech city
- dream yearning
- mild(?) torture (sad-face emoticon)
- metaphysical battles (visions, memories, nightmares, otherworlds)
- a fight for freedom at all costs
- tfw you just want to BURN it all (but sad)

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· Jul 3

If you'd like a lush, introspective dark fantasy with violent magic, forbidden love, childhood trauma, dead gods, metaphysical battles & a woman regaining (tooth and nail) her agency: www.smashwords.com/books/view/1... (75% off) books2read.com/imbued & preorder the sequel!! books2read.com/untwined

The cover of Imbued in the middle with labels around it pointing at it with arrows in a trope map-style graphic. The cover features a white calla lily surrounded by lush, thorny vegetation, its stalk pulled towards the ground by golden magical threads. The style is painting-like and the main colors are white, purple, green and gold.

- childhood trauma-induced amnesia
- violent magic
- manipulation
- very reluctant hero (crossed out) villain (also crossed out) ???
- telepathic flirting
- queernormative society
- failed magic experiments and dead gods
- dreams & visions galore
- demisex romance (slowburn no spice)

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· Jul 2

T-5 until the cover reveal of Untwined! The cover was again created by the marvelous Harkalé Linaï who has made the cover art for Skylark in the Fog and Imbued as well. Peep her site: harkale.art

The cover of Skylark in the Fog by Helyna L. Clove

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· Jul 1

at the end of my fucking rope over on Threads

A post from a person on Xwitter, I think, containing a genAI generated...thing, video, that is supposed to look like yummy food scenes animated by Studio Ghibli. And that clown is like "I animated a bunch of Ghibli food scenes with Grok. This is the result. Could you tell the difference?"

User blenderhub7 posts this to Threads saying "'Artists are copying it, looks aesthetically pleasing.' nah the food looks like rubber. [skull emoji] Have higher standards please."

And I'm quoting this with:

"It also. Doesn't. Matter. If I can tell the difference.

If you use LLMs/genAI, you use a tool that disproportionately damages nature and (often already disadvantaged) people's living conditions; is founded on large-scale theft and is enabled by fascist billionaires who want to see you (yes, you) dead; is suffocating the job market and people's ability to make a living; and is promoting complacency and grifting, giving even more power to the worst of humanity.

You don't care. But we should."

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· Jun 27

#WIPSnips There are a lot of roots in Untwined. 👀 It's also a curse word in the world! my ARC requests are still open: forms.gle/nGYWNuSrDvEN...

“This is not for you,” she hissed into my mind. Something unnatural and hideous squirmed inside her abdomen: worms under decaying bark. Her face was a mask of blind anger, darkness pulsing behind her eyes. Waves of revulsion consumed the space around us. I clambered backwards, vision buzzing, my mind scrambling to understand, before she reached out with claws like gnarled roots and snatched me out of the landscape, throwing me back into reality.

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· Jun 24

#WIPSnips WELL I have a whole chapter called Finale in Untwined but you're not gonna get that?!! (you could, though 👀 ARCs, anyone? forms.gle/nGYWNuSrDvEN...) so here's one with "final" where Calla is...at the end of her rope, honestly 😭

“I’m not going to give her to you, you sick witch.” A cackle like a skittering insect curled out of my throat, a final desperate spasm pinning my mouth into a mad grin. “You took everything from me. You get nothing!”

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· Jun 22

#WIPSnips Untwined Chapter 5 in which The Sufferings Have Begun 😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️

“You’ll do what needs to be done,” Vesper said, pushing into my mind. The light was strong, drawing me into it. I still felt her hand on my shoulder, but I was halfway gone now, untethered, drifting. “It’s only you and I now, dear.”
I teetered, lost my balance, and fell into the pit.

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· Jun 21

bro 😭😭😭 I perish

Weather forecast showing temperatures of 34-35 Celsius degrees then 38-39 for the next week in my area.

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· Jun 16

whoever this was is my hero today :')

A screenshot showing a report of 1 pre-order existing for Untwined on Kobo.

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· Jun 16

Only 3 months to go until release day for Untwined! You can already preorder the ebook! books2read.com/untwined Available on Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Everand, Smashwords, Bookshop dot org, Thalia, and Fable! 💙📚🪐📚 Cover reveal 7 July! And you can still get ARCs too! ✨ forms.gle/nGYWNuSrDvEN...

Hel ✨ || Untwined is blooming 🌀🪷@helynalc· Jun 12

See also here: www.indieauthorcollective.com/fantastical-... alongside many, many great indie fantasy books on sale!💙📚 Snatch Imbued just in time for the release of the sequel, Untwined, this September!