Tabitha 🐀

@tabithawrites

Writer & editor, animal lover, local history & architecture nerd, queer fiction fan | Ace & agender | 🚫 genAI | ey/em or they/them Books: tabithaoconnell.com Interactive fiction: alyshkalia.itch.io

326 Folgt956 Follower1.226 Posts

Bluesky

gay lesbian

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Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· 29d

STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY: Kel is longing for Yaan to show he cares. Yaan is desperate for one thing in his life to be easy. A demolition order for Kel’s favorite building could salvage their crumbling relationship… or cause its collapse. (art by Juniper Lake Fitzgerald!) #Bluepit #📖 #P #A #F #R #LGBT

cover of "Structural Integrity" by Tabitha O'Connell. The illustration depicts a young man walking toward an ornate wooden door looking back over his shoulder and holding out his hand to a man who stands in the lower left corner, his head and shoulders visible from the back. surround the cover are phrases: m/m romance, trans, ace-spec MC, supportive family, anxiety rep, angst & sweetness, existing relationship, communication, class difference

digital painting of two men standing facing each other. the taller one has brown hair and is wearing a green robe; he has one hand on the other's elbow and the other hand on the other man's face. the shorter one has black hair and is wearing a brown jacket and has one hand on the other man's waist.

Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· 29d

DIRT-STAINED HANDS, THORN-PIERCED SKIN: Heron doesn’t see a future with eir partner, but isn't ready to let go. After meeting the sweet, shy, mysterious occupant of a magic-laden castle, ey starts to realize what ey wants—if ey can find the courage to pursue it. #Bluepit #📖 #P #A #F #R #OV #LGBT

arrow graphic with book cover of "Dirt-Stained Hands, Thorn-Pierced Skin" by Tabitha O'Connell in the center. It has a border of leaves and red roses, with the title text in a decorative font taking up most of the space. The title is overlaid on a castle with a blue sky behind it. in the foreground is the back of a person with short hair in a plain shirt standing facing the castle. arrow text around it reads: low heat, snarky x patient, nonbinary MC, yearning, magic plants, bonding over books, mom who meddles (crossed out) tries to help, loose Beauty and the Beast retelling, getting out of a bad relationship.

Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· Jul 12

Structural Integrity and Structural Strain are both in this bundle! The second book especially features Yaan navigating his anxiety and depression after a major life disruption. itch.io/b/3781/figur...

Text: Characters figuring out their Queer/ Neurodivergent/ Disabled selves. Figuring it out Bundle: 17 books for $16. July 12th to 31st, Itch.io.
Covers bordering text:
This Is How Immortals Die, Nic Hidalgo.
Bad Memory, M.A. Melby.
Dragon's Soul, J.F.R. Coates.
A Designer Magick, Stefanie Carter.
Lucifer's Favour, Tessa Hastjarjanto.
Countering the Hands of Crime (Sythe Series #2), Elise Carlson.
Bleeding Gold, Niranjan.
The Baptism is Long but the Song is Everlasting, Rob MacWolf.
Our Simulated Selves, Nikki Null.
Rin in Time Immemorial, L’Poni.
Giving in to Gravity, Avery Bridge.
A Life in Too Many Margins, S. E. Thomson.
What Lies Within, Issy Waldrom.
A Demon to Save Me (Found Humanity #1), H.S. Kallinger.
Blood of the Gods, Wren L. Rivers.
The Protector and the Annihilation, Naila Moonsi.
Structural Integrity, Tabitha O'Connell.

Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· Jun 28

cover + first page of Structural Integrity for #PrideBookFair!

Now
Kel lay on his stomach before the open balcony door, a cool night breeze tickling his skin. The brown-striped cat that sometimes managed to climb up stared at him from the stone balustrade. After a moment, it dropped to the floor, still watching, and Kel stretched his arm toward it. “Come on, don’t you want to explore in here?” The cat stood still, one paw lifted, large pupils glinting back the room’s dim gaslight.
Hunger tugged at Kel’s stomach, and he drew in a long breath and embraced the feeling, lowering his head to let his cheek rest on the rug. He hadn’t eaten since breakfast, save a plum off one of the courtyard’s trees.
Behind him the room’s door clicked open, and the cat darted away into the darkness. “What are you doing?” came Yaan’s bemused voice. The lights brightened, and Kel rolled onto his back and stood, measuring his speed so his head wouldn’t spin.
“Nothing. How are you?”
“Exhausted. Today was the longest day.” Yaan fell onto the bed and reached out a hand toward Kel.
Kel stepped forward to clasp it. “Sorry.” Perching beside him, he smoothed Yaan’s hair back above his closed eyes.
“Mmm.” Yaan pressed into his touch, shifting to nuzzle his face against Kel’s palm, his stubble tickling slightly. “My only comfort was knowing I’d be coming back to you.”
Kel’s hand slid to the fastenings at Yaan’s throat. “You had an important meeting today, right?” he asked as he worked the first set free and moved down to the next. Removing Yaan’s administrative robes was always a process. “How did it go?”
“Oh, it was fine. Not worth talking about.” Yaan’s eyes blinked open and focused on Kel’s. “Help me forget it?”
The lightheadedness brought on by the lack of nutrients in Kel’s body was akin to tipsiness, making him lazily compliant. After reaching an adequate state of forgetfulness, Yaan snuggled against his side and fell asleep. Kel lay still for a bit, but his empty stomach won the fight against his drowsiness. Eventually he eased away and crept off to

Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· Jun 28

joining the cover/first page trend for #PrideBookFair! Here's DSHTPS.

book cover for "Dirt-Stained Hands, Thorn-Pierced Skin" by Tabitha O'Connell. It has a border of leaves and red roses, with the title text in a decorative font taking up most of the space. The title is overlaid on a castle with a blue sky behind it. in the foreground is the back of a person with short hair in a plain shirt standing facing the castle.

Heron eased what ey hoped was the final weed from its spot between the leaves of a rhubarb plant, careful to pull the entire root system free before tossing it into the wheelbarrow with the rest. Ey wiped the light sheen of sweat from eir face, then looked up to survey the garden for any remaining intruders. Only the neat rows of vegetables remained, soil dark and damp around them.
These days, with eir mother determined to make a living off selling her inventions, the garden was solely Heron’s responsibility—which ey didn’t mind. Ey liked the quiet, the steady rhythm, the progress as the plants grew and blossomed and bore fruit. Ey liked the smell of the dirt, the infinite variety in the plants, the insects that pollinated them…
If Tiel got his way, though, Heron was going to lose all of that. Living in town instead, hearing arguing people instead of the clucking of chickens, inhaling smoke instead of rain-soaked earth.
Sighing, ey unbent eir stiff knees and rose, rolling eir shoulders and stretching eir arms above eir head. With Ma away, off on her trip to the city fair that morning, Tiel had invited himself over tonight. Heron had reminded him, though, that that would mean waking up early tomorrow to make it back into town for work on time, and that had seemed sufficient to put him off the idea.
Guilt nagged em like a persistent fly, but ey just as persistently swatted it away. Ey was allowed to want some time to emself every so often. Ever since Ma had mentioned her trip, ey’d been looking forward to a quiet evening alone with a book. No clatter of tools from Ma’s bedroom workshop, no trying to figure out if her mutterings were directed at em or just her talking to herself. Ey loved her, and they got along well for the most part—but it was still nice to have a break once in a while.
Of course, most people would relish the chance to have their lover over when they had the house to themselves… but then, most people weren’t seeing Tiel.

Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· Jun 20

if you like short stories, the indie anthology Torment: A Gothic Anthology includes three vampire stories! www.juniperlakefitzgerald.com/writing-port...

book cover of TORMENT: A GOTHIC ANTHOLOGY, curated by Juniper Lake Fitzgerald. A pale, veiny hand with red knuckles tears through the black cover to reveal a red background

Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· Jun 20

still looking for recs! in the meantime, i'll note that my novellas Structural Integrity and Structural Strain follow a couple after the "getting together" stage. (getting together was the easy part; staying together not so much!) currently on sale on itch! tabithawrites.itch.io/structural

covers of Structural Integrity and Structural Strain by Tabitha O'Connell with text: "Kel: messenger boy - cinnamon roll - people-pleaser. Yaan: government official - anxious mess - conflict-avoider. First they need to confront their issues... then they have to actually work on them."

Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· Mar 10

Torment: A Gothic Anthology, curated by @ardentgrove.bsky.social, is out today!! I was a co-editor and have my own story in the collection, which channels my trauma from being raised AFAB in a conservative Christian society and was very cathartic to write! Purchase links: books2read.com/u/3Lz617

Graphic with text reading: OUT NOW
A TIMELESS COLLECTION OF QUEER GOTHIC TALES
TORMENT: A GOTHIC ANTHOLOGY
CURATED BY JUNIPER LAKE FITZGERALD

graphic with text:
A TIMELESS COLLECTION OF QUEER GOTHIC TALES
OUR CAVALIER CONSECRATE - DEMONAPOLOGIST
THE ROT BENEATH - MARAT EARENDEL
EMERGE - BAILEY ELIZABETH
OMEN - JUNIPER LAKE FITZGERALD
JUST LIKE OLD TIMES - TYLER ISAAC
ICHOR - ARTEMY MANDUS
DANCE MACABRE - T. L. MORGAN
NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD - TABITHA O'CONNELL
WHERE THE STARS HAVE NO REACH - BAY SHUFORD
BEST AND BRIGHTEST - W. PAYNE SILLAVAN
A BLOOM OF DAFFODILS - EZRA WREN
TORMENT: A GOTHIC ANTHOLOGY

graphic with heading "eleven authors" and eleven author photos/portraits/representations.

graphic with header "four artworks" and four black and white illustrations. @ me if you'd like a full description!

Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· Jan 15

I'm so excited to be a part of this anthology! Release date is March 10, but you can sign up for an ARC now! Sign-up form: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... Add on Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/24...

graphic reading:
TORMENT: A GOTHIC ANTHOLOGY
FEATURING:
OUR CAVALIER CONSECRATE - DEMONAPOLOGIST
THE ROT BENEATH - MARAT EARENDEL
EMERGE - BAILEY ELIZABETH
OMEN - JUNIPER LAKE FITZGERALD
JUST LIKE OLD TIMES - TYLER ISAAC
ICHOR - ARTEMY MANDUS
DANCE MACABRE - TALLI L. MORGAN
NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD - TABITHA O'CONNELL
WHERE THE STARS HAVE NO REACH - BAY SHUFORD
BEST AND BRIGHTEST - W. PAYNE SILLAVAN
A BLOOM OF DAFFODILS - EZRA WREN

Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· Nov 14

12 hours left to grab the Trans People Take on the World bundle! 32 books by trans authors featuring trans characters, all for $35. itch.io/b/3352/trans...

graphic with text reading: Trans People Take on the World. Nov 1-15, Itchio. below are 32 book covers:
The Strangers Sanctuary, S.E. Robertson
What Lies Within, Issy Waldon
Synthetic Sea, Franklyn S. Newton
Non-Player Character, Veo Corva
A Life in Too Many Margins, S.E. Thomson
Like Salt and Whi Sky, Merlina Garance
A Memory of Blood and Magic, K.N. Brindle
My Personal Trainer Cracked My Egg, Fern V. Bedek
Enemies to Enemies, Ash Kreider
The Poison Fruits, E.M. Haegar
The Thread That Binds, Cedar McCloud
The Wings of Ashtaroth, Steve Hugh Westenra
The Elysium Proposal, A.E. Bross
Structural Integrity, Tabitha O'Connell
Songs of Broken Bells, Lilly Lockwood
Echo Sight, Cian Verath
The Uncontinented Stars, Haden Cross
Between You, Me and the Moonlit Sea, Linn Silver
Secondhand Origin Storie, Lee Brontide
Blood On The Snow, Finn McLellan
Manipulators War, Elise Carlson
Powder & Feathers, Johannes T. Evans
Our Simulated Selves, Nikki Null
All Roads Lead to This, Kay Claire
1000Lotuses, Lotuscarp.com
First Rose, Jake Vanguard
A Demon to Save Me, H.S. Kallinger
Dragons Soul, J.F.R. Coates
Garden of Rotten Roses, Nicole Hidalgo
Name Her Holy, Aubrey Ennis
Baker Thief, Claudie Arsenault
Illusory, M.X. Misfits

Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· Oct 21

#AceWeek sale! 26 ace books for $26! (including one by me!) itch.io/b/3322/ace-p...

Promotional image for Ace Pride Week Bundle #2
All books in this bundle have either a major character that identifies on the ace spectrum, an ace-identifying author, or BOTH! Oct. 19-25. 26 Books, $26.00

Book covers pictured are:
Non-Player Character by Veo Corva
Journey Home by May Barros
Triple Strike: Threads of Fate by G.M. Gray
Wherever the Stars Call by S. Jean
Yours Celestially by Al Hess
The Star-Crossed Empire by Maya Darjani
The Audacity 1 by Carmen Loup
The Thirteenth Key by Cara Nox
In the Eye of the Beholder by Beverly Anne Michel
A Designer Magick by Stefanie Carter
Bloody Spade by Brittany M. Willows
Structural Integrity by Tabitha O'Connell
Curse of Souls by Niranjan
The Thread That Binds by Cedar McCloud
Of Spells and Love by Odessa Silver
Courtly Love by T.D. Cloud
Song of the Wolf T.C. Smith
The Dragon Next Door by Vanessa Ricci-Thode
The Grand Duke's Masseur by sbdrag
Blood by D.C. Hart
Lantern by Burgundy Athena Pendragon
Inarora's Excursion by Astrid E. Abell
The Blood Divide by Zan Lowell
The Towers of Nine by Alyssa Louttit
Walking the Knife's Edge by Elise Carlson
Junk Junction by William C. Tracy

Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· Oct 21

#AceWeek sale--get this bundle of 50 ace books for only $50! (including one by me!) itch.io/b/3318/ace-p...

Graphic advertising the Ace Pride Week itch.io mega bundle.
Oct 19 - 25. 50+ books for $50! All books by ace authors and/or ft. ace characters across a variety of genres! riyati.ink/acepride2025

Book covers for the following books are listed top left to bottom right:
Non-player Character - Veo Corva
A Dragon’s Treasure - Elis Madsen
The Blood Divide - Zan Lowell
The Grand Duke’s Masseur
Child of the Forest - Audrey Simmons
Wherever the Stars Call - S. Jean
How Six Saved the Grogs - Blaine D. Arden
City of Strike - Claudie Arseneault
In Spite of the Inevitable - Morgan Biscup
Structural Integrity - Tabitha O’Connell
Of Spells and Love - Odessa Silver
Inarora’s Excursion - Astrid E. Abell
Puppetry - Nina Waters
Sidetracked - S. K. Kelley
Lost Blades - Liz Sauco
Claimed by the Undead - C. L. Carhart
The Star-Crossed Empire - Maya Darjani
Triple Strike Threads of Fate - G. M. Grey
Curse of Souls - Niranjan
Courtly Love - T. D. Cloud
Song of the Wolf - T. C. Smith
Blood - D. C. Hart
Chai and Cat-tales - Lynn Strong
The Thirteenth Key - Cara Nox
The Dragon Next Door - Vanessa Ricci-Thode
Walking the Knife’s Edge - Elise Carlson
Yours Celestically - Al Hess
Pet - H. S. Kallinger
The One He Brought Home - Skye Kilaen
Junk Junction - Sara Codair
Secondhand Origin Storie - Lee Brontido
Riyati Rebirth - Kai Zeal
Bridges of Smoke - Julie March
The Whisperer in White - Y. R. Liu
In the Eye of the Beholder - Beverly Anne Michel
Peace in the Sky - Caye Marsh
A Spark in Space - Janina Franck
Journey Home - May Barros
Doce Drosera - Anita
The Audacity - Carmen Loup
Bloody Space - Brittany M. Willows
Enemies to Enemies - Ash Kreider
Devil’s Deal - Tessa Hastjarjanto
Merchants of Knowledge and Magic - Erika McCorkle
A Life in Too Many Margins - S. E. Thomson
Where We Converge - A. E. Bross
Lantern - Burgundy Athena Pendragon
A Designer Magick - Fox N. Locke
The Harmony of Falling Snow - Andora Brohaw
The Thread That Binds - Cedar McCloud
Towers of Nine - Alyssa Louttit

Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· Oct 14

reposting with alt text! (also, i still have my childhood best friend's phone number memorized from 20 years ago)

screenshot from r/CasualConversation posted 2 days ago by TotalThing7

Did people really memorize phone numbers before cell phones, or is that just a movie thing?

I was watching some old shows from the 90s and noticed people would just dial numbers from memory - like they'd call their friends
or family without looking anything up.
Made me wonder if that was actually normal back then? Did people genuinely have all their important numbers memorized, or did most folks keep a little address book or written list nearby?

Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· Oct 7

very excited to be starting this one! @elizmanderson.com

photo of a white hand holding the book "The Keeper of Lonely Spirits" by E.M. Anderson

Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· Sep 16

It's another Itch bundle, this one for speculative fiction set in secondary worlds! 23 books (including two of mine!) for only $25, now through Sept 22. itch.io/b/3254/new-w...

Graphic depicting 23 book covers (list below). Text reads: "New Worlds, New Adventures. September 16-22. 23 books - $25. itch.io"

Books:
The Kalista Chronicles: A Brave Sacrifice
The Spider's Friend
Shadows Dark and Deadly
War Heart
A Light for the Dead to Follow
The Dragon Next Door
Undine's Blessing
Love Tales from the Borun-Ma
First Snow
Usurper
Thief, Acolyte, Consort
The Warm Machine
The Star-Crossed Empire
Structural Integrity
Structural Strain
Inarora's Excursion
Song of the Wolf
Hallowed
1# Cosmonaut
In Spite of the Inevitable
The Healer: Tales of Pern Coen
The Sarcophagus of Lamia
The Flame of the Dragon's Oath

Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· Sep 15

My short story "After the Curse" is currently featured in a FREE short story bundle on Itch! Grab over 20 stories from now through the 22nd. Tips welcome but not required! itch.io/b/3272/free-...

Cover art for many short stories with a red and orange overlay. Text atop reads “Free Short Story Bundle. September 15th-22nd” and “20+ Stories”.

Red and orange background with a blue book cover in the center. Cover has a sprig of red tomatoes and handwritten text reading “After the Curse” and “Tabitha O’Connell.” Text above and below reads “Free Short Story Bundle. September 15th-22nd” and “20+ Stories”.

Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· Sep 8

i'm a nonbinary author of traditional and interactive fiction! books: fantasy romance novellas. blurbs & links at tabithaoconnell.com interactive fiction: short works, many queer, often with multiple paths/endings. play at alyshkalia.itch.io

Graphic labeled "Trans books by a nonbinary author". Three books by Tabitha O'Connell are depicted: "Structural Integrity" has an illustrated cover with a young man walking toward an ornate wooden door looking back over his shoulder and holding out his hand to a man who stands in the lower left corner, his head and shoulders visible from the back. “Structural Strain” has an illustration in the same style of two men standing in front of an archway with a building in the background. One, wearing a green robe, stands right at the edge of the arch with a nervous expression, holding a suitcase in front of him. The other is in the foreground, only visible from the waist up, and is facing the first man with his hand held out. text beside these two reads "Trans man x cis man, dual POV". the third book is "Dirt-Stained Hands, Thorn-Pierced Skin", which has a border of leaves and red roses, with the title text in a decorative font taking up most of the space. The title is overlaid on a castle with a blue sky behind it. in the foreground is the back of a person with short hair in a plain shirt standing facing the castle. text beside this one reads "Nonbinary MC (ey/em pronouns)". text with arrows pointing to all three reads "Strong character arcs, Cozy domestic moments, Dose of angst"

Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· Aug 31

i got to see shirley jackson's houses in north bennington, vermont today!

a large greek-revival-style house surrounded by vegetation. two-story columns support a massive pediment.

a large italianate-style house flanked by trees. it has a full-width porch with elaborate decorative woodwork.

Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· Aug 26

i'm not sure how we got from "creator pages containing NSFW works are blocked in the UK" to "itch is mass-banning queer content in the UK". they're just not the same thing!

screenshot of bsky post by Anarchy Goose, ‪@anarchygoose.bsky.social‬, dated August 26, 2025

This is something that got lost a little in the wider Itch wildness but Itch has banned almost all queer content from the UK citing the OSA, even though that isn't what the OSA requires and almost certainly nobody asked them to.

They are a wildly incompetent company, regardless of wider issues.

quoted post by Ela Bambust, ‪@ela-bambust.bsky.social‬:

@itch.io is this something y'all did on your end or is this the UK government because if my *page* is hidden now I'd like to know

Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· Aug 23

My novella DIRT-STAINED HANDS, THORN-PIERCED SKIN is on sale through the 25th as part of the #NarratessIndieSale! Full synopsis and purchase links at tabithaoconnell.com/dshtps. Check out the 300+ other books currently on sale at indiebook.sale!

Graphic with a book cover and short text at the top. the book is "Dirt-Stained Hands, Thorn-Pierced Skin" by Tabitha O'Connell. It has a border of leaves and red roses, with the title text in a decorative font taking up most of the space. The title is overlaid on a castle with a blue sky behind it. in the foreground is the back of a person with short hair in a plain shirt standing facing the castle.

text beside it reads: A queer Beauty and the Beast retelling starring a snarky nonbinary farmer struggling to end a bad relationship and a shy, sweet man stuck in a magical castle. 99 cents.

below, a banner reads "Indie Book Sale. indiebook.sale. Fantasy, sci-fi-, and horror. August 23-25."

Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· Aug 23

The August 2025 #NarratessIndieSale is on! From now until the 25th, over 300 indie books are discounted from $1.99 to free, including my novella DIRT-STAINED HANDS, THORN-PIERCED SKIN (on sale for $0.99!). Check out all the participating books at indiebook.sale.

graphic with a banner over 24 book covers. banner text reads "Indie Book Sale. indiebook.sale. Fantasy, sci-fi, and horror. August 23-25"

Tabitha 🐀@tabithawrites· Aug 23

From now through the 25th, you can get my novella DIRT-STAINED HANDS, THORN-PIERCED SKIN as part of either of these two #NarratessIndieSale Itch bundles! Short stories & novellas bundle: itch.io/b/3243/narra... Fantasy bundle #3: itch.io/b/3240/narra...