============================================================== Guild: Write Club Channel: Archives-2026-August / 08-08-26-joshua-bader ============================================================== [7/31/2026 2:32 PM] starcryst @Joshua Bader story link please! [7/31/2026 2:36 PM] .revanarchy Hmm. OK. Guess I need to figure out which serial we're reading [8/1/2026 3:22 PM] .revanarchy https://open.substack.com/pub/joshuabader/p/blackwater-parish?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=6p5rm {Embed} https://open.substack.com/pub/joshuabader/p/blackwater-parish?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=6p5rm Blackwater Parish Prologue and Chapter One of an urban fantasy on the bayou, set in a fictional parish where Cajun, Creole, and ancient Catholic tradition push up against each other. https://images-ext-1.discordapp.net/external/EHNX4zvEbpc7fBsn_F43lOy2KLH_wLy_BVJgJh_Srxg/https/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/%24s_%21Fl14%21%2Cw_1200%2Ch_675%2Cc_fill%2Cf_jpg%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep%2Cg_auto/https%253A%252F%252Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%252Fpublic%252Fimages%252Fab867bc5-e854-49ae-aaa0-87885c697607_1024x1536.png {Reactions} 👍 ❤️ [8/8/2026 11:41 AM] .revanarchy It's time to play the music It's time to light the lights It's time to meet la gardienne on Blackwater tonight It's time to put on makeup It's time to dig up bodies It's time to get things started Why don't you get things started? Well, I always dreamed we'd be back here Dreams? Those were nightmares It's time to get things started On the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, ghoulinational This is what we call Blackwater Parish! {Reactions} ❤️ (2) 🔥 (3) [8/8/2026 12:23 PM] xenonsteem {Attachments} https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1531790288337502299/1535684960038682725/image0.gif?ex=6ab89a52&is=6ab748d2&hm=4f159e4f5ae99f9b0a67c77cae937d67f44ea025eb52bd0bcff4ec6912c82b3e& [8/8/2026 1:51 PM] .revanarchy If you need background music while you read for tonight, might I suggest: https://open.spotify.com/track/3o1nX61oecxnqXieA2ma0U?si=OaDFOhJySzmC2FWOhmBOHA&utm_source=copy-link [8/8/2026 1:53 PM] lauriemacnorcal_28850 Do you have a link to a non-Spotify source? Or a song name, perhaps? [8/8/2026 1:55 PM] erisindex Providing atmosphere, I like it! [8/8/2026 1:56 PM] .revanarchy Sorry about that. Nine Inch Nails - Terrible Lie I'm sure some would insist it's best on vinyl. {Reactions} 🔥 (3) [8/8/2026 2:44 PM] .revanarchy If anyone is having trouble with the link, it's the first part of my Blackwater Parish serial. Every chapter should have a New? Start here button if the links broken. {Reactions} ❤️ (2) [8/8/2026 6:01 PM] starcryst @everyone Join us at 7pm EST tonight in this channel for Write Club with author @Joshua Bader. If you want to help promote the story, click below and restack! Thank you. https://substack.com/@davidtetheredge/note/c-310886474 {Embed} https://substack.com/@davidtetheredge/note/c-310886474 David T Etheredge (@davidtetheredge) Tonight at Write Club we have @Joshua Bader and his story Black Water Parish! We’d love for you to read the story (link below) and join us at 7pm EST tonight to discuss it with the author and provide constructive feedback. https://joshuabader.substack.com/p/blackwater-parish https://images-ext-1.discordapp.net/external/GswhF-aneZJWMwpIahWNbzH7IIrOlB9L7uYb8vNxD1Q/https/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/%24s_%21nW88%21%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep/https%253A%252F%252Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%252Fpublic%252Fimages%252F128a8122-cd2c-4423-9b32-27df15d8189a_1536x1024.jpeg [8/8/2026 6:07 PM] von_a_o Il y aura du Francais? {Reactions} 🤣 ❤️ [8/8/2026 6:10 PM] lauriemacnorcal_28850 Sorry I have to miss it. Heading off to a friend’s 60th b-day party!!! {Reactions} 💯 ❤️ (2) [8/8/2026 6:12 PM] .revanarchy I will do my best. If its not a popular Louisiana phrase, it's probably lost on me. {Reactions} ❤️ 😆 [8/8/2026 6:16 PM] snowpuppie Enjoy your evening Laurie!! {Reactions} ❤️ [8/8/2026 6:18 PM] snowpuppie Je ne reconnais plus de mots français. XD {Reactions} 💯 [8/8/2026 6:18 PM] snowpuppie juste un peu [8/8/2026 6:19 PM] snowpuppie I took it many many many years ago and remember enough to say i can't remember much XD [8/8/2026 6:20 PM] von_a_o Just giving you a hard time. Altho if you had responded in French that would have been fun. [8/8/2026 6:20 PM] .revanarchy @Kris Buckel actively studies French. {Reactions} ❤️ [8/8/2026 6:20 PM] von_a_o It's my second language, I use it all the time {Reactions} ❤️ [8/8/2026 6:20 PM] snowpuppie C'est magnifique! ❤️ {Reactions} 👍 [8/8/2026 6:20 PM] .revanarchy I spent 7 years on Spanish... and know nothing. Hebrew, Arabic, and Aramaic on the other hand I actually retained a little. {Reactions} ❤️ [8/8/2026 6:21 PM] .revanarchy Those languages make sense. [8/8/2026 6:22 PM] von_a_o pero... el espanol es facil!! [8/8/2026 6:22 PM] snowpuppie I took french, unknowingly, in pre-school and early gradeschool (I just thought we were learning nonsense poems) and when I got to junior high, I had it again (my mom demanded french, b/c she liked it more than spanish and my grandmother spoke it) and then I realized I had been learning it way back when. I took it through my senior year, to the point I was reading novels and tested out of college courses. And of course, it's all gone now. LOL [8/8/2026 6:24 PM] von_a_o Il faut visite le Quebec! {Reactions} ❤️ [8/8/2026 6:24 PM] .revanarchy No, no facil. Hebrew is easy. Memorize a bunch of three letter combinations for your vocabulary. Then learn to conjugate [8/8/2026 6:25 PM] snowpuppie J'ai visite (omg my conjugation...?) dans 2000. 🙂 [8/8/2026 6:26 PM] snowpuppie See, I speak like I've never taken it. LOL I need to brush up [8/8/2026 6:26 PM] von_a_o Pas mauvais. Peut etre Je l'ai visite {Reactions} 👍 [8/8/2026 6:26 PM] von_a_o Full confession, I can speak it all day... but writing it... much harder. I don't even try for the accents on this keyboard {Reactions} ❤️ [8/8/2026 6:26 PM] snowpuppie ah yes, the grammar gets me every time lol [8/8/2026 6:27 PM] von_a_o Waht they call grammar we call spelling {Reactions} ❤️ [8/8/2026 6:31 PM] vesperlrayne_04128 Hey Josh, I am not able to be here today , but I can drop my feedback for you in your channel. Just know I've been reading every installment of this that you have published. I'm hooked ❤️ {Reactions} 😱 [8/8/2026 6:33 PM] .revanarchy My second biggest supporter??? Oh no. (But thats fine. I look forward to reading your thoughts later and answering the tough questions.) [8/8/2026 6:37 PM] vaelinshadowbloom Soooo I spent 10 years in Spanish and I can say lettuce and bathroom. {Reactions} 🥬 [8/8/2026 6:37 PM] .revanarchy Very useful words in today's crisis {Reactions} FACEPALMOWL (3) 🤣 (2) [8/8/2026 6:38 PM] vaelinshadowbloom MY TIME HAS COME {Reactions} 🤣 (4) [8/8/2026 6:39 PM] vaelinshadowbloom I mayyyyybe wrote about it in Cryptid Counseling... [8/8/2026 6:40 PM] .revanarchy Yes, yes you did. Poor Kit. No lettuce for her rn. [8/8/2026 7:00 PM] starcryst https://klipy.com/gifs/mha-bnha-45 {Embed} https://klipy.com/gifs/mha-bnha-45 Mha Bnha https://images-ext-1.discordapp.net/external/kDqLTUI20uWXtk3zHa_Q2xD4LBru8yfz40-EzzqO6t8/https/static.klipy.com/ii/4493325008d34b7bf8cd6813cd5c1619/69/fa/vQrMiqFhgvxe3.webp {Reactions} ❤️ (3) [8/8/2026 7:00 PM] starcryst YO YO YO! It's time for WRITE CLUB. [8/8/2026 7:00 PM] snowpuppie https://klipy.com/gifs/yes-705 {Embed} https://klipy.com/gifs/yes-705 Excited Baby Cheers 'LET'S GOOOOOOO!' at Game https://images-ext-1.discordapp.net/external/vdZeK2d0rCQSBywnCNQI0WBxWNXIKbFehkmuzNLPlic/https/static.klipy.com/ii/a15b48460c436e1e92c85ffc680932cc/ac/d5/iZxRYm1A.webp {Reactions} ❤️ (2) 💯 [8/8/2026 7:01 PM] starcryst @Joshua Bader what level of critique you feeling this evening? Care Bear or Full Frontal? [8/8/2026 7:02 PM] snowpuppie 1 bullet or all 4? XD [8/8/2026 7:02 PM] starcryst for newcomers, here is the Write Club chat format: {Attachments} https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1531790288337502299/1535785213739663411/Write_Club_Chat_Format.png?ex=6ab8f7b0&is=6ab7a630&hm=3dadac42d0227d8ebc7f4ad47917b0acf90d72b6bb6989bbb59b354ec6e291a5& [8/8/2026 7:02 PM] .revanarchy Full Frontal. Ive had my xanax. I have ice cream to cry into later if need be. {Reactions} 🤣 (3) ❤️ (3) excited (3) [8/8/2026 7:02 PM] starcryst Okay it was a great, short, spicy piece of work tonight, so I expect a lot of awesome feedback. [8/8/2026 7:03 PM] starcryst Get your hand in the air if you are ready to go. And remember, when you are finished, say your DONE [8/8/2026 7:03 PM] vaelinshadowbloom ✋ {Reactions} 👍 💀 [8/8/2026 7:03 PM] starcryst @Kris Buckel GO! [8/8/2026 7:03 PM] erisindex 👋 [8/8/2026 7:03 PM] snowpuppie 👋 [8/8/2026 7:04 PM] vaelinshadowbloom Quote - “You called me, sheriff. I agree you’ve got something strange happening. But we need to know what it is before we run in guns blazing.” Scene - The sheriff freaking out over voodoo and Rougarou and hippy dippy flower power (paraphrase). Critique - You don't let me edit before you post, damn it! Question - When does someone get eaten? I live here. Someone gets eaten. DONE {Reactions} 🤣 (3) ❤️ (3) [8/8/2026 7:04 PM] starcryst @everyone WRITE CLUB is happening -- come join us! [8/8/2026 7:04 PM] starcryst @Eris Index GO! [8/8/2026 7:04 PM] erisindex Favorite lines: I shrugged. “A girl’s got to make a living somehow. My title only comes with a broken down F-150, two goats, and a house that barely qualifies as shelter.” Loved how much character work this does without stopping to explain her actual character. I can practically see her entire life. {Reactions} ❤️ (2) [8/8/2026 7:05 PM] erisindex “They died last winter? How sure are you on that?” This fantastic line is my favorite line. It felt like there was cinematic music playing somewhere in the background while I was reading it. [8/8/2026 7:05 PM] .revanarchy I don't know when someone will get eaten. But Im sure it will happen before the book ends. I see a lot more fire though. [8/8/2026 7:05 PM] erisindex Favorite scene: “Fucking... Wish they served alcohol here. The mom is near fit for the ward at St. Christophe’s already, but she’ll sign off. But what the heck am I supposed to tell the coroner? That reporter, Jim Barnes, if he catches wind of any of this?” His exasperation is killing me, lol. You have done a wonderful job building this guy's character through dialogue and details. This makes him crystal clear in my mind, an exasperated sheriff dealing with supernatural fuckery. {Reactions} ❤️ (3) [8/8/2026 7:05 PM] erisindex Criticism: The back-and-forth about digging up the bodies started to lose me a little. Once she explains why they need to know whether the bodies belonged to the children, I understood her reasoning, and I understood his reluctance. Then they circle it a few more times without really throwing in any new info. I’d suggest maybe tightening that scene. [8/8/2026 7:05 PM] starcryst apparently, @Kris Buckel wants you to start In Media Restaurant. [8/8/2026 7:05 PM] erisindex Overall: I really enjoyed this. The prologue hooked me immediately because of the photograph and the supposedly dead children. Are they dead? Are they not dead? LOVE IT. I especially like when we get to the next part and find out that the Sheriff knows more about the entire situation. He even has a person he calls when crap gets weird. [8/8/2026 7:06 PM] erisindex Question: How long has this sheriff been exasperated with the supernatural crap? Poor guy. [8/8/2026 7:06 PM] erisindex DONE [8/8/2026 7:06 PM] starcryst @Lisa N Snowe GO! [8/8/2026 7:07 PM] snowpuppie I genuinely got a good feel for the setting: the diner was particularly vivid in my head. I also got a good sense for the mystery that is unraveling, and it feels pretty spooky-ooky, so consider my curiosity piqued! {Reactions} ❤️ (2) [8/8/2026 7:07 PM] snowpuppie Favorite Line: “A girl’s got to make a living somehow. My title only comes with a broken down F-150, two goats, and a house that barely qualifies as shelter.” Great character sketch, in one line. "I swirled my spoon in the coffee cup in front of me, partially out of boredom, partly because I didn’t trust the brew here." Action doing double duty as scene setting. {Reactions} ❤️ [8/8/2026 7:07 PM] .revanarchy He's been dealing with weird stuff as a deputy for at least 15 years based on Urban Legends of Blackwater Parish. But he didn't find out about la gardienne and how deep the rabbit hole goes till he was elected sheriff. {Reactions} 🔥 (2) [8/8/2026 7:07 PM] t_r3xxx 👋 {Reactions} 👍 [8/8/2026 7:07 PM] snowpuppie Favorite Scene: The sheriff, when he's in his office looking at his gun, ammo and thinking about the situation. I felt his exasperation and pictured him sitting there with his muddy boots up on the desk (even though you never said it). I got a full image, without the need for lots of description. {Reactions} ❤️ 🔥 [8/8/2026 7:08 PM] snowpuppie Critique: A few sentences utilized structures that read oddly in my mind? For example, "Quality and food safety standards were not among the topics gossiped about." It's not incorrect, it just ready oddly in my head: But that could totally be me. Also, Courtney was a little hard to suss out for me? It took me some quick rereads to piece together who she was, and to get a portrait of her in my head, and etc. I did eventually get a good sense of her expertise, though. Perhaps the reader would benefit for a bit more on her, to help set the scene too (knowing more about what she does may give us more of a feel for what might be happening?) ... {Reactions} ❤️ [8/8/2026 7:09 PM] snowpuppie Question for the Author: I didn't get a chance to read ahead - how far along are you in the series and how many chapters will it end up being? 🙂 {Reactions} ❤️ [8/8/2026 7:09 PM] snowpuppie DONE [8/8/2026 7:09 PM] starcryst GO@terence <<< see what I did there? {Reactions} 🤣 (2) 😆 [8/8/2026 7:10 PM] t_r3xxx Favorite scene: like others have said, Sheriff Danners considering blowing his brains out in the prologue. Great unexpected character moment. {Reactions} ❤️ (2) [8/8/2026 7:10 PM] .revanarchy I released Chapter 4 last Thursday where they get the kids dug up. So its an easy catch up still. I slow down a little and really use chapter 2 to flesh out Courtney. As far how long it goes, I dont know. I have an idea that this is going to be novella length when its done, but we will see. {Reactions} 🔥 (2) [8/8/2026 7:11 PM] starcryst we have 22 people in channel -- I know some of ya'll are reading this one. Get me some hands up! {Reactions} 🔥 (2) [8/8/2026 7:11 PM] t_r3xxx Overall a great start to an eerie mystery with lots of atmosphere. Old photographs always freak me out. The dialogue is well done and there were a few times that felt a little exposition-y but mostly the story flowed. {Reactions} ❤️ (3) [8/8/2026 7:12 PM] t_r3xxx One thing I was missing: where the photo was found? If I zipped past that, apologies {Reactions} ❤️ (3) 💯 (3) [8/8/2026 7:12 PM] t_r3xxx Overall, great stuff! DONE {Reactions} ❤️ [8/8/2026 7:13 PM] loganraith ✋ [8/8/2026 7:13 PM] starcryst @Logan Raith GO! [8/8/2026 7:13 PM] .revanarchy Hmm. Interesting that never came up. I suspect it was mentioned to Deputy Ivers and Sheriff Danners before the prologue began. But hasn't been handled in text yet. [8/8/2026 7:13 PM] josisofer 👋 {Reactions} 👍 [8/8/2026 7:14 PM] camillabokbok 👋 {Reactions} 👍 [8/8/2026 7:14 PM] t_r3xxx Then it bumped me that none of the characters seem to be interested in asking that question [8/8/2026 7:15 PM] loganraith Spider-Man is in trailers, and I read this on the way over. My notes will be brief, Joshua, but I’ll come back later with more! Bottom line: I’M HOOKED. This is all the way up my alley, extremely well-written, and doesn’t go on too long. I’d actually read much longer chapters of this. This is one of my favorite things I’ve read on Substack and I’ll be reading everything in this series. Great work, man. [8/8/2026 7:15 PM] loganraith DONE {Reactions} ❤️ (5) [8/8/2026 7:15 PM] starcryst @Josi Sofer & Waves: GO! [8/8/2026 7:15 PM] josisofer Favorite Lines: “Sheriff Danners took the picture and went back to his office. He pulled out the .38 special he kept in his drawer and checked the chamber. Four bullets left. He waited till he heard the outer door click, signaling the young deputy and the distraught mother were gone. For a brief moment, he wanted to put the revolver to his own temple, pull the trigger, be done with it. Those feelings always came with cases like this. Instead, he tucked the gun into his ankle holster.” Sets the scene, establishes a character, and promises us a mind-fuck of a scary time. I dig it. {Reactions} ❤️ (4) [8/8/2026 7:16 PM] josisofer Sounds exactly like what we expect down here, given I'm from Southern Louisiana {Reactions} 🔥 (4) [8/8/2026 7:16 PM] .revanarchy Thank you so much. Urban fantasy is kind of my home turf... so its interesting to be writing one set in my backyard. {Reactions} 🔥 (4) [8/8/2026 7:17 PM] josisofer Critique: “I swirled my spoon in the coffee cup in front of me, partially out of boredom, partly because I didn’t trust the brew here. Guillory’s Diner had a reputation. Mostly, its reputation was AS (this is your error) BEING (suggested substitution) the only twenty-four hour greasy spoon in Blackwater Parish.” [8/8/2026 7:17 PM] josisofer “Rougarous → Rougaroux” {Reactions} ❤️ [8/8/2026 7:18 PM] josisofer Having lived in Louisiana for a majority of my life and being born here, this doesn’t fit Southern Louisiana, where the blackwater and bayous are. The names should be Cajun and Creole, you need that to be elected Sheriff and be a Medium. Your Medium-esque narrator doesn’t sound like she’s from here at all. No one in the chapter does. [8/8/2026 7:18 PM] .revanarchy Rougarou is just one of those things I hope doesn't have a plural. I discovered plural Wendigo is scary too in my first novel. {Reactions} 😆 [8/8/2026 7:18 PM] josisofer This comes off as Chicago when I know you're going for Voodoo scary Noir. It's just line-level tweaks [8/8/2026 7:19 PM] .revanarchy Interesting. I stole a lot of last names from locals. [8/8/2026 7:19 PM] josisofer Positive Critique: Engaging, short chapter establishing this is a paranormal mystery. We get who both characters are. The Sheriff Danners is gristled but actually too soft for his job. Courtney is over her job as being chosen. {Reactions} ❤️ (3) [8/8/2026 7:19 PM] lcdouglass 👋 {Reactions} 👍 [8/8/2026 7:19 PM] josisofer DONE [8/8/2026 7:19 PM] starcryst @camillabokbokbookbook: GO [8/8/2026 7:19 PM] gonzpaoli 👋🏼 {Reactions} 👍 [8/8/2026 7:20 PM] josisofer I've never heard these names in Southern Parishes, you can message me and I'll hook you up with all Cajun and Creole names if that's what you want. No one from outside the area will notice. {Reactions} 💯 ❤️ (2) [8/8/2026 7:20 PM] camillabokbok Thank you. I just need to know more about that picture. More descriptions so I can visualize the kids. I'm totally hooked. Thank you again! {Reactions} ❤️ (3) 👆🏼 (2) [8/8/2026 7:21 PM] starcryst @𝐋𝐂 𝐃𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 GO! 🙂 [8/8/2026 7:21 PM] lcdouglass I'm having computer issues - typing on an unreliable laptop - bear with me .... Compelling story - I read ahead and really liked the atmosphere {Reactions} ❤️ (3) [8/8/2026 7:22 PM] lcdouglass Favourite line probably the sheriff wanting to hold the gun to his head. {Reactions} 👆🏼 [8/8/2026 7:22 PM] lcdouglass I liked the little descriptive sentences that grounded the setting - the description of the diner, the AC etc {Reactions} 💯 [8/8/2026 7:23 PM] lcdouglass I found the [8/8/2026 7:23 PM] lcdouglass S [8/8/2026 7:23 PM] lcdouglass s [8/8/2026 7:23 PM] lcdouglass o [8/8/2026 7:23 PM] lcdouglass r [8/8/2026 7:23 PM] lcdouglass s [8/8/2026 7:23 PM] lcdouglass o [8/8/2026 7:23 PM] lcdouglass r [8/8/2026 7:23 PM] lcdouglass r [8/8/2026 7:23 PM] lcdouglass y [8/8/2026 7:23 PM] lcdouglass s [8/8/2026 7:23 PM] lcdouglass o [8/8/2026 7:23 PM] starcryst Morse Code! {Reactions} 😂 [8/8/2026 7:23 PM] .revanarchy Clearly she's saying its the best thing shes read [8/8/2026 7:23 PM] t_r3xxx I think her return key is jammed {Reactions} 😂 [8/8/2026 7:23 PM] lcdouglass sorry I'll have to leave it - having real problems on this keyboard {Reactions} ❤️ (3) [8/8/2026 7:23 PM] starcryst yes -- that's what I just decoded [8/8/2026 7:24 PM] josisofer Whatever did it in @Joshua Bader 's story got to @𝐋𝐂 𝐃𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 , we're all next {Reactions} 🤣 (4) [8/8/2026 7:24 PM] starcryst @Gonz BABY: GO! [8/8/2026 7:24 PM] gonzpaoli **General Thoughts** The pacing is perfect. The characters feel *alive.* You feel for the mother's grief, and you just know something is up, even though the evidence isn't quite enough to convince you yet. You're right there with the sheriff, almost thinking, *eh, investigate anyway just to make her feel better.* And of course we know they're going to find some serious shit going down 😂 I am really invested in this. This is some great storytelling. I loved it! {Reactions} ❤️ (2) [8/8/2026 7:24 PM] starcryst Poltergeists. {Reactions} 👻 (5) [8/8/2026 7:24 PM] gonzpaoli **Favourite line:** > I shrugged and risked a swig of the coffee. “Louis the IX if you want to get technical about it.” Pause. “You called me, sheriff. I agree you’ve got something strange happening. But we need to know what it is before we run in guns blazing.” {Reactions} ❤️ (3) [8/8/2026 7:25 PM] snowpuppie That was quite compellingly on-brand with this story, actually ... a little spooky keyboard shenanigans made me hope you were ok and not fighting off your own Wendigo or the like XD {Reactions} 🤣 (3) [8/8/2026 7:25 PM] gonzpaoli **Criticism:** **No notes. ** I loved it 😀 {Reactions} ❤️ (3) [8/8/2026 7:25 PM] gonzpaoli DONE! [8/8/2026 7:25 PM] starcryst okay then I'll go while we see if there are any lurkers left [8/8/2026 7:26 PM] lcdouglass I'd best take my leave - got to go and sort out these computer issues. Sorry! {Reactions} ❤️ (3) blobcathug (2) [8/8/2026 7:26 PM] starcryst If you are ready to provide feedback, raise your handses [8/8/2026 7:26 PM] starcryst Best line(s): For a brief moment, he wanted to put the revolver to his own temple, pull the trigger, be done with it. <<< uhm...yikes? That came out of nowhere and woke me the fuck up. {Reactions} 🔥 (4) ❤️ (2) 💯 [8/8/2026 7:26 PM] starcryst “A girl’s got to make a living somehow. My title only comes with a broken down F-150, two goats, and a house that barely qualifies as shelter.” <<< life is better with goats. {Reactions} ❤️ (5) [8/8/2026 7:26 PM] starcryst Best sequence: “The voters of Blackwater Parish elected me, not you. I don’t even know who put you in charge of... whatever it is you’re in charge of.” I shrugged and risked a swig of the coffee. “Louis the IX if you want to get technical about it.” Pause. “You called me, sheriff. I agree you’ve got something strange happening. But we need to know what it is before we run in guns blazing.” He hung his head in defeat, the fluorescent lights of the diner shining off his bald spot. “Alright. Ill figure out how to dig those bodies up. You get me some ideas on how to kill whatever did this.” <<< callback to Louis is awesome mic drop rank pulling. Now I know why he wanted to blow his brains out. He's out of his depth. {Reactions} ❤️ [8/8/2026 7:26 PM] gonzpaoli Oh sorry sorry, I forgot: **Favourite moment:** The sheriff's slow “Yep.” It reminded me of Hopper in the first season of *Stranger Things.* That exact vibe where it looks like there might be nothing there, but he wants to help her anyway. Really cool. {Reactions} ❤️ (2) [8/8/2026 7:27 PM] josisofer This is the most accurate Southern Louisiana line in the whole thing. {Reactions} 💯 (4) [8/8/2026 7:27 PM] vaelinshadowbloom (pssssssst.... We need goats.) [8/8/2026 7:27 PM] .revanarchy As encouragement to keep reading, you get to meet the goats and an alligator in the next chapter. {Reactions} 👍 (4) 🤣 (4) [8/8/2026 7:27 PM] starcryst There better not be any goats being eaten by gators man. [8/8/2026 7:27 PM] starcryst people are fine, but lay off the goats {Reactions} 🤣 (3) [8/8/2026 7:28 PM] starcryst Critique: Either my aura sight was seriously off today <<< show this instead by describing what she sees (or doesn't and expects to). This was the one moment where we see she's got some kind of supernatural ability? Show me! {Reactions} 🔥 (3) ❤️ 👏 [8/8/2026 7:28 PM] josisofer Dem's gator bait, ja know [8/8/2026 7:28 PM] .revanarchy No goats have been harmed in the making of this book. {Reactions} ❤️ 🐐 (4) [8/8/2026 7:28 PM] starcryst General Feedback -- this is good stuff man. Really want to read the next part. Well done. {Reactions} ❤️ (4) 💯 [8/8/2026 7:28 PM] starcryst DONE [8/8/2026 7:28 PM] starcryst Okay any last second lurkers??? [8/8/2026 7:29 PM] starcryst @Joshua Bader Last words to the room? [8/8/2026 7:30 PM] .revanarchy Thanks for showing up. Like I said its out now through chapter 4 and drops on Thursdays. Im having a lot of fun with it and Im glad its resonating with you all. {Reactions} 🔥 (4) foxParty (3) ❤️‍🔥 [8/8/2026 7:30 PM] starcryst THANK YOU all for sharing some of you time tonight with Josh and Write Club. Now we're off to the #write-club-after-party-july-through-sept-2026 for 2d drinks, 3d people and 4d shameless self promotion. Peace out! {Reactions} ❤️‍🔥 (2) [8/8/2026 7:30 PM] gonzpaoli Adding it to my to-reads for sure! {Reactions} orangeheart ❤️ [8/8/2026 8:17 PM] shikanokoshitantan Late to the party, but here is my feedback. Hope it is helpful! Favourite line: “He picked up the phone and dialled the number. There was static on the line for the first three rings, then a click. No voice answered, only breathing.” —Sets the atmosphere immediately, and I’m a sucker for phone ☎️ horror. Critique: Very, very minor—the dialogue seems to over-explain. This is a very personal thing, though. I’m the kind of reader who likes a stripped-back setting and experiencing the horror through plainly described situations. Overall: Well written, excellent pacing, and the kind of writing that gets you hooked immediately and makes it impossible to put down. Please don’t forget us when you’re famous. {Reactions} ❤️ [8/9/2026 1:55 PM] .revanarchy Still hoping for your feedback when you have a chance. [8/9/2026 3:49 PM] vesperlrayne_04128 I have most of it written, I will drop it here after my hangout - promise! I did not forgetyou my friend- [8/9/2026 9:45 PM] vesperlrayne_04128 Okay, so I had already read this once, and I went back through it again for Write Club and yep... I got hooked again. 😂 The prologue works really well for me. You give me the grieving mom, the impossible photograph, and then Danners recognizes the farmhouse and suddenly.... I'm like, oh. OH, he knows something. And then the four bullets. And the phone call.... sir, yes. Yep. I'm in. I also really like Courtney. Her voice comes through almost immediately, and I love the dynamic between her and Danners. They already feel like two people who have done this stuff before and are tired of each other in a very specific way. 😂 I also really appreciate that you're giving me all this weird lore—gardiennes, rougarous, Old One Eye, sacred blades, bishops—and you're NOT stopping everything to explain it to me. I know enough to follow what's happening, and the rest makes me curious. Favorite scene---- The diner, definitely. I really enjoyed Courtney and Danners together, especially because they approach the problem so differently. She's basically, we need to figure out what this is before we do anything, and he's like, OR... hear me out... we go up there and I shoot it with the special bullets. 😂 [8/9/2026 9:45 PM] vesperlrayne_04128 fave line- “My title only comes with a broken down F-150, two goats, and a house that barely qualifies as shelter.” {Reactions} ❤️ [8/9/2026 9:48 PM] vesperlrayne_04128 Where I stumbled This is honestly pretty small, because overall this is really solid for me: I don't quite know what Courtney IS yet. And for some reason that is bugging me in a way I can't explain .. I know what she does. I know she's La Gardienne, she's connected somehow to the church, she can see auras, she has access to sacred weapons, she knows all the supernatural stuff.. but i feel like I need to know sooner than later if she's human with a supernatural job, supernatural herself, chosen, born into it, etc. And I don't want a lore dump! Please don't give me three paragraphs explaining the history of the Gardiennes. 😂 I actually really like the way you're feeding the world to me. I just wanted one little foothold so I could place her. I mean, my gut says supernatural? But, am I right? The other tiny place I wanted just a little more was when she looks at the photograph's aura. That's the first time I actually see Courtney do something supernatural, and I wanted maybe one tiny itty bitty sensory detail about what that is like for her. Not an explanation of how aura sight works—just something that lets me experience it with her, if that makes sense? its small, not really a thing though.. Listen, in the end, I'm in with this one - I've been reading each chapter coming out and when I see one I'm like.. OOOOH YES. [8/9/2026 9:49 PM] vesperlrayne_04128 that is all. DONE- I am sorry it took longer. now dinner. ❤️ {Reactions} ❤️ [8/9/2026 9:55 PM] .revanarchy I hope some of that is answered a little in the chapters after this. She's legally allowed by the church to use a witch's techniques in performance of her duties. So she's got a familiar, that's technically not a familiar, named Stewart. She can see auras. She brews a lot of tinctures and potions to make money on the side, but also for work purposes. I have not technically defined for myself what exactly she's capable of magically. She's definitely on the lower end of the magic spectrum for urban fantasy characters Ive written, but she prepares well and has no problem taking guns and grenades to a werewolf fight. We will find out together just what exactly she is capable of. {Reactions} ❤️ [8/9/2026 10:01 PM] .revanarchy Last thought on that. I think Buffy takes her in a straight fight. I think Willow takes her in a straight magic contest. But I think she can go one on one with either one of them and win by mixing the two elements. {Reactions} ❤️ [8/10/2026 6:12 AM] hellerbard_36669 Hi Joshua, Would have loved to jump in during the Write Club sessions, but thus far the timing hasn’t worked out- when it starts, it’s 7-7:30 am over here in Oz, so I’m either driving to work or just arriving. Still, gonna try to drop something in the chat each day this week if I can. I’ve read this one already and enjoyed it a whole lot, so I’m not sure I can be objective, but here goes 😊 **Favourite Line/s:** I shrugged. “A girl’s got to make a living somehow. My title only comes with a broken down F-150, two goats, and a house that barely qualifies as shelter.” 🔥 🔥 🔥 You've told me everything I need to know to introduce this character. Now that's how you do language economy, folks! **Critique:** The supernatural mystery had me at the get-go. This place might indeed be filled with spooks and things that go bump in the night- but I like how the supernatural shenanigans begin with something physical, like the photograph. Immediately sets the tone and hints at something visceral and tangible at work here- particularly since Courtney can’t seem to pick up any mojo attached to it. I immediately want to know more! The strengths here are definitely in the dialogue. The characters voices are vividly conveyed through Danner’s world-weary complaints and frustrations with this uneasy partnership he’s reluctantly engaged in with Courtney/ La Guardienne. On her part, she’s someone whose confidence, competence and casual acceptance of the supernatural and the terrifying make her an enormously engaging protagonist. Their back and forth provides some excellent worldbuilding in this opening scene- love the hints at a larger organization directing Courtney’s “work” in the Parish, and the unspoken backstory between the two of them. [8/10/2026 6:13 AM] hellerbard_36669 The downside of that, if I had to pick one out, is that the dialogue is doing a great deal of the heavy lifting in terms of characterization, narration, and atmosphere. I know a lot, and I’m invested in everything I’ve read so far- but I’d like to *see* it more. When I read small town horror, it’s the little details that sell it for me. Twin Peaks is not Hawkins. Camp Crystal Lake is not Derry. The quirky characters, the one-of-a-kind locations, the feeling of walking through the streets and sitting in your favourite booth at the diner…even the layout of the police station should live and breathe. The town should be as much of a character as either the Sherriff or our mysterious guardian. I would have liked a few more lines establishing the sense of place in order to help me experience it the way that these characters do. They both have a connection to the town and everything in it, that is very clear…some additional imagery and description would help me to visualize the “it” that they’re connected to. Give me some of the sights and sounds and smells of Blackwater Parish so I can start shopping for my summer home there 😊 Of course, with a serialised story like this one, you've got time to seed these a bit at a time. **ADDITIONAL: **this is more of a formatting suggestion than anything else- I would suggest putting the prologue in italics, to indicate that it sits outside of Courtney’s first-person narration used for the rest of the story. It was a little jarring at first, before I realized the switch. To your credit, the two characters’ voices are so distinct that didn’t take more than a couple seconds- still, flow was impacted slightly. {Reactions} 🔥 [8/10/2026 6:34 AM] hellerbard_36669 **OVERALL: **I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship- or partnership. Or terrifying, semi-adversarial relationship between a reluctant once-sceptic and their goat-owning eternal source of headaches, impossible paperwork and occasional-thoughts-of-eating-their-own-gun. I enjoyed reading this the second time even more than the first- I very much want to see where this goes! {Reactions} 🔥 ❤️ 👍 [8/10/2026 2:43 PM] loganraith Okay, @Joshua Bader I had a second read. Overall You got me with the premise, man. Monster-of-the-week is my happy place. X-Files, Supernatural, Buffy, Angel, Dresden and Odd Thomas, etc. I'm in when it starts off with a bang like this. A case that's got the expert stumped. I've read through some of the feedback here, and all due respect to my pal Josi, I read this whole thing with southern accents and everyone sounded southern to me. lol. I can't speak for the colloquialisms, but the dialogue felt authentic to me. And though the x on the end of rougarou is the Creole spelling, adding an s for English-speaking people is the far more accepted spelling if you're pluralizing rougarou. I've been writing about them long enough to claim some authority here. I'm excited to have found this serial through WC (even though we sub to each other and the title has called out to me as I scroll more than once). I need to dive into the rest of the series, but based on your execution of the first chapter, this is up there with my favorite serials on Substack so far. I'll leave comments on the subsequent chapters as I have time. {Reactions} ❤️ [8/10/2026 2:44 PM] loganraith Favorite line. For a brief moment, he wanted to put the revolver to his own temple, pull the trigger, be done with it. Those feelings always came with cases like this. Instead, he tucked the gun into his ankle holster. Adds some weight to this guy's situation. Whether it's grieving mothers or supernatural threats driving him to think about offing himself, the reader feels it. [8/10/2026 2:46 PM] loganraith Runner-up The Louis the IX throwaway. Does that mean literally, like he appointed her personally (unlikely) or that he created her role? Or something else. [8/10/2026 2:49 PM] loganraith The only feedback I have is you missed an apostrophe in "I'll" in the very last line. Joshua, you may not be breaking new ground with the premise, but it doesn't have to. Episodic monster hunts are timeless. Don't need to reinvent the wheel if it's already spinning. Loved this and looking forward to the rest of the series. [8/10/2026 2:53 PM] .revanarchy Thanks so much man. Umm. Backstory of Louis IX... while he's remembered as the pious king for his faith, this world asks us to believe that he earned that title for winning a secret war against werewolves. To make sure their numbers never got high enough to threaten humanity again, he worked with the church to create la gardiennes on a parish by parish basis. So, no, she's not centuries old, she just holds a very old Catholic job title. {Reactions} 🔥 [8/10/2026 2:54 PM] loganraith Thanks for the clarification. Is this info I would have had reading your other stuff? [8/10/2026 2:57 PM] .revanarchy No. I try not to bombard with world building that's not directly relevant so its just pieces here and there at this point. If a large pack of werewolves shows up and we suddenly have multiple la gardiennes cooperating then maybe? [8/10/2026 3:04 PM] loganraith Haha. No worries. Are there any other serials living in the same universe as Blackwater Parish? [8/10/2026 3:08 PM] .revanarchy Serials, no. I haven't decided for myself yet if it resides in the same universe as my Modern Knight novels or not. Colin, Jacob, and Dizzy all easily could exist alongside it... and none of them has explored Louisiana yet. I don't think The Necromancer does, but again it could. But they've been active in Louisiana and have never run into a la gardienne despite having done some shit... maybe la gardiennes intentionally stay out of it when angels decide to throw down? {Reactions} 🔥 ============================================================== Exported 179 message(s) ==============================================================