Art by Hisurii

A FATE WOVEN IN STARLIGHT

Romantic Fantasy
Selected for the 2024 SmoochPit Mentorship Program

In a feminist reimagining of a Chinese folktale, rebellious Shizhi runs away with the farmer she’s forbidden to marry, but when a jealous Celestial Empress forces her to relive a past life that spans three realms, Shizhi must confront madness, tragedy, and hell itself to reclaim her freedom and save the man she loves.

  • Feminist reimagining of the Chinese folktale, “The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl”

  • Forbidden love

  • Celestial immortals/three realms

  • Controlling parents and the quest for female agency

  • Bleeding for love

  • Travel to Diyu (the underworld)

Art by Hisurii

BLOOMS IN POISON

Romantic Fantasy

Demon queen Zhao Yao vows revenge against her mother's killer, rival queen Gui Jing, but when the heavenly realm razes Zhao Yao's kingdom to the ground, she’s forced to seek refuge with the woman she hates most—and finds herself torn between vengeance, desire, and the looming threat of those who want to destroy the demon race.

  • Chinese myth and folklore

  • Enemies-to-lovers

  • Falling in love over food

  • Ice vs. fire

  • Cdrama/xianxia vibes

  • Blood poison magic

  • Forced proximity

Art by CianCyan

TO POSSESS THE FLAME

Dark Fantasy

Swept away to an immortal’s palace in the mountains, courtesan Xinyi only has one goal: to use the immortal’s power to regain her lost emotions. But the palace is hiding a secret behind its locked doors—seven soul fragments in the form of people, and they all look exactly like Xinyi.

  • Soul dualism and fractured identity

  • Toxic love/obsession/jealousy

  • Psychological horror

  • Mild body horror

  • Two love rivals

RED LOTUS PIRATE

Romantic Fantasy (revising)

Marked as a slave and hated by her peers, Lianhua is an outcast in a world of pirates. When the coveted sword of the former Pirate Empress appears, Lianhua sees a chance to change her fate, and a silver-haired stranger may be the one to help her reclaim her place in the world. But trusting a pirate is a fool’s errand, and Lianhua is soon swept into a battle for freedom that could destroy everything she’s ever cherished.

  • Backstory based on the life of Zheng Yi Sao

  • Secret identities

  • Pirate themed second world

  • Slow burn romance

  • Magical artifacts and sword mythology