Tess Kincaid, novelist and poet

A close-up of a dark mahogany bookshelf filled with neatly arranged hardcovers and slim poetry volumes, their spines in a restrained palette of black, cream, and burgundy, with a few metallic foils catching the light. Wedged between two books, a single manuscript lies slightly askew: crisp white pages bound with black binder clips, the title page subtly visible, hinting at a literary, darkly comic work. A small, matte-black skull paperweight rests on the shelf edge, adding a touch of wry humor. Warm, directional light from an unseen lamp rakes across the spines, creating rich contrast and soft bokeh in the deeper shelves. Photographic realism, eye-level, inviting, intellectual, slightly sinister.

Field Notes

Craft essays, revision diaries, and small dispatches from the strange joys of making fiction and poems.

Entries

Journal

This is my working journal: process notes, reading traces, and behind the scenes fragments from novels and poems in progress. I update it a few times each month, as deadlines, drafts, and life allow.

Read on
A stack of three weathered hardback novels in muted charcoal, oxblood, and deep navy, each with embossed gold titles, rests on a polished black marble tabletop. An elegant fountain pen with a dark burgundy barrel lies across the top book, its gold nib catching a sliver of cool, overcast window light. Beside the stack, a crystal tumbler half-filled with amber liquid casts fractured reflections on the stone surface. The background is softly blurred shelves of books and a single dim table lamp, creating a cinematic, photographic realism. Shot at a slight three-quarter angle, rule-of-thirds composition, the mood is refined, intelligent, with a hint of noir and dark humor.