Tess Kincaid, novelist and poet

An open notebook of thick, cream-colored paper lies on a smoked-glass desk, its pages filled with tight, elegant handwriting and a few aggressively crossed-out lines, leaving faint impressions in the paper. Beside it, a slim black laptop with a minimalist design glows faintly, its screen reflected in the glass surface. A single black ceramic mug, nearly empty, leaves a ring on a leather coaster. Cool, diffused evening light from a nearby window mixes with the subtle glow of a modern brass desk lamp, creating soft highlights and deep, sophisticated shadows. Photographic realism, overhead three-quarter angle, shallow depth of field, conveying disciplined craft, late-night revision, and razor-sharp focus.

Selected Works

Context, excerpts, and publication notes for novels, poems, and the odd feral story.

Notebook

A vintage, matte-black typewriter with round, ivory keys sits alone on a dark walnut writing desk, one half-typed page clamped in the carriage, the words “Chapter One” crisply visible. Around it, the desk is mostly bare except for a heavy crystal inkwell and a closed, leather-bound notebook with a satin ribbon peeking out. Late-afternoon window light falls in at a sharp angle, creating long, moody shadows and a soft gleam on the typewriter’s metal edges. The background fades into a tasteful blur of book spines in deep jewel tones. Photographic realism, eye-level composition, shallow depth of field, evoking sophisticated quiet, tension, and creative anticipation.
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.
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.
An open notebook of thick, cream-colored paper lies on a smoked-glass desk, its pages filled with tight, elegant handwriting and a few aggressively crossed-out lines, leaving faint impressions in the paper. Beside it, a slim black laptop with a minimalist design glows faintly, its screen reflected in the glass surface. A single black ceramic mug, nearly empty, leaves a ring on a leather coaster. Cool, diffused evening light from a nearby window mixes with the subtle glow of a modern brass desk lamp, creating soft highlights and deep, sophisticated shadows. Photographic realism, overhead three-quarter angle, shallow depth of field, conveying disciplined craft, late-night revision, and razor-sharp focus.

Stories Sharpened To A Blade

Dive into literary noir, speculative futures, and intimate lyric poems threaded with dark wit. Explore award-listed novels, new poem cycles, and works-in-progress that linger in the liminal spaces between tenderness, menace, and the absurd.

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