The projects
There’s three! Plus one more. And a little about me.
Welcome to Quiet Little Journeys
Quiet Little Journeys is a short fiction series that invites you into a world where dark whimsy and quiet magic linger. Following Orrin, the enigmatic shopkeeper, and Little Sir Menace—a little, unfinished clay knight who doesn’t talk but has opinions—you'll meet moments and their owners, each haunted by what could’ve been—and what still might be.
This collection exists slightly outside of time—a place where the past shadows your steps, the future slips through your grasp, and the present remains just out of reach. Quiet Little Journeys is a space for quiet reflection, subtle magic, and the oddities that come with trying to heal, grow, or simply exist in a world that’s often too loud.
The tone is bittersweet, gentle, and a touch odd.
If you’re drawn to dark whimsy and character-driven fiction, Quiet Little Journeys might be the perfect fit. Inspired by gentle, uncanny stories like The Midnight Library and The Ocean at the End of the Lane, this short fiction series offers quiet magic, a soft ache, and second chances that don’t always come wrapped in kindness. Expect quiet wonder, odd corners, and the kind of gentle strangeness that lingers long after the story ends. Here, dark whimsy meets quiet magic—and those who love their chocolate bittersweet and their 3AM moments slightly haunted will feel right at home.
Suture Garden holds my dark; mostly poetry. Themes are heavy, so you may want to check first if that’s something you can stomach. It’s located on the webpage in its own tab, as a section within Quiet Little Journeys, but they do not have anything to do with each other.
Suture Garden is a collection of personal poems, not fiction. I update it without a set schedule and it happens quietly, with no E-Mail alert.
Little Mischiefs and Menaces is a mini series following Little Sir Menace and his odd, little adventures within the shop.
This series happens within the universe of Quiet Little Journeys and does have characters from the original project, but it does not connect with it or deliver crucial knowledge about the main series.
It’s a series only my paid subscribers can access, as a thank you for going paid.
The one more - Sunday Readings
I’ve been getting DMs with links to your writing, often dropped in with a casual “for your Sunday readings.” It’s honestly such a fun surprise each time, but also, it’s starting to get a little wild on the organization front.
Between keeping up with my daily reads, tracking my favorites, trying not to miss new gems, and getting my own writing done for three projects now, Substack’s dashboard and inbox setup can feel a bit like a messy attic. (and I'm also child raising and working so... yeah)
To make things easier (for me, yeah I’m that selfish, lmao), I will open up my subscriber chat tonight. And I'd like you to just drop your writing links there.
It’ll help me keep track of what I’ve read and what I haven’t, and it gives others a chance to stumble across your work too. Think of it as a casual corner for sharing and engaging, but mostly to keep things easy for me (yep, selfish, I know I know).
I’ll be checking in there regularly, and so can others—because part of this is building a space for community, not just me scrambling through dashboards in weird time windows. (insomnia is helping me here, but srsly, I need a better way to organize this)
You’ll see if I have gotten to your piece if I leave a heart on your message.
Also, just so you know what kinds of things I gravitate toward when reading:
Big yes to horror, dark fiction, contemporary fantasy, and poetry. Less so into romance (but I'll give it a peek if the vibe is right).
Please pay attention to this: I'm in the CEST time zone, and if you manage to drop your link into the chat sometime between Mondays and Saturdays, I'll get to it on Sundays.
If you're a really nice person, you'll add a little sentence to it (I really am a sucker for being at least greeted once or so before you shove something in my face) and if you're really really awesome, you'll mention if it's long or short.
Biggest thanks!
Looking forward to seeing what you’re writing—and thank you, truly, for sharing it with me. I love those random “here’s something for you to read”-DMs
Hi, I’m Asteria (yes, a pen name)—writer of quiet magic, dark whimsy, and short fiction that lingers in odd corners. Quiet Little Journeys is my weird fiction substack newsletter, where I send out a new short story every 8 to 10 days—just enough time for you to let the moment linger.
If you’re drawn to stories where time slips just out of reach and second chances come with an edge of uncertainty, Quiet Little Journeys is for you.
Quiet Little Journeys will always be a free subscription. In the future, there will be a paid option to access a podcast where I read it, but the story itself will always remain without a paywall.
