L Herman

@gohermanator.bsky.social

182 Followers 688 Following

MM romance writer | manipulative parent of stubborn humans | experimental filmmaker | pathologically loyal | currently querying

Elijah knew that wasn’t what he meant. By the way Vic’s baby cow eyes were studying him, he was trying to tell him that he could take care of Jake too. That Jake’s heart going to be safe. But none of this was said out loud because Vic was fundamentally Canadian, and he hadn’t had enough to drink for feelings.
Three headed lavender monster in watercolor on paper
Blue watercolor on paper of a man with large, dark eyes.
Orange and yellow watercolor monster
He looked at Mars' face, clocking his stress level. He was scrolling through pictures of dogs on his phone. Without looking up, Jake could feel the gravitational pull of a room full of people watching them. Mars had slung an arm around his shoulder and at least thirty people lifted up phones to record the moment. Their every movement was being scrutinized, cataloged and analyzed. Nothing belonged to them, not even a simple conversation.
Watercolor of a monster/man, painted in blue and green
Ben called Hudson back, humming happily as he mapped out lines with a stubby pencil. "Hudson, how much would I have to pay you to get braces again? Because I think you could name any price and it’d be worth it to me." His friend sighed on the other end of the line."Nice mood swing, Hayes. I’d say getting braces would be a fair trade if you get cornrows like you got for swim team. It was the absolute worst thing seen and I’ve never been more proud of you."
Watercolor on paper. Blue painting of a bearded hipster.
Two small monster heads yelling at each other while a third monster head looks on. Lavender watercolors on paper.
Jake wanted to ask him about the new tattoo on his chest: the words The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, written in gentle curling script. It was a quote by Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher his friend pretended not to read. Elijah Mars was a closet intellectual, never letting the media or teammates see his brilliant mind. He hid his intelligence behind humor and a sharp tongue. “Eyes up here, buddy. Quit staring at my chest like I’m made outta cake pops” Mars said, startling him out of his thoughts.
Painting my characters day 24= Kalida. Minor displaced royal family member. Leader, mother, survivor. Pastel Watercolor on wood.
Describing a sunset date
Pastel pink and blue watercolor on wood. Painting of a young man.
Jake calls to check on his friend and teammate, Lissy. His mother is in the hospital for dementia.
Green and purple watercolor painting of an alert monster
Watercolor of hockey player painted in shades of blues and orange.
Watercolor painting of a pensive green monster.
Colorful glittering paintings of a dark haired man.
He was nothing at all. Less than air, poorer than a shadow.
Brown and mauve watercolor painting of a man in his late twenties with a beard.
Excerpt from Nowhere is a Place: Ben was sitting in Hudson basement, absentmindedly watching his sons play Mario Kart. He silently scrolled through the images he’d taken of Lee’s sketchbook and the bookshelf in his studio. Ben planned to purchase a copy of every single book Lee owned. It seemed like a wise investment and would give him a variety of conversation starters.
Messy watercolor, in tones of brown and mauve, of a young man with a mustache.
Screenshot from scene describing putting air in tires. Meet cute 😊
Pink watercolor painting of a young man
Notting Hill quote side by side with Bonecutter Island quote
Cotton candy background with various tropes listed, including: insta-love, meet cute, character driven MM Romance. Bookcover is an original blue watercolor of a handsome man.
Bonecutter Island: Wednesday + Lost, YA, Queer survivialist horror, Lord of the Flies vibes
Collage of polaroids, (Klein blue) Paint texture and the following quote: Ben Hayes comes to lecture at Coleman College about his most famous artwork, the destruction of his famous uncle’s painting. He is heckled by students who gleefully record every moment of his meltdown. Lee Morris is more intrigued than repelled by the artist everyone loves to hate and is the only student to attend Ben’s studio critique/artist workshop. When Ben’s critique dismantles his thesis project, he is forced to confront truths he's avoiding through his artwork.
This image is photo collage of a beach, candy, hockey and football players, a chihuahua and the words: WHAT HAPPENS IN THE OFFSEASON a 71,000 word character driven LGBTQ+ romance with Heated Rivalry vibes and the layered vulnerability of Tal Bauer's Gravity.
Banter between Ben and Uncle Luther
Watercolor on cross section of wood
What Happens in the Offseason
brain storming characters by examining my fav characters
Watercolor monster
Screenshot of filmfreeway submissions
Blue watercolor painting of a blond man in his 20’s
Madonna in Desparately Seeking Susan
Bonecutter Island snippet:
Day 14 of painting my characters =Jake Torey. Elite quarterback, neurodivergent, dog dad. Futurama fan.
Seb stacking up his gear snippet
Seb. 17 year old witch, powers still developing
Zombie by L Herman
The caterers had set up a buffet and tea station. Botoxed faces twitched as the board members attempted to glare at him. He could hear them grumbling over the clatter of dishes. Ben wasn’t about to sit with the soon-to-be-dissolved foundation. They hated him enough already, if they got to know him it would be even worse. He briefly considered pulling the fire alarm. Torn between several bad options, he balanced a plate of sweet potato ravioli, heading for the empty stairwell. An eruption of laughter followed him into the silence. Without thinking, he dialed his soon-to-be-serious boyfriend. “Will you be my lunch date?” “Who is this?” Lee answered. His heart dropped. Why didn’t Lee recognize his voice? “It’s Ben.”
Day 13 of painting my characters=Lee as a teenager. It just occurred to me that his story as a teenager would make a good YA book.
“Good, Good. Well, here we are. Don’t touch anything on the plane unless you have to and do not open the freezer.” Grayson looked over at his father, hoping for reassurance but he was already distracted by TikTok. “Umm, what’s in the freezer?” Victor glanced up from a cake decorating video. “Hey, it’s Celine’s plane, so it’s Celine’s rules. It’s not my job to figure out why that woman is freezing her own blood. Or I am assuming it’s her own blood.” “OK. I won’t even look in the frig.” Grayson agreed.
Grayson was expecting an Uber. His tutor—turned nutritionist—turned stepmother had sent him simple instructions: be ready at 8 for your ride to the airport. As he waited in the lobby of their apartment building for a non-descript SUV to arrive, he checked for an alert or at least a license plate number. Crap. Had he deleted it?
Day 12 of painting my characters=Lee. This painting was started as the romantic lead in a queer YA survival novel but turned into Lee. The paint does its own thing. This is why I don’t take commissions.
Lee watches over Ben
Portrait of my character, Lee, as a child
Watercolor painting of an older man
Excerpt from book
Watercolor on wood portrait of a handsome man