Patrick J. Heck

Writer, charcuterie enthusiast, aspiring game dev, and guy with too much garden space and not enough time.

NOW QUERYING (2026)

In search of his missing sun god, a former holy king does what he thought impossible—he goes home.

THE EVERWINTER KING (99,000) is a character-driven standalone adult fantasy. It would sit nicely on a shelf next to Antonia Hodgson’s THE RAVEN SCHOLAR and Cameron Sullivan’s THE RED WINTER, and is great for fans of Bioware’s Dragon Age II. It features a queer normative world and a second chance MM romance with a trans love interest.

@pjheckwrites

Writing is fun and all but I gotta take a break for cheese. I built this board to feed my husband and me last week. Naturally, I had to feature that beautiful heirloom tomato I found at the store. Any guesses what this board's theme was? It's QuestPit day over on Bluesky and Twitter! To celebrate I'm sharing my updated agent's guide for THE EVERWINTER KING. How about a little Last, Now, Next? There's a cheese post in the works (spoilers: there's tomatoes!), but between that and pitching I thought I'd share what I've been reading. Pitching THE EVERWINTER KING ☀️ at different levels! Thanks to @caracastro_ for the trend idea. MALACHI is a former holy king. AGAPIOS is the sun god who’s lived in his head since birth. A lifetime of friendship exists between them, but as Mal competes to restore their connection, the weight of how little they really know each other threatens to trap the world in a worsening, endless winter. Hey friends! I'm dusting off the ole' cheese page as I dive into the world of publishing. You'll see more thoughts on books and writing going forward! Don't worry, there's still gonna be plenty of cheese. 🧀

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Latest Posts

  • Triple crème wins every time.

    Bright lights weigh heavily on my shoulders. Some concerto plays aggressively in the distance. A man argues on the phone, and a peach in his basket is seconds away from fermenting. It’s all I can smell. I wrinkle my nose,… Continue reading

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    Triple crème wins every time.

  • June 2026

    I started typing my June post last week and it ended up being all about querying. Let’s face it—I’m a first timer in the trenches. This book and my querying efforts take up nearly all of my thoughts. Sometimes I… Continue reading

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    June 2026

  • Querying THE EVERWINTER KING

    In June of 2025 I made a promise. In one year’s time, I’d be querying. My life as a writer started back on Neopets, RP-ing Warrior cats and gifted kids (like superpowers—not just smart kids). By the time I graduated… Continue reading

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    Querying THE EVERWINTER KING