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Writer Spotlight: Rose Sutherland

Rose Sutherland @rosesutherlandwrites is a Toronto-based writer who grew up a voracious reader with an overactive imagination in Nova Scotia (where she once fell off a roof trying to re-enact Anne of Green Gables!). She's been to theatre school in NYC, apprenticed at a pâtisserie in rural France, and currently moonlights as an usher and bartender—in between writing queer folktales, practicing yoga, dancing, singing, searching out amazing coffee and croissants, and making niche jokes about Victor Hugo on the internet. She's mildly obsessed with the idea of one day owning a large dog, several chickens, and maybe a goat. A Sweet Sting of Salt is her debut novel.

Keep reading for more about character arcs in A Sweet Sting of Salt, Rose's favorite fanfic tropes, and some excellent reading recs 👀

Can you tell us about A Sweet Sting of Salt and how you came to write it?

A Sweet Sting of Salt is a queer (f/f) historical reimagining of the classic folktale of the selkie wife, set in 1830’s Nova Scotia. I call it a “reimagining” because while it draws on the folktale, it’s not a retelling of that tale so much as a story playing out in relation to that mythology. I’d wanted to write something centering a love story between two women for a while, but the initial spark came from a Tumblr post! It suggested the idea of selkies testifying before the UN as victims of human trafficking, which reminded me of all the things I disliked about the original folktale and its inherent darkness that is generally glossed over, starting me down the rabbit hole toward finding my own story.

How did you approach research for A Sweet Sting of Salt, and what is a favorite historical fact you learned?

I joke that I did a lot of research by osmosis: I already had a lot of base knowledge about the location, having grown up in Nova Scotia, and then set the story in a period that I’ve been absorbing information about in a low-key way for ages—1832 is also the year of the student rebellion in Les Mis, so I’ve been gleaning tidbits about this era since I first got into the musical and book back in high school. However, I had to do more specific research into things like British divorce law, period midwifery, and animal husbandry. I also visited some small, hyper-local museums on the South Shore that gave me an invaluable glimpse into daily life. I also did some fun practical research into things like “How long does it take to walk from x to y?” and “How cold IS a plunge into this body of water in March?” (Spoiler: Very.)

A fact that fascinated me but didn’t make it into the book was that some early European settlers in the area were granted lands by luck of the draw, pulling from a deck of playing cards: Each card was assigned to a specific 50-acre lot, and whatever you pulled, you were stuck with it.

When we meet them, Jean and Muirin are isolated for different reasons. What do you hope readers still searching for their people take away from A Sweet Sting of Salt?

That there’s always hope. It’s valuable and important to keep reaching out to the world around you, to be open, and not cut yourself off—the biggest reason for Jean’s loneliness at the beginning of this story is the way she has come to keep everyone around her at arm’s length, shutting herself away out of fear, and refusing to let anyone truly get to know her because she thinks that’s the best way to protect herself from being hurt again. Reaching out to others can take a real act of courage, especially if you’ve had bad experiences in the past, but “your people” will reach back to you.

Found family elements play a strong role throughout the novel, within supernatural and mundane settings and across species. Was this something you intended from the beginning, or did this grow out of writing the relationship between Jean and Muirin?

I always intended for Jean to have a found family of this type, which is something that a lot of queer people identify with, but those bonds also got stronger and more meaningful as I wrote, especially once Jean and Muirin began growing into their own family unit—their new relationship and the real danger that comes along with it put pressures on Jean’s other relationships that I hadn’t originally considered. Disagreements with Anneke and Laurie over Jean’s choices arise from their deep concern and love for her, and her own love and care for them, reflected in her responses, is a big part of what made them feel like a real family, for me. Jean and Laurie always having each other’s backs while also being the first to call one another out on their bullshit ended up being one of my favourite dynamics in the whole book.

The selkie myth carries an inherent element of transformation. What is a character transformation you most enjoyed writing, and why?

On a character level, the change in Jean’s worldview following a conversation with her childhood sweetheart meant a lot to me—it heals an old wound for her. I love how grounded and self-assured she is afterward, in spite of the daunting task still ahead of her. But my favourite transformation to write was the antagonist’s mask-off moment, where they directly threaten Jean for the first time. It’s so sly and coded so that only she will understand the menace behind it, a real dun-duh-dunnn moment, which was a lot of fun for me—I also enjoy the foreshadowing elements in that exchange.

This is your debut novel. Did anything surprise you about getting it from manuscript to published book?

Oh my gosh, how LONG it took! After I finished the original draft and decided it was worth attempting to publish, I spent over a year revising based on my own thoughts, input from beta readers, critique partners, and my mentor, Maureen Marshall (whom I connected with through the now defunct Author Mentor Match program, and whose book, The Paris Affair—about a young gay engineer attempting to help Gustave Eiffel secure the funding to build a certain celebrated Parisian landmark— is coming out in May). After that came a full year of querying agents and getting rejected. A lot. People loved Salty but weren’t quite sure what to do with her or where the book would fit in “the market,” which was hard to deal with at the time but is hilarious in retrospect: Salty was snapped up less than a month after she finally went out on submission! But that was back in 2022, and the book is only coming out now. Publishing can be painfully slow.

You’ve written fanfic in the past—do you have a favorite fanfic trope?

I’m not sure either of these counts as a trope, but I adore a character that’s “pure of heart, dumb of ass”, and love a truly unhinged Fanon Explanation For Canon Object. As a longtime Les Mis stan, I ship Tholomyes/Getting Punched. If you know, you know.

Do you have any favorite queer retellings of folktales you can recommend?

Right here on Tumblr, I’m a huge fan of @laurasimonsdaughter, who writes delightful riffs on classic folktales, truly inventive urban fantasy spins on old lore, and her own original folktales.

I’m currently reading Spear, an amazing queer, gender-bent, Arthurian novella by Nicola Griffiths. Anna Burke’s books Thorn and Nottingham are up next on my TBR. Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of brilliant queer historicals that aren’t retellings (I recently loved Suzette Meyr’s The Sleeping Car Porter and Heather O’Neil’s When We Lost Our Heads) and wonderful historical retellings that aren’t queer (I highly recommend Molly Greeley’s beautiful, heartbreaking Marvelous, about the real-life couple that inspired Beauty and the Beast). Queer, historical retellings aimed at adults seem to be considered quite niche, still, and can take some digging to find! So, throwing this out to Tumblr: Do you have recommendations for me?

Do you have a writing routine? Is there a place/state of being/playlist you find most conducive to your writing practice?

My routine is chaotic at best, but I find I do my best work earlier in the day, so I usually scribble in my journal while I have breakfast, and then progress to working on my current project as I drink my second cup of coffee. I’m lucky—my day job is an evening gig, which mostly allows me to write on my preferred schedule… but I’ve also been known to have a bolt of inspiration strike at 10pm and dash home to write until well past midnight on occasion. Nothing quite like the hyperfocus zone!

What’s next for you? Are you working on anything you can tell us about?

No official news yet, but I’m currently working on a story set in 18th-century provincial France based on a true unsolved mystery of the past. It has me delving into a very specific branch of French folklore, and I hope future readers will pick up on common threads with one popular fairytale in particular. I’m really excited about where this one is headed, but keeping the details close to my chest for now!

Thank you Rose for taking the time to answer our questions! If you love queer fantasy and old folktales, grab yourself a copy of A Sweet Sting of Salt, and be sure to share your queer folktale reading recs with Rose on @rosesutherlandwrites!

#writer spotlight #writers' room #booklr #writers on tumblr #writing community #writeblr #creative writing #debut author #reading #rose sutherland #a sweet sting of salt #selkies #myths #fanfic #Les Mis #queer fiction #f/f fiction #queer folktales

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artificelux · 4 months

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“Many say the moon is closer to the dead.”

This is COLOR OF A MIRROR, my debut novel with an original, dark ambient soundtrack by composer Josh McCausland to go along with it.

Written, designed, and published by me, it’s the culmination of years of work, and it’s exactly the story I wanted to tell. It’s not loud or bombastic, but rather a cerebral, slow-burn cyberpunk narrative lingering on themes of fame, paranoia, religion, and technology. If you’re a fan of the brooding futures of William Gibson, Blade Runner, or anything with a mood like the movie Drive, I think you’ll find something to love here.

Available exclusively on my website, it comes in limited edition deluxe-hardcover, softcover, and e-book. (And if you’re a vinyl lover, the soundtrack is pressed in 180g Moondust White; also available on my site.)

Welcome to the Dive. Hope to see you around.

-Dan

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colorofamirror.net

(Book photos by Josh McCausland.)

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wonnieloves · 2 months

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⊹ ♡ ˳ 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤 . . . 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯

𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘴𝘺𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘦 . . . 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 ࣪ ₊⠀⠀⠀

⊹ ♡ ˳ 𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘵 ࣪ ₊⠀

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c-e-mcgill · 2 years

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Hey

Do you like unhinged, angry women?

Do you like mad science?

Do you like the exquisite homoerotic tension of two Victorian ladies just barely brushing hands?

Do you think that Frankenstein would have gone a lot better if only Victor had been less of an absolute weenie?

Do you look at the story of the Loch Ness Monster and think “...but what if a dinosaur got in the lake”

THEN BOY, DO I HAVE THE BOOK FOR YOU!

Move over, chemists, it’s time for mad paleontologists to shine!

Years ago, Mary’s great uncle Victor Frankenstein mysteriously disappeared in the Arctic; now, in 1853, Mary and her reckless husband Henry are struggling to make a name for themselves as paleontologists in the old-boys'-club that is the world of Victorian science. But when Mary discovers her great-uncle's old notes, detailing his gruesome attempts at creating life, she comes up with a plan — one that will finally make them some money, prove Henry's radical paleontological theories right, and get Mary some of the respect she goddamn deserves...

Our Hideous Progeny is out NOW! Available wherever good books are sold, and also at your library if you yell (politely) at your local librarians to acquire it! 🖤💚🧡

Thanks all, byeee!

(P.S. You can find the content warnings for OHP here!)

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tryingtowritestuff24 · 2 months

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I've just released my first novel and the first in a trilogy! The Bonds That Bind Us is a story of trauma, healing, found family, and growth. It is a literary fiction with a gay romance plot, and is currently FREE ON KINDLE FOR EVERYONE!

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queenofasgardreads · 6 months

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“No need to hold back, Mal. He’s a big boy. Whatever you’ll dish out, Nolan can take it.” Her smile is faint. “He probably wants it.”

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

#check & mate #check and mate #ali hazelwood #chess #young adult #ya #debut #contemporary fiction #contemporary #romance #books #quotes #book quotes #fiction #booklr #nolan sawyer #mallory greenleaf #bi main

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megaeralwrites · 4 months

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Honestly? 100% accurate. This may not be the most rave review my book has gotten so far, but it's definitely one of my favorites. Read the whole thing here.

#the shabti #ghost stories #historical fantasy #queer fiction #2024 debuts #ancient egypt #lgbtqia books #writing community #supernatural thriller #my art #goodreads review #hermann goschalk #gay character #jewish characters #m/m romance

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castielslostwings · 2 years

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Please help me tell people about my book!

Hi! I'm publishing a book! It's HERE, just in time for Christmas!! It's GAY!! It's romantic!!! It's HOT! It has firefighters and background sapphic romance, and is exciting AF!!!

I'm very excited, too!

Both U.S. domestic and international friends can order shipped Paperbacks from me directly via my Ko-Fi shop (retailers take less of a cut): https://ko-fi.com/castielslostwings/shop Or you can order on amazon directly, this is the only way to get the KINDLE ebook option: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1945687126

Standard EPUB format is available to download directly from me for $1 cheaper than Amazon: https://ko-fi.com/s/2a82c64d56

And WILL be available at other retailers soon!

Here's the thing: I had a pretty solid platform on Twitter, but since Elon took over, a lot of my followers left, the algorithm crashed, and the whole thing might go under. I don't have the same reach on other platforms, so I need some help! Please share this post if you like GAY SHIT and BOOKS and helping indie content creators be successful!!! Please follow me or check out my ko-fi for updates! Thanks!!! Here's my pitch, hope you like it:

"Fire & Ice": The flaming hot queer romance novel where a foray into BDSM helps two best friends find themselves, each other, and what it really means to burn. Summary: "Firefighter Tripp Truett has somehow tumbled into a whole new kind of relationship with his quirky paramedic best friend, Lee, but mutual relief from their high-stress jobs quickly develops into something more. With all the missed signals and crossed wires, can these two ever figure out that they're so much closer to being on the same page than they think?"

**************************************** About the author (info dump ahoy!!!!) :

I'm Robin, sometimes known as Wings! I'm a 36-year-old, queer, autistic, disabled mom of 2 humans and 5 senior rescue dogs, former R.N. & paramedic. I'm a hardcore fangirl and a proud fanfic writer (and reader), and while I know some people will judge me for that, I am not ashamed! I started writing as a hobby after becoming physically disabled and unable to work as an RN. Fanfic gave me an audience and an outlet, gifted me purpose and hope again. Transformative fiction is FUN! It fosters creativity and passion, heals wounds, and makes people happy. If someone wants to discredit me for that, then perhaps they aren't the audience I'm seeking.

Ultimately, I know I'm taking a risk, but since people seem to enjoy my fics, this book is my attempt to try and make ends meet through original fiction! I know some people WILL discredit me. But I'm always about being myself and speaking on what I feel matters: Fanfic should be legitimized as a creative medium. I assure you, friends—the thousands of hours I've spent on my fanworks are as REAL as it gets. The intersection of disparaging fanfic + sexism/misogyny can't be overstated—women (esp queer women)'s unpaid work is often treated as a "hobby," not worthy of uplifting. I'm here to uplift! The risk is worth it—I would have nothing without fanfic & I'm proud. Younger creators shouldn't feel shame about writing/reading fanfic. We should ALL approach it as a legitimate medium. In fact, MOST new media these days is transformative "fanwork" of SOME kind, whether it's inspired by, based on, or outright rebooting existing worlds.

Plus, we queer folk simply deserve to see our stories in the mainstream media and to see the characters we fall in love, identify with, and root for to get their happily ever afters.

TL;DR: I'm keeping my name and history. Hopefully, I'll be successful in original fiction, but if not, I'll still be a fangirl. Please consider supporting me + other creators attempting to dip into original works. Follow or subscribe to my ko-fi for previews, updates, access to my discord community where I share exclusive content, and more: https://ko-fi.com/castielslostwings FIRE & ICE IS NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH MULTIPLE PLATFORMS! Ko-Fi subscribers will have the option to buy signed copies & merch bundles! The link to purchase will also be posted there first.

A MAJOR thank you to my friends, editors, and to everyone who in my server for supporting and encouraging me to put myself out there and try something new. Love you guys so much. <3 Thank you to @chaoticdean for the beautiful cover. Many more thank yous to come. P.S. If you are reading this and know anyone with a platform who might be interested in receiving a free copy in exchange for promo (only if they enjoy, ofc), please holler at me, I can use all the help I can get!

<3 Wings

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baemon-ivy · 4 months

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ivy_baemon 3 MILLION LIKES IN LESS THAN 4 HOURS IS CRAZY

ivymuse a new IT GIRL is born

Ivy.babymonster Ivy stop being so pretty 😭😭😭

Ivy_is_angell she’s here & she’s not to be played with

View all 65,222 comments

3 hours ago

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thecoolertails · 7 months

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wow chain gang all-stars really just ends like that. i knew it was going to happen but it's the abruptness and the lack of follow up or closure that really gets me. the thing you knew would happen happens and then it's over and you're left with it so the feeling has to just sit there and fester. many of adjei-brenyahs short stories from friday black ended in a similar fashion so i don't know why id expect differently, because really what else is there to say. i feel hollow and angry and mournful and something else i don't have a word for. 10/10 amazing book instant favorite. i need to stare at a wall for 5 hours.

#nana kwame adjei-brenyah has had such a strong debut as an author. both his published works are just. wow #he's already produced some of the strongest speculative fiction i've ever come across #cant wait to see more from him #my posts #chain gang all stars

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artificelux · 4 months

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Unconventional literary science fiction? ☑️

Dark cyberpunk setting that oozes from each page? ☑️

Badass female main character? ☑️

Available in e-book so you don’t have to deal with international shipping? ☑️☑️☑️

Buy COLOR OF A MIRROR direct from the author (AKA: me). No bullshit. No subscriptions. No gatekeeping.

Welcome to the Dive.

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colorofamirror.net

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wonnieloves · 2 months

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midnight . . . fiction . . .

my teenage dream

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hausofanya · 6 months

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┈─ 𖧷 THE GOLDEN GIRL’S SLOW DECENT INTO MADNESS ﹕ A PRE - DEBUT EXCERPT. set during the STRAY KIDS survival show. genre, angst, mild sadness & indications of low self esteem. ( if i close my eyes long enough, the pain is only momentary for as long as i can bear it. )

THE STAGE LIGHTS ARE BLINDING AGAINST HER EYES, but cléo can barely register the faint searing against her retinas. spotting will probably appear in her vision later on, but that’s the least of her concerns now. static fills her ears to the brim with noise, her heartbeat thrumming against her skin after a hectic performance. the clothes on her body feel heavy with each breath she takes. in, out. in, out.

disappointment radiates off the panel like the sweltering heat of a sun. in, out. she stands rooted to her spot like a stray planet caught in the way of a gas giant, unable to withstand the blistering heat. in, out. her resolve crumbles with each passing second. if she focused hard enough, she can hear the others catching their breaths, too. the music fades into nothingness, and she briefly closes her eyes to will her heart into calmness. in, out. the microphone clenched in her shaking hand is the only thing anchoring her to earth.

the faintest hitch in her breath escapes her lips when she tries her best to exhale around her nerves. she pretends not to notice the brief look of concern chan throws her way as their unit lines back up for feedback. the faint brushing of his hand against her back only makes her skin crawl.

she blinks once, twice. dry eyes burn against bright lights.

“— and your vocal support is lacking,” a voice pushes through the haze, making her jolt back into reality. “how am i supposed to believe a singer has a dream to sing when she gets too nervous to perform to her full potential? nerves aren’t an excuse for a lackluster performance.”

breathe. in,

she couldn’t count on her own two hands how many mistakes she’d made. a missed cue here, a vocal strain there, and the constant tremble that just couldn’t seem to disappear when she needed it to. it was almost laughable how easy he’d been able to see it — meaning she was sloppy. sloppiness couldn’t fly in an industry like this, too cutthroat for mistakes of any kind.

“—afford to make any mistakes. you lack in confidence and skill. how can you be an idol without either?”

she sees a hand twitch in her peripheral. her throat runs dry.

“due to your many mistakes, i’m going to have to eliminate you from this round. please step off the stage.”

breathe. out.

cléo feels the moment the world draws to a deafening halt. the loud screech of brass door draw shut, unmoving at the sight of her outstretched arms. the stage is quiet at the sound of the man’s finality in his words. hyunjin stiffens beside her in barely concealed shock.

they bow, or thank him for his time, or something like that. the static returns tenfold, cold water dumped unforgivingly on her body, and she doesn’t realize she’s trembling once against until she’s pulled into a corner away from the camera’s prying eyes. someone tells her to breathe, in and out and in and out again, but she can’t stop shaking.

“i couldn’t do it.” a shuddering breath claws its way out of her chest, morphing into a pained exhale. tears sting at her eyes. “i couldn’t do it.”

“hey.” his voice cuts through her ocean of pity with surprising clarity, causing her to sniffle and look up. fear, concern, and desperation mix a cocktail too unnerving to be plastered on his face. because of her, her mistakes, her nerves, her lackluster performance—

“cléo.” the girl utters a broken sound in response and arms pull her in for a hug, her fingers digging into fabric as she cries. “where you go, i go. i meant it when i said we’re doing this together.”

“don’t be ridiculous,” cléo shakes her head, her voice hoarse. “those were just jokes. this is real. he eliminated me because i wasn’t good enough—”

“i don’t care.”

she laughs something warbled and rests her head on his shoulder, her quiet sniffling filling the air for a moment. “you’re so stubborn. i hate it.”

hyunjin makes an short sound of indifference, which makes her laugh again. “too bad. you’re the one who decided you wanted to be my friend. deal with it.” his voice then softens, making her heart tighten painfully. “i don’t want to get on that stage without you. this is your dream as much as it is mine.”

“stop saying heartfelt things like i’m going to die,” cléo huffs, though she wipes her tears. “should have gone into acting. they’d have loved you there.”

“but it wouldn’t be with you.” stubbornness masked as something else. determination, maybe. but she lets herself briefly imagine a world where she’s given a second chance, where the two of them debut together like they’ve been talking about for years. her bones ache. “we just have to try harder.”

“if i don’t debut—let me finish,” cléo grouches haltingly, her own fear masked with her own flavor of stubbornness. hyunjin cracks an attempt at a grin anyway. “if i don’t debut with you.. with chan, with the rest. promise you’ll find me anyway.”

she sniffles once, fingers wrapped around his tightly. “don’t be a stranger when you get famous. though i guess i’ll finally have peace without you blowing up my phone every ten minutes.”

hyunjin’s smile morphs into something a little more genuine, squeezing her hands just as tight. “i’m not making any promises we both know i won’t keep.”

“can you just—”

“no.” said with as much finality as the panelists, and it makes her jolt once again. “you’re here as a product of your own hard work. remember what you told me when i was too nervous to perform during the talent show? you said i deserved to have a spot on that stage as much as anyone else did.” hyunjin’s gaze is sharp, definite. “that goes for you, too.”

pin drop silence. cléo stares at him for a moment, in shock, then a clipped laugh slips from her lips, exhausted.

“hearing my own words from your face makes you sound so much wiser than you really are, you know.” his expression morphs into exasperation, shoving at her gently until she laughs, and together they rise to join the others in the practice room. her thanks goes unspoken in the gentle squeeze her gives to their still connected hands, and her hand receives one in return.

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