#queer cozy horror romance
Text
Good Mourning, Darling by Azalea Crowley
Good Mourning, Darling by Azalea Crowley is everything I never knew I wanted in a queer cozy horror romance. Eugene Graves is an undead, gray ace, gentleman hitman from the 1920s with a murder-hungry shadow who unexpectedly falls for the daughter of his employer while acting as a bodyguard. Ella Bardot is a bisexual 27-year-old Filipino American woman with autism adjusting to life back at her estranged parents’ home who becomes the target of a paranormal hit. Ella’s father never told her about the real supernatural business behind the family funeral home legacy, so when the monsters start attacking, the odd employee Ella’s been nursing a crush on for years is charged with keeping her safe.
This is an excellent book. I love Eugene’s friendship with his shadow. For how bloodthirsty they are together, they really care for each other (or themselves) and consider each other’s feelings as a unit. Also, I commend Crowley’s commitment to a 20s Mid-Atlantic accent and the slang that accompanies it. I am a big Eugene fan all around.
Ella is equally compelling. She is in that late 20s stage of your life where you are refiguring out what you want from life and how you fit back into the place that raised you. It is hard for me to pick individual lines or scenes, but her thought process and reactions to things just delight me. If you’ve been looking to unpack the links between infantilization, femininity, Asian identity, and autism boy do I have a book for you.
So maybe it is no surprise that I love Ella and Eugene’s relationship. As this is the start of the series, I expect more facets of their partnership will reveal themselves over time but golly I do love them together. All their flirting is top-notch. I have never loved descriptions of smiles more.
I was expecting to dislike the horror or gore elements, but I was so wrapped up in how much I liked this book I just took in the ambiance of it all and barreled on through. (As an aside, I would say this is a good book recommendation for any fans of Hazbin Hotel.) If you are looking for a paranormal romance that unpacks what it means to demand freedom—whatever that looks like for you—Good Mourning, Darling by Azalea Crowley, set to release April 3, 2024, should be next on your list.
I would like to thank Azalea Crowley for providing an earc of Good Mourning, Darling in exchange for an honest review.
#Good Mourning Darling#Azalea Crowley#paranormal romance#queer cozy horror romance#queer romance#horror romance#hazbin hotel#book recommendations#earc#book recs#you should read it
0 notes
Text
Since my cozy horror, paranormal boys love romance web novel The Night Farm's first season is finally done on both Patreon and Tapas, I wanted to share the full wrap (small changes pending) to the physical edition with cover art by the amazing K. Lynn Smith! This series is perfect for fans of Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, and other cozy slice-of-life games and webcomics/manga, titles like Welcome to Night Vale, Gravity Falls, and Love Tractor. Pre-orders will open for the public on the 17th and include a small pre-order discount, a bundle of fun goodies, and you can upgrade to a coffee mug bundle, too!
I'm SO excited to share the physical edition with everyone, and I urge you all to check out the series on my Patreon (the book is available for $1 a month and season two will be coming along shortly) or my Tapas (on a several week delay). I ONLY sell my books through my website, so you'll have to buy directly from me if you want a physical copy, but I ship quickly and send goodies with every package!
#boys love#queer stories#web novel#lgbtq authors#lgbtq books#monster lover#indie author#webcomic#cover reveal#support indie authors#self publishing#vampire books#werewolf books#paranormal romance#cozy horror#bl series
7 notes
·
View notes
Text
hehe book
#book#edge cases#litrpg#cozy#progression fantasy#lgbt fantasy#queer author#lizardman#cozy fantasy#lizardkin#lizardfolk#sentient armor#existential horror#living armor#mm romance#romance#half orc#cleric#the half orc isnt the cleric she's a tank but i feel like a tank tag would be misleading#and the cleric is human so i dont really need to tag human?
24 notes
·
View notes
Text
Anticipated New Releases of 2024
**As anticipated by Me. Mostly SFF. Links are to goodreads because that's what I use, sorry. Anything marked "new to me" I haven't read anything by that author before and therefore can't vouch for the quality. I just think the premise is neat.**
Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands, Heather Fawcett (16 January)
Sequel to the charming novel about the fairy anthropologist.
Exordia, Seth Dickinson (23 January)
Well, it isn't a new Baru Cormorant, but this modern SF about first contact may be the next best thing.
City of Stardust, Georgia Summers (30 January)
New to me. A young woman descends into the underworld in order to break her family's fatal curse.
The Tainted Cup, Robert Jackson Bennett (6 February)
New to me. A sherlock holmes flavored duo solves the mystery of the murder of an imperial official in a labyrinthine fantasy realm.
What Feasts at Night, T Kingfisher (13 February)
The sequel to the mushroom horror book What Moves the Dead.
The Warm Hands of Ghosts, Katherine Arden (13 February)
A ghost story set in WW1 about a woman searching for her missing brother.
The Fox Wife, Yangsze Choo (13 February)
New to me. A detective in 1908 Manchuria investigates a young woman's death in an area full of mythical foxes.
Redsight, Meredith Mooring (27 February)
New to me. Unpowered priestess and Imperial pawn is set on a collision path with a pirate with a grudge for the Imperium (Gay romance).
Sunbringer, Hannah Kaner (12 March)
Sequel about the professional godkiller Kissen.
Jumpnauts, Hao Jingfang (12 March)
New to me. A SF novel in translation from Chinese, with three scientists joining forces to deal peacefully with a first contact situation.
The Woods All Black, Lee Mandelo (19 March)
I liked Mandelo's debut novel very much so I'm excited to read this queer horror novella set in 1920s Appalachia.
Floating Hotel, Grace Curtis (19 March)
New to me. A series of cozy character vignettes on a space cruise ship after a murder has occurred. One of the four (!) space hotel murder crimes books coming out this year.
The Emperor and the Endless Palace, Justinian Huang (26 March)
New to me. Reincarnation gay romance set in 4 BCE China, the 1740s, and modern-day LA.
Alien Clay, Adrian Tchaikovsky (28 March)
Far future space xenoarchaeology by a man trapped on a prison planet.
Someone You Can Build a Nest In, John Wiswell (2 April)
New to me. Bizarre lesbian cannibalism monster romance from the point of view of the monster.
The Familiar, Leigh Bardugo (9 April)
Glad to see Bardugo writing more adult fantasy, and this one is especially exciting because it's a fantasy set in early modern Spain with a Jewish main character. Fun to see a more original historical period.
A Sweet Sting of Salt, Rose Sutherland (9 April)
New to me. Lesbian selkie romance.
Death in the Spires, KJ Charles (11 April)
Charles branching out from romance into historical Oxford murder mystery about a group of friends with dark secrets.
Audrey Lane Stirs The Pot, Alexis Hall (22 April)
The new Hall thinly veiled british baking show romcom. Libby says it's releasing in April but I've heard nothing from the author so I think it may be Alecto'd (shifted to next year)
Necrobane, Daniel M Ford (23 April)
Sequel to the dungeons and dragons-esque low fantasy lesbian necromancy book.
A Letter to the Luminous Deep, Sylvie Cathrall (25 April)
New to me. Sweet underwater epistolary academic romance.
How To Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, Django Wexler (21 May)
New to me. A young hero caught in a fantasy time loop gives up and tries being the villain in an attempt to escape.
Goddess of the River, Vaishnavi Patel (21 May)
Another woman-centered retelling of Hindu mythology, this time based on the river goddess Ganga.
Escape Velocity, Victor Manibo (21 May)
New to me. Evil and toxic private school alumni jockey for position in a space hotel event in an attempt to escape a dying Earth.
The Fireborne Blade, Charlotte Bond (28 May)
New to me. Gay dragon slaying knight novella.
Evocation, ST Gibson (28 May)
New to me but looks very cool. Attorney and medium David attempts to escape his deal with the devil with the help of his ex boyfriend and his ex boyfriend's wife (Poly romance).
Service Model, Adrian Tchaikovsky (4 June)
In an SF future, a robot kills its human owners and ventures out into a world where human supremacy is beginning to crumble.
Lady Eve's Last Con, Rebecca Fraimow (4 June)
New to me. A con artist seeks revenge on the man who hurt her sister, who's coincidentally also on a space cruise ship (Sapphic romance subplot).
Triple Sec, TJ Alexander (4 June)
An actual mainstream published poly romance (!!) by trans author Alexander.
Running Close to the Wind, Alexandra Rowland (11 June)
Gay! Pirates! Scheming! Alt fantasy world! Monks! I liked Taste of Gold and Iron a lot and I'm very excited for this one.
The Knife and the Serpent, Tim Pratt (11 June)
New to me. Space opera about an interdimensional organization. Also, there's a sentient starship.
The Witchstone, Henry Neff (18 June)
A childhood favorite of mine's adult debut, featuring a demon who suddenly has to shape up at his curse keeper job after eight hundred years of slacking.
Rakesfall, Vajra Chandrasekera (18 June)
VERY excited to read more weird queer sff from this author after a fantastic debut. Looks weird. I'm in.
Foul Days, Genoveva Dimova (25 June)
New to me. A witch in a Slavic fantasy inspired world flees her evil ex, the Tsar of Monsters. There's also a plague and a detective.
Saints of Storm and Sorrow, Gabriella Buba (25 June)
New to me. Filipino inspired anticolonialist fantasy novel about a nun who is secretly practicing the religion of her goddess.
The Duke at Hazard, KJ Charles (18 July)
A queer regency with an incognito duke by one of my particular favorite romance authors.
Long Live Evil, Sarah Rees Brennan (30 July)
!!! Very excited to see a new adult fantasy by Brennan. A reader is dragged into a fictional world and finds herself the villain.
A Sorceress Comes to Call, T Kingfisher (20 August)
A retelling of The Goose Girl from reliably good fairy tale stalwart Kingfisher.
Buried Deep and Other Stories, Naomi Novik (17 September)
Collection of Novik's short stories.
Swordcrossed, Freya Marske (8 October)
VERY excited to see a new book by talented writer Marske. A man falls in love with the duelist hired for his arranged wedding. MEANWHILE. details of the fantasy world wool industry.
Feast While You Can, Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta (29 October)
New to me. Small town queer cave horror.
The Last Hour Between Worlds, Melissa Caruso (19 November)
Multiple reality murder mystery spy vs spy type antics, with lesbians.
#book recommendations#on the tbr#now I would Like to put alecto the ninth on this but as we know. NO news (sobs)#long post#updated 3/8 with more books I've added since I posted this
120 notes
·
View notes
Text
2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
A book with the word "leap" in the title
A bildungsroman
A book about a 24-year-old
A book about a writer
A book about K-pop
A book about pirates
A book about women's sports and/or by a woman athlete
A book by a blind or visually impaired author
A book by a deaf or hard-of-hearing author
A book by a self-published author
A book from a genre you typically avoid
A book from an animal's POV
A book originally published under a pen name
A book recommended by a bookseller
A book recommended by a librarian
A book set 24 years before you were born
A book set in a travel destination on your bucket list
A book set in space
A book set in the future
A book set in the snow
A book that came out in a year that ends with "24"
A book that centers on video games
A book that features dragons
A book that takes place over the course of 24 hours
A book that was published 24 years ago
A book that was turned into a musical
A book where someone dies in the first chapter
A book with a main character who's 42 years old
A book with a neurodivergent main character
A book with a one-word title you had to look up in a dictionary
A book with a title that is a complete sentence
A book with an enemies-to-lovers plot
A book with an unreliable narrator
A book with at least three POVs
A book with magical realism
A book written by an incarcerated or formerly incarcerated person
A book written during NaNoWriMo
A cozy fantasy book
A fiction book by a trans or nonbinary author
A horror book by a BIPOC author
A memoir that explores queerness
A nonfiction book about Indigenous people
A second-chance romance
An autobiography by a woman in rock 'n' roll
An LGBTQ+ romance novel
Advanced Prompts
A book in which a character sleeps for more than 24 hours
A book with 24 letters in the title
A collection of at least 24 poems
The 24th book of an author
A book that starts with the letter "X"
#popsugar reading challenge#popsugar reading challenge 2024#reading challenge#books#booklr#reading#bookish#bibliophile#book prompts#book challenge#book club#literature#tbr list#nanowrimo
124 notes
·
View notes
Text
TransRightsReadathon Sales & Freebies!
I will be collecting books that are reduced or made available for free by authors for the TransRightsReadathon here. Feel free to share any that you know of that I might have missed:
Queeird: A Collection of Unusual Trans Masculine Erotica edited by Max Turner | ebook 2,80 £, paperback 6,30 £
Androids and aliens, werewolves and vampires, furries and… tentacles?
This is a collection of unusual, and at times monstrous, erotica featuring trans masculine characters. From the ridiculous to the romantic, expect kinks, quirks and tropes. All the stories feature trans masculine main characters, with a variety of cis, trans female, trans male and non-binary lovers.
Deck the Holes by WrenVLothaire | ebook 0.50$
It’s Yule, a celebration Aloysius is well versed in but never has the time of year been his favorite. But with Malachai, a partner with whom he’s come to love and cherish, this holiday may not be as somber as it’s always been. This time he has a surprise in store. Let’s just hope the owner of the home approves of the decorations.
t4t, trans man MC
Tales of Genesis I-III by H.S. Wolfe | ebook free, (the book one that these short stories are based on costs 1.99$)
Out of the Rain by TinyLesbianRobot | ebook 0.50$
Echo interrupts a lazy morning with a strange request of Ender.
The first in a series of shorts set in the Genesis universe and can be read as a stand alone without having read In The Garden Of Echo
t4t, trans man MC & trans woman MC
The weather has taken a turn, forcing Flax and Lost to rush for shelter. But now that they've found a place to dry off, Lost's drenched clothes are clinging to her, and Flax is finding it difficult to keep from staring...
This story is a non-canon short set in the world of my novel 'Messenger': just under ten thousand words of warm, fluffy, robot-on-angel-on-human smut, a cozy and affectionate scene between women who love each other a whole lot.
transfemme MC
Rien Gray's Trans Rights Readathon Sale | ebooks 60% off, $6.00 for 2 books
Follow a fellowship of sapphic knights as they’re seduced by witches, queens, goddesses—and each other—in a dark, lush fantasy inspired by Arthurian legend.
genderfluid butch MC, agender MC
Valerin the Fair by Rien Gray | ebook free (+ other free sapphic books)
genderfluid butch MC
Our Monsters by Jemma Topaz | ebook 69% off, $1,23
Rosemary Dulahan, answering a strange job posting, arrives in Monstertown – a place inhabited by magical beings from another world.
Navigating the politics of sphinxes, lamias, and secrets, she must learn how to get along with her non-human coworkers and maybe romance a few monster girls along the way.
There's nothing she wants less than getting caught up in a murder mystery troubling all of Monstertown… but the mystery doesn't care what she wants, and she's about to discover the darker side of her new world.
trans woman MC
A.A. Fairviews TransRightsReadathon Bundle | ebook free
In celebration of the second TransRightsReathon you can grab A Doctor's Touch and Peaceful in the Dark for free.
Following a trans masc vampire and queer werewolf- these stories are as sweet as they are sensual.
transmasc MC
Bury your Gays & Bound in Flesh | ebook free
Anthology of tragic queer horror & anthology of trans body horror by ghoulish books
The Fealty of Monsters by Ladz | ebook free
Winter 1917. After years on the run from a dangerous cult, twenty-three-year-old Sasza and his father have established themselves among the Odonic Empire’s ruling class. But there’s a problem: Sasza is a vampire, and vampires aren’t supposed to get involved in human governance. What the aristocracy doesn’t know, after all, cannot hurt them.
Unfortunately, Sasza is far more involved than a stealth vampire should be. Not only does he work to quell the rumors of the vampires’ responsibility for an unsolved massacre, his lover is also the pro-proletariat Ilya, the Empire’s Finance Minister, who tries to recruit Sasza into the same cult hunting him.
Then—the Emperor declares war against the Vampire States. Diplomacy has failed. Sasza quickly learns that he will do anything to preserve peace–including giving in to the monstrosity he spent so many years concealing from even himself.
nonbinary MC
Trans Readathon by Wicked Witch Writes | ebook 50% off, $5
Your Body is Not Your Body anthology | ebook $1,99
A centaur seeks illicit surgery in an alien bodily modification club. Two medieval monks react to their transformation and demonic pregnancy in very different ways. A resourceful trans teen destroys sports bigots through the power of pluckiness...and abundant body horror. A stellar cathedral crosses galaxies to dump the corpse of God into a star before the mission devolves into a panoply of psychedelic orgies. A doxxed teen falls victim to violent assault and dishes out some harrowing retribution of their own. Over thirty Trans and Gender Nonconforming creators unite to voice their rage, and the rules of conventional Horror go out the f$%&ing window in this collection featuring murderous pleasure-bots; proselytizing zombies; acid-filled alien cops; science run amok; sorcerers, ghouls, cannibals...and that barely scratches the grave-dirt.
Blood from Stone by Bellamy Scott | ebook PWYW
Hitting a deer while driving a country road is unfortunate, but common enough that no one expects it to re-order the fabric of reality as they know it.
For Sam, a rogue stag on a summer night takes his husband, his life, and his name in a single blow. As months of grief pass, he things he's begun to get used to his new reality, until an encounter with a childhood friend changes it all over again.
BLOOD FROM STONE is a story of an old lady doing good deeds for bloody boys on the side of the road, of poisoned wine, and of a trans man Becoming Real.
Becoming Light by Riley Nash | ebook free
When people meet me, they see a bright faced, happy-go-lucky kindergarten teacher who will do anything to support his friends. Not everyone knows the struggle I’ve faced to become the man I am today.
Now it’s finally time for the gender-affirming surgery I’ve been dreaming of for years. But when an emergency leaves me without a caretaker, the only person who can take me in is my best friend’s aloof, reclusive, and incredibly sexy dad. The one who has no bedside manner and struggles to communicate. The one I’ve had a crush on for years.
The deeper we see into each other’s worlds, the stronger the attraction gets. I’m not sure either of us can make it through the next four days without giving in.
Trans man MC
TransRightsReadathon Sale by Matthew Zakharuk | ebook 50% off, $2.50
a story of trans transhumanism + a dystopian gothic
84 notes
·
View notes
Note
Hiya! I started listening to the Lost Terminal because you mentioned it on here. I'm a few seasons in and really loving it. My friend is looking for some new narrative pods and I know you listen to a bunch. Got any suggestions? They can be finished or ongoing.
Oh do I!
Have a couple, in alphabetical order:
Absolutely No Adventures - An outright pratchettesque fantasy parody about a (very) Chosen One who has studied the art of baking instead heeding the call to adventure and refuses to go on any quests.
Care and Feeding of Werewolves - A (in-universe) podcast addressing current events and issues in the (American) paranormal community, hosted by a witch and medical practitioner. Has very good plot and worldbuilding.
Folxlore - Queer horror podcast set in Glasgow. Excellent show. "This apartment complex is very haunted, extremely cursed, and it sometimes randomly shifts to an eldritch nightmare realm.
Everyone here's queer though, including the building itself. 4 stars out of 5."
Gabriela & The Inn Between - A recent botany undergrad takes a job as Innkeeper at an inn with very strange and unusual guests. Cozy and low-stakes.
Gastronaut - Set a couple hundred years from now, a food journalist travels from Earth, then Mars, then a distant space colony. He's pathetic but in a good way. Excellent food descriptions, nice anti-capitalistic and anti-colonialist themes. Higher stakes and fewer steaks than expected.
Ghost Wax - I've always disagreed with the idea that necromancers are always evil. This show agrees - it's a horror podcast about an ancient necromancer solving supernatural murders by interviewing the victims. Very thrilling. Many feels.
Icarus Rising - Queer airship pirates! Stow-aways! Rebellion! Chases and Thrills! High-stakes drama and action among the clouds! An adorable ship cat!
Kalila Stormfire's Economical Magick Services - Very cool story about witches, fairies, werewolves, and more, a story about what makes a community, about modern-day working class neighborhoods, psychology, love, and of course magic.
Parkdale Haunt - This one I haven't listened to yet, but I've heard very good things about it. It's a horror show about a haunted house, set in Toronto, made with love for that city. Disregard this suggestion if you don't like Toronto, I've never been.
SCP: Find Us Alive - A podcast set in the SCP universe, about a site getting sucked into some sort of pocket dimension that keeps resetting in a sort of time loop. Very interesting cast of characters. Requires minimal knowledge about how the SCP Foundation works.
Starfall - Fantasy audio drama about the adventures of a theatre troupe that uses magical items and illusions in their work, and about a young warrior with mysterious powers who joins them.
Tell No Tales - Horror story about a company that specialises in removing ghosts from haunted places. The protagonist quickly becomes concerned about the ethics of that and tries to prove that they need to start treating spirits with the humanity they deserve.
The Antique Shop - Urban Fantasy drama about a student getting a job at the kind of antiques shop that you only find when you need to. Lots of cursed items. An excellent cat. Queerplatonic relationships.
The Mistholme Museum of Mystery, Morbidity, and Mortality - An AI audio tour guide shows you various interesting exhibits and learns how to be a person. There's lots of feelings here.
The Strange Case of Starship Iris - Sci-Fi story set in the aftermath of a war between Earth and extraterrestrials. It's about outer space, survival, espionage, resistance, identity, friendship, found family, romance, and secrets. The intro song is excellent.
The Tower - A young woman climbs an ancient, unfathomably tall tower from a forgotten age. It stretches up into the sky, through the smog and the clouds. Very vibes.
The White Vault - Travel Is Not Advised. Very scary story about what's been hiding below the ice and the stone. What's been slumbering for ages. What's now beginning to wake anew.
I hope this selection helps! I have more, but I felt it would be better to keep the list short-ish.
156 notes
·
View notes
Text
A new episode of Right Here, Write Queer just dropped! You can listen in your favorite podcast app.
Today’s episode features Carolina Cruz, (@ninawolv3rina & @writingwolverina) author of the gothic horror romance Blood in the Water and the fantasy series The Creed of Gethin. We talk about inspirational fantasy, redemption arcs, gothic horror, and the queerly comforting quality of otherworldly characters.
Our other episodes will introduce you to…
• Sarah Whalen, author of the contemporary ace romance novel This Doesn’t Mean Anything.
• R.K. Ashwick, fantasy author of the Lutesong series and A Rival Most Vial: Potioneering for Love and Profit.
• S.O. Callahan, author of the historical fantasy novel Fella Enchanted and co-author of Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms.
• Tess Carletta, cozy magical-realism author of Kit & Basie and its recently-released sequel, Patchwork.
• Sarah Wallace, author of the Regency fantasy novel Letters to Half Moon Street and co-author of Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms.
• Noah Hawthorne (also writing as Aelina Isaacs), author of the fantasy novel Phantom and Rook: When An Immortal Falls In Love With A Witch as well as The Rebel Foxes: The Sirione Chronicles: The Dome.
• Luna Daye, author of the epic high fantasy series The Thoraius Saga and the romantasy series The Fated Fae.
• and me, Sebastian Nothwell!
Our intro episodes will be rapid-releasing every Monday-Wednesday-Friday for the next three weeks, and our regular topic episodes will come out every week after that.
This project has been many months in the making and I’m so thrilled to finally be able to share it with you – thank you for listening!
20 notes
·
View notes
Text
A Writeblr Intro (English Version)
Link zur deutschen Version
Hi, I'm Marlin! I've been lurking on tumblr and in its writing community for years but was always too shy to engage. Now I've finally decided to start sharing my own stuff (mainly to organize myself) and become active!
⫸ About Me ⫷
I go by Marlin (she/her), or on some platforms by luminous-jellyfish
mid 20s, queer
I write (mostly) in German, but post (mostly) in English
my favorite genre is fantasy, and all the different direction fantasy can go in, but I like trying my hand at genre mixing
my main blog where I reblog general stuff and fandom things and so on is @secondrealitytotheright
⫸ Current WIPs ⫷
I'm currently most actively working on a few different stories that all take place in the same world (though at slightly different points in time) that I've dubbed "leviathan world" in my notes - after the gigantic sea creatures that live in its deep oceans (and sometimes the sky, who can resist sky whales, seriously). I would probably call it a fantasy world with steampunk elements.
All of those stories feature queerness in different forms, and most of them include at least slight elements of what might be called body horror.
All of these stories are still operating under working titles and are in various, wildly differing draft stages. As always I have far too much planned in this world but these four are the stories I'm actually actively writing right now:
Seeds beneath our skin
Genre: Magical Academy Fantasy, Coming-of-age story
Setting: a group of islands and archipelagos near the equator, where the leviathans are generally both revered and feared as holy and powerful creatures connected to the spirit world
Short Summary: A young girl who grew up as a sea nomad joins the temple that has controlled religious practices throughout the islands for a hundred years. Against her will she becomes a key figure in the struggle for power and religious freedom that is about to grip the temple. To survive spirit possession, human intrigue and ideological differences she is forced to reconsider her identity and world view and define herself on her own terms.
Honey cakes and bloody satin
Genre: Steampunk Fantasy, (Cozy?) Mystery, Romance
Setting: a harbor city on the northern continent, famous for their leviathan hunters, where a technological revolution is happening as the blood of leviathans is turned into a powerful fuel
Short Summary: A journalist working for a revolutionary underground newspaper and a seamstress involved in the golem's rights movement are thrown together when a man dies right in front of their eyes. They must work together and solve the crime while also hiding everything happening from the Watch, to protect both of their secrets.
Short WIP Intro
Half the lights
Genre: High Fantasy Adventure, Romance
Setting: A city on the back of a leviathan, as well as the open skies, oceans and harbors frequented by smugglers, messengers and pirates
Short Summary: A wealthy, bookish young woman who dreams of investigating weather phenomenons escapes having to forge a psychic bond with the leviathan carrying her home city on its back. She stows away on a messenger ship and finds herself among a shady crew of smugglers. Eventually she gets herself involved in pirate adventures, a political revolution and a growing attraction to a headstrong fighter with a rigid code of honor and high ideals.
And surrendered the flesh
Genre: Science Fantasy
Setting: a big city in a sub-tropical climate, surrounded by jungles and plains that have been gripped by a powerful virus that contorts nature and all living things
Short Summary: A young girl from the country travels to the city to find her missing sister and gets involved with an organisation that strives to perfect the human body. An ambitious scientist fights to be recognised for her genius and to keep her past mistakes secret. An old woman is forced to join a struggle she has been hiding from for years and rediscover forgotten powers to try and save her grandchild. All three of them will shape the face of the city.
#ok so this is the first intro#mostly for my own organisation#let's go#fantasy writing#writeblr#my writing#english version#leviathan world#wip: seeds beneath our skin#wip: honey cakes and bloody satin#wip: half the lights#wip: and surrendered the flesh
63 notes
·
View notes
Text
2024 Release TBR
🏳️🌈 - queer MC 🇨🇦 - Canadian author
⭐️ - BIPOC MC 📘 - have an ARC bold - newly added
The Secret History of Bigfoot - John O'Connor (travel/history) - February 6
Ending the Pursuit - Michael Paramo (sociology) - February 8
Remedial Magic - Melissa Marr (fantasy/romance) 🏳️🌈📘 - February 20
Tomorrow’s Children - Daniel Polansky (post-apocalypse) - February 27
The Baker and the Bard - Fern Haught (YA cozy fantasy) 🏳️🌈- March 5
The Tower - Flora Carr (historical fiction) 📘 - March 5
Parasol Against the Axe - Helen Oyeyemi (literary fiction) ⭐️📘- March 5
Those Beyond the Wall - Micaiah Johnson (science fiction) ⭐️📘 - March 12
The Floating Hotel - Grace Curtis (cozy science fiction) 🏳️🌈 - March 19
The Angel of Indian Lake - Stephen Graham Jones (horror) ⭐️ 📘- March 26
This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances - Eric LaRocca (horror) 📘- April 2
Catchpenny - Charlie Huston (science fiction) 📘- April 9
Dear Wendy - Ann Zhao (YA contemporary) 🏳️🌈 - April 16
The Tomb of the Mili Mongga - Samuel Turvey (memoir) - April 16
The Proper Thing and Other Stories - Seanan McGuire (fantasy) - May 1
The Library Thief - Kuchenga Shenjé (historical fiction) ⭐️ - May 7
Plain Jane and the Mermaid - Vera Brosgol (YA fantasy) - May 7
The Honey Witch - Sydney Shields (cozy fantasy) 🏳️🌈 - May 14
Every Time We Say Goodbye - Natalie Jenner (historical fiction) 🇨🇦 - May 14
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying - Django Wexler (fantasy) - May 21
A Gentleman From Japan - Kevin Lockley (history) ⭐️ - May 21
Dreadful - Caitlin Rozakis (fantasy) - May 28
Tidal Creatures - Seanan McGuire (contemporary fantasy) - June 4
Running Close to the Wind - Alexandra Rowland (fantasy) 🏳️🌈 - June 11
Echo of Worlds - M.R. Carey (science fiction) - June 25
Navola - Paolo Bacigalupi (fantasy) 📘- July 9
Bury Your Gays - Chuck Tingle (horror) 🏳️🌈 - July 9
The Black Bird of Chernobyl - Ann McMan (romance) 🏳️🌈 - July 19
Peking Duck and Cover - Vivien Chien (cozy mystery) ⭐️ - July 23
Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop - Emmeline Duncan (cozy mystery) - July 23
Last Seen Online - Lauren James (YA mystery) 🏳️🌈 - August 1
The Pairing - Casey McQuiston (romance) 🏳️🌈 - August 6
A Sorceress Comes to Call - T. Kingfisher (fantasy) - August 20
Radiant Sky - Alan Smale (science fiction) - August 27
The Salmon Shanties - Harold Rhenisch (poetry) - September 10🇨🇦 📘
Casket Case - Lauren Evans (paranormal romance) - September 10 📘
Buried Deep and Other Stories - Naomi Novik (fantasy/short stories) - September 17
The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society - C.M. Waggoner (fantasy) - September 20
Villain - Natalie Zina Walschots (superhero fiction) 🇨🇦🏳️🌈 - October 1
The City in Glass - Nghi Vo (fantasy) - October 1
Swordcrossed - Freya Marske (fantasy) 🏳️🌈 - October 8
My Kind of Trouble - L.A. Schwartz (romance) - October 8
Shoestring Theory - Mariana Costa (fantasy) 🏳️🌈 - October 8
Sorcery and Small Magics - Maiga Doocy (cozy fantasy) 🏳️🌈 - October 15
The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door - H.G. Parry (fantasy) - October 22
Usurpation - Sue Burke (science fiction) - October 29
The Teller of Small Fortunes - Julie Leong (cozy fantasy) - November 5 📘⭐️
The Improvisers - Nicole Glover (historical fantasy) - November 5 ⭐️
October Daye #19 - Seanan Mcguire (urban fantasy) - date unknown
My Love, in Stitches, Vol. 1 - Emily Gossman (contemporary fantasy) 🏳️🌈🇨🇦 - date unknown
50 notes
·
View notes
Text
Writeblr intro
Last Updated: Mar 2024
So, I realised I hadn't actually written one of these, and I had to fix it!
Name: Magpie, or Shelle, or Michelle.
Pronouns: she/her or xe/xer/xis.
Who: both a writer and an editor!
The Writing: I’ve been publishing since 2011, and I have a bunch of free and paid anthologies I’ve organized, but these are my most important/favourite works.
Except for The Meaning Wars series, all of my books are set in Canada!
The Meaning Wars (complete; And The Stars Will Sing, The Stolen: Two Short Stories, The Meaning Wars, Poe’s Outlaws, A Jade’s Trick, The Meaning Wars Complete Omnibus)
Similar to: Becky Chambers’ A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and Ruthanna Emrys’ A Half-Built Garden
Vibes: Space opera! Found family! Mature (30s) protagonists! Best friends! Sapphic and queer m/f romance elements! Friendly space raptors! Space pirates! A beach episode! Antifascism! Colonization (and inequality issues)! Fighting stuff with democracy and direct action!
The Underlighters (Book 1 of The Nightmare Cycle; Book 2, Monsters and Fools, is complete and in edits. Book 3, The Foundling City, is a current WIP!)
Similar to: Jean DuPrau’s The City of Ember, Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, the Fallout series
Vibes: Coming of age/new adult themes. Spooky monsters. Post-apocalyptic. The importance and warmth of community. Friendship. Struggling with teen problems. Polyamory. Nightmares. Mental health issues. Trauma. Hope. Recycling.
After The Garden (Book 1 of the Memory Bearers Saga; Book 2, Within the Tempest, is also one of my WIPs)
Similar to: Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake, The Wachowski sisters’ Sense-8, the Fallout series
Vibes: Found family. Gentle romance. Polyamory (m/f/m). Superpowers without superheroes. Sinister cults and religious extremism. Reincarnation. An alternate future. Adorable giant spiders. Silk-weaving and fiber arts. Post-collapse societal reorganization and politics.
The Loved, The Lost, The Dreaming: A Horror Anthology includes an alternate-ending version of The Underlighters, the novella A Shot of Vodka, and a dozen or so genre-crossing short stories. All of them have spooky elements.
Similar to: Neil Gaiman’s Smoke and Mirrors, Roald Dahl’s Skin and Other Stories (this is not an endorsement of antisemite Roald Dahl; I am antifascist)
Vibes: Underground living. Spooky dolls. Abandoned houses. Queerness. Sinister fey. Nightmares. Lovecraftian eeriness. Here be monsters.
Bad Things That Happen To Girls (Book 1 of the Memory Bearers Saga; Book 2, Within the Tempest, is also one of my WIPs) Possibly my most underrated work, this New Adultish story is a standalone novella about trauma and what happens when life breaks down.
Similar to: Emily Danforth’sThe Miseducation of Cameron Post and Miriam Toews’ A Complicated Kindness
Vibes: Broken family. Abusive mother. Being queer in a small city. Religious trauma. Forbidden cross-cultural love. Teen heartbreak. Coming-of-age. Sisters.
The Hell series (Unpublished WIPs; Dark as Hell, Uncharted Hell, Hope in Hell)
Similar to: Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, Andrej Sapkowski’s The Witcher series
Vibes: Grumpy/sunshine romance! Mature protagonists! Queer f/m romance! Thriller elements! Immortal pirate! Marxist/anti-billionaire politics—with a billionaire protag! Lovecraftian ocean horror! Historical fantasy elements! Lots and lots of boat stuff!
Prairie Weather Trilogy (Unpublished but complete, in submission; Chinook Phase, Tornado Warning, Brushfire)
Similar to: Douglas Couplands’ Jpod,Nick Sagan’s Idlewild trilogy (without the sci fi stuff), Love Actually, Heartstoppers
Vibes: Aggressively Canadian! Found family! Cozy academia! University! Set in the early 2010s! Queer romance! Ensemble cast! Aggressively queer, diverse, and inclusive! Coming-of-Age/New Adult issues! Friendship! Drama! Sex work-positivity!
The Editing: I've been a professional freelance editor since 2013, with Top-Rated status on Upwork (a freelancing website) and several hundred books under my belt. (I don't know how many things I've worked on at this point. I've lost count!) Primarily into sci fi, fantasy, horror, and literature (and associated subgenres); enthusiastic about #ownvoices and all kinds of diversity/marginalised representation in fiction.
You don’t have to go through Upwork unless you want to; DM me if you’re looking for an editor who’s knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and gentle. I’m also budget-friendly!
Age: in my 30s.
Queer?: yes. Also poly! Happily married to two people; also have a girlfriend. Not looking for more partners.
Disabled?: yes.
Languages: English mostly, but some conversational Spanish (rusty), scraps of French, tiny bits of German and Irish. All my writing is in English, though.
Location: Southern Alberta, Canada. (Texas + Kansas + Colorado = Alberta, more or less.)
Other hobbies: Knitting, making jewelry, playing Dungeons and Dragons (and other tabletop games), singing, reading (obviously), learning stuff; playing cello, clarinet, and violin
Interests: Jewelry, gems, metalworking, fiber arts, queer issues and social justice, environmentalism, drinking quite a lot of tea (usually black; I like an assam, Ceylon, or breakfast blends, though Golden Snail absolutely slaps when I’m in the mood for it, and I love Earl Grey Cream as well)
Other internet profiles: *Website * Mailing list * Magpie Editing * Amazon * Tumblr * Mastodon *Facebook * Medium * Twitter * OG Blog* Instagram * Paypal.me * Ko-fi
#writeblr#writers of tumblr#published#indie author#self published#science fiction#sf#sci fi#horror#anthology#queer#lgbtq#bi#sapphic#indie#editor#scifimagpie#about me#intro#intro post#who is this person#writer#writing#author#authors#publishing
57 notes
·
View notes
Text
Become a Cosmonaut!
Hey everyone! Just wanted to pop in to remind you all that I have a very active Patreon that has over ONE THOUSAND pages of fiction available! I'm an indie author with a handful of novels and novellas on the horizon for 2024 and early 2025, but my web novels are my pride and joy, so I'm hoping to get some new Cosmonauts on board to join in on the fun!
I write cozy, queer slow burn romances - both horror and slice-of-sci-fi stories - as well as heartwarming and horrifying horror stories! I have several tiers available with a variety of perks, and two of them have 7 Day Free Trials! If you're a fan of slice-of-life webtoons, BL comics/manga, Stardew Valley/farming sims, cute horror, monsters, and sci-fi aesthetics, you'll love my Patreon!
Joining my crew of Cosmonauts helps support my stories and you get:
FOUR ONGOING WEB NOVELS - two slice-of-sci-fi, the slightly popular cozy horror series The Night Farm, and an 18+ supernatural crime drama - all queer, all slow burn, all highly addicting! (With 18+ bonus content)
MONSTERLOVER MONDAYS - a selection of 18+ monsterlover stories!
SCARY SHORT STORIES - a selection of horror-adjacent flash fiction and short stories!
QUARTERLY NOVELETTES - my 18+ tiers get free digital copies of my quarterly horror novelettes for 2024!
BONUS STORIES FOR MY NOVELLA - I have a collection of bonus stories for my debut novella!
EARLY PRE-ORDERS, DISCOUNTS, AND BONUSES - lots of goodies and perks in my online author store!
I would LOVE to get some more Cosmonauts, I'm getting close to hitting 20 and it would absolutely make my day if you'd hop on over and sign up for a trial, give my books a read, and come join in the fun!
Patreon - Alycia Davidson Author
#lgbtq books#lgbtq authors#web novel#queer stories#boys love#monster lover#sci fi books#webcomic#indie author#short story#sci fi romance#sci fi horror#horror romance#monsterlover monday#monster fucker#cozy horror#slice of life#support indie authors#self publishing
4 notes
·
View notes
Note
I saw you're reading legends and lattes which I haven't read yet, but I'd like too! So seeing as you seem like a big reader do you have any recommendations for Halloween reads? Traditional books or if?
I am a pretty big reader. But, even more than that, I'm a library associate so knowing a lot about books and providing recommendations is a core aspect of my job (a job that I adore) 😊
I have been recommending and will continue to recommend Legends and Lattes as a cozy, sweet, delightfully queer read. Definitely give it a go if you've been considering it.
I haven't been able to read much IF recently (so, honestly, I'd be very interested in any recommendations you all might have for good Halloween IF reads) but here are some traditional books (and graphic novels) that I'm happy to pass on. If you have a more specific genre you're interested in, let me know (like I said, this is what I do and I adore it). Many of these don't directly relate to Halloween, but for whatever reason, I think they fit the spooky season. I tried to present a wide range of titles and these are in no order whatsoever. Please enjoy.
Some Spooky Season Recommendations
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree [cw]
(adult fiction, high fantasy, queer romance, sapphic slow-burn, cozy, for dnd fans)
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas [cw]
(young adult, queer fiction, spirits and brujería, paranormal romance, first in a duology)
Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas [cw]
(adult fiction, gothic, vampires, slow-burn romance, historical fiction)
The House Witch by Delemhach [cw]
(adult fiction, high fantasy, witchcraft, romance, cozy mystery, comedy, first in a series)
Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle [cw]
(adult fiction, horror, queer fiction, genuinely horrifying camp)
(and yes, that Chuck Tingle)
The Skull by Jon Klassen [cw]
(juvenile fiction, illustrated, folktale, short, gently spooky)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman [cw]
(juvenile fiction, horror, ghosts, graveyards, macabre, coming of age tale)
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson [cw]
(adult fiction, horror, gothic, haunted house, mystery)
Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones [cw]
(adult fiction, werewolves, horror, coming of age tale)
The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa (in particular, the audiobook narrated by Vico Ortiz) [cw]
(teen fiction, historical fantasy, queer fiction, trans mc, pirates, magic powers, deals with devils)
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna [cw]
(adult fiction, cozy mystery, romance, urban fantasy, witchcraft)
The Witch Boy by Molly Ostertag [cw]
(juvenile fiction, graphic novel, queer fiction, magic and witches, first in a series)
Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women, edited by Lee Murray [cw]
(adult fiction, horror anthology, short stories)
Hollow by Shannon Watters [cw]
(teen fiction, graphic novel, queer fiction, sleepy hollow retelling)
Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia [cw]
(adult fiction, urban fantasy, horror, vampires)
A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley [cw]
(adult fiction, romantic comedy, urban fantasy, witchcraft, demons, first in a series)
Fledgling by Octavia Butler [cw]
(adult fiction, horror, science fiction, vampires)
The Clackity by Lora Senf [cw]
(juvenile fiction, horror, mystery, paranormal investigators, ghosts, first in a series)
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir [cw]
(adult fiction, horror, queer fiction, necromancy, haunted space castle, first in a series)
Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom [cw]
(adult fiction, dark fantasy, historical setting, witchcraft, devils, revenge, illustrations)
The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson [cw]
(adult fiction, horror, mystery, ghosts, coming of age tale)
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow [cw]
(adult fiction, gothic horror, romance, mystery, haunted house, curses, nightmares)
Nimbus by Jan Eldredge [couldn't find any cws]
(juvenile fiction, fantasy, mc is a magic cat, witchcraft, goblins, for the Warrior Cat kids)
32 notes
·
View notes
Text
USERNAME CHANGE FROM ANXI0USGH0ST!!
hey there people welcome to my tumblr account, links to my other socials are in my bio
I’m a strange fellow who says whatever brain rot he’s experiencing
.
.
vampire
.
.
witchcraft practitioner
.
.
waylien + child of ghost
.
.
this is a safe space for queers, all races, therians and furries, the mentally ill, neurodivergents, emos, etc, just don't be a dick and we're good!
.
.
more about me under the cut-off
.
.
cause some problems today
yoooo what's up
basic information about me: i'm charlie, I’m 14, I’m autistic, i can’t swim, I can’t dance, and I don’t know karate.
preferably he/him and they/them, i'm not huge on labels but relativity anything under the trans umbrella is a-ok with me
california girl
certified cryptid
bands: my chemical romance, maneskin, ghost, fall out boy, pencey prep, green day, peirce the veil, the ramones, the smashing pumpkins, the smiths, the talking heads, pixies, the front bottoms, sir chloe, leathermouth, gerard way, the cure, opal in the sky, david bowie, freddie mercury, queen, frank iero, siouxsie and the banshees, nine inch nails, sisters of mercy, bauhaus, mindless self indulgence, lemon demon, will wood, gorillaz, mitski, jazz emu, tom cardy, joan jett and the black hearts, jack stauber, vocaloid, and a TON of miscellaneous songs!!
please send me music reccs i'll love you forever
books: the ash house, scythe, Frankenstein, edgar Allen Poe, ready player one, do androids dream of electric sheep, carry on, 1984, the hobbit, lord of the rings, James herriot, renegades, lockdown, diary of Anne Frank, the magic fish, the true lives of the fabulous killjoys, umbrella academy, red white and royal blue, they both die at the end
I’m really into fantasy, queer romance, dystopia and supernatural horror, if you tell me to check something out I will! especially if it’s something you’ve written (writers supporting writers folks)
musicals: beetlejuice, mean girls, hamilton, heathers, ride the cyclone, six, le mis, little shop of horrors, phantom of the opera, newsies
tv shows, movies and video games: nimona, the owl house, the umbrella academy, young royals, little nightmares, omori, detention, room of old sins, mechanarium, cozy grove, animal crossing, inside (Bo burnham), squid game, the platform, bird box, Alice in borderland, girl from nowhere, breaking bad, demon slayer, death note, black butler, don’t hug me I’m scared, seven deadly sins, the promised neverland, the amazing world of gumball, adventure time, Minecraft, legends of Zelda, fnaf, Fiona and cake, gravity falls, probably more I’m forgetting
Other stuff about me: I can speak both French and Japanese, I play four instruments (guitar, ukulele, piano, cello), I have horrible anxiety, synesthesia, tics, I am an emo patron but new to the goth, metal and punk scene so if you’ve got shit to tell me/tips please do!!
i wanna reiterate i'm autistic and have absolutely no clue how to socialize but i swear my intentions are positive
stuff i do is write songs, poetry and fiction, act, a lot of art, i love space big special interest in it, uhhh speedround sharks creepy drawings tim burton gothic architecture plants crystals herbology strange people cats candles fairy lights graffiti roller skating rain kind people taxonomy of birds especially in the corvidae family and graphic novels
if that's ur vibe uhhh stick around 🫶
24 notes
·
View notes
Text
🪼 seeking …
here are some plots i’m looking for in particular;
- fantasy setting with world-building inspired off playing cards and their sets. would really love working with something that includes magic, fictional kingdoms etc. really corny but i love making fictional cultures inspired off real ones whilst being respectful :]
- a group of vigilante thieves of various cultural backgrounds stealing cultural monuments and treasures from museums, personal collections, etc and redistributing them to their respective locations of origin. delving into the themes of decolonization, cultural reconnection and such.
- a silly supernatural horror plot set in small-town americana concerning a group of college students returning to their hometown where they’ve all befriended each other. preferably set in the 1980s.
- plot set in ancient egypt, persia, greece, etc about two very ordinary people, mostly to research their daily life, traditions, conditions and other things. could be a cozy romance, two soldiers off at war, but whatever it is, no supernatural elements, just realism.
- an art restorer and a historian team up to uncover the secrets behind a painting.
🪼 rules & preferences !
1. ocs only. although i appreciate knowing about pre-made characters, i would really appreciate if the ocs we use for these plots are made specifically for them, and not old ocs being put into a random setting. reusing ideas is okay.
2. 18+
3. talk ooc + be communicative
4. preferably advanced lit.
🪼 characters !
i require characters that come across as authentic, human, and individuals with real agency. i’m not fond of characters that are excessively naive or perfect. i love characters that are distinctive, unconventional, well researched and resonate with specific interests, evolving in step with the narrative. given that i am a person of colour, my characters frequently are too. if you're not inclined to explore a range of diverse cultural backgrounds and settings, it's likely that we won’t make a good match.
🪼 genres & themes !
i love slice of life, historical realism, and social realism. period pieces captivate me, regardless of the era. i’m particularly fond of plots that explore characters and themes in depth and including fun symbolism. i absolutely adore discussing head-canons, scenarios, and themes, as well as create pinterest boards and playlists for our characters.
🪼 ooc !
tbh, connecting outside of the rp holds greater importance to me than any other aspect. if there's a lack of enthusiasm or engagement, or if we only interact during plotting, our compatibility is likely to be compromised. establishing a friendship with my partners ensures my sustained interest in the rp.
🪼 communication !
i thrive alongside enthusiastic writers who bring decisiveness and a strong passion for the rp. collaboratively shaping ideas and themes before and during our discussion sessions is crucial. i do not mind getting to know each other before plotting. connecting beforehand allows ideas to organically flourish, ensuring an enjoyable story for us both!
🪼 pairings !
i handle all character pairings with a focus on agency. i can work with a diverse array of dynamics, from tranquil domesticity to toxic relationships. my roleplays often prioritize a variety of relationships, veering away from solely heteronormative ones. crafting intricate dynamics involving characters of different backgrounds and sexualities is my forte. trans and non-binary characters are wholeheartedly welcome, if not preferred. i have the most experience with queer pairings (mlm, wlw, t4t, etc.)
🪼 interested ? leave a note or leave your discord username and i will reach out ! if you decide to reach out to me, include your preferred name & pronouns as well as a fun fact about you, the plot you’re choosing and the reason why you picked it (this will help me start plotting with you right away!)
33 notes
·
View notes
Text
aceness and re-learning to read romance
this is long. just warning you.
For a good portion of this year, I thought I’d started to hate romance novels. They’ve never exactly been the focus of my reading, but since I’ve started reading regularly again, they’ve always been a feature. For the most part, I’ve enjoyed them. There are always duds, of course, but more and more over the last few months I just…haven’t been able to take them.
Tropes I used to like suddenly annoyed me. Writers I once really enjoyed flopped time and time again. Was it them? Was it me? I severely downsized my romance collection. There were some hits, for sure. But they were fewer and farther between. I started to have much better luck when I focused primarily on queer romances, where I saw far more success. But that left me with another question. Why?
We should all be reading queer stories. Sci-fi, fantasy, non-fiction, horror, every genre, every month, every year. That goes without saying. My sudden fixation of queer romances could have just been a desire to see stories told in a different way, from a different point of view, old tropes reimagined. But what about my queerness: my aceness. Did that have something to do with it?
My aceness goes like this: I do not want to have sex. I probably never have. I probably never will. That’s the base from which I operate. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to read about sex. That doesn’t mean I don’t love reading about sex. I do. I love a well-constructed, hot, dirty love scene between any two consenting adults who want to be there. That’s fun. Sex is fun, as long as it’s not happening to me.
However, a thought recently occurred to me that I haven’t been able to let go of: have I begun to gravitate away from, full disclosure, mostly heterosexual romances because they make me feel like sex is happening to me?
I know a common criticism that gets lobbed at the romance genre and romance readers by joyless morons is that it’s all wish-fulfillment and self-insert. That women imagine themselves in the place of the heroine and get off vicariously through that. That’s certainly not always true. And if it is true, so what? I read sci-fi novels to live vicariously through people who get to fly around in space. I read cozy fantasy to feel like I’m in a magical world where everything is safe and comfortable. Self-insert is a valid way to read, but since we apparently need to be policing women’s desires all the time, it’s something women have to defend themselves against all the time.
But this isn’t about how capital “W” women read. This is about how this lower case “w” woman reads, and how I come to a piece of work as an asexual/aromantic. I realize I may have been coming to the piece as if I am the woman in the piece. I’m now forced to be her. Which is difficult because more often than not, she wants to be there and I don’t. I don’t relate to her because I can’t relate to her. I wouldn’t give the male love interest a second chance because I don’t feel her feelings and I don’t know how. Therefore I get frustrated when she does because what’s the point? Living happily ever after? I’m happy now.
You see where this is a problem.
I am not the person in the book. But somehow, I have been reading romances, and I feel it is particular to romance, as if I am. With queer romances, particularly ones where there are no female love interests (and those are, for the most part, the ones I inevitably picked) there’s a built-in defense against that. Against the uncomfortable feeling of being unable to separate myself from the female protagonist, from her choices feeling like mine, and her desires being completely antithetical to mine. I find myself liking those books a much higher rate more because I feel inherently set apart in a way I suppose I no longer feel in most heterosexual romances. It's just a book again.
I don’t think we’re taught to read this way. Maybe subliminally, I don’t know. I know not everyone reads this way. I know that “this has nothing to do with me, these people are not real, let’s see all of the fun things they do” is the way, probably, most people come to a book. I just never realized, when it came to romance, maybe I wasn’t one of them. Maybe I didn’t know to have that barrier up. Maybe I didn’t know it would end up bothering me so much.
I told my Dad I was asexual because I was reading a book and two characters were having a conversation and suddenly, or at least suddenly it seemed to me, one character began thinking they were sexually attracted to the person they were talking to. In the middle of the conversation. I was just…annoyed. Baffled and annoyed. Because here we were again. This was not a romance book. This was a mermaid and a human talking about some heavy stuff and then there it was. I felt slammed into. By this feeling I don’t get, this thought I’ve never had, that every single person seemed to have but me. I’d been thinking about asexuality, reading about it, talking with friends, asking myself, “Is this me? Is that why I don’t feel these things? Should I tell him? What will he think? I can’t not tell him. I can’t not tell someone. He loves me. He’ll understand.”
He did, by the way. They all did. I was lucky.
So. I haven’t had long to test this theory. I just finished my first heterosexual romance in a long time, and though there were very few sex scenes, I went into it with the thought, “This has nothing to do with me. Let’s have some fun.” And I did. I can’t promise they’ll all be like that. I don’t know if it matters if they are. They’re just books. But I wanted to reflect on this part of myself, this journey into what being ace means for me, how being more aware of it and accepting it as part of my identity, part of how I intrinsically think and approach the world, may change, may expand, how I approach everything.
I’ll never stop reading queer romance. It’s not a shield, I’d never treat it that way. I just hope that I’ll now be able to approach all romance the way I have always approached queer romance, as it’s own piece of art to be judged and evaluated on its own merits, as a story about people completely separate from me who happen to want relationships and like sex and will live happily ever after.
After all, I’m already happy now.
#okay#i just had to get that out#you don't have to read really#i just needed it out of my head#ace ace baby
7 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
ipekaln
İpek
mcswagston-blog
your average Joe shmoe
christenpresi
PRESS
18.
tiffycrazycool
Tiffany-Nicole. Photographer. Artist. Free Spirit.
cheezbot
cheezbot