Happy Trans Awareness Week 🏳️‍⚧️✨🏳️‍🌈📚

Queer books, especially books with trans characters, are what helped me become the person I am today. In a world where it's easy to feel alone, you can always find the company you seek in not only books, but the people who enjoy them. I have made so many author and reader friends, and they make me feel so seen.

Don't underestimate the power of words, and kinship.

🎉IT'S OUT! THE BOOK IS OUT!🎉

The Red King is known around the world for being a wise diplomat—and for being tragically single.

King Randall III has everything one could want: power, charm, beauty, and enough diplomatic wit to earn him the nickname 'Emperor of the Continent.' The one thing he's lacking is a husband. When Randall's sister invites men far and wide to woo him, only three make the cut: a noble sorcerer, a royal alchemist, and a mysterious easterner who reveals nothing of himself other than a name. A fourth lingers in the shadows, dreaming of the chance he's been too afraid to take for four years. Each of them is hiding a secret, including King Randall himself, who falls victim to a beastly curse when night falls. As pasts are revealed, relationships formed, one thing becomes clear: no one will leave the Red King's court the same they entered.

THE RED KING'S MYSTICAL SUITORS IS AVAILABLE NOW

I'm so excited!! Thank you, thank you, thank you to every person who has helped me and encouraged me along this journey!! I'm so thrilled that the book is going to be in people's hands at long last.

The first of many books to celebrate!!

RED KING TAGLIST:

@transmasc-wizard @synthesizer-dyke @magic-is-something-we-create @tc-doherty @softbroiled-doomdesire @somealienquill @sagasofazeria @super-writer-gal @ren-c-leyn @crazy-like-us @ashen-crest @shrunkupthejams @themundanemudperson @sarahlizziewrites @faithfire@hungryslothwrites

GENERAL TAGLIST: @worldbuildng @muddshadow @nikkywrites @47crayons @directionoftime @myhusbandsasemni @chayscribbles

✨ OUT TODAY!! ✨

Into the Tower is out NOW in the US & internationally

(it's next week in the UK for some reason... Sorry UK.)

The book has intertwining plots that unfold the hidden secrets of the tower the more you play. I basically got unleashed to write a proper full interactive book with all my favourite fantasy stuff in (plus weird magic, horror and 🏳️‍🌈 romance storylines) and I loved making it.

My disability means I'm covid-vulnerable and honestly been having a Not Great time the last few years, and I'm gutted I can't do real-life book launches or appear with the book at conventions. So I can't really say enough what a massive amount it means to see people sharing posts & excited about it in the tags and stuff, thank you thank you. I HOPE YOU LIKE IT.

You can buy Into the Tower online wherever you get books, but I especially recommend Bookshop.org if you're in the US or UK, where you can also support indie bookstores as you get it. (more info)

The Stars Undying, Emery Robin

Books With Morally Grey Gay People for Pride Month (Except, I'm Late)

Happy Late Pride, everyone! I'm sure many of you, like me, are tired of reading about perfect gay people doing everything right – you want some chaos in your stories! You want some problematic gays! So, even though I missed the end of Pride Month by about two days  – and as a reminder that every month is Pride Month! –I've compiled a list of 5 books that have something super cool about them: their gays are bananas, complex as fuck and ready to wreck hell. 

The Masquerade Series, starting with The Tyrant Baru Cormorant, by Seth Dickinson

This is one I've read recently and haven't gotten over just yet. The Masquerade Series is a triumph. This series follows Baru Cormorant, a young girl from the island nation of Taranoke, who watches her country be colonized by the hugely powerful Masquerade Empire. After one of her fathers is killed for being queer, Baru decides to join a Masquerade school and destroy the Empire from the inside out. Soon, she is being sent to unruleable Aurdwynn, where she is to be the Imperial Accountant. And things get very, very complicated from there.

Baru is an incredibly complex, ever-changing character surrounded by a cast of other complex, ever-changing figures – and most of them are queer! In fact, I think the only drawback for The Masquerade Series is that it can be a little too complex. But the payoff is amazing, and so worth it – especially in this first book, The Tyrant Baru Cormorant. And don't even worry about it – Baru & co. will cause more than enough harm in their way, making them an essential addition to the "problematic queers" packet.

The Locked Tomb Series, starting with Gideon The Ninth, by Tasmyn Muir

You've probably heard of The Locked Tomb Series if you spend a little bit of time on queer SFF booklr, but it's never too much recommending when it comes to this series.

It's very hard to explain what goes on in The Locked Tomb. The first book, Gideon The Ninth, follows our butch lesbian star Gideon as she is enlisted to become the sworn swords-woman to Harrowhark Nonagesimus, and they’re summoned to the First House to compete to become Lyctors, the companions of God. The first book plays out as murder mystery, while the next ones all devise creative ways to tell this story, which grows more and more complex. As the plot thickens, so does the complexity of our characters. They shine through in these novels, as their unapologetic queer selves, in this universe where homo and transphobia don't exist – refreshingly. But, as is the theme here, they don't always make the moral choice. In fact, The Locked Tomb is filled to the brim with crazy queers who do the most insane, deranged things. And Tasmyn Muir's complicated, intriguing writing will get you completely hooked and desperate to know what happens next with our problematic queers!

The Salt Grows Heavy, by Cassandra Khaw

I feel like The Salt Grows Heavy is severely underrated. It just needs to be better known! This is a horror twist on The Little Mermaid, and follows a siren and a plague doctor, the only survivors of a destroyed kingdom, as they go on the run, and the creepy things they find along the way. Now, although our queers aren't exactly villains, they aren't exactly the most moral of people. And their deep feelings of anger, for instance, permeate every page of this book. Mx. Khaw's writing style perfectly captures this, as they weave a tapestry of purple prose that keeps you hooked – I wasn't able to put this novella down from the moment I started until I finished it. Hopefully, you'll have as intense of an experience! She Who Became The Sun, by Shelley Parker-Chan

Another must for your problematic queer needs: She Who Became The Sun is a multi-POV story spanning two different nuclei. One follows Monk Zhu, who assumes her brother’s identity, sure that she is destined for greatness, and the people she meets in her quest to achieve this. Another focuses on Ouyang, an eunuch general who serves – and is lowkey in love with – Esen, the son of a province’s Prince, and the war they’re involved in. Zhu and Ouyang are the most chaotic of protagonists – and their decisions are morally grey, at best. The best part is that they arrive there very naturally – Mx. Parker-Chan is a master at character development, taking you from A to B smoothly. Plus, their writing is absolutely fantastic. She Who Became The Sun is a stunning debut and it is definitely worth all the hype! I'd hop on the train now, before He Who Drowned The World, the sequel, comes out in August!

The Monster of Elendhaven, by Jennifer Giesbrecht

Another novella, this one follows a monster and the man who controls him, exploring their complicated relationship. It's hard not to spoil it, but rest assured that these gay people do the craziest, most morally corrupt things you can imagine! What I enjoyed the most about The Monster of Elendhaven is its readability. I remember flying through this in a single sitting. The writing style reminds a little bit of The Salt Grows Heavy in the sense that it leans into the gruesome, but keeps itself very lyrical! Not to mention, the build up for the toxicity of their relationship is absolutely masterfully done, and I loved every single second of it.

That's all I have, guys, but if you want more queer books, I'd definitely check out my Queer Normal-World Books, where I've compiled some stories with no queerphobia in them!

🌺 Sign up for ARCs here! 🌺

Scroll through the images for the full blurb! Full list of content warnings are on the ARC sign up page.

I expect to send out ARCs via email in the first week of May. Honest reviews are greatly appreciated~

If anyone wants a slow-burn exploration of warring religions & gods told through mortal elves with so...so many issues, I’ve got you covered. (I hope.)

He wants attention. These two are OC's from my upcoming book, The Bard & The Messenger! I just think they're neat so I draw them a lot, too.

My latest commission: Holly, King of the Drus, and the hunky-dorable Tristan from Tree Gods!

The indie publishing company Midnight Meadow asked me to do character art for their latest queer fantasy book, and even made stickers to go with their giveaway! If you want me to draw gay stuff for you, DM me for commissions! (prices in pinned post)

The first non-they/them-pronouns-are-confusing review for Hierarchy of the Unseen is here and. Hhhhhh it makes me so happy

Legit tearing up at "All my stars and more"

If you're out there, Vermont, thank you so much for reading our book, and for leaving such a kind review. I'm so so glad you enjoyed it.

Rev’s Self-Promo Post

This is my official self-promo post that I will be updating with all my links over time. I’ll only be reposting it when I have something new to add, so I promise you won’t see it constantly! But I’m finally living on my own now and need to start paying more attention to marketing my writing so I can keep paying my bills!

Revolution Series (queer historical fiction, do not need to be read in order!)

Let it Begin Here (main character is gay, a little romance subplot) - link is to most formats and retailers

Where Cannons Roar (main character is aro/ace and captains a privateer) - link is to most formats and retailers

You can also purchase my novels and short stories on my Ko-Fi shop, which allows me to keep a greater percentage of royalties. The digital downloads are in PDF format. You also have the option to purchase paperbacks with swag!

Support the Author 

Patreon (weekly behind-the-scenes updates, access to Patron-only content, ability to read rough drafts, free ebooks!) 

Ko-Fi (single donations instead of a monthly commitment)

Other Writing

Like fantasy? Check out the queer fantasy I publish online under the pen name Ryder Bailey.

Thank you to anyone and everyone who decides to support me and my little writing adventure. I appreciate you.

these are some of my favorites ✨🏳️‍🌈📚

reminder that i have a book out! it's a queer fantasy about discovering truths about yourself, your love interests, and the ones who've been waiting for you longer than you ever realized.

that boy who's mysteriously devoted to you? the one who's been there all along, and is now throwing a bit of a hissyfit when you start courting three other people as possible marriage candidates?

yeah. you might want to take more notice of him.

you can buy it here!

A guy doing marine research into phytoplankton is far out to sea and waiting for the samples to be ready when he spots a fast-moving ripple in the water up ahead.

Fully aware that this spot is home to a migratory orca pod, he assumes he's stumbled across an orca hunting a seal and settles against the railing to watch, because it's not every day you get to see that.

The ripples get closer, the shadows in the water more defined, the water choppier, and suddenly the orca and its unfortunate prey are zooming directly towards the boat and he's waiting, breath held, for them to duck right underneath--

When the water breaks, the ocean sprays, and he's suddenly smacked fully in the face by a very wet, very confused, and very pretty merman, throwing them both down onto the deck while the boat rocks as a confused and now quite hungry orca dives beneath it.

The merman, it turns out, thought that the boat was an ice float and didn't realise his mistake until it was too late. But he's very thankful for the impromptu rescue, and wow don't you have nice arms, and holy shit you've got legs, can I touch them? Is that weird? Can I touch them anyway? And your hair--

So of course they get to talking because they're both utterly fascinated with the other, and soon the sun has set and the samples are long-since ready and the moonlight is making the ocean look black and they part with the knowledge that they'll never meet again, and a kiss, and a lingering look over the shoulder for all the things that can't be...

And the researcher gets back to land, moors his boat, readies his samples. He packs up his things, shoves them into his bags, and prepares to go home. He steps onto the jetty boards and thinks of the merman and the solid wood beneath his feet seems to sway for more than one reason.

There's a splash. He turns, pulled as if by the tide, and there's a ripple in the water. A face. A pair of eyes made black by the moonlight.

And this is how the researcher acquires a merman boyfriend who helps him find samples and the merman acquires a human boyfriend who rescues him from whales.

Hi Tumblr I'm an Asian fantasy author fleeing the sudden death of all my other social media sites 👋 I've used Tumblr for years as a fandom lurker and rarely posted but in light of all my other communities imploding I guess I'll have to figure out how to be actually active on Tumblr and find bookish and writerly folks here 💜 say hi if that's you 🥺

If you love diverse filipino fantasy with bipoc leads, angry bi women clawing for space in a world that's always rejected them and soft boys who'd do anything for them, awesome elemental magic based on early Filipino shaman/ babaylan/katalonan mythologies and the Tagalog creation story, and the Bakunawa/Laho the 🇵🇭 sea dragon 🐉 and drowning colonizers then I hope you'll keep an eye out for SAINTS OF STORM AND SORROW coming in June 2024 from Titan Books

Just a list of children’s books that did impact my life way more than Harry Potter.

I read Devil in the Details by @purplepirate123 -- a super sweet novella about a gay boy who summons a demon to take him to the school dance.

It’s such a delightful mix of hilarious demon shenanigans, painful high school experiences, and awkward, adorable crushes, plus a last-third twist that will really tug at your heart. My favourite parts were all the details about demon deals and demon jobs--it’s the best when an author can make something so scary and cliché sound fresh and almost slice-of-life.

(Amazon.com link) (And it’s on Kindle Unlimited!)