Eight years ago, everything changed for Devlin: Her country was attacked. Her father was killed. And her mother became the Royal Spymistress, retreating into her position away from everyone… even her daughter.
Joining the spy ranks herself, Dev sees her mother only when receiving assignments. She wants more, but she understands the peril their country, Aris, is in. The malevolent magic force of The Mists is swallowing Aris’s edges, their country is vulnerable to another attack from their wealthier neighbor, and the magic casters who protect them from both are burning out.
Dev has known strength and survival her whole life, but with a dangerous new assignment of infiltrating the royal court of their neighbor country Cerena to steal the magic they need, she learns that not all that glitters is weak. And not all stories are true.
When Ashana Persaud meets Poppy Morgan on a school trip, she’s sure it’s too good to be true. Ash has never had much luck with girls, but Poppy proves different. Coffee dates turn to museum trips until, soon, the two girls can see a future together—one that’s seemingly snatched from them when a hit-and-run takes Ash’s life on New Year’s Eve.
As the last person to die before midnight, Ash is bestowed the title of reaper, tasked with finding lost souls and helping them cross over. Only those close to death can perceive a reaper, so when Ash runs into Poppy one lonely night—and Poppy recognizes her—they can’t be sure if it’s the second chance they’ve so desperately wished for, or a tragedy lying in wait.
In this modern reimagining of Anne of Green Gables, Anne is an ABBA-loving singer/actor/writer of disco-operas, queer, Japanese-American who longs to be understood for her artistic genius. Recently relocated to middle-of-nowhere Greenville and starting at a new school, Anne has a tendency to A) fall in love quickly, deeply, and effervescently and B) fly off the handle in the face of jerks. Both personality quirks quickly come into play when the soccer team boos the premiere of her disco performance, which—in a roundabout way—introduces her to her new BFF, Berry, and she soon after meets the girl of her dreams, Gilly.
Falling quickly into that age-old trap of ignoring the best friend for the new crush, Anne soon becomes embroiled in a series of dramatic and unfortunate events, and quickly finds herself wrapped up in a love triangle she never expected. Is she MTB with Gilly? Or is Berry her true soul mate? Only time (or 304 pages) will tell.
Dates Volume 3 has been nominated for an Ignatz award!
We’re both so profoundly honored and proud of all our contributors. They poured their hearts into their stories and illustrations and made this book something that can stand alongside those other incredible names.
Voting for this award is open to the public, and ends on the 9th, so if you’ve enjoyed our tales of joyous historical queerness, maybe click this link to be sent a ballot! And if you haven’t checked it out yet you can do so here.
And of course thank you to everyone who backed this book on Kickstarter and helped bring it to life.
recently I read this incredible short story in an antology set in distinct neighborhoods/locations in Nairobi (Nairobi Noir edited by Peter Kimani). Number Sita by Kevin Mwachiro describes a coming of age for a boy growing up in Nairobi–an intimate portrayal of masculinity and sexuality in the urban space of Kilimani, the neighborhood where the narrator has grown up that is now falling prey to gentrification, as well as his past relationship to a lesbian character in his neighborhood that taught him and his friends how to relate to women’s pleasure. the queerness is subtle in what is otherwise a straight male narrator voice, just a glimpse into gender and vulnerability in the context of modern Nairobi.
Kevin Mwachiro is a gay Kenyan author and runs the podcast Nipe Story (Tell Me a Story), where he shares Kenyan/other African short stories in audio format. definitely check them out!
Nikolai knew that saving the stupid, over-cheerful human’s life would mean betraying his pack. He knew it would probably get him killed. But damn it, Nikolai couldn’t just let the guy die, could he? Banished from the pack without a home, or even clothes, the last thing Nikolai needs is to take responsibility for a newly bitten werewolf…
Oliver thought a trip to Norway to practice his photography was a great idea. He thought that the warning to stay out of the forest was a bit over-cautious. He thought he was straight, too. Turns out, Oliver was wrong about a lot of things. Instead of wandering the wintery landscapes of Norway on his own, Oliver finds himself the victim of a freak wolf attack, and shortly after ends up in the company of Nikolai, the gruff (naked!) hitchhiker with a shadowed past who claims that not only are werewolves real, but Oliver is about to become one…
Together, they embark on a road trip that will lead to self-discovery, a growing attraction, unexpected feelings, and very serious danger.
Happy Mother’s Day to those who celebrate! In honor of mothers who love and fully embrace their queer kids everywhere, we wanted to highlight a few books we thought were worth checking out! Here are 8 queer books with loving, supportive mothers!
HERE THE WHOLE TIME by Vitor Martins
Felipe is planning to spend his summer break alone reading and catching up on his favorite tv shows.
But when Felipe’s mom informs him that Caio, the neighbor kid from apartment 57, will be spending the next 15 days with them while his parents are on vacation, Felipe is distraught because A) he’s had a crush on Caio since, well, forever, and B) Felipe has a list of body image insecurities a mile long. He also has absolutely NO idea how he’s going to entertain his neighbor for two full weeks.
Suddenly, the days ahead of him promis anything BUT rest and relaxation.
—–
THE MAGIC FISH by Trung Le Nguyen
Tiến loves his family and his friends… but Tiến has a secret he’s been keeping from them, and revealing it might change everything.
Real life isn’t a fairytale, but Tiến still enjoys reading his favorite fairy tales with his parents. It’s hard enough trying to communicate with your parents as a kid, but for Tiến, he doesn’t even have the right words because his parents are struggling with their English. Is there a Vietnamese word for what he’s going through?
Is there a way to tell them he’s gay?
—–
AVI CANTOR HAS SIX MONTHS TO LIVE by Sacha Lamb
Avi Cantor Has Six Months To Live
Avi comes across these foreboding words scrawled on the bathroom mirror, but what do they mean? Is this a curse, a prediction, or a threat from Avi’s emboldened bullies? And how to they know his real name when he hasn’t even told his mother yet?
Then there is Ian—the cool new guy at school, who is suddenly paying attention to Avi. Ian is just like Avi, but he is also all sunshine, optimism, and magic. All the things that Avi doesn’t know how to deal with…yet.
A romantic fairy tale for trans boys.
—–
RUNNING WITH LIONS by Julian Winters
Bloomington High School Lions’ star goalie, Sebastian Hughes, should be excited about his senior year: His teammates are amazing and he’s got a coach who doesn’t ask anyone to hide their sexuality.
But when his estranged childhood best friend Emir Shah shows up to summer training camp, Sebastian realizes the team’s success may end up in the hands of the one guy who hates him. Determined to reconnect with Emir for the sake of the Lions, he sets out to regain Emir’s trust. But to Sebastian’s surprise, sweaty days on the pitch, wandering the town’s streets, and bonding on the weekends sparks more than just friendship between them.
—–
HEARTSTOPPER by Alice Oseman
Charlie, a highly-strung, openly gay over-thinker, and Nick, a cheerful, soft-hearted rugby player, meet at a British all-boys grammar school. Friendship blooms quickly, but could there be something more…?
Charlie Spring is in Year 10. Nick Nelson is in Year 11 and on the school rugby team. He’s heard a little about Charlie - the kid who was outed last year and bullied for a few months - but he’s never had the opportunity to talk to him.
They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn’t think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways.
—–
ONLY MOSTLY DEVASTATED by Sophie Gonzales
Will Tavares is the dream summer fling ― he’s fun, affectionate, kind ― but just when Ollie thinks he’s found his Happily Ever After, summer vacation ends and Will stops texting Ollie back. Now Ollie is one prince short of his fairy tale ending, and to complicate the fairy tale further, a family emergency sees Ollie uprooted and enrolled at a new school across the country. Which he minds a little less when he realizes it’s the same school Will goes to… except Ollie finds that the sweet, comfortably queer guy he knew from summer isn’t the same one attending Collinswood High. This Will is a class clown, closeted ― and, to be honest, a bit of a jerk.
Ollie has no intention of pining after a guy who clearly isn’t ready. Right?
Right? Right.
—–
MONSTER OF THE WEEK by F.T. Lukens
Spring semester of Bridger Whitt’s senior year of high school is looking great. He has the perfect boyfriend, a stellar best friend, and an acceptance letter to college. He also has this incredible job as an assistant to Pavel Chudinov, an intermediary tasked with helping cryptids navigate the modern world. His days are filled with kisses, laughs, pixies, and the occasional unicorn. Life is awesome.
But as graduation draws near, Bridger’s perfect life begins to unravel. Uncertainties about his future surface, his estranged dad shows up out of nowhere, and, perhaps worst of all, a monster-hunting television show arrives in town to investigate the series of strange events from last fall. The show’s intrepid host will not be deterred, and Bridger finds himself trapped in a game of cat and mouse that could very well put the myth world at risk. Again.
—–
WOLFSONG by T.J. Klune
Ox was twelve when his daddy taught him a very valuable lesson. He said that Ox wasn’t worth anything and people would never understand him. Then he left.
Ox was sixteen when he met the boy on the road, the boy who talked and talked and talked. Ox found out later the boy hadn’t spoken in almost two years before that day, and that the boy belonged to a family who had moved into the house at the end of the lane.
Ox was seventeen when he found out the boy’s secret, and it painted the world around him in colors of red and orange and violet, of Alpha and Beta and Omega.
Ox was twenty-three when murder came to town and tore a hole in his head and heart. The boy chased after the monster with revenge in his bloodred eyes, leaving Ox behind to pick up the pieces.
It’s been three years since that fateful day—and the boy is back. Except now he’s a man, and Ox can no longer ignore the song that howls between them.
[ID: Text on a white square that says: “8 queer books with loving, supportive mothers. The border is in the colors of a lesbian flag. The subsequent slides each show one of the books above with the same description.]
here are some books by trans authors I’ve loved and some coming in 2021 that I cannot WAIT for (covers edited in! I don’t have copies!!)
Also I’ve made some graphics of more trans authors’ books coming in 2021. The way they are so beautiful and I want to read them all feel free to share!! It’s trans week and these authors deserve love and hype for their stories. Not just now, but always.
Like my fanfic? Then check out my BRAND NEW original novel THE DEVIL’S LUCK, now available on Amazon! Featuring amazing cover art by Stefmasc!
Read it now on any device with a kindle app for only $4.99, or check out the first few chapters FOR FREE over on my original writing tumblr: lsbaird.tumblr.com!
Books I’ve Read In 2022 - Can’t Take That Away by Steven Salvatore
Carey Parker dreams of being a diva, and bringing the house down with song. They can hit every note of all the top pop and Broadway hits. But despite their talent, emotional scars from an incident with a homophobic classmate and their grandmother’s spiraling dementia make it harder and harder for Carey to find their voice.
Then Carey meets Cris, a singer/guitarist who makes Carey feel seen for the first time in their life. With the rush of a promising new romantic relationship, Carey finds the confidence to audition for the role of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, in the school musical, setting off a chain reaction of prejudice by Carey’s tormentor and others in the school. It’s up to Carey, Cris, and their friends to defend their rights–and they refuse to be silenced.
Books I’ve Read In 2022 - The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
Dev Deshpande has always believed in fairy tales. So it’s no wonder then that he’s spent his career crafting them on the long-running reality dating show Ever After. As the most successful producer in the franchise’s history, Dev always scripts the perfect love story for his contestants, even as his own love life crashes and burns. But then the show casts disgraced tech wunderkind Charlie Winshaw as its star.
Charlie is far from the romantic Prince Charming Ever After expects. He doesn’t believe in true love, and only agreed to the show as a last-ditch effort to rehabilitate his image. In front of the cameras, he’s a stiff, anxious mess with no idea how to date twenty women on national television. Behind the scenes, he’s cold, awkward, and emotionally closed-off.
As Dev fights to get Charlie to connect with the contestants on a whirlwind, worldwide tour, they begin to open up to each other, and Charlie realizes he has better chemistry with Dev than with any of his female co-stars. But even reality TV has a script, and in order to find to happily ever after, they’ll have to reconsider whose love story gets told.
“Maybe love was some combination of friendship and infatuation. A deeply felt affection accompanied by a certain sort of awe. And by gratitude. And by a desire for a lifetime of togetherness.”
“My little sister once came home from school when she was in the second grade and asked me, ‘What’s a sanctuary?’ I guess they had been reading about wildlife preserves or the Hunchback of Notre Dame or something.
And it’s funny because no one ever taught me this, and I can’t even remember thinking about it very much, but the answer came flying right out of my mouth, like it had been waiting there since time immemorial.
‘A sanctuary is a place where the door only locks from the inside.’ I looked her in the eyes as I said it, and I could see right away she understood.”
–Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir, by Kai Cheng Thom
This book is bringing me so much joy. If you like unreliable narrators, tough femmes, radical resistance of oppressive forces, lipstick, and prose that reads like rough-around-the-edges poetry, this is your new guilty pleasure. Trust me.
Hi everyone! YA Pride is currently putting together our Spring 2020 issue, and we need your help! We are running an identity feature and need responses from queer or questioning teens on what identity means to them. Participation entails filling out a word or short phrase pertaining to identity (your identity, your feelings surrounding identity, etc.) for each letter of the word “identity”. All answers will be anonymous. We would much appreciate reblogs so we can reach as many people as possible. Here’s the link!
Let’s talk about the 2nd Edition (while my hair dries)
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When I started work on a collection of my comics it was really important to narrate my process with new work.
I wanted the book to be universal and very easy for any reader, so these new comics/pages are VERY cute:
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I refer to this chibi version of myself as “Dollface Justin.” I was forced to adopt this simpler style after a fairly severe injury that upturned my life for about three years.
I am a MUCH better cartoonist now.
In the 2nd edition I’d work to make my narration as interesting (if not more so) than the collection itself.
A 2nd edition would showcase (easily) 3x the comics in the 1st edition. It may also ruffle some feathers.
While the 1st edition might be considered “candy coated,” I would make a point of speaking up about how Trans people are treated and how—seriously—we’ve suffered enough!
And besides that, for every comic of mine you’ve seen? There’s about ten more you’ve never seen. I intend to COMB my work and showcase VERY personal art.
It will be me at my most vulnerable and I am happy to do this if it helps someone. And I know it will. I know this.
So I’m going to be on display in a Human Library in Fall…
…and they asked for:
Your “Book” title A short description of the prejudice you are presenting for folks to overcome/ learn more about Why you think the topic is important to represent as part of the Human Library A high resolution headshot
So I give them this:
Anyway they’re freaking out and I guess there’s already a line of librarians that’s going to but in front of the patrons ^_^;
Now Available From IP Audio: SHINE OF THE EVER, Written & Narrated by Claire Rudy Foster
A literary mixtape of life, love, and queer community.
By turns tender and punk-tough, Shine of the Ever is a series of short stories of queer voices out of 1990s Portland. This collection of interconnected stories explores what binds a community of queer and trans people as they negotiate love, screwing up, and learning to forgive themselves for being young and sometimes foolish.
Claire Rudy Foster is a queer, nonbinary trans person in long term recovery. Foster's short story collection Shine of the Ever (Interlude Press, 2019) was named by O Magazine as one of the best LGBTQ books of the year and was also included on the ALA Over the Rainbow long list. They also co-wrote Unsettled: How the Purdue Pharma Bankruptcy Failed the Victims of the American Overdose Crisis and American Fix: Inside the Opioid Addiction Crisis - and How to End It (All Points, 2018) with Ryan Hampton. Their other writing can also be found on NPR and in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Allure, among others. They live in Portland, Oregon.
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