librarydinosaur

[librarydinosaur]

Today a traditionally published author emailed me a list of helpful suggestions about getting published.

Their biggest piece of advice: Remove the main gay romance that is central to the plot.

Thread.

[librarydinosaur]

I’ve gone insane and started writing a cliche fantasy novel

[librarydinosaur]

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

“Shall I tell you a story? A new and terrible one? A ghost story? Are you ready? Shall I begin? Once upon a time there were four girls. One was pretty. One was clever. One charming, and one…one was mysterious. But they were all damaged, you see. Something not right about the lot of them. Bad blood. Big dreams. Oh, I left that part out. Sorry, that should have come before. They were all dreamers, these girls. One by one, night after night, the girls came together. And they sinned.”

[librarydinosaur]

without fail, every single time I reread the Gemma Doyle trilogy, I turn into this meme, trying to find any and all connections between the two series because they are connected, canonically, because Gemma shows up multiple times in the Diviners books

[librarydinosaur]

i’ve recently been rereading through my favorite books growing up, the Gemma Doyle Trilogy

since middle school, it’s been like a kind of dream to draw Gemma and do her justice

this series really got me back into reading as a kid, so thank you @libbabraysactualblog ❤️

[librarydinosaur]

“We are new girls for a new world.”

[librarydinosaur]

So listen i have this book coming out in uhhh 10 days and I am Worried about it, because it is a Comedy, and comedy is really hard to market (why????? it's funny pirates, what's not to like??) even when it is, yanno, normal mainstream comedy.

It is even worse when it is Unhinged Comedy That's Mostly Going To Be Funny To People On Tumblr. (For example, the main character being a supreme gremlin made of 90% memes by weight (examples: carries around a bag that is never called anything but his "little rucksack"; has a near-verbatim "stick me legy out real far" moment; talks about his metaphorical "orphan gruel bowl" which is a direct reference to that one Oliver Twist gif) because those are funny to me personally.) Unhinged Tumblr Comedy is difficult because tumblr is not a platform where it is easy to market things to people, because we are generally violently anti-capitalist and LOATHE advertisements and reflexively resist being marketed to for most anything. I LOVE that about this website. Except for right now, because I have bills to pay and a cat to feed. So look, fellow tumblr gremlins, I am just trying to say that if your personal brand of comedy is laughing at the kind of jokes that could only be produced on this hell website, and:

you like pirates

you're queer and want to read more books by queer authors

you want your fictional queer characters to be a hell of a lot more Messy and Unhinged than they often are depicted as being

you're interested in seeing a love triangle (M/M/NB) that resolves into polyamory

you want books where the hottest character gets to makes Passionate Speeches about rebelling against oppressive institutional regimes like governments and organized religions

you believe that capitalism is the most oppressive institutional regime of them all

you think it's fun when two characters have been in a 15-year-long relationship where the vibes have been "We're Newly Divorced" nearly since day one

you believe that All Cops Are Bastards and want to know what to do when you get pulled over by the boat cops

you think the Great British Bake-Off would be improved with weaponry, ritualized bribery/coercion of judges, and elaborate shit-talk

then this book might be for you. Beneath the wall-to-wall hijinks, it is political and it is righteously angry and it is the funniest thing I have ever written (which is saying something, because I have written some funny shit). It's called RUNNING CLOSE TO THE WIND. Here's a picture of it.

If all that sounds cool, you can read a review of it here and the first chapter of it here to see if it as funny as I am claiming it is, and then if you think that it is, you can preorder it here. It comes out on June 11! Ten days from now!

Thank you for letting me market to you for a minute. Signal boosting would be very much appreciated.

[librarydinosaur]

Diversifying your reading is incredibly important. Reading books featuring characters with different genders, sexual orientations, races, classes, and life experiences as you will teach you to empathize with others. Always strive to learn more and be better

[librarydinosaur]

[librarydinosaur]

if we are doing netflix originals for the most dubiously conceived weirdly executed middle grade/YA dystopias of the 2010s now i NEED a shitty netflix original about that YA dystopia where abortion is illegal but the compromise option you can send your teenager to an organ harvesting camp to get horrifically ship of theseus’d out of existence without their consent at any time

[librarydinosaur]

BODYSHARE is a queer fantasy novella that follows Luke Milton, a recent college graduate and divorcee who, in exchange for success in his music career, agrees to share his body with the devil. Coming to a website near you on 8th October 2024!

You can PRE-ORDER the novella here or apply to be an advance reader here!

And here's the entire summary:

Luke Milton made a deal with the devil. Now, he's getting everything he ever wanted: musical opportunities, charting albums, world tours, and a thriving fanbase. The only cost? His body, which he now shares with the devil itself as it goes about its mysterious business. All in all, the tradeoff isn't too bad. He's also always wanted an intimate connection.

After both his college diploma and his divorce papers are signed, twenty-two-year-old Luke Milton is approached by the devil—an energetic force that's been present in one way or another for his whole life—who lauds him with praise for his musical skill and insists that it could help him further his career. When initial reviews of his EP are shaky, it doesn't take long before Luke is agreeing, even though the terms of the deal require him making space in his body for the devil the share.

Luke's career develops rapidly, and so does his relationship with the devil. As they work together through album releases and world tours, they become further and further intertwined, and Luke has to wonder if it's worth it.

Explore fame, self-worth, and sacrifice in this queer fantasy thriller.

[librarydinosaur]

Do you like retro sci-fi? Do you like stories set in the 80s? Do you like arcade games and ghosts?

Consider giving DR. MALICE a read! The ebook is free from JULY 1ST-5TH.

Support an independent writer and artist by reading and leaving a review. It would be greatly appreciated!

GET IT HERE!

[librarydinosaur]

Scarlett's Big Pride Sale!

Hello, Tumblr! I'm a couple days late because I needed to wait on a book restock, but it's Pride month and that means it's time for SCARLETT'S BIG PRIDE SALE! Use the code GAYWRATHMONTH on my website for 25% off all books in all forms!

Audio! Ebook! Paperback! DRM free! 🌈🗡️✨ Sale goes through the end of June!

New to my books? Blurbs under the cut!

The Warrior's Guild are a fantasy femdom duology set in a diverse, queernormative world that tell the story of a shy naive monk who absolutely, positively cannot handle his enormous crush on the boisterous warrior woman who buys his contract and takes him on an adventure. It's a story about unlearning the toxic attitudes you were raised with, allowing yourself to become the person you want to be, and finding the courage to ask your big strong girlfriend to absolutely wreck you... sexually.

There's also magic, shenanigans, more queer and trans characters than you can shake a stick at, badass fight scenes, and at least one dragon!

His Secret Illuminations A Sheltered Monk By day, Lucían brews potions and illuminates manuscripts in service to the monastery that took him in as a child, wielding magic based in his faith and his purity. By night, he dreams of the world outside the cloister–a world he knows only in books and scrolls… A Mysterious Warrior A mercenary known as the She-Wolf hunts for a shipment of stolen manuscripts. When she needs a mage to track them down, she chooses Lucían for both his adorable blushes and his magic. She purchases his contract, hurling him headfirst into an adventure that will test both his skills and his self-control… A Sacred Vow Inexorably drawn to the She-Wolf’s strength, surprising kindness, and heated touches, Lucían fights temptation at every turn. His holy magic is both vital to their mission and dependent upon his purity. How can he serve both her and the Lord if he gives in to his desire? As intrigue and danger forces them closer, how can he possibly resist? His Sacred Incantations An Illicit Desire Lucían left behind his cloister, his vows, and his self-denial when he joined Glory, first for a quest and then in her bed. He tells himself he should be happy, but when he looks at her strong arms, her sharp smile, and her smooth dominance, he wants—something he cannot yet name… A Deadly Foe A fatal threat lurks in the mountains above Granite Falls, attacking travelers with fangs and claws and a horrible curse. Lucían and Glory seek the cause, and he can’t help wondering why it all seems so familiar, and why his dreams are full of cold stone and an evil presence… A Perilous Mission As their investigation proceeds, Lucían finds himself once more embroiled in an adventure he wasn’t expecting, one full of dark magic and ghosts from his past. Haunted by what he can’t change, Lucían makes a solemn vow: He’ll end this, once and for all, or die trying…

Do you like walks in the woods? Are gratuitous descriptions of Pacific Northwest forests your bread and butter? Do you want to see Little Red Riding Hood get a hot werewolf boyfriend? Do you like praise kink? Well, good news! I have a book for you!

Red, the Wolf, and the Woods A hardworking farmer who moonlights as a dog trainer, Red longs for her brothers to step it up on the family farm so she can get a whole five minutes of uninterrupted time to herself. When her grandma calls down with a delivery request, Red jumps at the chance to go visit the house in the woods she loves so much. No farm chores and a good hike? It’s basically the perfect day! …right until a wolf walks out of the woods and asks if he can join her. Sound familiar? Red, the Wolf, and the Woods is a playful, modern take on the classic fairy tale, with a steamy romance at its core. Take some time away from your daily grind to join Red on a flirty, feral adventure!

[librarydinosaur]

My romance novel is out! A woman raised in an anti-technology cult flees the only life she has ever known to find herself face-to-face with that which she was taught to detest above all: a humanoid robot. You can pick up the ebook now!

[librarydinosaur]

Murder For The Modern Girl by Kendall Kulper

i am SUCH a sucker for 1920s urban fantasy (?) stories, and this is a highly enjoyable page-turner of a story! i tore through it in two days and immediately went to recommend it to my mom. and it also inspired me to write this post- i want to get better at noting down the books i read, what i think about them, giving them a critical eye, analyzing what i think Works and what Doesn't. i'm no professional essayist or anything though so i'll just ramble

the protagonists are a delight to read, and the mystery was so fun to watch unfold. i was hooked in the first chapter, and the second one drew me in even further. each alternating POV feels distinct and clear and Real. and it was so cool to watch how they changed over the course of the book too, especially in "Guy's" case

one criticism i had while reading was that the story could be a bit black-and-white and idealistic at times- it stood out to me that the heinous men Ruby murders have Bad Evil Minds and only think about Abusing Women- not to say there aren't people like that, but i also feel like it's... othering, in a way? it says, an evil person's mind is Distinctly Different from anyone else's mind and they Never say, do, or think anything like us Good People! and i don't know how entirely true that is.

not to get to philosophical i guess (but this is My Blog and i can do what i want)

but other than that sticking in my mind throughout, it was EXTREMELY fun to get swept up in the mystery and suspense of this book. the puzzle pieces forming and falling into place was extremely satisfying, from the more obvious things to the total surprises. none of the twists felt cheap! and in the end i wanted nothing more than for Ruby and "Guy" to succeed- even at the times where they were unwittingly opposed. i wanted to see them happy and together, i wanted to see justice be served. that much idealism, at least, is something i can indulge in

[librarydinosaur]

Best WLW Romance Novels of 2023

On the Same Page

Sorry, Bro

Playing with matches

Iris Kelly Doesn't Date

The Fiancée Farce

Marigold

Stars Collide

The Villains series

¿Y si no es conmigo? [What If It’s Not Meant to Be with Me?]

Infamous

[librarydinosaur]

simply sapphic book recommendations from powell’s books