mnbennetauthor

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Weekly Bookish Question #439 (April 27th - May 3rd, 2025)

What’s the last book you read because you saw it on tumblr or because someone on tumblr recommended it to you?

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ai does not belong in creative spaces. period.

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Book bans are on the rise across the US, but even if you want to go read and buy as many books with LGBT+ representation as you can get your greedy little hands on--it's hard to know what you don't know :/

The Queer Books Database lists over 3,500+ fiction and non-fiction titles in a google docs spreadsheet that lets you search by representation, or just by age, genre, year published, and more. It doesn't just track LGBT+ rep but also tags for people of color, disability, mental health, neurodivergence, fat rep, older characters, and religion!

You can use the database to search for:

multiple identities at once--find rep for a schizophrenic asexual lesbian, an autistic black boy, or a non-binary soldier with tinnitus

age appropriate books--search for children's books, junior chapter books, teen titles, and YA

non-fiction education--this includes biographies and memoirs, self-help, mental health, sexual education, LGBT+ history, legal resources, and affirming spiritual texts

trope/setting/time period--get a list of ghostly paranormals, queer fiction set in africa, gay regency romances, enemies-to-lovers, dark academia, and tons more!

Using the database, supporting my patreon, or buying me a ko-fi also really helps out the autistic transgender librarian who put this all together during the pandemic! Please share and reblog if you can~

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If you like villainous characters who deep down have a heart of gold then this is not the story for you.

The men in this story are ruthless down to their core. Morally black villains through and through.

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Queer besties will always be my favorite thing in storytelling. I want to see those friendships.

Show me your favorite queer friendships. I'll go first.

Tara and Gael.

I adore these two. They got matching tattoos to show off their love for each other and their friendship.

Gael is the most chaotic pan boy you'll meet. He is mischief incarnate. He's also a proud vegan and owner to the world's best cock. Seriously, he never stops talking about his rooster familiar 🐓 King Clucks.

Tara is your typical chosen one girl next door with the weight of the world on her shoulders. She'd probably collapse under the pressure of it all if it weren't for Gael keeping her afloat with bad humor and constant support.

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𝙉𝒆𝙬 𝙍𝒆𝙡𝒆𝙖𝒔𝙚! 𝙐𝒏𝙝𝒊𝙣𝒈𝙚𝒅 𝑴𝙈 𝘿𝒂𝙧𝒌 𝑹𝙤𝒎𝙖𝒏𝙘𝒆

If you're looking for an unhinged MM dark romance then check out FROM BEST TO BESTED which is out now.

Be sure to check those CWings. This book is not playing when it comes to being dark and depraved.

𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐨𝐧: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9MKJS64

It is available in ebook, paperback, KU, and audiobook.

You can even get signed copies with art swag at my store. mnbennet.com/store

🔥 𝑨𝒍𝒑𝒉𝒂 𝒗𝒔 𝑨𝒍𝒑𝒉𝒂

🔥 𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒐 𝒕𝒐 𝒁𝒆𝒓𝒐

🔥 𝑾𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝑮𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝑾𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈

🔥 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒚

🔥 𝑩𝒊-𝑨𝒘𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈

🔥 𝑯𝒖𝒓𝒕/𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕 (𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒕)

𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216588495-from-best-to-bested

𝕭𝖑𝖚𝖗𝖇:

Roman Grayson has turned his prison stint into an opportunity of fame by becoming the reigning champion in an underground fight club. But when he’s dethroned by a new inmate, Roman quickly loses everything that made his incarceration bearable. From the extra perks of being champion, to the authority of keeping fellow inmates in line, all the way to his best friend being forced to room with the man who stole everything from Roman.

In a desperate attempt to win back his title and respect, Roman challenges the new reigning champion to a rematch, but Ezra Delgado only wants one thing from Roman. His pride. Roman has more enemies than he can count in the form of hostile inmates, angry guards, and a corrupt warden who’d gladly see Roman dead so long as it made a profit. If he wants to survive, Roman will have to decide how much of himself he’s willing to sacrifice for Ezra’s entertainment.

From Best to Bested is a MM dark romance. This is a tale about defeat, surrender, and submission, then clawing a way back out. Please check content warnings at the beginning of the book.

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Meta & TikTok

With how the US is trying to digitally colonize the online space, I think it's soon going to be time for me to shudder the doors of my Meta accounts - if not delete, then just abandon them. TikTok with its likely ban will set a precident that the USA can bully into selling to them any foreign-controlled site, game, social media, or store that it wants to by claiming "data privacy" - which is rich given the USA regularly has to send out warnings to citizens about data breaches of its OWN companies. So yeah, it's a dangerous step in a direction I'm not happy about. META is cozying up to the Orange, and has stated it wants to be the next Elon's Bastardized Twitter. I knew it was going to happen back when they introduced their own version of "being verified" as a subscription service. The service is just working as normal instead of throttling and shadowbanning your posts and profile. I don't think that algorithm throttling has happened full force, but I already see my posts barely getting seen as it used to, and that was the last place I got regular commission work. Upon further reflection though, MOST of my current clients are people who know me/have followed me a while/have commissioned before. So the question - do I REALLY need META for my business to continue? Or is it already shot in the barrel and I should begin cutting it out? I think the answer is clear. I won't pay to make a service work as it should, and I'm sick and tired of billionaires thinking we'll just roll over. Well, ya'll made cost of living so fucking expensive, what makes you think I'd part $20 a month for your shitty user experience?

I'm not a fulltime artist, I'm part time and work a day job. Still, my art pulls in $200-$500 a month and that's nothing the shirk, that's half to all my groceries in a month (I'm a parent and have 5 pets, food is expensive!) NOT TO EVEN MENTION the removal of protection for anti bullying and harrassment of minorities and sexual identities. I'm nonbinary, and ALL MY books are queer. The way the cesspool, ALREADY bad, is going to be even more embolden? It's a fucking joke.

So anyway, expect more of me here. Tumblr and BlueSky are looking to be better than the alternatives. I'll also be revisiting DeviantART more often, as my art still gets seen there the most. Take care everyone, hope I don't annoy yall too much lol

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Elias revamped

updated this 2023 art of Elias, a character I (hope) to write into a book one day lol Backburner idea though

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Where are all the queer book and art lovers? I keep telling myself to learn how Tumblr works yet I never do. With TT being banned and Meta during into an even bigger right wing space, I want to find better platforms to hangout.

This app should be my favorite space. It has all the stuff I like.

Random out of context quips. ✅️

Insightful commentary. ✅️

Beautiful artwork everywhere. ✅️

Queer AF. ✅️

Help me find my folks.

Here is a WIP flat colors commission I am getting done. Gosh, they all look so amazing. I can't wait for the final version.

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if it's good enough for you, then it deserves to be made. don't let anyone else decide if your story is worth it or not.

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🤣🤣🤣 This screams Wally and Bez.

*puts the tip of my sword in your mouth* enough, you will only talk when I tell you t- stop sucking on it

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People don’t understand the concept of liking two characters’ relationship in multiple contexts. They can be lovers in one setting and just friends in another, their dynamic doesn’t have to be consistent in every piece of art I make.

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This is what I'm talking about. Reading these scenes. Writing these scenes. They're some of the best.

I LOVE filler chapters. I love silly dialogue. I love scenes that do nothing but give us more of the characters living and existing. I live for details that contribute nothing to the plot.

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I am so hyped about this. I can't wait for folks to see these pretty editions and ALL the amazing artwork.

Still more art to come but look at these beautiful commissions!

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Two Who Live On by MN Bennet

Two Who Live On by MN Bennet was amazing! It's the sequel to Three Meant to Be, a magic school adult book, focused on a telepathic teacher.

I'm a big fan of anything with telepathy, so I was glad to see Dorian's ability increase and his mind link more and more often with his boyfriend Milo, giving him a refreshing break from other people and from demons. <3

This major m/m used to be m/m/m (Finn died a few years before Book 1, but there are a few scenes with his spirit, so maybe that still counts as polyamory). As for the students, some feelings are developing and will surely lead to an m/m couple in the near future.

For more HP-like LGBT Books, check out my rec list.

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