#LGBTQIA Contemporary mystery

[sapphicbookoftheday]

We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds

Today's sapphic book of the day is We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds!

Summary: "Family secrets, a swoon-worthy romance, and a slow-burn mystery collide in We Deserve Monuments, a YA debut from Jas Hammonds that explores how racial violence can ripple down through generations. What’s more important: Knowing the truth or keeping the peace?

Seventeen-year-old Avery Anderson is convinced her senior year is ruined when she's uprooted from her life in DC and forced into the hostile home of her terminally ill grandmother, Mama Letty. The tension between Avery’s mom and Mama Letty makes for a frosty arrival and unearths past drama they refuse to talk about. Every time Avery tries to look deeper, she’s turned away, leaving her desperate to learn the secrets that split her family in two.

While tempers flare in her avoidant family, Avery finds friendship in unexpected places: in Simone Cole, her captivating next-door neighbor, and Jade Oliver, daughter of the town’s most prominent family—whose mother’s murder remains unsolved.

As the three girls grow closer—Avery and Simone’s friendship blossoming into romance—the sharp-edged opinions of their small southern town begin to hint at something insidious underneath. The racist history of Bardell, Georgia is rooted in Avery’s family in ways she can’t even imagine. With Mama Letty's health dwindling every day, Avery must decide if digging for the truth is worth toppling the delicate relationships she's built in Bardell—or if some things are better left buried."

[melaniem54]

Review: Hot Pursuit ( The Hot Cannolis #3) by Eli Easton

Review: Hot Pursuit ( The Hot Cannolis #3) by Eli Easton

Rating: 4.5 🌈 Hot Pursuit is the third in The Hot Cannolis series being written by Eli Easton and Tara Lain about a large Italian family made up primarily of firefighters, with a few law enforcement officers scattered throughout. It’s been about their sexual awakening and how that’s been handled within a highly machismo, heteronormative (and Catholic) family structure. What struggles the family…

[caribeandthebooks]

The Change by Kirsten Miller

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary Fiction

Setting: USA (New York)

Description: Big Little Lies meets The Witches of Eastwick—a gloriously entertaining and knife-sharp feminist revenge fantasy about three women whose midlife crisis brings unexpected new powers—putting them on a collision course with the evil that lurks in their wealthy beach town…Read more on Goodreads/Storygraph

Content Warning information can be found via the above Storygraph link.

[geoffwhaley]

Book 1,014: Find Me Worthy (Safe Harbor #3) - Annabeth Albert

Of the three books in Annabeth Albert’s Safe Harbor trilogy, this one was by far my favorite. I won’t say it’s unfortunate that you need to read the other two to get to this one, because they’re still well written books, but you do have to read the two of them to truly appreciate this book due to the underlying murder mystery that ties them together. Find Me Worthy is the story of Sam, the…

[valerieullmerromanceauthor]

Listen: The Sound of Fear (A NSP Anthology)

Listen: The Sound of Fear (A NSP Anthology)

Title: Listen: The Sound of Fear Author: R.B. Thorne, Lauren Jane Barnett, E.E.W. Christman, Eule Grey, Ridley Harker, Jon James, T.S. Mitchell, Alex Silver, A.R. Vale, Edited by Elizabetta McKay Publisher: NineStar Press Release Date: 09/20/2022 Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex Pairing: Male/Male, Female/Female, M/NB Length: 75300 Genre: Horror Anthology, LGBTQIA+, historical, US circa 1800s, romance,…

[indigomarketing]

New Release Blitz: And God Laughed by Joe Rielinger (Excerpt & Giveaway)

New Release Blitz: And God Laughed by Joe Rielinger (Excerpt & Giveaway)

Title:  And God Laughed Series: Terry Luvello, Book One Author: Joe Rielinger Publisher:  NineStar Press Release Date: 09/06/2022 Heat Level: 2 – Fade to Black Sex Pairing: Male/Female Length: 75100 Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, contemporary, trans, private detective, crime, murder mystery, suspense, family drama, priests, law enforcement, serial killer, religion, revenge Add to…

[richincolor]

Title: Icarus Author: K. Ancrum Genres: Contemporary, Romance, LGBTQIA, Thriller Pages: 382 Publisher: HarperTeen Review Copy: Review copy provided by publisher Availability: Available now

Summary: Icarus Gallagher is a thief. He steals priceless art and replaces it with his father’s impeccable forgeries. For years, one man—the wealthy Mr. Black—has been their target in revenge for his role in the death of Icarus’s mother. To keep their secret, Icarus adheres to his own strict rules to keep people, and feelings, at bay: Don’t let anyone close. Don’t let anyone touch you. And, above all, don’t get caught.

Until one night, he does. Not by Mr. Black but by his mysterious son, Helios, now living under house arrest in the Black mansion. Instead of turning Icarus in, Helios bargains for something even more dangerous—a friendship that breaks every single one of Icarus’s rules.

As reluctance and distrust become closeness and something more, they uncover the gilded cage that has trapped both their families for years. One Icarus is determined to escape. But his father’s thirst for revenge shows no sign of fading, and soon it may force Icarus to choose: the escape he’s dreamed of, or the boy he’s come to love. Reaching for both could be his greatest triumph—or it could be his downfall.

Review: [Icarus contains scenes of physical and verbal child abuse and mentions of past intimate partner violence. There are also some intense scenes of violence between an unrelated adult and a teenager, as well as underage drinking, smoking, and drug use.]

I went into Icarus expecting a thriller based on the publisher’s summary. And while there are multiple scenes of excellently done high-tension thievery, Icarus is a far more character-focused work than I anticipated (and a wonderful one at that). You’ll be spending far more time with our protagonist in high school than sneaking through the Black house. I was not at all disappointed by the discrepancy, but I just wanted to flag that for other readers who may be interested in the book.

Icarus, our protagonist, has lived most of his life in service of his father’s elaborate and time-consuming revenge scheme. He has built himself a distant, calculated life, one carefully engineered to prevent others from seeing anything other than what he wants to project. Author K. Ancrum excels at exploring the emotional toll that maintaining that distance requires and does a masterful job of developing Icarus’s relationships anyway. There are multiple scenes where Icarus’s acquaintances from school prove themselves to be true friends or even just capable of seeing who Icarus is, when his father is incapable of it. Icarus’s romance with Helios is one of the main drivers of the book, but the love Icarus’s friends have for him is of equal importance to the story, and I adored Celestine and Luca in particular.

Icarus and Helios are a fantastic pair, and I was very happy with how their relationship developed. The way they slowly opened up to each other and revealed their secrets was wonderful, and I loved their moments of emotional—and physical—connection. The looming threat of Helios’s abusive father, Icarus’s father’s obsession, and Icarus’s eighteenth birthday combined to heighten the tension around them as they got to know each other. Some of Ancrum’s best work was in quiet scenes between Icarus and Helios, and by the end, I was desperate for the two of them to escape their fathers together.

Recommendation: Get it now if you like character-focused books. While there are great thriller/heist elements in Icarus, author K. Ancrum’s work shines in the titular character’s development. This introspective book explores characters’ relationships in lovely and surprising ways, and Icarus’s friendships are just as important to Icarus’s arc as his romance with Helios. I am definitely interested in picking up K. Ancrum’s other work after finishing Icarus.

Extras: The Art of Icarus (twitter thread)

K. Ancrum discusses her latest novel ‘Icarus’

Q & A with K. Ancrum

[duckprintspress]

It’s been a year since the last time Duck Prints Press (the indie press founded by fancreators to help other fancreators publish their original work) called for applicants, and we are absolutely thrilled and super excited to announce that today is the day! We are recruiting author contributors for our next anthology!

Aether Beyond the Binary is an all-new aetherpunk anthology that will feature 20 short stories each up to 7,500 words long that re-imagine modern or near-future Earth as a place where aether is real and the technology runs on this mysterious, magical element. Specifically, stories will focus on the stories of characters who are outside the gender binary (agender, genderfluid, nonbinary, etc.) living in aetherpunk settings on contemporary-esque Earth—a world like ours, but different because of the advent of the availability magic to power technology.

Has mankind known about magic since the dawn of evolution? Was aether discovered literally yesterday? How does the availability of aether as a power source impact society, politics, economics, culture, technology, sexuality, gender? We want to hear your ideas! For this project, we’re seeking 10 fanfiction authors who have not published their work with the Press before and who are interested in making the transition to publishing their original work! (The other 10 spots are reserved for authors who have previously worked with us.) New applicants must have published fanfiction before—the full guidelines are in our rules, linked below.

This post is not a call for story submissions! Duck Prints Press runs anthology recruitment on a zine-like model: we ask that prospective authors submit a writing sample (750 to 1500 words) and an up-to-400-word story pitch aligned with Aether Beyond the Binary’s themes. You must write and post fanfiction to apply to these anthologies, but all stories in Aether Beyond the Binary must be 100% original! Selected authors who complete their stories will be paid a minimum of $75 US for their work; we will seek additional money through crowdfunding to supplement this, with a maximum earning potential of $600 US.

Interested in applying? We’d love to hear from you! Make sure you familiarize with all the rules first…

Rules and Guidelines for Interested Writer-Applicants

Frequently Asked Questions

Schedule

…and more!

Applications open today, January 5th, 2023, and recruitment will stay open until either we receive 150 applications or January 20th, 2023. So, review the rules, hit us up with questions (or you can e-mail us at info@duckprintspress.com), prepare your shiniest writing sample, set your creativity on crafting an awesome tale of an outside-the-binary main character living on aetherpunk Earth, and then…

APPLY NOW!

Who We Are: Duck Prints Press LLC is an independent publisher based in New York State. Our founding vision is to help fanfiction authors navigate the complex process of bringing their original works from first draft to print, culminating in publishing their work under our imprint. We are particularly dedicated to working with queer authors and publishing stories featuring characters from across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. Love what we do? Sign up for our monthly newsletter to get an e-mail whenever we call for applicants!

Promo image: created and edited by Alessa Riel, featuring the model Zadya Cheysuli.

[lcmawson]

So, I'm a fairly eclectic reader, but I also re-read a bunch of the Percy Jackson books when the series aired earlier in the year, which has led to the funniest StoryGraph genre breakdown for this year

[image description: a horizontal bar chart of number of books read so far this year by genre, with 9 books in fantasy, 8 in middle-grade and then 1 book in the genres of reference, classics, LGBTQIA+, feminism, self-help, science fiction, romance, mystery, memoir, and contemporary]

I am now 100% basing my reading choices on making this graph even funnier

Like, I'm gonna keep reading the Rick Riordan books, and then I think my next non-RR book is gonna be The Anthropocene Reviewed because its StoryGraph genres are non-fiction, essays, and history.

Any recommendations for books to make this funnier are appreciated (the goal is to max out the fantasy bar while introducing as many new bars as possible at just one book)

[jenni3penny]

JANUARY 2024: READING LIST

The Lover, Silvia Moreno-Garcia: 4.0/5.0, Short Stories & Fantasy, 43pgs

Mysteries of Thorn Manor, Margaret Rogerson: 3.75/5.0, Young Adult & Fantasy, 186pgs

The Air Raid Book Club, Annie Lyons: 3.5/5.0, Historical & LGBTQIA+, 336pgs

The Wicked Wit of Oscar Wilde, Oscar Wilde & Maria Leach: 3.0/5.0, Literary & Collection, 192pgs

The Storied Life of A.J. Fiery, Gabrielle Zevin: 4.25/5.0, Literary & Contemporary, 260pgs

Artemis, Andy Weir: 4.25/5.0, Science Fiction & Adventure, 305pgs

Vespertine, Margaret Rogerson: 3.5/5.0, Young Adult & Fantasy, 400pgs

Heartstopper, Alice Oseman: 4.0/5.0, Graphic Novel & LGBTQIA+, 263pgs

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water, Zen Cho: 3.25/5.0, Fantasy & LGBTQIA+, 160pgs 

Drift, Adrienne Young: 3.5/5.0, Young Adult & Fantasy, 192pgs

Fable, Adrienne Young: 3.75/5.0, Young Adult & Fantasy, 386pgs

Namesake, Adrienne Young: 3.50/5.0, Young Adult & Fantasy, 448pgs

Stone Blind, Natalie Haynes: 3.50/5.0, Folklore & Fantasy, 371pgs

Masters of Death, Olivie Blake: 4.75/5.0, Fantasy & LGBTQIA+, 349pgs

***

MOST ENTERTAINING: Masters of Death & Artemis

LEAST ENTERTAINING: The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water

PAGES PER JANUARY: 3,891

PAGES YTD: 3,891

[sapphicbookoftheday]

I Will Find You Again by Sarah Lyu

Today's sapphic book of the day is I Will Find You Again by Sarah Lyu!

Summary: "All the Bright Places meets You've Reached Sam in this teen psychological thriller about two girls on the precipice. Welcome to Meadowlark, Long Island—expensive homes and good schools, ambition and loneliness. Meet Chase Ohara and Lia Vestiano: the driven overachiever and the impulsive wanderer, the future CEO and the free spirit. Best friends for years—weekend trips to Montauk, sleepovers on a yacht—and then, first love. True love. But when Lia disappears, Chase’s life turns into a series of grim snapshots. Anger. Grief. Running. Pink pills in an Altoids tin. A cheating ring at school. Heartbreak and lies. A catastrophic secret. And the shocking truth that will change everything about the way Chase sees Lia—and herself."

[melaniem54]

Review: Guys Like Him (Redemption Ridge #1) by Aimee Nicole Walker

Rating: 4.5 🌈 I have to admit I was not ready for Walker to leave behind her characters and series set in Savannah, Georgia. The minute I started into one of those stories, I felt like I was coming home. Just narrative perfection. But authors must move on. And so too the readers. Now we end up In Colorado, near Colorado Springs. Land of the Rockies and Pike’s Peak. Places I’m pretty familiar…

[jeannereames]

Hello doctor,

I recently finished your Alexander novels and loved them. I was curious about the sequel, and upon searching I found you on tumblr. I spent hours reading all your asks and gathering all the tid bits about the sequel. It spiked my anticipation to another level. I was wandering whether there is a publication date planned…

First, thank you! I’m always thrilled when a reader loves the books enough to track down more information about them. If you found my Tumblr, I assume you also found my website? On it, I have some additional out-takes of scenes removed from the books, or written for the 10-month gap between Becoming and Rise. If not, it’s here: Alexander's Macedonia.

As for more books, yes, I do plan to write more, but not only is there no publication date, there’s no publisher. Welcome to the niche nature of modern publishing.

Mainstream historicals have a different sales trajectory than most novels, being long-haulers rather than short-burst sellers. (See end for a longer explanation of this.) As a result, publishing houses risk them reluctantly unless they think they can ride a pop-culture trend, or it’s genre (historical romance, historical fantasy, historical mystery…). It all boils down to sales. Writing may be an art, but publishing is a business. In it to make money, they pursue a conservative purchasing model. They know what sold last year and want a repeat. Something too outside the proven model is, therefore, too much of a risk.

Dancing with the Lion is a coming-of-age historical that happens to have enough of a love story and LGBTQIA+ angle that a queer-press Romance publisher took a chance on it. That’s who Riptide is: queer Romance, and mostly queer contemporary Romance.

They bought it for the love story and wanted ONLY that. Future books full of war and politics and a more complicated love story…they aren’t interested. I was told as much when we began the editing process: “We’ll take these, but that’s it. Do you still want to proceed?”* Were the duology to become a hit and sell oodles, Riptide might change their minds, but they also might not. Like most small boutique presses, they have a highly specific publishing pool. That’s how boutique publishers survive. They can’t begin to compete with the Big Five publishing houses, so offer just one or two menu items, and try to do those well enough that buyers return for more.

For me to sell any more of the series, I need to find another publisher. I might be able to sell more on the strength of the first two, but if they have pretty decent ratings on Goodreads/Amazon, their sales figures are not high—in part because they’re ebook only, online distribution only (not found in bookstores), which severely limits sales. That I’m still pulling (small) royalty cheques each month is a testament to YOU ALL, my wonderful readers, and your word-of-mouth. Plus the unique nature of historials (again, see below). But the best way you can help me find a new publisher is to encourage your friends to buy the books and to leave a rating, or even a review, on Goodreads or Amazon. Those have severely dropped off in recent months.

Because mainstream historicals ARE so hard to sell, I’m disinclined to throw myself into years writing King and books that follow, only for it to take another 30 to sell them. I might be dead by then! (I’d be 88.)

Ergo, I’m working on something with a higher likelihood of selling: an epic fantasy series called Master of Battles with a lot of historical world-building elements. I’m about 2/3rds of the way through the 4th of 5 projected books. If I can get an agent and place those at a larger publishing house, THEN (perhaps) I can turn my attention to King, the third in the Alexander series. I do have most of the larger plot arc mulled over in my head, and I know where I plan to take various elements. But it’s not written yet because I need to spend time on what I’m more confident will actually sell.

Some readers ask, Why not try self-publishing? Three big reasons:

First, there is a LOT of effort sunk into a novel before it ever comes out, not just by the author, but with three levels of editing (structural, line-edits, copy-edits), plus the book cover and marketing. These are handled by people skilled at those things…which usually isn’t the author. Without a publisher, the author must then pay someone else to do it. It’s a lot more expensive than you might expect: $1000-3000 per book, depending on type of editing. Book covers cost, as well, although typically somewhat less. ALL of that means financial reserves the average author just doesn’t have, but publishing houses do.

Second, it requires time to market it, which most authors don’t have if they also (like me) have a day job. I already did/do a fair bit of marketing for Dancing, but nothing like you really need to get word of the novel out. In addition, most people don’t know WHERE to send books for professional reviews, or have any clout to get noticed if they do. Once more, publishing houses have these people on staff. If I’d self-published, I’d never have been reviewed by Publisher’s Weekly, nor likely have gotten on Bookbub (twice).

Last, name-recognition. I’m a little better positioned than before the duology was sold, but not by much.

Authors who are truly successful at self-publishing tend to 1) have a spousal-unit willing to support them, 2) don’t have a full-time job or are retired, 3) DO have spare cash, 4) are naturally skilled at marketing, *OR*/and 5) have prior name recognition from a career in trad-publishing. As someone without a spouse, with a full-time job, and lacking oodles of cash on hand to pay for what I can’t do myself…I’m not in a great position to self-publish.

And finally, that somewhat longer explanation of how historicals sell that makes publishers reluctant to invest in them:

The average book sells most of its total-ever sales in the first 6-8 months, and certainly within the first year, unless it happens to break into the rarified air of best-seller or award-winning status. Traditional publishers tend to rip books out of print around a year, at most two, if they don’t sell out their advance, as it’s assumed they never will and better to cut losses in paper/print costs. Multiply published authors might get books in print longer, but new authors typically do not. It can be harder to sell a third book than the first one, for that reason. Death in the Mid-list. Ebooks are different as they escape the heavy paper-cost overhead, but the assumption is still “You’re done,” at about a year.

Historicals don’t sell that way, in part because people read them for the *historical* aspect, and therefore, someone may come to love a topic (and read the book) five, ten, twenty years later—especially for an historical figure like Alexander the Great, who has enormous fan recognition. Occasionally other events (movies, documentaries, even museum shows) can ignite greater temporary interest, but historicals just have “slow burn” staying power other genres largely do not. Unfortunately, they also don’t tend to sell loads right out the door. Their sales trajectory, if they’re allowed to stay in print, can look the reverse of the average novel.

So that’s why publishers—who want a quick return—mostly don’t like them. If they do buy them, they edge to action books, not character-based novels (which naturally read slower).

* Dancing with the Lion was originally optioned for Riptide by Sarah Lyons back around 2014; she wanted (so she told me) to use it to expand the press into queer-friendly markets adjacent to Romance. But within months, she faced a breast cancer health crisis which seriously delayed even getting the contract finalized (2017). No sooner had we done that than she got herself embroiled in a terrible scandal at Riptide and resigned. As a result, my books became sorta orphans. To be sure, after that, I didn’t want to work with her anyway, but it also meant the original purchasing editor was no longer there. Riptide fulfilled the terms of the contract, my editor (May Peterson) was great, and Grace has been very kind at answering my publicity questions, but any prior plans to do anything more with them was tabled—assuming Lyons wasn’t lying about all that in the first place. She seems to have been a shady individual.

Why did I stay with Riptide after all that, especially being told, after Lyons left, they don’t want the rest? Well, after so many years trying to sell the novel, I wanted it published, even if these first two were all that would ever see print. A foot in the door is better than staring at the doorbell forever.

Also, I includes dates above as, ime, most folks who aren’t writers or part of the publishing industry tend not to realize how long it takes to get anything written, much less sold and into print. So it gives readers a sense of time frames.

[geoffwhaley]

Book 1,012: Bring Me Home (Safe Harbor #1) - Annabeth Albert

This is probably the novel I should’ve picked up to end my dry streak. Annabeth Albert has almost always given me a great read with wonderful character driven plotlines. Even on the few occasions that I wasn’t enamored, I was still impressed with the characters (especially the minor) and the humor. This book was no different. It isn’t my favorite book by Albert, but it is a wonderful read opening…

[hividsmarttv]

East Asian LGBT+ Movies

In celebration of PRIDE, we're opening the doors to LGBTQIA+ films all across the world. While not every country acknowledges PRIDE, everyone deserves to join in the celebration. Whoever you are and wherever you're from, here are some stunningly beautiful and inspiring films featuring LGBT+ story lines, characters, and/or actors. This time we're looking at East Asia.

In South Korea, the 2018 film "The Handmaiden," directed by Park Chan-wook and starring Kim Min-hee and Kim Tae-ri, tells the story of a young woman who becomes involved in a plot to defraud a wealthy heiress. The film was praised for its eroticism, lush cinematography, and themes of power and deception.

The 2004 Japanese film "A Crimson Mark" was directed by Shun Nakahara. This drama follows the relationship between a young woman and her father's male lover, as they struggle to reconcile their feelings and navigate societal taboos.

In Thailand, the 2015 film "The Blue Hour," directed by Anucha Boonyawatana, tells the story of two high school boys who fall in love in the midst of a mysterious forest. The film was praised for its haunting atmosphere and exploration of themes of desire and identity.

"Dear Ex" (2018, Taiwan) - Directed by Mag Hsu and Chih-yen Hsu, this dramedy follows a teenage boy who discovers that his father has left his life insurance policy to his secret lover, a man, sparking a conflict between his mother and the lover.

Heart-wrenching and memorable, "A Girl at My Door" (2014, South Korea) tells the story of a police officer who takes in a troubled teenage girl and discovers that she is being abused by her stepfather, while also grappling with her own suppressed desires. Directed by July Jung.

"Suzaku" (1997, Japan) - Directed by Naomi Kawase, this drama follows a teenage boy who struggles to come to terms with his father's suicide and his own burgeoning sexuality, against the backdrop of a changing rural landscape.

"Fire" (1996, India) - Directed by Deepa Mehta, this romantic drama explores the relationship between two women, Radha and Sita, who find comfort in each other's company as they navigate the confines of their traditional Indian family and societal expectations. The film was controversial upon its release in India and faced backlash from conservative groups.

The Third Wife" (2018, Vietnam) - Directed by Ash Mayfair, this coming-of-age drama explores the life of a teenage girl who is forced into an arranged marriage with an older man, but develops a romantic relationship with one of his other wives.

"Dunno Y… Na Jaane Kyun" (2010, India) - Directed by Sanjay Sharma, this romantic drama tells the story of two men, Aryan and Ashley, who fall in love despite societal and familial pressure. The film features several intimate scenes between the two male leads, which were considered groundbreaking for Indian cinema at the time of its release.

Finally, in Taiwan, the 2008 film "Drifting Flowers," directed by Zero Chou and starring Mavis Fan and Serena Fang, tells the story of three women from different generations who navigate their relationships and sexuality in contemporary Taipei. The film was praised for its sensitive and nuanced portrayal of lesbian relationships and earned multiple award nominations, including the Teddy Award at the Berlin International Film Festival.

[bookstattoosandtea]

Release Blitz, Excerpt & Giveaway: Ashes to Ashes By Rachel Ford

Release Blitz, Excerpt & Giveaway: Ashes to Ashes By Rachel Ford

Title: Ashes to Ashes Series: Aubrey Blake Thrillers, Book One Author: Rachel Ford Publisher: NineStar Press Release Date: 06/28/2022 Heat Level: 1 – No Sex Pairing: Female/Female Length: 93800 Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, contemporary, murder mystery, crime, lesbian, private detective, cleric/priest, guns, violence, anger issues, Action/adventure, bartenders, pets, religion, revenge, slow…