#gOOD MOURNING

[meganfoxrocksmyworld]

Megan Fox in 'Good Mourning'.

[self-sacrificial-blade]

i was awake the entire time i was asleep and it was so disconcerting

[rottenlittleprune]

I enjoy mornings with some coffee and writing. ✍️🏻📔💀🐈‍⬛

[betterbooksandthings]

"A-spec and asexual romance novels might just be my favorite kind of romance novels. The communication is next level, the interpersonal plots are to die for, and, even better, at least one character is ace.

Really, the A-spec community has a lot to offer romance readers who’ve already bought into the project of romance at large. I.e. readers buy into the idea that the characters are going to have a happily ever after or happy for now (HEA/HFN). The joy of romance is figuring out just how those two people will get from point A to point B.

A-spec characters introduce an added layer of communication and consideration into the character’s interpersonal relationship that can sometimes get glossed over or assumed in other relationships. Allosexual and alloromantic couples do not always separate their layers of attraction (sexual, romantic, platonic, aesthetic, etc.). Don’t get me wrong: they can consider the varied ways they are attracted to and want to interact romantically, platonically, or sexually with another person. It just doesn’t happen all too often.

In contrast, I love the range of interactions asexual romance novels give readers. Some decide to do an info-dump style AVEN (Asexual Visibility and Education Network) definition. Others describe how they experience attraction and go into their feelings about what they are comfortable with the people they are in a relationship with. However they happen, these are conversations that clarify and crystalize relationships on the page for readers in satisfyingly intricate ways.

The Range of A-spec and Asexual Romance Novels

There are more and more a-spec and asexual romance books being published every year in every romance subgenre. So, there are more and more opportunities for new approaches to representing a-spec characters in interpersonal relationships with an HEA/HFN that feel more authentic to individual readers. Not every book is going to land for every reader. What I like in these a-spec and asexual romance novels might be something you dislike.

All that being said, I had a terrible time narrowing down my list to just the 16 best asexual romance novels. These books have a range of a-spec characters who are aromantic, asexual, demisexual, demiromantic, and gray ace. I have broken them up into contemporary romance, historical romance, romantasy, horror romance, and paranormal romance."

[franceskray]

GOOD MOURNING (2022)

[phoenixstonemworld]

[blushingxpilgrims]

but we don’t have to part just yet

the daylight is merely a trick

for the stars are still shining;

i can see them in your eyes

—the lark, not the nightingale, 2023

[luxuriascloset]

Megan Fox at the Good Mourning movie premiere in West Hollywood on May 12, 2022.

[tombst0nelament]

Mental health is blahhhh today. I do not want to be working; I want to be reading and playing video games.

[iamlostonthepathoflife]

they should invent new twenties that aren't filled with such mourning

[hebblog]

March Mourning Mass!

[betterbooksandthings]

"There is no one reason why a particular romance novel hasn’t been widely discovered, but budget, bias, and luck play a role. Independent romance authors often have to market their books entirely out of pocket and online. Without placement in most bookstores, indie authors rely on self-funded and self-run social media campaigns. Even when romance authors secure a traditional publishing deal, marketing budgets are not guaranteed. Although more bookstores might stock their books, they are also largely in charge of marketing their romance books online.

Bias also comes into play. Marginalized authors are often under added pressure to give their books a broader (i.e., whiter, straighter, etc.) appeal. It is easy for a publisher to point to a book’s potentially limited appeal as a reason behind a limited marketing budget.

Then, if a romance book does have a marketing budget and hasn’t had any issues with bias at any point in the publishing process, a certain amount of luck still factors in. Hitting the right audience at the right time and taking off is no easy task.

That is to say, it can be difficult for romance books to find a platform, so there is every chance these are the best romance books you haven’t read. To narrow down my list, I sorted my Goodreads books to show books with the least number of ratings and selected every romance novel under 500 ratings. I then narrowed that list down to nine books."

[phoenixstonemworld]

[todaysbird]

just found out that users of r/stupiddovenests heavily praise doves when they do the bare minimum

[luvrisms]

i’ve been drafting a post over and over but can’t get the words together. something ab mourning the children i’ll never have. something ab the cosmic irony of being unable to become a parent when my entire adult life has been spent caring for children and studying child development