#mexican novella

[oldtvandcomics]

Happy Queer Media Monday!

Today: The Route of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate

Dracula Daily reached the Demeter storyline, so I’ll just try and ride that hype.

(The English cover of the novella)

The Route of Ice and Salt (original title: La Ruta del Hielo y la Sal) is a Mexican novella from 1998 that retells the story of the doomed Ship Demeter from Bram Stroker’s Dracula. The captain in this version is a closeted gay man, struggling with his sexuality and his attraction to his men, but all in all happy to be going the same route over and over again, starting in a cold climate (ice), and going down south into a hot one (salt, because of their sweat). When he is tasked to transport some boxes, strange things begin to happen on his ship, and his men disappear one by one.

This novella is special for multiple reasons: It was published by a publisher that specialized on comic books in the 1990’s, when queer people in Mexican literature didn’t really happen. The fact that it is horror written by a Mexican author is also rare, as the fantasy / science fiction / horror scene in Mexico wasn’t very big at the time, and consisted mostly of translated English authors. The Route of Ice and Salt became a cult classic for Spanish scifi readers. 

It has been translated to English, and can be bought over Amazon. There also exists a French translation. And here is the original Spanish.

Queer Media Monday is an action I started to talk about some important and/or interesting parts of our queer heritage, that people, especially young people who are only just beginning to discover the wealth of stories out there, should be aware of. Please feel free to join in on the fun and make your own posts about things you personally find important!

[nellasbookplanet]

Book recs: the evil fungi did it

We all know of The Last of Us, but that franchise isn't the only example of fungal invasions. We've got zombies and apocalypses, we've got gothic horror, we've got fantasy, we've got romance, we've got space - no genre is safe from having their characters become the home of fungal organisms.

For more details on the books, continue under the readmore. Titles marked with * are my personal favorites. And as always, feel free to share your own recs in the notes!

If you want more book recs, check out my masterpost of rec lists!

The Girl with all the Gifts (The Girl with All the Gifts series) by M.R. Carey

Want another fungal zombie apocalypse? Then I come bearing great news! The Girl with All the Gifts is a post apocalyptic novel following a group of characters fleeing across an infested wasteland, trying to stay alive and hoping to find a cure. One of the characters is Melanie, a young girl who carries the contagion inside of her and hungers for flesh, but like many children of the apocalypse has kept her humanity. Is she and children like her the answer to the cure we are looking for? Or are they the start of something entirely new? This book has also been adapted as a movie!

Cold Storage by David Koepp*

Years ago, a quickly growing fungal organism capable of wiping out humanity came dangerously close to spreading. It was contained and kept in cold storage underneath a military repository. Since then, a larger storage facility has been built on top, the dangers on the lower floor being largely forgotten. That is, until it makes a new attempt at escape. Now, two unsuspecting security guards might be all that stands in the way of complete extermination. This book is both funny and genuine in its characters, and genuinely creepy in its portrayal of body horror.

Salvaged by Madeline Roux

Rosalyn Devar is on the run from her famous family, and has run so far she ended up in space. Now she works as a "space janitor", being sent off to clean up the remains of failed research expeditions. But in trying to cope with her problems, she has fucked up on her job multiple times, and is now close to losing her position. Her last chance is the Brigantine: a research vessel gone silent, all crew presumed dead. But when she arrives to salvage it, Rosalyn discovers the crew isn't as dead as presumed. But are they still human - and will Rosalyn be able to keep her own humanity?

The Annual Migration of Clouds by Premee Mohamed

Novella. Reid is a young woman living in a small community after a climate collapse. Resources are scarce, but Reid's biggest problem is Cad, a mind-altering fungal parasite that lives inside her body. When she is offered a rare chance at attending a far-away university in a secluded dome community, Reid must decide whether to leave or stay to help support her community.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia*

Noemí Taboada is a glamorous and well-off young woman, but when she receives a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin, Noemí must leave her glamorous life and travel to find out what is wrong. As she arrives at High Place, a mansion on the Mexican countryside, Noemí is met with mysteries and her cousin's new English family. As she tries to find out the truth behind High Place and its inhabitants, Noemí's only ally is the youngest son of the family. But will she be able to find out what so scared her cousin before it's too late for all of them?

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

A young pregnant woman flees a cult that left her body strange and changing in terrifying ways. Hiding from both a world wanting to oppress her and the cult seeking to force her back, she does her best to raise her children while trying to find out the truth of the cult and being pursued by a hunter in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. Bleak and scary, Sorrowland is a book that will creep under your skin with horrors both fantastical and very, very real.

What Moves the Dead (Sworn Soldier duology) by T. Kingfisher

Novella. Alex Easton, retired soldier, travels to visit their childhood friends, siblings Madeline and Roderick Usher, after finding out that Madeline is dying. In the siblings' rural, ancestral home, Madeline walks in her sleep and looks to be fading away, while around it wildlife seems to be possessed by a strange force. With the help of a mycologist and an American doctor, Alex attempts to save Madeline and reveal the truth of her illness.

Wanderers (Wanderers duology) by Chuck Wendig

A strange illness has struck the United States: with no warning, random people with seemingly no connection simply get up and start walking. They do not eat, do not sleep, do not communicate, and they do not stop - and if you try to force them, they literally explode from the inside. Teenaged Shana isn't one of these sleepwalkers, but her little sister is. Unwilling to leave her sister on her own, Shana accompanies the growing flock of walkers, protecting them as one of many "shepherds". And this protection proves necessary, as the sleepwalkers is only the first step toward what might very well be the extinction of the human race. An 800 page epic, Wanderers is a slowburn apocalypse story with a multitude pov characters and plot threads, from fungal pandemics and all-knowing AI to the all too real portrayal of radicalization and bigotry.

The Dawnhounds (The Endsong series) by Sascha Stronach

The Dawnhounds is a book where you just kind of have to let the story and the world wash over you. It skirts the line of scifi and fantasy, with a futuristic world of environmentally friendly mushroom houses and deadly fungi bio weapons next to literally god-given superpowers and near-immortality. It’s really cool and unlike anything else I’ve ever read, but also a bit confusing. Bonus: it’s also sapphic!

Agents of Dreamland (Tinfoil Dossier trilogy) by Caitlín R. Kiernan

Novella. A government agent known only as the Signalman; a cult preying on the young and vulnerable, promising to usher in a new age; a woman who exists outside of time, searching for a way to save humanity. Agents of Dreamland is short, but includes many spooky elements, among them an alien and possibly world-ending fungi. The narrative is non-linear and a bit strange, but also fascinating.

The Genius Plague by David Walton

Soon after landing his dream job at the NSA, things get weird for Neil Johns. His brother Paul, a mycologist, returns from a trip to the Amazon, carrying a nearly lethal fungal infection and a strangely sharpened mind. At work, Neil starts picking up mysterious messages originating out of South America, where cases similar to that of Paul starts occurring. And strangest of all: all the infected seem to be working towards the same goal. Recommended with the caveat that, while the fungal stuff is really cool, The Genius Plague is also happy to idolize American intelligent agencies and demonize environmentalism and anti-imperialism.

Little Mushroom: Judgement Day (Little Mushroom duology) by Shisi

An Zhe isn’t human. He’s a mushroom who absorbed the DNA of a dying man, allowing him to take on human guise and leave the wilderness. Entering one of the last human bases, a place struggling to keep out the mutated and dangerous creatures of the wilds, An Zhe must keep his identity secret as he searches for something which was taken from him. While not my cup of tea (frankly, I need more female characters), Little Mushroom is an undeniably unique m/m romance novel.

Bonus AKA these don't technically involve any fungi but have similar vibes of parasites and nature corrupting the human

Parasite (Parasitology trilogy) by Mira Grant*

In the near future, a great leap in medical science has improved human health by leaps and bounds: a genetically engineered tape worm. Within a few years, almost every human has their own personal parasite implanted. But now, something is happening to the parasites - they want more, whether their hosts want to share or not.

Annihilation (Southern Reach trilogy) by Jeff Vandermeer

For decades, Area X has been completely cut off from humanity. The only ones to enter are small organized expeditions, many of which never return, or return... wrong. We follow the latest expedition, its participants known only as the anthropologist, the psychologist, the surveyor, and our narrator, the biologist. As they enter into Area X to try to find out its secrets, only one thing is for sure: they will never be the same again.

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Young adult. Over a year ago, the Raxter School for Girls was hit by the Tox, a strange disease that killed off many and left the survivors' bodies slowly changing in terrifying ways. The island the school is on has been in quarantine since then, and the girls dare not leave the school grounds lest they become victims of wild animals changed by the Tox. But as they wait for the promised cure, one of the girls goes missing, and her friends are willing to do anything to find her. Unsettling, spooky, and sapphic, this is a unique read featuring body horror and messy, dangerous girls.

(Second) Bonus AKA I haven't read these yet but they seem really cool

City of Saints and Madmen (Ambergris trilogy) by Jeff Vandermeer

Ambergris, a city created by a mushroom-like people, is now the home of humans, but the original inhabitants are still there, residing beneath the city.

Creatures of Want and Ruin (Diabolist's Library series) by Molly Tanzer

It’s the prohibition era, and while Ellie does fishing during the day, at night she bootlegs moonshine in Long Island. But unbeknownst to Ellie, some of the booze she smuggles has a strange source: distilled from mushrooms by a cult, it causes those who drink it to see terrible things, such as the the destruction of Long Island.

Bloom by Wil McCarthy

The inner solar system has been overtaken by fast-reproducing, fast-mutating technogenic life. Humanity has fled to the outer solar system, hiding beneath the ice of Jupiter's moon, but even here they aren't safe from possible incursion of mycospores, which lead to deadly blooms. Now a group of astronauts venture back to an infected Earth.

[makingqueerhistory]

The Route of Ice and Salt

José Luis Zárate (Author) David Bowles (Translator)

A reimagining of Dracula's voyage to England, filled with Gothic imagery and queer desire.

It's an ordinary assignment, nothing more. The cargo? Fifty boxes filled with Transylvanian soil. The route? From Varna to Whitby. The Demeter has made many trips like this. The captain has handled dozens of crews.

He dreams familiar dreams: to taste the salt on the skin of his men, to run his hands across their chests. He longs for the warmth of a lover he cannot have, fantasizes about flesh and frenzied embraces. All this he's done before, it's routine, a constant, like the tides.

Yet there's something different, something wrong. There are odd nightmares, unsettling omens and fear. For there is something in the air, something in the night, someone stalking the ship.

The cult vampire novella by Mexican author José Luis Zárate is available for the first time in English. Translated by David Bowles and with an accompanying essay by noted horror author Poppy Z. Brite, it reveals an unknown corner of Latin American literature.

(Clicking the affiliate link above goes to supporting MQH's research fund)

[horrorisunknowntoyou]

The Moon will Sing

[SAGAU x Mexican! Creator-Reader]

A/n: I love SAGAU but realistically if I was stuck there I would be so sad I can't eat my culture foods ngl. Also y/n is implied first gen. Sorry lol. Also heavy leaning on y/n x Zhongli. Also title is from the song from The Crane Wives.

Also sorry if this sucks, it's kinda rushed and Idk what to do.

TW// obsessive-ish behavior

------------------------------------------------------------

You were transported to Teyvat after staying up all night playing Genshin before eventually passing out Infront of your computer.

When you open your eyes, you weren't in the comfort of your room but instead on gold altar.

People you recognized Infront of you as you sat up in shock. You hand hurting slightly as you looked down at it.

Blood.

In matter of fact, the blood was gold.

You watched as the wound healed itself on its own but your thoughts get interrupted as someone speaks up.

"My Grace, we are honored to have you here. The imposter has been dealt with, we pledge our devote loyalty to you."

You straight up passed out after this revelation.

After that whole fiasco, and you woke up to a bunch of crying acolytes.

Turns out, you were asleep for DAYS.

But you eventually grew accustomed to everything, honestly it wasn't as bad you thought it would be. Besides the weird obsessions and yandere like tendencies But there's one thing you missed dearly.

Home.

You were home sick and even the acolytes can see that. You didn't smile, you look off into the distance.

You miss the parties, music, going to swap meet and family members. Even the novellas your mother watched and eating her cooking.

Hell, you missed the internet.

It was just boring.

Then you got an idea, why not share them with your acolytes?! You get to explain your culture and maybe try to recreate dishes your mom made with ingredients here!

You immediately stood up from your throne excited. You immediately ran out of the temple, with the archons following you panicked.

"Your grace wait!" Zhongli yelled out chasing behind you. " You can't just leave abruptly like this! Please take me with you. "

You stood there, looking at a map you summoned looking at the places. "Sure! Let's go!" You grabbed around his waist and flew to places you needed to go.

He was practically beating his heart against his chest. The Creator was holding him! His ears were burning red in embarrassment.

You literally searched high and low, for ingredients alongside Zhongli. You either found substitutes or you quite literally had to create the ingredients. But once you had everything, you went straight to the kitchen.

The Archons were begging you, that they can someone else do it.

But you declined them, deciding to do it yourself.

You think the easiest recipe to do would be caldo de res. It's the one you seen your mother do countless times. And with your powers it should quicken the pace.... probably

Some of your acolytes were watching you, making sure your safe and do any task you asked.

Venti stood by the door way, along side zhongli and Xiao. Making sure your grace was fine.

At this point your at probably your third attempt at making this but you were really determined to get it right or at least

You took a spoonful and blew on it, taking a sip. And God it tasted like home, you place the utensil down and started to cry.

Venti was first to noticed, and thought you were upset. " Your grace don't cry! We can have some one else do it for you if your tired! "

You shook your head, wiping your tears smile. " I'm not sad, in fact I'm happy. Really happy. Would you like to try? It's a soup my mother always made."

Venti was so honored that the creator would even let him try, let alone a recipe the creators mother made!

Zhongli and Xiao whined, they wanted to try it too!

"Don't worry, you'll try it too!" You smiled, as you got a small spoonful.

Venti blushed, he's truly being rewarded, to be fed by the creator itself. He knows Xiao and Zhongli are practically seething in jealousy over this.

You were oblivious to it, feeding Venti small spoonfuls laughing. " Is it good?" You asked practically shaking in excitement.

He nodded happily, unknowingly teasing the other two in the room.

You made the jealousy even worse when you grabbed a handkerchief and clean up ventis face. Getting to be touched and so close to the creator smelling your perfume/cologne.

The other two pushed Venti aside, practically begging to be fed too.

You stood their dumbfounded but reluctantly agreed as well. Spoon feeding both of them, their faces light up.

They were so happy.

-----------------------------------------------------------

After that, you started cooking other dishes, your acolytes and followers were always so excited to try it.

They saw how much you emotionally improved so they was no discussion over it.

You also started telling them old folktales and customs from your culture. Scholars started to appear and request to write it down and study it. You even taught them Spanish!

Thought they call it, [y/n's] language. And etc.

Sometimes when doing a task, followers can hear you quietly sing songs in your language.

---------------------------------------------------------

Your favorite thing, was reactions. The reactions your acolytes and followers had to your culture. They saw it as sacred, but you saw it as home.

You remembered talking to Zhongli because he remembers all of liyues stories and such.

"Zhongli, would you like to listen to a folktale?" You quietly asked, sitting on your throne. Him standing besides you.

" I'll be honored. " He says with a smile.

"There's different variations of this story depending of the region, but this is how I know it. Usually told to children to scare children into obedience. "

You cleared your voice, " long ago, a beautiful indigenous women fell in love with a man of higher social status. They lived happily together, having two children of their own. One day the man abandoned her, to either marry a more beautiful woman then her or a woman of his status. It depends either way, he leaves her. Her feeling threatened by this, consumed by rage and despair. She drown her children, meeting her own demised along side it. God curses her to wonder as a ghost searching for lost children so she can get into heaven."

Zhongli perks up at the story, " did you curse the woman yourself ?"

"ummm...yes?" You said unsurely.

" I see, a fitting punishment of her. " He says proudly.

" ahem, yes of course. Anyway she's called "la llorona" meaning The weeping woman..forever walking near bodies of water in search of her children so she may enter...umm.. heaven? "

Zhongli, tilts his head " what is heaven? " At this point your hands were sweating. " Ummm it's kinda like Celestia? But instead angels and stuff are there and it's like... Holy. You know? Anyway no more questions."

--------------------------------------------------------

Random Head Canons and such

If you have curly hair, best believe the acolytes would be fascinated by it. Especially if they give you baths and pamper you.

You would teach Venti songs you know for example: hijo de la Luna.

Sometimes you sing them if you feel like it. Mostly to little kids.

The Adults are definitely not jealous.

The Archons fight each other over being your dancing partner. This is because you needed someone to show how to dance bachata. And ever since they just fight over that spot.

Same for being food taster, they like eating your food and being the first one to try it is such a big honour. You don't know why? Either way they like being spoon fed your cooking.

They all listen to your stories and take your advice very very seriously. It's annoying lol

You taught them your cultures customs, for example birthday customs. You're absolutely not allowed to have your face smashed into cake. They absolutely refuse to do that to you.

Also if you like spicy food, they probably be amazed at your spice tolerance. You'll probably mess with them by eating a whole chile Infront of them.

There are times where you do get very home sick and won't leave your room. When you do, they try their absolute best to comfort you.

Also you have given some of your followers Spanish nicknames for funsies.

Sometimes you and your acolytes would speak Spanish with you. They think it's like the biggest honor to understand your language and speak it with you. But you just think it's nice. Plus you get to have secret convos with people you don't want to know what your saving.

That's all I can think of , off the top of my head lol.

[forthegothicheroine]

Do you have any gothic novels that you can recommend off the top of your head? Especially to people who want to try their hand at the genre? I've hit a wall in my project and I need to get some fresh inspiration, but I don't know where to start and the book side of tumblr failed me the last time I tried asking them for recs

Hell yeah! I made some old posts for this a while back, but it's good to look at it again with my more recent taste! Let's see...

Classic Gothics

Dracula: The one, the only. Often imitated, never equalled.

Frankenstein: Short, sad and world changing! Can get a little slow at parts, but definitely worth it. (True story, my parents read this to me as a fetus to calm my kicking, so it's part of my personal mythology!)

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward: The most gothic of Lovecraft's work, and possibly my favorite. Novella length, usually found in collections.

The Picture of Dorian Gray: Sinister, sexy, philosophical, with a main character I want to punch in the face!

Carmilla: Another novella, about as lush and swooning as vampire stories get.

The Hound of the Baskervilles: A very readable gothic mystery.

Confessions of a Justified Sinner: This one isn't as action packed, but if you have big religious issues like me, it's incredibly haunting.

The Monk: Like the above, but sleazier and crazier!

Northanger Abbey: A gentle parody of early gothics, starring an adorable proto-goth girl.

The Italian: I'll be honest, I find Anne Radcliffe kind of a slog, but if you liked Northanger Abbey and want to read what Catherine Morland reads, this is probably the most accessible.

A Long Fatal Love Chase: This starts as campy and then takes a plunge into gut-wrenchingly intense. The book Jo March was always trying to write!

The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Another novella, and Stevenson is one of the best writers out there for excitement!

The Werewolf of Paris: Gothic monster as serial killer, still scary today.

Rebecca: The foundation of all gothic romance to come afterwards. A ghost story without a ghost, with an ending that's still debated as happy or sad!

Jane Eyre: The other foundation of all gothic romance to come afterwards. I bounced off the child abuse-heavy beginning a few times, but I'm very glad I finally read to the good stuff!

The Castle of Otranto: Considered the first gothic novel, a goofy b-movie in written form.

Modern-ish Gothics (post-1950 or so)

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein: Fuck the haters, I love this book.

Mexican Gothic: Genuinely scary, genuinely romantic, genuinely creative. A favorite.

Blackwater: A southern gothic saga of a family in a flooded town, whose scion marries a woman who isn't quite human. A whirlwind ride!

A Bloodsmoor Romance: Another family saga, this one northern gothic, with sisters whose lives all go off the rails in different supernatural ways. Give this a try before writing Joyce Carol Oates off entirely!

The Silver Devil: A nasty, problematic bodice ripper where you'll cheer for the heroine to bring the hero down low!

Interview with the Vampire: To be honest again, I'm not super into Anne Rice, but this is a page-turner, and every vampire book that has come after it has had to respond to it in one way or another. Read the next two Vampire Chronicles books if you like it!

A Taste of Blood Wine: My own preferred sexy vampire romance!

The Bloody Chamber: The ultimate dark sexy fairy tale work, accept no substitutes.

Haunted Castles: Contains the brilliant novella Sardonicus, as well as some other campy gothic stories!

A Great and Terrible Beauty: Many millennials were introduced to the gothic genre via this, Fear Street Sagas, or A Series of Unfortunate Events. This is my favorite of the three, though the sequels are a bit of a letdown.

Gormenghast: This series is a throwback to the pseudo-medieval, Otranto-style gothic, but much better. Don't read Titus Alone.

[theboarsbride]

THE BONES WE HAUNT - WIP Intro.

Title: The Bones We Haunt.

Genre: Historical Fiction, Gothic horror, romance, novella.

Status: First Draft + development.

Synopsis:

November, 1905. 

While on holiday in Cambridge and attending museum lectures with her mother, Jane Sterling seeks to make this her chance to officially pursue her love of paleontology. While her family encourages the pursuit of passions and challenging rigid social norms, the institutes in place hinder her passion, making her resort to dressing brightly and speaking loudly for attention.

Jane's chance comes to reveal itself in the form of the wealthy and reclusive Sir Terence Hayes, who’s come in search for her father, the esteemed paleobotonist Dr. Samson Sterling, to appraise fossils found in his garden. Her mother eagerly volunteers Jane to go in Dr. Sterling’s place as he remains ill in America, and Terence brings her to his isolated family's estate in the vast, deep, muddy marshes of Wolf’s Run. And the land is shrouded in urban legends. There are whispers of 'The Wolf's Run Beast,' the 'Monster of the Marshes,' that haunts the land under the cover of night, and as Terence leaves Jane to her work he is hell-bent that she's to return to Cambridge before nightfall.

However, freak storms rage, causing the marshes' waters to rise and wash out the roads in flash floods before Jane has a chance to return, leaving her stranded at Wolf’s Run - and at the mercy of all that lurks there.

As night looms, the staff hastily depart, an eerie silence falls, Terence forbids her from even coming near the cellar, and, most importantly, he warns her against leaving her room before dawn. All is merely a strange act to Jane, brushing it off as the eccentricities of an Englishman, until something comes scratching at her door, hungering for her blood.

What started as a mere chance at becoming known swiftly becomes a tumultuous game of blood, teeth, survival, love, and salvation - and Jane must prepare to sharpen teeth of her own if she's to survive the horrors of the Wolf's Run marshes.

Pinterest

Spotify Playlist

surprise surprise, another WIP inspired by Jojo's need to turn every DILF she falls in love with into a love interest in a monster romance-adjacent book! 🥰 This one's victim??? Ciaran Hinds as a brooding but sweet capital 'r' Romantic were-beast/werewolf-ish creature. 😍 The vibes for this WIP are, like... 90s gothic period drama.... bluebeard meets 'mexican gothic' meets company of the wolves meets 'the death of jane lawrence'... and i've only known this WIP for 3 days and I'm already obsessed, help-

[kemetic-dreams]

Dona Drake was a African actress, dancer and singer. However, Hollywood had know idea that she was African. In my research, I came across an article which gives more detail regarding Drake’s story.

“Dona Drake was a African actress, singer, and dancer who was famous in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. However, publicly, her fans would not learn of her African ancestry until years later after studio publicity inaccurately claimed that she was born Rita Novella in 1920 in Mexico City, giving the impression that she was of Mexican heritage. In actual fact, she was born November 15, 1914 in Florida to Joseph Westmoreland (of Arkansas) and Novella Smith (of Alabama) and they named her Eunice Westmoreland. U.S Census reports of her family history show her grandparents were one African couple and one couple that was African/European. Because of her features and dark curly hair, film makers often cast her when they needed to fill the role of an ethnic character that looked native, gypsy, or middle eastern.”

[orions-quill]

Introducing Myself

Hello, my name is Orion. I'm a Mexican writer in my mid-twenties and I'm making this blog with the encouragement of my best friend. You see, I love writing, but more than it I love sharing the things I love with others, and that's often a struggle if I yell into the abyss and it doesn't yell back.

But, well. I've been in Tumblr for years (this is a new account tho), and this is the place where people come to talk to themselves without expecting people to actually reply, so hopefully this will give me the dopamine of sharing with others without the anxiety of an "algorithm" (because we all know that's just- not a thing here lmao)

I love writing, have so since I can remember, and I'm slowly approaching a point in which I would love to one day publish my stories and share them with the world. I'm really busy with work though, so this is the best I can do right now, and that's cool.

I mainly write fantasy, but I've slowly been dabbling into horror and contemporary as well, and I have a lot of projects! Right now I'm kind of dabbling three or four specific ones, but I'm always thinking about all of them.

The most immediate of projects is one I call Project Time, which is a cozy dnd-inspired fantasy adventure about a throuple who owns a magical artifact that allows them to travel back in time temporarily. They use this to offer a service of treasure-hunting in which they get mundane objects owned by famous people for rich people who want to have them as collectibles.

It's meant to be a funny and light-hearted series of novellas, maybe. We'll see!

Anyways, that's it for now. Nice to meet you Tumblr.

[keplercryptids]

Queer Books for Spooky Season!

i have read and enjoyed all of these, and have organized them in such a way that makes sense to me and hopefully peaks your interest! most are straight-up horror, but some just have horror / spooky themes.

[please note, not all these books have overtly queer characters / relationships, but are included because they have queer authors and/or queer characters, plots or themes. don’t want people to go into any of these books expecting romance.]

Spooky & Sapphic

The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir. everyone on tumblr knows about this series. it’s a science-fantasy, it’s got lesbian necromancers in space, it’s got mysteries and intrigue, and i would describe it as a “fun” read but please know my idea of fun includes body horror, grief and spooky vibes.

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling. the vibes of this one are off the charts. story is told from the perspective of a lone caver on a foreign planet, as she communicates with her dive suit’s handler. it’s tense and suspenseful, lots of survival-fiction vibes, and it’s exactly how i want characters to flirt: via coms only, as one fights for their life.

Yellow Jessamine by Caitlin Starling. this one’s a weird little gothic novella about a shipping magnate who’s confined to her creepy estate as a mysterious plague runs rampant through the city.

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca. this novella is told via early-2000s chat logs and emails between two women as they develop one of the most unnerving relationships i’ve ever read. gross things happen! this one’s polarizing! but i loved it so much. absolutely unhinged vibes.

Parasites, but Goth

Leech by Hiron Ennes. most of this book is told from the POV of a parasitic hivemind called the Institute, which uses host bodies to act as physicians for the rest of society in a post-apocalyptic, gothic setting. and it gets weirder from there. it’s an honestly quite beautiful exploration of bodily autonomy, identity, and trauma.

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher. this is a retelling of the fall of the house of usher, and includes a spooky manor, fungal parasites, possessed wildlife, and the exact kind of unsettling atmosphere that i love in a horror book.

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon. this story follows a teen mother who’s escaped from a cult and is now undergoing a fungal metamorphosis in the forest. big thriller/survival vibes and some truly excellent commentary about oppression, trauma and societal secrets.

Could Vampirism be Gayer? (yes, actually)

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson. "dracula’s polycule” is what sold me on this book, and while yes, it’s got polyamorous vampires, the heart of the story is about the dynamics of an abusive relationship, with a strong thread of hope throughout.

The Route of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate, transl. by David Bowles. i’m not usually one to categorize a book as Important (TM) but this novella definitely is that. it was originally published in the 90s by a mexican author, and it’s a reimagining of dracula’s voyage to england from the POV of the captain, a closeted gay man full of queer yearning. this book is beautiful and painful and challenging and yes, important. it’s also horny as hell so like, you’ve been warned lol. only recently has it been made available in english, too!

Science as Horror

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey. a short novel about a woman who’s recently separated from her husband, who in turn started a relationship with a clone of her. loved the character exploration in this, and it’s definitely got mystery/thriller vibes if you’re into that.

You’ve Lost a Lot of Blood by Eric LaRocca. this is a vibe-heavy, kind of trippy novella which features a story-within-a-story. don’t want to give away too much of the plot here because it’s a wild ride.

and finally, here’s some honorable mentions, at the end here because i didn’t love them. but you might!

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey (haunted house personified, exploration of dysfunctional family)

The Seep by Chana Porter (post-apocalyptic quest)

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant (killer mermaids)

Nothing but Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw (creepy mansion, corpse bride)

[nopeferatu]

I only read BB Mountain three days ago, and I haven't had a chance to see the movie or do any historical research yet, but I'm curious to know what you think Mexico signifies. I assume that Jack wants to go there because it's more tolerant of homosexuality, but I'm not actually sure if Mexico was like that in the '80s.

PS: I've only read the 1997 version published in the New Yorker. Haven't yet read the 1999 version published in Close Range.

See, I haven't done much in-depth research about it, but my conclusion (based solely on living in a city that borders Mexico) is that Mexico, esp border cities, represents this kind of place where vice is allowed to thrive within the narrative? If you ask a lot of Mexican citizens or people who spend a lot of time going between the U.S. and Mexico, they'll be the first to tell you that the Mexican government is very corrupt, and the justice system is, too. So I have a feeling that it's less that Mexico was more tolerant of homosexuality (just because Mexico largely isn't even really that socially tolerant of homosexuality today), but more that like... Jack felt comfortable enough being there knowing that cops would look away from the queer sex trade that it began to represent something akin to a haven for him.

Now whether or not that would have actually been true is a different story entirely, but I think it's a very Jack-thing to think, right? Like. He has all these romanticized notions of running away and starting a life together with Ennis, plans he doesn't think the logistics through all the way, because he is just eager to be with Ennis in the way he wants. So of course he'd suggest to Ennis that they meet up for their trips in Mexico—he's been going there all this time to get his own needs filled, and no one has said or done anything to him! But like. Shady back-alley deals that the cops look way from are very different from existing as a queer couple, which I feel is something Jack doesn't understand.

Either way, the larger thing that Mexico represents in the story is Ennis' inability to leave the environment he was born and raised in. Jack moves to Texas, Jack suggests they go to Denver (which actually does have a long queer history), Jack goes to Mexico to get the sex he needs. Ennis can't. He can't broaden his horizons bc everything about him is rooted in the hard and lonely Wyoming landscape. It's a common theme in Annie Proulx's other works, the idea of people being so bound to the land, so it makes sense that it appears here, too.

Also WOW. You're like... the exception to the rule now a days?? I actually really want to know your thoughts about some stuff if and when you ever get around to watching the film, because I always wonder how differently I'd feel about some things if my introductory point to this story had been the novella first and not the film. But I have a pdf copy of the short story in full, if you'd like for me to share it with you through email or something like that? It's not all that longer than the one that appeared in the New Yorker, but it does soooooo much to establish character and environment in such a short amount of time. Lmk and I'd be happy to send it your way!

[nicosraf]

What is your favorite Mexican mythology story and would you ever write a book related to that subject?

I love that you asked this because the story that's been eating away at me a lot is Mayahuel and Quetzalcoatl.

I saw a (very interestingly) animated depiction of their story years ago and I've never seen it again, so I wonder if I dreamt it, but I always have it in the back of my head. I started writing a novella that's a gay retelling of them a little while ago, but it's low priority because of the other projects I have to work on... Given, I have no idea when it'll be released, I'll say this:

The working title is Handsome Mayahuel – it's about Mayahuel being a warrior living in the stars that guards his sisters, the Tzitzimimeh, from the men who fall in love with them and etc. One day, Quetzalcoatl travels up into the stars, and Mayahuel prepares to kill him, but then Quetzalcoatl reveals that it's Mayahuel who he's fallen in love with. And then... well, tragedy and death and dismemberment, of course. I really love this story :') I hope I'm able to really sit and write it soon.

I've also always wanted to do a gay Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl retelling, also! I just think they're neat.

Oh, and I love Tlāloc, which is pretty obvious. I really enjoy pairing him with Gabriel, but I also love to pair him with Xochipilli, god-prince of the flowers. I'm afraid that im obsessed with the dynamic of dilf Tlāloc with some weird lower deity, but Xochipilli's association with flowers and Tlaloc's association with rain is kinda sexy of them. (I actually referenced Xochipilli in my Gabriel x Tlaloc story).

And! I love Xipe Totec. I have a story in my head of him and a man who's skinned alive and meets him after death. Xipe Totec helping the man get revenge on those who killed him, then seeing the man go crazy with power.

I am rambling too much but yes, I love Mexican mythology, and I really want to write more about it :') I understand its dangerous to talk about WIPs because someone might steal the idea, but they're basically my guest skskks

[triviareads]

do you have diverse modern romance recs?

Yep! I've (mostly) organized it by author:

Naima Simone: I'm obsessed with literally everything this woman writes, both Harlequin and not Harlequin. Naima writes a lot of fabulous Black heroines (and she writes great body diversity as well) and a decent amount of POC heroes as well. My favorites include . Black Tie Billionaire (Black heroine, Asian hero), Secrets Of A One Night Stand (Black heroine, Pacific Islander hero), and Trust Fund Fiancé (both the hero and heroine are Black). The best thing about Naima's books is just the uniformity in how she writes every body type as attractive and desirable and the sex is very hot. Would absolutely recommend.

Katrina Jackson: I haven't talked about Katrina enough, when she's out here doing the most for mafia romances and spy romances with diverse characters. I could happily read her novella Beautiful & Dirty over and over, but it's a prequel to the mafia series which ends with my favorite, The Don, which has a Black heroine. Katrina also wrote a spy series (The Spies Who Loved Me!) and the first in that series, Pink Slip, has a Black heroine who's lusting over her married bosses (the wife, Monica, is Latina I believe) and surprise, they're both into her too.

Angelina M. Lopez: Angelina writes excellent Latino rep. Her fictional town Freedom, Kansas, which is the setting in multiple stories, has an amazing Mexican-American community she builds on. I'd recommend After Hours on Milagro Street, which has a Mexican-American heroine, as well as her upcoming Full Moon Over Freedom, which is next in the series. The way she melds culture, magic, and romance is gorgeous. Also! Lush Money, which is set within this universe, has a Latina heroine and is very fun and worth reading.

Tara Pammi: If you want to read about Indians in India or Bollywood-centric romances, Tara is the author. I liked Claiming His Bollywood Cinderella and The Secret She Kept in Bollywood (that man is suuuch a DILF he's great).

Jadesola James: I've talked about her before (see here) but Jadesola has written a couple Harlequin Presents stories set in Africa. I'd recommend The Royal Baby He Must Claim and The Princess He Must Marry, which are about sisters who are Nigerian princesses.

Talia Hibbert: The Brown Sisters books are bangers, sexy and emotionally comforting at the same time. I'd recommend all of them: Get a Life, Chloe Brown, Take a Hint, Dani Brown, and Act Your Age, Eve Brown. I also love her novella Guarding Temptation, which has both a Black hero and heroine and Wanna Bet? which has a Black heroine and a British-Indian hero (thanks for reminding me @viscountessevie).

Wrong to Need You by Alisha Rai: The hero and heroine are in-laws (well, her husband, his brother, is dead) so the romance was very emotional and slow-burn, but the pay-off was absolutely worth it. The heroine Sadia is Pakistani-American, and the hero Jackson is of Japanese and Hawaiian ancestry. Alisha also delves pretty deep into South Asian family dynamics which hit a liiiittle too close to home, but I can't deny the accuracy.

Reel by Kennedy Ryan: This a romance between an actress and her director (both are Black) and I particularly appreciate the amount of research Kennedy Ryan put into the Harlem Renaissance, Black artists of that era (she created a fictional artist to base the movie off of), as well as their contributions to the Civil Rights movement which I think isn't discussed enough.

Sink or Swim by Tessa Bailey: See here.

From what I recall, Katee Robert did a pretty good job of body diversity without super explicitly mentioning race in her Fairytale Villains Who Fuck Wicked Villains series.

[maxknightley]

I think that overall it's a good thing that the French revolutions of the 18th and 19th century happened, and even the Bonapartist regimes were - in my understanding - mixed bags, presenting some very tangible improvements over the ancien regime.

That being said, I do feel like we missed some primo Fédération Centrale¹ shitposts as a result. You know, things like a skeleton with a gun captioned "The only BOURBON I respect is JASPER DANZAS²" and so on.

-----------------------------

¹ A hypothetical republic founded in 1829 by the Louisiana Territory, which - without Napoleon in power - had never been sold to the United States of America. Serving as a buffer state, its existence delayed, but ultimately could not prevent, the Mexican-American War, which instead became a primarily naval conflict resulting in the creation of the so-called Independent Campetchay Republic.³

² Jack Daniels, but French.⁴

³ I'm not writing lore for this part lest this post spiral out of control into an entire alt-history novella, or worse, a Victoria 3 game mod. Look up "Campeche" and fill in the gaps yourself.

⁴ I don't know why, he just is, okay?

[cherrylng]

100 Albums To Understand Muse - Part 11 [STYLE Series #004 - Muse (August 2010)]

RENAISSANCE Novella (1977) A masterpiece of the Renaissance (second phase), combining folky sounds with classical elements. The dramatic world of Annie Haslam's plaintive voice, often described as ‘angelic’, weaves its way through the music. The simple, pop melodies and sophisticated mannerisms are similar to those of Muse, but without the esoteric prog-rock. -M

ROBERT JOHNSON The Complete Recordings (2008) Legendary blues guitarist whose influences include Clapton and all the great guitarists of the rock world. It is said that he acquired his technique by selling his soul to the devil, and that the riff on ‘Crossroads Blues’ was the first riff Matthew mastered. This album contains all of Johnson's recordings, recorded only twice in his lifetime. -S

RODRIGO Y GABRIELA Rodrigo Y Gabriela (2008) The first album by the Mexican-born & Dublin-based male-female acoustic guitar duo, who opened for Muse at Wembley. Dazzling technique and melancholy Latin melodies. Produced by John Leckie, who also produced Muse's first and second albums. The duo's metal-honed technique also allows them to cover Zeppelin and Metallica with aplomb. -S

RUSH Exit…. Stage Left (1981) Canadian progressive trio boasting individual virtuosity and an ironclad ensemble. One of the best live bands of their day, playing to stadiums of tens of thousands of people. The band's live show has brought tens of thousands of stadiums to their feet. The band's live show is a perfect combination of skill, passion and audience excitement at its highest point. -M

SENSELESS THINGS Empire Of The Senseless (1993) They and MC4 led the melodic punk that emerged in the British indie scene from the late 80‘s to the early 90’s. This is their third more alternative-oriented album. Morgan Nicholls (b) has been accompanying Muse on most of their tours as the ‘fourth member’, playing synth/keyboards and other duties since filling in for Chris who broke his arm in 2004. -I

SIMON RATTLE Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique Op.14 (2008) Matthew is fascinated by the 19th-century Romantic master, Hector Berlioz. If you want to hear his works, this is the one by the hottest conductor of the moment. This symphony is not only one of Berlioz's most famous works, but also the product of a love affair that never came true. A touch of madness in the grandiose soundscape is also wonderful. -M

SKUNK ANANSIE Stoosh (1996) Debuted in 1995 at the height of Britpop, the band's musical style is ‘new metal sung by women’. The combination of soulful songs by the skinheads' vocalist, also known as “Skin”, and the ironic, gory sound was very unique. This was their second hit album. Muse toured with them in the early days. -K

SMASHING PUMPKINS Siamese Dream (1993) Chicago four-piece who represented the US alternative scene in the 1990s. Their second album determined their popularity. Their dramatic songs, based on thundering guitars and sweet melodies, had a major influence on the rock scene that followed. That they were also a major inspiration for Muse is evident in the song ‘Silverfuck’ from this album. -T

Translator's Note: Morgan! <3

[jennifersmind]

i wish ppl blogged about mexican novellas on here. i want to talk about about Golpe de suerte T-T

[medievalthymes]

Hi, Sarah! Can you please make a list of your favorite books of 2022? I really appreciate your recommendations

aww for sure i can!

this was kinda a shit year for reading for me because i was finishing off my undergrad, i only got around to reading like 60 books rather an the 100 i wanted to, but there was definitely still some gems in there.

1. mexican gothic - silvia moreno-garcia

good old-fashioned gothic thriller

very atmospheric

anything moreno-garcia writes i will read so also check out their other books as well

2. wolf and the woodsman - ava reid

jewish representation

if you liked the winternight trilogy you'll like this one

again very dark and atmospheric, excellent winter vibes. a good one for this time of year.

the romance is top tier

2. a dead djinn in cairo - p. djèlí clark

fun novella

super quick read

setting is egypt 1912, steampunk alternate universe. top-notch world building

intriguing mystery

4. the long way to a small, angry planet - becky chambers

cozy space opera with an interspecies cast

good lgbt rep, a bit of romance. found family trope

part of a series but can be read as a standalone

while light it still manages to touch on some important issues and topics

5. the six deaths of the saint - alix e. harrow

another novella, only 30 pages but jesus this one packs a punch. feels like an epic novel. probably my favourite on this whole list.

historical fantasy

beautiful prose

on kindle unlimited, if you have that

i'm not going to go into any more detail because i don't want to spoil it but seriously. this is 30 pages, go read it and then come back and scream about it with me

6. lovelight farms - b.k borison

cutest fucking romcom i've read in a while

hallmark movie vibes but not cringy

MC owns a christmas tree farm, and in order to win a contest to get more publicity for the farm she asks her best friend to be her fake boyfriend. shenanigans ensue.

friends to lovers, mutual pining, fake dating. what more could you want?

happy reading!!