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Coming Soon: Pride Dragon Merchandise Kickstarter Campaign!

Announcing our next merchandise campaign: ten playful, joyous dragons by Florilège, each in the colors of a different pride flag! Whether you’re bi or pan, genderqueer or queer, we’ve got a dragon for that. We chose ten designs to reflect a range of identities, each whimsical and completely unique. 

The ten Pride flags we’ve chosen to feature this project are… Top row, left to right: the polyamproud Polyamorous Pride Flag; the Genderfluid Pride Flag; the Bisexual Pride Flag; the original Pride flag created by Gilbert Baker; and the Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag. Bottom row, left to right: the Non-Binary Pride Flag; the Aroace Pride Flag; the Genderqueer Pride Flag; and the Pansexual Pride Flag. These flags were picked based on the results of a general interest survey we did last year, and with an eye toward featuring some flags we haven’t made merch for before and those we don’t see as merchandise often!

We’ll be offering each design as a sticker, magnet, key chain, and pair of earrings. We’ll also be doing sticker sheets, washi tape, and a lanyard featuring all 10 Pride dragon designs.

This Kickstarter launches June 18th 2025. Make sure you don’t miss the news – follow our pre-launch page today!

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That Time a Published Author Told Me to Un-Queer My Novel

So, I don't think I ever shared this story on Tumblr before.

As you may know I've spent the past ten years turning my old Welcome to Night Vale fanfic into a stand alone novel called Echo of the Larkspur. Now, I haven't been working on it ten years straight. I'd pick it up, do a bunch of editing and rewriting, submit it to agents/publishers, get turned down, put the book away, wait 2-3 years, dust off the book, re-edit and rewrite, etc etc. A cycle that repeated itself far too many times that I would like.

Well, during one of these cycles when I was in the 'get rejected by every agent and publisher I submit to' stage I asked the writing group I was in what I was doing wrong. Because at this point I had reached a hundred total rejections and I was starting to suspect that the issue was with me.

One of the members of this writing group, a male author who was traditionally published, offered to read my first chapter and give his advice on how to fix it. This was, in retrospect, a mistake. But I was desperate. I sent him the first chapter and waited for his response.

Folks. The email he sent me changed my life.

First he said that agents wouldn't publish my novel because it was Sci-fi with hardcore gay erotica in it. This is curious because while the book certainly is queer, at no point in the conversation with this man did I say it was hardcore erotica. Nor did the first chapter feature any. It's almost as if he assumed that just because something was gay, it had to be hardcore erotica. Interesting.

He went on to say that a Human/Robot pairing was weird and that there was "No Way" my story could seriously address the issues of a relationship like that. Once again, he only read the first chapter. He just...assumed I wouldn't think of that? And that my book wouldn't cover it?

The author then said “I also felt that the LGBTQ inclusion really seems to cloud things.” Direct Quote.

And then this is when he said my favorite quote of them all:

The idea of a book being a sci-fi with romance AND a mystery is a Modern Art Marzipan Owl. It's just too confusing! No one can handle a story that is a mystery in a sci-fi enviroment AND has a romantic subplot! THEIR BRAINS WOULD LITERALLY EXPLODE!

Thankfully he had a solution to my book problem. His answer? Turn the book into an Action Spy Thriller and turn S.A.G.E., a robot that identies as a gay man, into a sexy lady robot who needs a MAN to teach her what it means to be human.

(I assume the male lead will teach the 'confused' female robot how to be human via his penis.)

Now my favorite part about this advice is that at no point did he outright say "Remove the gay part". No, instead he sneakily changed the robot love interest into a female robot as if I wouldn't notice. Just sort of swept away the gay bits as something totally unneeded and just mucking up the narrative. Also that's not the plot of my story, I have no idea where this virus thing came from.

(Also note that the female robot can't be robotic-like at all. Must preserve the average straight-man sex drive at all costs I guess)

He then finished his email basically saying that I should remove everything that 'traditional publishers' don't like (aka the queer parts) and make it easier for 'your average reader' to digest and my book will be good as published!

When I said this email changed my life I meant it. Because it made me realize I'd rather be self published and unknown than traditionally publish milquetoast trash like he suggested. Like holy fuck. If I removed all of the "Difficult" to digest stories out of Echo of the Larkspur then there wouldn't be a book left!

So here I am. Self publishing my Marzipan Modern Art Owl of a book. I know it'll never see the inside of a bookstore or top the charts on Goodreads but hey, I'd rather it speak to one person than have a thousand people get excited for the part where the male lead teaches the lady robot how to be human (via his penis).

If a Queer Sci-fi/Romance/Mystery novel sounds like your jam then consider preordering it!

Looking for something to read now? Can't afford the book? Willing to read in exchange for an honest review? You can join my ARC book readers here!

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🌈 Hey Reading Rainbows! Looking for a fun reading challenge this pride month? Check out Prideopoly created & hosted by @/BookasaurusBex on IG!

Q: What queer reads would you recommend for these prompts? 

Roll the dice, move that number of spaces, and follow the prompt! The aim is to earn the most Pink Pounds before the month is up and broaden your horizons when it comes to queer reads, have some fun, and make some friends along the way.

There are two modes to play. All of these recs fit standard mode, the ones marked with a white star also fit the expert mode. 

Find directions, recommendations at more: https://prideopoly.carrd.co/

Book recs are listed above their respective graphic!

ID: A post of ten slides. All slides have a rainbow colored background. Slide 1 has a green game board in the center with text above and below it. Text at the top reads: “Looking for a fun reading challenge this pride month?”. Text at the bottom reads: “Check out Prideopoly created & hosted by @BookasaurusBex!” and “Book recommendations by @RainbowCrateBookBox”. Slide 2 features the same green game board with text below it that reads: “Find directions, recommendations at more: https://prideopoly.carrd.co/” and “Book recommendations by @RainbowCrateBookBox”. Slides 3-8 have the same setup. Each has two prompts in black text, with three book covers underneath the prompt. At the bottom of the slides it reads: “Book recommendations by @RainbowCrateBookBox”. End ID.

Romance

Evergreen by Devin Greenlee

The Fall that Saved us by Tamara Jerée

You & I, Rewritten by Chip Pons

BIPOC MC or Author

Godly Heathens by H.E. Edgmon

Outdrawn by Deanna Grey

Unwieldy Creatures by Addie Tsai

Disability Rep

The Necessity of Rain by Sarah Chorn

Sixteen Souls by Rosie Talbot

The First Bright Thing by J.R. Dawson

Fantasy

The Spells We Cast by Jason June

The Name-Bearer by Natalia Hernandez

A Diamond Bright & Broken by Holly Davis

Slow Burn

The First & Last Demon by Hiyodori

Teach the Torches to Burn by Caleb Roehrig

Pirates of Aletharia by Britney Jackson

Mental Illness/Therapy Rep

Mercy by Ian Haramaki 

A Whisper of Solace by Milena McKay

Phantom & Rook by Aelina Isaacs

Featuring Trans Rights

Junker Seven by Olive J. Kelley

The Spirit Bares its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White 

The Companion by E.E. Ottoman

Queer Joy

The Apples Hung like Stars by Ali Williams

Heir to Thorn & Flame by Ben Alderson

Basics of Spellcraft by L.C. Mawson

Pansexual Rep

Stars Collide by Rachel Lacey

Far From Neverland by River Hale 

Who’d Have Thought by G. Benson

Ft. Animals or Creatures

The Sun & the Star by Mark Oshiro & Rick Riordan

In the Roses of Pieria by Anna Burke

The Rules & Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic by F.T. Lukens 

Book under 250 pages

The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia

Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk

The Eidolon by K.D. Edwards

Horror or Sci-fi

Providence Girls by Morgan Dante

Monsters Within Men by TJ Rose

A Circle of Stars by Craig Montgomery

Indie Published

The Fate of Stars by SD Simper

The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic

A Queer & Cozy Winter: A Rainbow Crate Original Anthology

Friends to Lovers

Trailer Park Prince by Andre L. Bradley

Of Love & Libraries by Brenna Bailey

Snow Boys by Simon Doyle

Asexual Rep

Upside Down by N.R. Walker

I Am Not Your Chosen One by Evelyn Benvie

Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault

Identity not already a Prompt

Flawless Girls by Anna-Maire McLemore (intersex)

Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender (polyamorous)

Demon King’s Gardner Vol 1-3 by Rori Thornton (aromantic)

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🌈🎉 BOOK BUNDLE TIME! 🎉🌈

A collection of queer books from the Right Here Write Queer Podcast hosts are going on sale as a bundle for Pride Month! It starts today, June 1st, and goes on for the entire month.

Some of the things you'll find are fae rituals, mysteries, immortals having a Time, sword fighting, small business shenanigans, and tricksy gods. Check it out on itch.io!

My books include a cozy urban fantasy series following a group of friends as they fall in love later in life, and a dystopian fiction with shape-shifting mutants overthrowing the government.

@ashen-crest

@tesscarletta

@ninawolv3rina

@nothwell

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It's review copy time! Funeral of Hopes will be released on June 23, 2025, and I need YOUR help to make it fantastic. Reviews are extremely important to visibility on Amazon and other platforms, so every single one matters.

You do not need to be a professional reviewer or author yourself to join - all you need is to enjoy character-driven LGBTQ fantasy.

48 lucky people have the opportunity to claim their FREE copy of my book via Booksprout. All you need to do is sign up for an account and then join the review campaign. Submit a review to Goodreads (and other platforms, if you're willing) and you're done!

Click the link below to see the blurb and join the campaign!

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COMMUNITY WITCH is an unapologetically trope-y queer romance story about healing from trauma, found family, and joyful queer relationships that will appeal to anyone who loves cozy queer fantasy and is hungry for romance centering non-binary experiences.

SUMMARY:

Aspen Fahey is a non-binary aspiring community witch and failed witchfluencer living in downtown Toronto. When their aunt dies and leaves them her house and witching practice on beautiful, idyllic Vancouver Island, their life unexpectedly turns into a Lifetime movie: early thirties enby leaves the big city (including their toxic partner and the job they hate) to move to a beautiful small town, has meet cute with beautiful stranger before running into The One That Got Away. But can they navigate the hard work of building healthy relationships while juggling their responsibilities as town witch? Or will the trauma of their ex’s emotional abuse ruin the best thing that’s ever happened to them?

This book is for you if:

You've ever wished there was a Hallmark channel for completely cookie-cutter GAY romcoms.

You've ever wanted to scream "FUCK THEM BOTH" at a love triangle plot line.

You enjoy disaster bisexuals.

You like urban fantasy, but wish it was less 'dark' and more 'dating sim'.

You're a sucker for found family, but also wish you could see more trans characters with parents and families that radically accept them.

You've ever struggled to believe that you are lovable because of anxiety and/or neurodivergence.

5-star Reviews on Goodreads:

“A very sweet and charming distraction from the raging dumpster fire of reality, full of likeable characters”

"I love love love love love this book. I was struggling real hard with depression about the state of the world when I picked it up and while the world is still AAAAAAA, reading Community Witch felt like a gentle hug for my tired queer brain. The characters feel like friends and I really enjoyed their journey of getting to know themselves and each other more deeply (pun intended). I will absolutely be reading this again when the world feels too heavy."

Preferred Channels:

eBook: Itch, Smashwords

Print: Barnes & Noble

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The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow

Release date: 11 March 2025 on Amazon

Genre: scifi/fantasy short story

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

In this gritty, haunting tale about doing whatever it takes for love, a small-town storyteller resolves to keep the local monster—and her own secrets—safe from a legendary knight.

Nestled deep in the steep hills, valleys, and surrounding woodlands lies Iron Hollow, a rural community beset by demons. Such horrors are common in the outlands, where most folks die young, if they don’t turn into monsters first. But what’s causing these transformations?

No one has the answer, not even the town’s oral historian, seventeen-year-old Shrike. And when a legendary knight is summoned to hunt down the latest beast to haunt their woods, Shrike has more reason than most to be concerned. Because that demon was her wife. And while Shrike is certain that May still recognizes her—that May is still human, somewhere beneath it all—she can’t prove it.

Determined to keep May safe, Shrike stalks the knight and his demon-hunting hawk through the recesses of the forest. But as they creep through toxic creeks and overgrown kudzu, Shrike realizes the knight has a secret of his own. And he’ll do anything to protect it.

Content warnings: death, violence, blood, injury, body horror, cancer

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

What do I even say???😭😭😭😭

I love this short story to pieces. In just 32 pages, the author introduces us to a richly developed world with fully fleshed out protagonists. Not to mention that this story is so thrilling and immersive. I wish this was a full-length novel, or novella, because I can't get enough.

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Strange Bedfellows by Ariel Slamet Ries

In this stunning graphic novel by two-time Ignatz award–winning graphic novelist Ariel Slamet Ries, Oberon must choose between fantasy and reality when he develops the ability to conjure his dreams in real life—including the facsimile of the boy who got away.

In the not-too-distant future, most of humanity resides on its last-ditch effort at utopia: Meridian, a remote alien planet where you’re more likely to be born superhuman than left-handed. 

None of that is important to Oberon Afolayan. Since his mildly public breakdown, his whole life seems to be spiraling out of control—from dropping out of university to breaking up with his boyfriend, it seems like only a karmic inevitability when he wakes up one day with the ability to conjure his dreams in the real world. 

Oberon’s newfound powers come with a facsimile of his high school crush, Kon, who mysteriously dropped off the face of the planet almost three years ago and who is a little more infuriating (if not also infuriatingly hot)than Oberon remembers. 

Kon makes it his mission to turn Oberon’s life around, and while they struggle to get a handle on his powers and his disastrous personal life (not to mention the appearance of strange nightmare creatures), it turns out this dream version of Kon has secrets of his own—dangerous ones. 

Oberon might have more on his plate than he originally thought, but is giving up his dreams—even the one he might have accidentally fallen in love with—the only way to find happiness in reality? 

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Celebrate Pi Day with 16 Polyamorous Reads!

Today, March 14th, is Pi Day—the day of celebration for all math nerds and pie-lovers. But there’s pi symbol usage that is especially near and dear to our hearts: the pi symbol on the polyamorous flag! We asked our contributors about their favorite books with polyamorous characters and relationships. The result? A list of 16 polyam reads to enjoy this pi day. Contributors to the list are: Tris Lawrence, Shadaras, D.V. Morse, Meera S., Terra P. Waters, Anima Nightmate, Linnea Peterson, Nina Waters and an anonymous contributor.

Godly Heathens by H.E. Edgmon

Triple Sec by TJ Alexander

Fire Logic by Laurie J. Marks

Gamechanger by L.X. Beckett

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert

A Flame in the Night by Morgan Dante

Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland

Destiny Calls by Samantha Wayland

Beware of Chicken by Casualfarmer

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann

Many Hands: An Anthology of Polyamorous Erotica ed. by Nina Waters

Ask Me about Polyamory: The Best of Kimchi Cuddles by Tikva Wolf

Lilac by B.B. Reid

Find these and more polyamorous reads on our Goodreads book shelf! See something you like? Get it through the Duck Prints Press Bookshop.org affiliate shop.

Come chat with us about all the books you love in our Book Lover’s Discord server!

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It's read an ebook week over on smashwords so if you're looking for a bargain AND an alternative to the Big River Corp, then there's hundreds of books on sale over there!

( Including Synthetic Sea, my trans cyberpunk romance, and Wolfsbane a short lesbian werewolf tale <3 )

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FREE on Smashwords through March 8th!

#queer romance #disabled protagonists #jewish love interest #mlm romance #childhood friends to lovers

Get your free epub here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1707790

👇 Summary under the cut 👇

Red, like my bleeding heart in your hand - 25k novella

Theodore Spinoza was crying the first time Nash ever saw him. With the principal's hand on his shoulder, she explained that Teddy was new to the school, new to the community, and needed their help to adjust. Everybody knew that only meant to not tease him about his red face and the streaks of snot on his sleeves.

At that moment, looking at Teddy all sad and soppy with his sharp chin tipped up anyway, Nash made a decision. With all his six years of worldliness and wisdom, Nash decided no way did he want anything to do with that snot-faced kid. Not when he was already in charge of keeping his snot-faced sister right and happy, and not with Daddy's fits of violence already taking up more than their fair share of his concern. Theodore Spinoza was on his own.

It's funny how life can take a decision like that and twist it into something precious and unexpected.

The story continues in Blue, like don't forget about me

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Looking for a fun and flirty queer romance to read?

This month we are reading: The Pairing by Casey McQuiston for the Queer Book Club. Come and read this spicy novel about bi disaster exes on discord!

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Tomorrow: February Patreon Panel

Tomorrow, we’re hosting the February Zoom panel for our $7/month, $10/month, and $25/month backers on Patreon! Our topic is time management and project management. What’s that mean? Well…

In our busy lives, managing our time has become an essential skill. For writers, who frequently have a day job atop writing as well as other daily responsibilities, figuring out how to manage our time to write and how to pace our projects in a way that’ll give us a hope of success can be doubly difficult. For this panel, we’ve gathered a group of people who have figured out time management and project management techniques that work for them, and have experimented with techniques that didn’t work for them, to discuss their successes and failures. We’ll explore a range of options, while recognize that there’s no One Right Way nor one-size-fits-all solution to managing our writing projects. Who knows, maybe you’ll learn a technique that’ll work for you! Discussion topics will include: how we manage our time to create space to write; how we manage entire projects to ensure we are able to see things through to completion; strategies we’ve tried that haven’t worked for us; different approaches we’ve applied to different types of projects; and more!

The panelists for this month are Rhosyn Goodfellow, J. D. Rivers, Alex Bauer, Max Jason Peterson, boneturtle, and Shea Sullivan, and I (unforth/Nina Waters) will be acting as moderator.

Interested? Join us Saturday February 22nd at 2 p.m. Eastern time (converter). Become a Patron today!

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Random Mansion Generator

Because sometimes when you’re writing, you just need a random mansion and/or a random floor plan!

Generate your own here: https://watabou.itch.io/procgen-mansion

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so I’m looking at short story publishers (fantasy)

Tor, cream of the crop. 25 cents a word. Stories can be read for free (YES). Slowish response time at ~3 months. Prefer under 12k, absolute maximum is 17.5k. Don’t bother if it’s not highly professional quality. SFWA qualifying.

Crossed Genres. 6 cents a word. Different theme each month (this month’s is “failure”). Submissions must combine either sci-fi or fantasy with the theme. Response time 1 month. 1k-6k, no exceptions. SFWA qualifying.

Long Hidden, anthology from CG. 6 cents a word. 2k-8k, no exceptions. Must take place before 1935. Protagonist(s) must be under 18 and marginalized in their time and place. Must be sci-fi/fantasy/horror. Deadline 30 April. Response by 1 October.

Queers Destroy Science Fiction. Sci-fi only right now, author must identify as queer (gay, lesbian, bi, ace, pan, trans, genderfluid, etc, just not cishet). 7.5k max. Deadline 15 February. Responses by 1 March. You can submit one flash fiction and one short story at the same time. (My network blocks the Lightspeed site for some reason, so I can’t get all the submission details. >_>) Probably SFWA qualifying?

Women in Practical Armor. 6 cents a word. 2k-5k. Must be about 1) a female warrior who 2) is already empowered and 3) wears sensible armour. Deadline 1 April. Response within three months.

Fiction Vortex. $10 per story, with $20 and $30 for editor’s and readers’ choice stories (hoping to improve). Speculative fiction only. Imaginative but non-florid stories. 7.5k maximum, preference for 5k and under. (I kind of want to support them on general principle.)

Urban Fantasy Magazine. 6 cents a word. 8k max, under 4k preferred. Must be urban fantasy (aka, the modern world, doesn’t need to be a literal city). 

Nightmare. 6 cents a word. 1.5-7.5k, preference for under 5k. Horror and dark fantasy. Response time up to two weeks. SFWA and HWA qualifying.

Apex Magazine. 6 cents a word. 7.5k max, no exceptions. Dark sci-fi/fantasy/horror. SFWA qualifying.

Asimov’s Science Fiction. 8-10 cents a word. 20k max, 1k minimum. Sci-fi; borderline fantasy is ok, but not S&S. Prefer character focused. Response time 5 weeks; query at 3 months. SFWA qualifying, ofc.

Buzzy Mag. 10 cents a word. 10k max. Should be acceptable for anyone 15+. Response time 6-8 weeks. SFWA qualifying.

Strange Horizons. 8 cents a word. Speculative fiction. 10k max, prefers under 5k. Response time 40 days. Particularly interested in diverse perspectives, nuanced approahces to political issues, and hypertexts. SFWA qualifying. 

Fantasy and Science Fiction. 7-12 cents a word. Speculative fiction, preference for character focus, would like more science-fiction or humour. 25k maximum. Prefers Courier. Response time 15 days.

Scigentasy. 3 cents a word. .5-5k. Science-fiction and fantasy, progressive/feminist emphasis. Fantastic Stories of the Imagination. 15 cents a word. 3k maximum. Any sci-fi/fantasy, they like a literary bent. (psst, steinbecks!) They also like to see both traditional and experimental approaches. Response time two weeks. 

Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 6 cents a word. 10k maximum. Fantasy in secondary worlds only (it can be Earth, but drastically different—alternate history or whatever). Character focus, prefer styles that are lush yet clear, limited first or third person narration. Response time usually 2-4 weeks, can be 5-7 weeks. SFWA qualifying.

Clarkesworld. 10 cents a word up to 4000, 7 afterwards. 1-8k, preferred is 4k. Science-fiction and fantasy. Needs to be well-written and convenient to read on-screen. Appreciates rigour. No talking cats. Response time 2 days. SFWA qualifying.

Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show. 6 cents a word. Any length. Science-fiction and fantasy (along with fantastic horror). Good world-building and characterization. Clear straightforward prose. Response time three months. Yes, OSC is editor-in-chief. SFWA qualifying.

Interzone. Sub-pro rates if anything (but highly respected). 10k max. Short cover letter. Science-fiction and fantasy.