PTSD and psychically-linked dragons aren’t always the best combination. 🐉
This snippet from Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) was for the #lesficfri theme, “sleep.”
I’m still not at my best (and might still get sent to the hospital later), BUT…I managed to do our Friday snippet. I’m taking that as a good sign. 🖤
My second Goldie. How is this real? 🥹
For anyone who might’ve missed it, last week, in Albany, New York, Goddess of the Sea won a Goldie Award in Fantasy! 💙
I guess it hasn’t fully sunk in yet—because it still feels so strange to say. 😅
For those of you who were watching the Awards, either in person or online, sorry again for bawling on stage, instead of giving a normal acceptance speech.
I don’t know if there are strong enough words to convey how much it means to me, but…I hoped I conveyed at least a fraction of it.
I’m going to try to do a more official and…maybe more eloquent post soon, but for now, I’m just really grateful. 💙
I’m also so happy I was able to meet some of you at GCLS! 💙
I’m missing everyone so much this week.
Huge congratulations to the other winners, as well! 💙
Oh, and I believe you can still watch the Goldie Awards on YouTube, if you missed them. 💙
Are you going to GCLS this year? Here’s where you can find me, if you are! 💙
WEDNESDAY:
2 p.m. – I’m a panelist for “Mythical Beings Unite: The Rise of Romantasy.”
3 p.m. – I’m a panelist for “Beyond the Norm: Chills and Thrills of Writing Romance with Non-human Characters.”
THURSDAY:
11 a.m. – I’m a panelist for “Reflecting Reality: The Importance of Including People with Disabilities in Sapphic Stories.”
FRIDAY:
11 a.m. – I’ll be reading from Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) at the Author Spotlight.
And of course, on Saturday, I’ll be at the Author Signing and at the Awards later that evening.
I’m so excited, and I’d love to see you, if you’re attending! 💙
(Just keep in mind I’m even shyer in person than I am on here. 😅)
From “I’ll kill my captain to protect myself” to “I’ll kill you to protect my captain.” 🖤
I shared this snippet from Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) for the #lesficfri theme, “dare.”
I know things have been…not great lately. Please, take care of yourselves, and be safe. 🖤
With the way things have been, it felt like a good time to share one of Em’s PTSD scenes. 💙
I hope you’re doing okay—but if you aren’t, that’s okay, too. It’s understandable.
Try not to feel shame over it. 💙
This snippet from Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) was for the #lesficfri theme, “lips.”
Also, I haven’t been on much this month because I’ve been in a bit of a depressive episode. So, I don’t think I’ve wished you a happy Pride through the website yet.
Happy Pride, and please, be safe. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
May was Mental Health Awareness Month, and things have been so tough that I never even took a moment to talk about it. Ironic, right? 😅
If you’ve read my books (especially Goddess of the Sea or The Reign of Darkness), you know mental illness is a major theme. I try to be honest in real life (like now, for instance) about my own struggles with mental illness—because I think hiding it only increases the stigma. And I try to bring that same honesty into my books.
I believe sanitized portrayals of mental illness only hurt us. No human being responds perfectly to trauma, and fictional characters shouldn’t either. Mental illness isn’t meant to be pretty. It can be exhausting, overpowering, and scary, and some of the symptoms (the physical ones, I mean) might even be things people consider “gross.”
It’s hard to write honest portrayals of mental illness—because it often feels like no one cares about that. They just want excitement and action. On top of that, it means you’re going to see the word “unlikeable,” especially if your characters are women. People treat us this way in real life, too; they’re just a little less shameless about it.
But…someone out there is struggling and needs to feel less alone. Someone out there needs this story. That’s why we do it—even when it’s scary, even when it hurts, even when it feels like no one cares. 💚
While I was in catch-up-after-a-migraine mode, I realized there was a piece of good news I could’ve sworn I’d shared last month but didn’t. (Knowing me, it’s probably saved in drafts somewhere.)
Anyway, I’m happy to share that Goddess of the Sea was voted a Book of the YEAR in the Fantasy category on I Heart SapphFic. 💙
Thank you so much to everyone who voted for it! This is the book I was most terrified to release—because I was scared people wouldn’t understand the mental illness focus or wouldn’t appreciate the mental illness focus, because I was scared of being this vulnerable, of having so much of my own trauma out there. I was just…scared. So, for people to actually like this book, it just—it makes me cry. I’m so happy. 🥹
Thank you. 💙💙💙💙
You can view the other winners at the link below. 💙
For my audio readers: the audiobook for Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) is officially out! 💙🐉💙
Actually, it came out two days ago, but I was nearing the end of a pretty aggressive migraine (and the start of the depression spiral that likes to tag along with it) and couldn’t think clearly enough to put the post together. 😅
I’m so excited to listen to Lindsey Dorcus’s incredibly talented narration along with you. (I just downloaded mine! 😍)
And I really hope you enjoy it! 💙
I just saw that Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) now has over four hundred reviews and ratings on Amazon. 💙
I continue to be grateful beyond words for the positive reception of this deeply vulnerable book.
Thank you all so, so much. 💙💙💙💙
It’s important to celebrate the small wins. 😅
I shared this snippet from Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) for the #lesficfri theme, “gasp.”
I hope you’re all safe and well this week. 💙
I really enjoyed doing this interview with I Heart SapphFic several weeks back about Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2)! 💙 I was having a bit of a scary flare-up at the time, and my mind wasn’t at its clearest. So, I might have dropped more hints about The Dragon Child […]
I’ve been having a pretty rough time lately, but during that time, Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) reached a happy, little milestone! 💙 It now has over five hundred reviews and ratings on Amazon! (And almost two hundred on Audible!) I know I’ve said this a few times now, but […]
Goddess of the Sea (Book 2 of Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons) is featured in this week’s Sapphic Book Bingo category, “Comforting the other character after a nightmare.” 💙 If you’ve read the book, you know this is a particularly significant scene for Em and Maria, so I thought I’d say a few words about it. […]
Just a head. No big deal. This snippet from Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) is the one I shared for the #lesficfri theme, “remember.” 🖤 I hope your week is off to a great start. 🖤
Always thinking like a pirate. I shared this snippet from Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) for the #lesficfri theme, “tongue.” I’ve recently realized I’ve been forgetting to share these snippets here, after sharing them on social media each week. So, I’m going to work on catching them up over the […]
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