Pirates of Aletharia has officially passed the 900 rating and review mark on Amazon! 💙 And we seem to be approaching 200 on Audible? 💙 I (obviously) never expected this, and I’m so grateful. 💙
Thank you for giving my snarky lesbian pirates a chance! 💙
Obviously, Aletharian dragons are massive and terrifying with broken scale, scars, and big teeth, but in Em’s head, they’re the adorable beasties who listen to her stories when they’re not barbecuing people.
I put her in charge of the graphic, so here we are.
If you’re participating in Jae’s Sapphic Book Bingo this year, here are some of the categories my books fit into. (I’m sure I missed something, but hopefully, it’s still helpful. 😅💙)
Wow, it’s been a while since my last post, hasn’t it?
Early in July, I traveled to Albuquerque to attend the GCLS conference. When I returned, I had every intention of hopping on here soon afterward to tell you all about it.
What I didn’t anticipate was how long the pure shock of winning a Goldie Award would actually last. It’s been a month already, and I still keep thinking I’ll wake up and realize I dreamt it all.
I mean, I was just so amazed and grateful to be a Goldie finalist. I didn’t dare hope for more.
But…more on that in a moment.
Now that I’ve finally found my (typing) voice again, I wanted to share with you what it was like, going to my very first in-person literary conference! 💙
Albuquerque, NM
For anyone who isn’t familiar with it yet, the Golden Crown Literary Society is an organization that celebrates sapphic and women-loving-women literature. It’s a pretty awesome thing, and if you’re anything like me, a quick glance at the previous years’ awards (and especially the Trailblazer Award) will have you overwhelmed with gratitude for all of the brave lesbian/sapphic authors who paved the way in this type of fiction (long before most publishers were willing to touch us). 💙
(I’ve included a link to the GCLS website here, if you want to learn more.)
If you think you’ve heard of it but aren’t sure, you’ve likely heard of it because of the Goldies (annual literary awards) or the GCLS conference that takes place each year.
My first introduction to the organization was during the pandemic. So, I’d never been to an in-person conference before.
I was terrified. Totally terrified.
I’m neurodivergent, which (among other things) means I get overstimulated easily—especially in crowds. But if I’m being honest, that was the least of my problems.
I’m also very anxious and super shy.
What was I so afraid of? Well, that’s always the question with anxiety, isn’t it? I didn’t know what I was going fail at. I just knew I was going to fail.
But I was a finalist! 💙 And I’d been invited to participate in a panel! And on top of that, the thought of meeting people who love sapphic literature as much as I do sounded pretty amazing—if I could just conquer my fear of, you know, people.
So, I decided to try, and I’m so glad I did. 💙
Did my voice shake during my reading, like I was afraid it would? Yes. Definitely.
But the world didn’t end because of a quiver in my voice. No one laughed at me or hated me because of it. Everyone was actually unbelievably kind. 💙
Did I get so nervous about the panel that I left my name thingy at the other hotel? Yep!
But again, I survived.
Did I get a little more personal and emotional during one of the panel questions than I intended to? Yes.
But there were people who related to my story and appreciated it. 💙
To meet these wonderful people and to be so encouraged in my craft, it was worth every fear I faced. 💙
Most of you know…I live in Alabama. Very red, Bible-Belt Alabama. It took me a long time to come out.
Between the pandemic and my own anxiety, I’ve only been to one Pride since I came out.
Feeling safe to be who I am, being surrounded by people who are like me—these are feelings I don’t know well.
There were two nights—the first one was after my panel, and the second was after the Goldies. Both times, I just sat in my hotel room afterward and sobbed.
Happy tears.
Very happy tears.
And just in case we thought I was done being super emotional, I’m crying again at the memory. 😅
Does that sound silly? Or is it something a lot of LGBTQ people experience? I don’t know.
I guess it’s the thing that drives so many of us toward the found family trope.
I know my experience was probably different from that of someone who’d grown up in a more inclusive area or came out earlier in life or just…wasn’t as shy.
But for me, it was something I’d never known I needed—but definitely had needed. 💙
Anyway, now that I’ve gotten ridiculously emotional on you, let me just jump over to the announcements with no transition whatsoever! 😅
Listen…the people who invited to sit at their table were so amazing and encouraging, and I just didn’t know how to tell anyone that there was no chance of me winning. 😅
So, when my name was called, I just…froze. I don’t know how long it took me to process the fact that I’d actually seen my book on the screen. Maybe it was half a second. Maybe it was thirty.
I just know it took me a moment.
A friend was texting me later that night and asked what I said during my thank you speech, and I said, “Honestly, all I remember is wandering up there and hyperventilating on the microphone.”
I’ve been assured by a few people, since then, that there were actual words that came out of my mouth, but I remain skeptical.
I know I wanted to thank my readers, friends, and GCLS, but whether those words actually made sense once they came out of mouth is a total mystery.
Seriously, though, I am so grateful for all of you. 💙
All I want is to bring people joy and show them they deserve happiness, no matter what, and without readers, I couldn’t do that.
So, thank you so, so much. 💙
Congratulations to all the other winners, too! 💙 You can see them all here! 💙
My second (belated) announcement (another casualty of my Month of Shock) is that Pirates of Aletharia was voted Best Sapphic Fantasy on I Heart SapphFic! 💙💙💙💙
I’ll have a few more book updates in the newsletter that’s going out within the next couple of days, but until then, I just wanted to say thank you. 💙💙💙💙
And if you aren’t already subscribed to the I Heart Lesfic newsletter, I definitely recommend it! It’s one of my favorite newsletters to see in my inbox each week. 💙
Emilia Drakon was once the youngest and kindest of the dragon sorcerers, but she’s now the last of her kind. Betrayed and angry, she trades her meekness for a sword and embarks on a quest for vengeance that will lead her straight into the arms of the legendary Captain Maria Welles.
Captain of the famed pirate ship, the Wicked Fate, Maria is every bit as treacherous and bloodthirsty as they say. She has her own vendetta and practically jumps at the chance to trick Emilia into joining her crew.
But when their animosity toward each other blossoms into a passionate romance, the two women will have to decide what they want most.
Vengeance?
Or love?
A sapphic fantasy adventure for people who love dangerous women, magical worlds, and lesbian pirates.
Earlier this week, something went very wonky when I submitted the Pirates of Aletharia manuscript, and Amazon cancelled the preorders (which is just a nightmare, really). But I’m trying to stay optimistic! So, the good news is: it’ll go live as soon as they approve it.
So, it’ll be out, as planned, on the 21st (if not earlier). But it’ll have a new link and no preorder period.
To everyone who preordered, your excitement still means the world to me, whether it worked out or not. 🖤🖤🖤 So, thank you so, so much, and I’ll hope you’ll still be excited when the new link’s up. 🖤🖤🖤
I’ll share the new link with you as soon as I have it! 🖤🖤🖤
Six years ago, I was afraid to even say the word “lesbian” because I couldn’t imagine a world in which I was out and okay. Now, not only am I out and okay, but I’m writing queer books and feeling absolutely fulfilled by it. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
I know, when you’re taught to hate this important part of yourself, it sounds like the most absurd thing you’ll ever hear, but it really does get better. 💙
Come out when you’re ready, and know you have people loving you from afar until you are. 💙
This is the month every year where the LGBTQ community gets supercharged by rainbows, and bigots have their socks eaten by dryers. If the universe gets the formula wrong, don’t forget to file a formal complaint, okay?
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
Seriously, though, I hope you all have a wonderful month!
Happy Pride! 🏳️🌈 And in case no one has told you recently…you’re perfect the way you are. ❤️
Happy Saturday! I have another weekly teaser for you! 💙 It’s another new one from Pirates of Aletharia (a.k.a. – Lesbians, Pirates, and Dragons). I hope you like it! 💙
Emilia’s been a pirate for less than a day, and already, her captain’s eviscerated two people in front of her. She’s starting to question her choices. (Just a little.) 😅
Happy Spring, y’all! 💙 For my northern hemisphere folks, anyway. Autumn for the rest of you, right? 💙
I’m sorry for being so absent lately. It’s been a little over a month since my mother was found dead, and . . . obviously, it was hard to go back to business as usual after that.
I hope you all had a good holiday and a good start to the year. 💛 I missed a few of our Teaser Days during the holidays (and the craziness that followed), but I’m…back now, I guess? 😅
I’m still working on the lesbian pirate book, and I can’t wait to share more of that with you. 💛 But until then, here’s some more Rose and Kara. 💛 Happy Teaser Day! Stay safe. 💛
I’m so amazed and grateful (and sort of in shock, still 😅). I poured my whole soul into that book (and series), and I can’t tell you how much it means to me to know that people enjoyed it. ❤️
I love you all so much. Thank you for giving Rose and Kara a place in your hearts. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
And be sure to check out the whole list! There are lots of awesome lesfic authors on there! ❤️
I know I haven’t been on here in a while. Sorry about that. I went through a pretty rough patch of depression. But…I’m feeling a little better now, and I plan to be more active in November! (I do have some lesbian pirates to share with you, after all! 🖤)
I hope you’re having a great Spooky Day, and as always, here’s our traditional Alana teaser! 🧛♀️🖤
Happy National Coming Out Day to everyone who is coming out, already out, or not ready to come out yet! No matter which category you’re in, you’re just as valid and just as worthy of acceptance and love. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
Sometimes, hiding the truth from others, or even yourself, is a matter of survival, and sometimes, coming out is a matter of survival. When I first came out to a few people I trusted, that’s what it was for me—a last ditch effort at just…surviving. I was so suicidal, and I felt like holding the truth inside had poisoned the air I breathed. But I also didn’t feel safe coming out to most people I knew. So, I came out to only a few people—people that I knew weren’t cruel or hateful, people who didn’t make me afraid. And it saved my life.
Eventually, I’d written books about queer women and had enough of an online presence that most everyone knew, and there was no point in hiding it anymore. And that was so freeing! 💙 But in the beginning, it was terrifying.
I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t STILL terrifying.
I’m sharing this for this reason: if this is you, if you feel like you’ll die if you have to bottle it up for one more day, but don’t feel safe coming out, let me know. I’ll be your substitute friend or family. I’ll tell you you’re perfect, just as you are, and worthy of love, just as you are.
Because I’ve been there, and someone did the same for me. We lose too many LGBTQ people to suicide, and I desperately don’t want that to be you. No matter who you are, I want you to know that I love you and want you to be here. Take care of yourselves, whether that means coming out or not. 💙
Happy Bi Visibility Day to all of my bisexual friends and readers! 💖💜💙 You’re amazing and valid and valued, and I hope you all feel extra-valued today! 💖💜💙
And in honor of the day, here’s a pretty bi line from my bisexual, vampire protagonist, Rose Foster. 😅💜
Here’s the fantasy world map I made for my lesbian pirate book! 🏴☠️🌈 With color and without! And unfinished, obviously. 😅
Emilia, our witch-turned-pirate, is from Drakon Isle. Catherine, the ex-girlfriend who arrested her, is from the Illopian Kingdom. And our lovely pirate captain, Maria, was born in Aevaria, raised in Illopia, and now lives at sea. 🏴☠️
I think this might be my favorite world-building thing I’ve ever tried. 🖤 It was so time-consuming—but also so much fun! 🖤
Rose handles jerks with sarcasm, and her girlfriend handles them with dismemberment. Minor differences, you know? 😅
Happy Teaser Day! ❤️
“You cut off someone’s finger?!” Rose exclaimed. “Are you insane?”
“A bit, yeah,” Kara said, taking another sip of her wine. She chuckled, as she lowered the glass. “Don’t worry. He assured me there’d be no hard feelings.”
“Yeah, I’m sure I’d say that, too, if you sliced off my finger,” Rose said.
Happy (belated) Teaser Day, and I hope you have a great weekend! 💙
Kara dropped her battle-axe, as if to emphasize that she was not, in fact, going anywhere. Her blue gaze shifted toward Rose—glistening like ice, piercing Rose to the core. “You want me to betray you?” she said, her voice a low growl.
“Why not?” Rose said with a weary shrug. “You’d betray anyone else.”
“Because you’re not anyone else,” Kara said. Her shoulders relaxed, and everything about her seemed softer, all of the sudden, as if she’d cracked herself open, left herself vulnerable—for the first time in her life.
I haven’t started making teasers for my next book yet. So, today is another one from The Reignof Darkness. 🧛♀️🌈
But I do have some aesthetics and character pictures for the new project to share with you soon. So, keep an eye out for those! 💚 I’ve also been talking about my new project on Twitter. 💚
I hope you have a great weekend! 💚
“Are you telling me that the fate of the world rests in the hands of a nerd with fangs and her crazy, battle-axe-wielding girlfriend?”
I completely forgot to share our teaser on Thursday, so for the last teaser of Pride Month, here’s Kara being “very proud of herself” …instead of preparing for an apocalypse. 😂
Rose gave her a skeptical look. “You haven’t had time to warn them that they’re all going to die, but you’ve had time to tell them I’m your new girlfriend?”
Kara grinned, her light blue eyes sparkling. “I’m very proud of myself.”
Rose tilted her head, flashing a sassy smile at her. “Aren’t you always?”
“Uhh, hello?!” the vampire interrupted. “You said the world is ending?!”
“I know,” Kara sighed. “And I have no right to ask you to do it again.”
Rose turned toward Kara, studying her with a frown. “Ask me, anyway.”
Kara’s light blue gaze shifted up, meeting Rose’s. “What?”
Rose stepped closer. She reached up, brushing her fingertips over Kara’s face. She watched as Kara’s eyes closed, as she leaned forward. “Ask me, anyway,” Rose repeated. She tilted her face, her lips brushing Kara’s. “Because I’ll say yes.”
Her voice was barely a whisper, now. “I’ll always say yes.”
For the second Teaser Day of Pride Month, here’s Rose and Kara having a Totally Normal™️ bedtime dispute. 😅
“You’re not keeping a battle-axe in the bed that we share.”
Kara stepped closer, before taking another sip of her drink. “Why not?”
Rose lifted both eyebrows, unable to hide her smile. “Because it’s sharp!”
Kara leaned closer. “So are you,” she said, tapping Rose’s chest with the bottom of her glass. Her lips curved into a smile. “But I still keep you in my bed.”
Rose opened her mouth and closed it again, blushing at the implications. Finally, she managed, “Mental sharpness doesn’t hack people’s heads off, Kara.”
Always relevant, I think, but definitely right now. ❤️
“Hatred doesn’t win with numbers or weapons. It wins with silence. It wins when people sweep it under the rug or try to justify it. It wins when people defend the indefensible. It wins when we’re too scared or too apathetic to fight back. And I won’t let it win. Not today. Not ever.”
Rose may not be scared of ancient vampires, vengeful telepaths, killer queens, entire armies, bombs, or world wars. But going on a date with the woman she’s loved for months? Truly terrifying. 😂
Happy Teaser Day! 💙
“I’m not sure I even remember what a real date is!” Rose squeaked. “Like…does it involve flowers? Murder?!”
Kara snorted, “Both, in my experience.”
“What I do remember,” Rose said, “is that I’m terrible at them.”
Kara raised an eyebrow. “You said you were a terrible girlfriend, too.”
“I am!” Rose said defensively. “I’m a total disaster.”
Kara sat up, slowly, leaning toward Rose. “Yeah?” she said, affection and amusement sparkling in her intense, ice-blue eyes.
It’s Teaser Day again (or a few hours after, actually), so here’s another from The Reign of Darkness. 💙I hope you’re having a good week. 💙
“You think my battle-axe is hot, don’t you?”
“I’m not attracted to inanimate objects, no,” Rose said in her grumpiest tone. But when she heard Kara’s soft, breathy laugh, she couldn’t resist the urge to smile. She laughed, “Are you really flirting with me in the middle of a battle?”
Kara shrugged, her smile tilting mischievously. “What else would I do?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Rose muttered. “Maybe focus on not dying?”
I meant to post this one last night, but here’s Rose being secretly sappy. 💙 Happy (belated) Teaser Day! 💙
But the feeling in her chest, now? The warmth and comfort and security that settled inside of her? The desire to go nowhere else but here? Was that home?
Because if it was, then maybe this was the closest Rose had ever gotten.
Hey, guys. I hope you’re all doing well and staying safe. 💛 My internet’s been down a lot lately, so I’m a little behind on our weekly teasers. But here’s the one for this past Thursday! 💛
Rose turned to the princess. “And what’s wrong with who I’m dating?”
The princess started to laugh—until she noticed Rose’s glare. She cleared her throat. “Oh, you’re…serious,” she mumbled, her eyes wide. She set her glass on the table and straightened. “Well,” she said nervously, “you must know…Kara Unnarsdóttir has quite the reputation. She’s defeated entire armies by herself, assassinated world leaders, seduced queens and conquered their kingdoms…”
Rose shrugged. “People are allowed to have hobbies.”
P.S. — A small request for anyone who’s already finished The Reign of Darkness: It doesn’t appear to have any reviews on Amazon yet. So, if you enjoyed it and don’t mind leaving a review there, I’d be super, super, super grateful. 💛 Regardless, though, thank you so much for reading! Love you guys! 💛💛💛💛
And a massive thank you to those of you who have left reviews elsewhere! 💛💛💛💛
If you’re one my of paperback readers, they have the paperback up on Amazon, now. ❤️ (It went up yesterday, I think?) They don’t have it linked to the Kindle version yet, so I’ll include both links. ❤️
Powerful vampire, Rose Foster, and her girlfriend, Kara Unnarsdóttir, take refuge in a hidden kingdom of vampires, as war breaks out between vampires and humans. Rose is shocked to find that even though she doesn’t know them, the vampires of this kingdom know her. Not only that, but they’re prepared to follow her into battle. Yet, they refuse to tell her why.
World war rages on in their absence, threatening the extinction of both species. Rose soon realizes that, even though she doesn’t want power, if she wants to prevent genocide, she’ll have to take her place as a Commander of Power.
But when Kara uncovers a terrifying piece of information about Rose, she must decide, once and for all, if her loyalty to the woman she loves is strong enough to withstand even the end of the world. Or if it’s time to do what she does best: betrayal.
AHHHH, it’s (finally) up! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 (Now, pardon me while I go panic and cry for like three years. 😭)
Powerful vampire, Rose Foster, and her girlfriend, Kara Unnarsdóttir, take refuge in a hidden kingdom of vampires, as war breaks out between vampires and humans. Rose is shocked to find that even though she doesn’t know them, the vampires of this kingdom know her. Not only that, but they’re prepared to follow her into battle. Yet, they refuse to tell her why.
World war rages on in their absence, threatening the extinction of both species. Rose soon realizes that, even though she doesn’t want power, if she wants to prevent genocide, she’ll have to take her place as a Commander of Power.
But when Kara uncovers a terrifying piece of information about Rose, she must decide, once and for all, if her loyalty to the woman she loves is strong enough to withstand even the end of the world. Or if it’s time to do what she does best: betrayal.
In this final installment of the Creatures of Darkness series, the Eklektos will either save the world or destroy it.
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