April is Autism Acceptance Month, which means it’s time (almost past time) for my annual reminder that autistic people come in all shapes and sizes—including that of a dragon-riding surgeon. 🖤🐉🖤
Emilia Drakon, the protagonist of my Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons series, is autistic (like me), and though she deals with communication and sensory obstacles from time to time, no one aboard the Wicked Fate treats her like a burden because of it—because she’s not one. 🖤
Every year, I try to say a little about why lesbian visibility is so important to me—as a lesbian and as a lesbian author. I’m not exactly in the state of mind that I like to be in when I talk about these things, but I’m going to try, anyway. 🧡
I spent much of my life believing I was broken—because I didn’t have the right words or examples to make sense of what I felt and who I was. I spent most of my life hating myself for it. Even saying the word “lesbian” was a battle for me.
But I made it through that, and now, I’m passionate about writing the kind of stories I needed back then.
Representation saves lives, and as long as I’m able to write more weapon-wielding lesbians into the world, I will. 🧡
Happy Lesbian Visibility Day! 🧡🤍💖
I’m excited to share that Pirates of Aletharia (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 1) won the 2025 IAN Book of the Year Award in LGBTQ+ Fiction! This makes, I believe, the fourth literary award it’s won. 💙
It was also a finalist in Fantasy!
I’m beyond grateful. 💙
I finally made some book cards for Sapphic Book Bingo! (In my defense, I’ve been sick for AGES.)
If you’re participating in Sapphic Book Bingo this year, here are some of the categories Pirates of Aletharia and Goddess of the Sea fit! 💙
(The dragons would absolutely be offended by us calling them “pets,” but…I think they count. 😅)
Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2):
❤️ Autistic Main Character
🧡 Tattooed Main Character
💛 Character with a Disability
💚 Takes Place on a Ship or Boat
💙 Established Couple
Hidden Gems:
💜 Pirates
🖤 Unusual Pet(s)
Pirates of Aletharia (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 1):
❤️ Autistic Main Character
🧡 Tattooed Main Character
💛 Character with a Disability
💚 Takes Place on a Ship or Boat
💙 Character is Hiding a Secret
Hidden Gems:
💜 Pirates
🖤 Unusual Pet(s)
You can find out more about Sapphic Book Bingo on Jae’s website! 💙
If you’re at the ReadOUT Literary Festival in Gulfport, Florida this weekend, here’s where you can find me! 💙
P.S. — I’m operating on about two hours of sleep, so fingers crossed my brain even works! 😅
Friday:
I’m a panelist on the Building Queer Worlds panel at 2:15 PM.
I’m also a panelist on the Queering Romantasy panel at 6 PM.
Saturday:
I’ll be at the 6:30 Author Signing, (and I’ll have my gay dragon stickers again)! 🐉
I’m so excited to see you all! 💙
Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) is featured in this week’s I Heart SapphFic Reading Challenge category, “Forced Proximity.” 💙
Because, as Judith says in Book 1, a pirate ship is “smaller than any town, smaller than any island.”
You can find more sapphic books with forced proximity on the I Heart SapphFic website!
Pirates of Aletharia is featured in this week’s Sapphic Book Bingo category, “Who hurt you?” 💙
I have a habit of writing sapphic characters who are really protective of each other, so some variation of this tends to show up in a lot of my books. (I can confirm it’s in Goddess of the Sea, as well! 💙)
You can find fifteen sapphic books with this micro-trope on Jae’s website!
It’s Banned Books Week, a week set aside each year to discuss the danger of banning books and the importance of the freedom to read. In a time when diversity and authenticity in literature is being attacked by those in power, it’s more important than ever to speak out against censorship.
Representation is important. It literally saves lives.
We will continue to write these books. We will continue to read these books. Diversity should be celebrated, not feared. Reading should be encouraged, not attacked.
I’m happy to stand with GCLS and SASS in defense of our stories. 💙
I meant to share these earlier in the month, but…well…it’s been a rough one.
For anyone participating in Sapphic September this year, if you need to know which categories my books fit, I’ve listed them below. 🖤
🐉 Disabled Sapphics (Definitely)
🏴☠️ Indie or Small Press Author (Definitely)
🐉 2025 Release (Possibly? If you’re reading the audiobook version of Goddess of the Sea. The ebook and print came out in 2024.)
🏴☠️ Choose Your Own Prompt
🐉 New-to-You Author (Possibly)
🏴☠️ Book from Physical TBR (Possibly)
🖤 Indie or Small Press Author (Definitely)
🩸 40+ Main Character (I think? Kara is over fourteen hundred, after all.)
🖤 Choose Your Own Prompt
🩸 New-to-You Author (Possibly)
🖤 Book from Physical TBR (Possibly)
🩸 Disabled Sapphics (Yes)
I think that’s all, but if I missed anything, feel free to let me know. 🖤
Happy reading!
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. 💙
April is Autism Acceptance Month, which means it’s time (almost past time) for my annual reminder that autistic people come in all shapes and sizes—including that of a dragon-riding surgeon. 🖤🐉🖤 Emilia Drakon, the protagonist of my Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons series, is autistic (like me), and though she deals with communication and sensory obstacles […]
Every year, I try to say a little about why lesbian visibility is so important to me—as a lesbian and as a lesbian author. I’m not exactly in the state of mind that I like to be in when I talk about these things, but I’m going to try, anyway. 🧡 I spent much of […]
I’m excited to share that Pirates of Aletharia (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 1) won the 2025 IAN Book of the Year Award in LGBTQ+ Fiction! This makes, I believe, the fourth literary award it’s won. 💙 It was also a finalist in Fantasy! I’m beyond grateful. 💙
I finally made some book cards for Sapphic Book Bingo! (In my defense, I’ve been sick for AGES.) If you’re participating in Sapphic Book Bingo this year, here are some of the categories Pirates of Aletharia and Goddess of the Sea fit! 💙 (The dragons would absolutely be offended by us calling them “pets,” but…I […]
If you’re at the ReadOUT Literary Festival in Gulfport, Florida this weekend, here’s where you can find me! 💙 P.S. — I’m operating on about two hours of sleep, so fingers crossed my brain even works! 😅 Friday:I’m a panelist on the Building Queer Worlds panel at 2:15 PM. I’m also a panelist on the […]
Britney Jackson 
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