From โIโll kill my captain to protect myselfโ to โIโll kill you to protect my captain.โ ๐ค
I shared this snippet from Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) for the #lesficfri theme, โdare.โ
I know things have beenโฆnot great lately. Please, take care of yourselves, and be safe. ๐ค
With the way things have been, it felt like a good time to share one of Emโs PTSD scenes. ๐
I hope youโre doing okayโbut if you arenโt, thatโs okay, too. Itโs understandable.
Try not to feel shame over it. ๐
This snippet from Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) was for the #lesficfri theme, โlips.โ
Also, I havenโt been on much this month because Iโve been in a bit of a depressive episode. So, I donโt think Iโve wished you a happy Pride through the website yet.
Happy Pride, and please, be safe. โค๏ธ๐งก๐๐๐๐
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? ๐
If youโve 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 illnessโbecause 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 shouldnโt either. Mental illness isnโt 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 โgross.โ
Itโs hard to write honest portrayals of mental illnessโbecause it often feels like no one cares about that. They just want excitement and action. On top of that, it means youโre going to see the word โunlikeable,โ especially if your characters are women. People treat us this way in real life, too; theyโre just a little less shameless about it.
Butโฆsomeone out there is struggling and needs to feel less alone. Someone out there needs this story. Thatโs why we do itโeven when itโs scary, even when it hurts, even when it feels like no one cares. ๐
While I was in catch-up-after-a-migraine mode, I realized there was a piece of good news I couldโve sworn Iโd shared last month but didnโt. (Knowing me, itโs probably saved in drafts somewhere.)
Anyway, Iโm happy to share that Goddess of the Sea was voted a Book of the YEAR in the Fantasy category on I Heart SapphFic. ๐
Thank you so much to everyone who voted for it! This is the book I was most terrified to releaseโbecause I was scared people wouldnโt understand the mental illness focus or wouldnโt 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 justโฆscared. So, for people to actually like this book, it justโit makes me cry. Iโm so happy. ๐ฅน
Thank you. ๐๐๐๐
You can view the other winners at the link below. ๐
For my audio readers: the audiobook for Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) is officially out! ๐๐๐
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 couldnโt think clearly enough to put the post together. ๐
Iโm so excited to listen to Lindsey Dorcusโs incredibly talented narration along with you. (I just downloaded mine! ๐)
And I really hope you enjoy it! ๐
I just saw that Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) now has over four hundred reviews and ratings on Amazon. ๐
I continue to be grateful beyond words for the positive reception of this deeply vulnerable book.
Thank you all so, so much. ๐๐๐๐
Itโs important to celebrate the small wins. ๐
I shared this snippet from Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) for the #lesficfri theme, โgasp.โ
I hope youโre all safe and well this week. ๐
The way to a womanโs heart is, of course, a sword. (Literally and figuratively.)
A snippet from Book 1 this time! ๐ค
I shared this one from Pirates of Aletharia (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 1) for the #lesficfri theme, โpromise.โ
Iโll probably share another snippet within the next day or so (because Iโm like two weeks behind on them here ๐ ), but until then, I hope you have the best day possible! ๐ค๏ฟผ๏ฟผ
In Emโs defense, Mariaโs thinking-about-killing-you stare and thinking-about-kissing-you stare look awfully similar. ๐
I shared this snippet from Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) for the #lesficfri theme, โstare.โ ๐
Iโve been a little absent from social media lately because with Motherโs Day so close (here in the U.S., at least), Iโve been in a bit of a spiral. The good news isโฆthis has happened every year since her death, so I know to expect it now.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and Iโm sending extra, extra love this week to anyone who has lost a parent. I know the reminders are everywhere right now, but I hope you still have some happy moments. ๐
Happy Lesbian Visibility Day! ๐งก๐ค๐ฉท
I probably say this a lot, but visibility is so important to meโas someone who grew up, unable to make sense of what I felt or who I was, and feeling utterly broken because of it, as someone whose only understanding of her own identity came through the lens of hatred and bigotry.
Because of that, lesbian visibility has become one of my biggest passions in writing (right up there with mental health). Itโs why I write lesbian pirates. Itโs why I wrote Kara, Roseโs out and proud lesbian, Viking girlfriend from my vampire series. Itโs why I shove more and more lesbians into everything I write. ๐
Lesbian is not an obscene word. Itโs an identity, and when you treat an identity as if itโs obscene, you treat people as if theyโre obscene.
I accepted that once. I let people convince me that I didnโt deserve to exist in broad daylightโthat I belonged in the closet.
I donโt intend to sit by while others are made to feel that way. LGBTQ+ people are people, and people deserve to exist and feel safe to exist. Itโs that simple. ๐งก๐ค๐ฉท
Iโve 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! ๐ It now has over five hundred reviews and ratings on Amazon! (And almost two hundred on Audible!) I know Iโve said this a few times now, but […]
Goddess of the Sea (Book 2 of Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons) is featured in this weekโs Sapphic Book Bingo category, โComforting the other character after a nightmare.โ ๐ If youโve read the book, you know this is a particularly significant scene for Em and Maria, so I thought Iโd 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, โremember.โ ๐ค I hope your week is off to a great start. ๐ค
Always thinking like a pirate. I shared this snippet from Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) for the #lesficfri theme, โtongue.โ Iโve recently realized Iโve been forgetting to share these snippets here, after sharing them on social media each week. So, Iโm going to work on catching them up over the […]
Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) is featured in this weekโs I Heart SapphFic Reading Challenge category, โForced Proximity.โ ๐ Because, as Judith says in Book 1, a pirate ship is โsmaller than any town, smaller than any island.โ You can find more sapphic books with forced proximity on the I […]
Britney Jackson 
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