Tag: sapphic books

Goldie Award

My second Goldie. How is this real? ๐Ÿฅน

2025 Goldie Award for Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) by Britney Jackson

For anyone who mightโ€™ve missed it, last week, in Albany, New York, Goddess of the Sea won a Goldie Award in Fantasy! ๐Ÿ’™

I guess it hasnโ€™t fully sunk in yetโ€”because it still feels so strange to say. ๐Ÿ˜…

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 donโ€™t know if there are strong enough words to convey how much it means to me, butโ€ฆI hoped I conveyed at least a fraction of it.

Iโ€™m going to try to do a more official andโ€ฆmaybe more eloquent post soon, but for now, Iโ€™m just really grateful. ๐Ÿ’™

Iโ€™m also so happy I was able to meet some of you at GCLS! ๐Ÿ’™

Iโ€™m missing everyone so much this week.

Huge congratulations to the other winners, as well! ๐Ÿ’™

Oh, and I believe you can still watch the Goldie Awards on YouTube, if you missed them. ๐Ÿ’™

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GCLS Conference Schedule

Are you going to GCLS this year? Hereโ€™s where you can find me, if you are! ๐Ÿ’™

WEDNESDAY:
2 p.m. – Iโ€™m a panelist for โ€œMythical Beings Unite: The Rise of Romantasy.โ€

3 p.m. – Iโ€™m a panelist for โ€œBeyond the Norm: Chills and Thrills of Writing Romance with Non-human Characters.โ€

THURSDAY:
11 a.m. – Iโ€™m a panelist for โ€œReflecting Reality: The Importance of Including People with Disabilities in Sapphic Stories.โ€

FRIDAY:
11 a.m. – Iโ€™ll be reading from Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) at the Author Spotlight.

And of course, on Saturday, Iโ€™ll be at the Author Signing and at the Awards later that evening.

Iโ€™m so excited, and Iโ€™d love to see you, if youโ€™re attending! ๐Ÿ’™

(Just keep in mind Iโ€™m even shyer in person than I am on here. ๐Ÿ˜…)

Image: Rainbow flag background with GCLS logo and rainbow-colored schedule. Text: GCLS Conference, Albany, New York. July 16-20, 2025. Britney Jackson: WEDNESDAY, 2:00 p.m. - Mythical Beings Unite: The Rise of Romantasy. WEDNESDAY, 3:00 p.m. - Beyond the Norm: Chills & Thrills of Writing Romance with Non-human Characters. THURSDAY, 11:00 a.m. - Reflecting Reality: The Importance of Including People with Disabilities in Sapphic Stories. FRIDAY, 11:00 a.m. - Author Spotlight: Reading from Goddess of the Sea. SATURDAY, 2:00 p.m. - Author Signing. SATURDAY, 6:00 p.m. - Awards.
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Snippet (and Happy Pride)

With the way things have been, it felt like a good time to share one of Emโ€™s PTSD scenes. ๐Ÿ’™

I hope youโ€™re doing okayโ€”but if you arenโ€™t, thatโ€™s okay, too. Itโ€™s understandable.

Try not to feel shame over it. ๐Ÿ’™

Excerpt on light-blue sea background with a dragon separating the text: โ€œSorry.โ€ โ€œFor what?โ€ Maria saidโ€”with enough casual dismissiveness to stun Emilia into silence. She waved the flask impatiently, and Emilia took it. โ€œThank you.โ€ Emilia lifted the flask to her lips. Maria's gaze didn't waver. โ€œAnytime, love.โ€ Emilia spat out the first sip and swallowed the next. Despite Mariaโ€™s dismissive response, the shame continued to press against Emilia's chest. She took a few more sips, but the weight only seemed to grow. โ€œI didnโ€™t realize lโ€™dโ€”โ€ Emilia stammered, โ€œthat my mind hadโ€”โ€ โ€œI know,โ€ Maria interrupted. Again . . . dismissive. Yet, her eyes didn't match her tone. Mariaโ€™s gaze didnโ€™t flick away from Emilia the way her words had. No, those large, brown eyes remained steady and focused on Emiliaโ€”soft with concern. โ€” from GODDESS OF THE SEA, LESBIANS, PIRATES, & DRAGONS: BOOK 2, by Britney Jackson.
Goddess of the Sea

This snippet from Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) was for the #lesficfri theme, โ€œlips.โ€

Also, I havenโ€™t been on much this month because Iโ€™ve been in a bit of a depressive episode. So, I donโ€™t think Iโ€™ve wished you a happy Pride through the website yet.

Happy Pride, and please, be safe. โค๏ธ๐Ÿงก๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’œ

Two women raising hands and Pride flag on rainbow background. Text: Happy Pride.
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Mental Health Awareness

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? ๐Ÿ˜…

If youโ€™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 illnessโ€”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 shouldnโ€™t either. Mental illness isnโ€™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 โ€œgross.โ€

Itโ€™s hard to write honest portrayals of mental illnessโ€”because it often feels like no one cares about that. They just want excitement and action. On top of that, it means youโ€™re going to see the word โ€œunlikeable,โ€ especially if your characters are women. People treat us this way in real life, too; theyโ€™re just a little less shameless about it.

Butโ€ฆsomeone out there is struggling and needs to feel less alone. Someone out there needs this story. Thatโ€™s why we do itโ€”even when itโ€™s scary, even when it hurts, even when it feels like no one cares. ๐Ÿ’š

Image: The covers of Pirates of Aletharia (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 1) and Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) by Britney Jackson on a green watercolor background. Text: Mental Health Awareness. Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons. Arrows to each cover with the words: PSTD, Anxiety, and C-PTSD.
Image: The covers of The Stone of the Eklektos, The Tomb of Blood, The Assassins of Light, and The Reign of Darkness by Britney Jackson on green watercolor background. Text: Mental Health Awareness. Creatures of Darkness. Arrows to each cover with the words: C-PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder.
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A Book of the Year

While I was in catch-up-after-a-migraine mode, I realized there was a piece of good news I couldโ€™ve sworn Iโ€™d shared last month but didnโ€™t. (Knowing me, itโ€™s probably saved in drafts somewhere.)

Anyway, Iโ€™m happy to share that Goddess of the Sea was voted a Book of the YEAR in the Fantasy category on I Heart SapphFic. ๐Ÿ’™

Thank you so much to everyone who voted for it! This is the book I was most terrified to releaseโ€”because I was scared people wouldnโ€™t understand the mental illness focus or wouldnโ€™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 justโ€ฆscared. So, for people to actually like this book, it justโ€”it makes me cry. Iโ€™m so happy. ๐Ÿฅน

Thank you. ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’™

You can view the other winners at the link below. ๐Ÿ’™

Cover of Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) by Britney Jackson on purple, gold, and black background with a purple and gold award image. Text: I Heart SapphFic 2024 Book of the Year. Fantasy.
2024 Books of the Year
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Audiobook Release

For my audio readers: the audiobook for Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) is officially out! ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ‰๐Ÿ’™

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 couldnโ€™t think clearly enough to put the post together. ๐Ÿ˜…

Iโ€™m so excited to listen to Lindsey Dorcusโ€™s incredibly talented narration along with you. (I just downloaded mine! ๐Ÿ˜)

And I really hope you enjoy it! ๐Ÿ’™

The audiobook cover for Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 2) by Britney Jackson.
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Snippet – Sword

The way to a womanโ€™s heart is, of course, a sword. (Literally and figuratively.)

A snippet from Book 1 this time! ๐Ÿ–ค

Excerpt on candlelit background: โ€œHow are you liking the sword?โ€ The truth was that Emilia loved it, but sheโ€™d never admit as much. โ€œI'll need to stab you with it before I can say for sure.โ€ Maria chuckled at that. โ€œYou'll have your chance.โ€ โ€œIs that a promise, Captain?โ€ โ€” from PIRATES OF ALETHARIA, LESBIANS, PIRATES, & DRAGONS: BOOK 1, by Britney Jackson.
Pirates of Aletharia

I shared this one from Pirates of Aletharia (Lesbians, Pirates, & Dragons: Book 1) for the #lesficfri theme, โ€œpromise.โ€

Iโ€™ll probably share another snippet within the next day or so (because Iโ€™m like two weeks behind on them here ๐Ÿ˜…), but until then, I hope you have the best day possible! ๐Ÿ–ค๏ฟผ๏ฟผ

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