Wild Fire (Drake Security #3)

Both working through my TBR piles AND reading recently debuted novels...because I can. Here's Mika Nix's (K.M. Neuhold + Mia Monroe) third novel in their Drake Security series, "Wild Fire."

["He’s my nemesis, my rival, and the man I can’t get out of my head. We may be star-crossed but there’s enough heat between us to start a wildfire. 

I’ve never been one to follow the rules, but sleeping with a wolf shifter might be over the line, even for me. So, why can’t I get him out of my head? Or his scent out of my nose. Even on the other side of the world, I swear I can still smell him. 

Everyone has a hobby, mine just happens to be stealing from the rich and powerful to give back to the rightful owners. A native art exhibit in Sydney is the last place I expected to see Draydon again. I can’t shake the feeling that he’s here for the same reason I am… and here I thought larceny couldn’t get any more fun. 

I’m a dragon without a proper hoard and he’s too jaded to even trust his own pack. But we’ve already lit a fire that’s getting out of hand. 

Stealing Draydon’s heart might be my most impossible heist yet."]

This book, this series, is one of the best I've ever read. And that's saying something. I mean, yes, I feel that way about a lot of books/series, but honestly, there's so much emotion and feeling packed into this. So much love and dedication and possessiveness and protectiveness and love and fate and fairy tales. 

Like, in most romantic books, there's a metaphor for the butterflies in your stomach and the green eyed monster of jealousy and the feeling of rightness/completeness and the purr of happiness/contentness. Obviously. There's so many ways to describe all of those feelings, all of those emotions, all of those cliches (cliches work y'all, that's why they're cliches). But in this series, those metaphors are a physical and emotional and fairy tale part of the main characters. It's their personality. It's them. Arson's dragon. Dray's wolf. It's what makes them above the average romance character (and the, well, paranormal character). 

I can't. 

I also can't wait for the rest of this series (I heard Tino is next--though I'm curious about Mac), or the spin-off series about the wolf pack (god, I need so much of them). I wonder if their will be a spin-off-spin-off series with the vampires?? Or fae... Huh. I need more info (and books).

#hothead #smolder #wildfire #drakesecurity #drakesecurityseries #mikanix #kmneuhold #miamonroe #paranormal #books #queerbooks #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Writing Sucks

Okay, so I haven't written, not really, in over year and a half. Wow. I mean, I knew it was long, but that's loooooong (whole other rant or another day--excuses sure but also, having an over-worked/over-whelmed/over-stimulated brain for 10 hours a day leads to literally nothing left for creative endeavorers after hours). 

I started feeling the desire to reread the book I finished during COVID Lock Down (and then got rejected by a lot of agents about six months later). It was more so a few specific scenes I wanted to relive, but I figured I might as well reread the whole thing.

I got a few sections/chapters in and was like, okay, I see we need to change A, B, and C, and if we do DEF to this section, it'll make more sense. Then I got further and further and now I'm both overwhelmed with all of the changes that need done and the sections that need trimmed/cut. Like, holy shit. This stuff is bad. Like, I mean, some of the sections/chapters/scenes are good and reusable...

but holy. shit. I now hate myself, and everything I've ever accomplished. Bring on imposer syndrome and self-doubt and everything in between. Yes, I'm being a tad over-dramatic, and yes, I'm comparing my shit book with stuff that's been editing/published by professional (who wouldn't), and yes, I'll be okay. I just might not write again for another year and a half. 

This piece needed like re-aged and I was going to spice it up some, but it honestly might be better off if I just like chuck it into a random folder on my Dropbox and forget about for another calendar year (or more). This whole piece needs rewritten from the ground up, maybe with a few of those good sections/chapters/scenes added in.

Self-deprecating slash I-hate-writing rant over (maybe).

I'm now off to read about gay love or listen to some true crime podcasts (or eat half a pie) to make myself feel better. Or all of it. (all of it).

#whyiswritingsohard  #whyisrevisingsohard #writing #editing #revision #writingproblems #editingproblems #revisionproblems #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

The Husband Hoax (Accidental Love #1)

Trying to (slowly) go through my TBR piles. Here's Saxon James's "Husband Hoax" (which is in the same universe as her's and Eden Finley's Puck Boys series, specifically the latest novel, "Foolish Puckboy"--Christian is BFFs with Gabe). "Husband Hoax" is the first novel in her (Saxon's) series, Accidental Love.

["Christian
Being invited to my cousin’s wedding really shouldn’t be such a big deal except, oh yeah, I haven't seen my family for a decade.
My parents turned their backs on me and I’ve done everything since to become successful and show them what they lost. Only, it’s kinda hard to be a success when you’re a walking trainwreck.
So I’m going to fake it. Hire a guy with an online presence so impressive they’ll be desperate to welcome me back into the elitist fold, and roll into the wedding with the kind of confidence I’ve never felt a day in my life.
The plan’s a knockout.
Until my fake date cancels minutes before the ceremony.

Émile
One letter from my dearly departed grandfather, and suddenly I’m on a husband hunt.
He’s reworked his entire will so I’m set to inherit far more than I'm entitled to, and all because he’s asked me to use that money for “good”.
In order to get that inheritance, though, there’s one stipulation: marriage.
Even with his request, I’m tempted to stick to my original plan of getting as far from my wretched family as possible, and letting them fight it out.
But then I run into a tall drink of scattered mess outside of a wedding who’s in desperate need of a date, and the pieces click into place.
I help him, he helps me.
Marriage, money, then go our separate ways.
Easy.
Now all I have to do is stop myself from actually falling for the guy."]

This meet-cute/meet-ugly slash arrangement was so damn cute. Émile was so sweet and protective of Christian. And Christian treated Émile with so much respect and kindness that Émile was just shook. Neither of them had been treated like that (Christian had, but by his non-romantic friends, but Émile never had, by anyone). They were meant for each other, even if they avoided the obvious while pursuing the hoax (which they did...a lot).

I mean, they felt so much and so deep, but they ignored it due to the not so conventional circumstances that was their relationship. Idiots. ANYway, they did figure it out (HEA guaranteed with Saxon—after I cried). So. Freaking. Good.

Trigger Warnings: homophobia, asshole families, blackmail, and more

#thehusbandhoax #notdatingmaterial #saxonjames #accidentallove #accidentalloveseries #foolishpuckboy #puckboys #puckboysseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Goodbye, June!

June was long as hell. Then again, it was busy as hell. I did a lot and had a lot of fun (so much fun, so many memories). But holy hell, some of the things I did in the beginning of the month seem like they happened eons ago.

  

2023 Resolutions:
     (1) Write [almost] every day...or at least think about it
     (2) Don't stop reading
     (3) Make something (e.g. a memories)
     (4) Share love of books/writing
     (5) Be kinder to myself

(1) *Cricket*

(2) Books read this month: 22 (might get one more in there before midnight though).

(3) June Memories: My dad's birthday, so cake. I also took him to the Clemente Museum in town, which he loved; we also got burgers (and eclairs) after. My grandma and I went to see the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra place alongside the OG "Little Mermaid." My friends and I got tacos and margaritas one Friday night, which resulted in drunk shopping at HomeGoods. I want to goat yoga with my coworkers, which was less picturesque than any of us had imagined. My doggo had a birthday, and subsequently destroyed the new toy I got him (and the ice cream cup). My sister visited for a week, and we went on a lot a adventures (including soup dumplings, cheese fries, and getting drunk a few times--not all in the same meal/day). I got two new tattoos (pictures to come eventually). We went to a local berry festival. I read all queer-themed books for pride month. I did something new and fun for my pride month themed posts (ABCs). June was a really fun (but busy as hell) month. Though downside: there were a lot of days with air-quality alerts, so we couldn't go outside and enjoy the nice (not too hot nor too humid) weather. 

(4) Posts this month (including this one): 51.

(5) Not sick for once. Mental health was pretty steady. Weight was pretty steady. Feeling the desire to better myself again, ready to get back on the elliptical and maybe eating better (or at least less).

Anyone still holding onto their resolutions?

Any exciting July reads?
Anything I should check out?

#newyearsresolutions #goodbyejune #hellojuly #hello2023 #keeplearning #writeeveryday #dontstopreading #makesomething #shareloveofbooks #bekindertoself #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Pride 2023: Goodbye

How does one say goodbye to Pride Month? 

It's more than rainbow colored capitalism. It always has been. It's more than Target pulling their items because people are ignorant and afraid (because there's no where else to buy these items). It's more than banning people because it might make their kids gay (because reading about princes/princesses will turn your child into royalty, obviously). It's more than a few weeks of being "allowed" space to march, to speak, to be.

Pride Month is a revolution. It's a fucking liberation. It's fighting for ones space to just simple exist. It's fighting for a small section of society to just be. It's fighting for something, anything. It's a fight, simple as that.

It's about rights. Never having them, getting a few, losing it all, gaining back some. A cis-het white man never lost his rights (even in prison, so many of these men still have more freedom then queer folx).

It's about trying to exist in a place where seemingly no one wants them to. It's about pushing through each and every day, trying to be proud of oneself, of one's life, of one's choices (not that queerness/gender/sexuality is a choice--it's not). It's living when society is telling you not to. It's about never giving up, no matter what. It's about surviving, even if it's on the streets. It's about living, even if it's with nothing. It's about finding safe spaces. It's about found fucking family. 

Pride is about being. It's about marching, about finally given the space to be after so many years of hiding in closets and secret bars. It's about books for adults, for teens, for children who might be questioning themselves or who might have "nontraditional" families, all of whom never previously saw themselves in books, let alone movies, tv shows, or music videos. It's about stores, independently owned/small businesses and larger chain stores, selling these books, selling clothes and decor and more (items people previously had to hand-make to simply have) after never giving so many marginalized communities a space to be outside of where they were forced to hide. 

Pride Month... is so much. It's so fucking much for so many people. I hope this past month was good to you, in at least the smallest of ways. I hope you found a place to be, a place to march, a book to read. I hope you made a new friend. I hope you learned something about pride (about gender or sexuality or queerness in general), about yourself. I hope you had at least one good night sleep, at least one hot meal, at least one safe hug. 

If you need resources for safe spaces or simply for informing yourself, please refer back to my resources page from the beginning of the month. If you need a book to read to inform yourself on some of these queer communities, whether it's an informative one, a children's one, or a romance novel, please reach out to me (I have several recommendations for you).
If you're looking for a sign to hold on or to come out, this is it (stay strong, my friend--and if coming out to you is whispering in the mirror of who you are, that counts too; if you can't or don't want to shout it from the rooftops yet, hold on and stay strong). I love you; you are loved.

Maybe by next Pride Month, we'll have even more to celebrate (hopefully the world hasn't burned down by then). That's what get's us through though it all, it's it? Hope.

#pride #pridemonth #pride2022 #pridebooks #lgbt #lgbtbooks #rainbow #betruebeyou #wholebunchofgaydisastersyall #queerbooks #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Pride 2023: Facts & Flags

I miss my flag posts, and I never gave you your facts post...so why not do both?! Facts & Flags (alongside my second ever book rainbow--taken last year)

Facts:

• Every color of the rainbow flag means something.
• In 1967, the Oscar Wilde memorial bookshop opened in New York City. It was the first gay bookshop in the world.
• In 1976, a kiss-in was hosted in Toronto after two men were arrested for kissing at the corner of Bloor and Yonge streets. Protesters stood on the same corner and kissed in front of police officers.
• In May 1959, a group of LGBTQ individuals who were fed up with being mistreated by the police fought back at Cooper Do-Nuts in Los Angeles. According to Out, the group, which was led by several transgender women, "pelted officers with donuts, coffee, and paper plates until they were forced to retreat and return with larger numbers." It is believed to be the first documented LGBTQ uprising in U.S. history.
• It is believed that the term 'lesbian' comes from the Greek island Lesbos. Sappho, a Greek poetess known for her poetry about the beauty of other women, and her love for them, was from the island.
• Many of the early LGBTQ+ rights marches included "liberation" or "freedom" in their names, and for good reason - plenty of queer people wanted to be liberated from the shackles of heteronormative society, to feel that they could simply be themselves without having to answer to anyone. By the time the 1980s came around, the word "liberation" wasn't being used quite as much, with many marches instead going with "Pride". Part of that was down to elements of conservatism within the movement - notably, some marches were reluctant to adopt the change.
• Marsha P. Johnson is often credited with throwing the first punch at the Stonewall Inn (though there are many prominent figures who are also rumored to have done so). She was a Black trans woman celebrating her 25th birthday at the time of the riots and a tour de force in the gay community. She died in 1992 at just 46 years old after police found her body in the Hudson River - her death was initially ruled a suicide, despite friends and loved ones insisting that could not be the case.
• Shania Twain was inspired to write "Man! I Feel Like a Woman" after watching a drag performance.
• Stormé DeLarverie was a gay rights activist and drag performer who was also at Stonewall when it was raided that night. Her friend, Lisa Cannistraci, told the New York Times upon her death in 2014, "Nobody knows who threw the first punch, but it's rumored that she did, and she said she did. She told me she did."
• Sylvia Rivera was an activist and self-professed drag queen who also played a part in the Stonewall Riots. She fought for transgender rights alongside Marsha P. Johnson, creating S.T.A.R. (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) to help house homeless LGBTQ youth. She advocated for transgender rights until her death in 2002.
• The first Pride flag was designed by gay artist Gilbert Baker in 1978. It originally had eight stripes with each color symbolizing a different concept. The flag first flew on Gay Pride Day in San Francisco on June 25, 1978.
• The Society for Human Rights is the oldest documented gay rights organization in the U.S. It's based in Chicago and was founded by Henry Gerber in 1924. While stationed in Germany on Army duty, Gerber was met with an open LGBT community. His hope was to replicate this open, mainstream LGBT community in the U.S. It was an uphill battle as he faced threats and was arrested, but he never stopped advocating for the LGBT community. In 2015, the Henry Gerber House was declared a National Historic Landmark.
• The Stonewall Uprising took place early morning on June 28, 1969 when police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar known as a safe place for LGBTQIA+ individuals. The raid sparked riots, six days of protests, and clashes with police. Although the uprising was not the start of the LGBTQIA+ movement, it was seen as a critical moment and spark in the movement. The Stonewall Inn is still open today in New York City and is a national monument!
• The U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states on June 26, 2015. This was a monumental moment for the LGBTQIA+ community. The Court's ruling means that states can no longer deny same-sex marriages and must recognize their unions. Love wins!

*Facts from: various internet sources (mostly reliable and inclusive ones, but a few were popular mega-media sites)

Flags:

• Agender Pride: black (absence of gender), gray (semi-genderless), white (absence of gender), green (non-binary individuals), white (absence of gender), gray (semi-genderless), black (absence of gender)
• Aromantic Pride: dark green (aromanticism), light green (aromantic spectrum), white (platonic and aesthetic attraction), gray (gray-romantic and demi-romantic) , black (sexuality spectrum)
• Asexual Pride: black (asexual), gray (demisexual), white (allies), purple (community)
• Bisexual Pride: pink (same sex attraction), purple (breadth of gender spectrum), blue (other sex attraction)
• Demisexual Pride: white (sexuality), purple (community), gray (gray asexuality/demisexuality), black triangle (asexuality)
• Gay Men Pride: traditional male colors spanning a spectrum to cover multiple versions of different traditional male identities and attractions (eg masc to twink)
• Gender Fluid Pride: pink (femininity), white (lack of gender), purple (mix of male/female & queer identity), black (third/other/all genders), indigo (masculinity)
• Gender Queer Pride: purple (mix of male/female & queer identity), white (gender neutral identity), green (third/other/all genders)
• Graysexual Pride: purple (asexuality), gray (graysexuality), white (allosexuality), gray (graysexuality), purple (asexuality)
• Intersexual Pride: yellow and purple (non-binary colors/gender-neutral colors--representing wholeness/rightness/completeness)
• Lesbian Pride: traditional female colors spanning a spectrum to cover multiple version of different traditional female identities and attractions (eg femme to butch)
• Non-Binary Pride: yellow (without/outside gender binary), white (many/all genders), purple (mix of female/male & queer identity), black (without gender)
• Omnisexual Pride: light pink (variations of attraction to femme), dark pink (variations of attraction to femme), black (third/other/all genders), dark blue (variations of attraction to masc), light blue (variations of attraction to masc)
• Pansexual Pride: pink (attraction to femme), yellow (attraction to nonbinary), blue (attraction to masc)
• Polysexual Pride: pink (attraction to femme), green (attraction outside f/m binary), blue (attraction to masc)
• Queer Pride (Philadelphia meets Gilbert Baker)...hot pink (sex), red (life), orange (healing), yellow (sunlight), green (nature), turquoise (magic/art), indigo (serenity/harmony), violet (spirit), brown (inclusivity), black (diversity)
• Questioning Pride: pastel rainbow and question mark represents general queer society and questioning ones space inside of it regardless of time, place, age, etc
• Transexual Pride: blue (traditional male color), pink (traditional female color), white (transitional, neutral color, intersex), pink (traditional female color), blue (traditional male color)

Just like with my resources page, please feel free to drop anything (or you want to add your own fact) I missed below in the comments!

#pride #pridemonth #pride2022 #pridebooks #lgbt #lgbtbooks #rainbow #betruebeyou #wholebunchofgaydisastersyall #queerbooks #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Northranger

Random Facebook add, let me introduce you to my lack of impulse control (and my Amazon Prime account). Here's Rey Terciero's (author) and Bre Indigo's (illustrator) "Northranger."

["In this swoony and spooky teen summer romance graphic novel set on a Texas ranch, sixteen-year-old Cade Muñoz finds himself falling for the ranch owner's mysterious and handsome son, only to discover that he may be harboring a dangerous secret.

Cade has always loved to escape into the world of a good horror movie. After all, horror movies are scary--but to Cade, a closeted queer Latino teen growing up in rural Texas--real life can be way scarier.

When Cade is sent to spend the summer working as a ranch hand to help earn extra money for his family, he is horrified. Cade hates everything about the ranch, from the early mornings to the mountains of horse poop he has to clean up. The only silver lining is the company of the two teens who live there--in particular, the ruggedly handsome and enigmatic Henry.

But as unexpected sparks begin to fly between Cade and Henry, things get... complicated. Henry is reluctant to share the details of his mother's death, and Cade begins to wonder what else he might be hiding. Inspired by the gothic romance of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey and perfect for fans of Heartstopper and Bloom comes a modern love story so romantic it's scary."]

This book was fun. Cade’s obsession with horror movies really bleeds into the story and the mysteries surrounding the ranch. But so does his feelings for Henry, which are mutual—spoiler alert). As does the rural Texas mentality and general bigotry surrounding gender rules and sexuality, so fun times there, too (please look at the trigger warnings below). 

A few well rounded and full topiced book for young adults and grown adults to dive into for more information and perspective on…life. 

Trigger Warnings: homophobia, misogyny, animal cruelty (it’s a ranch), racism, domestic violence, confronting death, depression/anxiety, and more 

#queergraphicnovel #YAgraphicnovel #graphicnovels #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks