So I built this website and we are doing this! Because we need to see if this works and you can comment there and see how it develops and I am excited! And it is FREE! Yes, BLOODY CATBOY is FREE! PLEASE be interested— #amwriting #author #scifi #queerSFF bloodycatboy.jascha.wtf

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:zttp2g52w7j2zgoqpvuumr46/post/3mccad66vgc2a

I’m gonna post about the writing process and drafts and I NEED people to yell at about this or I’ll EXPLODE— Are you interested? PLEASE be interested— #BloodyCatboy #AmWriting #QueerSFF

I’m writing a book called BLOODY CATBOY— Yes that’s the actual title stop LAUGHING— Dark queer sci-fi told like a 2am phone call where someone won’t shut up about an anime they just watched Unhinged narrator. Non-linear chaos. Combat boots AND fishnets. >> #BloodyCatboy #AmWriting #QueerSFF

I’m writing a book called BLOODY CATBOY—

Yes that’s the actual title stop LAUGHING—

Dark queer sci-fi told like a 2am phone call where someone won’t shut up about an anime they just watched

Unhinged narrator. Non-linear chaos. Combat boots AND fishnets.

I’m gonna post about the writing process and drafts and I NEED people to yell at about this or I’ll EXPLODE—

Are you interested? PLEASE be interested—

#BloodyCatboy #AmWriting #QueerSFF

Author Spotlight: Queer SFFH Author Shane Blackheart

Shane (they/them) is a disabled nonbinary author of dark queer fiction. They have been writing since they were seven years old, and they haven’t stopped since. They live in Ohio with their two cats.

They took part in the Authors for Palestine event in June 2024 and the GoFundMes of the families the event supported are linked again here in this interview. Please help if you can.

Author Links:

Instagram: @shaneblackheart
Threads: @shaneblackheart
Bluesky: @shaneblackheart.com
X/Twitter: @ShaneBlkheart
Website: shaneblackheart.com
Link for It’s Only A Little Death: little-death.carrd.co

Operation Olive Branch: https://linktr.ee/opolivebranch

GoFundMe’s Highlighted by Authors for Palestine Event: https://afp.ju.mp/#info

For the AfP event we have selected the following 3 families to help boost their fundraisers. The details below were taken from the OOB spreadsheet.

Mohammed’s fundraiser: GoFundMe
Mohammed’s Instagram: @mohammedalbaredei

Ibrahim’s fundraiser: GoFundMe
Ibrahim’s Instagram: @ibrahimwithi

Rula’s fundraiser: GoFundMe
Rula’s Instagram: @rula_mohammed

You were one of the authors involved with the Authors for Palestine event – can you tell us why you chose to get involved with this, and which of your works you put up as raffle prizes?

I just wanted to do something, but I can’t really afford to donate money and protests are out of reach for me because of my disabilities. What’s happening in Gaza is horrific, and this was the least I could do, although I’ll be doing more for sure if any other events pop up. I donated most of my current published work: Everything Is Wonderful Now and Open Wound, which are books one and two in The Requiem Series, and two short stories, What Lies Beyond and 3 AM, which are both gothic stories.

Do you find your sense of social justice and activism informs the philosophy of your writing, in terms of narrative and character arcs? If so, how?

Definitely. My biggest things are mental health awareness and bringing more visibility to trans masculine and nonbinary people. I’m really passionate about challenging harmful stigmas people often place on diagnoses I personally have, and at least in my first two books, I focus on that and how painful it can be to have to live with this stuff.

I don’t sugarcoat anything and I use blunt language because it’s important to, and the stories are based heavily on my own life. I also know how isolating and lonely it can get when you’re in really dark places or confused, so I hope some of my books can be relatable, like a friend to those who need one.

I just want to help change the narrative in any way that I can. I also include resources in the back of some of my books to encourage people to get help.

If you had to pick 3 words that sum up what your novel means to you, as the author, what would they be and why?

‘Liberating’ would be the first. Not only was it a much-needed change from writing about real-life trauma, it was just fun and validating to explore a different side of my sexual identity as a neurodivergent person, which is something I haven’t really gotten to do. ‘Nostalgic’ would be another because the vibes are close to my heart. I have a longtime love of Tim Burton films and campy, cheesy horror (including stuff like Rocky Horror Picture Show!), so this book is like comfort food to me.

It brought me a lot of happiness, and it reminded me of better times I sometimes forget. Also ‘hope,’ I think? I often worry, with my chronic illnesses and my mental health worsening over the years, that I’m slowly losing the ability to write fun stories, or to just be purely imaginative with my work, because of brain fog and just being tired a lot. This book reminded me that I haven’t lost that ability at all, which definitely gave me hope for my future as an author.

What role does memory play in your novel, and why is this an important theme?

It’s a theme I end up writing often because of my own issues with memory, rather it be forgetting things a lot or getting stuck in the past because of my mental health diagnoses, specifically the dissociative disorders I have. For the main character in the book, Silver, recovering memories, with the help of someone there for support, leads to them becoming a stronger person and being able to heal from some rough stuff.

Since they start out in the book with a fresh mind, having forgotten pretty much everything about their life, it’s a chance to view it all from a new perspective. They also have to keep a journal, so it’s very reminiscent of the kind of healing journey you’d go through while dealing with grief, trauma, or anything like that. Although it’s not good to focus too much on the bad memories, they’re really important because that’s how we grow and learn or do better. So, besides the fun and spicy parts of the story, it’s really a lot to do with learning from past mistakes, healing, and moving on from them.

What about campy b-movies & early Tim Burton led you to choose these vibes as the vehicle for your story and themes?

They were both my escape from reality for as long as I can remember, and they were a huge part of who I was growing up. Even recently, I re-watched the first Beetlejuice movie, which influenced the underworld in the book a lot, and I could watch it a hundred more times and not get sick of it. There’s just something about spending time in these morbid, weird worlds that feels like home to me, so I wanted to write something like it myself. My writing style is also kind of weird, as am I, so those vibes just fit.

Which part of the writing process did you most enjoy?

I always love writing the first draft, but especially for this one. This story just flowed from the minute I started it, and since I don’t do a lot of planning before writing, this was such a fun journey to go on and discover. There was just a constant stream of inspiration, and I finished writing this in a little over a week. I wrote for hours every day, which did not do my back or neck any favors, but I was just so excited about this one.

What made you want to merge sexual awakening with memory loss and memory construction? How does this interplay work in the book (if you can share without spoilers) and at what point in the writing/drafting process did this become a strong plot point for your book?

To get a bit personal, my relationship with sex and having a sexual identity of any kind is really complicated due to past trauma. Over the years, I’ve struggled with my own sexual identity, and since certain trauma memories related to that resurfaced, and I worked through some of them in therapy, I’ve had to sort of ‘reconstruct’ a sexual identity.

The main character, Silver, also has to work through some complicated issues with their sexual identity because of their past. This is why the monsters they confront, which hold their memories, also give them a way to explore their sexuality, even if it’s scary to them at first. The two things are intertwined, they can’t do one without the other.

The biggest reason why, without spoilers, has to do with how they died, which is a memory that had the strongest influence on pretty much everything. At the start of the book, I didn’t actually plan for any of this, haha. I wanted to write a smutty monster book, but by the time I got to Silver’s first monster, which is in chapter four, I got really invested in making it something deeper and more complex.

I wanted the sexual component to have a meaning to it, rather than just existing for smut (not to say there’s anything wrong with just writing smut, I’ve written plenty of it myself just for fun!). The journey to recover their memories was already a plot point, so I just intertwined the two.

What do you hope readers will take away from your book and why?

Although It’s Only A Little Death is categorized as erotica, I hope people can appreciate it’s overall story, and not just read it for the naughty monster scenes. I often mix erotic themes with more serious and emotional ones, mostly because sex is such a complicated subject for a lot of people. As the main character is neurodivergent, I also hope it shows that ND adults deserve to be sexually liberated too, if they want to and can be. The world infantilizes us too much.

Like This? Try These:

For #AceWeek, 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗦𝗶𝘅 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗴𝘀 is part of an Ace Pride Bundle of 25 works written by ace authors and/or featuring ace characters. Available over on Itchio for only $25!!

Show your love and grab your bundle here: https://riyati.ink/ace2025-1

#QueerBooks #AceAuthor #QueerAuthor #HowSIxSavedTheFrogs #QueerSFF

For #AceWeek, we have a massive Ace Pride Mega Bundle available over on Itchio. A whopping 51 works that are either written by ace authors, feature ace characters—or both—for only $50!!

Show your love and grab your bundle here: https://riyati.ink/acepride2025
#QueerBooks #AceAuthor #QueerAuthor #HowSIxSavedTheFrogs #QueerSFF

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗦𝗶𝘅 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗴𝘀 is part of a massive Ace Pride Mega Bundle for #AceWeek available over on Itchio. A whopping 51 works that are either written by ace authors, feature ace characters—or both—for only $50!!

Show your love and grab your bundle here: https://riyati.ink/acepride2025

#QueerBooks #AceAuthor #QueerAuthor #HowSIxSavedTheFrogs #QueerSFF

For #AceWeek, 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗦𝗶𝘅 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗴𝘀 is part of an Ace Pride Bundle of 25 works written by ace authors and/or featuring ace characters. Available over on Itchio for only $25!!

Show your love and grab your bundle here: https://riyati.ink/ace2025-1

#QueerBooks #AceAuthor #QueerAuthor #HowSIxSavedTheFrogs #QueerSFF

For #AceWeek, we have a massive Ace Pride Mega Bundle available over on Itchio. A whopping 51 works that are either written by ace authors, feature ace characters—or both—for only $50!!

Show your love and grab your bundle here: https://riyati.ink/acepride2025
#QueerBooks #AceAuthor #QueerAuthor #HowSIxSavedTheFrogs #QueerSFF

For #AceWeek, 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗦𝗶𝘅 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗴𝘀 is part of an Ace Pride Bundle of 25 works written by ace authors and/or featuring ace characters. Available over on Itchio for only $25!!

Show your love and grab your bundle here: https://riyati.ink/ace2025-1

#QueerBooks #AceAuthor #QueerAuthor #HowSIxSavedTheFrogs #QueerSFF

Good morning all! My newsletter is out, which means that not only is most everything on my Ko-Fi 40% off, but special edition books are back in stock on my Ko-fi too! Please go support your local trans author.

#queerAdultSFF #QueerSFF #writing #writingcommunity

https://ko-fi.com/anotherindiewriter/link/KSREWARD

https://www.thequillandthequasar.com/marisa-crane-i-keep-my-exoskeletons-to-myself/

#bookstodon #books #sciencefiction #queersff

Author Spotlight: Queer SFFH Author Vesper Doom

Vesper Doom (she/they) is a disabled, queer author from the greater Washington, D.C. area. When she isn’t writing horror-tinged SFF, she enjoys painting, reading, and playing video games with her husband and two cats.

Author Links:
Instagram: @vesperdoom
X/Twitter: @vesperdoom
Website: vesperdoom.carrd.co

What inspired The Binding of Bloom Mountain when you first wrote it, and what inspired the amendments in your second edition?

The initial inspiration for BOBM was moving from an urban area to a rural one during the pandemic. There is a large tree off the side of a mountain south of the town we live near and made me wonder if the tree was part of any local folk lore. That, combined with the general atmosphere of Appalachia, made me come up with a ritual to bind the magic of a mountain. The second–definitive–edition of BOBM will primarily be in smoothing over the prose and clearing up issues with the pace and flow of the novel. I didn’t have an editor the first time around, so it is also getting a professional edit.

What is it about the Shenandoah Valley that lends itself as a setting to a cozy horror/fantasy novel?

The whole atmosphere of Shenandoah leads itself to fantasy, in my opinion. The Blue Ridge Mountains are the oldest mountains in North America and you can really feel that age when you are driving through them. In the fall through spring, there is often mist that hugs the dips in the landscape and storms cling to the mountain tops. There are as more byways than main roads throughout Shenandoah and I’ve always enjoyed driving along them and letting my imagination go wild. I grew up coming here to see family, and then again with my husband when we started dating. It’s a special place to me and because it is on the Appalachian Trail and has the largest east coast National Park. I wanted to create an idealized version of this place, with the vibes I’ve absorbed in my time here.

Can you tell us a bit about the concept of ‘binding’ magic, and how this plays into the idea of balance and community within the novel and the magic system of your world?

The “binding” is a yearly ritual that one person, The Binder, completes. But the people of Milton all have side rituals that they complete: prayers, offerings, sacrifices, to help The Binder complete the ritual. It brings the community together to keep themselves safe, and then once the Binding is complete, there is a big party! The whole of the Valley turns up in Milton to celebrate the Binding of Bloom Mountain, because even though the mountain and Milton are small parts of a larger whole, they are connected to the rest through complicated magics and histories. The story itself is also about finding a community and doing what you can for that community, even if you do not really realize you are doing it.

Do you see parallels with queerness and magic, and does this / how does this get explored in the novel?

In BOBM, Celeste comes to terms with herself through the ordeal that is losing her job, stepping way out of her comfort zone, and completing the ritual itself. It’s very much a story of accepting yourself and your place in the world, which I think is relevant to queer and neurodivergent people. Especially those who came out or were diagnosed later in life (like myself).

What came first in terms of the plotting, was it the romance or the horror elements, or were they conceived together?

The horror plot came first. It started with the Old Oak Tree and the Hangman that is bound to it, then the rest of the ritual steps. Somewhere along the way Celeste met Marta and told me that she wanted to be with Marta. I dont think I did the romance justice in the original story, so that is something I am expanding upon a little bit in the Definitive Edition. The epilogue will provide a nice look at the future for my girls.

Share your favourite quote from The Binding of Bloom Mountain and let us know why you loved it / loved writing it.

My favorite quote is this one, from the revised version:

She followed the road through the foothills and then up into the mountains, until Celeste breached the Appalachians and was consumed by them.

I love the area I live in and I’m very affected by natural beauty, so I wanted to try and capture that in BOBM. And I really feel like that quote does encompass what it feels like to drive into the Blue Ridge and Appalachians. The scenery consumes you and it feels like there is nowhere else in the world.

Like This? Try These:

Check out my urban fantasy novel, Idle Hands.

Available on all ebook platforms or direct and DRM-free on Itch:

https://aubreyjones.itch.io/idle-hands
https://books2read.com/b/bxyQvl

#IndieApril #IndieAuthors #UrbanFantasy #QueerSFF #PulpFiction #AnarchistLit #QueerAuthor #AutisticAuthor

My posts are super political, but my stories are never sermons or op-eds.

I write pulpy power fantasies for radicals and the othered. They're probably not cozy, but they're cathartic as fuck.

Check out my debut novel:

https://aubreyjones.itch.io/idle-hands

#UrbanFantasy #QueerSFF #PulpFiction #AnarchistLit #QueerAuthor #AutisticAuthor

Speculative Anthologies That Get Creative With Gender

Here are 5 fantastic speculative fiction anthologies that get creative with gender concepts.
The post Speculative Anthologies That Get Creative With Gender appeared first on Reactor.
https://reactormag.com/speculative-anthologies-that-get-creative-with-gender/

#Blog #anthologies #bookrecommendations #EmbodiedExegesis #gender #genderqueer #InaraLightofUtopia #LGBTQ #LoveaftertheEnd #queerSFF #TheVela
@indieauthors

Call for Papers:
“Speculating Gender: Trans and Non-Binary Genders in Speculative Fiction”

How is gender imagined in speculative fiction, where all kinds of imaginations are seemingly possible? What kind of representation, narratives, or game mechanics are used when creating gendered imaginations beyond the binary? We call for papers for a scholarly anthology on current understandings on “Trans and Non-Binary Genders in Speculative Fiction”.

Prospectively, a selection of papers will be published as a peer-reviewed research anthology edited by Dr. Aino-Kaisa Koistinen, Dr. Mika Loponen, and PhD candidate Susi Nousiainen. Please send a 300-500 word abstract, including selected references, & short bio (in English) to nbbookproject@gmail.com by April 15, 2025 for inclusion in the collection (we expect first drafts of 5,000–8,000 words in August 2025).

Feel free to share!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MaT4kwhNF18cGkD26SJu1RptfnxIGJFlxsp7qEK7J3k/edit?usp=sharing

#sff #sffstudies #speculativefiction #scifi #fantasy #QueerSF #queersff

gods, The Kindom Trilogy goes so hard. almost halfway through On Vicious Worlds, and I had to go on thriftbooks to buy these to own rather than just using library copies.

can't wait to see what Jacobs has in store for the second half of this book, not to mention the finale

#bookstodon #sff #scifi #queersff

Only 2 Days Left to Fund my Kickstarter! Higher tier rewards included SIGNED PAPERBACKS with even more signed items as optional add ons! Tons of bonuses that you can't get ANYWHERE else right now!

~~PLUS: BooksThatBurn.Com has GENEROUSLY offered to MATCH PLEDGES when you email them a screenshot of your pledge! ~~

ETA: FYI: We are FUNDED now! Matching is closed! You can still support the Kickstarter, but booksthatburn.com offer to match is closed. Thank you!

• No AI
• Author is queer and disabled!
• Narrator is queer and disabled!
• Characters are queer and disabled!

We're only $250 short of the goal and this WON'T happen unless we fund it! I am low-income due to disability and can't otherwise come up with the money needed to pay a HUMAN narrator!

#supporthumanartists #kickstarter #indieauthor #QueerWriters #DisabledArtist #disabledauthor #queersff #queerbooks #crowdfunding

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/daxaeterna/shades-and-silver-the-audiobook?ref=6uxeim