Since we’re on the subject of things to get to better understand autism, or to gift people so they can better understand autism…
…While fiction, rather than non-fiction, the novel On The Edge Of Gone by
Corinne Duyvis is excellent. Young adult post apocalyptic novel staring an young autistic woman, with lots of well written LGBTQIA+ side characters to boot, written by an openly autistic author, and as an autistic adult contains what might be the most real feeling depiction of autism I have ever read, fiction or non-fiction. It’s also a cracking good read.
Excellent book 10/10, have never related to a character so hard. And the autism stuff – the traits that come out like stimming by tapping fingers on their thigh, the sensory stuff, and even the “coming out” as autistic is just written so naturally, so properly, so damn well.
You never find out the trans girl’s deadname, and the MC has a special interest in cats.
Alexandra Graff, a Californian living in Paris, is a stained-glass artist whose synesthesia gives her the ability to see sounds in the form of colors. When she’s commissioned to create glass panels for the new Philharmonie, she forms a special bond with the intriguing Halina Piotrowski, a famous Polish pianist. As their relationship develops, Alexandra shows Halina the beautiful images her music inspires. But when it comes to a lasting future together, will Halina’s fear of roots and commitment stand in the way?
US/Canada: If you purchase the print edition of Concerto in Chroma Major before July 12, 2018 from the IP Web Store, you will automatically receive the multi-format eBook for free with your order.
International: Order the print edition by July 12, 2018 from your favorite book retailer and receive free multi-format eBook by submitting a copy of your receipt to contact@interludepress.com.
About the Author
Born and raised in Paris, France, Naomi Tajedler learned to love art from the womb when her father played guitar to her pregnant mother. Her love of books led her to a Bachelor of Arts in Book Restoration and Conservation, followed by a Master’s Degree in Art Market Management. Her first short story, What The Heart Wants, was published in SUMMER LOVE (2015), an LGBTQ Young Adult collection by Duet Books. In 2017, one of her flash fiction stories was published by Queer Fiction Press. She also contributed to the Cassandra Project, a collection of works sold for the benefit of Rrain. When not writing, Naomi can be found sharing body positivity tips on social media and trying recipes out on her loved ones.
EDIT: according to the author on Goodreads, it has –
Fat representation
Jewish representation (both secular and more traditional)
wlw
Synesthesia
Genderfluid representation
Good food
A tour of Paris, by a Parisian 😉
And, of course, music and art!
OH HEYYYYY! Leah On the Offbeat is finally here and that means it’s senior year for our faves and that also means…PROM AT CREEKWOOD HIGH!!!!! There is so much goodness in this book and we can’t wait to hear what you think of this awesome sequel to Simon. Thank you Becky Alberalli for this gem and for giving us ALL the senior year feels 😍💛😎
[Stack of library books including The Fictional Woman, Too Fat Too Slutty Too Loud, History Is All You Left Me, More Happy Than Not, Drag Teen, The Moonlight Dreamers, Tell It To The Moon, and When We Rise. In the background is another stack of Kerry Greenwood’s Corinna Chapman mysteries without library stickers.]
I despise doing posts where I ask for help, but here we are.
About two years ago I started a new creator owned project. It began as a spin-off of Princeless, but the reality is this – Raven The Pirate Princess is its own thing altogether. I knew this from the first issue and if you’ve been reading, so have you.
Sure, the first few issues of Raven: Pirate Princess had that heroic lady feminist banter for which Princeless has become known both among its fans and detractors. I mean, Raven had this scene:
and issue 1 had this scene:
But perhaps much more importantly, the first issue of Raven had this:
but that wasn’t where that ended. This is a book about a community of diverse queer women actively claiming their place in the world and taking what’s theirs. It’s about Raven, who is desperately in love with her childhood best friend Ximena
It’s about Ximena, a girl who was held captive for years by a pirate king who pretended to be her liberator. Who fell in love with the pirate’s daughter, only to be left behind by that father when she outlived her value.
About Sunshine, the thief that chose the wrong target and ended up falling in love with a woman already hopelessly in love with somebody else.
It’s about Katie, the bisexual second in command who’s motivated by honor…and occasionally beating the snot out of a dude or two
Oh and in case I forgot to mention, Katie is also incredibly muscular:
And Jayla, the asexual science genius who’s tired of being treated like a little sister
and Cid, the deaf engineer who quietly keeps the ship running
and of course, these two:
The socially awkward poet and the angry sword fighter who couldn’t stand her who have somehow become these two:
But here’s the thing: this comic is failing. It has a very dedicated and exuberant but at this point SMALL fanbase. Today I had a hard conversation with Action Lab about the reality of the numbers on this book versus what it costs to produce this book and, suffice it to say, Action Lab isn’t ready to cancel the book, but they aren’t ready to greenlight year 3 either. After Year 2 #13, Raven is set to go on the shelf until numbers can support continuing it.
This is where I need your help
If you care about this book full of queer pirate ladies and you want it to continue, we need to find a way to spread the word about it. We don’t need to sell single issues (it would be nice) but ultimately we need the trades sales that back up the continuation of this big YA Pirate/Revenge/Adventure/Romance thing.
In fact, if you’ve already purchased volumes 1-4, volume 5 is available for preorder there right now!
Maybe you’ve bought all the issues already. Thank you! If you still want to support Raven, you can review the books on Amazon or other retailers, you can share, reblog or retweet this post. You can tell a friend about the book!
If you have a comics review site or, say, a blog where you talk about LGBT media, contact me for review links or interviews. Please, help us save our ship.
This is possibly one of the best comic series I have ever had the privilege to read.
If you haven’t, you should go pick it up.
If you have read it, please tell ALL your friends and leave some reviews.
And I’m not just saying all of this because I want Katie to benchpress me.
Raven the Pirate Princess is AMAZING.
Seriously. This is one of my must-read comics for queer ladies. I’ve already done a powerpoint thingy about how much I love it here, but if you’re not getting it, you need to be. It is everything you ever wanted and more. Seriously I’m calling my local comic shop today because I didn’t realize the 4th volume with out and I need it in my life ASAP.
[…] he and she were creek beds, quiet when they were full and quiet
when they were dry. but when they were half-full, wearing a coat of
shallow water, the current bumped over the rocks and valleys in the
creek beds, wearing down the earth. giving someone else a little of who
they were hurt more than giving up none or all of it.
It’s HEEEEEERE! My new book is live. It’s a Regency romance! With lesbians! Perfect for light weekend reading!
I am DOPILY EXCITED to share this with you. It’s a long time coming. Also, I love the cover.
This is the book I reblogged about last week that people were interested in – the ebook is now out! (The print book takes longer.)
The Covert Captain
Nathaniel Fleming, veteran of Waterloo, falls in love with his Major’s spinster sister, Harriet. But Nathaniel is not what he seems, and before the wedding, the truth will out…
Eleanor Charlotte Fleming, forgotten daughter of a minor baronet, stakes her life on a deception and makes her name—if not her fortune—on the battlefield. Her war at an end, she returns to England as Captain Nathaniel Fleming and wants nothing more than peace, quiet, and the company of horses. Instead, Captain Fleming meets Harriet. Harriet has averted the calamity of matrimony for a decade, cares little for the cut of her gowns, and is really rather clever. Falling in love is not a turn of the cards either of them expected. Harriet accepts Captain Fleming, but will she accept Eleanor? Along the way, there are ballrooms, stillrooms, mollyhouses, society intrigue, and sundering circumstance.
I haven’t read it in final form yet (I’m off to buy it in a moment) but I got to read some of the initial draft a while ago, and I really enjoyed it. I can safely vouch for the quality of its prose! 🙂
{Image Description: On a red background, a white speech box reads “Love, Simon”, and white letters read “What LGBTQIAP+ YA Book Do You Want To See Adapted Next?”. Two black hearts are in the left bottom corner.}
LOVE, SIMON is officially out in the world today! We’re so beyond excited to see many more LGBTQIAP+ YA books adapted for film and tv in the coming years. What book(s) do you want to see adapted next?
Autoboyography is very close to my heart as a queer ex-Mormon, but I fear it’s too close in content to Simon in some ways for a studio to consider it. Which sucks.
I think Juliet Takes a Breath is a really important book and has a lot to say, not just about queerness, but about feminism and race and how these things intersect. I think it’s got a lot to connect and relate to and think about, much like movies like Better Than Chocolate did for 90s kids like me. I know it’s probably more NA than YA, but that’s my pick. If kids can read about murder and drugs in het books without it being challenged, they can read about intersectional feminism in queer books.
Hey tumblr so I need your help! My school always had one of those “Read Across America” maps with young adult novels or romances or whatever (evidently, I’m American) but I’ve never seen anything comparable for wlw. I’ve tried to rely on my memory and on other people’s recs but I’m only (exactly) halfway through. Any suggestions to fill in these missing states? I’ve tried to avoid stories that take place across multiple locations. Or offer more options for the ones I already have, the more the merrier.
Alabama :Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flag
Alaska :
Arizona : The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
Arkansas :
California : Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour, Honey Girl by Lisa Freeman, Frog Music by Emma Donoghue, The Necessary Hunger by Nina Revoyr, Under the Lights by Dahlia Adler, The Butch and the Beautiful by Kris Ripper, As La Vista Turns by Kris Ripper, Far From Home by Lorelie Brown, Take Me Home by Lorelie Brown, Valencia by Michelle Tea, Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain by Portia de Rossi
Colorado : Marionette by T.B. Markinson, Sleight of Hand by Mark Henwick, Snow Falls by Gerri Hill
Connecticut : Pages for You by Sylvia Brownrigg, Patience & Sarah by Isabel Miller
Delaware :
Florida : Breathing Underwater by Lu Vickers, Roller Girl by Vanessa North
New Jersey : The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
New Mexico : Beauty of the Broken by Tawni Waters
New York : Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova, Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden, Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde, Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown, We Are Okay by Nina LaCour, Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg, Thaw by Elyse Springer, Heat Wave by Elyse Springer, Inferno (A Poet’s Novel) by Eileen Mills, The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey, Drag King Dreams by Leslie Feinberg
North Carolina : The Ada Decades by Paula Martinac
North Dakota : The Murdered Family by Vernon Keel
Ohio : Fat Angie by E.E. Charlton-Trujillo, Taking the Long Way by Lily R. Mason, The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka
Oklahoma : Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, Tumbleweed Fever by L.J. Maas
Oregon : Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera, Forgive Me If I’ve Told You This Before by Karelia Stetz-Waters
Pennsylvania : Fun Home byAlison Bechdel, Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
Rhode Island :The Red Tree by Caitlín R. Kiernan
South Carolina : Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
South Dakota :
Tennessee :
Secret City by Julia Watts,
If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo, South of Sunshine by Dana Elmendorf
Texas : Forgetting the Alamo, Or, Blood Memory by Emma Pérez, Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey, The Unraveling of Mercy Louis by Keija Parssinen, Gulf Breeze by Gerri Hill
Utah : Saving Alex by Alex Cooper
Vermont :
Virginia : As I Descended by Robin Talley, Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley, Jericho by Ann McMan
Washington : The Edge of Nowhere by Elizabeth George,Dreadnought by April Daniels, About A Girl by Sarah McCarry, Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear, Stuck Landing by Lauren Gallagher
Washington, D.C : Madam President by Blayne Cooper and T. Novan
West Virginia : The Winter Triangle by Nikki Woolfolk
Wisconsin :
Wyoming :
It’s been a while since I made a bunch of changes but we’ve almost got the entire East Coast now! Plus several additional new recommendations to states that were already filled in. And for the rest of the non-US world, I’ve got something coming 😉 Stay tuned!
So, pretty much, don’t read this? I started out reading it and thought, wow, this has not aged well, and then I read the verso, which said the date of publication was… four years ago. Which was pretty much when my internal voice went, ‘Oh… no. This is going to get worse, isn’t it?’. Spolier: it did.
Did not finish. Really exclusionary of pretty much anyone but cis gay males, pretty much every quote on bisexuality is about not liking labels or actually identifying as something OTHER than bi, either because of being being mislabeled or discriminated against (page 27-28), gender essentialist ‘lesbians like vaginas’ ‘gay men like… big hairy men with big willies’ ‘penis? check! …gay men are.. male’(page 51), ‘lesbians like vaginas’ (page 67), transphobic (so many pages), ‘intersex is not so much an identity, as you can’t really choose it’ (page 37), conflates homophobia and transphobia as basically the same thing without mentioning the transphobia rampant in the broader queer community (pages 72-92). Noped out after genuine anti-semitism on page 111 ‘Not being funny, but these guys (Jewish people) kinda started it’ (about religious homophobia).
To eliminate any confusion bout the author’s name, the author came out as transgender after publication, so the first name on the cover is one that shares the initial J with the author’s preferred name, Juno. My reaction to discovering this development was thinking that I really hope Juno works through the utterly pervasive transphobia that is inescapable in this work. Carrying that is toxic. But the fact that the author has come out as transgender doesn’t make this work any less transphobic. In fact, it’s worse, because it makes it harder to argue the damage this book can do when it’s coming from a now-out transgender person, something I will be doing with my library system shortly.
In summary – this book would have been revolutionary ten or fifteen years ago, because nothing like this existed. It still would have been toxic. Time and correct terminology has moved on, but at its core, this would have always been a work that placed more emphasis on trying to be crude and cool to appeal to young people, which is a tragic mistake. Anything that tries this hard is never going to be cool in the eyes of a teenager. Add to that the spadefuls of misinformation, glossing over of history and hate crimes, erasure, exclusion, and casual super gross misogyny for the sake of jokes (‘Lesbians like vaginas. They don’t even want blokes watching. I KNOW, how INCONSIDERATE.’ – page 67), and this is a book that doesn’t even come close to matching the promise of its beautiful, bold, inclusive, balanced cover.
knitting in the dark 