by Wren Valentino Writing queer romance is a joyful, powerful, and deeply meaningful endeavor. As queer authors, we have the opportunity to tell love stories that haven’t always been given space on the page. For too long, queer love was relegated to subtext or tragedy, but today, we get to celebrate it in all its … Read more
by M.D. Neu There is darkness all around us. Many of us can’t see the sun anymore. There is no light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. We feel as if we’re falling in a black pit with no way out, the news and the world seemingly getting worse. And maybe it is. Perhaps … Read more
I just got back from a long trip to England (my homeland) and decided to search for signs of queer life there. I wasn’t about to go club hopping though. It wasn’t that kind of a visit. It was more of an exploration of everyday life and architecture. We went to many cities and towns … Read more
We’re getting ready to go to SacAnime on August 30th right here in SacTown, so I thought this would be a great time to go over the steps we take to get ourselves ready for a con. So psych yourself up. You’re about to go meet some of the people who make what you do … Read more
by BJ Sikes I am curious what makes people decide that a book is worth reading. After all, there’s something like a million new books published on Amazon every month (or is it every day?), which sounds like an apocryphal number really. Let’s just say LOTS. I am a voracious reader but there is a … Read more
Today I’d like to talk about own voice writing. Own voice writing refers to books or stories that are written by authors who share the same identity or experience as the characters they write about. An example is a novel about a transgender person written by a transgender author, or a book about a refugee … Read more
After the pandemic hit, our lives moved online with surprising speed. All of a sudden, all those work meetings, gatherings with friends, and other social activities that we used to drive to were taking place in the virtual world, and we had to learn a new word. Or at least, a new meaning for an … Read more
I would kill for a Frappuccino. Which is my gay, overly dramatic way of saying that I am sick to death of banging around the inside of this house and am ready to re-embrace my life in the real world. Sadly, the real world isn’t quite ready to embrace me yet. Not safely, anyhow. On … Read more
Normal. Such a deceptively boring word. Before 2020, I wanted to be anything but normal. Normal was boring. Normal meant being just like everyone else. Normal was for losers. What a difference a pandemic makes, and what a beautiful word normal turned out to be. On March 18th, 2020, Mark and I made our last … Read more
Ring the bells that still can ringForget your perfect offeringThere is a crack, a crack in everythingThat’s how the light gets in. “Anthem,” Leonard Cohen Last month I wrote about the challenges of running a writer’s group during a pandemic. This week I thought I’d tackle what it’s like to be a writer at this … Read more