Blog Archives
Pastel Pink
![Pastel Pink: Zadok Series by [Nikki Minty, Indicreates Indiana Maria Acosta Hernandez, Cissell Ink Amy Cissell and Christopher Barnes]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51K+f5C9G5L.jpg)
Pastel Pink is the first book in Nikki Minty’s young adult fantasy series. Sci-fi enthusiast Harlow, from the planet Zadok, remembers her past life as Ruby, a human living on Earth, and her murder. Harlow, a pink Zeek, is the weakest of her race on the planet of Zadok, which is divided into four races: Vallon, Rukes, Drakes, and Zeeks, and has a color-superior cast system. However, she is no less significant: she is now receiving attention from the upper-class people at Zeeks, the purples. The reason is as big a mystery to her as to the reader. With her life on Earth and life in Zadok, her conflicting feelings, and her relationship with her race’s enemy in Zadok, the vallons, Harlow’s destiny is putting her on a perilous path.
In Pastel Pink, Harlow and Floss, and Lucas and Alex, both human and non-human twin characters, represent the faces of two coins in their antithetical traits. Humans, as shown by these damaged characters, who lack parental care and love, and always have the option of acting empathetically or degradingly. Also seen in the book is Krista’s attitude and conduct, which represents a woman who has surrendered to a toxic husband and an intolerant society. For fear of stigma, she is willing to break the unthinkable laws of society in private rather than stand up against the toxicity.
I find the concept of the coexistence of two planets, with some Zadok residents being able to live dual lives, intriguing and refreshing. With the unique characteristics of each of the races on Zadok, according to their names, readers will certainly appreciate the author’s imagination. I also enjoyed seeing the rarely-seen sisterly affection between Harlow and floss, where they provide one another with services in exchange for what they are each seeking. As on Earth, Zadok’s color system mimics the racism that still determines people’s position of worth in many areas. However, Zadok comes off better than earth in that two girls dating each other doesn’t seem to be an issue there. One cannot help but ponder Harlow’s statement that Floss never mistreated her because of her color before she started school.
While I enjoyed the story, I would have enjoyed more inclusion of other inhabitants of Zadok in Book 1, besides the Zeeks and humans. I felt that it would have been interesting to have some scenes swapped with more information about Zadok’s life. But in the end I’m just glad that this is the start of a series as I feel like there is so much more to explore and I can’t wait to get to it.
Pastel Pink is an imaginative fairy tale fantasy that intelligently combines mystery, action, and romance into a compelling story that fans of young adult novels will devour. This is a captivating fantasy novel with subtle but deep social commentary and a storyline that is captivating and highly entertaining.
Pages: 381 | ASIN: B08T1HC81S
Revenge
![Revenge (City of Kaus Book 1) by [Dani Hoots]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/513dJ6n7wQL.jpg)
Revenge by Dani Hoots takes readers on a mystical adventure with fascinating characters along an action-packed quest for retribution. The story takes place on a planet filled with beings of various races-some humanlike and others with supernatural traits. There is a mutually understood hierarchy of the races, making life far more difficult and dangerous for those in the ‘lower class’, like our main characters.
This page-turner is written in alternating first-person points of view, allowing us to learn and empathize with all sides of the story. We meet Ellie and Zach, childhood best friends who are now forced to take bounty hunter jobs and live on the run, in order to survive. We learn this is due to a betrayal of their people leading to an attack on their zone and the demise of their race. They believe the culprit may have been their other best friend, and also Ellie’s ex-fiance, Cor. Ellie is determined to seek revenge on the man who not only broke her heart, but betrayed their entire race, leading to the deaths of their friends and family.
If you’re not generally into the science fiction / fantasy genre- this may be the book to change your mind! Hoots has a way of speaking through her characters that leaves you feeling deeply connected to them, despite their fantastical features. The basis of the story itself is a relatable tale as old as time- a heartbroken woman seeks vengeance on the man who deceived her. The clever world that Hoot’s creates complicated twists and turns, featuring revelations of hidden truths and forbidden feelings. Between the LGBTQ-friendly sensual vibe, and nerve-wracking near-death experiences- this one is sure to keep readers entertained.
Revenge is a science fiction adventure story that is fun to follow and is easy to get lost in.
Pages: 259 | ASIN: B09B956J1C
A Champion For Justice
Goods & Effects follows a woman who sets out to sell her wares on the road and meets several people that change her perspective on life. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
As a child, I remember, once a month, a woman would stop by our house in her van-store. This woman did not live in the van, but I found it an intriguing way to make a living. Like Hannah, the protagonist in GOODS & EFFECTS, I was raised in a conservative Mennonite family. The novella is a work of fiction, but Hannah and I do share a similar spiritual journey. As I grew, gained an education and studied theatre in New York City, my desire to celebrate diversity and foster an atmosphere of inclusion grew. I wished to portray a woman who became sensitive to those outside her frame of reference and to be a champion for justice.
Your characters go on a deeply emotional and transformative journey in your novel. Is this intentional or incidental to the story you wanted to tell?
When writing the novella, I decided that in every scene/chapter Hannah must make a decision or have a change in attitude. So, I was very intentional in showing the change in Hannah’s religious beliefs, and to portray her unfolding journey where she embraced a humanistic vision.
What were some ideas that were important for you to include in this book?
I attempted to keep my story simple, but hopefully, not simplistic. I believe my strengths as a writer are crafting dialogue and implying subtext. I do not have a vast, complex vocabulary. As a writer, I think I focus more on plot and characterization than embellished, heightened language. I really think the reviewer from Literary Titan understood my style, my objectives, my sensibilities. For this, I am grateful.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
I hope readers realize the world is not black and white, but a vast spectrum of grays. I hope readers identify with and cheer on Hannah. I hope readers see the novella in a sort of cinematic lens – that they can visualize it as a film.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Twitter | Instagram
Larry… Maddie … Tom… Molly. As time passes and Hannah’s relationships deepen, her faith diminishes but her vision of humanity expands. Hannah Mercer is a clever problem-solver, a shrewd schemer, a spinner of tender lies, an advocate for justice, and a dream weaver.
Callisto 2.0
![Callisto 2.0: A novel of the future (Book 1 of the Shambhala Saga LGBTQ+ Science Fiction series) by [Susan English]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41er9ngiicS.jpg)
If you are a fan of futuristic science fiction, Susan English’s Callisto 2.0 is right up your alley. It follows the life of Callisto, a young female scientist who feels out of place in her own world. The only child of religious parents, she feels like her family doesn’t truly understand her. However, things change when she takes a job at a foundation that not only supports her unique field of study but also provides a community of top-notch female scientists.
As she begins her new life working on the Shambahla space station, her heart is warmed by the kind and supportive all-female staff. This utopia seems to be all that she has ever wanted and she embraces it whole-heartedly. But like in every good story, Callisto’s has some conflict as well. Her heart is broken, she is betrayed, and faces challenges in her work.
At some point, the continuity of the entire foundation even faces outside opposition. From page to page, it becomes clear that eventually, Callisto will have to fight for this paradise which she has waited her whole life to find.
If there is one thing that makes this story believable, it is all the scientific explanations and dialogue included in it. Everything is so detailed that you could believe that these technological advancements could be made today. Clearly, the author being a physicist has played a big role in bringing this story to life. Also, the author does a good job of developing the characters.
She includes details about each character’s life, personality, and perspective; something that makes them relatable. Moreover, she weaves the characters’ lives together in a beautiful way, showing us how everyone is fairing on simultaneously, at least from the perspective of Callisto. And the writing style is light and upbeat, even when scientific principles are being discussed – something that makes the book easy to read.
While I enjoyed the story I felt that the book was a bit slow and there was a lot of buildup to the main conflict. To some level, it feels like a day-to-day account of Callisto’s life, which for the most part was great. While we do get glimpses of concerning situations after every few chapters, there’s little suspense and by the time we get to the true conflict, we are at the end of the book, which is a draw for readers looking for a sequel. In any case, this is still a stirring and thought-provoking science fiction adventure story that I heartily recommend to fans of detailed and realistic futuristic stories.
Pages: 314 | ASIN: B08MWN8YVG
Post-Apocalyptic Brotherhood
Tygers follows a young gay man in a dystopian society where he’s forced to fight for equality and survival against a conservative government. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
Tygers started as a nightmare I had sometime in 2015. That whole first scene of a kid blowing themselves up in the middle of a wedding. So I started digging—why a wedding? What would push a suburban kid to suicide bomb a wedding? Right around that time, the media was talking a lot about the idea of “radicalization,” so I think that fed in to the book as I started excavating it.
I’ve always been a huge fan of William S. Burroughs, and especially his novel, The Wild Boys. I loved that idea of a kind-of post-apocalyptic brotherhood of young gay guys. I was re-reading the novel for the millionth time right around then and I thought, if the kid was radicalized into the bombing, then who was indoctrinating him? Duran Duran’s song, “Wild Boys” snuck in there a bit, too, as well as this idea of “extraordinary rendition.” An underground of gay abuse survivors looking out for one another and striking blows against the empire bubbled up through all those layers. Eventually all of that spilled over into Queensryche’s “Operation: Mindcrime” album and the whole thing started to gel. What if, instead of marching and fundraising for equality and understanding, a group decided to take much more direct action?
It was the Blake quote that gave it the tone I wanted—revenge being more crafty and cruel than instruction and patience.
Aaron is an intriguing and well developed character. What were some driving ideals behind his character’s development?
Well, the book starts with the main action, the kid exploding. So what I decided to do was to make the whole book about WHY all of this happened rather than WHAT happened. I wanted the reader to see Aaron’s full journey from innocent suburban kid to suicide bomber—how he’d been manipulated and why it was so easy to manipulate him. The driving word was “radicalized”—what kind of kid would be…could be…convinced to do such a horrifying thing? It was important to me that the reader start off believing one thing about the kid and something completely different in the end.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I wanted to see some characters have a very real discussion about some of the things that we as LGBTQ+ people face every day. I also wanted to address some of the far Right conspiracy theories that were floating around at the time—mass incarceration camps for LGBTQ+ people being manufactured out in the middle of Montana, etc. That kind of thing. I also really wanted to explore that idea of direct action versus peace and understanding…what would that look like? What might Burroughs/Duran Duran’s group of young men look like if taken out of the mythical language-driven narratives they were in and placed in a more realist-based world, instead?
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
The next book is at least a year away. It’s kind of like what would happen if I ever got a chance to write a Gundam limited series. Gay men and mecha. It’s also about the ways a person can recontextualize themselves given the right circumstances. It’s only just starting the rounds with beta readers for edits, though, so it’s a way off. The title isn’t even final at this point.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Website
As a result, young gay men, pushed to the margins, must fight for equality and safety.
A bomb. A wedding.
A young man’s first love, lost.
A book that explores consequences, radicalization, and how a terrorist
might be the kid next door.
MY NAME IS ROBERT! – Book Trailer
Robert Barton was born a boy who loved to dress up as a girl. That was his only crime.
When he was 16, five high school football players and a man raped and brutalized him for hours before dumping him in a vacant lot.
The day after he is found alive, the bodies of his assailants start stacking up in the morgue.
Detective Sylvia Gomez must find this avenging angel before he or she takes out the last player and its game over!
Express Themselves Without Fear
Crystal’s House of Queers is an emotionally-charged romance novel that explores real world issues that young people face when discovering and unveiling their sexual identity. Why was this an important book for you to write?
All of my books are centered around important issues affecting girls and women. It has become very clear to me that despite all the progress we have made during the last several decades, we still live in a patriarchal world. According to polls, more than half of our youngest Generation Z do not define themselves as strictly heterosexual. More and more sources of entertainment reflect this change. This generation is more tolerant and accepting of all differences. However, hate crimes against the LGBTQ community are on the rise. Many of the same hate groups (primarily men) that decry the rise of non-white individuals in our country also hate gays. As the younger generation embraces a variety of sexual lifestyles, there will inevitably be more confrontation. I have known too many people who have been persecuted for their differences. We don’t need more hate in the world.
I appreciated the authenticity of your characters. What were some sources that inspired your character development?
I have known many teens like Crystal and JD, who despite their traditional academic challenges, discovered and shared other talents, including in art, music, dance, and athletics. Their needs are no more special than mine or yours. Real people are complex. Most have experienced some level of trauma in their lives. Many have difficulty coping, but most discover some resilience. I want my characters to reflect these truths.
What were some ideas that were important for you to convey in this book?
One common theme in all my books is the need for open, frank discussion of difficult topics. So much pain is caused by secrecy. Too frequently, teens and younger are forced to deal with guilt and fears and desires by themselves because adults won’t create comfortable environments where anything, anything, can be discussed. I have had readers of my latest book complain about two women kissing in front of their teenage girls. Why? Because tradition says sexuality must be private. Which has caused and continues to cause all kinds of problems for both the kids and the parents.
Another big idea in my books is the need for forgiveness, especially between parents and their children. Another is fighting for yourself and others when it is necessary. The girls in this book don’t put up with abuse or threats.
And the biggest idea in this book is the need to provide a safe place for LGBTQ individuals, where they can express themselves without fear.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
My next book is about a teenage girl in 1968 who rebels against the feminine role she is expected to play by her parents, her school, and her society. So many of the problems during this year—The Vietnam War, assassinations, student rebellions, etc—were caused by toxic masculinity. The main character, Tracy, cannot force herself to date boys. At times, she thinks she should have been a boy. She escapes her conservative parents and constant arguments about the war, civil rights, and her brother, Spencer—who wonders if he is gay—disguised as a boy for a two-week period at a wilderness camp just outside Denali Park, Alaska, where she meets other strong women, including Jackie, who chops wood and plays guitar.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Instagram
The two girls renew a love started years ago that had to stay hidden until now. But with Crystal’s grandparents in the hospital with Covid and the possibility of her drug addict parents returning from a 14-year absence, Crystal needs Haley as much as she needs Crystal.
They connect with Payton Reed, a gun-toting artist who helps them feel proud to be gay and willing to stand up to anyone. Together they struggle to make Crystal’s house safe for those who are hated for their love.
No Hiding or Judgement
Divide & Conquer follows a young woman who’s forced to stay at an academy for delinquents and meets someone that will change her life forever. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
My inspiration to write this story was strongly built on a number of different reasons. I, myself, am a part of the LGBTQ+ community and the idea to showcase a story that both dives into the world that I feel is not talked about nearly enough, while obtaining and showing challenges that any ordinary person could experience was something I strongly believed in creating.
Your characters were intriguing and well developed. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
I found that in developing my characters motivations and ideals, that I connected with some part of myself in a way. I wanted to take Freya’s grief and show that sometimes even in your darkest moments, there is always something that can pull you from the realm that lies between grief and recovery. That is where Lexa comes into play. She may have been the hot new roommate, but it’s her straightforwardness and own experience from her past that helped lead Freya back into the light. Of course the rest of the delinquents were a huge impact as well. Sometimes all you need in the world is for someone to take your hand and say, “Everything’s going to be okay,” and so long as they were together, everything was.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
One of the main themes is that the story resolve around the LGBTQ + community, and being able to explore apart of myself in such a fun and creative way was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. There was no hiding or judgement, but for that of my characters who welcomed each other with open hands.
Another important theme would be guilt and grief, both in which played a huge role in this story, as those two emotions shaped Freya into the woman she later became.
And lastly, the thing that transpired between the pages and flowed from the words whole writing this story was forgiveness. I wanted to show that everyone is worth being forgiven and that everyone is capable of giving forgiveness because it’s not who you use to be, or what you’ve done in the past that defines you. It’s what you do with the experiences you’ve been dealt with that truly shape you as a person.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I just released a new LGBTQ+ novel, titled “Untangled Devotion”, this novel revolved around a woman who ran away from her entire life because of reasons I will leave unsaid as to not spoil it; but, having returned to face those issues head on, including a lost love she left behind. It’s full of unbreakable bonds, comedy, friendship, love, and a twist that will leave you hanging onto your seats.
But that’s not all! I have another LGBTQ + novel that I am hoping to release sometime the beginning of next year. That’s going without saying that I have multiple none LGBTQ + novels planned to release this year, some of which consist of Vikings, vampires, or even demonic beings.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
At just 18, Freya Sawyer’s life was anything but perfect, with the weight of the world on her shoulders, she ran with the wrong crowd and got pulled into a vicious cycle. That all changed when one night forced her into a court ordered stay at Arkadia Academy for troubled delinquents.
Lexa Forester just so happens to be her new brooding and sexy roommate. Together they dance around their attraction for each other until there is nothing else standing in their way of falling heart first into what could either be the best or the worst thing for them.
Each other.
Together they can conquer the world and change the unraveling past that they both desperately latch onto to survive. Can true love prevail or will they scare away from the only thing that’s ever made them feel alive?
Find out in this steamy and thrill filled lesbian friends to lovers romance.
