#JanuARO Readathon
by Rosiee Thor
I’ve been immersing myself in myself lately. It feels indulgent to say it, but it’s the closest thing to a self-hug I can imagine.
As a professional in the publishing industry, I feel constantly pressured to read specific things–partial manuscripts for my boss, CP and mentee manuscripts, the pile of Novel 19s arcs I have on my kindle. Even when these are books I do, in fact, want to read, it can feel like a chore… because very rarely do any of these books speak to the aro/ace part of me.
After eleven months of reading the “right” things–the arcs I was given, the Big Books I simply had to read, the never ending pile of manuscripts for work–this unsettling disenchantment with reading came over me. It’s a familiar feeling. I feel it when I’ve been away from home so long that I’ve forgotten what it’s like to sleep in my own bed, when I haven’t had enough veggies in my diet and my body’s crying out for nutrients, when I work too hard and forget to fill my creative well. It’s that empty, aching, hunger that hurts so much you’re almost afraid to feed it. It’s homesickness; it’s actual sickness. It’s the result of being told over and over again, through the absence of yourself, that part of you doesn’t exist.
It was when I was deep in this feeling that I gave myself the gift of permission. I chose to set aside the work burning a hole in my desk and a hole in my stomach, and read nothing but aro and ace books. For all of December, I read ace books, using the hashtag #dACEmber (because I am nothing if not shameless with my puns) and for January, I’ll be reading only aro books, using the hashtag #januARO. Others have joined in–other Aro and Ace spec authors and readers alike–sharing their reads on the hashtag and engaging in conversation. Claudie Arseneault, author and creator of the AroAceDatabase, chimed in with some bingo cards to get the readathon going.
So far, this experience has been affirming, enlightening, and encouraging. It is a reminder that I am not alone. Not only is there fiction about people like me, but an entire community of readers who want to be seen just as badly as I do. It’s like looking into a mirror and liking what I see. It reminds me who I am–and that I am not invisible, that I am allowed to exist, that I am valid and I am valuable.
It also reminds me that there’s work to do. This readathon showed me there are simultaneously more aro and ace books than I expected, but still too few. It showed me the value of indie books that pave the way and fight the fight every day. It showed me how many more books there are about aces than aroaces or even just aros. It showed me how these identities intersect and the struggles they share, but also how they often struggle alone. It showed me how different a-spec experiences can be from one person to the next, how we are not a monolith, and how each book means something different for each reader.
Most of all, it showed me how worthwhile it is to write stories about my own identity. The empowerment I felt reading about people like me matters. Our identities matter. And our words matter too.
Traditional publishing is a very allo place. There are many of us working to change this, bit by bit, book by book, but it’s easy to get lost in the fight. Don’t forget to stop to take care of yourself. Read the books that reflect your identity back at you, because you deserve to be seen… but most of all you deserve to see yourself.
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Rosiee Thor is the author of TARNISHED ARE THE STARS (Scholastic, 2019). She lives in Oregon with a dog, two cats, and four complete sets of Harry Potter, which she loves so much, she once moved her mattress into the closet and slept there until she came out as queer. Follow her online at rosieethor.com and on Twitter at @rosieethor.
LGBTQIAP+ Book Quotes: Strength & New Beginnings
Happy New Year, readers! Though 2019 began with fireworks and glitter, it can be easy to see the future as faded both worldwide and in our personal lives. No, there will not be fireworks every midnight. No, resolutions will not always be easy to follow. But we’re ready to meet the challenges that lie ahead, and we know that you are as well. Your hardest day last year? You made it through. Celebrate that. Celebrate you.
To commemorate new beginnings, here are 11 quotes from some of our favorite recent LGBTQIAP+ YA books that will remind you just how strong you are.
“Give yourself room to breathe. To make mistakes. Eventually, you will see that you were always there, you just couldn’t recognize yourself yet.”
―Mia García, The Resolutions
“People fall down. You can either laugh or cry. Laughing makes it easier ―Akemi Dawn Bowman, Summer Bird Blue “Anger is a gift. Remember that.” She stood. “You gotta grasp onto it, hold it tight and use it as ammunition. You use that anger to get things done instead of just stewing in it.” ―Mark Oshiro, Anger Is a Gift “None of them will ever be able to control the way we feel. Our minds and hearts are our own. That is our power.” “When the world denies you choices, you make your own.” —Natasha Ngan, Girls of Paper and Fire “You know you don’t always have to be fine, right? It’s okay to not be okay.” —Claire Kann, Let’s Talk About Love “It doesn’t have to be a happily ever after or a happily always. Just a happily once. A happily sometimes. Hope. That’d make our pain worth it.” ―Marieke Nijkamp, Before I Let Go “If you feel the need to do it – to write, or paint, or take photos or anything – then that’s what you have to do. That’s the one most important thing you can do.” ―Kheryn Callender, This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story “It’s such a little thing, this skirt. For other girls, maybe it’s makeup or a sport or having sex or not having sex or writing or music or kicking ass in school or wearing your hair so it looks like the sun’s unruly rays. I think every girl has a thing or two, tiny details in her life that say This is me. I’m done hiding. I’m done feeling ashamed.” ―Ashley Herring Blake, Girl Made of Stars “Interrogate your instincts. Insecurity isn’t shameful. Attraction isn’t an embarrassment. Interpersonal affection isn’t a side note to be glossed over.” ―Riley Redgate, Final Draft “‘Strength is also making the decision to change your destiny.’” —Zoraida Córdova, Labyrinth Lost Have a favorite quote about strength? @ us on Twitter or drop it in our ask box on Tumblr!
COVER REVEAL + INTERVIEW: Audio Assault by Jeff Adams
Our cover reveal today is for the third book in a series, but don’t let that deter you! We’ll not only be revealing the cover for Jeff Adams’s Audio Assault, we’ve also got an an interview about the series from the author himself! But first, here’s the blurb to give you a little idea of what the book is about:
Theo Reese is just like any other seventeen-year-old—with one small exception.
This summer all he wants is to spend time with his boyfriend, Eddie, and work on his MIT research project. His parents have other plans.An old friend needs the help of Theo’s family. Oliver Glenwood is an ’80s music star who runs his own label. His wife and his daughter, Sofia, now a chart topper herself, are the targets of kidnappers. Oliver hopes they can eliminate whoever is behind the threat.
When Theo uncovers an even more insidious plot, the covert agency the Reeses work for, Tactical Operational Support, swoops into action.
Song files have been modified to steal personal data from devices and emit a tone that drives listeners into a homicidal rage. Theo and his parents race against the clock to stop this mysterious enemy from releasing the music on an unsuspecting populace and causing worldwide chaos.
Just when Theo thinks the mission couldn’t be more complicated, Eddie shows up in New York looking to hang out with his boyfriend.
No one ever said being a teenage secret agent would be easy.
And without further ado,
the cover we’ve all been waiting for!
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Stuff You Need to Know:
Genre: Mystery/suspense
Length: 190 pages
Identities represented:The main character, Theo, is gay and he’s been with his boyfriend, Eddie, for more than a year. They are also athletes and quite smart, though in different ways. This book is #OwnVoices as the author is also gay, has played hockey and is a tech geek (although not nearly as smart and savvy as Theo is).
Content warnings: On-page violence also a scene where a character is drugged.
Audio Assault releases on November 27th!
Add to GoodReads / Pre-order from Harmony Ink Press
Don’t go yet! We also have an
interview with Jeff…
Eight Summer Reads
by Kaitlin Mitchell
Summer is the best time to catch up on our tbr lists. Looking for books set against the backdrop of summer to dive into? We’ve got you covered. Here are eight queer YA books you need to pick up.
The Summer of Jordi Perez (And the Best Burger in Los Angeles) by Amy Spalding
Seventeen, fashion-obsessed, and gay, Abby Ives has always been content playing the sidekick in other people’s lives. While her friends and sister have plunged headfirst into the world of dating and romances, Abby has stayed focused on her plus-size style blog and her dreams of taking the fashion industry by storm. When she lands a prized internship at her favorite local boutique, she’s thrilled to take her first step into her dream career. She doesn’t expect to fall for her fellow intern, Jordi Perez. Abby knows it’s a big no-no to fall for a colleague. She also knows that Jordi documents her whole life in photographs, while Abby would prefer to stay behind the scenes.
Then again, nothing is going as expected this summer. She’s competing against the girl she’s kissing to win a paid job at the boutique. She’s somehow managed to befriend Jax, a lacrosse-playing bro type who needs help in a project that involves eating burgers across L.A.’s eastside. Suddenly, she doesn’t feel like a sidekick. Is it possible Abby’s finally in her own story?
But when Jordi’s photography puts Abby in the spotlight, it feels like a betrayal, rather than a starring role. Can Abby find a way to reconcile her positive yet private sense of self with the image that other people have of her?
Is this just Abby’s summer of fashion? Or will it truly be The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles)?
Running With Lions by Julian Winters
Bloomington High School Lions’ star goalie, Sebastian Hughes, should be excited about his senior year: His teammates are amazing and he’s got a coach who doesn’t ask anyone to hide their sexuality. But when his estranged childhood best friend Emir Shah shows up to summer training camp, Sebastian realizes the team’s success may end up in the hands of the one guy who hates him. Determined to reconnect with Emir for the sake of the Lions, he sets out to regain Emir’s trust. But to Sebastian’s surprise, sweaty days on the pitch, wandering the town’s streets, and bonding on the weekends sparks more than just friendship between them.
The Summer of Us by Cecilia Vinesse
Aubrey and Rae have been planning their trip around Europe practically from the moment they became BFFs in primary school. And, now, it ought to be the perfect way to spend their last summer together before university.
But things are more complicated at eighteen than they were at ten. There’s Jonah, Aubrey’s seemingly perfect boyfriend, and his best friend Gabe, the boy Aubrey may have accidentally kissed. And there’s Clara, the friend Rae is crushing on, hard, even though there’s no hope because Clara is definitely into guys, not girls.
Five friends. Ten days. Paris, Amsterdam, Prague, Florence, Barcelona. And a messy, complicated, can-this-really-be happening love story, or two … because how could there not be?
Nothing Happened by Molly Booth
This modern-day retelling of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing takes place at the idyllic Camp Dogberry, where sisters Bee and Hana Leonato have grown up. Their parents own the place, and every summer they look forward to leading little campers in crafts, swimming in the lake, playing games of capture the flag and sproutball, and of course, the legendary counselor parties.
This year, the camp drama isn’t just on the improv stage. Bee and longtime counselor Ben have a will-they-or-won’t-they romance that’s complicated by events that happened—or didn’t happen—last summer. Meanwhile, Hana is falling hard for the kind but insecure Claudia, putting them both in the crosshairs of resident troublemaker John, who spreads a vicious rumor that could tear them apart.
As the counselors juggle their camp responsibilities with simmering drama that comes to a head at the Fourth of July sparkler party, they’ll have to swallow their pride and find the courage to untangle the truth, whether it leads to heartbreak or happily ever after.
One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva
Alek Khederian should have guessed something was wrong when his parents took him to a restaurant. Everyone knows that Armenians never eat out. Between bouts of interrogating the waitress and criticizing the menu, Alek’s parents announce that he’ll be attending summer school in order to bring up his grades. Alek is sure this experience will be the perfect hellish end to his hellish freshman year of high school. He never could’ve predicted that he’d meet someone like Ethan.
Ethan is everything Alek wishes he were: confident, free-spirited, and irreverent. He can’t believe a guy this cool wants to be his friend. And before long, it seems like Ethan wants to be more than friends. Alek has never thought about having a boyfriend—he’s barely ever had a girlfriend—but maybe it’s time to think again.
Like Water by Rebecca Podos
In Savannah Espinoza’s small New Mexico hometown, kids either flee after graduation or they’re trapped there forever. Vanni never planned to get stuck—but that was before her father was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, leaving her and her mother to care for him. Now, she doesn’t have much of a plan at all: living at home, working as a performing mermaid at a second-rate water park, distracting herself with one boy after another.
That changes the day she meets Leigh. Disillusioned with small-town life and looking for something greater, Leigh is not a “nice girl.” She is unlike anyone Vanni has met, and a friend when Vanni desperately needs one. Soon enough, Leigh is much more than a friend. But caring about another person stirs up the moat Vanni has carefully constructed around herself, and threatens to bring to the surface the questions she’s held under for so long.
More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
Part Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, part Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Adam Silvera’s extraordinary debut confronts race, class, and sexuality during one charged near-future summer in the Bronx.
Sixteen-year-old Aaron Soto is struggling to find happiness after a family tragedy leaves him reeling. He’s slowly remembering what happiness might feel like this summer with the support of his girlfriend Genevieve, but it’s his new best friend, Thomas, who really gets Aaron to open up about his past and confront his future.
As Thomas and Aaron get closer, Aaron discovers things about himself that threaten to shatter his newfound contentment. A revolutionary memory-alteration procedure, courtesy of the Leteo Institute, might be the way to straighten himself out. But what if it means forgetting who he truly is?
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
At first, Jude and her twin brother Noah, are inseparable. Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude wears red-red lipstick, cliff-dives, and does all the talking for both of them.
Years later, they are barely speaking. Something has happened to change the twins in different yet equally devastating ways . . . but then Jude meets an intriguing, irresistible boy and a mysterious new mentor.
The early years are Noah’s to tell; the later years are Jude’s. But they each have only half the story, and if they can only find their way back to one another, they’ll have a chance to remake their world.
COVER + EXCERPT REVEAL: The Law of Inertia by S. Gonzales
We’re so excited to bring you the cover reveal for S. Gonzales’ The Law of Inertia AND a short excerpt from Chapter One! But first, here’s the blurb to give you a little idea of what the book is about:
When James’s boyfriend died by suicide, a foster kid with a checkered past, no one asked too many questions. But to James, the so-called facts are just the first of many mysteries. And when the very person who can answer his questions goes missing, James wonders what else is being hidden.
After all, innocent people don’t run.
And without further ado,
the cover we’ve all been waiting for!
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Stuff You Need to Know:
Genre: suspense
Length: 353 pages
Identities represented: the main character, Ash, is bisexual, and James is gay. Two characters have diagnosed Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. This book is #OwnVoices for mental illness, and is influenced by the author’s previous experiences, as well as being inspired by a true story.
Content warnings: discussions of mental illness and suicide, child abuse, on-page self-harm and on-page panic attacks.
The Law of Inertia releases on October 9th!
Add to GoodReads / Pre-order from IndieBound