What the Book, Halloween Short Story, Reviews, and more
What the book - podcast guest
I forgot to mention something awesome last newsletter: I was a guest on the WHAT THE BOOK podcast! You can find it on spotify here, and on youtube:
New Halloween short story
I got a brand new horror story for you over on Wattpad: CONCH!
Horror // Eldritch // Short Story ~
Some things found on the beach are better left alone—especially if it seems like an offering on a strange altar.
I have some good news for my subscribers:
You'll be getting early access to this new story in full on Halloween 🎃 A separate newsletter will go out and will only be available to subscribers (so there will be no copy of it on my newsletter site). For anyone who didn't subscribe or joined after it got sent around: no fear! The short story will be posted onto wattpad over the coming week ♥ You can already read the first part here.
New cover for THEY CALL HIM LUCIUS
After many years, "They call him Lucius" has received an awesome new cover, with artwork made by the talented Nem Rowan 🥰
Isn't it just absolutely glorious? 😍
You can read this horror novel for free here.
New indie book releases
"Everything is Wonderful now" by Shane Blackheart
This queer book released last week and if you're a fan of queer, dark urban fantasy where dark is good and light is evil... You should def check this out 🖤
Another indie book that releases tomorrow is
"Claws of Midgard" by Des M. Astor
This book features:
🩸Adult Urban Fantasy
🩸LGBTQ+ & Diverse Cast
🩸Norse Mythology - Reimagined
🩸Vampires & Werewolves - Reimagined
🩸Fenryr is a good boy
🩸Odin is the villain
🩸Magic
🩸Mayhem
🩸MONSTERS
Review:
"Tall White Tenement" by Anna Kirchner
This queer urban fantasy releases tomorrow so here is a review of the sequel to Little Black Bird to maybe persuade you to go grab a copy the moment it goes live 🖤
A wild ride with magic and demons, all while still finding time to discuss ace and aro feels 💜🖤💚
TL;DR review:
The sequel to LITTLE BLACK BIRD is filled to the brim with magic, Slavic demons (and even some non-Slavic 😏), and as said: all the ace, aro, and questioning rep. It was amazing and has plenty of little Easter eggs for people in those communities, making it extra special when reading and feeling seen.
The story itself is fast-paced and you can feel the time-pressure Wiki and her friends are under all too well as they run from one thing to the next as they try to save the world (even if they are still in doubt what saving it would actually entail).
Longer, more in-depth review:
On LGBTQ+:
Where Little Black Bird started with the questioning and ace rep, Tall White Tenement continues. There's more ace rep, aro rep, and all the commentary on amatonormativity, heteronormativity, and allonormativity. Of course, there's also more questioning rep as labels are vast and it's okay to not know what describes you best. There's more queer rep too, and a little content warning as not everyone is as accepting as our main characters are.
On magic and demons:
I really love the magic system in these books and how tangible it feels. The way it also describes how different kinds of magic work, and how other cultures/religions have basically made their own is really on point with how things went down here in Europe. The demons mentioned are also a real treat, featuring some more well-known ones and some you may know with a completely different look. (I'll admit: I looked one up because I had such a different image in mind and was happily surprised to learn otherwise.)
On style:
The book is written in first person and is fast-paced. There are a lot of Polish names/terms, but the front has a very handy list of all these and how to pronounce them, for anyone who wishes to know. There are also a few Polish treats/dishes mentioned and you might look those up as some sound really tasty. Overal, the addition of all these things add to the vibe of the book and really make it stand out ♥
Final notes:
If you enjoyed the first book, you're going to love this one even more. The aspec-rep, the demons, and dare I say... dragon 😏 Get yourself a nice cup of tea or coffee, maybe a nice jagodzianka to go with it, get comfy under a blanket, and dive back into the magical world and find out if Wiki and her friends will break the curse or save magic...
~*~
Well, that's it for this issue. If you have any feedback (things I can improve, things you like, anything really) please let me know 💜