This week’s reading. I’ve got a bit behind, but today I have Conspiracy Theory by Elle Keaton, Echoes of the Storm by Char Newcomb and Work for It by Talia Hibbert!
This is the first in a complete trilogy following the same couple in all the books and I like this first one best, because I am a sucker for UST and there is soooo much of it. I am also a sucker for police stories, so it hit all my hot buttons.
It’s a contemporary, set on the islands off the west coast of the USA, which seems a bit wild-westy to my English self, and which I loved. Matt and Niall are both sympathetic characters and I found the mystery really engaging. So a big yay from me all round.
This has complicated relationships and spaceships. I put it forward for your consideration on that basis!
Jack’s lover has betrayed the resistance and he’s now on the run across space and has become an unlikely rallying point for survivors to begin the fight to win their planet back. The slow-burn romance with the space-pirate captain is perfect and there are battles and spies and ace rep. It’s perfect and you should read it!
I really, really liked this. There’s so much angst. Soooo much. And it’s all from a really deep painful place inside each man that hits where it hurts. Olu suffers from depression and that is painted very realistically, with no magic-lovespell curing it. Griff is stuck in his small village and doesn’t think he’s worth anyone’s time. It’s slow-burn, well paced and heart-wrenching and the happy ever after is perfect. Also it’s set on a farm, which is my catnip.
Anyone who knows me in any way other than casually, knows I’m a disaster area at seasonal stuff and marking special days for family and friends. I get overwhelmed with panic and just want to hide in bed.
Apologies for the utter, utter lack of blogging–my brain has truly not been in the game over the last few months. The Post-Lockdown, New-Me routine is aiming to post something every Tuesday if everything works out with the kids going back to school etc.. And as a first post… DRUM ROLL…
Taking Stock is coming on 19th September!
It’s 1972 and Laurie is a farmer with a problem. He’s had a stroke and he can’t work his farm alone any more. Phil is running away from London and the professional suspicion that surrounds him at his City job. They’re both alone and unsure what the future holds. Can they forge a new life together with their makeshift found family in Laurie’s little village?
Today, I have all the info about James, Earl of Crofton by Rebecca Cohen for your reading delight!
James Redbourn, Viscount of Crofton, enjoys all the pleasures King Charles II’s Restoration court affords him. His encounter with the enigmatic Chivalrous Highwayman in Epping Forest, sets the court aflame. Tales of the charming rogue treating his latest victim with his usual gentle hand has ladies’ fans quivering with every whisper.
While the Chivalrous Highwayman is a delicious fantasy, it is the intriguing Adam Dowson, the son of one of the greatest Cavalier generals, who is firing James’s daytime desires. Their friendship might be growing stronger, but Adam seems to be one of the few men who is impervious to James’s charms, no matter how hard James tries.
When James’s father become deathly ill, James races home. He is ill-prepared to become the 4th Earl of Crofton, and his father’s vague but dire warnings on his deathbed only make matters worse. Now the earl, James must discover what is happening at Crofton Hall that had troubled his father so deeply.
James turns to Adam for help. Despite Adam’s own secrets, James trusts him. James hopes he’s not making a mistake, risking his family estate, and his already bruised heart. Together, they need to work to clear out the rotten core at Crofton Hall, and along the way secure a happy future for them both.
James, Earl of Crofton by Rebecca Cohen
Release Date: April 10, 2020 Length: Novel / ~86,000 words Pairing / Genre(s) / Keyword(s): M/M Historical Romance
Three loud bangs on the roof of the coach made James jump in his seat and Tilly gasp and clutch his arm. If it weren’t for her gleeful grin he’d have thought she’d grabbed him for comfort.
“If you would be so kind, step out of the carriage, my lord and lady.”
If James was not mistaken, the voice belonged to an educated man, or at least one intelligent enough to make himself sound like one. James could hear nothing in the words to suggest whereabouts he came from in the country. His soft tones could have easily slipped into a conversation at court.
“Stay here,” insisted James.
“I will not,” said Tilly, indignant, her eyes flashing with annoyance. “I know you far too well, James Redbourn. If anyone is going to claim the right to brag over the Chivalrous Highwayman, it will be me.”
Meet Rebecca
REBECCA COHEN spends her days dreaming of a living in a Tudor manor house, or a Georgian mansion. Alas, the closest she comes to this is through her characters in her historical romance novels. She also dreams of intergalactic adventures and fantasy realms, but because she’s not yet got her space or dimensional travel plans finalised, she lives happily in leafy Hertfordshire, England, with her husband and young son. She can often be found with a pen in one hand and sloe gin with lemon tonic in the other.
Thank you so much to Sarah for this piece on writing gender diverse characters (and for being so kind about my own work!)
I love adventure stories (especially adventure stories including ferocious tigers). I love creepy paranormal mysteries. I love romance (especially queer romance). And I love, big, sloppy, loyal dogs.
A.L. Lester’s THE FLOWERS OF TIME has each of these things,
which made me a Very Happy Reader. ™ But if you sat me down and said,
“Sarah, tell us your most favorite thing about this, the third book
in Lester’s LOST IN TIME series?” I would reply, without hesitation,
“Jones.”
Jones. The non-binary, dog loving, code-breaking, magic-wielding,
one-half of our romantic pair. (The other half being Edie, whom I adored as
well, especially for her* stubbornness and petticoats). But. JONES. Jones made
me laugh, and Jones made me cry. Because I am a non-binary person, and in
Jones’ fear that she might somehow be broken, in Jones’ sometimes unrecognition
of her face in a mirror, in Jones’ distress over her menstruation and lack of
‘male parts’—
Well. In Jones I saw myself. And for that I’m grateful.
Although publishing is finally beginning to catch up and
catch on, finding well-written stories with well-written gender diverse
characters can still be difficult. Many of my favorites I have discovered
through word of mouth, rather than Big 5 marketing. This may be because I am
super picky about how I connect with gender diverse characters, or it may be
because there is still a tendency to rely on tropes when writing about a
character whose gender identity lies outside the ‘cultural norm’.
I’m not saying that tropes can’t be fun. Nor am I implying
that I haven’t fallen into the trope trap myself. As a fantasy author, I’ve
written my share of non-binary faeries.
What I am saying is: let’s hold Jones up as an example and try
to do better.
“But Sarah,” you may argue, “writing gender
diversity can be hard, and frightening. Even as a gender diverse author.
Everyone has a different experience. What if I do it wrong?”
We all get it wrong occasionally (see non-binary faeries)
but if we’re too afraid to dip a toe then certainly we’ll never get it right.
So, here are three helpful tips to keep in mind going forward:
Your character’s gender diversity is 100 percent NOT their defining characteristic. Take Jones. She’s an extremely well-rounded and believable character with passions and fears that have absolutely nothing to do with being non-binary. Which is fantastic. Because so do I!
Gender identity, gender expression, sexuality and physical sex are different things. I didn’t write Jones, so I don’t know all her secrets, so here I’ll use an example from my latest book, EARNEST INK. Hemingway, my MC, is trans masc. He thinks of himself as male (gender identity) he prefers to present himself as male (gender expression) and he’s sexually attracted to any gender (pansexual). He hasn’t yet opted for gender confirming surgery, he is on T, and if you asked him about his physical sex he’d probably punch you in the face because: rude. As a writer, knowing a character’s gender identity, gender expression, sexuality, and physical sex helps to make for more believable, well-rounded character motivation.
Talk to gender diverse people. Educate yourself about experience. Lean on your gender diverse friends and your sensitivity readers. But do so politely. A good example: “Hey, Sarah, I’m writing a non-binary character, but as a gay cis male with zero non-binary experience, I have questions. You seem to be pretty open about discussing your gender. Would you mind weighing in?” Sure thing. Thanks for asking so nicely. Hit me up any time.
*In 1782 there were no they/them pronoun options, so I will
refer to Jones as she does herself.
Sarah Remy/Alex Hall is a nonbinary, animal-loving, proud gamer Geek. Their work can be found in a variety of cool places, including HarperVoyager, EDGE and NineStar Press.
