It’s Sapphic September, and I’ve rejuvenated the book rec stash with fresh titles! I have to say, I think my favorite types of sapphic stories are the ‘she’s a little bit fucked up and a lot bit haunted’ and the good ol’ ‘I shall protect you with my life, my lady.’
What about you?
After the chaos of the last year, and some consideration, I have decided to thin my Patreon tiers one last time. Instead of two tiers with content divided, there is now one which provides access to everything. Chapters excerpts, art, full short stories, the NSFW stuff, writing resources, all of it.
I hope this will make things more accessible, and less confusing. I have updated the layout, and collections.
When it comes to new stuff, the next few months are going to be chock full of it. Between the short stories, Mochizuki and Xlato, and Witchtober, there is a lot of new writing content coming to Patreon. As much as I love the explorers, it’ll be nice to switch it up and write about some new folks, and give you something different to read.
For art, there will be upcoming sneak peeks at the VOWP hardback cover, and a potential commission for one of my anthology stories.
For writer talk, I was thinking about a post-kickstarter discussion about what it was like to release a book that way, and how it’s gone so far.
Anything else you’d like to see from me on Patreon? I would love some feedback!
There was a distinct click behind him, one that had become familiar in the past week and a half. Watt looked over his shoulder, spying Cornelius looking a tad sheepish behind his camera. Three times now Cornelius had taken his photo, having asked before the first time if he had Watt’s permission to take candid shots.
Watt rather thought that him brooding in a hotel room was a waste of film, and was surprised to find himself saying so.
Cornelius chuckled. “Every explorer needs a good before and after photo, you know, before they’re beaten to hell by their perils.”
“Then what were the photographs on the ship for?”
“Practice,” Cornelius said. There was an easy air about him this morning, which Watt was grateful for. He wasn’t sure if he could handle prickly Cornelius today.
Watt straightened from the wall, extending a hand towards Cornelius. “Then you should have a before photo as well, yeah?”
Cornelius cleared his throat. “Oh. I suppose so.”
Moody Before the Perils illustrations by Gagakuma Draws! This scene is one of the early icebreaker like scenes with the fellas, and stuck out to us both of us when it came to Cornelius’ photographs. Their postures and expressions speak so much to their inner turmoils during the beginning. Watt wears his heart on his sleeve, while Cornelius hides everything behind that proud mask. And of course, this beautiful and romantic moment between the explorers.
He kept hearing Andrea’s words over and over again, followed by Severino’s distant plea from weeks ago. He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop either time, but last night had been the final nail in Watt’s heart. “They’re doing good work here, real work. I can go on alone. This isn’t—I won’t drag you into madness, Cornelius.”
Cornelius closed the small distance between them, slow enough to give Watt time to back away. He did not.
Cornelius gazed up at Watt, their chests inches apart. His steely eyes seemed to glitter in the dark, like Lake Michigan under full moonlight. “I made a promise, and I intend to keep it.”
“Aventurier,” Watt whispered, overcome with an intense desire to bend down, and kiss Cornelius.
He—he wanted to kiss Cornelius.
He wanted Cornelius.
Cornelius’ eyes flared and he lifted his chin a fraction of an inch, lips parting.
Oh, and he was wanted in return. He was wanted by, and wanted, a man. Not just any man, but his—his Cornelius. He wanted to. It could’ve been easy, should’ve been easy.
But no matter how much he wanted to, Watt could not break through that wall. It would shatter everything, demolishing the foundations of everything they had built in the last few months. And he couldn’t—he wasn’t—
Cornelius’ lips curled into a small, sad smile. Like he knew. And he probably did, because who else knew Watt better than this man?
His best friend. Because yes, that was what Cornelius was to him, now and always.
🧭
There are now 94 backers! Hello to all of you, and thank you so much for supporting this campaign. We only have 22 hours left, then it’s time for Kickstarter to do its thing so I can do my thing and order books, stickers, bookmarks, art prints, all that good stuff to pass onto you. With all of the new art that has come out seen the Kickstarter began, don’t be surprised if there are extra goodies in the adventure boxes.
whispers: Do you think we can reach an even 100 backers?
Big thanks to Gagakuma Draws for drawing the gay explorers in love!
Thank you to everyone who has backed the Kickstarter, it is now fully funded !
Not only that, but we have hit our first stretch goal, a short story that takes place after The Voice of Wild Places, and there is a chance we may reach the second one, a special edition hardback!
Despite my Big Feelings about all this love for the Kickstarter, I have already set to work on the short story, it feels so good to be with these characters again. Yes, I know we haven’t been separated for that long, but it still feels like coming home.
Speaking of coming home, I wanted to take a moment to talk about the Adventures in Levena books, which some people added to your pledge. It is cozy season after all, which is what these books feel like. There is some angst as characters heal and face the past, but they are overwhelming wholesome and romantic.
There are currently two novels and two novellas out, each book follows a different couple. The first novella has multiple perspectives, and an interesting first half that technically takes place after all the books. It’s an immortal thing, you know?
The third book, Mochizuki and Xlato, comes out in October of next year. Illustrated by Crossroad Art, the same artist who we hopefully will have for the special hardback of The Voice of Wild Places!
You can find out more about the series here.
I can’t wait to order prints, bookmarks, stickers, and wield my new highlighter and pens to go full historical nerd mode for annotating time. Not to mention signing and/or painting the books themselves.
A couple of weeks ago I asked for queer indie books, and you all delivered. I have so many more in my arsenal, but these are all I could fit in a post!
Should we do a part two?
🧭 The Author Behind the Book 🧭
Over the years, I’ve done a few different meet the author type posts. I could tell you all again that my stories have threads of found family, fighting oppression, and finding love in all its vast forms. Mental illness and disability representation are also very important to me, and exist in my stories in one form or another.
I could also tell you I’m one of the hosts on an indie author podcast called Right Here, Write Queer. I love self publishing, and will always be team human. Team real creativity, and community, and supporting each other.
And I could also tell you that every week I try to share book queer recommendations, and I’m more active on Bluesky and Tumblr than anywhere else. I have a Patreon where I share writing excerpts, resources for authors, and first looks at new art.
But as of late, there’s something else I’d like to tell you.
I am not going anywhere.
I am a queer millennial who lives, and writes, in the mountainous rural arms of Upstate NY. And nothing will stop me from writing, reading, and sharing queer stories.
All while spilling coffee left and right, pins and crystals falling out of my bag as I go. Maybe even a scrap paper or two.
I’m pretty proud of myself, only … most of these were rereads. Ah, well. When the serotonin is low, you gotta do what you gotta do.
I did read The Voice of Wild Places in paperback version, and it was so great to read it ‘as a book.’ Viscounts and Villainy was a great conclusion to the series, if not a little repetitive with how much they were gushing about each other. They deserve it.
An Unseen Attraction was so fun, an unusual take on historical fiction aka taxidermy in the late 1800s and all the weirdness that comes with it.
And prosthetics, wheelchairs, and canes shall answer.
Mobility can be affected by a number of things, and the range at which it can be affected is vast. Some people are totally reliant on their aides, while others can be ambulatory for a time or partially ambulatory.
I think there’s a pretty good mix here, but feel free to shout out your favorites.
Anthologies, because we all need bite sized queer stories in our lives.
The Kickstarter for The Voice of Wild Places begins in one week! Let’s talk about it.
The Voice of Wild Places was borne from my love for history and a need for more queer historical fiction. What was originally supposed to be a fun and quick archaeological story in an urban fantasy world swiftly evolved to a story far beyond anything I imagined, and definitely not urban fantasy.
Yes, there is romance, but this is also a story of adventure, fighting to be who you are in a world that begs you to be anything but yourself, finding the truth, and discovering your value.
The early 20th century has always called to me, but when I first dove into this era I had no idea the feelings that would surface. As I wrote, I discovered many of the issues my characters faced are similar to the ones people face now. It provided me with a way to cope with the changes our world is enduring, and it is my hope that others can find the same comfort in it that I found writing it.
Blurb:
Cornelius Sawyer is a man of many talents, but forgiveness is not one of them.
Watt Johnson is a man of his word, but not once in his life has he spoken up for himself.
Once connected by the bonds of childhood, threads now severed by the demands of life, the pair are brought together for a once in a lifetime opportunity: an all expenses paid expedition to Brazil, searching for a man the world believes to be long dead, Percy Fawcett. And perhaps, even the Lost City that he was looking for.
Under the guise of doing research work for their respective universities, a reluctant Cornelius and an exhilarated Watt accept the offer and delve into the unknown, trusting no one but themselves. Looking at a map, the route and its dangers seem to be known obstacles which can be easily conquered, a fact that Watt leans on heavily.
But Cornelius is intimately aware that the river has teeth, that the land renders a siren song to those who are desperate to become lost in its mountains and basins. To survive the journey they’ll have to face the enemies within, and trust the other to have their best interests in mind.
After all, the Voice of Wild Places is calling, beckoning the adrift homeward.
Travel with Cornelius and Watt as they journey from Philadelphia to New York City, to Brazil’s coast and her interior. Visit the places of their past such as Michigan, France, Egypt, Columbia, and more as they two untangle the threads of their lives, and what made them into the people they are now.
With years of research devoted to this project, you can find reality in the details. Listen to the music in the queer speakeasy Maxine’s, which lay in the heart of what would become the Gayborhood. Cruise on the S.S. Eastern Prince, which ran from New York City to Rio de Janeiro, and witness the construction of Christ the Redeemer.
And we cannot dismiss the less savory parts of history, such as the production of antivenin, the threat of civil war, colonialism, and discrimination.
In addition to ebook and paperback editions of The Voice of Wild Places, adventure boxes will be available. These include a signed paperback, stickers, art prints, bookmarks, and my digital backlist. The digital backlist contains The Voice of Wild Places, and will have its own tier as well.
Lastly, I am offering annotated adventure boxes, which include everything in the regular box but with a signed and annotated paperback of The Voice of Wild Places. Prepare for historical notes in the margins, my favorite lines, and lore behind the scenes such as ones that nearly didn’t make the cut.
Stretch Goal 1: Post-Story Short – $ 3,800
Want more Watt and Cornelius? How about Severino and Joaquim? Ah, how about the interns? You know what, let’s hear more from all of them. This stretch goal unlocks short story following our main characters, and new perspectives from their friends. Plus, Cornelius owes Watt a certain tutoring session. This will be in the form of an epub, delivered in December.
Stretch Goal 2: Special Edition Hardback – $ 4,700
Crossroad Art has graciously accepted the challenge of illustrating a special hardback cover for The Voice of Wild Places. If we reach this stretch goal, extra content such as the previously unlocked short story, and a look into the life of Cornelius’ brother, Jimmy Tremblay, will be added to the special edition.
Stretch Goal 3: Audiobook – $ 7,200
Sam Stark, a talented narrator, voice actor, sound designer, and podcaster, has agreed to narrate The Voice of Wild Places! You may recognize them from Pretty Dogs by Riley Nash, or The Entanglement of Rival Wizards by Sara Raasch. I highly recommend checking out some more of their work!
Accessibility is incredibly important to me, and I strive to make all of my books as accessible as possible. I would love to have this story transformed into an audiobook and available in libraries. I cannot feasibly do this on my own, or using a royalty share program like ACX, as they reserve exclusive rights to Amazon for seven years.
If this goal funds, those who supported the Kickstarter will receive a copy of the audiobook for free, if they desire.
I don’t know about you, but I always love to do some extra research after reading a historical fiction. The Voice of Wild Places was three years in the making, and required research that spanned books, websites, articles, video footage, and other paraphernalia. If you’d like to peruse the links or the books I read while researching, and others I highly recommend for further information on exploration during the late 19th century and early 20th century, check out the research page.
And if you enjoy music with your books, here is The Voice of Wild Places playlist.
Big thanks to Benedetta Massaro for all of the character busts and extra artwork to help promote this story!
The Voice of Wild Places is a work of historical fiction, the interpretations of the people and places referenced therein are fictional. Ultimately, this is a story of hope, finding yourself and your people, but the road is rocky and there are content warnings to be aware of.
This book contains elements of transphobia, homophobia, discussion of a transgender person being outed in the past, alcoholism, racism, colonization, discussion of the Canadian Indigenous Peoples residential schools, ableism, serious injury, drowning and resuscitation, medical experimentation on animals, snakes and snake bites, post traumatic stress, depression, wartime flashbacks, swearing, and smoking.
Neshama Publishing 