trans

My Favorite Reads of 2016! A Hodge-Podge of Excellence and Entertainment! #bookrecs

December 21, 2016 by Leta

The rules for this list were simple: books I read in 2016, loved like whoa or found edifying in an important way, and (most importantly) didn’t beta read or edit.

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Seraphina & Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman

These fantasy books featuring dragons and a wonderful, diverse cast of characters, including trans and gay characters, as well as a polyamorous end-game were simply wonderful. Highly recommended. I’d love to see more in this fascinating and well-drawn universe. My top reads of the year.

For Darkness Shows the Stars & Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund

These fantasy books featured post-apocalyptic reimagining of Jane Austen’s Persuasion and Baroness Orczy and Otto Penzler’s The Scarlet Pimpernel respectively. Unique world-building with descriptions that “roll film” before your eyes, these stories were addictive, new, and yet familiar all at once. Highly recommended. I’d love to see more in this universe, especially since a few threads are left dangling at the end of the second book.

Backwards to Oregon by Jae

I both loved this book and found it frustrating, yet it’s making my Favorites of 2016 list. How’s that possible? I bought it expecting a lesbian Western and quickly realized that it was a trans Western more than anything else. Luke Hamilton is clearly a transman and I loved the aspect of the book that dealt with how stunted Luke’s life had to be to keep his secret. But, again, it’s advertised as a lesbian Western, and it consistently calls Luke “she” when written from Luke’s own point of view. Which, well, really made me uncomfortable. I started to replace the ‘she’ with ‘he’ in my mind just to ease the cognitive dissonance. I wish that the author would edit this book to reflect Luke as a transman, removing the female pronouns, because it was, otherwise, an excellent, well-researched, very engaging read that’d I’d highly recommend. It’s a shame that it’s so good and yet this issue makes it deeply uncomfortable at times. Or maybe that’s a good thing, too. It certainly made me think.

Rorschach Blots by RoughDraftHero

This book is short and you can pay whatever you like for it (including nothing at all) over at Smashwords. I can’t recall what made me pick it up. It’d been in my TBR for a long time, but this year I finally got around to it. I will say that this book is pretty problematic in that it covers a teacher and student getting involved in deeply inappropriate ways. It wasn’t even wildly well-written, but, dude, it’s free-ish, so let’s get our priorities in order here. It smacked of repurposed fan fiction, but I’m down with that, and maybe it wasn’t even and it just had that feel. BUT it’s on my Favorites of 2016 list for a reason and that is the really fascinating psychological stuff going on when you’ve got a young, uneducated, fledgling dom trying to assert himself over an older, not entirely educated sub who is resisting every step of the way because, duh, he’s the dom’s teacher. I’d probably sell a kidney to see a sequel to this book, to be honest. Okay, not a kidney. But I’d make statements like, “I’d sell a kidney” and hope the author would just simply deliver for me despite no kidneys being sold. Recommended if you enjoy twisted set ups with odd pay-offs and lots of spanking.

Blue on Black by Carole Cummings

Fantasy-Western with angry men who are desperately attracted to each other? Yes, please. Fascinating world-building with several unexpected twists that I didn’t see coming? Double heck-yeah! I’m always excited when a book surprises me, because, to be honest, it doesn’t happen a lot. So I was pleased as punch when I got to say, “Now, what? Didn’t see that coming!” while reading this book. I’m a sucker for fantasy books and this one was my cuppa all the way. Broody men with high-stakes and a mystery that kept me curious until the end. Recommended!

The Mystery of Nevermore by C.S. Poe

I adored this mystery by C.S. Poe. It had hints of Adrien English without all the almost unbearable angst. If you enjoy acerbic characters who are sexy while solving mysteries and who just can’t keep themselves out of trouble, then you’ll enjoy this one, too. This book felt like an old friend. It has the vibe of a cozy mystery despite being set in bustling New York City. Maybe it’s because of the heaps of snow? Regardless, this is a lovely read and I recommend it.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Miggles by Eli Easton

I’ll just admit up front that I have a certain weakness for a younger/older book where the older character is the more flamboyant, over-the-top, dramatic one, and the younger character is steady and steadfast. This absorbing read hit that button hard and fast, and I loved it. Easily one of my all-time favorite Christmas reads, I lost track of time while reading this one and ended up staying up until 3:30 am. Not even on purpose! I was so absorbed, I didn’t even know what time it was! Highly recommended. Very cute. Loved it. Would read again.

224 authors giving away books for the LGBTQ Push Back Giveaway! #bethechange #pushback

April 18, 2015 by Leta

“224 authors, review bloggers, and publishers have got together to offer something wonderful: a reward for people who do a little bit to give back to charity. Instead of spending $5 on a book in the next two weeks, give that $5 to an LGBT charity of your choice, tell us about it in the comments, and go into the draw to win a book from one of our participating donors. And because it’s not all about money, if you can’t make a donation then please take a moment to share a charity’s links and tell us about that instead.

Three fundraisers have been set up to counter the hateful effects of Indiana’s SB 101. #Pizza4Equality is aiming to match the money raised by *that* pizza parlor, with all donations going to Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Fund. Another fundraiser is aiming to raise $100,000 for Indiana Youth Group. Finally, Planting Peace is trying to raise $100,000 to provide beds for homeless LGBT people.

Please consider giving to one of these deserving fundraisers, or any other LGBT charity anywhere in the world. We’re not telling you where you should donate your time and money, only asking that you do. The smallest things can make the biggest difference, and together, we can do something incredible.”

Find out more at Diverse Reader! You can register to win! So many authors! So many books! Let’s do something together for change!

Trans* Research: Knowing The Story #trans* #writing

February 6, 2014 by Leta

So, I’ve been working on what I envisioned as a rather simple, summer love novella with a Trans* MC. I wanted her Trans* identity to be secondary to the love story.

However, as I’m researching, and reading compelling things like THIS ARTICLE, I find myself tempted to make the story something I hadn’t intended. I thought, “Oh, I could have the MC volunteer in the city, working with trans*people who aren’t in as good a situation as she is in.”

And I still might, but if I do that, I have to make sure the book doesn’t get preachy, because that was never, ever, ever the point of what I wanted to write.

So, yes, I have to know my story. That is imperative when writing.

By the way, that’s a good article up there. Check it out!

A Teacher In Pink Panties? Not My Business? #trans* #gay #equality

February 2, 2014 by Leta

A few days ago, a male teacher from our local school system was found passed out alongside the road. He was arrested and the next day the papers reported the arrest. This seems appropriate. They also reported that he was dressed as a woman, wearing a tan bra, bra inserts, and pink panties.

I sat down with my eight year old daughter because while she doesn’t attend the school this teacher taught at, I had no doubt that it would still be the talk of her school come Monday. It’s a small town and something like that in the paper is going to bring out the bigots.

I said, “There was a teacher who was arrested for being passed out drunk on the side of the road.”

Bird said, “Oh, no, that’s not good. A teacher shouldn’t do that. It’s a bad example.”

“The newspaper also reported that he was dressed as a woman and was wearing a bra and pink panties. What do you think of that?”

She shrugged. “Not important.”

“Do you think they should have put that in the paper?”

“No. It’s not anyone’s business what color underwear someone has on, or if they’re dressed in girls’ clothes. Maybe he’s gay, or maybe he’s not. Maybe he just feels more comfortable in clothes like that. Maybe it’s just who he is.”

“Do you think what he wears has anything to do with how he treats his students or if he’s a good teacher?”

“No. His clothes are his business. Now…drinking until he’s passed out on the road? That’s a bad example.”

My eight year old gets it. Sadly, based on my Facebook feed when it all happened, grown adults don’t. Someone asked whether or not other people thought it was appropriate for the newspaper to release that information, and I was appalled by how many people thought the man’s cross-dressing outside of school was relevant to his job as a teacher. There were so many iterations of, “If he’s teaching my kids, then it’s information I want to know about.” Why? Because his pink panties are going to jump out and molest your child? Puh-lease.

Now, as my kid says, drinking until you’re passed out on the side of the road? Not a great example. His panties, though, are none of my concern.