“Never forget, Quinn Hazen, that vows born in blood and a valiant heart forge a bond that can shatter any magic.”
— The Lady of the Forest, Seventh Swan
Well hello there, Story Quester. It’s Wednesday, which means I’ve got something new to share with you!
Work in Progress
Walk Me Home
I’m still fishing the last bit of story 5 for Walk Me Home and waiting for my editor to free up some time to complete edits on story 4. While I do I’m also selecting which scene to illustrate for each story.
And let’s not forget I still have to decide which story’s characters will earn that coveted spot on the cover. 🤔
Scenetember / ExSpelled
I wrapped up the last few days of Scenetember and my story series ExSpelled. Not all the short stories are as “done” as I’d like them. So I’ll have to do a little bit of filling in and editing before I make them available to, subscribers of my Kiss Kiss List.
This story series will probably start rolling out in early November.
Seventh Swan
While talking to a friend about her upcoming novel we got into a discussion about Cozy Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, and if there existed such a thing as Dark Cozy Fantasy.
Well, one of my upcoming stories—Seventh Swan—is exactly that. It’s a cozy slice-of-life where two young guys run a bakery in a fantasy kingdom’s capital. But also one of them spent a couple hundred years forcibly transformed into a swan and might have been baked into a pie as a child by his false mother. 😬
Anyways, a version of the meet-cute for Septimus and Quinn—the two leads—appears in my upcoming story collection 12 Days of Kisses.
My Weekly Book Recommendations
Looking for some LGBTQAI+ reads to add to your TBR shelf this month? I’ve got you covered, Story Quester! This whole month I’ll have special bonus recommendations for you from over 30+ queer authors & allies!
There’s everything from cute Sapphic Romance to dark vampire tales to Achillean Fantasy with spell casters or valkyries to adventure across the stars.
* Those with an “*” are part of the promo.
1) In Love and Death*
by Aldrea Alien
In one day, Dylan’s whole life was destroyed. In one night, he may have found the beginnings of a new one.
Still grappling with the loss of his home, Dylan has no choice but to head for Wintervale. His one solace is in traveling the same direction taken by the enemy. But the truth behind the attack on the spellster tower suggests things aren’t as clear-cut and the enemy may well be closer than they thought.
Crossing the kingdom also means remaining in the presence of Tracker, the King’s Hound who Dylan’s repressed desire refuses to let out of his head. The man’s gentle protectiveness, coupled with his flirting, certainly doesn’t help. It taunts him with ideas of the night they shared in the tower becoming something more, a thought that is no less ridiculous than remaining unleashed.
After all, it’s a hound’s job to escort or kill spellsters. They do not disobey orders. They do not falter. And they do not fall. Especially not in love.
Features: Bisexual male main character
Genres & Tropes: Achillean Romantasy, Dark Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, Bi-awakening, slow-burn, mage/mage-hunter romance, spicy
READ IT
2) Spark and Tether*
by Lilian Zenzi
He’s never been able to turn away from someone in need, and there’s a voice in the void calling for aid…
Working odd jobs across the Outer Ring gets a little lonely sometimes—not everyone loves having a synchronist with supraliminal perception around. But all Sacheri wants, he tells himself, is to wander the stars.
Then he takes a salvage run to an abandoned moon where he meets the wry, reserved, strictly-by-the-rules archivist Jin. Mesmerized by their confidence and charm, Sacheri can’t resist showing off his abilities–and instead of the damaged ai he was tracking, he stumbles onto a signal left by a synchronist who went missing decades earlier.
Sacheri knows from previous experience that pursuing the truth—never mind justice—could destroy everything he loves. He would defy his employers, the institution responsible for the myconeural networks that make him a synchronist, and the leadership of several worlds.
And it would complicate his new, passionate, and impossibly sweet relationship with Jin. They might be the best thing that’s ever happened to him, but they work for the very entities that ended Sacheri’s last investigation.
He knows better than to risk it…
Features: Gay main character
Genres & Tropes: SciFi Romance, mystery, actual AI, between a rock and a hard place
READ IT
3) Turning up the Heat*
by Kismet Kaye
Rival chefs with a searing connection—someone’s bound to get burned…
When talented young chef Danae walks into my kitchen, I’m determined to keep things strictly professional. I’ve worked too hard to let an inconvenient attraction derail my career.
But as we work long hours side-by-side in the pressure cooker of New York City’s restaurant industry, the heat is too high to ignore.
Our ruthless restaurant owners seem intent on using Danae to undermine my authority. My hurt pride tempts me to push her away, even as I’m drawn closer. Despite my best efforts to put my career first, she’s impossible to resist.
When an incredible opportunity forces me to reevaluate what I really want, I have an impossible choice—cling to the cutthroat path I’ve carved out for myself, or take a terrifying leap into the unknown.
They say oil and water don’t mix, but in this business, taking risks is the only way to get ahead—I just hope it doesn’t end in an explosion.
Features: Lesbian main character
Genres & Tropes: Sapphic Romance, New Adult, Contemporary Romance, opposites attract, workplace romance, cooking/baking, sweet
READ IT
Well, I better get back to finishing up these story collections, Story Quester. Until next time, this is your friendly neighborhood storytelling Kat signing off.
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