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October 15, 2023

Chateau of Shadows #2 - It's Halloween!

This is going to shock you, but I really love autumn, by which I specifically mean October 31st. My personality is 80% "I freaking love Halloween" and 20% "The Pizza Hut BOOK IT! program". I'm the friend who posts pumpkins and skellingtons to social media the day after any holiday. I keep the spirit of Hallow's Evening in my heart all year round, and I want to share it with you.

A ceramic model of a haunted bookstore, named "The Ghost Writer's Antique Bookstore" from the Lemax Spooky Town collection
Someday ...

October is the one month in which I approach something like being normal, if only for 31 days. I haven't changed, everyone else has just briefly caught up with me. We're all decorating our desks with ghosts and jack o' lanterns, everyone is making lists of horror movies to watch and more folks start dressing just a little more witchy. I take care to buy replacements for my black lipsticks in the early summer, before the tourists snatch it all up!

Is it just about the aesthetic? Maybe. There's certainly something queer about monsters, thanks to the Hays Code. Living every day as if it's Halloween makes you something of an outsider, and as a trans lesbian I'm already on the outside of the mainstream. Might as well embrace the fun of being creepy and kooky, right? Everyone knows the Addamses are the most loving family on television in any decade.

Upcoming Work!

The Amelia Temple Series continues! I'm working with my awesome publisher, Blue Fortune Enterprises, to put Book Two out in March 2024. My amazing wife and cover artist, Frankie, is creating an incredible cover illustration. I can't wait to share it with you!

Speaking of Amelia Temple, I'm currently writing Book Three! The first draft is between 80% and 90% complete, using the previous two volumes as a guide. No release date yet, but I'm hoping for early 2025.

My short story "It's Really For The Best" is included in The Book of Queer Saints Volume II, coming this month from Medusa Publishing Haus. I received the Advanced Reader Copy two weeks ago, and this anthology is all killer, no filler. BoQS2 and a new edition of Volume I are both available for preorder now, and will ship on October 31st.

Upcoming Events!

Speaking of BoQS2, Medusa Publishing Haus is hosting a free virtual book release party on October 30th, 8-10 pm EDT! Grab a drink of your choice and join some of the best new queer horror authors. Five of the Queer Saints will be performing live readings of their stories, so grab your free ticket and get canonized!

I'll be participating in the Billsburg Book Club along with fellow Blue Fortune authors E. Compton Lee and Marielle Living! Beginning November 1, Billsburg Brewery will be hosting a different local author on the first Wednesday of each month. I'm scheduled for May 1st, but don't hesitate to check out the other authors.

A display of six books and their authors, showing the schedule for the Billsburg Book Club. Nov 1st is the Heartbreak of Josie Whitt by E. Compton Lee, Dec 6th is Easter Treasures by Dawn Brotherton, Jan 3rd is From Eagle to Eagle by Mark Ogle, Feb 7th is American Royalty by Tracey Lively, Mar 6th is Operation Blackbird by Ellen Butler, and Apr 3rd is Signs of the South by Narielle Living

Available Now

A display of books. The cover depicts a young woman in a gray dress and cardigan standing in a doorway, backlit by bright light. Her shadow transforms into something monstrous. Text reads: Beneath Strange Lights, Vivian Valentine

Beneath Strange Lights, Book one of The Amelia Temple Series, is available to order now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and wherever books are sold!

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