BONUS EP PRIDE PETERSON

“CLAIMING CONFABULOUS SPACES”

This week Sarah Jean continues our series of bonus Pride month episodes exploring Queer Romance and found family with special guest author May Peterson

BONUS EP HOST

> SARAH JEAN (she/her) From the woods of Massachusetts, Sarah Jean has been reading queer romance for 12 years. She runs a queer book club called Rainbow Readers of Massachusetts (https://www.facebook.com/rainbowreadersmass/) that celebrates queer lives, joy, and empowerment through genre fiction. When not reading or listening to books Sarah is plotting her queer historical romances, cuddling with her cats, and planning her next adventure. Follow Sarah on Twitter @queer_reader

BONUS EP GUEST

MAY PETERSON (she/her) May Peterson, a lifelong lover of stories, has always had a deep fondness for books, animation, and comics. May is also rumored to be some kind of magical creature, but exactly which kind is still debated by scholars. While they sort that out, May busies herself as a romance and fantasy author, as well as a freelance editor. She is drawn toward both writing and reading stories that are magical, hopeful, and distinctive, as well as those that explore identity, queerness, and connection. May, who also writes as M.A. Peterson, believes that bringing a daydream to life with its own tale to tell is always a small miracle. You can visit May’s website at http://www.maypetersonbooks.com/ and follow her on Twitter @maidensblade

BONUS EP DISCUSSION

NOTE: This episode was recorded in early June during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic

> Title: The Lord of the Last Heartbeat (The Sacred Dark #1)
Author: May Peterson
Relation to theme: NB/intersex MC, Found Family
Representation: Trans author, NB/intersex MC
Content Warnings: references to suicide, murder, blood, fantasy violence, references to off-screen infidelity, mind control, non-graphic references to transphobia/anti-effeminacy/homophobia
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45711591-lord-of-the-last-heartbeat

> May Peterson’s The Immortal City (The Sacred Dark #2) is due out in Aug 2020
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50704984-the-immortal-city

> Title: Sword Dance (Sword Dance #1)
Author: A.J. Demas
Relation to theme: NB/genderfluid MC, Found Family
Representation: Queer author, NB/genderfluid MC
Content Warnings: philosophy students with racist/natonalistic/xenophobic/genocidal ideology, murder, ptsd, slavery, mentions of past toture, mentions of castration, war, violence
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51856712-sword-dance
NOTE: May was a sensitivity reader for this book

> Title: No Man of Woman Born
Author: Ana Mardoll
Relation to theme: Various trans rep
Representation: Queer author, various trans rep
Content Warnings: each story contains its own content warning guide
S1: violence, bloodshed, community ableism, sacrificial victims, self sacrifice
S2: border walls, population purges, violence, mention of self harm
S3: violence and sexualized violence, bloodshed, death of family/parents/minor children
S4 : misgendering, parental bigotry, mention of parental death
S5: magical curses, non-consensual kissing, mention of self harm
S6: government oppression, mention of emergecy ceasarean births, mention of rape
S7: none identified
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39878322-no-man-of-woman-born
NOTE: This book was also discussed in RBP ep #120

> Title: Help Wanted (Ashveil Academy #1)
Author: J. Emery
Relation to theme: Gender questioning MC, Found Family
Representation: Queer author, gender questioning MC, queer MC
Content Warnings: gender dysphoria, death mention
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40852389-help-wanted
NOTE: This book was previously discussed in RBP ep #104

> Title: An Offering of Plums
Author: J. Emery
Relation to theme: Agender demon
Representation: Queer author, agender MC, queer MC
Content Warnings: attempted human sacrifice, PTSD, violence, physical injury with blood
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39719172-an-offering-of-plums
NOTE: This book was previously discussed in RBP ep #104

> Sarah Jean mentions the non-fiction text Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity by C. Riley Snorton
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34850447-black-on-both-sides

> Sarah Jean refers to the E.E. Ottoman episode of the Shelf Love podcast
Link: https://shelflovepodcast.com/episodes/season-2/episode-44/044-any-old-diamonds-by-kj-charles-with-ee-ottoman/

> Sarah Jean refers to her conversation with ‘Nathan Burgoine earlier this month which can be found here
Link: http://lustandfoundreads.com/rombkpod/bonus-ep-pride-burgoine/

> Sarah Jean refers to The History Project Boston and their recent talk on queer ancestors in your family tree a video of which can be found here
Link: https://www.historyproject.org/index.php/event/lgbtq-genealogy-finding-fruit-your-family-tree

> Title: An Unsuitable Heir (Sins of the Cities #3)
Author: K.J. Charles
Relation to theme: AMAB genderfluid MC, Found Family
Representation: Queer MCs
Content Warnings: misgendering and transphobia towards nonbinary MC, ableism, murder and attempted murder
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33841918-an-unsuitable-heir
NOTE: This book was previously discussed in RBP ep #104
NOTE: May was a sensitivity reader for this book

> Title: Documenting Light
Author: E.E. Ottoman
Relation to theme: Non-binary AMAB MC, Trans MC, Found Family
Representation: Trans author, trans MC, queer MC
Content Warnings: misgendering, transphobia, past suicide attempt
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31145748-documenting-light

> Title: Reverb (Twisted Wishes #3)
Author: Anna Zabo
Relation to theme: Trans MC, Found Family
Representation: NB author, trans MC, queer MC
Content Warnings: stalking, attempted assault
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43185688-reverb

> Title: Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars
Author: Kai Cheng Thom
Relation to theme: Trans MC, Found Family
Representation: Trans author, trans MC
Content Warnings: self-harm (cutting), police brutality/violence, suicide, transmisogynist violence
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32279708-fierce-femmes-and-notorious-liars

> Title: The Craft of Love
Author: E.E. Ottoman
Relation to theme: Trans MC, Found Family
Representation: Trans author, trans MC, queer MC
Content Warnings: mentions of misgendering and transphobia
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42096849-the-craft-of-love
NOTE: This book was also discussed on RBP ep #128

> May and Sarah also mention E.E. Ottoman’s The Doctor’s Discretion
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35673510-the-doctor-s-discretion
NOTE: This book was also discussed in RBP ep #105

> May is currently reading Birthday by Meredith Russo
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39863399-birthday

> May mentions Mercy Zephyr is another trans woman romance author
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18723137.Mercy_Zephyr

> On Sarah Jean’s TBR is Xan West’s Eight Kinky Nights
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48665659-eight-kinky-nights
NOTE: May way a sensitivity reader for this book

> Sarah Jean also mentions Nine of Swords Reversed also by Xan WestLink: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43298008-nine-of-swords-reversed

> Also on Sarah Jean’s TBR are Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas and Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52339313-cemetery-boys
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45359713-felix-ever-after

> Sarah Jean mentions the Making Gay History podcast and their episodes on Black queer activists Marsha P. Johnson and Bayard Rustin
Link: https://makinggayhistory.com/podcast/episode-11-johnson-wicker/
Link: https://makinggayhistory.com/podcast/bayard-rustin/

> Which #QueerRomance favorites did we miss? Let us know on Twitter or Instagram @RomBkPod

Happy Reading!

BONUS EP MUSIC CREDIT

Music: “Lift Off” by Jahzzar

From the Free Music Archive

CC BY-SA 3.0