BONUS EP PRIDE JORGENSEN

“ACE OF PIRATES”

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

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

KARA JORGENSEN (she/they) Kara Jorgensen is an anachronistic oddball with a penchant for all things antiquated, morbid, or just plain strange. While in college, she realized she no longer wanted to be Victor Frankenstein but instead wanted to write like Mary Shelley and thus abandoned her future career in science for writing. She melds her passions through her books and received an MFA in Creative and Professional Writing in 2016. When not writing, she can be found hanging out with her dogs watching period dramas or trying to convince her students to cite their sources. You can visit Kara’s website at https://karajorgensen.com/ or follow her on Twitter @AuthorKaraJ and Instagram @kara.jorgensen

BONUS EP DISCUSSION

NOTE: This episode was recorded in mid-May during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic

> Title: Our Bloody Pearl (These Treacherous Tides #1)

Author: D.N. Bryn

Relation to theme: Ace pirate MC, Found Family

Representation: Queer MCs, deaf and disabled MC

Content Warnings: captivity, murder, genocide, internalized ableism, bloood, violence

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40612896-our-bloody-pearl

NOTE: This book was also discussed in RBP ep #132

> Title: Bloom Into You

Author: Nio Nakatani

Relation to theme: Aro Ace MC, Found Family

Representation: Japanese author, queer MCs

Content Warnings: tbd

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30139738-bloom-into-you-vol-1

> Title: The Rat-catcher’s Daughter (The Lilywhite Boys #0.5)

Author: K.J. Charles

Relation to theme: Ace MC, Found Family

Representation: Queer MCs

Content Warnings: misgendering, threat of violence towards trans character (not specifically transphobic), on-page violence, references to acephobia and off-page violence against women

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50054274-the-rat-catcher-s-daughter

> Rosie Thor article: https://allthekissing.com/2019/10/writing-romance-for-asexual-and-aromantic-readers/

> Title: Heartsong (Green Creek #3)

Author: T.J. Klune

Relation to theme: Ace werewolf MC, Found Family

Representation: Queer author, queer MCs

Content Warnings: violence, death, mental and emotional manipulation, trauma, memory loss

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39926005-heartsong

> Title: How To Be A Normal Person (How To Be #1)

Author: T.J. Klune

Relation to theme: Ace MC, Found Family

Representation: Queer author, queer MCs

Content Warnings: tbd

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25548442-how-to-be-a-normal-person

> Title: How To Be A Movie Star (How To Be #2)

Author: T.J. Klune

Relation to theme: Demi MC, Found Family

Representation: Queer author, queer MCs

Content Warnings: depression, anxiety, mentions of suicidal ideation, weed/drug use

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39925990-how-to-be-a-movie-star

> A Chuck Tingle link for the unfamiliar

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10788353.Chuck_Tingle

> Title: Queens of Geek

Author: Jen Wilde

Relation to theme: Ace cosplayer MC, Found Family

Representation: Queer MCs, Autistic MC

Content Warnings: anxiety, panic attacks, Autism, emotionally abusive cheating ex, accidental outing of an MC

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28245707-queens-of-geek

> Title: Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1)

Author: Seanan McGuire

Relation to theme: Ace MC, Found Family

Representation: asexual and trans MCs

Content Warnings: eating disorder, murder and body horror

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25526296-every-heart-a-doorway

NOTE: This book was also discussed in RBP ep #104

> Claudie Arseneault’s database: https://claudiearseneault.com/?page_id=1320

> TBR: Belle Revolte by Linsey Miller

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39673190-belle-r-volte

> Linsey Miller’s NB assassin series is Mask of Shadows

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/180598-mask-of-shadows

> Title: Charity Case

Author: Lyndsay McSeveney

Relation to theme: Ace NB polyam singer MC, Found Family

Representation: Queer MCs

Content Warnings: depression, on page panic attacks/anxiety, complicated parental relationships

Link: https://tapas.io/episode/1057974

NOTE: This is a webcomic that is currently online only

> Title: His Quiet Agent (The Agency #1)

Author: Ada Maria Soto

Relation to theme: Ace spy MC, Found Family

Representation: Mexian-American author, queer MCs

Content Warnings: off page violence, tending to the result of off page violence

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35238838-his-quiet-agent

> Title: Two Rogues Make a Right (Seducing the Sedgwicks #3)

Author: Cat Sebastian

Relation to theme: Demi MC, Found Family

Representation: Bi author, queer MCs, PTSD

Content Warnings: mentions of past emotional, physical and sexual abuse, chronic illness

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52737554-two-rogues-make-a-right

NOTE: This book was also discussed in RBP ep #132

> Sarah mentions Georgiana in A Delicate Deception by Cat Sebastian as being confirmed Ace

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39735911-a-delicate-deception

> Title: A Gentleman’s Position (Society of Gentleman #3)

Author: K.J. Charles

Relation to theme: Demi MC, Found Family

Representation: Queer MCs

Content Warnings: death of parent from cancer (off page), homophobia

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25893424-a-gentleman-s-position

> Sarah mentions Gilded Cage by K.J. Charles

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52314497-gilded-cage

> Kara mentions Claudie Arseneault’s books as being on their TBR

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418438.Claudie_Arseneault

> Title: The Earl of Brass (The Ingenious Mechanical Devices #1)

Author: Kara Jorgensen

Relation to theme: Ace MC, Found Family

Representation: Queer author, queer MCs

Content Warnings: loss of limb, depiction of wounds from the loss, burns

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33540072-the-earl-of-brass

> Title: Ignition Zero (Ignition Zero #1)

Author: Noel Arthur Heimpel

Relation to theme: Ace MCs, Found Family

Representation: Queer author, queer MCs

Content Warnings: violence

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35041313-ignition-zero-volume-one

> Title: The Thread That Binds

Author: Noel Arthur Heimpel

Relation to theme: Multiple ace & aro-spec characters, Found Family

Representation: Queer author, queer MCs

Content Warnings: emotional abuse and gaslighting (by parents, by a mentor/boss), discussion of emotional child abuse (does not happen on-page), discussion of domestic violence (does not happen on-page), minor character death/death of a mentor (off page, peaceful), discussion of toxic friendships, descriptions of anxiety, panic attack, and PTSD symptoms

Link: http://www.noelheimpel.com/thethreadthatbinds

NOTE: This is a webcomic that is currently online only

> All of Kara’s books can be found here:
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8328801.Kara_Jorgensen

> Sarah Jean mentions Rosiee Thor’s next book which is due in 2021
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53088453-fire-becomes-her

> 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