Ep #106 – LUST & FOUND

This week Meka and Melinda, aka Melinka, host the podcast as we diagnose good disability rep and prescribe free plot bunnies

EP 106 HOSTS

> MEKA WHITE (she/her) is the voice behind BookAbility.me where she writes about her adventures in reading romance and being visually impaired. Meka loves pushing books and can’t wait to share her favorites with you. When she’s not reading, Meka also enjoys singing and exploring the Pacific Northwest with her guide dog, Treble. Follow her on Twitter @Mektastic

> MELINDA UTENDORF (she/her) was that child reading Baby-Sitters Club and Sweet Valley High books with a flashlight until 2 a.m. and checking out stacks of books from the library every week. After getting sick of ‘important’ books in her English degree classes, she turned to romance and HEAs and hasn’t looked back since. Melinda spends her time doing puzzles, listening to podcasts, and helping as admin for @RomanceSparksJoy. When she’s not busy with all of that, she’s a freelance editor or talking about books as @MelindaEdits

EP 106 DISCUSSION

> “Melinka” is Meka and Melinda’s cute portmanteau

> October 15th is White Cane Awareness Day! To learn more about White Cane Awareness and the Federation of the Blind, please see the link below:

Link: https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/meet-blind-month/white-cane-awareness-day

> Trebel is Meka’s guide dog, and you can see sweet pictures of her on Twitter @Mektastic

> A link about HIPAA for those who don’t know

Link: https://www.hipaaguide.net/hipaa-for-dummies/

> Title: Wolf Rain (Psy-Changeling Trinity #3, Psy-Changeling #18)
Author: Nalini Singh
Relation to theme: Empath MC recovering from trauma
Representation: Fiji born New Zealand author of Indian descent
Content Warnings: Animal Death, past trauma (murder of parent, mental violation), near death of prominent character, kidnapping/abduction
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42373042-wolf-rain

> The Guild Hunter series is another popular series by author Nalini Singh
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/47942-guild-hunter

> Title: Song of Blood & Stone (Earthsinger Chronicles #1)
Author: L. Penelope
Relation to theme: Healer MC
Representation: Black author, Black MC
Content Warnings: War, death, murder, attempted sexual assault, children in peril, racism, colorism, xenophobia, classism
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39863207-song-of-blood-stone

> There are dozens of Forgotten Realms fantasy novels, including several miniseries. Meka is probably referring to The Icewind Dale Trilogy by R.A. Salvatore

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/49133-the-icewind-dale-trilogy

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Forgotten_Realms_novels

> Title: Invitation to the Blues (Small Change #2)
Author: Roan Parrish
Relation to theme: MC with depression, tbd
Representation: Queer author, Queer MCs
Content Warnings: Depression, past suicide attempt
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38510053-invitation-to-the-blues

> Do you have sci-fi romance recs with good disability rep for Meka? How about romance recs with good mental health rep for Melinda? Don’t hesitate to share with us on Twitter or Instagram @RomBkPod

> Funmi Baker is a romance blogger with great #InclusiveRomance recs, specializing in Black Romance. You can follow Funmi on Twitter @GothamCitySista and Instagram @when_funmi_met_romance. You can read Funmi’s personal essay “Thank You Beverly Jenkins” which she wrote for #JenkinsJuly at the link below

Link: https://www.anacoqui.com/2019/07/guest-post-thank-you-beverly-jenkins-by-funmi-baker.html

> Corey Alexander is a romance blogger with great #InclusiveRomance recs, specializing in autistic, disabled, trans, and non-binary representation. You can follow Corey on Twitter @TGStoneButch or visit their website at the link below

Link: https://coreysbookcorner.wordpress.com/

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

Happy Reading!

EP 106 MUSIC CREDIT
Music: “Lift Off” by Jahzzar
From the Free Music Archive
CC BY-SA 3.0