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And if a local indie bookstore doesn't carry the book you're looking for, as long as it's not self-published, it's usually super easy for a bookstore to order a title just for you!

Hey! Are there places to buy your books that benefit you more than others or is it all pretty much the same?

It’s all pretty much the same!  If you’re looking to make sure I receive as much of the purchase price as possible, shopping at a local independent or brick and mortar store is slightly better for me, because they don’t get as large of a discount from my publisher as the really massive online retailers do.

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Out this coming Tuesday, May 21! The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games by Ebony Elizabeth Thomas reveals the diversity crisis in children’s and young adult media as not only a lack of representation, but a lack of imagination.

Grounded in her experiences as YA novelist, fanfiction writer, and scholar of education, Thomas considers four black girl protagonists from some of the most popular stories of the early 21st century: Bonnie Bennett from the CW’s The Vampire Diaries, Rue from Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games, Gwen from the BBC’s Merlin, and Angelina Johnson from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. Analyzing their narratives and audience reactions to them reveals how these characters mirror the violence against black and brown people in our own world.

In response, Thomas uncovers and builds upon a tradition of fantasy and radical imagination in Black feminism and Afrofuturism to reveal new possibilities. Through fanfiction and other modes of counter-storytelling, young people of color have reinvisioned fantastic worlds that reflect their own experiences, their own lives. As Thomas powerfully asserts, “we dark girls deserve more, because we are more.”

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!!!

*heavy breathing sounds*

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I’m back!

So since I last posted, I wrote most-of-a-novel/thesis, graduated with my Master’s in Creative Writing, moved across the country by car with my partner and my dog and have officially settled in as a bookseller @wellesleybooks! I spend the majority of my time in the children’s lit and sci-fi/fantasy section of the store. 

I’m here to talk about the books I’m reading and looking forward to, the freelance work I do, probably talk about what I’m cooking and baking, and bemoaning my lack of an office to write in. 

Also expect pictures of my dog. He’s a very cute dog. 

Come chat with me! 

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Hey guys! So it’s been a little over a year since I published “Swelter,” my explicit f/f short story featuring a girl hooking up with her older brother’s best friend at said brother’s wedding. To celebrate, “Swelter” will be free on Amazon for four days, 8 November 2017 - 11 November 2017. 

Please download it, and if you’re feeling kind, leave an honest review on the page! (It’s the nicest thing you can do for a self-published author; reviews have a huge impact on Amazon algorithms.)

SWELTER - by Jules Kelley

A wide, wicked grin below reflective aviators sent a welcome chill like melted ice down her spine, and she faltered, stumbling to a stop right in front of a disgruntled businessman, who stepped around her sharply.

“Maya?”

Her older brother’s best friend stood leaning against a planter, looking as cool as ever, just like she wasn’t wearing a leather jacket, jeans, and leather boots. There wasn’t even a hint of dampness in her casually wind-blown black hair, her gorgeous brown skin smooth and dry. Goddamn it, Grace, close your mouth and stop staring.

“What are you doing here?”

Maya pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head and straightened, gesturing for Grace to give her the carry-on bag. “I’m here to pick you up, princess. Should I have brought a sign with your name on it?”

- DOWNLOAD HERE

cover art by my partner, Kellie @hallaheart, and moodboard by the fabulous Roanna @thesylverlining :)

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Hello Booklr!

I’m looking for more active book blogs to follow on Tumblr and Goodreads! If you’re active, like or reblog this post, or message me with your name on GR! And of course, you can add me on GR here.

Happy reading!

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Limits of the Human Body by Soda Pop Avenue

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book aesthetics: elementals: books and plants 🍃

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holy fUCKING SHIT 

“THE GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE” IS AN AMAZING BOOK AND EVERYONE SHOULD READ IT

it has

-a gay moc main character

-a bisexual male main character

-a coded ace badass girl main character

-interracial relationships

-racial issues during the 18th century

-pirates

-road trip

-angst

-LOTS OF GAY

-discussions of suicide 

-main character who is A FUCKING MESS

-literally he drinks his problems away and sleeps with whomever he can and then hates himself a lot alot laot and wants to die 

-disabled main character who isn’t defined by the disability or want it cured

-half-deaf character

-discussion of women’s rights during 18th century

-child abuse

-pstd

-panic attacks

-pirate dad

-learning to love yourself, faults and all

honestly there’s so much more i could add but please do yourself a favor and read this witty, charming book

Monty is a fucking mess and I love him and Percy is the sweetest boi, and Felicity will fuck your shit up

it’s so lovely and gay and i loved them all

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I’ve seen a lot of good posts detailing why you should read The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue but I feel some things are being left out, so:

-Important messages about learning to love and value yourself -it shows how being privilaged in some ways and at a disadvantage in other ways (regarding identities and circumstances of their lives) affect and interact with each other but don’t negate each other -Adresses white privilege and race issues in the time period -the main character is flawed. Like, man he says some stuff in the beginning that makes me go “????” But that’s the point. He’s not a great person, but his character development is SO GOOD. None of his actions are excused, but he gets to learn and grow and become better and it’s so cool to watch -honestly all the characters are so good and well developed -and people have already pointed out how funny the book is but, in particular for me, Monty getting lowkey turned on by Percy accidentally playing footsie with him is hysterical

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reasons to read the gentleman’s guide to vice and virtue:

it’s the queer historical road trip novel you never realised you needed

the friends-to-lovers trope! the sharing-a-bed trope!! the mutual pining trope!!! the everyone-knows-their-feelings-are-reciprocated-except-for-them trope!!!!

basically monty and percy are the cutest and i can 100% guarantee they’re going to be everyone’s new otp

a super smart, no-nonsense girl who is basically the embodiment of a slytherclaw (and also seems very aroace after deciding that kissing isn’t really her thing)

main characters with disabilities! incl. a disabled love interest who adamantly doesn’t want a cure-all, and whose disability doesn’t make him any less desirable

comically inept and lovable pirates

tl;dr: a historical novel that acknowledges that queer people, disabled people and people of colour have always existed and puts them front and centre, while acknowledging the hardships they faced

also ALL YOUR FAVES LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER

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<p>I’m hosting a Harry Potter giveaway! I decided that I wanted to host another giveaway for my followers to show how thankful I am for all of them! I’m so grateful to each and every one of you and I really wanted to do something nice to show my appreciation. Plus, I just love Harry Potter!</p> <p>The Prize: There will be two lucky winners! They will each be able to choose one hardcover copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in whichever house edition other would like. </p> <p>Timeframe: September 17th, 2017-October 31st, 2017!</p> <p>So, here are the rules (cause you always need just a few of those):<br /> -You must be following me. This is a thank you to my followers, so it only makes sense that you be following me for your entry to count.<br /> -Likes and reblogs count. You can reblog as many times as you want, just don’t spam your followers. You can also gain an additional entries by following me on Instagram (@thebookishastronaut) and Twitter (@book_astronaut). <br /> -No giveaway blogs, please.<br /> -This giveaway is worldwide, as long as Book Depository ships to your country! So, please make sure they ship to you before entering.<br /> -You must be comfortable giving me your address, so I can have the prize shipped to you. If you are under the age of 18, you must have parental permission for this information to be provided to me.<br /> -The contest ends at 12am EST on October 31, 2017. <br /> -I will use a random number generator to choose the winner.<br /> -You will have 48 hours after the contest is over to claim your prize. If I don’t hear from you, I will choose a different winner. Ask boxes must be open so I can contact the winner.

<p><br /> If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an ask! Thank you again to all my followers! I appreciate you all so much!! <3

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when crows remember people who wronged them and hold grudges it’s ‘intelligent’ and ‘really cool’ but when i do it i’m ‘petty’ and ‘need to move on?’ what kind of double standard honestly…..

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um this trend of media trying to subvert older material by inserting marginalized groups into roles that make them look like monsters (ex. an all girls version of lord of the flies that defies the patriarchal context of the novel and heathers (2018) putting a black lesbian + nonbinary person in place of the originally white / blonde / rich heathers to bully their super white ex-best friend) needs to die immediately

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Inspired by this post, here’s a graphic and a link roundup:

No new content Sept 1 2017, in protest of Tumblr @staff‘s complete lack of effort to take any action to control rampant white-supremacist hate speech on this platform.

If GoDaddy and Google, Discord, and even OKCupid  (and even Facebook and GoFundMe) can take steps to curb hate, why can’t Tumblr? (Users have been complaining for years, it’s not like this is a new problem.) Tumblr consistently refuses to enforce its own no-hate-speech policy in this matter.

(There’s even a lovely write-up of it from this very month: Nazis On Tumblr Are Attempting To Make White Supremacy Hip.) (There’s a change.org petition about it too, which has a nice write-up of exactly how much absolutely-nothing Tumblr @staff are willing to do about egregious hate speech.) (No, I’m not involved with either of those links, nor the original post I’m referecing above, I just thought I’d Google it before I made a graphic. I know very little about this but it all seems pretty gross, now doesn’t it.)

I’m posting this now, then I’ll put it in my queue on the 1st and have that be the only thing that posts on that day (for those of us who can’t shut our queues down easily, that’s a solution). And then, no posts, no replies, no chats, no inbox, no messages, no visits to the site for the duration of the 1st in my timezone.

[Image description: On a blue background, white bold text says: “9/1/17 Tumblr Strike: This blog is posting no new content to protest Tumblr’s unwillingness to take action against white nationalist hate speech”]