#Alexandra Villasante

[lgbtqreads]

Exclusive Cover Reveal: We Mostly Come Out at Night ed. by Rob Costello

Today on the site, I’m delighted to be revealing the cover of We Mostly Came Out at Night, a YA anthology edited by Rob Costello and releasing from Running Press Books on May 21, 2024 that’s the perfect intro to spooky season! Here’s the gist: An empowering cross-genre YA anthology that explores what it means to be a monster, exclusively highlighting trans and queer authors who offer new tales…

[the-final-sentence]

‘Did you get your tongue pierced?’

Alexandra Villasante, from “Other Fish”

[readtilyoudie]

Making people disappear is like balancing an equation; one half is the taking of a person, the other half is pretending not to see.

Our Shadows Have Claws: 15 Latin American Monster Stories: El Viejo de la Bolsa by Alexandra Villasante

[night-writ3r]

The Empty Spaces (Original Poem)

Here is a poem I wrote for an assignment. It was inspired by Alexandra Villasante’s novel: The Grief Keeper. Enjoy!

The Empty Spaces by NightWrit3r

Echoes of turmoil and distrust follow them everywhere; chasing them like prey.

The endless journeys haunt them in times of peace.

Prayers for a haven or sanctuary are spoken to a god with no clear answer.

Paradise is found in the eyes of the travelers, in the land of frees; 

but lost in the eyes of those who call it home.

Even in darkness, there is light as the traveler dreams of honey and neon lights.

Spaces in the soul once filled with light grow dim with fear and anger.

There is no warmth in these spaces; no home.

There are only ghosts here; only husks in human forms.  

Wounds and hushed cries lay buried or trapped in the air.

In a new land, the travelers are free at a heavy price.

They choose to rise instead of falling; choosing to fight 

instead of hiding; they show the world who they are.

Keeping secrets; Keeping burdens of the mind from others.

There is little difference between them.

Mountains of wealth and grandeur surround the weary travelers.

While the barren desserts of home remember them.

Hands of help and trust follow them; spaces of the souls are full again. 

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🩷 Sapphic BIPOC Books for Sapphic September

💜 Too often, books by authors of color get shelved out of view in favor of books written by well-known, already-established white authors. No more! In this amazing era of writing, there are more sapphic books by authors of color (about characters of color) than ever before! Here are a few sapphic BIPOC books to consider adding to your TBR! Spread the word about these books to give them the attention they deserve.

🩷 Girls of Paper and Fire -Natasha Ngan 🩷 You Should See Me in a Crown - Leah Johnson 🩷 Once Ghosted, Twice Shy - Alyssa Cole 🩷 Cinderella Is Dead - Kalynn Bayron

💜 Friday I'm in Love - Camryn Garret 💜 The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali - Sabina Khan 💜 Wild Beauty - Anna-Marie McLemore 💜 Last Night at the Telegraph Club - Malinda Lo

🩷 Gay the Pray Away - Natalie Naudus 🩷 D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding - Chencia C. Higgins 🩷 The Good Luck Girls - Charlotte Nicole Davis 🩷 Clap When You Land - Elizabeth Acevedo

💜 The Midnight Lie - Marie Rutkoski 💜 Tell Me How You Really Feel - Aminah Mae Safi 💜 We Set the Dark on Fire - Tehlor Kay Mejia 💜 The Henna Wars - Adiba Jaigirdar

🩷 All of Us with Wings - Michelle Ruiz Keil 🩷 How to Find a Princess - Alyssa Cole 🩷 Cinderella Is Dead - Kalynn Bayron 🩷 Sorry, Bro - Taleen Voskuni

💜 Wish You Weren’t Here - Erin Baldwin 💜 Girl, Serpent, Thorn - Melissa Bashardoust 💜 We Didn’t Ask for This - Ali Alsaid 💜 The Grief Keeper - Alexandra Villasante

🩷 Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Really Feel - Sara Farizan 🩷 Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me - Mariko Temaki 🩷 It’s Not Like It’s a Secret - Misa Sugiura 🩷 Everything Leads to You - Nina LaCour

💜 You Exist Too Much - Zaina Arafat 💜 The Skin and Its Girl - Sarah Cypher 💜 Hijab Butch Blues - Lamya H 💜 Roses in the Mouth of a Lion - Bushra Rehman

🩷 Faebound - Saara El-Arifi 🩷 Legendborn - Tracy Deonn 🩷 The Weight of Stars - K. Ancrum 🩷 Dread Nation - Justina Ireland

💜 I’ll Be The One - Lyla Lee 💜 Not Your Sidekick - C.B. Lee 💜 Honey Girl - Morgan Rogers 💜 Every Body Looking - Candice Iloh

[silverfoxusos]

⛄ i've honestly fallen off lately in terms of watching shows... i know i love community and smiling friends in terms of shows to just like sit and enjoy watching for a laugh, but in terms of story, i really like the get down. that show would have a lot of content warnings attached to it, but i'm like in love with it so i definitely try to recommend it to everyone i can with the warning that like, there's drugs, gun violence, suicide, abuse, and sexual assault, but if none of those are hard no's for a person then they should definitely watch it. i love baz luhrmann's stuff in general so it's like no surprise that i love the show, i'm so sad it got cancelled after the second season 😔

my question for you is going to be if you have any books or similar things to read that you recommend, because my tbr list is scary and it's my curse to bear that i never actually check anything off it, just bypass it to read something completely different 😅

Hii, love!! ✨

The Get Down has been on my list of shows to watch forever, but never got around to actually watching it! I’m also on the train of being very behind on shows I wanna watch, but just never found the time or motivation to actually start. 😅 I’ve just been very consistent in only really watching shows like 911, wrestling (wwe) and drag race when they come about.

Oooo I do! This past week, I finished a few books! I’ve been trying to get back out of my reading slump and trying to read more going into the new year. There’s a novel called When We Make It by Elizabet Velazquez. It’s about a young Puerto Rican girl retelling her life living in gentrified Brooklyn and the struggles her and her family face in terms of class insecurity, family trauma and things of that nature. It’s told in the form of poems, so it was a really good format to be able to get back into reading without the daunting feeling of sitting and reading through chapters.. if that makes sense. I have a book sitting on my shelf called The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante that might be the next one I read. Based on the synopsis, it’s about a young girl from El Salvador who moves to the US and a trauma from a variety of causes come into play and in order to survive, she has to become known as the grief keeper (takes other people grief into her own body, relieving them of the pain while she goes through it herself).

Ending, as per usual, with a joke: Why did the scarecrow get a big Christmas bonus? Because he was outstanding in his field.

[kvothes]

okay fuck it. new YA that i think looks cool. source: i’m a bookseller.

the ones we burn, rebecca mix - a blood-witch’s mission to assassinate the prince she is betrothed to is compromised by the discovery of a deadly plague—and the beautiful princess intent on stopping it.

hell followed with us, andrew joseph white - sixteen-year-old trans boy benji is on the run from the cult that raised him—the fundamentalist sect that unleashed armageddon and decimated the world’s population.

six crimson cranes, elizabeth lim - the exiled princess shiori must unravel the curse that turned her six brothers into cranes.

if you could see the sun, ann liang - a chinese american girl monetizes her strange new invisibility powers by discovering and selling her wealthy classmates’ most scandalous secrets.

last night at the telegraph club, malinda lo - (national book award, stonewall book award) america in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in chinatown.

elatsoe, darcie little badger - elatsoe lives in a slightly stranger america—one shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its people, both indigenous and not. she can raise the ghosts of dead animals. but her beloved cousin has just been murdered, in a town that wants no prying eyes…

an arrow to the moon, emily pan - a lyrical and magical novel about two teens who fall in love despite their families being caught in a bitter rivalry.

the grief keeper, alexandra villasante - after escaping a detention center at the u.s. border, 17-year-old marisol agrees to participate in a medical experiment hoping to keep her and her younger sister from being deported to el salvador.

seasparrow, kristin cashore - newest book in the graceling series!

anyway support your local bookstore, don’t buy from amazon, get a book for a teen in your life if you aren’t one

sometimes the way people talk about YA on here kinda irks me. i’ll be the first to make “a court of x and y” jokes, and i agree that like any genre it has its popular drivel, but there is also a lot of really cool concept YA being published right now. it’s not all waifs in ball gowns okay

[nanowrimo]

Pro Tips from a NaNo Coach: How to Meet Your NaNoWriMo Goal

NaNoWriMo can seem like a daunting task sometimes, for NaNo newbies and veterans alike. Fortunately, our NaNo Coaches are here to help guide you through November! Today, author Alexandra Villasante is here to share some specific tips for meeting your goal this month: National Novel Writing Month is here again and I’m excited and scared and slightly nauseous. PERFECT conditions for starting to write a novel!

Because writing is a freaking adventure. The kind with unknown obstacles, pitfalls (possibly of quicksand, more likely research rabbit holes) where you’d better bring the write weapon (both pen and sword), pack the Takis, don’t forget to hydrate and wear comfortable shoes. This endeavor should be taken on with equal parts trepidation and glee.

But how do we start?

1. Math Your Goal. 

Figure out how much time this will take. Divide that by how much time you have. Put some x’s & y’s in there to make your equation look cool, and you have your writing goal (if you are looking for real math, see below, but I warn you, I went to art school so I didn’t have to math.)

1666 words a day breaks down into:

6.5 pages per day 250 words per page (12pt font, double spaced approximately) so you can:

Write 2 pages before your breakfast; 2 pages during your lunch break; 2 pages while you eat; half a page while you brush your teeth.

OR-if your work week is hell and you cry into your ramen every night –ONCE A WEEK you can crank out a marathon 50 pages.

2. Prepare your space.

When you sit down to write, write. Don’t get up and put the clothes in the dryer, or go change your cardigan or search for your perfect playlist on Spotify. Those are the things you do BEFORE you sit and write. Time is words, so preparing your space before you sit to write is key. And also, all kidding aside, take this seriously. Your words don’t have to be perfect; YOU don’t have to be perfect, but words change people’s lives every day. So let’s prepare:

Clean off a part of a desk or table – move distractions (bills, notes from your Mom, YOUR PHONE) off your space.

Pick your music, if that works for you, or use noise cancelling headphones if you need silence.

Water, tea, coffee, snacks should be nearby (but you don’t need to replenish your wasabi peas every 15 minutes.)

Light a candle, ring a bell, utter a spell. Whatever you need to do to let your unconscious mind know that you are creating now, shut up with the raking leaves thing, do that now.

3. Write.

It’s only word after word after word; as hard and as simple as that. Whatever your reason for starting this chaotic journey (with SO MANY of the world’s writing fools) it means a lot to you. For me, it’s been a terrible year and I have given my writing mind zero attention. I’ve been scared to start something new because the world is so dark and it sometimes feels like there’s no point. National Novel Writing Month reminds me that the point is the community and the words on the page. That’s it. It’s a chance to make something (and you WILL make something, whether you get to the finish line or not) that didn’t exist before. That’s beautiful. 

Buena suerte. I’ll be shoving Takis in my mouth and crying into my ramen right along with you. And when November ends, we’ll have made new words and new worlds. I can’t wait.

Alexandra Villasante has always loved telling stories—though not always with words. She has a BFA in Painting and an MA in Combined Media (that’s art school speak for making work out of anything). Born in New Jersey to immigrant parents, Alex has the privilegio of dreaming in both English and Spanish.

When she’s not writing or painting, Alexandra plans conferences and fundraisers for non-profits. She lives with her family in the semi-wilds of Pennsylvania. Her debut Young Adult novel, The Grief Keeper, was an Indies Next, Indies Introduce and Fall 2019 Junior Library Guild Selection. The Grief Keeper is on ALA’s Rainbow Book List 2020 and is the winner of the 2020 Lambda Literary Award  for LGBTQ Children’s Literature/Young Adult Fiction.

[publishedtoday]

Our Shadows Have Claws - Yamile Saied Méndez (Editor), Amparo Ortiz (Editor) 

Chantel Acevedo, Ricardo López Ortiz (Illustrations), Courtney Alameda, David Bowles, Ann Dávila Cardinal, Mia Garcia, Gabriela Martins, Racquel Marie, Tehlor Kay Mejia, Maika Moulite, Maritza Moulite, Claribel A. Ortega, Lilliam Rivera, Jenny Torres Sanchez, Alexandra Villasante, Ari Tison

From zombies to cannibals to death incarnate, this cross-genre anthology offers something for every monster lover. In Our Shadows Have Claws, bloodthirsty vampires are hunted by a quick-witted slayer; children are stolen from their beds by “el viejo de la bolsa” while a military dictatorship steals their parents; and anyone you love, absolutely anyone, might be a shapeshifter waiting to hunt. The worlds of these stories are dark but also magical ones, where a ghost-witch can make your cheating boyfriend pay, bullies are brought to their knees by vicious wolf-gods, a jar of fireflies can protect you from the reality-warping magic of a bruja—and maybe you’ll even live long enough to tell the tale. Set across Latin America and its diaspora, this collection offers bold, imaginative stories of oppression, grief, sisterhood, first love, and empowerment.

[starrlikesbooks]

Have a good July!

As always, more in depth horoscopes below the cut

Aries: This month finds you full of passion and determination. July has you easily finding and embracing the things you love, and going for it. This is a time of transformation and newness, which is sure to be exciting. The problem is, things like making plans or working with the changes and uncertainty are going to be difficult to get a handle on. There’s distance between you and the situation, but also between you and your bigger dreams, which may leave you feeling a bit directionless.

Taurus: You’re feeling ready to react this month. Things feel new, or getting there, this month, and you’re ready to embrace that. Your passion sparking and your ability to be vulnerable and examine your self will guide the way you act and react throughout the month. However, it’s present-tense exclusive. Issues making plans for the future or connecting to long term goals has your focus stunted directly in the here and now.

Gemini: This is a good month for you, Gemini. You’re more connected to both your emotions and intuition, and ready to follow them to interesting new adventure & ideas. You’re feeling as free spirited as ever, and above it all. You may have a desire to put a wall up, and you can expect some struggle for a while to branch out in your own opinion or point of view, but you’ll get there eventually!

Cancer: Expect an extra dose of cancer sensitivities! You’re definitely in an emotional and open place, and your connection with Mercury this month luckily helps you get it out into the world at large. You’re good at communicating your thoughts and feelings, and reaching out to others. Embrace that power!

Leo: This month the sun in your sign makes you extra confident and yourself. You’re also open minded and do well with change and uncertainty- however, the idea of endings or concrete beginnings/newness are going to make you immediately shy away. You’re focused on the present tense, enjoying the moment.

Virgo: You’re feeling super connected to your emotions this month, but especially connected to passion and love. You’re definitely ready to act, meeting your dreaminess in a way that spurs you into impassioned action. Your own connection does have an exception- you may feel more sensitive and unable or uninterested to confront that vulnerability. You’ve got a wall up, and that may cause a little friction or encourage closing yourself off.

Libra: You need to find balance in July. While you’re ready in some ways, other sections of your life are more fragile. Pull away where you need to and focus in on where things seem to require more of your time and attention. You’ve got the energy and interest to work on things, so follow the urge, but the wall that’s up between you and the future doesn’t need to be a problem unless you let it be.

Scorpio: Things are feeling a bit tense and tough this month, Scorpio. You’ve got some issues with confidence and owning your situation, as well as problems with connections and communication. But the retrograde in your sign is asking you to examine and release, so lean into that and don’t be afraid to close some doors!

Sagittarius: July finds you curious and ready to ask questions. You’re good with making connections and telling the world what you’re thinking, but you’re also having some problems with love and finding something to keep your interests. Expect to do a lot of questioning on goals and dreams, and don’t be afraid to get led somewhere else! Capricorn: Your usual ambitious nature is going to take a backseat this month, Capricorn. You’re in a much less active state in July, and less connected to others or your own interests/loves. Just let things move in the direction and at the time things are going!

Aquarius: This month the full moon in your sign has you feeling extra free spirited Aquarius energy, but also super connected to your emotions. You’re comfortable in your skin and good around people, but there’s also sure to be a bit of emotional turmoil as you sort through your feelings and motivation, and you’re not going to actually push yourself to make a real move.

Pisces: This month pushes you towards the future. You’re feeling your abilities and your own worth, and how those things can link up with your next steps or your next goal. You may have some trouble compromising with others or just communicating, but the biggest focus in this month is internal!

[lgbtqreads]

Fave Five: Queer YAs About Grieving the Death of a Sibling

Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman The Ghosts We Keep by Mason Deaver The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle  The Honeys by Ryan La Sala  The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante 

[yaworldchallenge]

🇸🇻 El Salvador

Region: Central America

The Grief Keeper

Author: Alexandra Villasante 

320 pages, published 2019

Original language: English

Native author? Author is Spanish heritage

Age: Teen

Blurb:

Seventeen-year-old Marisol has always dreamed of being American, learning what Americans and the US are like from television and Mrs. Rosen, an elderly expat who had employed Marisol's mother as a maid. When she pictured an American life for herself, she dreamed of a life like Aimee and Amber's, the title characters of her favorite American TV show. She never pictured fleeing her home in El Salvador under threat of death and stealing across the US border as "an illegal", but after her brother is murdered and her younger sister, Gabi's, life is also placed in equal jeopardy, she has no choice, especially because she knows everything is her fault. If she had never fallen for the charms of a beautiful girl named Liliana, Pablo might still be alive, her mother wouldn't be in hiding and she and Gabi wouldn't have been caught crossing the border. But they have been caught and their asylum request will most certainly be denied. With truly no options remaining, Marisol jumps at an unusual opportunity to stay in the United States. She's asked to become a grief keeper, taking the grief of another into her own body to save a life. It's a risky, experimental study, but if it means Marisol can keep her sister safe, she will risk anything. She just never imagined one of the risks would be falling in love, a love that may even be powerful enough to finally help her face her own crushing grief.

Other reps: #lesbian

Genres: #contemporary #sci-fi #romance #family #immigrant

My thoughts:

Grief, immigration, shady goverment experiments, and girls loving each other - this sounds like a very unique book and I’ll be interested to read it.

Review to come.

Bookshop.org link | Kindle link

[readtilyoudie]

El viejo was once again dressed in rags, but his face was the young man’s face, and his spine was straight and strong. Each of el viejo’s faces were faces that Esther knew she could love, human faces, full of curiosity and flaws and fierce wanting. What could be more attractive in a person than them wanting you above all other things?

Our Shadows Have Claws: 15 Latin American Monster Stories: El Viejo de la Bolsa by Alexandra Villasante

[curlyhairedbibliophile]

Cover Art | All Signs Point to Yes edited by G. Haron Davos, Cam Montgomery & Adrianne White

A literal star-studded anthology that delivers a love story for every star sign straight from the hearts of thirteen multicultural YA authors. A haunted Aquarius finds love behind the veil. An ambitious Aries will do anything to stay in the spotlight. A foodie Taurus discovers the best eats in town (with a side of romance). A witchy Cancer stumbles into a curious meet-cute. Whether it’s romantic, platonic, familial, or something else you can’t quite define, love is the thing that connects us. All Signs Point to Yeswill take you on a journey from your own backyard to the world beyond the living as it settles us among the stars for thirteen stories of love and life. These stories will touch your heart, speak to your soul, and have you reaching for your horoscope forevermore.

Contributors: g. haron davis (Aries) Adrianne White (Aquarius) Cam Montgomery (Ophiuchus) Tehlor Kay Mejia (Gemini) Mark Oshiro (Libra) Eric Smith (Scorpio) Emery Lee (Pisces) Byron Graves (Virgo) Karuna Riazi (Cancer) Roselle Lim (Taurus) Alexandra Villasante (Capricorn) Lily Anderson (Sagittarius) Kiana Nguyen (Leo)

Artwork by Alex Cabal

Release date | May 31, 2022 Goodreads

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

❤‍🔥 Books for Hispanic & Latine Heritage Month

❓What's your favorite book written by a Hispanic or Latine author?

❤‍🔥 The Luis Ortega Survival Club - Sonora Reyes ✨ With the Fire on High - Elizabeth Acevedo ❤‍🔥 Brownstone - Samuel Teer & Mar Julia ✨ Suncatcher - Jose Pimienta ❤‍🔥 Mexican WhiteBoy - Matt de la Peña

❤‍🔥 The First to Die at the End - Adam Silvera ✨ Shut Up, This Is Serious - Carolina Ixta ❤‍🔥 Small Town Monsters - Diana Rodriguez Wallach ✨ I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter - Erika L Sanchez ❤‍🔥 Chronically Dolores - Maya Van Wagenen ✨ It's All Love - Jenna Ortega

❤‍🔥 Does My Body Offend You? - Mayra Cuevas & Marie Marquardt ✨ Bad at Love - Gabriela Martins ❤‍🔥 Northranger - Rey Terciero & Bre Indigo ✨ Before We Were Free - Julia Alvarez ❤‍🔥 Lucero - Maya Motayne ✨ Queerceañera - Alex Crespo

❤‍🔥 The Turning Pointe - Vanessa L. Torres ✨ Suddenly a Murder - Lauren Munoz ❤‍🔥 Always Isn't Forever - JC Cervantes ✨ It Sounds Like This - Anna Meriano ❤‍🔥 Flirting With Fate - JC Cervantes ✨ Undead Girl Gang - Lily Anderson

❤‍🔥 When We Make It - Elisabet Velasquez ✨ Diamond Park - Phillippe Diederich ❤‍🔥 Juliet Takes a Breath - Gabby Rivera ✨ Libertad - Bessie Flores Zaldivar ❤‍🔥 This Is How We Fly - Anna Meriano ✨ Viva Lola Espinoza - Ella Ceron

❤‍🔥 The Grief Keeper - Alexandra Villasante ✨ Just Another Epic Love Poem - Parisa Akhbari ❤‍🔥 Sanctuary - Paola Mendoza & Abby Sher ✨ Solis - Paola Mendoza & Abby Sher ❤‍🔥 We Are Not From Here - Jenny Torres Sanchez ✨ Azar on Fire - Olivia Abtahi

❤‍🔥 Up in Flames - Hailey Alcaraz ✨ Beyond the Break - Heather Buchta ❤‍🔥 Chasing After Knight - Heather Buchta ✨ Cemetery Boys - Aiden Thomas ❤‍🔥 The Sunbearer Trials - Aiden Thomas ✨ What the River Knows - Isabel Ibañez

[just0nemorepage]

The Grief Keeper || Alexandra Villasante || 320 pages ----------------------------------------------------- Top 3 Genres: Young Adult / LGBTQIA / Contemporary

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Marisol Morales and her little sister Gabi are detainees of the United States government. They were caught crossing the U.S. border, to escape the gang violence in their country after their brother was murdered. When Marisol learns that the old family friend who had offered them refuge in America has died and they are going to be sent home, they flee.

They hitchhike, snagging a ride with an unassuming woman who agrees to drive them to New Jersey, but when Marisol wakes up in D.C. she learns the woman is actually a government agent. Indranie Patel has a proposal for Marisol: she wants Marisol to be a Grief Keeper, someone who will take another's grief into their body. It's a dangerous experimental study, but if Marisol agrees she and Gabi will be allowed to stay in the United States. If the experiment fails the girls will be sent home, which is a death sentence. Things become more complicated when Marisol meets Rey, the wealthy daughter of a D.C. Senator, and the girl she's helping to heal. Marisol likes Rey's short hair and sarcastic attitude. But she didn't expect the connection from their shared grief to erupt into a powerful love.

Suddenly being forced from the United States isn't just a matter of life and death, but a matter of the heart.

Publication Date: June 2019. / Average Rating: 4.05. / Number of Ratings: 1830~.