#Harrietta Lee

[foldingfittedsheets]

re: Jim Butcher post and tags — Ye e e eah h h… I wanted to think it was just the character and that the narrative didn’t support it, because there were just enough times that other characters called the main character out on his b.s. that I thought: maybe? maybe there’s some self awareness?

Then a few things happened:

I stumbled across this post (and some related discussions that are forever lost to Xitter by this point): 

luciazephyr dreamwidth 548703 (in case it removes the link due to anonymity)

I ended up interacting with Butcher on social media due to some closely overlapping/intersecting social circles (long story). 

anyway, after watching him only interact with a couple mutual friends whenever they posted anything social justice related, and only to whitesplain and mansplain and cissplain (etc) all over the place, repeatedly, despite very gentle and patient attempts at education and calling in…

……yeah I think the only reason the narrative seemed at times to not entirely support the misogyny was due to the (rather cool in many cases) women in his life* possibly giving feedback, and maybe due to sensitivity readers, rather than because of any awareness the author has internalized. *At the time. I don’t know how many of those women are still in his life at this point, but that’s unrelated gossip/speculation.

(I really hope this only sends once, because it’s given me 2 error messages now)

Yeah, I know that for my male friend recommending the books to me the in text call outs definitely made him be like, “See? The author is aware!” So I had to write a fuckin essay of bullet points to get him to understand and acknowledge the textual misogyny that was just baked in. The nail in the coffin is Murphy the “straight” woman checking out a naked werewolf lady and having no reaction to a jacked naked dude.

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve read them but I remember literally every woman is introduced on a fuckability scale- including his kids teenage daughter. There’s no plot relevant older women or anyone who’s not bangable hanging around the narrative. Lots of older dudes and mentors as long as they’re male.

He digs into native shit that tribes have asked white authors to never touch, turns a Jewish man into a crusader for Christ, and just generally doesn’t listen if any fans took issue with portrayals.

The bummer is that he is a skilled writer in terms of plot and pacing which is why I read several of them teeth gritted hoping things would improve.

When they didn’t I found the Harrietta Lee books which are a fun lesbian spoof on the Dresden Files that I quite enjoyed, and of course October Daye.

[marquis-of-writeblr]

20 Questions Writer Questionnaire

Tagged by @saturnine-saturneight

Is writing a hobby or way of life?

Still just a hobby, but I want to make it much more a part of my life. Getting off to a rough start, but this blog is part of that plan.

A journal full of writing notes or a clean, completed manuscript?

Hmm… I'd say 50/50 probably? During the planning stages, to figure out aspects of the world or my characters, I'll use notebooks as something like scratch paper to sketch things out (sometimes literally) before writing them up in digital documents. But all those notes are largely just for the sorts of things that could cause continuity errors. A character's appearance, the geography and climate of a location, etc. When I sit down to write, it's usually by opening a blank document and just writing by the seat of my pants.

Who (or what) is your writing inspiration?

Oh that's a tough one. There's a couple of authors who I look up to in aspiration, usually for stylistic reasons; Pratchett, Tamsyn Muir, Diana Wynne Jones…

But honestly? I think most of my inspiration comes from the people I think fell short. Like… "Okay, you had a couple good ideas here and there, but the overall story is just… so disappointing. Let me see what I can do with these pieces."

Oh! One work that does fall on both sides of this fence is Final Fantasy IX. Its world manages to feel so incredibly real to me, and I love how it manages to maintain an incredibly personal and intimate tone for all of its characters, even as the plot builds to saving all of reality from the manifestation of entropy (not kidding, the "Not Alone" sequence that kicks off the third act still makes me tear up). But it still has shortcomings inherent to being a turn-of-the-century JRPG, and not all of its characters get all the narrative attention they deserve. But writing a story that I can conceive as an improved version of FF9 (whatever medium it winds up being) is probably my number one writing goal.

Which is worse: someone you "idolize" reading your first draft or listening to you sing?

Probably singing? I'm not horribly self-conscious about it - I did have some lessons once (a long time ago) - but I pretty much always want people to read my writing, if only to give me feedback on what they did like, and what I might do better.

Has writing from someone else's POV ever changed your own perspective?

…Not unexpectedly. I'll actually sometimes do a little bit of writing as an exercise specifically to explore certain points of view. So like… usually, if my mind changes due to writing from a particular character's POV, I started writing with the intent to see if my mind might change. Granted, that's pretty oversimplifying of the process, and mind-changing tends to be pretty gradual and slow, anyway, but…

Tumblr, AO3, LiveJournal, or FFN?

AO3 and Tumblr. I've been active on Tumblr for years, though I've only recently started writing on it. Meanwhile, I've been reading fic on AO3 for ages, and …very occasionally post stuff to it. …I really ought to post a new chapter to my Freyatrix fic, thinking about it…

AO3 wordcount, and are you satisfied with it?

3,744 and I'm not horribly stressed about it, but as I mentioned in the previous answer, I should see about maybe hitting 5k soon.

What movie/book/fic gripped you irrevocably?

Counting games under this.

Final Fantasy IX, as previously mentioned

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

The Last Unicorn

The Locked Tomb

The Fallen Gods series by S.D. Simper

Backwards to Oregon by Jae

Heaven Will Be Mine

The Clinch by Nicole Disney (specifically for teaching me to appreciate present tense narration, which I had previously been firmly opposed to)

Carmilla and all its adaptations and spin-offs

The Harrietta Lee series by Stephanie Ahn

A Memory Called Empire

the mountain of unfulfilled potential in Warcraft has haunted me since I started writing

and a whole host of honourable mentions that I'd be listing all night, if I started

There will also absolutely be two or three things I think of tomorrow that I'll be slapping myself for having forgotten, but... alas.

What’s the highest compliment you’ve ever been given, and have you been given it?

I can't think of any single compliment I've been given, but the number of times people have complimented the flow of my writing has stuck with me.

What defines your writing style?

I think it's that flow, again, mostly. Whether it's action or description, I have a feeling I have a fairly signature way of handling it. I think I also have a knack for maintaining characterization.

Gonna pull the "I'm still new here so don't yet know a lot of people, so all of my followers may consider themselves tagged, if they wish." thing again.

[lgbtqreads]

Fave Five: Novels with Korean American Protags

Fave Five: Novels with Korean American Protags

Obie is Man Enough by Schuyler Bailar (MG Contemp) I’ll Be the One and Flip the Script by Lyla Lee  (YA Romances) Deadline by Stephanie Ahn (Urban Fantasy) Edinburgh by Alexander Chee (Literary Fiction) Nuclear Family by Joseph Han (Literary Fiction) Bonus: Coming in 2023, Your Love is Not Good by Joanna Hedva (Literary Fiction)

[mantis-lizbian]

okay so now that i've finally finished the latest Harrietta Lee book, i need to actually make that post i was saying i would...

...i may need to go back and reread the first book though, just coz it's been so long... ^^;

[ahnwriting]

FLYTRAP (Harrietta Lee: Book #3) is now available as an eBook for $4.99!!

Trouble comes in threes--especially for Harrietta Lee, a disgraced witch scraping by in New York.

One, a cannibalistic nemesis in her dreams. Two, the demon who cost her an ex-girlfriend. Three... a love interest who reminds her of home.

books2read.com/harrietta-lee-flytrap

[stephahnart]

CW ear insertion??? [update of old painting]

Pop quiz: If you're a demon trying to corrupt someone and they start getting off on it, which one of you needs therapy? 😈😈

(Try staring at it for a few seconds...)

[write-the-galaxy-blog]

May Book Reviews

Oh my gosh you guys, this was my last month with access to my high school library! Agh, it will be missed. Anyway, I’m back more LGBTQ novels, so let’s get into it! Also, June’s will be super gay, don’t worry! :)

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang: This is a graphic novel with a genderfluid prince whose family accepts him in the end. I love it, makes me happy. Definitely read it, and maybe Jen Wang’s previous work In Real Life if you like stories about MMOs. (It’s not like SAO, it’s actually pretty sweet.) 

Deadline by Stephanie Ahn (@delphiiwrites): Not gonna lie, this is a pretty bangin’ magical private investigator novel. Plus it’s hella gay, which I love. So definitely give it a read if this genre is your kind of thing. I genuinely liked the humor and the story. (I wouldn’t recommend this to someone under the age of 18 though, just sayin’)

[oracledelphii]

luce in #18?? :0

i’m so sorry, i was gonna make it look much more professional but i got caught up in The Meme… (i assume this is how all people who own cats wake up)

[systlin]

I'm a relatively new follower and I noticed you're talking about the Dresden Files today. I also can't stand them. Have you read any of the Harrietta Lee series by Stephanie Ahn? They're everything the Dresden Files should be. The first one is called Deadline.

You have my attention and interest

[turbo-toast]

Tag game!

Been a while since someone tagged me, but @tafferling did, thank you!

A: Three ships

Widowtracer (Lena 'Tracer' Oxton/Amélie 'Widowmaker' Lacroix - Overwatch) Work Wives (Jesse Faden/Dr. Emily Pope - Control) V/Judy Alvarez (Cyberpunk 2077)

B: Last Song

Lazerpunk - Black Lambo

C: Last Movie

Uhhhh. Do I remember? I think I *wanted* to watch the reboot of 3 Angels for Charlie with Kristen Stewart but haven't managed to, yet. Don't remember otherwise though.

D: Currently Craving

E: Currently Reading

A bunch of fanfic. Also want to continue the Harrietta Lee series by Stephanie Ahn but haven't gotten around to buying the other two books yet

1: Favorite Color

Midnight Purple III

2: Last Series

The Witcher - Season 2

3: Sweet, Savory or Spicy

Unfair choice, just one would be boring.

4: Currently Working On

Next chapter to Race Into My Heart, and rewriting chapter 5 of They Made Their Own Nightmare.

Tagging - uh, let's see - @einsesk, @kaleidocat-13, @fbcbreakroom, @mortimermcmirestinks

[booksforthegays]

“Deadline” by Stephanie Ahn

Description: Disgraced witch Harrietta Lee has made a lot of mistakes in her life; there's a reason she's got a sizable burn scar slapped across the side of her neck and a formal letter of excommunication from the international underground magical community. But who has time to dwell on the past when you're trying to make rent in New York? Things are mostly clean and simple, until her next odd job is brought to her by a representative of a powerful corporate family—a family she once had close personal ties to. As she unwillingly digs through six years' worth of personal baggage, she's also got to contend with an inhuman admirer shadowing her in the street. But hey, maybe it'll be worth it for the beautiful women she gets to kiss...

Representation: The main character is Korean-American and a lesbian.

Genre: Fantasy Length: 187 TW(s): Violence, self-harm, bdsm but no explicit sex

[lgbtqreads]

Do you have any recommendations for adult wlw fantasy/fiction? Preferably characters in their 20’s-30’s.

Sure. I’m very slow to parsing out ages in books but there are a bunch of contemporary wlw books with MCs in their 20s-30s here: https://lgbtqreads.com/representation/age/ (I especially recommend Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers, which comes out February 23rd), and in fantasy, I absolutely never know ages so I can only tell you that in books categorized as adult, I love The Unspoken Name by AK Larkwood and the Harrietta Lee series by Stephanie Ahn, and you can find lots more here: https://lgbtqreads.com/sff/

[badass-at-fandoming]

10 fav female characters from 10 different fandoms

I was tagged by @missn11​ Thank you again, friend :D

I went through my recent-ish reads and, uh, this got a little out of hand. No particular order to this:

1. Kel from The Protector of the Small Quartet by Tamora Pierce

2. Celie from The Color Purple by Alice Walker (I actually haven’t seen the movie but it won a bunch of awards!)

3. Violet from The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan (she’s one of my favorite authors!)

4. Kate Warren from Old Magic by Marianne Curley

5. Kamala Khan from Marvel Comics. G. Willow Wilson is another favorite author :D

6. Alex Mortiz from Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova.

7. Lady Angela and Lady Sera from Marvel Comics. Marguerite Bennett is a GIFT

8. Harry Lee from the Harrietta Lee series by Stephanie Ahn

9. Layla Amin from Internment by Samira Ahmed (together with Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give, it’s truly the book of our times)

10. Naima Pepper from (H)afrocentric by Jewels Smith

Honorable Mentions go to Akko & Mari from Girl Friends, The Athena Club in the series of the same name, America Chavez & Cindy Moon from Marvel Comics, literally every character in Moonshot: An Indigenous Comics Collection and Love: Beyond Body, Space, and Time, Mila from Undead Girl Gang, Twinkle of From Twinkle with Love, Zafira from the Sands of Arawiya series, Kitty Norville from her novels, and Rukhsana Ali from The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali and then I had to stop digging oh noooo, hahaha

Tagging @nightingaletrash​ and @brightstorm98​ and anyone else who wants to do this! Best of luck, friends!

[ahnwriting]

FLYTRAP PREORDER & COVER REVEAL

Author Site Blog Post: https://stephanie-ahn-books.com/2020/04/27/flytrap-preorder-cover-reveal/

Preorder link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087QM9GM2

Release date is currently set to June 1st, 2020; that’s to give myself some wiggle room, but my goal is to publish in May. The price is $4.99, same as BLOODBATH, hopefully not too burdensome.

Huge thanks to my co-illustrator and illustrious girlfriend, Ink Black (Twitter@Inkworx_Design), for pushing me as hard as she did to make the best cover possible. And thank you so much to my editor, who is a Bear, for giving me direction when I desperately needed it (https://alsoabear.wixsite.com/bearedits).

I wish everyone their health, safety, and happiness. You all deserve better; do whatever you need to survive.

[stephahnart]

Kate Shin, love interest of Book #3, and an athletic top

[wlwfiction]

26 April is Lesbian Visibility Day, so WLWFiction is recommending books with lesbian protagonists!

* indicates the author is a lesbian

# indicates author of colour

Middle Grade

Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake 

P.S. I Miss You by Jen Petro-Roy

The Infernal Compass (Lumberjanes #1) by Lilah Sturges and Polterink *

Young Adult

Under the Lights (Daylight Falls #2) by Dahlia Adler

Stargazer / Trailblazer by Reese Alcobendas #

The Weight of the Stars (The Wicker King #2) by K. Ancrum #

This Is What It Feels Like by Rebecca Barrow #

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

Night Swimming by Steph Bowe #

Enchanters series by K. F. Bradshaw

Out of the Blue by Sophie Cameron *

Echo After Echo by Amy Rose Capetta

The Never Tilting World series by Rin Chupeco #

Of Fire and Stars series by Audrey Coulthurst *

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth *

The Dark Wife by Sarah Diemer * [free online]

‘The Witch Sea’ by Sarah Diemer * [free online]

Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole *#

Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden *

The Year They Burned the Books by Nancy Garden *

Silhouette of a Sparrow by Molly Beth Griffin

The Shattering by Karen Healey

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar #

The Last Beginning (The Next Together #2) by Lauren James

The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan #

Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour #

You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan #

Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno

Ash by Malinda Lo *#

Huntress by Malinda Lo *#

‘Natural Selection’ (Adaptation #1.5) by Malinda Lo *#

A Line in the Dark by Malinda Lo *#

‘Ghost Town’ by Malinda Lo *# [free online]

Dating Sarah Cooper by Siera Maley *

Girls of Paper and Fire series by Natasha Ngan #

This is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

Points of Departure by Emily O’Beirne *

Future Leaders series by Emily O’Beirne *

‘Ghost Girl in the Corner’ (Shadowshaper Cypher #1.5) by Daniel José Older #

Lunav by Jenn Polish

Her Name in the Sky by Kelly Quindlen *

‘Horror Stories’ by Meredith Russo * [free online]

‘Meltdown’ by Meredith Russo * [free online]

Out of Salem by Hal Schrieve

‘What to Expect When the Sun Disappears’ by Sefa * [free online]

The Abyss Surrounds Us series by Emily Skrutskie

The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles) by Amy Spalding

Under Threat by Robin Stevenson

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki * and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell

Songs That Sound Like Blood by Jared Thomas #

Mermaids of Eriana Kwai series by Tiana Warner

New Adult

Harrietta Lee series by Stephanie Ahn *#

Mangoverse series by Shira Glassman

Flowers of Luna by Jennifer Linsky #

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera *#

Learning Curves series by Ceillie Simkiss

‘Hurricane Heels’ by Isabel Yap # [free online]

Adult

Something Better than Home by Leona Beasley *#

Otros Valles by Jamie Berrout # [free online]

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg [free online]

Alice Isn’t Dead by Joseph Fink

‘Fearless’ by Shira Glassman

‘Eitan’s Chord’ by Shira Glassman

‘Knit One, Girl Two’ by Shira Glassman

The Paths of Marriage by Mala Kumar #

‘We Could Be Heroes’ by Malinda Lo *# [free online]

Falling into Place by Sheryn Munir #

‘Can You Say My Name Again’ by Nadia Nova *# [free online]

Marriage of a Thousand Lies by S. J. Sindu #

Two Moons: Stories by Krystal A. Smith *#

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon *#

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters *

Affinity by Sarah Waters *

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters *

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters *

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters *