#Ninestar Press

[kal-el22]

And BLANK The Series better not end like that. Cause wtf… literally can’t wait till next week 🙂🙃

[kitthenameless]

"Two boys fall in love in a deadly world, but it’s the secrets they keep that might kill them. Seventeen-year-old Zach was visiting his uncle in a small Montana town when a mysterious illness ripped through the world. Most died, but those who survived the Infection became mindless killers, spreading the disease with a single scratch. Now, a year later, civilization lies in ruins, and Zach is the town’s sole survivor. Desperately lonely, he longs to return to his family in Seattle, but his fears hold him captive. Eighteen-year-old Aiden is on a critical mission for the covert Scientific Collective, delivering vials whose contents could cure the Infection. Tortured by his boyfriend’s death, he welcomes the risks of the perilous journey. When a militia attacks Aiden, he flees to Zach’s town. The boys escape together and soon form a bond as they comfort each other in this desolate and broken world. The farther they travel, the more their affection grows, as do the forces pulling them apart. But their greatest threats are the secrets they keep. Zach hides details of his uncle’s death, and Aiden conceals the vials’ sinister origins. In order to survive, they’ll have to confront the truths that could tear their love apart."

Bookmail I got recently (thank you Ninestar Press and Pacific & Court)! It has cute romance, fun characters, a dangerous mission, & the occasional zombie. If you like queer YA post-apoc, check it out! Together in a Broken World by Paul Michael Winters, pub date May 21!

[jrhartauthor]

Heart on His Lead has:

Clueless Dog Sitter + Dog Trainer pairing (m/m romance)

Boutique dog food with a silly name (Chicken and Woofles!)

Cuddles on the couch

Learning his coffee order to win his heart!

An unfortunate attempt at a dog wash booth (listen, they tried!)

A teacup maltese named Sprinkles (come on, what could be cuter?)

You can preorder it here (affiliate link) on Amazon or get it here NOW from Ninestar Press.

[judeinthestars]

I love this series very very much and this book! Wow.

[thedenofcaseywolfe]

My publisher is having a 50% off sale! Now is as good a time as any to add my books to your shopping list! Need something light and fluffy to cut the stress of the holiday season? One Bullet isn't a holiday story, but it does include Christmas all the same. The Inquisition Trilogy can provide refuge from holiday parties, winter vacation, or simply escaping into a world of magic for awhile.

AuthorCaseyWolfe.carrd.co

[kevinklehr]

Book Review - Dublin Bay by John Patrick

This novel would make an excellent film. It has all the elements of a box office smash or a highly streamed miniseries. Period drama. Likeable characters. Sneaky dealings. A love story. Two teenage boys meet one evening just before the second world war. James is Irish and from a very poor family. Otto is the privileged son of a German diplomat stationed in Dublin. Otto engages James and his…

[coffeeinkblog]

#BookReview #TogetherInABrokenWorld by #PaulMichaelWinters #Pacific&Court

NineStar Press Publishing date: May 21, 2024  Good Reads Summary Two boys fall in love in a deadly world, but it’s the secrets they keep that might kill them. Seventeen-year-old Zach was visiting his uncle in a small Montana town when a mysterious illness ripped through the world. Most died, but those who survived the Infection became mindless killers, spreading the disease with a single…

[reviewsthatburn]

*I received a free review copy in exchange for an honest review of this book. 

SURREALITY is a tantalizing and well-paced horror story about a documentary TV show which blurs the lines between hype and reality when the hosts get over their head in a homicidal urban legend. It’s immersive and excellently told, cultivating a nebulous feeling through meta-conversation about uncertainty between hype and reality. Short, bloody, and creepy, don’t miss SURREALITY.

Full Review at Link

[gwen-tolios]

NSP

I was gonna do a list of queer publishers, but then I saw NSP has a sale and now I'm just gonna ramble about them.

Back when I was shopping Returning to You around, NSP was on the top of my list. They're a queer-only publisher, and I loved the organization of their website. Look at how the categorize titles!

Look at that! So many categories! And individual titles are also tagged, Ao3 style, with moods and categories and heat levels. I love the simple fact that they did that, you know? I've never seen another small press do that level of categorization. Not even queer ones.

[thesophiewhit]

PHONING FAUST -- A Sapphic Novel of Demonic Contracts, Demisexuality, and Yearning by me! A cool queer author ~

Are you LGBT+ or BIPOC or just REALLY LOVE BOOKS? Interested in being an ARC reader and reading a book and helping a fellow queer indie author out? (Pretty please? -- ARC links all the way at the bottom of this post (beneath the rainbow banner) for those who like Sapphic demon x human angst books ~)

AND LOOK AT THE CHARACTER ART OF MEMPHIS (BADASS DEMON) AND DIAN (HUMAN) BY MY ARTIST FRIEND SNAX

https://linktr.ee/artsnaxk

ABOUT ME

Demisexual?? Queer? Nonbinary? All these were magical words to me until it hit...

Oh-- that's me.

It took me a while to come out as queer, longer to come out as nonbinary, and then some more time to reconcile all this with being a mixed Indonesian kid. A dash of mental health, a sprig of figuring out asexuality and neurodivergence. But atop all that? One thing has been constant.

I've always been a writer.

That's some live footage of me summoning some forces to reign my characters in from being feral.

WHY I WROTE PHONING FAUST

Well, well, well, after years of battling imposter's syndrome, I did it. I wrote another book! It's called PHONING FAUST and it's getting published with queer indie publishing company @ninestarpress-blog because they're all cool and LGBT+ and super talented!

Why did I write PHONING FAUST?

What is... a Faust?

A Faustian bargain is what's popularly known as the devil's bargain. A usually losing situation or a trick where the devil tricks someone out of their soul in exchange for ULTIMATE POWER!

I rewrote Faust to be Sapphic as can be. It stars a mixed Indonesian lesbian named Dian Faust who battles depression tooth and nail and ends up calling a mental health crisis hotline. Bc... she's lonely.

PAUSE-- and this is a horror comedy. Comedy. COMEDY-- you might say?

WHY? HOW? Sounds sad and depressing, right?

WHAT'S FAUST?

Well... in the original retelling version of Goethe's Faust (who retold it from folklore etc etc) the main character of Dr. Faustus accidentally summons the devil or something when he too is about to consider the meaning of life and it gets sad bc he doesn't see one so he makes the devil's bargain FOR ULTIMATE POWER. Or something.

But in my version-- it's based off my experiences as a queer person. Before I had community. Before I understood and accepted myself-- I had a rough time. For a whole bunch of factors outside of that-- I didn't feel like my life was in a good place. And even worse-- I felt isolated.

THE PLOT

I didn't want to bother my friends with my problems. So-- I'd call the Trevor Project or a crisis hotline just to have somebody to talk to. In the same way-- Dian Faust is struggling with depression in the story I write. So she calls a hotline like the Trevor Project just to not be alone.

And guess who she finds?

A super hot genderfluid devil called MEMPHIS, short for Mephistopheles. A pierced and tatted punk rocker who has an interest for telling tall tales and serving Dian Faust's every wish and command! (No, not like that!)

Because Dian Faust, like me, is a mixed Indonesian kid trying to figure out what it means to be queer AND demisexual (finding attraction only after really getting to emotionally connect with someone and feeling, as I explain in the book, a lack of that before then for anyone). And she's figuring plenty out--- including how to save her immortal soul and her feelings for a certain genderfluid demon but if you want to know more-- YOU CAN BUT YOU HAVE TO SCROLL TO THE END OF THIS POST TO FIND OUT !

I wrote this book PHONING FAUST (coming out in 2025 sometime with NineStar Press btw. I have these books CATCH LILI TOO and WAKE THE DEAD also starring Sapphic demiace MCs if it's helpful while you wait!

I WROTE MORE QUEER BOOKS (if interested)! (ARC SIGN UP LINK IS STILL BELOW THIS ONE THO! > FOLLOW THE RAINBOW !!)

MY OTHER QUEER BOOKS: https://sophiawhittemore.com/books/ ) <3 <3 <3

I wrote PHONING FAUST (train of thought, sorry, that's the neurodivergence) because I wanted people to feel less alone.

I was, like Dian Faust and like a lot of people, a queer person who felt like I was on an island unto myself. I didn't know who to turn to-- so I turned to no one. By reaching out to hotlines (no hot devils unfortunately), I managed to get the help I needed to avoid making rash decisions-- to get the help I needed to get better. To take that first step.

PHONING FAUST is a novel that raises the importance of mental health and finding community, and most importantly, not giving up. As Dian Faust says in my upcoming book...

There are stars out there-- I had only to see it.

***

🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

🌈🌈🌈🌈ARC LINK SIGN UPS HERE 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

ARC LINK SIGN UPS IN LINKTREE <3

Want to be an ARC reader for this queer book starring a demisexual Sapphic couple and BIPOC cast?

Sign up here! : https://tr.ee/mWPM8I9Zev

***

Hmmm, demon contracts...now where might young 2010 emo me have heard that before... ? ?

[neirawrites]

I'm excited to finally share the news with the world:

My YA contemporary sports romance is going to be published by NineStar Press!

The story of two young women fighting to break into the deeply misogynistic world of bridge diving in the city of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, will be out in 2025 and I couldn't be happier!

I can't wait to share more with you and for you all to meet Franka and Mirna.

[sbbarnes]

So, I'm proud/happy/terrified/insane to announce that at some point in the not-too-distant future, NineStar Press will be publishing my ~debut novel~, "Heart First". "Heart First" is a m/m romance novel entwined with a cozy mystery set in the heart of the Hudson Valley.

In it, Daniel Rosenbaum, professor and chronic overthinker, falls hard and fast for mechanic Tony D'Angelo. When tragedy strikes and a close friend and fellow professor of Daniel's is murdered, Daniel’s intensifying relationship with Tony is the only way he can find solace from his grief and confusion. But all too soon, the trail of a dead man’s secrets leads Daniel to the same place he’s been seeking comfort: Angel Automotive, the auto repair shop run by Tony’s family. Will following his heart lead Daniel straight into the arms of a killer?

As a little thank you to everyone who's followed me on here and given me courage to pursue writing, here's a little sneak peek of Daniel and Tony:

“Sorry, I’m Tony,” Tony says. “I should probably have led with that.”

Daniel grins. “Hi Tony,” he says. “I’m Daniel, and I’m having trouble with my car.”

“Well, you’re in luck,” Tony says. “I happen to be a mechanic.”

“Wow, what are the odds?”

Tony shrugs and gestures to the rows of different-size chains hanging on the wall. “You walk into a set-up like this, it’s an even split: mechanic or sex worker.”

It shocks a laugh out of Daniel. He gets the impression he does not need to worry about homophobia here if Tony’s using respectful language, which is kind of a relief.

“So what’s wrong with your car?”

Daniel winces. “It’s been making this weird noise all morning? Like a kind of irregular clunking?”

“All the time or just when you go over a bump?”

“Um.” Daniel considers. The roads are pretty shitty between Rhinebeck and Lobell College anyways. He didn’t hear it much on the better-paved way into Kingston, but he was also focused on finding the garage and wasn’t really paying attention.

“Your muffler might be loose,” Tony tells him.

“Okay,” Daniel says slowly. “And that’s…bad?”

Tony blinks. “Not a car guy, huh?”

“No,” Daniel says quickly. “Computers guy. Classic literature guy. Fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer guy. Very much not a car guy.” A frown line draws tight on Tony’s forehead. “That’s a really bad season,” he says, which, okay, no one’s perfect.

[jrhartauthor]

I skip sociology on Wednesday. Do I really even need to go? The class is a mandatory one, something we’re required to take for graduation, but it’s a class in a subject field specifically to give me a well-rounded degree. Sociology isn’t integral to my major, and I can afford to skip it.

But I have to go on Friday. I don’t have a choice, because of the university limit for athletes on scholarships. If I miss too many classes in a given week, month, semester…? There’s no more soccer. And damn if I don’t need that scholarship and my teammates. On Friday, I search for the chair that puts the most distance between Kade and me as possible. I like him, but he’s dangerous. He’s the outlier. I glance at him a few times, but as soon as I see him lift his hand like he might wave, my attention is back on the professor. I hope it sends a clear enough sign: don’t acknowledge me.

There’s nothing against him. He’s fantastic. Every time we’ve had a study group together, there’s just something about him. He’s a great conversationalist, in ways I can’t seem to get over. He hangs around after, too, helps me clean up snacks and empty water bottles, talks to me and makes me feel… I don’t know, important? Like I’m more than just a study group host, but a person. A person who matters. And he actually bothers to do the group work, not like most of the other people in groups. It’s like he genuinely cares about things, about class and about making an effort, hell, about me as a person.

I keep reminding myself this isn’t about him, even when it’s definitely about him. I just can’t afford the distraction right now. I have a degree to finish. I have a father to make proud. I have a soccer scholarship to make good on. Those are the things people expect of me. Those are the things I expect of me. I’m determined to do what I have to. No distractions, no variations, no outliers like Kade.

Outliers lead to danger.

And unlike Simba, I don’t laugh in the face of danger. I cower. And as conscious as I am of my decision to cower this time, I still feel justified.

Find out what happens next. Buy Getting Off at most major online retailers.

Getting Off contains a scene featuring sexual assault to a main character. Additionally, there is biphobia from within the LGBTQ+ community which is addressed in the text and corrected, scenes depicting blackmail, an attempt at forced outing, homophobia from a parent, “locker room talk” and misogyny, and homophobia from a teammate. There are also two scenes of physical violence including fistfighting, and some scenes of underage alcohol consumption among college students. While I have aimed to make these as tasteful, respectful, and carefully crafted as possible, I do want to ensure that readers know these elements of the story. Additionally, (healthy) depictions of therapy are included in this text, which may be uncomfortable for some readers with prior poor experiences with therapy.

[judeinthestars]

New review! A Love So Dark by Rien Gray

[theaceoftales]

Ace of the Week #6: Mariana Mitogo

One thing I absolutely loved from this book that kinda served as social commentary of sorts is some of the questions asked by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. A big "gotcha" moment during their interview was about the fact that they weren't sexually intimate. As if that's a necessary defining factor of a couple's legitimacy. How very compulsory allosexual of them.

"-How regularly would you say you and your husband are intimate?" "Um." She glanced at Santi, scrambling for an appropriate answer. were romance fanfics or sci-fi TV shows more accurate about sex? "A normal amount?" "Can you be more specific?" Once a week? Every day? What was the right answer here? "How is this relevant?" "It's relevant if you're lying about being in a genuine relationship and aren't actually involved. So, how regularly?"

Pick up a copy of "Border Ctrl + Esc" by Ivy L. James from the publisher NineStar Press or from other book retailers. Also, a shout out to Queer Liberation Library for having this gem in their catalog.

[allthingsdarkanddirty]

@tessacrowley