#alex woodroe

[do-you-know-this-adhd-character]

Do you know this (canon) ADHD character?

Proof: Discussed within the book, from chapter 2

[rosemariecawkwell]

My Favourite Sci Fi and Fantasy of 2023

[whitebelt-witch]

hej! I just finished reading Your Body is Not Your Body, a queer/trans horror anthology edited by Alex Woodroe and Matt Blairstone, and published by Tenebrous Press in 2022.

I LOVED this collection so much! As is the case with any anthology comprised of multiple creators, some contributions really hit while others really didn’t, and some were just simply not my speed. regardless of my feelings of the individual tales, however, my identity as a weird girl who loves the horrific implications of a Body In Transition left me feeling so happy that there exists enough work in this niche that is unique enough for me to have such a varied experience with this book.

Much of the writing was also quite resonant, shoutout to in particular to Ori Jay and Bitter Karella’s style. However if I had to highlight two stories for being the standout works in the collection I have to highlight Viktor Athelstan’s “Brother Maternitas” and Avi Burton’s “Fencing Chestplate.” The former concerns a devout medieval monk who undergoes a surprising change (and features an ending that had my jaw ON THE FLOOR), while the latter tale is about a young student who will take…hellish measures to make his dream sports team.

Overall though if you’re looking for weird horror fiction about bodies, I cannot recommend this collection enough!

[theweirdspacejellyfish]

trans book recs

trans rites by v.f. thompson, summary- a anthology, to embody transness is to change shape, to become something else. the theorist judith butler refers to the construction of gender as a process of ritual and naturalization. hear our screams, our howls, our primal gibbering, our moonlight dances and our bleeding guts.

your body is not your body by alex woodroe, summary- a anthology, the rules of conventional horror go out the fucking window in this collection of stories featuring cosmic malice, technological killing machines, murderous pleasure bots, acid filled alien cops, werid worm implants, witchcraft, mad science, proselytizing zombies, ghouls, sorcerers and cannibals and that just begins to scratch the grave dirt

hell followed with us by Andrew joseph white, summary- 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 worlds population. desperately, he searches for a place where the cult cant get their hands on him, or more importantly, on the bioweapon they infected him with. but when cornered by monsters born from the destruction, benji is rescued by a group of teens from the local acheson lgbtq center, affectionately known as the alc. the alc leader, nick, is gorgeous, autistic, and a deadly shot, and he knows benjis darkest secret. the cults bioweapon is mutating him into a monster deadly enough to wipe humanity from the earth once and for all. still nick offers benji shelter among his ragtag group of queer teens, as long as benji can control the monster and use its power to defend the alc. benji accepts nicks terms.. until he discovers the alcs mysterious leader has a hidden agenda, and more than a few secrets of his own.

bound in flesh by lor gislason, summary- an anthology, 13 trans and non binary writers using horror to both explore the darkest depths of the genre and the boundaries of flesh

[statecryptids]

Your Body is Not Your Body

 edited by Alex Woodroe with Matt Blairstone

For some trans, nonbinary, and intersex folks, their body can become a kind of nightmare prison. Things feel wrong or off (though obviously, this isn’t true for every gender non-conforming person, and everyone expresses their gender differently). They might feel that their body is not in their control. And sometimes, even when they do start to take command of their own appearance and presentation, someone else tries to take that autonomy from them.

This anthology was created in response to the recent attempts by the Texas government to criminalize trans and gender non-conforming youth and their families. It is an angry cry and push-back against those who try to steal a person’s basic rights to their own body.  

The stories within explore all manner of body horror, existential dread, and bizarre imagery. There are medieval monks experiencing demonic pregnancies; A housewife baking up her own Frankenstein creature; a trans boy summoning Hellish powers so he can join the fencing team; a space cathedral carrying the corpse of God to inter in a dead star; high school girls holding in their frustration and anger until they literally explode; and even more bizarre, phantasmal sights.

Horror is about exploring the dark, often uncomfortable places of the human experience and these stories can get bloody raw, exploring themes of physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault, violence, and transphobia. I definitely had to put the book down a few times to take a breather. However, these stories are not meant merely for shock value or torture porn. They are catharsis for writers and readers both. A way of capturing and dragging the horrors out into the daylight. The edits are aware of how upsetting some of these tales can be, though, and have included an appendix of content warnings for each one.

Your Body is Not Your Body is also steeped in the genre of Weird fiction, defined as a mix of horror, fantasy, and sci-fi that is experimental, and often transgressive. Several stories play with the structure of narrative, occasionally breaking it down to the point that one may need to read a few times to figure out what is going on. Or maybe you’re meant to piece together your own explanation for what is happening. This may be a bit off-putting for readers who prefer a more linear horror narrative, but the stories run through many styles, and there is something everyone can appreciate.

Your Body is Not Your Body is available in paperback from Tenebrous Press.

[rebb003]

Book 14 of 2023: BRAVE NEW WEIRD: THE BEST NEW WEIRD HORROR VOL. 1, edited by Alex Woodroe. The title says it all, folks. Delightfully weird stuff.

[bookthoughtsandreviews]

All the Feels by Olivia Dade

Olivia Dade brought us an amazing rom-com that tackled some serious issues. She talks about couple dynamics, The Hollywood standard, mental health issues, and more. Lauren Clegg is a heavy set, short woman who falls in love with Alex Woodroe, a Hollywood TV star. In my opinion, the slow burn was well done. Mrs. Dade makes the story feel realistic while still adding the Hollywood magic we all love. While it does develop slowly, I do like how Alex and Lauren slowly realize their feelings. It takes several times apart and some self-awareness. One of the ways the discover their feelings is hoe Alex constantly defends her to the world. Lauren was under the impression due to her childhood that it is easier not to complain when insults come her way and pretend they do not happen or matter. That she does not matter. Alex strives not only for her to see herself the way he does, but make sure she is not hurt my those around her, even herself. On the other end, you have Alex who has ADHD how carries major guilt and genuine care for others. Lauren does the same for him by making him feel like his feelings are valid while also helping him through them. Alex's ADHD is explained very well by how its the little things that can really frustrate someone and how the mental illness can be shown in the littlest of ways, like forgetting to charge one's phone or getting to the airport late to catch a flight. While the story does do the cliche break-up, Mrs. Dade brings them back together in a realistic way that made me sniffle. In all, this was a beautiful story and one I would recommend. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

[kamreadsandrecs]

Title: All the Feels (Spoiler Alert #2)

Author: Olivia Dade

Genre/s: romance, contemporary romance

Content/Trigger Warning/s: fatphobia, implied physical abuse, implied emotional abuse

Summary (from author's page): Alexander Woodroe has it all. Charm. Sex appeal. Wealth. Fame. A starring role as Cupid on TV’s biggest show, Gods of the Gates. But the showrunners have wrecked his character, he’s dogged by old demons, and his post-show future remains uncertain. When all that reckless emotion explodes into a bar fight, the tabloids and public agree: his star is falling.

Enter Lauren Clegg, the former ER therapist hired to keep him in line. Compared to her previous work, watching over handsome but impulsive Alex shouldn’t be especially difficult. But the more time they spend together, the harder it gets to keep her professional remove and her heart intact, especially when she discovers the reasons behind his recklessness…not to mention his Cupid fanfiction habit.

When another scandal lands Alex in major hot water and costs Lauren her job, she’ll have to choose between protecting him and offering him what he really wants—her. But he’s determined to keep his improbably short, impossibly stubborn, and extremely endearing minder in his life any way he can. And on a road trip up the California coast together, he intends to show her exactly what a falling star will do to catch the woman he loves: anything at all.

Buy Here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/all-the-feels-olivia-dade/16136003

Spoiler-Free Review: Oh this really was a delight to read! Any (admittedly slight) concerns I had about the leads reading too similarly to the ones of Spoiler Alert were immediately allayed once I got into the story. Alex and Lauren are both absolutely darling and their relationship developed in a way that was uniquely theirs.

Fandom and fanfic play a role in this novel, but not to the same extent as in the first one. Instead, celebrity gossip and scandal are at the center of the plot, working alongside the concept of a celebrity destroying their own career through ill-considered choices. As the novel goes on, it becomes a story about guilt and atonement, accountability and acceptance. It shows how, while it’s important to be aware of one’s own flaws and mistakes, one cannot hold oneself accountable for things that one had no control over; trying to do so is a shortcut to self-destruction.

The novel also tackles how, in an attempt to make things right, it’s possible to do more harm than good - especially when one’s “solution” to a problem oversteps the boundaries put in place by other people, or otherwise harms them. For that matter, even if the solution only harms oneself, that can still hurt the people around one because they wouldn’t want to see one get hurt in the first place.

Another important theme is how one must place value in one’s own self. While it’s possible to go overboard and become utterly selfish, it’s just as bad to constantly put other’s needs above one’s own. It’s another kind of self-destruction, and incredibly insidious because it’s easy to slip into the idea that one is doing good for the world by sacrificing oneself on the altar of unmitigated selflessness. (Incidentally it was this theme that gutted me the most, and I willingly admit I had a bit of a come-to-Jesus moment that I may need to talk over with my therapist.)

Overall, this was a lovely continuation of the Spoiler Alert series, telling a story connected to, but still distinct from, that of the first book. The two leads are really fun to read about, and following the progress of their relationship is an absolute delight, but it’s the themes interwoven through their story that really made this book really stand out and shine.

Rating: five bits of seaglass

[bethly126]

Quick Review: All the Feels by Olivia Dade

Screenshot This book absolutely is full of feels. This is a sequel to Spoiler Alert and, in the tradition of romance novels, it follows two characters introduced and/or mentioned in the previous book. Alex Woodroe is a star of the hit TV show Gods of the Gates and Lauren Clegg is the unfortunate person hired to be his minder by the show’s production company after he gets in a bar fight as the…

[thehorrortree]

[caption id="attachment_637897" align="aligncenter" width="1597"] Art by Matt Blairstone[/caption] Deadline: November 1st, 2023 Payment: $25 and 2 contributor's copies Theme: Works published between the 31st of October 2022 and the 31st of October 2023 will be considered for the Best New Weird Horror of 2022. Tenebrous Press presents the SECOND YEAR of the Brave New Weird Awards—to reward and further this unique blend of genres—and its accompanying Brave New Weird: the Best New Weird Horror of the Year VOLUME 2, showcasing the winners of the year, care of editor Alex Woodroe. We define New Weird Horror as a Horror subgenre focused on progress, creatively capturing themes and questions that bleed into fiction straight from the modern reader's life and future. It acts as a challenge to break new ground in terms of form and content and to engage with the unknown. Beyond that, New Weird Horror will be defined by the winning pieces themselves. Buzzwords: speculative; eclectic; horror-centric but genre-blended; progressive and innovative in terms of content, social themes, form, or voice; concept-driven. Does this sound like your writing? Submit your previously published work to the New Weird Horror Awards today! Disclaimer:  TENEBROUS IS A YOUNG PRESS LOOKING TO HAVE FUN IN THE WORLD OF HORROR AND BUILD A COMMUNITY OF LIKE-MINDED PEERS. WE’RE NOT CLAIMING THIS AWARD WILL WOW YOUR DREAM AGENT OR SINGLE-HANDEDLY SELL YOUR BOOK. IT’S A WAY TO SHOWCASE REPRINTS THAT WE LOVE IN A GENRE THAT WE CARE ABOUT, AND GET THEM INTO THE HANDS OF MORE READERS—NO FUSS, NO LOBBYING, NO HIDDEN COSTS. Eligibility:  Any previously published piece of short fiction under 7.499 words originally published in the English language within the eligibility period. You may submit NARRATIVE poems only; poems will be judged on their storytelling. Stories published in other languages are welcome if there is an English translation available. Reprints of stories originally published before the eligibility period are not eligible. Any work published through Tenebrous Press is not eligible. We already think you're awesome, regardless. Previous year’s winners are not eligible this year. Nominees are eligible. If you are unsure of the genre of your story, as long as it’s dark, speculative, and eligible, send it in. Eligibility period:  Works published between the 31st of October 2022 and the 31st of October 2023 will be considered for the Best New Weird Horror of 2022.  Simply: If it's published before Halloween, it competes for this year's award. If it's published after Halloween, it competes for next year's award. Final submission deadline for this year's award: November 1st, 2023. Send ARCS if necessary to get the submission in on time. Response:  AS THIS IS AN AWARD, THERE WILL NOT BE ANY REJECTION NOTICES.  Instead, if we want to award & feature a story, we will reach out to the author. There will be a published shortlist, and the shortlisted works that don’t end up being featured will still be mentioned & advertised in the anthology. Final decisions will be made before the end of the year. Results: Selected authors will be asked to sign a non-exclusive contract allowing their reprint to be featured.  A reprint payment of $25 + two paperback copies + one award certificate will be given to the selected authors. How to submit:  Submit individual short stories as a link or as a .doc or .docx ANYONE may submit up to five stories. Readers, editors, and the authors themselves are all welcome to submit ***UPDATE*** Anyone submitting on behalf of authors other than oneself is allowed to double the number of submissions. Due to increased interest and participation from editors and readers wanting to submit a wide range of authors, we’ve decided to update this rule and foster that spirit of support and community. ***UPDATE*** ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS ONLY. SUBMIT YOUR WORK VIA OUR HANDY FORM HERE, USING A NEW FORM FOR EACH STORY. Authors: Be sure your contract stipulates

you are allowed to participate in Best Of anthologies, or ask permission from your publisher BEFORE submitting.  Publishers/editors: Be sure your authors give you permission to submit their work before submitting. Readers: Do your best to fill out all the data, but rest assured that we will look for whatever is missing. Please don’t feel discouraged from nominating works just because you don’t have all the info. Other rules:  You may speak about this award, submitting to this award, and being shortlisted for this award, in any way you like.  You may have multiple submissions of the same author/publisher; up to five (see above). If we missed anything, drop us a line or DM! ***SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN.*** Via: Tenebrous Press.

[itsbuckbeakbitch]

Olivia Dade Character Zodiac Signs

I haven’t seen anything about the characters from Spoiler Alert or All the Feels signs, so I thought I’d give it my best guess...

April Whittier

Sun: Pisces

Moon: Taurus

Rising: Virgo

Marcus Caster-Rupp

Sun: Virgo

Moon: Virgo

Rising: Leo

Alex Woodroe

Sun: Aries

Moon: Sagittarius

Rising: Leo

Lauren Clegg

Sun: Aquarius

Moon: Aquarius

Rising: Capricorn

Thoughts?

[rosemariecawkwell]

Review: Whisperwood, by Alex Woodroe

● Genre – Fiction > Dark Fantasy > Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology● ISBN hardcover – 9781787588431● ISBN paperback – 9781787588424● ISBN ebook – 9781787588448● Pricing [USD] $26.95 (HC) / $16.95 (PB) / $4.99 (EB)● Releases July 11 2023● Published by Flame Tree Press● Distributed by Simon & Schuster  SYNOPSIS A must-read dark fantasy debut for fans of “The Witcher”, woodland survival guides,…

[stardustandrockets]

✨️Mid-Year Book Check-ln!✨️

What book has surprised you most this year?

The first six months of the year are over, so let's have a bit of a check-in!

Best book of 2023 so far: ☆The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew—Unless I read something exponentially better, I foresee this being my favorite book of the year

Best sequel of 2023 so far: ☆All the Feels by Olivia Dade—I haven't stopped thinking about Alex Woodroe since I read this book in February

Favorite reread: ☆A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

New release you haven't read yet, but want to: ☆Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year: ☆New Adult by Timothy Janovsky, Bishop Takes King by Ashley Poston, and The Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore

Biggest disappointment: ☆Midnight Duet by Jen Comfort—The only reason I'm putting this here is because it was way hornier than I anticipated

Biggest surprise: ☆Even Though I Knew The End by C.L. Polk—This novella reads like a sapphic Supernatural fanfic and I am here for it!

New favorite author: ☆Kelly Andrew—She only has the one book out right now, but damn did it blow me away

Newest favorite character: ☆Colton Price from The Whispering Dark

Book that made you cry: ☆Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune—As problematic as he is, I loved this book and didn't expect it to make me cry

Book that made you happy: ☆Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee and The Princess and the Grilled Cheese by Deya Muniz—Both books were absolutely delightful and made me laugh far more than anticipated

Most beautiful book purchase: ☆The Name-Bearer by Natalia Hernandez—The Rainbow Crate edition is absolutely stunning 😍

[godlesshorrors]

𝗕𝗘 𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗩𝗘! 𝗕𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗜𝗥𝗗! Tenebrous Press has given us quite a few weird books over the past year, but nothing can prepare you for the weirdness of Brave New Weird. An anthology of 22 weird and wild stories, Brave New Weid is jam-packed with so much weird shit, you'll lose your mind. Reading all of them will be the literary equivalent of LSD! Get ready to enter the world of weird! You won't be able to come back. Brave New Weird is a buck cheaper on Godless for a limited time. 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗪𝗘𝗜𝗥𝗗 𝗡𝗢𝗪! https://godless.com/products/brave-new-weird-the-best-new-weird-horror-volume-one-edited-by-alex-woodroe-matt-blairstone-1 _______________ Brave New Weird The End is Weird. In the event of cosmic fallout, it is vital that you adhere to the following: Secure your own persona, and a backup if available. A neighbor’s is acceptable. Your skin may attempt to abscond. This is normal in these situations. Ignore all notifications from your mobile devices. They are not to be trusted. Pay no mind to the details of that photograph. Yes, that one. Should your body accrue any additional limbs, please keep proper inventory; they will need to be accounted for. Avoid celebrity advice. Do not feed the bears. You will feel dizzy. You will feel nausea. This will pass. Step bravely. And most importantly: Do not panic. Featuring 22 stories previously published by some of the most dynamic independent publishers in the fields of Horror and Speculative Fiction today, as well as essays on the state of Horror fiction & comics, additional recommended reading and more. 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗪𝗘𝗜𝗥𝗗 𝗡𝗢𝗪! https://godless.com/products/brave-new-weird-the-best-new-weird-horror-volume-one-edited-by-alex-woodroe-matt-blairstone-1 _______________ #godless #godlessapp #godlesshorror #godlesshorrrors #horror #horrorbooks #horrorbookstagram #indiehorror #indiebooks #indiebookstagram #supportindie #godless2023 (at Los Angeles, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoU1g2Or6mR/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[victorianations-writer]

Stories and Poetry 2022

It has been a fabulous year of writing.

“Scabrous” is a story about how pain and violence linger like ghosts. It appeared in A QUAINT AND CURIOUS VOLUME OF GOTHIC TALES, edited by Alex Woodroe, from Brigids Gate Press (January 2022).

“Cleaning Out Her House, As If She’ll Ever Be Gone” is a poem about the horror of exploring a mother’s dreams and madness after she is gone. It closes out MOTHER: TALES OF LOVE AND TERROR, edited by Willow Dawn Becker and Christi Nogle, from Weird Little Worlds (October 2022).

“Bury Me Under Fallen Stars” is a poem about the beautiful decay of Autumn, in the Autumnal Equinox: Harvest issue of Magpie Messenger Literary Magazine, from Curious Corvid Publishing (September 2022).

“An Empty Seat” is a poem about an unexpected clown, in the Halloween: Circus issue of Magpie Messenger Literary Magazine, from Curious Corvid Publishing (October 2022).

“Reasons Why You Can’t Go Out To Play Alone” is a poem about the horrors of grief and vengeance, in HWA POETRY SHOWCASE VOLUME IX, edited by Angela Yuriko Smith, from the Horror Writers Association (October 2022).

Thank you to my publishers and editors for including my work in their amazing publications. And thank you all for your support this year.

[kristipetersenschoonover]

Time to celebrate! ANNE RICE TRIBUTE ANTHO is here and gets awesome reviews!

Time to celebrate! ANNE RICE TRIBUTE ANTHO is here and gets awesome reviews!

IT’S RELEASE DAY FOR DANCING IN THE SHADOWS: A TRIBUTE TO ANNE RICE! Don’t miss this one—fabulous gothic stories, 100% of proceeds goes to Animal Rescue of New Orleans. No one in this antho has made or gets a dime. Help us help them! In addition, this volume, which includes my short story “Haint Gonna Happen,” has been getting rave reviews—The World According to Jay! calls it “a party for Anne…