#cailean steed

[hiddenbookcasepodcast]

We're joined by Cailean Steed on our newest episode to close out Ahistorical Autumn, chatting about Shelley Parker-Chan's incendiary She Who Became the Sun ☀️🐉🔥

⚔️ Listen on Spotify ⚔️ Or find us wherever you get your podcasts ⚔️ For transcripts, visit our website ⚔️ For closed captions, visit our YouTube

[lovebooksgroup]

#AuthorsonTour - Home by @CaileanSteed - The Things We Do To Our Friends by @HeatherDarwent @BlackwellEdin @BloomsburyRaven @VikingBooksUK #DebutThrillers #BookEvent #BookTwt #AuthorTwt

#AuthorsonTour - HOME by @CaileanSteed - The Things We Do To Our Friends by @HeatherDarwent @BlackwellEdin @BloomsburyRaven @VikingBooksUK #DebutThrillers #BookEvent #BookTwt #AuthorTwt

A wonderful evening at Blackwells Edinburgh on the 9th Feb 2023. Debut authors Cailean Steed and Heather Darwent are on an author book tour and I was delighted to be able to attend. Both books really sound exceptional. I was lucky enough to be gifted a copy of Heather’s book The Things We Do To Our Friends at the Viking Books showcase in Edinburgh last year. I will be reading and reviewing both…

[thenxghtwemxt]

It's difficult to look upon the King he is today and not long for the Prince he once was. The shiny haired, gold-plated Prince of Germany who commanded his steed and sword in heroic fashion. The good man that broke bread with commoners, played cards with his fellow military men, and made pretty eyes at small town ladies. The sort that could befriend soldiers like Cailean Fergusson, despite their contrasting flags. The kind that would not forget friendship, once the likes of politics and betrothals got in the way. Alas, it's but a distant memory now. That is, until he sees him from afar. And just like that - the memory is made of flesh and bone, a new found relic of what once was.

As if on cue, Elias adjusts his posture. Mimicking the father he'd come to mourn and avenge, though his siblings would call it peacocking of the highest order. He knows enough of Cailean's sentiments on Germany's alliance with the Scots, to know the proper lashing he would surely get. Except, what comes next is far more cutting, and his throat dries at the severity of two words. "Cailean." There's a striking sadness as he says his name. As if his old friend brings him back to the reality of his circumstances. "You are far from home." But not far enough, if the close vicinity of the Stuart's is anything to go by.

CLOSED STARTER for @thenxghtwemxt

Cailean & Elias

Cailean could feel eyes lingering on them as they walked through the crowd, people parting to avoid getting in their way. They could already imagine the things that must be running through their minds: who is that? Are they one of the forgotten princes or just a commoner? The whispering around them didn't cease as they picked up a goblet brimful of red wine. 'Aren't you a pretty thing?' An old woman had seemingly summoned right beside him without being noticed said with a shrill voice. 'You're with the Scottish crown, aren't you? My daughter she-' The woman's voice melted with the other patrons' voices when they noticed a set of blonde curls between the crowd. At first, they refused to believe it was him, but there was no denying it. 

It was him, the King of Germany. He was standing surrounded by people who seemingly adored him. With one swing of their drink, Cailean finished half of the wine, their eyes never leaving the man he had once known. How long has it been since they last saw each other? It was before he became the king before they became the commanding officer, it was before… everything. He has not changed, not really, yet everything has changed about him. He was no longer his friend; he was one of them. 'Don't you agree?' The woman's voice seemed to startle them from their thoughts. Should they go to him or run? It seemed as if their body had taken charge before their brain managed to catch up with them, and before they knew it, they were already standing behind the king. "Your majesty." Those two little words, almost sounded like a curse coming from Cailean's mouth.

[shadesofmauve]

L's champion of Cayden Cailean has reached level 3, and acquired her divine steed!

That is, she slept off a drunk in the stable, woke up to a very friendly hairy coo, and assumed she stole it.

(His name is Beauregard).

[thegirlwiththelantern]

When I write book release posts on my book blog, China Sorrows, it's books I'm excited about. But in looking for 2023 releases I came across quite a few books I don't want to read but which would probably be really exciting to other people, so here some are.

Quick note- because I'm not covering them on my blog I didn't hunt through various sources and if the one I found doesn't list a synopsis I won't. I also don't list for sequels in case of spoilers.

How to Find a Missing Girl by Victoria Wlosok (sapphic)

In this YA thriller, 17-year-old amateur sleuth Iris and her sapphic detective agency decide to investigate when Iris's ex-girlfriend—notorious for creating a polarizing true-crime podcast about Iris's missing sister—disappears too.

Home by Cailean Steed (queer)

Someone has broken into Zoe's flat. A man she thought she'd never have to see again. They call him the Hand of God. He knows about her job in the cafe, her life in Dublin, her ex-girlfriend, even the knife she's hidden under the mattress. She thought she'd left him far behind, along with the cult of the Children and their isolated compound Home - but now he's found her, and she knows she must go back to rescue the sister who helped her escape all those years before. But returning to Home means going back to the enforced worship and strict gender roles Zoe has long since moved beyond; back to the abuse and indoctrination she's fought desperately to overcome. Going back will make her question everything she believed about her past - but could also risk her hard-won freedom. Can she break free a second time? One - My name is Zoe Two - I am here to rescue my sister Amy Three - Nothing anyone says here is true Four - Four - What is my fourth true thing?

Damned If You Do by Alex Brown (queer, filipino)

High school stage manager Cordelia Scott learns that she may have accidentally sold her soul to a demon, and now she must help him neutralize a demonic rival or risk spending eternity in Hell --all while navigating a disastrous Tech Week, her feelings for her best friend (who might be a monster), and way too many pop quizzes.

Biance Torre is Afraid of Everything by Justine Pucella Winans (nonbinary)

Sixteen-year-old Bianca Torre is an avid birder undergoing a gender identity crisis and grappling with an ever-growing list of fears. Some, like Fear #6: Initiating Conversation, keep them constrained, forcing them to watch birds from the telescope in their bedroom. And, occasionally, their neighbors. When their gaze wanders from the birds to one particular window across the street, Bianca witnesses a creepy plague-masked murderer take their neighbor’s life. Worse, the death is ruled a suicide, forcing Bianca to make a choice—succumb to their long list of fears (including #3: Murder and #55: Breaking into a Dead Guy’s Apartment) or investigate what happened. Bianca enlists the help of their friend Anderson Coleman, but the two have more knowledge of anime than true crime. As Bianca and Anderson dig deeper into the murder with a little help from Bianca’s crush and fellow birding aficionado, Elaine Yee (#13: Beautiful People, #11: Parents Discovering They’re A Raging Lesbian), the trio uncovers a conspiracy much larger—and weirder—than imagined. But when the killer catches wind of the investigation, Bianca’s #1 fear of public speaking doesn’t sound so bad compared to the threat of being silenced for good.

Truly Wanted by J.J. Hale (sapphic)

After a chaotic childhood in a long line of foster homes, Sam McKenna found her version of serenity in her friendship with Brooke Fields. When tragedy forces Brooke to become a single mother, Sam is there for her. Sam ignores the crush she’s had on Brooke since college. Their relationship is too precious to risk. After the loss of her husband, Brooke finally dips her toes back into the dating world only to have each encounter end in disaster. If it wasn’t for Sam by her side picking her back up, she might give up on ever finding love again. After a night of unexpected passion when Brooke and Sam cross the line of friendship, Brooke can’t help but yearn for more with Sam. A chance encounter leads Brooke and Sam on a journey to Sam’s birth family, uncovering the ghosts of Sam’s past and revealing wounds that threaten the friendship both once believed to be indestructible, and any chance for something more.

Bleeding Heart (Cardplay #2) by Brittany M. Willows (ace, pan, queerplatonic)

Hijab Butch Blues: A Memoir by Lamya H. (memoir)

When fourteen-year-old Lamya H realizes she has a crush on her teacher—her female teacher—she covers up her attraction, an attraction she can’t yet name, by playing up her roles as overachiever and class clown. Born in South Asia, she moved to the Middle East at a young age and has spent years feeling out of place, like her own desires and dreams don’t matter, and it’s easier to hide in plain sight. To disappear. But one day in Quran class, she reads a passage about Maryam that changes everything: when Maryam learned that she was pregnant, she insisted no man had touched her. Could Maryam, uninterested in men, be . . . like Lamya?  From that moment on, Lamya makes sense of her struggles and triumphs by comparing her experiences with some of the most famous stories in the Quran. She juxtaposes her coming out with Musa liberating his people from the pharoah; asks if Allah, who is neither male nor female, might instead be nonbinary; and, drawing on the faith and hope Nuh needed to construct his ark, begins to build a life of her own—ultimately finding that the answer to her lifelong quest for community and belonging lies in owning her identity as a queer, devout Muslim immigrant.

Citizens of Shadow: A Vampire Tale by Nicole Eigener (queer)

BEGUILED BY NIGHT: BOOK TWO. In which the vampire Vauquelin's tale continues. A queer dark fantasy of vampires, time travel, and sinister secrets that threaten to unravel an eternal existence.

Dragonfall by L.R. Lam (queer, nonbinary)

Long ago, humans betrayed dragons, stealing their magic and banishing them to a dying world. Centuries later, their descendants worship dragons as gods. But the 'gods' remember, and they do not forgive. Thief Arcady scrapes a living on the streets of Vatra. Desperate, Arcady steals a powerful artifact from the bones of the Plaguebringer, the most hated person in Lumet history. Only Arcady knows the artifact's magic holds the key to a new life among the nobles at court and a chance for revenge. The spell connects to Everen, the last male dragon foretold to save his kind, dragging him through the Veil. Disguised as a human, Everen soon learns that to regain his true power and form and fulfil his destiny, he only needs to convince one little thief to trust him enough to bond completel - -body, mind, and soul - and then kill them. Yet the closer the two become, the greater the risk both their worlds will shatter.

Tears in the Water by Margherita Scialla (queer, pan, gender questioning)

Spell Binder by F.T. Lukens

Edison Rooker isn’t sure what to expect when he enters the office of Antonia Hex, the powerful sorceress who runs a call center for magical emergencies. He doesn’t have much experience with hexes or curses. Heck, he doesn’t even have magic. But he does have a plan—to regain the access to the magical world he lost when his grandmother passed. Antonia is…intimidating, but she gives him a job and a new name—Rook—both of which he’s happy to accept. Now all Rook has to do is keep his Spell Binder, an illegal magical detection device, hidden from the Magical Consortium. And contend with Sun, the grumpy and annoyingly cute apprentice to Antonia’s rival colleague, Fable. But dealing with competition isn’t so bad; as Sun seems to pop up more and more, and Rook minds less and less. But when the Consortium gets wind of Rook’s Spell Binder, they come for Antonia. All alone, Rook runs to the only other magical person he knows: Sun. Except Fable has also been attacked, and now Rook and Sun have no choice but to work together to get their mentors back…or face losing their magic forever.

Mimosa by Archie Bongiovanni (queer)

Best friends and chosen family Chris, Elise, Jo, and Alex work hard to keep themselves afloat. Their regular brunches hold them together even as the rest of their lives threaten to fall apart. In an effort to avoid being the oldest gays at the party, the crew decides to put on a new queer event called Grind–specifically for homos in their dirty thirties. Grind is a welcome distraction from their real problems: after a messy divorce, Chris adjusts to being a single parent while struggling to reconnect to their queer community. Elise is caught between feelings for her boss and the career of her dreams. Jo tries to navigate the murky boundaries of being a supportive friend and taking care of her own needs. And Alex is guarding a secret that might change his friendships forever. While navigating exes at work, physical and mental exhaustion, and drinking way, way too much on weekdays, this chosen family proves that being messy doesn’t always go away with age.

Jamie by L.D. Lapinski (nonbinary)

Jamie Rambeau is a happy 11-year-old non-binary kid who likes nothing better than hanging out with their two best friends Daisy and Ash. But when the trio find out that in Year Seven they will be separated into one school for boys and another for girls, their friendship suddenly seems at risk. And when Jamie realises no one has thought about where they are going to go, they decide to take matters into their own hands, and sort it all out once and for all. As the friends' efforts to raise awareness eventually become a rooftop protest against the binary rules for the local schools, Jamie realises that if they don't figure out a way forwards, they might be at risk of losing both their friends forever.

Everything the Darkness Eats by Eric Larocca (queer)

Evil waits for the unsuspecting in the small town of Henley's Edge, Connecticut after a recent string of unexplained disappearances. Lives are interwoven and transformed forever when pacts are drawn, deals are made, and when hatred is left unrestrained. Some will succumb to the darkness that lurks in the cellar of Mr. Heart Crowley's home, others will resist, and some will face a truly remarkable being--creator of tides, vessel of infinity, eater of darkness.

Now She Is Witch by Kirsty Logan (queer)

She dug her mother's grave in the poison garden so it would stay hidden... Lux has lost everything when Else finds her, alone in the woods. Her family, her lover, her home - all burned. The world is suspicious of women like her, neither maiden nor mother. But Lux is cunning; she knows how to exploit people's expectations, how to blend into the background. And she knows a lot about poisons. Else has not found Lux by accident. She needs her help to seek revenge against the man who wronged her, and together they pursue him north. But on their hunt they will uncover dark secrets that entangle them with dangerous adversaries.

Court of the Undying Seasons by A.M. Strickland (queer)

In becoming a vampire, I’m less than a girl. And more. Or maybe I’m becoming what I always have been, deep inside. A blade. When nineteen-year-old Fin volunteers to take her secret love's place in their village's Finding, she is terrified. Those who are chosen at the Finding are whisked away to Castle Courtsheart, a vampire school where human students either succeed and become vampires, fail and spend the rest of their lives as human thralls...or they don't survive long enough to become either. Fin is determined to forge a different path: learn how to kill the undead and get revenge for her mother, who was taken by the vampires years ago. But Courtsheart is as captivating as it is deadly, and Fin is quickly swept up in her new world and its inhabitants - particularly Gavron, her handsome and hostile vampire maker, whose blood is nothing short of intoxicating. As Fin begins to discover new aspects of her own identity and test her newfound powers, she stumbles across a string of murders that may be connected to a larger ritual - one with potentially lethal consequences for vampires and humans alike. Fin must uncover the truth and find the killer before she loses her life...or betrays her own heart.

Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler (bi)

A queer Sliding Doors rom-com in which a girl must choose between summer in NYC with her dad (and the girl she's always wanted) or LA with her estranged mom (and the guy she never saw coming). Natalya Fox has twenty-hours to make the biggest choice of her life: stay home in NYC for the summer with her dad (and finally screw up the courage to talk to the girl she's been crushing on), or spend it with her basically estranged mom in LA (knowing this is the best chance she has to fix their relationship, if she even wants to.) (Does she want to?) How's a girl supposed to choose? She can't, and so both summers play out in alternating timelines - one in which Natalya explores the city, tries to repair things with her mom, works on figuring out her future, and goes for the girl she's always wanted. And one in which Natalya explores the city, tries to repair things with her mom, works on figuring out her future, and goes for the guy she never saw coming.

The Gay Best Friend by Nicolas DiDomizio (gay)

Domenic Marino has become an expert at code-switching between the hypermasculine and ultrafeminine worlds of his two soon-to-be-wed best friends. But this summer―reeling from his own failed engagement and tasked with attending their bachelor and bachelorette parties―he’s anxious over having to play both sides. The pressure is on. The bride wants Dom to keep things clean. The groom wants Dom to “let loose” with the guys. And Dom just wants to get out of this whole mess with his friendships intact. But once the rowdy groomsmen show up at the beach house―including a surprise visit from the groom’s old frat brother, handsome and charming PGA star Bucky Graham―chaos (and unexpected romance) quickly ensues. By the time Dom returns for the bachelorette party, he’s accumulated a laundry list of secrets that threaten to destroy everything―from the wedding, to Bucky’s career, to the one thing Dom hasn’t been paying nearly enough attention to lately: his own life.

Black Sails to Sunward by Sheila Jenné (queer)

In a world of frock coats, solar sails, and rigid class boundaries, Lucy joins the Martian Imperial Navy as a midshipman. Mars and Earth are at war, and Lucy hopes for quick promotion. But when she arrives aboard ship, she finds her childhood ex-friend, Moira, already there. Class differences got in the way of their budding romance five years ago, and both of them are nursing grudges. Those same class differences are threatening the ship, as the enlisted spacers threaten a mutiny and Lucy is forced to support the abusive officers. When Moira becomes a pirate, taking Lucy captive, the tables are turned. Lucy now has to rely on her enemy for her life. Her oath as an officer forbids her from helping the pirates, but it’s becoming obvious that the Martian Empire doesn’t deserve her loyalty. If she throws in her lot with the pirates, her family is doomed to poverty, but it could give her a chance to reconcile with Moira and claim the love she rejected so long ago.

Child of the Crystal Planet by Ennis Rook Bashe (nonbinary, queer, disability)

A runaway trans kid with uncontrolled psychic powers and secret trauma. An impulsive teenager whose psychic powers have forced her to become an intergalactic celebrity. No one on their home planets understands them. What if they could be the perfect team? From fighting an evil ghost preying on an exoplanet’s queer population, to freeing the captive population of an orbiting sweatshop, no mission is too dangerous for this badass pair. But what happens when, as adults, their feelings for each other change?

[nightelftrash]

8 & 9 for Aeylin!

Thanks for sending this in pal! i love my adorable paladin shes a dork. i need to actually do something on her RP blog lol.  8. Did they have pets as a child? Do they have pets as an adult? Do they like animals? Yeah she’s had her horse Abigail since she was like 10 and her brother had a dog that was pretty much hers too since she was always around her brother lol. Aey still has Abby who is now her divine steed! She also has a gryphon named Cailean who is a good boy i promise he would never purposefully dump someone that isn't Aeylin from his saddle nope never. She loves animals especially horses and Kaldorei sabers (she finds sabers to be very noble creatures and likes how much of a companion they are)9. Do animals like them? Do they get on well with animals?I think so! she gets to pet her guildmates pets all the time. both of her pets give her nuzzles all the time. (especially Abigail because that horse knows aey has apples on her lol)

[hiddenbookcasepodcast]

Somehow it’s that time again already! We’ve got a busy few months ahead at The Hidden Bookcase, so peek under the cut for what we’re reading and chatting about on our upcoming episodes as autumn ambles on in… 🍂🧣🍁

Before we get to our autumn reads, we couldn’t let Disability Pride Month pass without celebration! We’re joined by the stellar Ella T. Holmes, disability advocate & organiser of the upcoming disability in fantasy anthology, for a chat about writing fantasy with disability in mind.

Then it’s time for Ahistorical Autumn to begin! We’re setting sail on August 5th with Natasha Pulley's seafaring adventure The Kingdoms, for which we are joined by a very beloved member of The Hidden Bookcase crew, the incredible Kit Lovick!

Afterwards, we have yet another fireside chat for you all, this time celebrating Fat Liberation Month in August! For this episode, we’re accompanied by the wonderful Anya Josephs, author of sapphic fantasy novel Queen of All 👑⚔️🏰

Then it’s back in the saddle as Ahistorical Autumn continues with Lucy Holland’s Song of the Huntress on September 2nd! 🐴🌙🌳 Longtime bookwyrms will know Sistersong was one of the first books we read on the show- we can’t wait to delve into this world again!

We’ve got something especially exciting for the latter half of September- an author interview with Jessica Mary Best! Audiodrama lovers may know her as writer of our of this world @starshipiris. We’ll be chatting sapphic, sci-fi, YA murder mystery Stars, Hide Your Fires on the 16th!

Last but certainly not least, Ahistorical Autumn finishes with a flourish on October 7th- we’re talking the epic She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, alongside author of Home, the one and only Cailean Steed ☀️🔥🐉

Told you things were going to get busy- we can’t wait! Are any of these books on your TBR, or perhaps already amongst your current favourites? We’d love to hear what you bookwyrms are most excited about! 📚🐉💜💛

[lovebooksgroup]

Home by Cailean Steed @CaileanSteed @bloomsburyraven @kellyalacey #bookblogger #Reader #booktwt #Sharingiscaring #Bookreview #Bookontour #Cults

Home by Cailean Steed @CaileanSteed @bloomsburyraven @kellyalacey #bookblogger #Reader #booktwt #Sharingiscaring #Bookreview #Bookontour #Cults

Home by Cailean Steed Back of the Book Someone has broken into Zoe’s flat. A man she thought she’d never have to see again.They call him the Hand of God.He knows about her job in the cafe, her life in Dublin, her ex-girlfriend, even the knife she’s hidden under the mattress.She thought she’d left him far behind, along with the cult of the Children and their isolated compound Home – but now he’s…