#queerprompts

[cjaralore]

#QueerPrompts June 3: Summer reading recs ⛱️📖

Some queer YA books that take place during summer or have a summer vibe:

🚣 Caught in a Bad Fauxmance by Elle Gonzalez Rose 🪄 Before We Disappear by Shaun David Hutchinson 🚀 The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper 🧜 Out of the Blue by Jason June 🖼️ Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender ⚽ I Like Me Better by Robby Weber 🔥 Heat Wave by T.J. Klune 🤠 A Little Bit of Country by Brian D. Kennedy 🏴‍☠️ In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens 😎 Hot Boy Summer by Joe Jiménez

[uncannyarcana]

And Day 2!

For Uncanny Arcana, I'm extremely proud of how far I've come since starting it ~5 years ago, from tweaking the worldbuilding to physically seeing technical improvement. My voice is better than it was before and writing feels easier (and more fun now that I've learned not to take it too seriously! Do it for fun and it'll be fun is something I have to remind myself once in a while)

[cjaralore]

#QueerPrompts April 17: Queer children's book(s) 📚

Here are a few that I enjoyed:

😼Bathe the Cat by Alice B. McGinty 🚪The Insiders by Mark Oshiro 🐧Harriet Gets Carried Away by Jessie Sima 🦆The Language of Seabirds by Will Taylor 🐈Princess Puffybottom… and Darryl by Susin Nielsen 🐶You Only Live Once, David Bravo by Mark Oshiro

[cjaralore]

#QueerPrompts January 18: What influenced your story? 📝

In case it's not obvious, Nix is based a lot on me. He's a hopeless romantic, klutz, breaks technology, likes drawing and making things, and ends up with his dream guy. That said, the events came to me while listening to music.

[cjaralore]

🎉 Happy Pride Month! 🎊

🌈 #QueerPrompts is your chance to talk about your WIP/book, meet other queer authors, and have fun! 🏳️‍🌈

❤️🧡💛 Include the the tag #QueerPrompts and join at any time and any days you want. 💚💙💜

[cjaralore]

#FantasyIndiesApril 23: Last 5-Star Read & #QueerPrompts April 23: Queer book you reviewed

I almost never really give 5 stars, but since Goodreads doesn't have half stars, I tend to round up my 4.5 star reviews. 🐲Under the Dragon Moon🌕 by @mawcewrites is definitely close to that illusive 5 stars though! Check out my review:

[cjaralore]

#QueerPrompts March 5: Unnoticed side character 🙇🏼‍♂️🍃

Leif prefers to read comic books than talk (when he does, he's blunt) and is only with Nix's friend group because he's Stephanie's cousin. That is, until he meets Autumn and the two shy sophomores immediately connect.

While Leif may seem like a forgettable background character because he has so few lines, he represents who Nix might have been had he never met Lex, as Nix doesn't seek out friends, prefers 1-on-1, and would sit alone during lunch whenever Lex was out sick.

Although I don't include their backstory in Gravity's Fire, Stephanie met her BFF Tien when she thought she was "supporting" Leif by making him go to a queer youth group. He sat in a corner reading while she made friends, including with the sassy Tien.

[cjaralore]

#QueerPrompts December 21: MC's/your childhood toys 🧸

Nix likes to make things, so he made clay figures and decorated shells. He also had boy dolls that he pretended were boyfriends and took with him on "dates."

My favorite childhood toys were flocked poseable animal figures.

[cjaralore]

#QueerPrompts January 3: Free Friday / 2025 Goals

Most of my 2025 goals are things I wanted to do in 2024 but didn't have time to get to because I literally want to do everything all at once and for some reason that's not possible. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[cjaralore]

#QueerPrompts January 1: Introduce yourself & your WIP/story/book

🙋🏼‍♂️ Hi, I'm CJ, queer romantasy author and artist! My debut YA contemporary fantasy romcom 🌿Gravity's Fire🔥 is about a runaway teen who discovers magic is real when he meets the boy he's dreamed of all his life. 💚

[cjaralore]

#QueerPrompts January 2025

🌈 #QueerPrompts is your chance to talk about your WIP/story/book, meet other queer authors, and have fun! 🏳️‍🌈

🎆 Happy New Year! This time, we'll be exploring the past, present, & future. Include the tag #QueerPrompts and join at any time and any days you want. 🎇

[cjaralore]

#QueerPrompts December 31: 2024 Wrap-up

2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣4️⃣ was a busy year! A whole lot of it was spent preparing for and promoting my debut YA fantasy romcom 🌿Gravity's Fire🔥, which is now available and on SALE🎉:

https://midnightmeadowpublishing.com/product/gravitys-fire/

[cjaralore]

#QueerPrompts December 25: GIF or audio of what type of gift your MC would want

Well, it just so happens that Nix gets exactly what he wants on Christmas night when Max takes him in his arms and they kiss…

🎄 Merry Christmas! 🎁

[cjaralore]

#QueerPrompts December 13: Free Friday

New teen boyfriends (and maybe always soulmates) Nix and Max share a late night video call where Max tells the story of the first winter solstice and all the elemental magic and love of two boys not unlike them.

[cjaralore]

#QueerPrompts December 8: Pansexual/Panromantic Pride Day: Pan character(s) in story?

Nix's BFF Lex researches everything. So, when Nix only liked boys, he went to her to confirm he was gay. But, she couldn't go to him to figure herself out. She knew she liked certain people, not a gender. Nix thought pansexual meant she liked pans. 🤷🏼‍♂️🤦🏿‍♀️

[cjaralore]

#QueerPrompts December 6: Free Friday or queer holiday reading recs

❄️ Flopping in a Winter Wonderland by Jason June

🎅 The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch

☃️ You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky

🎁 Finding My Elf by David Valdes

🌟 Make My Wish Come True by Alyson Derrick and Rachael Lippincott

🧦 The Merriest Misters by Timothy Janovsky