Me Time
Author Beware Including Me!
It's not breaking news that there are a lot of scammers out there on the internet. And authors are a particularly sought after target. In addition to pirating our books and promising all kinds of "amazing" promotional opportunities, we now have folks like the interestingly named "Manhattan Book Club" inviting us to speak to their members about our books.
I was approached by this group, which I thought was a local book club since I actually live in Manhattan. The first clue that this was a type of scam (which I admittedly ignored) was their interest in my short story, "The Miracle of the Lights." I should have realized that something was up since this isn't a book per se, even though at one point Ylva released it as a single. But I figured with the holidays coming up, maybe there was an interest in this story.
So, I went along with it, scheduling a time for my appearance, which ended up being 8am on a weekday. That was clue #2. Then they informed me about the fee I'd have to pay. Ahhh, clue #3, and my wakeup call (finally!). In fact, there was a whole schedule of promotional fees I could pay them for a list of other services.
That's when I cancelled and ignored their follow-up emails asking me why. A week later, I received a new email from the so-called Manhattan Book Club expressing interest in my book, The Papercutter. My response: DELETE!
Sometimes you need a few clues before you get to realize what's going on.
Author beware!
Sapphic Lit and Other Book Stuff
New Report Examines Writers’ Attitudes toward AI
while most professional writers are embracing AI tools, authors, specifically fiction authors, are much more wary.
Google Just Blocked 749 Million URLs for Anna’s Archive | Lifehacker
Anna's Archive, a popular website for pirating books and articles, seems to be square in Google's sights, according to copyright and digital rights publication TorrentFreak. The search giant is said to have blocked some 749 million Anna's Archive URLs from showing up in search results, TorrentFreak found, after combing through a recent transparency report.
How Publishing Changed the Way We Talk about Romance
it likely grew out of fanfiction sites like AO3, where you can click through a tag to find a curated list of stories with “only one bed” or “slow burn” or “mpreg.” (As I was writing this, a colleague pointed out the similarity to keywords that people use when searching for porn.) Mainstream authors picked up on it and started providing emoji-bulleted lists of tropes in their social media posts. Now corporate publishing is following suit, producing BookTok-optimized copy from the moment of acquisition.
No Lovers on These Covers: A New Look in Romance Publishing - The New York Times
To fuel the fandom, the company publishes epilogues and fan fiction on its website and runs a Discord channel where readers can discuss the romance universe. They host book swaps around the country so readers can share their favorite titles, even if they aren’t published by 831.
Hayley Kiyoko dishes on how her real-life romance inspired new novel Where There's Room For Us & her directorial debut - Queerty
In our conversation, the musician, twice-published author, and soon-to-be filmmaker opens up about how “Girls Like Girls” changed her life, why she wanted to re-write history for her second novel, and which queer classic album she thinks deserves to be adapted for the big screen next.
What Makes Character Voice Memorable: Emotion | Jane Friedman
When it comes to consciously shaping character voice, looking at our characters’ emotional depths can help enhance voice. It’s also worth noting that a character who has little to no emotional access can still have a great voice.
Interview: Fisher the Bookseller Explains How Bookstores Decide Which Books to Sell
The ins and outs of how books are bought and sold in bookstores
Two Craft-Boosting Black Friday Deals for Writers - WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®
now that our Writers Helping Writers® Store is up and running, we can offer a sweet deal on our books, as well as our One Stop for Writers® webapp!
News For A Challenging Time
Supreme Court rejects appeal to overturn its same-sex marriage ruling | AP News
The justices turned away an appeal from Kim Davis, the former Kentucky court clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the high court’s 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges.
Boston Hotel Apologizes To Lesbian Couple Following Restroom Confrontation Over Gender - GO Magazine
The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) announced Monday that the hotel reached a settlement requiring it to make a $10,000 charitable donation to an LGBTQ+ organization and update its nondiscrimination training and policies. The hotel also agreed to post a statement of nondiscrimination in its lobby and provide enhanced management training to prevent similar incidents.
Report warns of looming decrease in LGBTQ characters on TV
A staggering 41% of LGBTQ characters won’t be returning to television next year, the report states, signaling a dent in inclusion and representation.
Court & Lex’s New Throuple Era Has Lesbian TikTok Spiraling - GO Magazine
The couple, known for their funny parenting content, IVF journey, and “we got married three months after meeting” love story, has officially entered their polyamory era. The gag? Their new partner is a man.
Culture and Joy
Ring the Alarm: A Firefighter Lesbian Christmas Movie Is Coming | Autostraddle
Starring Kyana Teresa and Holly Deveaux, The Firefighter’s Christmas Wish is about a firefighter named Dani (a very gay name) who helps her mother with a Holiday Heroes fundraiser and a “charming” photographer Sasha (Kyana Teresa).
Hallmark’s 2025 Holiday Lineup Welcomes Back Lesbian Leads - GO Magazine
The Christmas Baby premieres December 21 as part of the network’s Countdown to Christmas 2025 schedule.
The film stars Ali Liebert (Bomb Girls) and Katherine Barrell (Wynonna Earp) as Erin and Kelly, a couple whose lives are upended when a baby is left on their doorstep just before Christmas.
I Watched Every Lesbian Christmas Movie I Could Find—Here’s What Sleighed and What Didn’t - GO Magazine
not every movie was a winner. But if you’re ready to sleigh this holiday season with a curated selection of sapphic cheer, check out the list below!
Chloë Grace Moretz Has Herself a Vegan Girlfriend in New Christmas Movie | Autostraddle
In the trailer for the upcoming family comedy Oh. What. Fun., we learn a lot about the “Clauster” family. Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer) is an overworked and underappreciated mother and grandmother trying to get ready for the holiday season. In the trailer, we see Chloë Grace Moretz’s character, Taylor, announce that her girlfriend is vegan, something she could have told her mother before she planned a sirloin for dinner.
60 Best Lesbian Movies on Tubi | Autostraddle
Tubi is an upstart whippersnapper in the streaming space, rising in popularity for its free service that offers a massive library of films and television shows available to all of us in exchange for our willingness to watch a few commercials along the way. There are, by my count, at least 200 movies about lesbian, bisexual and queer women and/or trans people on Tubi, and the range of quality amongst those 200 is as vast as all the world’s oceans, from movies that were shot in an abandoned office park for $5 to actual real Hollywood cinema flicks. Here’s our guide to some of what’s best amongst queer and lesbian movies on Tubi.
Claire Danes Simmers as a Misanthropic Lesbian Writer in “The Beast in Me” | Autostraddle
new Netflix psychological thriller The Beast in Me as Aggie Wiggs, a slightly unhinged lesbian author with a messy ponytail and a prominent nose who wonders if she’ll ever finish writing her book.
The Love Poem Andrea Gibson Wrote for Their Widow...and for You - The New York Times
Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley were two poets in love.
"Tig Notaro pitched the least funny thing I've ever heard": The story behind the year's most surprising, emotional queer doc - Queerty
Notaro introduced them to “rock star poet” Andrea Gibson, who had at the time was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer.
The end result is Come See Me In The Good Light, the story of Gibson and their partner Megan Falley suddenly confronted with an uncertain yet inevitable goodbye, which, yes, is as much of a tear-jerker as you might think. But in exploring the couple’s unique perspective on grappling with grief and mortality, it’s also a joyous, uplifting, and frequently funny love story unlike any other—and one of the best films of the year, period.
Tig Notaro on the crushing "50-million-page email" her future wife sent after they first made out - Queerty
“Then the next day, I’m of course on cloud nine. She sends me this 50-million-page email about how she’s straight, she doesn’t want to lead me on, that she likes me a lot as a person, and that she’s not gay, but she’d love to just be friends with me. And I was like, ‘Oh, boy.’”
“I just thought, well, I can’t push somebody into liking me or being attracted to me. So, even though I was bummed, I just wrote back, um, ‘okay, dyke.’”
Allynne apparently found this blunt response to her lengthy email hilarious.
Norwegian Royal Maud Angelica Behn Comes Out as Bi at Oslo Pride With Her Mother’s Support | Them
“Happy Pride from a bisexual person!” the 22-year-old granddaughter of King Harald of Norway wrote on Instagram.
Meet Jona Xiao, Marvel’s Newest Superhero Who Is Making History - GO Magazine
For Xiao, embracing her identity as pansexual was another powerful step in choosing to show up as her full self without apology. In 2023, at the Gay Games, she publicly came out in an Instagram post, saying “Turns out my love life is as diverse as my sports interests.” Just as she encourages actors to honor their truth in their craft, she’s learned to do the same in her personal life. It’s not about fitting into boxes, but breaking them open.
Christine Baranski And King Princess Are Not Your New Celebrity Couple - GO Magazine
After being photographed hand-in-hand at a couple of red carpet events and posting cozy snaps from the reopening of Mamma Mia! on Broadway, the veteran actress and the 26-year-old musician became the latest celebrity “are they or aren’t they” obsession.
A Queer Team Of Underdogs Steps Up To The Plate In New Series 'Slo Pitch' - GO Magazine
Canadian streaming service Crave is adding a new title to its original slate with Slo Pitch, a mockumentary comedy about a queer, underdog softball team and their determined coach. Produced by Shaftesbury in association with Boss & Co and Elliot Page’s PAGEBOY Productions, the ten-episode, half-hour series is currently in production and will premiere in both English and French.
Marissa Bode Is Unlimited - GO Magazine
As a queer, disabled actor, Bode was determined to break through Hollywood’s barriers and offer fans something that felt hard to come by: an authentic voice. “I am always for the girls and the gays, first and foremost,” Bode says.
Helpful Tools
11 Useful Specialty Tools You Didn't Even Know Existed | Lifehacker
You probably have all the basic tools you need for DIY projects, and even some of the non-basic tools. But you probably don’t have these amazingly useful specialty tools.
