Nicholas McIntire has a new queer fantasy book out, The Archanium Codex book 1: “The Hunter’s Gambit.” Aleksei Drago never expected an easy life, but he never expected what he got. Growing up amongst the Ri-Vhan of Seil Wood, losing his mother and just as suddenly being torn from the forest folk, Aleksei had no choice but to make the best of the unpredictable path in life. But what happens when the monsters and figures of fiction become horrifyingly real? Can Aleksei find the right path? When his life and the lives of his family and friends are at stake will he fight, reforging himself into the man Prophecy demands he become? In a world of magic and Magi, of …

Anthony Dobransky stopped by the Land of Make Believe for a chat on writing craft and to celebrate his new release, The Demon in Business Class. Welcome, Anthony! Interview AQG: When did you know you wanted to write, and when did you discover that you were good at it? AD: I first said it aloud to other people when I was 15, but I could already see my connection to it around age 11 or 12. Not that I was some literary event! I wrote dark, angsty stuff, of course, what you expect from a teen who reads a lot of dark fantasy. Just, I did it well enough to keep doing it, a good feedback loop. My friends, my …

Eric Alan Westfall has a new queer fairy tale out: Prince Ivan, “A. Wolfe & A Firebird.” And there’s a giveaway! Dear Reader, What do you get when you combine a greedy Great Tsar, his two cheating, bullying older sons, his youngest esser (shh! no saying that aloud) son, stolen gold apples, a Firebird quest, A. Wolfe who has the power t’assume a pleasing shape, a magickal sandstorm, as well as two bands and a full Symphony of Gipsumies? A rollicking, roisterous Russian Fairy Tale, with vigorous esser activities in tents, halls, bedrooms and alcoves, with and without the assistance of PSTs. Plus princely parades, a duel over Gus, new lyrics to an old drinking song, and the possibility of …

Please welcome Wayne Goodman to the Land of Make Believe. Wayne is here today to share his new collection of speculative fiction, romance, and historical fiction short stories. All The Right Places: I live in the San Francisco Bay Area with my partner Rick May (and too many cats). My writing has tended to be historical fiction with a focus on LGBTQ+ characters. When not writing, I like to play piano music from the Gilded Age with an emphasis on Women, Black, and Gay composers. Since October 2018, I have hosted Queer Words Podcast, conversations with queer-identified authors about their works and lives (www.queerwords.org). Each week I release at least one 20-30 minute episode featuring writers from the barely-known to …

Today we welcome M.D Grimm to the Land of Make Believe to share a little bit about Lance, in her new release, Healing Lance! Good day lovely readers! Thank you for joining me. I am M.D. Grimm and I am here to promote my newest release, “Healing Lance.” This is the first book in the “A Warrior’s Redemption” trilogy. This is a bit of a “pet project” that I am overjoyed to finally reveal to the world. The next two books, “Forgiving Lance” and “Avenging Lance” will be released in August and September, respectively. So… what can I say about Lance? He’s complicated for sure. He’s probably one of the most complicated characters I’ve written so far. He wasn’t always …

Please Welcome the amazingly talented Angel Martinez to the Land of Make Believe. This is a real treat. If you’ve never read an Angel Martinez book, you REALLY need to start. A Fine Mess is part of a series so you might want to start at the beginning, but enjoy this guess post to see what you’re missing. GUEST POST: Heckle Numerous is an imp who once belonged to a powerful prince of Hell. Now a free imp, he’s finally been learning to read—at a much faster pace than a human would, but it still takes time. A short Heckle fic, by reader request: Location: Aboard the Brimstone Time: Directly after The Hunt for Red Fluffy Sometimes, to practice making …

[Andrew’s note: I read this when it first came out. If you haven’t had read it yourself, now is a good time to pick it up] J. Scott Coatsworth has a new queer sci fi book out book one in the Ariadne Cycle: “The Stark Divide.” This is a re-release. Some stories are epic. The Earth is in a state of collapse, with wars breaking out over resources and an environment pushed to the edge by human greed. Three living generation ships have been built with a combination of genetic mastery, artificial intelligence, technology, and raw materials harvested from the asteroid belt. This is the story of one of them—43 Ariadne, or Forever, as her inhabitants call her—a living world …

Please welcome William C. Tracy to the Land of Make Believe as he shares his adventures in world building in celebration of his new Queer/MMF sci fi/fantasy/steampunk tale, book two in the Dissolution Cycle: “Facets of the Nether!” Ficlets – Little Extra Story Bits Worldbuilding is one of my favorite things when writing a story, and the more I write in the Dissolutionverse, the more I get to do. The Dissolutionverse now includes Facets of the Nether, along with the first book, The Seeds of Dissolution, the upcoming third book, Fall of the Imperium, four novellas, a novelette, and several short stories. While putting too much worldbuilding in one place can turn off readers and clutter up the story, having …

E.M. Hamill has a new queer sci fi book out, book two in the Dalí Tamareia series: “Peacemaker.” Third-gender operative Dalí Tamareia thought their life as an ambassador ended when they joined a galactic intelligence agency. When they’re yanked out of the field and tapped to negotiate the surrender of deadly bio-engineered warriors who crashed into hostile territory, Dalí is thrust headfirst back into the tumultuous world of galactic diplomacy. Dalí has faced Shontavians before, but not like these. The stranded mercenaries are highly intelligent and have an agenda of their own. Dalí can’t afford to be distracted from the negotiations by their own demons or the presence of a charming diplomat with a mysterious past. As a brewing civil …

Today I get to welcome back a long time friend. Anne Barwell and I have known each other for years. A librarian with a library system in New Zealand, Anne made it possible for my Champion of the Gods series to be available in her library system. Anne is here today to talk about Slow Dreaming which re-released after her publisher returned to her the rights to her books. Welcome back to the World of Make Believe, Anne! Slow Dreaming Thanks for hosting me today. Slow Dreaming is a story close to my heart for several reasons.  Firstly it’s set in Petone, where I grew up.  I’ve sat on the same wall along the waterfront that Jason and Sean do, …