Kyrosmagica Publishing – The Magical Home of Books, Writing, Photography and Inspiration
This is very obviously a work in progress and a massively incomplete list, but if you’re looking for books both by and about people who openly identify as LGBTQIAP+, writing within their own orient…
Source: LGBTQIAP+ Books By and About People who Identify as LGBTQIAP+
Goodreads Synopsis:
It’s summer 1976 and hotter than Hades
Harry Spittle, nineteen, is home from university, aiming to earn some money to go on holiday and maybe get laid. He expects he will be bored rigid, but the appearance of old family friend, Charlie Jepson, his psychopathic son, Claude, and predatory wife Monica changes that. As his parents’ marriage implodes, Harry’s problems mount; before he knows it he’s in debt up to his ears and dealing in drugs. Things go from bad to worse when he is stabbed. He needs money fast, but now his job is at risk, his sister is in trouble and he has discovered a family secret that could destroy all he holds dear. The only way out appears to require that Harry joins forces with the local criminal mastermind. Can Harry survive to see out the summer? Can he save his family? Can he regain some credibility and self-respect? Most importantly will he finally get laid?
My review:
Thank you to Geoff LePard for providing me a signed copy of Dead Flies And Sherry Trifle in exchange for an honest review.
I am reviewing this as part of Make August An Amazon Review Month
This is a laugh… and that pleases me enormously. I love to laugh. It’s a little-hearted, coming of age story which will undoubtedly relate to you – if you’re a teenager – or will take you space hopping back to your teenage years if you’re a bit older….Boing Boing. C’est Moi!
I didn’t work in a hotel as a teenager but I did have a spell where I worked in my local hairdressers. Let’s just say that I met some colourful characters, who took great pleasure in taking me out for a drink at the local pub after work, ha ha!! Vodka, was their tipple. So Harry Spittle’s work colleagues and his University enemy Stephen McNoble, ( who has serious anger issues,) really don’t seem so far from reality for me! Neither does the drug taking… but that’s another story. The cardboard girlfriend Amanda… well I never! Can’t say I’ve ever come across that kind of companionship before. But, yes, I was quite a wild teenager… the quiet ones are always the ones to watch out for. Don’t show my mum this review!
If you’re female and reading Dead Flies And Sherry Trifle you’ll find yourself crawling into the deepest recesses of a teenage boy’s brain – his name is Harry Spittle – and the experience will enlighten, amuse, and engulf you with what it means to ‘want to get laid.’ The main character is somewhat obsessed with a certain part of his body! Which probably accounts for about 99% of the male population below the age of 21… and a huge proportion of those above 21 too!! But, like all well rounded characters he does have some redeeming features too. He does love his Grandmother! And he isn’t too bad a brother to his poor sister when she gets into a spot of bother.
Be prepared for cheeky sexual references… hopeless fails, madcap behaviour, family life, a mystery, and a few rough diamonds!
I discovered my teenage daughter sneaking a peak at Dead Flies And Sherry Trifle – ahem… Now, I’m worried. She just accepted a part-time waitressing job at Cambridge university… EEK, who will she meet? This book brings on serious anxiety, it should carry a health warning! It’s a fast, easy, entertaining read with a diverse range of characters to keep you interested. Flies do play a tiny part. Buzz buzz. Trifle is my favourite pudding. The title is just about as nutty as the contents.
My only slight bugbear had to be with the revelation about Harry Spittle’s sister. This part of the story seemed to get engulfed by all the other shenanigans and her mother and father didn’t quite respond in the way in which I thought they would.
My recommendation – read if you like to take life and all its weird foibles a trifling unseriously.
Authors Website: https://geofflepard.com/
My rating
4 stars.
DISCLAIMER: “As of 13th September 2017 we are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”
My opinions are my own and any reviews on this site have not been swayed or altered in any way by monetary compensation, or by the offer of a free book in exchange for a review.
Amazon UK kindle buying link: http://amzn.to/2h6btAf
Amazon UK Paperback buying link: http://amzn.to/2jtfDDg
Bye for now,
August 2016 is Write An Amazon Review month. Spread the word lots of bloggers are getting involved. This idea to encourage others to write a review originated from Rosie Amber. Terry Tyler joined in encouraging this initiative. So let’s share, reblog, and get reading!! Writing a review doesn’t have to be a chore, write a few words or a lot it’s up to you. But remember to be honest, and fair. The book might appear faceless but there is an author behind each novel who has worked incredibly hard and poured their soul into each and every word. Exposing your love for words is a scary and brave act, authors deserve a little help and admiration for what they do! Get reviewing!!
I’m taking part in Sacha Black’s Writespiration writing prompt. https://sachablack.co.uk/2016/07/27/writespiration-93-underwater-ballroom/
Here’s what Sacha asked us to do this week:
Your challenge this week is to set a piece of flash fiction under water. Write a story in less than 200 words. Paste in the comments or use a pingback and submit before 7th August.
I couldn’t wait to write this, the prompt was just so perfect. I love the idea of setting the flash under water… What could I do with this? I decided to play with the prompt a bit placing the main character’s emotion under water rather than actually setting the flash fiction under water.
I won’t say anymore about this until the end of the flash other than to say this is not a subject that I’ve ever written about on my blog before. Or even thought that about much until recently….
So I am a bit nervous sharing this piece of flash:
The Non-Binary Prom
I’m underwater, or I might as well be. The sun’s shining but I can’t feel it on my back. All I can hear is everyone whispering, a waterfall of gushing laughter presses against me. Ed swims through and signs my tee-shirt. Nobody else comes near. I have my back to him but it doesn’t stop me from imagining his face creasing into a confident surfer I know who I am smile. He scribbles something, and his mates laugh. I tear my tee-shirt off, exposing my ripped body, and tiny almost bikini top. He’s written girl and then crossed it out and written boy with this ugly question mark.
‘What you wearing to prom, Les?’ he asks. He’s laughing, because he knows that I can’t make up my mind whether to wear a suit and tie, or a fucking dress.
Non-binary. That’s me. I’m not on the prissy Prom committee but if I was I’d plan an underwater ball with us all swimming, skinny dipping, no clothes, no fancy ball gowns, nowhere to write mean things. Just floating, tattooed skin, splashing I’m human. That’s who we really are. What’s inside counts but Ed can’t see that. He’s drowning in binary.
© Marjorie Mallon 2016 – aka, Kyrosmagica. All Rights Reserved.
The idea for The Non-Binary Prom piece of flash came from several recent events.
Firstly, my daughter’s T-shirt signing, (last day at secondary school,) and the big event of the year – her prom. She absolutely loved dressing up, wearing the fancy dress, high heels, getting her make up done….. and it was lovely. But …. a person who identifies as non-binary would have a different experience. (Any non-binary people reading this do comment below.. I would be interested in hearing your opinion on events such as Prom.)
Also, we’ve been talking about gender issues at home – a friend of my eldest daughter is non-binary. I have to say when my daughter first told me about her friend I found this really hard to comprehend. How can someone not identify as either male or a female? OK, I can see why someone might think of themselves as male but be in a female body and vice versa, but non-binary is much more fluid and its very fluidity makes it much more difficult to understand. So that gave me the idea to link it with being underwater pushing against a tide of same aged pupils who are secure in their birth gender and don’t understand you.
Then, quite by chance I came across a Vegan blog entitled Cooking on A Boot Strap – Self Love Stew written by Mx. Jack Monroe who is non-binary. As an aside the Self Love Stew recipe looked delicious, so I decided to check out Jack’s blog some more. Curious, (writers always are!) I read through Jack’s account.. I Have Something To Tell You
Jack’s account is so well written that I began to understand a little more about what it means to be non-binary. I’ve always considered myself to be a very open minded caring sort of person so that got me thinking… and that got me attempting to write from the point of view of a non-binary individual for the above piece of flash. Not sure I did it justice… Let me know what you think.
Hope my piece of flash got you thinking too… Are you, or do you know someone who is non-binary?
Do comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts on gender issues.
My fun (totally not serious but nevertheless 90% true,) author bio on Wattpad – Link below.
Marjorie Mallon was born in Lion City: Singapore. She grew up in a mountainous court in Hong Kong. Her crazy parents dragged her spotty soul away from her exotic childhood and her much loved dog Topsy to the frozen wastelands of Scotland. There she mastered Scottish country dancing, haggis bashing, bagpipe playing and a whole new Och Aye lingo. As a teenager she travelled to many far flung destinations to visit her abacus wielding wayfarer dad. On one such occasion a barracuda swam by. It stopped to view her bikini clad body, longing to take a big bite. With dogs' fangs replacing barracudas' teeth, she returned to her mother's birthplace: Kuching, Cat City. There, Blackie, a black-hearted dog sniffed her frightened butt, whimpered and ran away! Shortly after this extraordinary event an angry female Orang-Utan chased her unfit ass out of the Malaysian jungle believing that she was a threat to her babies! She still monkeys about, would love to own a cat, or a replacement Topsy but refuses to entertain murderous dogs, or over-protective monkeys. It's rumoured that she lives in the Venice of Cambridge, with her six foot hunk of a Rock God husband, and her two enchanted daughters. After such an upbringing her author's mind has taken total leave of its senses. When she's not writing, she eats exotic delicacies while belly dancing, or surfs to the far reaches of the moon. To chill out she practises Tai Chi and Yoga on the crest of a wave. If the mood takes her she goes snorkelling with mermaids, or signs up for idyllic holidays with the Chinese Unicorn, whose magnificent voice sings like a thousand wind chimes. She is a child of the light and the dark. Her motto is simply this: Do what you love, stay true to your heart's desires, remain young at heart, and inspire others to do so, even if it appears that the odds are stacked like black hearted shadows against you...
My Links:
I meant to join in The Cherished Blogfest this year but what with job hunting, book editing, etc, I haven’t been able to find the time. Then I came across this wonderful post from Peter Nena. A must see Reblog. What more fitting item can you cherish – the book that saves you from death. This is to give thought to all those on the brink of contemplating suicide. I pray you find that special moment that saves you and your family and friends from tragedy, irreversable loss, and pain. Words are indeed life. Where would we be without them?
Hugh from Hugh’s Views and News has some news that he’s desperate to share with us, (even though he’s on a bloggers break.) The Bloggers Bash is one years old! If you’d like to join in with the next event keep your eyes out for posts like these…. This bash is growing, gaining momentum, be a part of it! Watch this baby grow. Happy Birthday Bloggers Bash!