[syndicated profile] dorktower_feed

Posted by John Kovalic

For the thirteenth time, I’m taking to a bicycle, to help raise money to help local farmers get fresh-food to local low-income and elderly households.

This year will be different, however. IF we can hit the $20,000 goal:

(a) I will cycle with the Duck of Doom on my helmet, but more importantly

(b) That will bring the grand total of all Insane Charity Bike Rides (2011-2025) to A QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS!

A few things to note:

  • The original Munchkin card art at the $350 and above levels will be from a MAJOR upcoming Munchkin release. How major? I can’t say what it its, but it will be announced at Gamehole Con in October, and it should blow your socks off! You won’t want to miss it!
  • I’ve added Sponsorship levels, so companies can pick up advertising at DorkTower.com that is 100% a charitable deduction, tax-wise. These may be added to any level.
  • The 2024 swag went out later than I had hoped. This was entirely on me. I shall endeavor this year to have all swag sent off by US Thanksgiving, 2025.
  • Due to a terribly busy summer, this is the latest I’ve ever launched an Insane Charity Bike Ride campaign, so I’m kind of worried about hitting the $20,000 goal. But I have hope…

SUPPORT LEVELS AND REWARDS

ANY donation – The 2025 Coloring Book PDF . Look, even simply getting the word out helps, but nothing beats cash. I realize money is tight these days all round, but any amount helps, no matter how small. Donate, and you will get a PDF of the brand-new coloring book (hopefully celebrating the $250,000 landmark).

$35The 2025 Munchkin Charity Postcard and the 2025 Coloring Book PDF.

$75 The 2025 Army of Dorkness Sergeant Button, the 2025 Postcard the 2025 Coloring Book PDF

$125Kovalic’s Munchkin Miscellany – I’ve a few copies of this comic book left from the Munchkin BIG BOX Kickstarter, and Steve Jackson Games has graciously allowed me to use these for charity purposes.

There’s lots of nifty stories and favorite bits of art in this, and it’s a ton of fun! Also, you get the Button, 2025 Postcard, Munchkin Miscellany and the 2025 Coloring Book PDF (14 of 15 remaining)

$200 All 12 prior Insane Charity Bike Ride Postcards, Munchkin Miscellany, the 2025 Button, 2025 Postcard, and the 2025 Coloring Book PDF (10 of 10 remaining)

$300The 2025 Gamehole Con plushie, Karlos the Kobold, Munchkin Miscellany, Button, 2025 Postcard, the 2025 Coloring Book PDF (20 of 20 remaining)

Screenshot

$375Original Munchkin Art!!! As always, I don’t sell original Munchkin art. This is the only way you can obtain a piece, and the upcoming release this year’s art will be selected from will be HUGE. Plus, Munchkin Miscellany, the 2025 Button, all 12 prior Postcards, 2025 Postcard, the 2025 Coloring Book PDF (20 of 20 remaining)

$750Be among the first to read THE DORK WEB, the new Dork Tower collection, along with a DORK WEB T-shirt and a Gilly the Perky Goth plushie! A pre-publication copy of The Dork Web PDF, T-shirt, Gilly the Perky Goth Plushie, All Prior Postcards, Original Munchkin Art, Kobold plushie, Munchkin Miscellany, Button, Postcard the 2025 Coloring Book PDF (10 of 10 remaining)

$1000Appear in a Dork Tower Comic! You, your frtiend, your family, or even a pet will appear in a Dork Tower strip! We can talk about how best to fit you or your loved one into a strip. You also get Original Art, a pre-publication copy of The Dork Web PDF, T-shirt, Gilly the Perky Goth Plushie, All Prior Postcards, Original Munchkin Art, Kobold, Munchkin Miscellany, Button, Postcard the 2025 Coloring Book PDF (2 of 2 remaining)

$2,000Become an Official Munchkin Card! You, a friend, your family, or even a pet will become an official Munchkin card! You also get 100 printed cards and the card’s original art, along with a pre-publication copy of The Dork Web PDF, T-shirt, Gilly the Perky Goth Plushie, All Prior Postcards, Original Munchkin Art, Kobold, Munchkin Miscellany, Button, Postcard the 2025 Coloring Book PDF (2 of 2 remaining)

SPONSORSHIP LEVEL 1Add $1,250 to any level for six months of ads on DorkTower.com. The ads may be changed up to four times and may include Dork Tower characters. (4 of 4 remaining)

SPONSORSHIP LEVEL 2Add $2,000 to any level for a full year of ads on DorkTower.com. The ads may be changed up to eight times and may include Dork Tower characters. (2 of 2 remaining)

PLEASE NOTE, there may be an added cost for shipping the physical rewards outside of the United States, depending on the whims of the current US administration. We apologize deeply for this, and will contact supporters as the time approaches.

STRETCH GOALS

Hitting $5,000 – A sticker commemorating the 13th Insane Charity Bike Ride campaign will be included with all physical orders.

Hitting $10,000 – I’ll ride with the Steve Jackson Games Tentacles of Doom again!

Hitting $15,000 – A unique Munchkin card commemorating the 13th Insane Charity Bike Ride campaign will be included with all physical orders.

Hitting $20,000 – THE DUCK! THE DUCK! THE DUCK! I’ll ride with the Steve Jackson Games Duck of Doom on my helmet again!

I’m TOTALLY nervous about making the goal this year, but let’s help local farmers help local families, and do some more good for the world!

  • John

 

[syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

All Superheroes Need PR

RECOMMENDED: All Superheroes Need PR  by Elizabeth Stephens is $1.99! Thank you to everyone who let us know about this sale. We ran a positive guest review of this one recently:

All in all, this book was a fun romp. There were some truly wild moments of alien biology I won’t spoil, but they were more amusing than horrific. Roland and Vanessa’s tension and chemistry was truly delicious. Their physical relationship was a bit of a slow burn but well worth the wait. 

He’s a villain looking for a hero rebrand. She’s the marketing genius who can make it happen in this fantastical romantic comedy by the author of the Beasts of Gatamora series.

Over two decades ago, forty-eight young, gifted superheroes fell to Earth and were eventually marketed as opposing heroes and villains. Now, one exceptionally gruff bad guy is looking to hop teams. Hello, PR director Vanessa Theriot.

His real name is Roland Casteel a.k.a. the Pyro. First, swap that with the less incinerating the Wyvern. Next, put him in spandex to highlight that near-godlike body. Finally, give that hero in training a heroine—if Vanessa will play the part in a pretend romance guaranteed to make the city swoon. She’s game. As shy as Vanessa is, it’s her job to be Roland’s very own Lois Lane. Who knew that fake dating would change their worlds?

But falling head over heels for real makes for a dangerous shift in the narrative. A monstrous supervillain is bringing out Roland’s bad side again. This time, it’s to save a woman who, against all the odds, is becoming the human love of his superhero life.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Along Came Amor

Along Came Amor by Alexis Daria is $1.99! This is book three in the Primas of Power series. This came out in May and I think is the third (and final?) book in the series.

From the international bestselling author of You Had Me at Hola and A Lot Like Adiós comes a steamy love story of a divorced schoolteacher who discovers that her perfect no-strings fling is anything but…

No strings

After Ava Rodriguez’s now-ex-husband declares he wants to “follow his dreams”—which no longer include her—she’s left questioning everything she thought she wanted. So when a handsome hotelier flirts with her, Ava vows to stop overthinking and embrace the opportunity for an epic one-night-stand complete with a penthouse suite, rooftop pool, and buckets of champagne.

No feelings

Roman Vasquez’s sole focus is the empire he built from the ground up. He lives and dies by his schedule, but the gorgeous stranger grimacing into her cocktail glass inspires him to change his plans for the evening. At first, it’s easy for Roman to agree to Ava’s rules: no strings, no feelings. But one night isn’t enough, and the more they meet, the more he wants.

No falling in love

Roman is the perfect fling, until Ava sees him at her cousin’s engagement party—as the groom’s best man, no less! Suddenly, maintaining her boundaries becomes a lot more complicated as she tries to hide the truth of their relationship from her family. However, Roman isn’t content being her dirty little secret, and he doesn’t just want more, he wants everything. With her future uncertain and her family pressuring her from all sides, Ava will have to decide if love is worth the risk—again.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Homemaker

RECOMMENDED: Homemaker by Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare is $2.49 at Amazon! Sarah reviewed this and gave it a B+:

Homemaker is extremely, vibrantly feminist, though Prairie is not so much angry all the time (she is sometimes) as she is fed up and unafraid to point out all of the ways that women’s perceptions, labor, and accomplishments are devalued – unless that women’s work makes the man in her life look good to other people.

When a former friend and devoted mother vanishes, a confident homemaker turned amateur sleuth follows an unexpected trail of scandals and secrets to find her.

Prairie Nightingale is both the midlife mother of two teenage girls and a canny entrepreneur who has turned homemaking into a salaried profession. She’s also fascinated with the gritty details of other people’s lives. So when seemingly perfect Lisa Radcliffe, a member of her former mom-friends circle, suddenly disappears, it’s in Prairie’s nature to find out why.

Given her innate talent for vital pattern recognition, Prairie is out to catch a few clues by taking a long, hard look at everyone in Lisa’s life—and uncovering their secrets. Including Lisa’s. Prairie’s dogged curiosity is especially irritating to FBI agent Foster Rosemare, the first interesting man Prairie has met since her divorce. His square jaw and sharp suits don’t hurt.

But even as the investigation begins to wreak havoc on Prairie’s carefully tended homelife, she’s resolved to use her multivalent homemaking skills to solve the mystery of a missing mom—and along the way discover the thrill of her new sleuthing ambitions.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Not In My Book

Not in My Book by Katie Holt is $1.99! This came out in December and was mentioned in Hide Your Wallet. This is an enemies to lovers romance with aspiring writers.

**Rosie writes romance novels and listens to Taylor Swift on loop. Aiden is a literary fiction writer who doesn’t believe in happy endings. They’re about to write a book together—what could go wrong?

The Hating Game meets Beach Read in this sexy and hilarious enemies-to-lovers romance from a debut Peruvian-Tennessean voice.**

Rosie, an idealistic and passionate Peruvian American, leaves her Tennessee hometown to pursue her dream of making it in New York as a writer. But her plan is derailed when she ends up in class with her archnemesis and ex-crush, Aiden Huntington—an obnoxious, surly, and gorgeous literary fiction writer who doesn’t have much patience for the romance genre or for Rosie.

Rosie and Aiden regularly go to verbal battle in workshop until their professor reaches her breaking point. She allows them to stay in her class on one condition: they must cowrite a novel that blends their genres.

The reluctant writing duo can’t help but put pieces of themselves into their accidentally steamy novel, and their manuscript-in-progress provides an outlet for them to confess their feelings—and explore their attraction toward each other.

When Rosie and Aiden find themselves competing against each other for a potentially career-changing opportunity, the flames of old rivalry reignite, and their once-in-a-lifetime love story is once again at risk of being shelved—unless they can find a way to end the book on their own terms.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Oops! They Did It Again

Sep. 8th, 2025 01:00 pm
[syndicated profile] cakewrecks_feed

Posted by Jen

Will you guys ever get tired of seeing wedding missed marks? 'Cuz I'm thinking, "no."

Let's test that theory, shall we?

 

What the bride wanted:

What the bride got:

That'll buff out.

 

A lovely leaf motif:

And a lovely...oh good grief:

Actually, that leaf design is so popular I have two wedding wrecks based on it:

Whoah. This baker needs to make like a tree, and get out of tree decorations.

(Hm. I feel like that line didn't go quite right. Maybe I should follow it up with something clever.)

So.

YEAH.

(Theeere we go.)

This next one's in reverse order; here's what Anthony L's bakery replaced another bakery's initial wreck with, and with only an hour and a half to do so before the wedding started:

Not bad for less than two hours' work, right?

 

Especially when you compare what the original cake (again, from another bakery) looked like:

Am I the only one who thinks this looks like Play-Doh? I keep expecting it to spring to life, claymation style. And then maybe turn into a giant demon dog and terrorize a nerdy New York accountant.

Just me?

 

Here's a fun, modern pattern:

Aaaaand the fun stops HERE:

It's never a good sign when your cake is crying.

 

Goodness gracious, great balls on wires!

Seriously. They're like shiny little bubbles of joy - totally cute.

 

These, on the other hand, are just...

...balls.

 

Thanks to Krista V., Emily B., Allison I., Anthony L., Tempest J., & Sarah B. for feeding our horrible wedding wreck obsession.

*****

P.S. In case your life was missing a set of cat butt magnets, I found you some:

Cat Butt Magnets

There's also a set for dogs.

You're welcome.


:D

*****

And from my other blog, Epbot:

[syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

Welcome back to Cover Snark!

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. A new illustrated cover. The background is bubblegum pink with Austen's name over and over again in rows. Flowers with green leaves and purple petals line the edges. A woman in a pink turtleneck and pink pattern skirt is facing a man with her hands on his shoulders. She has white, chin length hair with the top layer pulled up into two space buns. The man has on a purple vest and a teal checkered long sleeved shirt. He has dark, shoulder length hair.

Sarah: The whole set of new covers is killing me.

There are forwards by Tessa Bailey, Ali Hazelwood and Alexis Hall and others.

Elyse: I don’t remember a court jester in those books

Maya: In every iteration, the checkerboard pattern shirt makes no sense to me

Elyse: Also are people going to pick up those books expecting the characters not to be white?

Sarah: I didn’t know Emma was a poly romance

it looks like a rather smoking hot triad from the cover. Is this a revised edition?

Amanda: Okay a couple questions. They say that there are forewords by prominent YA authors. Half of them aren’t. Like Alexis Hall and Tessa Bailey.

Sarah: yet another example of ‘clearly I am not the audience’

Amanda: Also the covers make them seem like contemporary retellings but I don’t think they are?

Sarah: Very contemporary. How far is the distance between the vibe of the cover illustration and the actual text of the book? Miles? Nautical miles? Light years?

Amanda: Nothing in the jacket copy could tell me either way.

Keeper by Hope Ford. A man in jeans is looking down at his crotch. He has a red zipper hoodie on that is zipped open. His chest has a set of wings by the sternum and pecs. His belly button has a biohazard symbol.

Carrie: He looks like he’s cold but can’t figure out how his zipper works

Sarah: Shirts! Shirts are a great choice!

Kiki: Wash your belly-button, bud.

That tattoo is reminding me of a radioactive symbol.

Sarah: I think it is?

No, it’s not I’m wrong.

Kiki: I thought it was too, so I have to assume his belly button has got some stuff going on.

Amanda: It’s a biohazard sign which I think might be worse.

Kiki: That’s it! Yeah, that’s absolutely worse.

Sarah: You don’t want your belly button to be a biohazard.

I remember when mine nearly turned inside out while I was pregnant. I looked like a torpedo, all out in front. But I wasn’t a biohazard. I was cute.

Maid for Each Other by Lynn Painter. A lilac background and an illustrated cover.  The hero is on the left looking at the heroine. he is in a suit and has his hand behind his head. The heroine is on the right and positioned a little farther down. She has long red hair with a white clip pinning the side back. She has on a baby pink dress and black converse shoes. A red bucket is at her feet and she's trying to hide a mop behind her back.

Amanda: That looks like a child.

Sarah: oh gosh, yeah…it does.

Lara: Major ick.

Sarah: I wonder why that is. The height difference, for sure, but also the hair and the long nightgown looking dress?

Kiki: I think all of that, combined with her hiding the mop behind her back, is really giving it a “I hope dad doesn’t find out!” vibe.

Sarah: It’s really interesting that we’re agreeing but there are so many little things leading us to that impression

Amanda: I also think there’s a teen movie where the main character wear’s converse to prom, but I’m blanking.

Sarah: Also that the illustrated dress looks too big for her, like she’s wearing an adult’s clothing and she’s small.

Rescued by Bears by Skye Mackinnon. A headless shirtless man with two bears beside him. One bear is on all fours and the other bear is on his back legs, standing behind the other bear. Everything has a blue hue laid over it. The man has lots of droplets (maybe sweat?) on his abs.

From Melodie: Today’s bears seem to be smirking? The one on all fours seems to be outright laughing. Do they know something about the cover model that we don’t?

Sarah: Those bears are not rescuing him. They’re mocking him.

“Aw, look who went out into the frigid national parks with no fur and no clothes!”

Amanda: Is he interrupting the bears having sex?

Sarah: If so they don’t seem too mad about it.

 

Giveaway: Romance Reader’s Journal

Sep. 8th, 2025 06:00 am
[syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed

Posted by SB Sarah

A dark red cover that reads Romance Reader's Journal in loopy script in pink outlined in white. In the center is a lit match with a flame, and the head of the match is a heart Hey, guess what?

I wrote (part of) a book!

This one right here, Romance Reader’s Journal: A Log for Book Lovers & Lovers in Books!

This is, as the title states, a prompted journal for romance readers, created by Chronicle Books.

They asked me to write portions of the book, and wow, was that fun!

I think the section I’m most proud of are the recommendation lists. I wanted to make sure that current and classic titles were included, and I’m really, really pleased with how it turned out.

Y’all, I think this journal is really nice.

The pages are printed on a luscious paper, and there are coloring pages, games, challenges, and plenty of pages on which to record, rate, and review your romances.

A ratings page. It spans two pages and includes fields such asMy Reads Title Author Book Release Year Subgenres/Tropes Recommended by Why did I pick this book up? Who would love this book? Overall Rating DNF TBRR Summary of the book Start Date End Date Book No. Spice Rating Favorite characters Favorite moments Favorite quotes Review
A sample rating page

This would make a marvelous gift for a romance reader, especially one who loves a journal. You can find it on Amazon, or at Bookshop.org. 

But I have four copies to give away!

If you’d like to win a copy for yourself (or to give to someone else!) just comment below and recommend a romance you’d want to include in this journal if it were yours. Any year, any genre, but one book that you’d want to write down, and write about.

Standard disclaimers apply: We are not being compensated for this giveaway. Please note that I do not receive royalties from this book. Must be over 18 and ready to read, record, and revel in how great your taste is when it comes to romance novels! Open to international residents where permitted by applicable law. Entries will end around noon on Thursday 11 September 2025, and winners will be announced and notified shortly afterward.

It is truly a special thrill to see the finished copies of something you worked on arrive in the mail, and I’m very excited to share copies with some of y’all. Good luck!

Wisconsin Sheep and Wool 2025 Recap

Sep. 7th, 2025 06:04 pm
[syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed

Posted by Elyse

It’s one of my favorite weekends of the year– the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival–but this year it felt a little bit like a letdown. There seemed to be fewer vendors and less stock, meaning that even though I went early on the first day a lot of the specialty colorways I was looking for were already sold out.

First of all, I attend the event every year with friends and I wasn’t the only one who thought that while the crowd size seemed the same, there were fewer vendors and more space in the “country store” barns where most of the yarn, notions and other crafts are sold.

One of my favorite vendors is Oink Pigments, and every year I look forward to their specialty colorway for the event. Even though we arrived pretty early she was down to three skeins and none of them were sock yarn. Fortunately she was happy to dye a skein to order for me.

Three skeins of lavender yarn shot through with pink and orange sit next to an antique trunk under a sign that says HAUL THE WAY TO EYE an exclusive Colorway only at Wisconsin sheep and wool 2025

The larger vendors were still there, but it seemed like some of the smaller ones were not. I did manage to find a few new vendors, though.

Knitz and Pearls had a bunch of yarn that glows under a blacklight that appealed to my 80’s and 90’s child neon loving heart.

Skeins of yarn glow under a blacklight with a large pink glowing shawl hung in the shape of a bat over skeins that glow green, yellow, purple, and pink

I also find Fiber MacGyver (can we just take a minute to appreciate the name) and their adorable mushroom sock yet. They even gave out the little camper stitch stoppers with each purchase.

A partially knitted colorwork sock with mushrooms in front of a few sock sets. The sock is a yellow green with red and white mushrooms. The bottom row is marked in place by tiny teal and white camper trailers

There were also yarn trucks there, which, rather than selling products from a single vendor, sold several different brands of yarns and notions similar to a little yarn shop on wheels.

yarn trucks parked along the edge of the fairgrounds. There are baskets and tubs alongside the campers and trucks

And of course people still had their beautiful projects to show off, like this colorwork sweater.

A colorwork sweater with Halloween themes. The base is dark dark purple, with rows around the yoke of ravens, candelabras in pink, blue crystal balls, and ghosts in white in two sizes. below the body rows which have a polka dot pattern is the hem, and above the hem are tiny blue gravestones. The end of one sleeve has green RIP gravestones and the other has what looks like pink umbrellas?

So what do I think is happening?

I suspect the smaller stock and fewer vendors has to do with uncertainty regarding tariffs. Not a lot of wool is actually produced in the US, meaning a lot of dyers purchase their stock from overseas.

I don’t dye yarn but I do buy finished, dyed yarn from a few vendors in Europe and this year there has been a ton of delays and uncertainty regarding shipping and cost. A lot of shipments have taken much longer than usual, and some producers aren’t shipping to the US at all.

If you’re interested in further reading, Slate has an article on tariffs and knitting.

I’ll be going to the New York Sheep and Wool Festival next month (aka Rhinebeck) and I’ll be very interested to see how it compares to other years.

I still managed to find some cute yarn this year and I’ve already started a project so obviously it wasn’t a bust.

Four bundles of autumn colored yarns. the top is deep wine, purple and gold, the second one is a pale blue and cream with speckled brown and gold, kind of like Indian corn, the third is salmon colored, the fourth is dark grey and gold, then a set of wine, white, dark green and light green

Have you been to any fiber festivals lately? Have you noticed a difference year over year?

Sunday Sweets: Taste The Rainbo

Sep. 7th, 2025 01:00 pm
[syndicated profile] cakewrecks_feed

Posted by number1

Who says you have to have a white wedding? These bright beauties are proof you can have your color and eat it, too.

Daisies are red, violets are blue...

By Sweet Disposition Cakes


Okay, before we head to the Epcot bunker: they're actually hand-painted poppies, and they're beautiful!


Orange you glad I found this gorgeous cake?

By iHeartCakes


Such a great color. Everything should look that cheerful.

Or, if that's too much orange (never!), here's a way to stand out with classic black and white:

By The Clever Little Cupcake Company


Look at the little bows! Clever, indeed.

 

This mellow yellow is a stunning way to add some unique detail:

By The Couture Cakery

Okay, those may actually be daisies.


Still, I'm a girl who wants more bang for her buck:

By Superfine Bakery

BANG!
I love the vintage feel.

For a more elegant style, this bakery muted the colors and added more feminine detail:

By Criollo Cakes

Those piped pearls are divine!


If this doesn't make you green with envy, I'm not sure what will:

By Bella Cupcakes

Wedding in the garden, perhaps?


How about a classic design with a kick?

By Pink Cake Box

Going green has never been more tasteful.


This blue beauty was inspired by sun-printing:

By Once Wed

Totally mod - and what a cool technique!


Moving down the spectrum, these violet violets are just adorable on a modern cube cake:

Made by BethAnn at Studio Cake Design

Simply beautiful.


And if you can't decide on just one color, why not use them all?

By Sweet Element

I love love love this striped summertime sweet. I only hope they used Fruit Stripe gum for wedding favors.


However, I don't think I've ever found a wedding "cake" I love more than this:

By Maki's Cakes

Rainbow-colored cake spheres? Roy G. Biv would be proud!

Happy Sunday!

*****

And from my other blog, Epbot:

[syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

The latest bestseller list is brought to you by scented candles, firm hugs, and our affiliate sales data.

  1. Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  2. Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  3. The Chief by Monica McCarty Amazon | B&N | Kobo | GooglePlay
  4. Writing Mr. Wrong by Kelley Armstrong Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  5. The Just City by Jo Walton Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  6. The Nothing Girl by Jodi Taylor Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  7. To Beguile a Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt Amazon | B&N | Kobo | GooglePlay
  8. Back After This by Linda Holmes Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  9. A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  10. Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim Amazon | B&N | Kobo

I hope your weekend reading was comforting!

Sunday Sale Digest!

Sep. 7th, 2025 06:00 am
[syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

This piece of literary mayhem is exclusive to Smart Bitches After Dark, but fret not. If you'd like to join, we'd love to have you!

Have a look at our membership options, and come join the fun!

If you want to have a little extra fun, be a little more yourself, and be part of keeping the site open for everyone in the future, we can’t wait to see you in our new subscription-based section with exclusive content and events.

Everything you’re used to seeing at the Hot Pink Palace that is Smart Bitches Trashy Books will remain free as always, because we remain committed to fostering community among brilliant readers who love romance.

[syndicated profile] post_secret_feed

Posted by Frank


—email—
Dear Frank,
I was the one who sent this in September of  2007. It was September of my freshman year in high school and I had just gotten out of a deep depression. On April 25th, 2007, I had written the note, thinking that life would never get better than my depressed, 14-year old existence. But for whatever wonderful reason, I kept going. Oddly enough, I didn’t get rid of the suicide note. I’m not sure what was stopping me.

I had wanted to send in a secret since I discovered Postsecret in 7th grade in the midst of my first bout of depression.  I instantly fell in love with it. I try realized that other people were in just as much pain as I was. When I started to feel better, I realize I needed to get rid of the note. I thought that ripping it up and sending it to Postsecret was the best way to do it.

I am now almost 23 and studying to be a social worker. Right now, I want to do mental health advocacy. I want people to be able to access treatment and realize they’re not alone.

But I’ve also been struggling. This year, my depression came back with a vengeance, along with an eating disorder. Monday night, I I was exhausted and sick from days of restricting. I was so frustrated with the fact that I couldn’t seem to get better. I lied in my bed and begged God to take away my pain. I was so afraid of my own pain, I made my housemate keep my meds in her room so I wouldn’t have access to them in the middle of the night.

Tuesday morning, I barely rolled out of bed. I was procrastinating on getting ready for class, and I realized I hadn’t checked Postsecret this week. I scrolled through the Sunday secrets, past the pictures of the Smithsonian exhibit (which I fully intend to visit), then I saw mine. I immediately recognized it. I couldn’t believe it. I thought that since it wasn’t posted 8 years ago, it would never be posted. I was so glad that I was an inspirational suicide story. It was like getting a note from my ninth grade self reassuring me that it was going to be okay.

Ironically, I’ve been showing the post to everyone. My mom told me she was so glad she never had to read it. One of my housemates hugged me and said she was getting goosebumps. My pastor said he couldn’t imagine a world without me and was also glad I had introduced him to Postsecret. My therapist was amazed that you had kept it for that long and that it must have really impacted you. She pointed out that it was clearly written by a child (with the handwriting and the purple gel pen), and that if I could impact a stranger with my story at the age of 14, imagine how I could use my story now.

Thank you so much for Postsecret. For the approximately nine years I have followed it, it has amused me, changed my perception of others, and made me realize I’m not alone. I’m am so glad that Postsecret was a way for me to reach and inspire others, even 8 years later.

Sincerely,
Claire
Aspiring social worker and life-changer


—email—
Dear Claire,
Thank you for sharing your honest story and secret. It is gratifying to see the people PostSecret touches, in the same way you will never fully appreciate all the strangers you have inspired – and will inspire.
-Frank


—email—
Dear Frank,
It has been many years, since my secret was featured on PostSecret, but I have never forgotten about it. It was a hugely transformative moment in my life. I recently decided to share the story on a podcast. Here’s the link. After my story was shared on the podcast, I got a tattoo to remind me of this whole story, and to symbolize my resilience throughout all of this. I am so grateful that I had my opportunity to share my secret with the world. I am also thankful that I am in a place where it is not a secret anymore. Thank you for providing the space to share. 

The post September is Suicide Prevention Month appeared first on PostSecret.

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18 Years of OTW

September 5 is the OTW's birthday and this year, we are turning 18 years old! To celebrate this event, let's look back at some of the milestones the OTW's projects - AO3, TWC, Open Doors, Fanlore, and Legal Advocacy - have achieved over the years:

  • As the first OTW Project, Legal Advocacy was launched in 2007, the same year as the organization itself.
  • In February of 2008, TWC released its first call for papers! Shortly after, in June, Fanlore was launched.
  • In late 2009, AO3 first went live. Roughly one year later, AO3 reached 10,000 users, with growth of the community accelerating ever since.
  • In 2011, Open Doors was launched, and began importing archives in 2012.
  • In 2015, the first ever International Fanworks Day was observed.

Since then, our projects have only continued to flourish and grow. AO3 has more than 9 million users and 15,730,000 works. Fanlore has nearly 80,000 pages and has seen over 1,657,000 edits. TWC is on its 45th issue. Open Doors has imported more than 100 archives, containing over 164,000 fanworks. Legal Advocacy fights hard for the rights of fans each and every day, responding to dozens of questions every year, filing Amicus Curiae briefs, joining coalitions, and more. All this and more is thanks to the support of fans worldwide; it wouldn't be possible without you!

If you're interested in how you can help, there are many ways for you to support us and our fannish community, and you can learn about some of them today by participating in our 18th Anniversary Bingo! On the card below you can see sixteen ways to contribute to the OTW or one of its projects. Some of these you might already have done, or are doing. You can cross those off!

OTW Bingo Card. 4x4 Squares in order top left to bottom right. Read a Fanlore page. Shared an OTW social media post. Commented under a fanwork this week. Found a press article about the OTW. Checked out our Fan Studies bibliography. Shared some recs with people. Followed the OTW on a social media channel. Read about the history of the OTW. Downloaded a work from AO3. Checked out some recent OTW news posts. Subscribed to OTW news by mail. Created or used a site skin on AO3. Created an AO3 account. Edited or created a Fanlore page. Donated to become a member. Checked out a paper on fanworks.

Once you have a Bingo, we'd love for you to tell us what you did to get it! Tag us on social media using #18YearsOTW or comment below, and let us know. We're excited to hear from you!

If you're looking for other ways you can support the OTW, check out How You Can Help for more ideas!


The Organization for Transformative Works is the non-profit parent organization of multiple projects including Archive of Our Own, Fanlore, Open Doors, Transformative Works and Cultures, and OTW Legal Advocacy. We are a fan-run, entirely donor-supported organization staffed by volunteers. Find out more about us on our website.

September 2025 Queer Romances

Sep. 5th, 2025 09:00 am
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Posted by Dahlia Adler

This month is positively spoiling us with queer romance of various genres, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Debuts, established names, and notable category-jumpers are all on the syllabus this September, so gets your wallets and library cards ready because queer romance school is definitely in session!

See You at the Finish Line

See You at the Finish Line by Zac Hammett

Author: Zac Hammett
Released: September 2, 2025 by Slowburn
Genre: , ,

Their only path to victory is each other . . .

George and Lucas can’t stand each other – which makes it awkward being on the same Cambridge University rowing team. The uber-charming, womanising George got parachuted into Cambridge from America for his sporting prowess, despite his subpar grades, whereas Lucas worked for everything he’s got – which sadly doesn’t include a boyfriend. When George is told that this year he’ll have to sit his exams fair and square, Lucas agrees to help him study – in exchange for help in wooing his crush, Amir.

Together, they embark on a journey to seduce, cheat, and beat their way to the top. They face rivals within their own squad, cutthroat competitors at Oxford, and their own annoyance with each other. But as they get closer, they find that they actually make a great duo. Will Lucas and George help their rowing team beat their arch rivals in a centuries-old feud? Will George manage to pass his fiendishly hard exams? Will Lucas finally work up the courage to ask Amir out? And what will Lucas and George do when they realise that what they really want is each other – even if that means changing their lives forever.

For fans of Red, White and Royal Blue, See You at the Finish Line is a brand-new LGBTQ+ enemies to lovers romance with a love story that will warm your heart.

I am automatically down for any queer sports romance, but college rowing with enemies-to-lovers and the glorious “falling for the person helping me to get the person I thought I wanted” trope?? I am definitely picking up this debut, and feeling optimistic there’ll be at least one solid coxswain joke.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

It Had to Be Him

It Had to Be Him by Adib Khorram

Author: Adib Khorram
Released: September 9, 2025 by Forever
Genre: , ,

Heartstopper meets Eat Pray Love in this swoony, spicy, second-chance romance from USA Today bestselling author Adib Khorram about two former classmates unexpectedly reuniting in Italy.

Ramin Yazdani’s marriage proposal has just gone bottoms up: his ex dumped him in public for being boring. Bent on proving him wrong, Ramin books a spontaneous solo trip to Italy. When he runs into his high school crush while in a gelateria, however, his resolve to reinvent himself is put to the test.

Noah Bartlett’s in a rut. Since his divorce, he’s become a bit of a homebody. So when his ex-wife insists he join her and their son on an Italian holiday, Noah reluctantly agrees. But his reticence turns to excitement when he sees his former classmate, who’s aged just like a fine wine. As a teenager, Ramin fascinated him—and since Noah now knows that fascination was code for crush—all those feelings are quick to come rushing back.

Soon Ramin and Noah are tumbling headfirst into a relationship. Only Ramin fears Noah’s feelings won’t last without Ramin’s adventurous new persona—and Noah’s not sure he can be the supportive partner Ramin deserves. With the days counting down to the end of their trip, can their love last without the magic of Italy?

I have a simple rule when it comes to Adib Khorram’s books: I read them. Picture books, young adult, adult romance… I’ve got AK books all over my shelves. This newest is a companion to one of my favorite m/m romances of last year, I’ll Have What He’s Having, and if Khorram’s name isn’t enough to get you to pick it up, the fact that it’s set in Italy and full of gelato should do it. Plus, both Ramin and Noah are total sweethearts you’ll adore traveling with.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Lady Like

Lady Like by Mackenzi Lee

Author: Mackenzi Lee
Released: September 9, 2025 by The Dial Press
Genre: , ,

Two women, one refined and one ribald, set their sights on marrying the same duke, but instead of becoming natural enemies, they find themselves falling in love—though not with him.

Harriet Lockhart never planned to marry. The educated daughter of a high-class prostitute, Harry has spent her life defying playing male roles in bawdy Shakespearean productions on London’s seediest stages, pursuing the many women who adore her, and wearing whatever she pleases, so long as it’s well tailored—all while being subsidized by her late mother’s trust. When she is contacted out of the blue by her hitherto anonymous father, she finds herself at risk of losing the trust that he actually funds unless she acquiesces to his request that she lead a more respectable life, starting with finding a husband.

Emily Sergeant, on the other hand, has only ever wanted to marry. She is the modest, tea-sipping, soft-spoken Regency bride. And were it not for one mistake in her youth that rendered her a social pariah, she would be appropriately betrothed. Instead, she’s due to wed the only willing man in her small the abominable Robert Tweed. Desperate for an alternative, Emily flees to London for the summer to snag a less lecherous fiancé before she’s shackled to a scoundrel.

Worlds collide, dramatically and hilariously, when both women decide on the very same duke as their best possible chance at a tolerable husband and the security that he brings. A tongue-in-cheek romp through London’s summer season, from balls to brothels, horseraces to duels, Harry and Emily compete for the duke’s favor, only to find their true hearts’ desires may be more compatible than they ever could have predicted.

Mackenzi Lee has definitely shown her historical chops with her bestselling Montague Siblings series in YA, which kicks off with an international romp of an adventure and suggests this will be an extremely promising adult debut. Even if I weren’t already familiar with the author’s skill, it’d have me at the tagline: “In need of a husband. In want of a wife.” (Note: for another exciting Sapphic historical romance out this month, check out Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti.)

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Girl Next Door

Girl Next Door by Rachel Meredith

Author: Rachel Meredith
Released: September 9, 2025 by Harper Perennial
Genre: , ,

Girl Next Door is everything I love. Complex characters, a prickly love interest, secrets, yearning, questionable decisions, and that glorious HEA. A tender, funny, sexy novel.” — Ashley Herring Blake, author of Delilah Green Doesn’t Care

In this charming debut rom-com, a young freelancer returns to her suburban hometown to uncover why her childhood next door neighbor’s bestselling book appears to be an epic love story about the two of them.

When MC Calloway’s best friend Joe, an editor at the notorious gossip website Jawbreaker, calls her in for an emergency meeting, MC is unprepared for how frantic he is. But when he shows her a copy of Girl Next Door, the steamy, bestselling rom-com taking the literary world by storm, written under a pen name, points to one of the women on the front cover, and says, “that’s you,” its MC who begins to panic.

Joe is convinced that the author is Nora Pike, MC’s prickly, childhood next-door neighbor, and their former high school classmate – and MC knows he’s right, since the book describes actual events that happened their senior year, down to the tiniest details. But in the book, the characters based on MC and Nora are desperately in love, rather than the awkward acquaintances MC remembers being in real life.

Joe begs MC to go home undercover and get the scoop on Nora. That’s the last thing MC wants to do, especially for an assignment that seems morally dubious at best, but she reluctantly agrees, knowing Joe is desperate to break a big story. Crashing in her childhood home with her older brother Conrad (now married to MC’s secret high school crush, Gabby), MC begins untangling truth from fiction, trying to get close to Nora, who is just as hot and prickly as ever – and now suspicious of MC to boot. But the more involved she gets with Nora, the more it becomes clear they’re both hiding secrets . . . and MC realizes she might be in over her head.

Perfect for readers of Delilah Green Doesn’t Care and Book LoversGirl Next Door is a delicious debut brimming with romance, humor, and heart.

I’ve read “childhood friends to lovers,” and I’ve read “second chance romance,” but I’d never read a play on both quite like this. Meredith’s debut is witty, fun, sexy, and compulsively readable (I personally read it in one shot), and so chaotic and wonderfully honest, it automatically landed her on my instabuy list.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Night at the Vampire Castle

Night at the Vampire Castle by Hari Conner

Author: Hari Conner
Released: September 23, 2025 by Andrews McMeel Publishing
Genre: , ,

It is a dark and stormy night…

When your car breaks down on a cold evening, you must take refuge in the ominous castle that looms above on the hillside, where a handsome, mysterious stranger invites you in. At dinner, you encounter three vampires and decide which to spend the evening with… Choose to charm one of the creatures of the night, have a fling with a few, or escape their clutches in Night at the Vampire Castle.

Stranded in rural Transylvania on a stormy night, you stumble upon an ominous castle, where the mysterious inhabitants seem keen to have you… for dinner.

In Hari Conner’s newest chose-your-own-path book, the reader chooses between gothic romance, partying with werewolves, or seducing an ancient vampire into revealing their secrets. Get swept away from the 9-5 by a whirlwind romance or steamy encounters – if you can avoid meeting your end…

With three main vampire romance paths, this story has fun, lighthearted elements as well as gothic themes, with choices to explore characters’ pasts in real European and queer history. Spend a Night at the Vampire Castle, if you dare.

I haven’t gotten my hands on this one yet, but there is not one thing about the description that is not absolutely killer. A Choose Your Own Romance?? Set in rural Transylvania??  Get to bang a vampire?? The author first flew on my radar last year with a queer YA graphic novel mashup of various Austen titles called I Shall Never Fall in Love, so it’s clear there are some seriously innovative chops at play, and this is definitely one of my most anticipated reads in a while.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

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Posted by Amanda

So…didja watch it?

What did you think? Tell me everything!

Amanda: I’m putting my thoughts in a spoiler, just in case you may have started it and not finished it. Or if you haven’t read the book yet, as most of my issues came from the differences between the movie and the book.

Show Spoiler
I had just finished reading the book the day before and my memory was still fresh.

My biggest gripe was what they did with poor Bogdan’s storyline. I liked it much better when Bogdan was biding his time before seeking revenge for his murdered friend.

I watched the movie with a friend who’s a big fan of the series. She also thought the Bogdan storyline wasn’t great, given that he shows up in subsequent books. She did make a good point. Perhaps Netflix wasn’t sure how well this would do for a sequel and with the actors being older, who knows what they could commit to.

Coopers Chase was not how I pictured it in my head. It was more sprawling in my imagination, though I’d still want to live at either version.

This version of Bobby Tanner wasn’t to my liking either. I much preferred the notion that he was in hiding and really wanted nothing to do with crime life.

The whole nun/priest romance storyline was cut, which made me a little sad. There’s a moment in the book where Bogdan changes the headstone and I remember tearing up at that kind gesture.

Okay, I’ve done a lot of complaining!

I think if you’re going into this movie without prior knowledge of the book’s events, you’ll have a more enjoyable experience than I did. You won’t be caught up in what they changed or took out.

The movie did a good job of capturing the tenderness of the book, especially the relationships between the Murder Club members. The strongest part of both the book and movie, for me, were the characters anyway. The casting was pretty perfect.

If I had to assign a grade, perhaps a B- or a C+. The book was better, as it typical.

Sarah: I copy everything Amanda said. I loved how beautiful it was, and how much money was invested in sets, location, costumes, and everything that makes a movie or show feel lived in and real.

I also loved playing, “Oh, hey, it’s Famous Actor Person!” Like, every other scene. At point point Adam looked up and said, “Wait, David TENNANT is in this, too?” Literally the casting for this must have been a delight.

But wow, the compromises for length were a massive bummer.

Show Spoiler
  1. Justice for Bogdan. The reworking of his plot line was straight up terrible.
  2. Most folks were concerned that Pierce Brosnan was a bit too posh to be Ron, but he had the most energy out of everyone. He lifted every scene he was in.
  3. Ben Kingsley was deeply underused. (Let him explain the algorithm of how long the journey would take!)
  4. I thought Helen Mirren played Elizabeth with one particular dour flavor and never deviated (though the scene where her husband tells her she looks like the queen was A HOOT).
  5. I wish it had been a series, though I understand how extra more expensive that would have been.

I hope that there’s a sequel. I hope that it’s better than this one. It was pretty to look at but not something I’m going to watch again. I’m with Amanda: C+ for me.

What did you think of the movie? Tell us in the comments!

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