LGBT Books Archives - Kayelle Allen

Freed Between the Lines: Banned Books Week Sep 22-28, 2024 #FreedomToRead #BannedBooksWeek @ALALibrary

Kayelle Allen 09/22/2024 Life and Family

Gender Queer was the #1 most banned book in 2023. Here's a quick bit about the book.

In 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write. At the time, it was the only thing e felt comfortable with strangers knowing about em. Now, Gender Queer is here. Maia's intensely cathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity, which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes, grappling with how to come out to family and society, bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction, and facing the trauma and fundamental violation of pap smears. Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Gender Queer is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity-and what it means.

You can still find Gender Queer. Here is a universal book link that will lead you to many sites. https://books2read.com/u/m2aY27

One of my own books was banned by Apple in 2007 (Wulf, Tales of the Chosen). When I let readers know about the ban, it sold immediately, and for years was my highest selling book. Readers were eager to support me, but also happy to thumb their noses at censorship.

In 2023, the rise in banned books was astronomical. Want to help people keep the freedom to read? Check out the following from the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF).

OIF often receives requests from students and researchers for information about specific banned and challenged books. Part of their mission at OIF is to provide support to library workers and teachers who report censorship. Due to the confidential nature of many of those situations, they are limited to providing only publicly available information.

Banned Titles Resource Lists

Students may contact OIF (oif@ala.org) to request information on books for resources. It may take 3-5 days for staff to respond to your request.

Where the Data Originates

The OIF compiles data from news reports, individuals, libraries, schools, and other organizations about challenges to materials and services. OIF does not always track the progress or eventual outcome of each censorship attempt reported to it nor can it assure that data items are consistent across each report. In addition, not every challenge is reported to OIF. As a result, the information that we maintain is a snapshot of requests to remove or restrict materials from libraries and classrooms and is not a complete or exhaustive source of data on such activities.

OIF maintains the database for internal staff use, as a means of encouraging libraries to report challenges, and to create awareness of the importance of protecting and celebrating the freedom to read. Because the censorship database does not have the statistical validity demanded by many social scientists and researchers and may be vulnerable to misinterpretation and misuse, we must deny any request asking OIF to share raw data.

Graphics in support

Here's where to find graphics you can share online. A PDF is also available.

https://www.ala.org/bbooks/bannedbooksweek/ideasandresources/freedownloads

Any of my characters mentioned on this page might be found in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

~ Copyright ©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!

To experience art, sci-fi, romance, and space opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them, join my newsletter.

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How to Support Authors without spending money #Books #BookNerd #MFRWhooks

Kayelle Allen 04/10/2024 Book Specials 4 Comments

One of the best ways to support authors is to buy their books. But what if you're short on cash and long on the need to read? Here are 10 easy ways you can support your favorite author.

Take a selfie of yourself with their book and share it online.
Visit their website.
Request their book from the library.
Send an "I'm a fan" email.
Call or visit a local bookstore and request their book.
Review their book.
Nominate them for awards.
Add their book to your BookBub or Goodreads "want to read" lists.
Subscribe to their newsletter.
When you finish a book, if you can part with it, share it in a "free trade library". Some coffeeshops have "Take a book, Leave a book" shelves.

If you can buy their books, see if they offer them direct to you. This might save you money and the author will keep a higher commission. Win-win!

I'm always looking for ways to support other authors. Let me hear your ways in the comments.

Any of my characters mentioned on this page might be found in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

~ Copyright ©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!

To experience art, sci-fi, romance, and space opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them, join my newsletter.

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#NewRelease A cuddly cinnamon roll hero who purrs meets his alpha male #MMRomance #SciFi

Kayelle Allen 07/14/2022 Heart of the Immortal King

Surrender Love

Alone for centuries, Luc seeks mortal lovers to hold the loneliness at bay, but unlike himself, when they die, they don't come back.

When his latest mortal lover falls in love with another, Luc steps aside. Will he never find his own forever love?

Izzorah, a young Kin male, comes into Luc's life, and the outlook brightens. This catlike alien reads Luc's emotions as if they were written on his face. Instead of fleeing from Luc's pain, Izzorah presses closer, offering solace.

When a life-threatening accident nearly kills Izzorah, the thought of losing him is too much to bear. Luc breaks the highest law among immortals and saves him by a transfusion of blood.

But instead of a simple cure, Luc's blood triggers a latent power, and an ability no one expected. Immortality. Could his precious Izzorah be Luc's forever love?

What Luc wants, Luc gets

But to claim Izzorah's full surrender, Luc must first offer his own...

♥If you'd like a cuddly cinnamon roll hero who purrs, and an alpha male who has met his emotional match, this MM Sci-Fi Romance book bundle is just what you've been looking for. Extra points if you prefer your love scenes with only a hint of steam.

♥Includes a bonus book and links to a full universe of stories with these characters.

Where to Buy

Universal Buy Link https://books2read.com/abi-complete

You'll find these characters mentioned in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

Any of my characters mentioned on this page might be found in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

~ Copyright ©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!

To experience art, sci-fi, romance, and space opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them, join my newsletter.

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Read Renegade a new #SciFi short story by Céline Glaude @CelineGlaude #WriteLGBTQ

Kayelle Allen 02/09/2022 Science Fiction Books

Renegade is available on Amazon

About Celine Glaude

Céline Glaude withdraws from reality as often as possible. She believes in magic, dragons, alternate dimensions, and aliens, and she is patiently waiting for the Doctor to take her on adventures in space and time.

She was raised on crawfish, Disney movies, musicals, epic fantasy, Star Trek, and Westerns, so creating stories seems logical to her. As a new author, she specializes in genre-hopping. Be prepared for anything from vampires to dark heroines or even elves and escapades in space.

She is from the deep South and enjoys spending as much time as possible with her family. She loves to read and is usually in the midst of three or more books at any given time. When she is not immersed in all things book-related, Céline dabbles in makeup, gardening and makes one hell of a gumbo.

Twitter https://twitter.com/CelineGlaude
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCelineGlaude
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/authorcelineglaude
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/celinescoven/
Newsletter https://view.flodesk.com/pages/60063aec70c68826013a6370

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“Glorifying superheroes is a job; being seduced by one is a perk” Read Infamous Heart by Ryder O’Malley #MMRomance #SuperHero #SciFi

Kayelle Allen 09/28/2021 Book Fair

Infamous Heart: A Forbidden MM Superhero Romance

Glorifying superheroes is my job, being seduced by one is a perk.

One day, I was a mild-mannered designer for a premiere superhero magazine. Turned down for a promotion yet again, I let loose years of repressed anger.

That's how I got fired. Lesson learned.

Now my career is as successful as my love life. But it's hard being upset when I storm out of the office and into the huskular man of my dreams.

Sebastian is successful, confident, and the way he fills out those pants, it's basically a crime. Working as the art director for a rival magazine, I beg for him to look at my... ahem, portfolio.

But in this city, you can't throw a rock without hitting a supervillain and, for reasons I can't fathom, this one wants me dead. They were about to ruin my date. Thankfully, Sebastian has gifts of his own.

Now, I'm trying to get the job of my dreams, while I figure out how to be a sidekick to a superhero.

Oh yeah, and not get myself killed.

Must be Tuesday...

Infamous Heart is an M/M, heart-felt adventure with an HEA and no cliffhangers. It features snark and sex, but not always in that order. This is book one in the Men of Vanguard series.

Amazon

You'll find these characters mentioned in many books in my story universe.
Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

Any of my characters mentioned on this page might be found in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

~ Copyright ©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!

To experience art, sci-fi, romance, and space opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them, join my newsletter.

Read more →

Changing Faces: a Transgender SciFi by Barb Caffrey @BarbCaffrey #writeLGBT #SciFi

Kayelle Allen 05/25/2021 Book Specials

Allen and Elaine are graduate students in Nebraska, and love each other very much. Their life should be idyllic, but Elaine's past includes rape, neglect, and abuse from those who should've loved her--but didn't, because from childhood, Elaine identified as transgender.

When Elaine tells Allen right before Christmas, he doesn't know what to do. He loves Elaine, loves her soul, has heard about transgender people before, but didn't think Elaine was one of them--she looks and acts like anyone else. Now, she wants to become a man and is going to leave.

He prays for divine intervention, and says he'll do anything, just please don't separate him from Elaine...and gets it.

Now, he's in Elaine's body. And she's in his. They'll get a second chance at love.

Why? Because once you find your soulmate, the universe will do almost anything to keep you together--even change your faces.

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This idBot program is invading everything #Excerpt from A Stolen Heart by Kayelle Allen #SciFi #MFRWhooks

Kayelle Allen 06/03/2020 Character Insights 8 Comments

idBot sees everything

After Luc left Tonio's office, he visited the Arcane Level library on the thirtieth floor, checking data to prepare for his meeting with Ms. Lexius. He headed for his office, but when the elevator opened, Grand Master Aerlray de Clare stood inside.

Focus, not dwell. Move forward.

Gathering his patience, Luc entered and pressed the button for his floor. "Aerlray."

"Luc Saint-Cyr." The man smiled like a predator. "The man I'm looking for."

"Oh?" Luc kept his back to the doors. "Why's that?"

"It's been brought to my attention idBot's poking its nose into our files."

"Is that so?" Floor numbers in idBot green scrolled around the top of the car as it moved downward. Ten floors to the first turn. "That phrase 'idBot sees everything' is literal."

"But it's scanning confidential data. Contracts. Personnel. Sealed adoptions."

And why was he trying to hide those? "IdBot needs to know what it's protecting."

"A lock on a door doesn't need to know what's behind the door."

"IdBot's more than a lock. It gathers intel about its surroundings. It's a living, breathing system that can actively protect its owner." He owed Shohn Lexius for that tidbit.

"I don't care about any of that." De Clare puffed himself up. "I want it to stop. Now. Pull idBot back from this invasive search, Saint-Cyr. It's setting a dangerous precedent. The Guild won't tolerate it."

He'd switched to using last names. Interesting.

Three floors.

"Aelray, if you think a threat will deter me, you don't know me."

"No threat." De Clare held up both hands. "But this idBot of yours is meddling where it doesn't belong."

"Oh?" The car slowed, shifted direction sideways. "What is there to hide?"

De Clare pointed at him. "I'm not the only councilmember who dislikes these invasive searches. This could have serious consequences if it came to a vote."

Good. Let it. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you own idBot."

"Let's say a tech company hires one of our people. Signs a contract for corporate espionage, but it's bungled. Things go badly. What's the procedure for a complaint?"

De Clare stepped back. "Why are you asking me? You know the procedure."

"That's right. I do." The car slowed, headed down again. "Procedure doesn't say 'go to the Grand Master and whine."

"What's your point?"

"When the Guild installed idBot, it came with a book of procedures in case anything went wrong. I didn't write the book, but I can guarantee you that nowhere in it does it suggest hassling members of the board or the owner."

The man stiffened, mouth set in a straight line. His usual cocky self had deteriorated into a petulant boy. "Are you going to stand there and tell me this isn't your doing?"

"What isn't my doing?"

The elevator made the last turn to the side, bypassing the Heart of the Guild. Not unlike de Clare, who could not seem to grasp the heart of the organization.

"Look, Saint-Cyr." De Clare arranged his robes of office. "This idBot of yours is poking through employee files, intake records, and financial statements. It's rifling through everything."

Excellent. More proof. Luc bared his teeth in a pseudo-smile. "You mean it's searching databases in order to back them up and provide security for every aspect of the facility?" The car slowed. "What the system was purchased to do?"

"That's exactly what I mean!" Spittle showed at the corners of de Clare's mouth.

"Why is that a problem?" The doors opened and Luc took one step outside. He wedged a foot to block the elevator from closing. "Got something to hide?"

De Clare took a full step back, shoulders against the wall. "I want it to stop." He jabbed a finger toward Luc. "Now!"

Luc released the doors. "Then call the Help Desk."

Be sure to check out the other authors in this hop at the bottom of the page.

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Bisexual Character: Why Write One? @barbcaffrey #amediting #author

Kayelle Allen 03/19/2017 Research for Sci Fi Writers 4 Comments

Or, Why Elaine is a Bisexual Character in Changing Faces by Guest Author Barb Caffrey
—
When Kayelle Allen and I talked about a guest blog in support of my new LGBT-friendly novel, Changing Faces, I wasn’t sure at first what to write. Then it hit me: Most people I’ve talked to, when they hear about my heroine, Elaine Foster, ask me, “Why must Elaine be bisexual when she’s already gender-fluid at the start of your book?”

There’s actually a good reason for that.

Bisexual Character – for a reason

You see, my premise in Changing Faces is that people should learn to see souls. Not bodies. And that a transgender couple—in this case, one created by angels, ’cause it’s a fantasy—is most likely to learn to do this first. Because who they are on the inside doesn’t necessarily match who they are on the outside.

“But, Barb,” you protest. “You were going to talk about bisexuality. Why aren’t you?”

I’m getting to that. (Honest.)

It seemed to me when I first started writing Changing Faces, that Elaine had to be bisexual. She already could see souls, to a degree. She already knew how to measure the worth of a person beyond his or her face, and had dated both men and women.

That, in a nutshell, is what a bisexual person is.

Now, as to why she still couldn’t accept herself as gender-fluid easily? Well, as a society, we’re only beginning to learn about people who don’t always feel male or female. Sometimes they feel one way, sometimes another, maybe a third time they have a mix of both traits. Gender preference is not the same thing as sexuality; not by a mile.

So, Elaine has dated women and men. She sees the worth of a person and is not automatically attracted only to one sex. In a way, Elaine isn’t attracted by anyone, sexually. She’s only attracted mentally and emotionally, and then, much later, sex comes into the picture. But that’s not that strange, considering she’s a scholarly sort. She can see into a person, and evaluate who that person is, in a way most people don’t. She doesn’t even think to do this because how she views people is part of who she is.

Ultimately, love is love. Who you love is far more important than what gender your love happens to be. Seeing a person’s soul, seeing a person’s heart, seeing a person’s worth, is far more important than whether that person is straight, gay, bisexual, or Martian.

Elaine knows that.

That’s why I wrote Elaine in this particular way. As a bisexual character, she already had all these traits. So, why did I use a bisexual character? I realized that was who Elaine was. I codified the traits she already had, before I realized I could use a label most people would understand: the word “bisexual.”

In other words, the story demanded that Elaine be bisexual. So she is.

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N3CQKWJ

—
Barb Caffrey is a writer, editor, and musician who holds two degrees in Music. She has a particular fondness for the clarinet, lived in Nebraska for the better part of three years, and appreciated the ability to combine both her loves with the writing of Changing Faces.

Her other books are An Elfy on the Loose and A Little Elfy in Big Trouble (otherwise known as the Elfy duology), while her short stories have appeared in a number of places (most recently in Realms of Darkover). She’s also the co-writer of the Joey Maverick series of stories (with late husband Michael B. Caffrey), so the next story you might see from her could be military science fiction—or better yet, military science fiction with romance. She lives in Wisconsin.
Where to find Barb Caffrey

Website/Blog https://elfyverse.wordpress.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/BarbCaffrey
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/barb.caffrey.1

(Note from Kayelle: Barb has been my editor for three books now and if she’s willing, many more. FYI – she would probably object to the adverb “many” in the previous sentence. Just saying.)

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What’s New in M/M? Authors Share Their Books

Kayelle Allen 02/24/2012 Marketing for Romance Writers 4 Comments

Share Your Book Details.

Welcome to the monthly share feature. On or about the 24th of each month, I’ll be asking fellow authors to share their blurbs and buy links in the comments section of my blog.

This month, the focus is on M/M. If you have a book of the male-male persuasion (in any genre), feel free to share it here.

We’d like to see:
Author:
Book title:
Publisher:
Genre:
Blurb:
Buy Links:

Readers are welcome to leave questions or comments. We’d love to hear from everyone.

Kayelle Allen is an award-winning, multi-published author. Her heroes and heroines include badass immortals, warriors who purr, and agents who find the unfindable–or hide it forever. She is known for unstoppable heroes, uncompromising love, and unforgettable passion.

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Tag: LGBT Books

Freed Between the Lines: Banned Books Week Sep 22-28, 2024 #FreedomToRead #BannedBooksWeek @ALALibrary

Banned Titles Resource Lists

Where the Data Originates

Graphics in support

How to Support Authors without spending money #Books #BookNerd #MFRWhooks

Welcome to Book Hooks!

#NewRelease A cuddly cinnamon roll hero who purrs meets his alpha male #MMRomance #SciFi

Surrender Love

What Luc wants, Luc gets

Where to Buy

Antonello Brothers: Immortal - Because Romance Lives Forever

Read Renegade a new #SciFi short story by Céline Glaude @CelineGlaude #WriteLGBTQ

About Celine Glaude

“Glorifying superheroes is a job; being seduced by one is a perk” Read Infamous Heart by Ryder O’Malley #MMRomance #SuperHero #SciFi

Infamous Heart: A Forbidden MM Superhero Romance

Changing Faces: a Transgender SciFi by Barb Caffrey @BarbCaffrey #writeLGBT #SciFi

Barb Caffrey Social Media

This idBot program is invading everything #Excerpt from A Stolen Heart by Kayelle Allen #SciFi #MFRWhooks

idBot

idBot sees everything

Bisexual Character: Why Write One? @barbcaffrey #amediting #author

Bisexual Character – for a reason

What’s New in M/M? Authors Share Their Books

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