“I did have an editor pass on a project and specifically say that in the face of so many book bans and so much concern about decreasing school library sales of queer content that they were passing because they didn’t believe there would be enough of a market for them to have access,” McCarthy said.

There's no question that the world is more than a little upside down right now. I feel like various dystopian stories are crashing together to create something no one would believe in a book.

We rarely think about the people in history who lived through big changes. The little people who stared up at the sky and thought, "what the fuck?" or some version of it in their timely dialect.

Nicci and I looked at the sky and thought, "okay. Let's change things."

Today we put those changes into effect. Today the Queer the Shelves Kickstarter has gone LIVE. It's ready and waiting for you to jump in and grab some awesome bookish stuff while also becoming a founder of an amazing project.

Last month I lost my Tiktok account, the one I used for Ally McGuire. I think I mentioned that in another newsletter? Maybe not. I'm a whirlwind of numbers and marketing images right now. But it was ripped out from under me, with nothing more than a "You violated community guidelines." They wouldn't tell me anything else. Then, yesterday, I got this in my Brey Tiktok:

I did ask TikTok if, given other history with regard to them shadowing or flagging LGBTQ words, if that was the reason. They wouldn't tell me.

And that's why we're starting Queer the Shelves Infinite. In a time of unprecedented book bans, and a whole lot of people shouting about taking away rights, we're creating a place for LGBTQ authors and readers to come together without censorship. And a place of joy! Somewhere you can know you're getting a book written by a real author, not an AI bot impersonating someone from the community.

We BELIEVE in this. So much so that we've set it up so that 65% of our profits will go back to the community. Authors get more money, too. The rewards in the tiers are pretty awesome too, if I do say so myself. (The book dragons are the cutest thing you've ever seen.)

We know that our community is amazing, supportive, kind, and strong. And I know my readers are the kind of heroes we find in fantasy stories.

Will you be heroic and become a founder of Queer the Shelves Infinite?

​Check out the Kickstarter today.​

Thanks for sticking with me. I'm looking forward to a full year of stories, travels, coaching, and adventures.
Also, I'd love to hear from you. So much of writing is solitary, and hearing from readers reminds me that I'm not alone at my keyboard.