Hello and thanks so much for having me on the blog today!
I write queer books and publish as indie author Amara Lynn, and I also host queer writing tags over on Twitter, most notably #LGBTQWriMo, a NaNoWriMo writing hashtag for LGBTQ+ writers!
First, I thought I'd talk a bit about #LGBTQWriMo's history. I started the tag in November 2018, after putting a feeler out on Twitter if anyone might be interested in an LGBTQ exclusive NaNoWriMo hashtag. I received a lot of encouragement, and so, the tag was born!
The name of the tag is simply a mashup between LGBTQ and NaNoWriMo. It flowed nice and neatly, so I went with it!
#LGBTQWriMo was incredibly well received, and I loved doing it so much that I started a tag called #QWriters (which stands for queer writers). Originally, #QWriters ran only on the weekends, with a random writing question on Saturday and a line share on Sunday. I recently expanded it to run every day, adding in goal setting and check-ins to the mix as well. During NaNoWriMo months, #QWriters is combined with #LGBTQWriMo in order to still feature the goals and check-ins.
The thing I really love about #LGBTQWriMo is that new people find it every time it runs, and it's a great community building and support system. The queer writing community on Twitter is truly one of the most welcoming and friendly communities I've every been a part of, and I'm happy to do my part to continue introducing new people to the community.
So, this is your official invitation! Join us over on Twitter! You're welcome to participate in #LGBTQWriMo, which is running right now for Camp NaNo, and for #QWriters, which will continue running after camp is over! You don't have to be doing camp to jump in, either! We love connecting with everyone and cheering for you, no matter what your writing goals are! Jump in as little or as often as you like! If you're the type that likes to answer all questions, go ahead. If you want to skip certain ones you don't have an answer for, that's okay too. We're happy to have you no matter how much you participate!
And with that I'm going to shift focus a bit to my writing, because I wouldn't be doing all that if I weren't a writer, of course!
I'm an indie author and write a mix of fantasy, sci-fi, and urban fantasy, all with queer characters. One of my favorite types of fiction to write is cozy or low stakes, but I have some higher action stuff, too.
If you're looking for fluffy, feel good, or low stakes fiction, check out my two sci-fi shorts! The first is Tundras, Travelers, and Other Travesties, and was released last year. While I had high hopes for 2020 as a year for me to self publish a ton of books, as I'm sure with many people, those plans fell by the wayside. So, even though this was the only story I published last year, I'm still really proud of it. It features a nonbinary MC with chronic pain similar to my own mystery chronic illness, as well as anxiety. Ze manages a rest stop for travelers on a tundra covered, post-apocalyptic Earth, and it's basically the queer-platonic meet cute you didn't know you needed.
The second sci-fi short, Futures, Friends, and Other Firsts, which takes place in the same universe, but can be read on its own, is a fluffy queer space meet cute with hopeful vibes, and it just released recently. If you like soft sci-fi and queer cuteness, you might enjoy both of these stories!
For higher stakes stuff, I have an urban fantasy queer superheroes series called Masks, the third of which is coming out later this month! Masks centers on the "villain" of the story, who is a big social outcast, but slowly comes out of his shell, thanks to the love interest. The first two books are novella length, and on sale for 99 cents, so check them out, and then go pre-order book 3! If you pre-order and fill out the pre-order campaign form, you can receive a sign bookplate and greeting card from me!
Thanks again for having me! Maybe I'll catch you all around on the Twitterverse! Don't be afraid to reach out!
Links to all my books, socials, and the pre-order campaign can be found here: https://url.bio/amarajlynn
Amara Lynn has always been a quiet daydreamer. Coming up with characters and worlds since childhood, Amara eventually found an outlet in writing. Amara loves anything to do with pirates, villains and superheroes, angels and demons.
Amara is addicted to music and gets the most inspiration from moving songs and lyrics. When not writing, Amara usually reads, listens to podcasts, watches anime, plays a video game here and there (but mostly collects them), and takes way too many cat pictures.
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