I have something extra-special for you today.
As we countdown to the launch of the fourth YYC Queer Writers anthology, you get to meet our fab contributors, and listen to some fab music.
Today’s featured author is KAREN O., and this is her YYC Queer Writers Debut!
KAREN O. is puzzling out her future after leaving her last paying job but passes her time volunteering in the queer community, hiking in the mountains, and dabbling in writing. She is the T in LGBTQ and currently makes her home in Calgary.
This is how her story, “Hawk’s Eye,” starts:
I shift uncomfortably on my chair outside the corner coffee shop, and wait with a mixture of hope and apprehension while my date steps inside to place our order. The evening is warm, warmer than it should be even in July. There’s a trickle of sweat on my forehead, and I wipe it with my fingertips. I cross my legs, smooth my skirt, and touch the polished Hawk’s Eye pendant hanging from a delicate silver chain around my neck. I’ve loved its deep, mysterious darkness from the moment I saw it at the craft fair last spring, the way it drew in the light and begrudgingly released it again in bands of unnameable deepest blues. I had listened politely as the artisan described its mystical properties, how the stone could soothe distressed emotions and how it could help the soul be honest and find the courage to speak truth. The skeptic in me refuses to believe that an inanimate object, enchanting though it may be, can hold power over nature and emotions but tonight, I suspend disbelief and hope it is possible. Tonight, I need something to calm my anxiety, and I need the courage to speak truth.
Just so you know, before it ends, you’re gonna cry.
This is the song you should listen to as you’re reading it:
Want all of A QUEER SUMMER NIGHT IN COWTOWN? Pre-Orders now available at:
- AMAZON (live)
- KOBO (coming soon)
- CHAPTERS (coming soon)
And, if you’re in Calgary, our launch party closes Calgary Stampede week:
RSVP via EventBrite or Facebook
All profits from the anthology’s sales go to benefit Alberta’s Camp Fyrefly.
Camp fYrefly is a summer camp and leadership retreat designed for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-identified, two-spirited, intersexed, queer, and questioning youth, (LGBTQ2S+) and planned in part by a committee of the same youth it seeks to serve. Camp fYrefly is designed to help youth develop the leadership skills and personal resiliency necessary for them to become agents for positive change in their schools, families, and communities. In a word, it helps keep queer kids alive.
WARNING: Although we are fundraising for a youth program, the content of our anthology contains mature themes, frequently of a sexual nature, and is intended for an adult audience.
But, the launch party is all ages. Bring your kids; dress accordingly.
Drop-ins welcome. but if we know you’re coming, we can make sure we don’t run out of books for you.
mjanecolette
TellMe@mjanecolette.com
YES! MY LIFE NEEDS MORE LOVE LETTERS!
m jane colette 