Holidays and Grief are the Same, TBH

I’m back! It’s my first post after changing the layout of my page and I am LOVING it! Are you? As an internet illiterate, it’s going to take many tries before I love my page, but the process is so fun and encouraging. And this month, changing things around really helped, because I have been struggling and definitely needed that extra serotonin.

It’s been a rough month for me, honestly. It always is, for personal reasons. They’re sad and mopey and about parenthood (which has no place in my books – yet) so I’ll keep them to myself, but I’ll just say this year I planned ahead and scheduled only rest. And those plans paid off. I’ve been reading the best example of a healthy grief story I’ve ever picked up, by one of the most creative authors I’ve come across. And this is probably going to be the closest to spoilers I’ve gotten, because I just can’t resist.

I can’t wait to talk about this month’s featured author. In fact, I’ve been so excited I had to plan it down or I would’ve deep dove and never came back out. TJ Klune is an LGTBQ+ writer with the best sense of humor and the deepest stories. I haven’t read all of his books but I’ve dipped into each of his genres and they’re all so different and so the same in the best ways. He’s from Oregon, which shows up in many of his books, including In the Life of Puppets and the Green Creek Series. But other stories, like the Tales of Verania and House on the Cerulean Sea, are so fantastical as to have happened everywhere and nowhere.

I find him so inspirational because all of his books have the same voice but they are all so different on the story level. From magical characters to sentient robots, TJ loops love and humanity and companionship in a completely unique way. All the books center around mentorship and found family. It’s powerful.

There are characters in every book that hold on to my heart and don’t let go. Nelson in Under the Whispering Door holds a very special spot in my heart, especially now that my grandmother, who’s been a Nelson for our family, has passed. And Mr. Parnassus in the House in the Cerulean Sea gave off definite George Clooney vibes and I am HERE for it. I was so enamored by the kids (especially Luci OMG what a delightful little devil. And Chauncey! Ugh, the Narrator’s version on Chauncey was EVERYTHING). Kevin, Gary, and Morgan of Shadows in the Tales of Verania were absolutely incredible. I wish I could explain them without giving away more plot because they deserve essays of their own, but damn, Gary’s voice lives rent-free in my brain and will forever.

I’m also a fan because his range is so wide, from changing points of view to levels of spice and even romance. And though it’s all LGTBQ+ Perfection, some characters are given family instead of romance, and there truly isn’t one level of spice I like better from him. YA is great and sassy, his low-spice fantasy is cozy and heartwarming, and the spicy fantasy series are spicy enough to make even me sweat. It’s all a roller coaster, but all of them center around lots of coming of age (and learning how to come responsibly. I feel like he’d like this joke but man was it hard for me to be brave. LOL. I’m sorry sometimes I just can’t stop.)

Of course, I’m not only inspired by these books because they’re amazing. They also fit the “found family” theme and vibe I’m really hoping to embody in my books. It’s hard! But TJ does a great job of adding tension and sensitivity into each character, in a really unique way. Reading his stories opens my own mind to how my characters might better tap into their own feelings as my story develops. In this vein, the length of his story, both pacing and page count, is quite varied and seeing how he can make a month or two in House in the Cerulean Sea feel the same as a single week in Under the Whispering Door, the same as months and years feel the same in his Green Creek Series and time feel endless in Tales of Verania. He makes the pacing make sense, and I listen on Audio especially because it helps me study that pacing skill.

Plus, his jokes are HILARIOUS. So, research for humor and comedic relief, because I’m not funny. Dramatic? Yes. But not funny. The interaction between Carter and Ox in Wolfsong when Ox comes out. It’s… it’s gold. And, I wanted to find a million quotes from the Tales of Verania, but I couldn’t find a physical copy of any of them without having to buy them. While I’m looking to do that eventually (randomly picked up Ravensong only to learn Wolfsong is first) I want them all to be pretty because I am a book Goblin. Maybe by next May I’ll have more of the books and then I’ll be able to quote them all.

As an avid smut reader, I LOVE TJ because he’s as funny and spicy as my F|M (and then some lol) authors. I love how he addresses so many real life romantic issues just as eloquently and beautifully as some of my other favorite stories. The delightfully cheesy romance between Sam and his prince GOT ME, I’m a total sucker for the “damsel in distress” shit thanks to Beauty and the Beast (honestly that’s probably why I loved Kevin the Dragon and his unicorn LMAO). And Joe reminded me so much of Reese Witherspoon in “Man in the Moon” which is one of my favorite problematic movies that I felt like she finally got the ending she deserved, but so much better because of the wolves. His MM sex scene in Tales from Verania is authentic and honest yet still incredibly steamy. But also, his post “happily ever after” plot lines gave me inspiration for my own plot ideas.

Although I’ve never experienced this with another series like this, I freaking loved the secondhand embarrassment I’ve received at the hand of TJ’s books. The Tales of Verania were INSANE and delightful. I walked around my neighborhood giggling and blushing and cringing and it was absolutely amazing. Animal sex, insane warlock mentors who make sexual jokes at the expense of their charges, absolutely BONKERS evil villains out to do the weirdest harm. In fact, as I write this I realize that TJ succeeded in writing a book so insane that the incredibly romantic and authentic gay love that threads through it is the most normal part of the story. And how absolutely fucking magical is that, that two boys get to fall in love like a boy and a girl because all the characters treat them like they’re the most cozy gentle kids falling in love while the world around them goes off the rails. I fucking loved it.

And then there are the stories that don’t address romance directly. The stories that focus so much more on connection and the human condition that physical contact isn’t necessary. Under the Whispering Door has me in a chokehold because Wallace built a relationship with each one of his guides. I didn’t need a single bit of romance by the end of that book, and the few sentences I got were better than I would’ve asked for.

House in the Cerulean Sea is amazing but Under the Whispering Door is The. Coziest. And that’s a hill I’ll die on. Wallace is given A WEEK and literally by the end you feel like he’s lived a whole lifetime. It’s incredible. He offers a delightful but not perfect afterlife, with helpers and guides that truly cherish the souls they’re caring for. Hugo is EVERYTHING. The original Grumpy to Mei’s sunshine in absolutely the best ways. I didn’t know this was a trope I’m obsessed with until them. AND THEN I realized I married my own Grump and changed my whole perspective on the trope. If anything that TJ’s books have taught me is that you don’t need sex or romance to fall in love but omg sometimes it’s so fun to be dirty. This is a vibe I would also like to create.

I’m not normally someone who cares about narrator – I didn’t particularly care for the Crescent City voice but I survived to read the story two weeks before I could get it – but TJ’s books really have perfect narrators. So perfect, in fact, that I looked them all up, which I’ve never cared to do before. Kirt Graves narrates Under the Whispering Door, Green Creek Series and is so smooth and gentle. It’s like sliding through the story. Michael Lesley narrates Tales of Verania and I cried laughing at his dragon voices. Do not listen in public if you react dramatically like I do. Sorry to everyone in my neighborhood. Whoops. Daniel Henning gets House in the Cerulean Sea perfectly, and really adds so much to the story. And he had to do some seriously weird voices, and knocked it out of the park. Really, they’re all amazing. 10/10

All this to say, TJ Klune and his LGBTQ+ books are amazing, cozy, and delightful. Whether you want raunch or something to take to Grandma’s house, he’s written it. I love the depth, the character development, and his wide skill range, but I know you’ll find something to love about his books as well.

1. List of Books and why the ones I’ve read are the best (because I tried to read them all)
   • Cozy Standalones for Adults
     • The House in the Cerulean Sea: *****
       1. Upcoming Sequel: Somewhere Beyond the Sea
   • Under the Whispering Door: *****
   • The Bones Beneath My Skin
   • Murmuration
   • Olive Juice
   • Into this River I Drown
   • John & Jackie
2. The Green Creek Series for Adults
   • Wolfsong
   • Ravensong
   • Heartsong
   • Brothersong
3. Tales From Verania Series for the SPICY Adults
   • The Lightning Struck Heart
   • A Destiny of Dragons
   • The Consummation of Magic
   • A Wish Upon the Stars
   • The Damning Stone
   • Fairytales from Verania
4. Seafare Series
   • Bear, Otter, and the Kid
   • Who We Are
   • The Art of Breathing
   • The Long and Winding Road
5. At First Sight Series
   • Tell Me It’s Real
   • The Queen and the Homo Jock King
   • Until You
   • Why We Fight
   • How to Be Series
   • How to be a Normal Person
   • How to be a Movie Star
6. Extraordinaries Series for Young Adults
   • The Extraordinaries
   • Flash Fire
   • Heat Wave