YA Pride

Tune in this Pride as we welcome a panel of spectacular queer authors and their wonderful YA reads. Join us to hear from CARLI J. CORSON, author of It’s a Love/Skate Relationship, STEPHAN LEE, author of Like We Were in Paris, JAMIE PACTON, author of The Hyacinth Labyrinth, and RILEY REDGATE, author of Come Home to My Heart. These are page-turning tales of queer love that you just can't afford to miss out on!

It’s a Love/Skate Relationship by CARLI J. CORSON

Charlie is a force to be reckoned with. She's has just been suspended for accidentally starting a brawl after a hockey game—meaning no hockey and no chance to play in front of college scouts.

Alexa's original partner was injured in that brawl, so she strikes a deal with Charlie: skate with her at the competition well enough to place, and her Olympian mother will use her connections to get Charlie in front of scouts at D-1 schools.

It seems impossible. Where Charlie is powerful, Alexa is elegant; where Charlie is quick to blow up, Alexa is cold as ice. But could it be that they’ve found the perfect partner for more than just skating?

Like We Were in Paris by STEPHAN LEE

Ben Lim is so excited for his French Club's trip to the most romantic city in the world: Paris. But things go wrong the first night when Ben misses curfew and finds himself locked out of the youth hostel...until morning.

Also locked out? Tyler Travers, the most popular and handsome boy in school. Who, oh yeah, happens to be Ben's former friend and current nemesis. The two of them end up roaming around Paris and stumbling upon some cool sights—like the glittering Eiffel Tower, a drag show in the Marais, and even a chance to "borrow" a moped.

As their misadventures take them all across the city, Ben fights his growing attraction to Tyler, which was NEVER part of the plan. The two of them couldn't be more different. Besides, Tyler doesn't even remember that they were once friends. Right?

The Hyacinth Labyrinth by JAMIE PACTON

All magic begins in stories. That’s what Fae princess Hyacinth has always been told. As the unmagical daughter of Queen Mab, Hyacinth has never fit in at her mother’s court. She hopes that if she learns about her father, who disappeared fifteen years ago, she can finally learn more about herself. 

When Hyacinth and her friend Chloe—a human stablehand trapped in Fae—sneak off to a riverside night market, Hyacinth learns that her father was last seen heading to a library at the heart of a treacherous labyrinth. The problem: The labyrinth was built long ago by three goddesses, and no one has ever returned from it.  

Still, Hyacinth has to try.  

With the help of Chloe and a tiny dragon named Coffee, she defies Queen Mab and sets off into the wilds of the Moonshadow Kingdom. Along the way they face bandits, magical creatures, a centuries-old human who hosts an Endless Ball, and Hyacinth and Chloe’s growing feelings for each other. Meanwhile, an ancient power lies in wait at the center of the labyrinth, and it is eager to write the girls’ ending. 

Come Home to My Heart by RILEY REDGATE

This story takes place in Fisherton, South Carolina. Gloria loves Fisherton—she's close to her family and she's a part of the popular crowd at school, involved in everything from the social committee to the math team. She hides her attraction to girls.

Unlike Gloria, Xia Harper can't wait to get out of Fisherton. She's already bullied for being half Chinese, so she keeps her queerness under wraps. And she keeps her distance from everyone.

But when Gloria's parents see her browser history, they kick her out. Now spending her nights under the stage in the school auditorium, she goes to a bookstore to escape--the very bookstore where Xia works. And what starts off as friendship becomes something much more complicated.

Tuesday, June 30th at 6pm via Crowdcast!