Hello, and thanks for being here to Celebrate Pride Month with Twinsie Talk. I’m Twinsie Tenise, self proclaimed resident MM reader and reviewer over here at TwinsieTalk. Throughout the Month of June we will be sharing Q&A sessions we had with over a dozen authors who write LGBTQIA Romance or books with LGBTQIA characters. Each day will Spotlight a different author. We hope you enjoy getting to know these wonderful authors and find lots of new books to fill your TBR.

Special thanks to all of the authors who signed up and took the time to answer the questions.

Shoutout and HUGE thank you to Twinsie Jo for the amazing rainbow graphics and Twinsie Angie for her input and assistance. Love you both!

🏳️‍🌈What’s your name and a little about you?

Joel Shoemaker is a magician, a librarian and the author of THREE books! He lives with his husband, a frog, a betta fish and the dog Maximus McMaker! Joel consumes an inordinate amount of cheese.

🏳️‍🌈What made you decide to write LGBTQIA romance?

Only one of my three books would I truly consider a romance and only very lightly at that. I didn’t set out to write a romance, I set out to write a gay, affirming faith story for teens and tweens. Something that celebrates and affirms BOTH faith and sexuality. bacon grief is one of the only books that does that. The fact that it’s also a bit of a love story was probably inevitable.

🏳️‍🌈Do you prefer to write standalones or series? Why?

I have only published standalones so far. I have a manuscript that is a gay murder mystery for teens written entirely in text messages and other ephemera. I don’t know why, but I think TEXT MESSAGE MURDER MYSTERIES sounds like it has series potential so…maybe?

🏳️‍🌈Do you have a current WIP? Care to share any details?

I actually have a short story published in the charity anthology! I just love it so much and I think it has REAL novel potential. So I have written some other pieces for it but who knows. It would be a gay romance ghost story! How fun is that?

🏳️‍🌈What are your must have writing snacks and drinks?

Coffee. Bourbon. Cheese.

🏳️‍🌈If someone has never read your work, which book would you recommend?

My brand new picture book can be read in like a half hour probably. If that was enjoyed, bacon grief is an expansion of the same or similar themes. My short story collection about teeth then is just nonsense so why not read it too?

🏳️‍🌈If you could recommend 1 LGBTQIA Romance (not your own) to readers, what would that book be?

Darius the Great is Not Okay will always and forever be my recommendation to everyone. Uhg. It’s SO great.

🏳️‍🌈What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love community theatre. I just finished directing a gay rom-com for the Corn Stock lab here in Peoria.

🏳️‍🌈Anything else you would like to add?

Thanks for this opportunity! I’m excited about my first appearance at the event!