If you followed the Evie series and have looked at some of my promos for All for One (or maybe even read the book already???) you might have noticed that it is a lot different from my urban fantasy books.
There is one thing they have in common, however. Both have a cast of diverse characters on the LGBTQIA+ characters.
For the full breakdown:
Louise is a lesbian. And if you missed it, yes, the reason she is late reaching the city is because she sleeps with Rose the inkeeper. Like the original D’Artagnan, she’s a consummate flirt.
Athena (Athos) is asexual and aromantic. I cried writing her back story, but it was unfortunately necessary for the plot of the book.
Arabella (Aramis) is bisexual. And like her predecessor, would be a terrible nun/priest.
Her girlfriend, Portia (Porthos) is demi-sexual and homo-romantic. Really, she only has eyes for Arabella. Bella has eyes for everyone, but her heart belongs to Portia.
Those are really the only characters whose sexualities matter in the book. I wanted to make sure that as I was portraying a story set in the 1860s that I didn’t fall into the trap of “assuming” LGBTQIA people didn’t exist until the 1960s, because that’s completely untrue. We have had people of all gender identities and sexual orientations since the beginning of time, but for centuries in most of the Western world it was unsafe for them to be “out” and open about it, so the wider world “forgot” about them, dismissed them, and assumed they didn’t exist. There seems to be a perception, especially among older Americans that the last twenty years or so has seen an explosion of gay culture, that our books, our video games, our movies, and our fashion is “making us gay.” It’s patently untrue. People on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum are simply less afraid of pushback, discrimination and abuse than they were just a few years ago.
That’s not to say that pushback, discrimination, and abuse don’t still happen, because they do and they are incredibly widespread. But there is some hope now that we aren’t standing alone, that there are systems in place to protect us the same way as any other citizen.
These rights are in danger due to the current administration, and I know many LGBTQIA+ people are terrified right now, myself among them. But hopefully the revolutionary spirit that has overtaken our country since 2016 means that we won’t be sent back to the dark ages–or Nazi Germany.
I try not to get too political here, but in this case it is impossible to completely divorce sexual identity from current politics.
I hope you’ll join me on keeping the light lit.
Like what you see? You can find signed copies of All for One for sale on my etsy, or order a copy through Amazon!
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