Hello!
I ended up really sick at the end of October so that's why there was no newsletter. Because of that I also didn't finish #sapphictober, but it was fun while it lasted. Below is my favorite, Sabran and Ead for Day 14 - Forbidden Lovers.
Well, in another turn of events that proved once again why it's essential that I keep a newsletter, Xitter it's in the can. I had already stopped using it 3 years ago, but I deleted it for good this time.
With the emergence of Cara and Bluesky this year, I'm feeling we at least are starting to have options. Not perfect, but people are not only realising they're desperate for healthier spaces, but having the actual experience of being in a healthier space, and I don't think that's nothing. The difference between Cara and Bluesky to me is essentially the funding, which is in itself a double edged sword. I'm trying to use my Bluesky account more, but to be honest I'm counting the days until vacation.
So projectwise at this point I'm just trying to finish things for the year.
Interview
This month's guests are G.B.Baldassari, a Brazilian couple who write sapphic romances together under the pen name. I've been wanting to share about their books for a long time, and now that they have a novel translated in English the day finally came!
Starting with one of our recurring questions. Was there something or someone queer you felt pulled to before even understanding why?
Bru: Well, when I was a child I was completely obsessed with Mel C, the Sporty Spice from the Spice Girls, and even though she is not queer, I loved her style and how she didn't have to wear the “typical” feminine clothes to be beautiful. I was also very obsessed with Xena the Warrior Princess.
Gi: For me, it was Kristen Stewart. I had a crush on her even before I was aware of it.
Was writing something either of you did growing up? And how did you find your first sapphic book?
Gi: I wanted to be a journalist for many years. I didn't end up doing it but it was always something I loved.
Bru: I wrote for a blog for many years, but I only tried fiction once Gi and I decided to do it together.
You write together, a phenomenon that seems to be becoming more common in sapphic fiction. How does that dynamic work for you?
It’s very natural for us, because we understand each other very well and have the same taste.
We talk a lot during the whole process and always decide everything together. I guess we are very privileged to have each other, and we can’t even imagine doing this alone.
You two seem to have a rare problem, too many ideas. How do you choose between all those projects? Is there a genre or period you’d still like to write or write more of?
We usually let our hearts choose for us and always write the story we feel more gripped to.
We had a project for a year in which we wrote 12 short stories, one each month. It was like our laboratory, and we tested many genres and periods of time. It was amazing to let our creativity flow and have tried different stories we might never have tried otherwise.
We love stories set in the 20th century, so we wrote a few for this project. But it’s not something we usually do with novels, so it was a great opportunity.
A young woman working in a fighting gym and an established lawyer discover they’re both mothers of the same child. Amor Fati has a peculiar combination of setting and character backgrounds. Where did these ideas come from?
For us, it was important that this story had many contrasts. We wanted Lily’s moms to be very different from each other, so we decided to give them opposite jobs and perspectives. So, Eva has a more intellectual job and Abby a more physical one. The same goes for their views and beliefs, they are completely opposite but deep down they're not so different.
Amor Fati is your first novel translated to English. How was the process to transmit your personal writing brand and comic timing to another language?
It was a new experience, and we were very lucky to have an excellent professional translating it for us. We think Sarah did a great job and kept our essence in the story.
Research is a big part of being a writer. Is that something you need to rein in to not forget to write or a hardship of the craft?
We are both very very curious, so it is natural for us to research a lot for every book. Especially when it's set in a different period or in a place we’ve only passed by or never been in. It’s actually our favorite part.
In the era of burn out and anxiety, we have been forced to rethink routines and our relationships to working on our previous hobbies. A long trial and error process. How have you been navigating that?
To be honest, it took us a while to set a healthy routine and separate free time from work, especially because we’re both kind of workaholics. But after a few anxiety crises, we decided to take it slow. Now we meditate and go to the gym every day and try to take the weekend off… we fail very often, but I guess it is the intention that counts.
What’s the queer story (in any medium) that has your attention right now?
We just started Lioness, but we have a feeling it's not gonna have a happy ending. Besides that, we’ve been trying some Thai GLs, our favorite so far is The Secret of Us.
What would you like to see more in sapphic/queer stories?
We would love to watch some heist movie with a sapphic lead. Or some other adventure. I feel like we need more fun stories with women loving women, you know?
Please, share where people can find more of your work.
Before, we’d like to thank you for giving us this space. We apologize for our English, it's not our first language but we tried to give our best.
If you would like to read our first translated book, you can find it on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited:
Stuff I read
Amor Fati by G.B. Baldassari (Sarah Blanc, translator)
I've read all Baldassari's books but one. Therefore, I can tell they are a 100% guaranteed fun and warmth (so the perfect addition to your winter😉). Amor Fati gives a sapphic spin to the (usually) hetero trope of "what if your biological child suddenly knocked at your door?". The short answer is Abby, a gym trainer, is brought into the lives of Lily (the daughter) and Eva (the adoptive mother). What happens from there you have to read to know, but if you're into romcoms, fit gym trainers/occasional boxers, efficient lawyers and smart kids, you'll love it.
A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft
This book was written for me, end of review. Kidding, but if you put together dark academia, plus magic interwoven with fairy tales, a tall, dark and handsome gothic protagonist, and add all that to a fictional worldbuilding that's inspired by an specific historical moment like 19th century Germany post-unification... well. BTW had to draw Lorelei and her angst.
Stuff I watched
Agatha All Along
What can I say? This show delivered. Perfect? Certainly not. The acting was something special, but Marvel keeps having an issue with endings, so much was left open. Overall I have to say I had fun and want more.
Arcane (Season 2)
One of the best series I ever watched? YES! I don't buy the story that it was planned as 2 seasons only, but that somehow they managed to make the 2nd and final season work anyway, it's even more of a feat. It's a beautiful animation, yes, but I believe Arcane's biggest accomplishment keeps being the level of nuance it achieves in all possible levels. From writing, to the subtle expressions that are more meaningful than what many popular actors out there can deliver. Ultimately is the proof of what creative liberty and enough time can create. The rarest kind of jewel in an unending sea of remakes and canceled shows.
See you next month for the year round up!
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