Focus on Female-Identifying Authors

 Given that it's Women's History Month, I decided to focus on some of my favorite authors and titles.  If you know me, you'll know it's not a complete list, and it was actually painful whittling it down. Here we go!

I have decided to start with the author who started it all for me.  Yes, I discovered fantasy through Narnia but I realized the depths of my obsession when I found McCaffrey's Pern universe.  Dragonflight is the official first in the series which I read a billion years ago when I was in 9th grade but which was published in 1968 before I was even born.  I am sad that more don't know about her and I hope that her legacy keeps going; because her characters and world building were amazing and her career only ended when she died in her 80s.  I also love that she blended science with a fantasy setting and thus threw others into a frenzy of where her books belonged (dragons=fantasy....but these are genetically engineered so science!  LOL)

I think I may have to reread (or listen) to these again, and maybe they won't be the same; but my 14 year old self devoured her books and wanted to live in Pern SO badly. You can find these books at most libraries & book stores in any format you like...though you may need to special order some titles as they are older and may not be as easy to find.

A.J. Sherwood writes a lot!  Multiple books a year (and under numerous names); so I grabbed her latest series; which was published in a serial/novella format and republished all in one volume later; and now has continued with the "How I Took the King on a Bone-a-Fide Quest of Piracy, Piemu and Profit" also being published in serial format.  This series is pure silliness and fun with a smidge of reality to keep it from floating away (or being so ridiculous you can't deal).  I love Sherwood's light touch of writing as it always maintains that balance between characters with real issues and silliness to make you laugh.  In "How I Stole...." Tan (the great evil sorcerer) is asked by Devan (the White Knight) to save a town from a barbarian horde  as the Princess has decided the town isn't worth the expense of defending it.  I love the interplay between the two main characters but I also love that the "good princess" is actually horrible and that the "evil sorcerer" is.....mostly not evil (mostly).  Anyway, I love the escapist quality of this series, and encourage you to try it.  This series, and most of Sherwood's books, are mostly found on Amazon for purchase or through Kindle Unlimited for reading as she is an independent author without a publishing house.

Becky Chambers is a relatively new discovery and I have to admit, I wasn't sure I would like her books.....but I tried them and I'm glad.   The Monk & Robot series especially seemed very odd to me but now that I've read it, I get it.  Self aware robots learning about humanity from a monk who serves tea and studies the human condition didn't sound like anything I would ever read; and yet the quiet conversations and discoveries by each made this story so well done and gave it such depth.  I highly recommend you check out this and other books by Chambers, she is one to watch.

You can find these books at most libraries & book stores in any format you like.

Carry On is the new incarnation/new direction of the Chronicles of an Urban Druid series.  Tempest does write this with a co-author, but I decided not to hold that against her as the series is fun and engaging.  It feels like reading a Dungeons & Dragons campaign where the one character rolls all nat-20's.....i.e...can do almost magically impossible things.  In the original series, it focused on Fionna, in the new series it is focused on her two brothers who are centered on the magical island that Fionna discovered and helped bring back to life.  I do love the series and am enjoying this new direction, while seeing the continuing family growth happening in the background.  

This is pure escapism at its finest and I am here for it.  You can find the books in e-format on Hoopla as well as on audio; they are also available on Kindle Unlimited.

                 

Carriger, in both of her names (G.L. or Gail) has written some memorable characters and so I picked two of my favorites.  In the Parasol Protectorate Series, the French designer Genevieve Lefoux is known for being an "original", wearing men's suits and making inventions which are useful (and explode sometimes!).  In Romancing the Inventor Genevieve gets her own story and it is as fun, though shorter, as the rest of the series and when she finds her perfect lady, she gets her own happily ever after.

5th Gender is a part of the Tinkered Stars series, which I have not finished but seem to be separate stories set into the same universe.  This story is a mystery involving a "non-accidental" death that happens in a culture where there is literally no words for murder.  The species are highly secretive but one of their exiled citizens happens to be on board and also happens to fancy the detective trying to solve the crime without starting an inter-species incident.  Carriger's story is simply fun and explores the ideas of love and gender within the context of an alien species which has 5 acknowledged genders.

Gail Carriger's books (and her associated teen series) can be found at any book store or library; her G.L. Carriger titles are found on her website or are available for purchase through any e-book vendor but haven't been as widely distributed due to their more adult content.

Okorafor writes a lot of amazing titles, so I just picked one that mixed horror, science fiction and political commentary beautifully.  Lagoon is told in alternating voices after a space ship crash lands in the waters of Lagos.  I don't want to say too much as it is all so delicately layered in the storytelling; but essentially there are those who are exited at the idea of aliens, those who wish to exploit the aliens (and already exploit the humans), and then there are the aliens with their own agenda.......I highly recommend this as Okorafor explores a variety of reasons for why each character behaves the way they do as well as the consequences those actions have for everyone.  Not everywhere is as corrupt as Lagos, but there are many places that are....and the storytelling is just amazing.

You can find these books at most libraries & book stores in any format you like.

 Cody's books are silly & light but with a slightly more murderous bend than some may be comfortable with.....but I adore this series and have read it multiple times.  The story is told in first person; from the perspective of Romily, who is mute and communicates mostly through texts.  Fox is the murderer in question, and also the person who Romily identifies as "future husband"......to be fair, Fox is on the side of good and only kills the bad guys....but he is REALLY good at it.   Cody mixes magic, myth and humor along with a smidge of romance in a truly original style that is hard to explain but I found entrancing.  She has a variety of other stories, but this series is my ultra-fav of them all.

Cody's titles are only found on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited as she is an independent author.

In order to keep mixing up genres (as evidenced by the title of the blog); I have included Lindsey's Irons & Works books, this story collection being the newest in the series.  Lindsey's titles feature romantic relationships between two men but what she adds is that each book includes one or both main characters having physical and/or mental issues that they are living with.  Lindsey doesn't write these from a fetish viewpoint but from a lens of "everyone deserves love".  I love how this small town in Colorado is created to be so welcoming and interconnected.  I also appreciate the work that Lindsey puts into each book, working with experts and those who live with the conditions being highlighted about their experiences so that she can work those into the story in a way that feels authentic. Some of the issues can be triggering, so always pay attentions to the trigger warnings at the start of the book; but nonetheless they always have a happy ending, which is part of the appeal.  I love a good happy story.

Lindsey's titles are only found on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited as she is an independent author.

Thorne's book is a truly cozy fantasy story with a sapphic romance to add extra sweetener.  The main character is Reyna, who is one of the queen's personal guards.  All she wants is to run away with her secret love, Kianthe who is a powerful mage, and open a bookshop and live happily ever after. 

When the two of them finally run away, they start to make their dreams come true, but can they truly escape the reach of the powerful queen?

I love that the main dream is to have a quiet life in a bookstore; and I adore that they actually get to do it but cannot escape their own hero tendencies.

This is such a sweet and fun story with a solid romance!

You can find Thorne's books in many book shops and libraries as well as all types of ebook stores.

DeMarco has created a really cool and memorable character in Sophie.  She is kind of a badass punk but she is really struggling to find work and remain in her apartment.  When she saves a guy from an attack and ends up working at the town morgue, she discovers both an unexpected magical talent as well as the hidden magical community of "others" (shifters, nonhumans and other assorted types).  In the Sophie Feegle series the character finds more about where she came from, her magical abilities and the community; especially the hot Fox shifter police officer.....

This is a suspenseful and interesting series with complex characters and lots to explore.  DeMarco's titles are only found on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited as she is an independent author.

Avery's Beyond the Veil series is another of my newer obsessions.  She has written 6 so far (3 featuring the medium and the orc and 3 featuring the elf and the shifter).  Avery's world building of a world where a virus has disrupted life came out near the beginning of the Covid epidemic but she added a dose of magic; meaning you could "catch" a magical ability or be actually turned into a nonhuman (orc, vampire, ghoul, elf, shifter, or faun).  The relationships she builds between characters are beautifully done and feel real.  All of the stories feature a suspense driven story and each builds on the other, even when the focus changes to focus on a new main character.  Avery isn't afraid to explore racism and ablism but by changing it to "less than humans" it really allows her to talk about it in a way that works with the story and makes the reader think about what that looks like in the "regular" world.  This is a M/M romance series and she doesn't shy away from sex, so if that isn't your cup of tea, this will not be something you enjoy.  I am constantly recommending this series to people, and now it is not only available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited but can also be found on Hoopla through many library's ebook options.

Ilona Andrews is actually a pseudonym for a husband/wife team, but again, as she is a major part of the storytelling, I am willing to overlook it & feature the series here.  As the main character (and the author) share a Russian background; there is lots of references to those folktales and fables; but as she has created a world where magic is taking over from science, lots of myths and fables are coming to life.  Magic Tides is a side step from her Kate Daniels series; taking place when Kate & her husband move in order to try and get their son Conlon an education and a life out from the shadow of Curran's and Kate's magical legacies.  Of course they are immediately thrown into a dramatic and life-threatening situation but it's okay....they both know how to kickass and take names.   I have been reading (and rereading and listening) to Kate Daniels & other Andrews titles for years; I love Andrews writing and characters.  You can find Ilona Andrews titles at most book stores and libraries as well as ebook spots.

This is another husband/wife team, but this time it's for a post-apocalyptic adventure.  We follow best friends Shane and Lucas as they work to maintain their Marshall duties in a world gone mad.  Martin's exploration of what this world looks like, the investigations and the struggles the characters have is what makes this series so addicting.  I adore that she has the two best friends and brothers allowing the authors to explore intimacy in a nonsexual and friend-based context.  I also love how interesting and different the adventures are and the way that this dystopian world was built.

Martin's titles are only found on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited as she/they are independent authors.

I have loved the way Mira Grant writes for awhile.  So finding her take on mermaids is amazing.  As usual, Grant straddles the line between thriller and horror with amazing balance....and her science based focus on what could be makes it feel so believable.

In this story Grant has a mysterious lost ship with footage of mermaids attacking a ship; and a new voyage determined to prove that it was real.......backed by an entertainment company rather than scientists so the focus of attention is different....and frighteningly real.  There is supposed to be a sequel to this though nothing has been confirmed as far as dates or titles; however, I definitely recommend this and all of Mira Grant's titles. You can find Mira Grant at most book stores and libraries.

Sorry it's so long, but it's as short as I could make it.....hope you find something new to try!