Lara Zielinsky's Blog: Newsletter, page 2

Pride & Presents

In coordination with several other author members of the Rainbow Romance Writers chapter of the Romance Writers of America, I am proud to announce that I have a new short story “Call Me By Name” included in the Pride & Presents LGBTQ romance anthology. Official release date is October 17, 2023, but the anthology is … Continue reading Pride & Presents

Coming Out

Today is National Coming Out Day in the LGBTQ+ community. Some readers – and writers – say that the coming out story is passe. No longer necessary. No longer relevant. I’m glad for them that their environments are comfortable to be themselves. I still think many people are looking for role models, guides, or even … Continue reading Coming Out

Author Appearance

Two weeks from today! October 21 is the date set for Come Out With Pride, the annual pride celebration in Orlando, Florida. Every year we have a parade, speakers, and lots and lots of vendors. We all hang out, showing up and showing out our Pride. I partnered with MJ Maguire, Ali Spooner, and Jayme … Continue reading Author Appearance

Body Language

National Body Language Day is today, the first Friday in October. I am huge on body language when I write. Especially using it to show when a person is not in sync emotionally with what they’re saying. I think this affinity for body language comes from my own life experience. I spent a great deal … Continue reading Body Language

LGBTQ History

Today begins National LGBTQ+ History Month. Why October and not June? June is declared “Pride Month” in honor of several landmark events that established the LGBTQ+ community: the Stonewall riots in 1969, the legalization of same-sex marriage in the U.S. in 2013, etc. However, the first Pride March on Washington (1979) occurred in October that … Continue reading LGBTQ History

Breakfast in Bed

Today is National Breakfast in Bed Day. I find serving breakfast in bed really romantic. My grandfather served my grandmother breakfast in bed every weekend or holiday morning that I knew them. They were married for 60-something years. I am a morning person, so breakfast in bed is something I can easily do to show … Continue reading Breakfast in Bed

Bi Visibility in books

This week (Sept. 18-25) is Bi Visibility Week. I have the hardest time with this. Particularly in finding good stories. “Sapphic” is a lovely umbrella term, and I’m glad that organizations that began with a focus on lesbian books have begun to adopt the term as a way to be more inclusive of bisexual, transgender, … Continue reading Bi Visibility in books

Anthology inclusion

Auspiciously, today is Talk Like a Pirate Day, so it feels great to be able to make this announcement today. The Romance Writers of America chapter Rainbow Romance Writers (LGBTQ+) is putting the final touches on an anthology of winter holiday stories titled Pride & Presents. I will have a story in it! This will … Continue reading Anthology inclusion

Why read

Today is International Literacy Day. It is naturally important to every writer that people read. We want our ideas considered and consumed. If there are no readers consuming a writer’s words, we’re kinda out of a job. Consuming words of a writer is “easy” when it’s a movie or a play, even a song on … Continue reading Why read

Hispanic Heritage Month

September is designated as Hispanic Heritage Month. This is more about creating characters generally than creating Hispanic or Latin characters specifically. But I think it’s valuable to discuss how to consider a character’s heritage when creating a character for fiction. I will never claim expertise or write the Hispanic “experience” as the central plot in … Continue reading Hispanic Heritage Month