Sage Nestler's Blog, page 2

Author Acquisition Announcement: E.E.W. Christman

I am so excited to be able to share with you our newest author acquisition at my publisher, Pride with a Bite, E.E.W. Christman!

We will be publishing E.E.W. Christman’s novella, Waxing Off, in October 2025. The book will feature artwork by our partnered artist, Nick Dunkenstein.

Two words: gay werewolvesStay tuned for more updates! LEARN MORE ABOUT E.E.W. CHRISTMAN Make a one-time donation

Thank you so much for your support! Your donation helps me to keep sharing the beauty of horror, especially works by marginalized creators, with the world.

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Author Interview with “The Friendly Bear We Don’t Deserve” Paul Coccia

Book: Recommended Reading

Author: Paul Coccia



I had the pleasure of discovering Paul Coccia when I was put on a tour for his newest book, "Recommended Reading." I quite literally fell in love with this book, and with Paul as a person. We have formed a friendship, and I am so excited about the queer joy and vunerability to YA lit concerning body image especially. I hope that you enjoy our interview, and that it inspires you to read the book – or share it with any kids that you know. It is a treasure!

- Sage Nestler, MSW (He/They) – Founder of Peachy Keen Reviews & Bibliotherapy

Paul, growing up as a plus-size, queer, book loving kid, your new novel “Recommended Reading” spoke to me. I didn’t have access to any books with queer characters, let alone plus size ones. Bobby is quite literally my doppleganger! What were some of your inspirations for creating Bobby’s character?

Samesies! A lot of who I am tends to bleed into my characters and give them life.

I often got asked with my first book, Cub, if I was the main character. With Recommended Reading, I keep getting that readers hear my voice when they read Bobby. Physically, we’re similar although I think Bobby rocks his curves better.

When I was trying to understand Bobby, he struck me as a lot of my favourite aspects of Jane Austen’s Emma Woodhouse, especially Clueless’ adaptation. He’s meddlesome but well-meaning, benevolent, socially aware yet lacking self-awareness at times, and he has pretty good self-esteem, so he holds a belief he knows better than those around him.

I also fell in love with Bobby’s big main character energy. He isn’t going to let how he looks or who he is stop him from achieving his goals. In fact, sometimes he’s a bit too determined.

There are not nearly enough queer YA books that feature plus-size characters (with the exception of our beloved Julie Murphy.) With the way your story reached my inner child, I am so excited for how it will touch, and is already touching, other readers. Why do you think body diversity is important in young adult books specifically?

That there isn’t a Julie Murphy Official Fan Club may only be because there would be fist fights to see who the ultimate super fan is. We are all super fans! Julie is absolutely phenomenal.

I consider myself fortunate and privileged that I get to take part in the conversation surrounding weight, body image, and body/fat positivity. I learn a lot from these conversations. It’s also important to note that body diversity isn’t just about weight but includes other elements such as race, culture, gender, or ability.

To get personal, I was a kid whose pediatrician convinced my parents to put me on a diet from the age of six. I don’t blame my parents by the way who were doing what they felt was best for my health, especially not my mom who, as a woman, was raised in a culture where she was constantly being told to lose weight and was held to unrealistic body image standards. I saw my grandma and nonna struggle too and there are really funny stories about my grandma and I going on fad diets together.

But what I absorbed from the medical system and other places (school, neighbors, strangers who made comments) was that my body was wrong and needed correction. And when I didn’t lose weight, I wasn’t working hard enough at or committing hard enough to the solution. There was also messaging around morality because to that pediatrician, I was lazy and should be ashamed I wasn’t able to lose weight and look like my siblings or other kids. By the time I hit puberty, I was seeing a dietician and nutritionist which wasn’t a bad experience but was demoralizing. No surprise, I still do a lot of unpacking and dismantling of the relationships I developed with my own body and food and still have hang ups. Writing a character like Bobby helps me write a narrative that I was never going to be allowed to live.

I hope readers are able to see that their bodies are not problems to be fixed. Weight loss isn’t necessarily THE or even A solution. Frankly, it may not be achievable or even desirable. It was not healthy. I was made to feel very alone and also separate from my own body, which created a cycle in a child where it became very easy to look at my body as something deserving of criticism and hate. I would never wish someone else to have to experience these things, and so writing for young adults who can reject a damaging narrative earlier than I did is optimistic resistance on my part.

It’s important we keep telling stories where the plot issue and resolution hinge entirely on issues of appearance or identity. Showing a fat character living a happy, healthy life should not be that revolutionary, and I hope one day soon it no longer is.

The way you presented queer and body joy, while also highlighting the difficulties that can simultaneously arise, especially in adolescence, was so raw and honest. What would you like readers to know who might be struggling with their body image?

It’s important to remember that as we age, our bodies will change. So, it’s important to love your body as it is today, not as it may be tomorrow or may never be. I’m all for having the body you want, but realistically, you’ve got the one you have right now and tomorrow may not come. A lot of time is wasted on self-hate that you could spend enjoying yourself and living your life.

People like me or Bobby (and there are a lot of us) need to know we are beautiful, we were made right, and we are deserving of love no matter what body we live in. And it is our bodies, and we should rock them.

I also think it’s important to note that as someone no longer a teen myself, I look back on photos and I look young and (to toot my own horn) hot! All I remember feeling like was an ugly blob. I wasted not just time but energy and didn’t do things because I believed I was huge and hideous. I was not any of those things. My perspective was so off, and it took time to gain a more honest perspective. I also was probably spending my time and energy doing more damage to myself than good.

Also, your body is a fact. It doesn’t require anybody’s explanations or opinions. It just is. And you can be happy in it. You can be happy, period. No explanations or opinions needed for that either.

I loved the way you made Bobby’s connection with books seem so intimate. As a bibliotherapist myself, I loved how he essentially was a blossoming bibliotherapist with his ability to choose books for people based on what they need in the moment. What are some books that have been healing for you?

Books that were healing to me were usually because the right book came to me at the right moment. Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan was one and it was a hard book for me at first because it was the first queer book I read where the protagonists weren’t dealing with homophobia as the main issue in a queer story AND it was happy! Crazy! I’d only ever read queer books that ended in heartbreak, misery, or death and where the entire plot hinged on identity.

Another book that came to me at just the right moment was Michelle Kadarusman’s The Theory of Hummingbirds. It’s a book as much about a girl born with a clubfoot and her aspirations for when she has her final surgery to heal it as it is about reassessing and re-establishing one’s dreams and what it’s like to be extraordinary.

With laughter being good medicine, no books make me laugh as hard as Susan Juby’s. I adore them all. Each novel is a gem but her most recent are a series of murder mysteries starring a former Buddhist monk turned butler turned detective (reluctantly, by necessity) named Helen Thorpe. No one but Susan could pull off this premise. Susan was also the one who told me to read Boy Meets Boy, so we love Susan.

What is something you would tell your younger self that you wish you had known at the time?

My semi-serious answer is to start a skincare routine immediately. It’s good advice. An SPF moisturizer and a good cleanser will keep your skin from a lot of damage.

I think I might be a bit of a Cass, Bobby’s mother, and encourage a younger me to make more mistakes and take more risks (within reason.)

Mistakes just mean you learn how to correct and/or move on. There is always an excuse not to do the thing, so just do the thing. I don’t want to be in an assisted living facility one day thinking about the things I wish I did and knowing the only thing that held me back was me. It’s easier to do them and if you fail, oh well, you didn’t fail because you didn’t try.

“We Bite Back” is Now Available in Various Barnes & Noble Bookstores

I am thrilled to announce that we have been approved at my Queer Horror Publishing House – Pride with a Bite – by Barnes & Noble to have our charity anthology, We Bite Back, stocked IN-STORE at various locations across the United States!

Publishing this anthology in such a short timeframe was incredibly difficult, but we are so excited about the impact it is having! We have already raised upwards of $225 from this first quarter of royalties from Human Rights Campaign, and numerous bookstores across the globe are stocking it both online and in-store. A few indie stores even sold out of all copies!

We have many new stores to share that have begun to stock the anthology (including a few in the UK and Australia), so keep an eye out for news on those!

Thank you to everyone who has supported this anthology, and to our contributors for lending their voices. We are truly making a difference!

SHOP “WE BITE BACK” ON OUR WEBSITE

Interview with Author Erika T. Wurth

Erika T. Wurth is a Native author of the new book, The Haunting of Room 904 – a book I devoured not once but twice, and I am not usually a re-reader. Her novel, White Horse, was my introduction to her work, and I immediately loved the gritty and graceful voice she brings to the horror & thriller genres. She is a local author to me, and having grown up in Colorado, I admire how she incorporates landmarks that are so iconic to Denver. This book highlights a tragedy that occurred here, referred to as “the massacre.” Erika incorporated this historical event with paranormal themes in such a searing, yet delicate, way.

I enjoyed reviewing an early copy of The Haunting of Room 904 and interviewing Erika for its release. I am excited to share our interview with you, and I hope that it inspires you to pick up not only her book but to actively read works by Native authors.

SM: It has been a long time since I found a novel so enthralling that I read it in a single evening, and your novel The Haunting of Room 904 did just that. Can you tell me what inspired you to write such a heartfelt yet heartbreaking and essential novel?

ETW: I’m so glad you found it so engaging! The plot in particular, was a bear for me with this one. As to inspiration, a lot of things were going on for me. I like to think I write for joy, primarily, but in many ways, the central themes in this novel revolve around grief and trauma. Historical trauma, regarding the massacre, and intense professional trauma—I feel that at a time in which Natives are gaining ground, there’s also a tremendous amount of violence and lateral violence when it comes to our work. I wish non-natives would check their sources, when it comes to what they’re seeing about us. I was also going through a difficult family trauma at the time, and I think that’s clear with the theme of differences and deep similarities between siblings and how that can affect one’s fundamental identity. However, I also wanted to write a novel about how ceremony can be contemporary and magical and can help us move forward in our lives.

Learning about the massacre made me so angry, first because of how horrific it was, and second because I had never heard of it before. What made you want to incorporate this specific history into your novel?

I grew up not far from where this massacre occurred (right outside of Denver)— so in many ways, it’s always on my mind. Additionally, I have a cousin whose ancestors lost relatives at that massacre.  However, if folks want to read a novel that also addresses Sand Creek by someone who is Cheyenne/Arapahoe, they should read WANDERING STARS by Tommy Orange. But it felt necessary to address, and in fact disrespectful not to address something that happened so close to where I grew up and affected someone I love so much.

Being from Colorado myself, I love how you incorporated such important landmarks and chose to highlight the Brown Palace in this novel. Is there a reason you chose this landmark as the focal point of your story?

In many ways, I chose it because it’s cool. And also because I grew up not far from the Brown Palace, and have gone there for various reasons over the years. But mainly because it’s reputed to be haunted. Room 904 is supposed to be haunted by someone I very much based the character off of, a fascinating historical figure when it comes to the city of Denver—though I took much in terms of poetic license. It’s said that when there wasn’t a phone in the room, and the Brown was doing major renovations, they kept getting calls from that room. Additionally, it’s just a great Denver landmark.

By incorporating grief, trauma, and Native history that is so often ignored, your novel is an incredible tool for spreading awareness and increasing empathy. What do you hope that readers will take away from your novel?

I have to admit, I hope that people read works by Indigenous authors for more than education— for fun and joy and because the art of the thing is equal to the art of any book by any person. Because one can always read an essay about subject matter. And I don’t think I’m any different, for example, from a southern writer (of any ethnic background) who incorporates aspects of southern history into their work, which also has a deep history of grief and trauma. That said, though I very much enjoyed incorporating things like haunted mirrors, demons, and other ghostly stuff, of course Native history, specifically as relates to my ancestral line, and to Colorado, matters to me very much.

About Erika T. Wurth

Erika T. Wurth’s novel WHITE HORSE is a New York Times editors pick, a Good Morning America buzz pick, and an Indie Next, Target book of the Month, and BOTM Pick. She is both a Kenyon and Sewanee fellow, has published in The Kenyon Review, Buzzfeed, and The Writer’s Chronicle, and is a narrative artist for the Meow Wolf Denver installation. She is an urban Native of Apache/Chickasaw/Cherokee descent. She is represented by Rebecca Friedman for books, and Dana Spector for film. She lives in Denver with her partner, step-kids and two incredibly fluffy dogs.

Please Read: https://erikatwurth.com/statement-on-identity-and-harassment/

Book Review: A Book that Should Become Required Reading

The Haunting of Room 904 by Erika T. WurthSynopsisRating5/5Spooky Rating4/5Quick Take

The Haunting of Room 904 by Erika T. Wurth was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025, and I read my ARC within two days because I was so captivated. It beautifully captures grief; sheds light on important historical event and had a twist that took me by surprise. It was tragic, painful, and the suspense was palpable. This book simply deserves to become a must-read in the thriller/horror realm.

Tell Me More

It has taken me a long time to compile my thoughts on The Haunting of Room 904, because I am afraid that my words will not do it justice.  This is the first time that I have felt that way, because this book is so important to me.

I have loved Wurth’s work for quite some time.  I also think it is great that we live in the same state, because the places she often mentions are places that I am aware of or have been a part of my entire life since I was born in Colorado and remain here.  But beyond that, there is something about her writing style that is just so unique and edgy.  I went into The Haunting of Room of 904 blind when I was honored to receive an ARC of it months ago, but I seriously could not tear myself away.

The book is at once suspenseful, and a lighter paranormal thriller/horror, but incorporates a historical event that I knew nothing about.  I am still so angry that I never knew about it, especially since I live here.  I will call it the Massacre, as Wurth does in the book out of respect.  The book features a website about the Massacre that can give you further details, so I don’t want to go too far into it.  But you can find the link below.  I just want to say that the way Wurth incorporated it, and two-spirit representation, was brutal, painful, and so, so necessary.  My heart genuinely hurts after reading this novel, and it is essential reading, to say the VERY least.  I read it twice to try and ensure that my review gives it justice.

Olivia, our main character, lost her sister and never expected to receive the gift to hear or see spirits.  She is one of the most sought-after paranormal investigators in Denver, and Wurth’s incorporation of different listings for various tools for paranormal investigators was a fun addition.  I loved the LGBTQ+ representation throughout the novel, as well as HIV, and how a big plot point in the story takes place at the Brown Palace here in Denver.  Wurth created a unique cast of characters and events with twists that I did not anticipate – which was a nice surprise.  For a paranormal thriller/horror to also pack such an emotional punch is something only Wurth is capable of, and I have been recommending this novel to everyone I know.  I simply have no words, other than PLEASE READ IT.  

QuotesResources

Sand Creek Massacre: https://www.sandcreekmassacrefoundation.org/

People of the Sacred Land: https://peopleofthesacredland.org/

Suicide in Indian Country: https://www.nicoa.org/national-american-indian-and-alaska-native-hope-for-life-day/

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OPEN CALL: Horror Submissions by Queer Authors

Hello, Everyone!

At Pride with a Bite, my queer horror publisher, we are officially open for independent queries! We recently published our first charity anthology, We Bite Back – which fully supports Human Rights Campaign – and we are releasing a poetry collection by a new author soon.

However, we are looking for independent queries of horror/horror-adjacent novels, novellas, or collections by queer authors.

For query information and requirements, please visit: https://pridewithabite.com/query/

Questions?

Email us at info@pridewithabite.com

Sage Moon

Editor-in-Chief of Pride with a Bite

Cover Reveal: We Bite Back – A Queer Horror Anthology

I am so excited to reveal the cover for the upcoming queer charity anthology through my indie publisher, Pride with a Bite, “We Bite Back!”

Full Submission Information: https://pridewithabite.com/charity-anthology-we-bite-back/

Submissions are open through December 31, 2024

There are not a lot of restrictions on what you can and can’t write or create. I want this to be as open as possible, so you have the chance to channel whatever you feel brewing within you.

Your community needs your voice now more than ever, and we will always be a safe space for you.

You are important. You matter. The world would not be the same without you.

WE would not be the same without you.

Be angry, be sad, feel your grief and fear, and then channel it into your work. I hope that opening this opportunity up for you, you can find some solace in the creation and know that you are not alone – it is an excellent way to meet other creators who are in your corner.

While this is not a paid opportunity, all royalties will go to support Human Rights Campaign – an organization that fights for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community

TO SUBMIT

Email info@pridewithabite.com with the following information:

NameName you would like your piece published under (if using a pen name or “anonymous”)Title of workIf the piece has been published elsewhereShort bio with any identities you would like shared (this is not required – and you do not have to submit a bio if publishing “anonymously”)Please attach written pieces as a Word documentPlease attach art pieces as a PDF300 DPIUp to 6×9 inchesQuestions or need support?

Feel free to email us: info@pridewithabite.com

Bonus information

Your pieces don’t have to be new, and they can be submitted to both our anthology and ezine if you’d like. It is also okay if your piece has been published before, as long as you didn’t sign a contract with another anthology saying it won’t be published elsewhere.You can submit your pieces to be published anonymously or under a pen name to protect your information and identity. Your identity will not be shared and you do not have to include a bio in these case – just make a note of this when submitting your pieces.Make a one-time donation

Thank you so much for your support! It means the world to me.

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Book Review: One of the Most Important Reads of the Year

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White SynopsisOverall Rating

5/5

Spooky Rating

4/5

Quick Take

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White is an extremely hard read that should be required reading. I simply cannot sum it up for you more than to just say – read it.

Tell Me More

Ooof, you guys. I had said a while back that this book played a huge part in saving my life, and that has only intensified since I have officially changed my pronouns to They/He and have opened up about being trans masculine during a very scary time in our world.

Compound Fracture is bloody, gritty, and horrific in every sense of the word. But the scares here aren’t classic. While there is a paranormal aspect, it is about how the worst monsters are human, and those who SHOULD protect us are so often violent beyond measure. The book is set in White’s native West Virginia, and sheds light on Appalachian and mining culture, oxycontin addiction, lack of proper healthcare, police brutality, generational trauma, and the dangers of being queer and/or having a disability, or in any way being “othered,” in these rural areas.

The book follows Miles, a trans, autistic teen from a bloodline that has long been targeted by the sheriff and his family. Miles is attacked by the sheriff’s son and his friends, to the point of near death and permanent disfigurement, and after the assault, sets off on a mission to get bloody revenge on his attackers with his best friend, Cooper – following an accident that occurs with one of the boys. However, things unravel drastically, and the events lead to an atrocious climax that left me sobbing.

If you have followed me for any length of time, you are probably aware of my dislike for animal cruelty in horror. But in this case, it was necessary to portray the extent of evil of some of the characters. White did not include any unnecessary violence, he just shed light on these very real atrocities in such a brilliant and delicate (while still gruesome) way.

However, one character – my absolute favorite – is named Dallas and they are nonbinary, have permanent burn scars, and present masculine. I LOVED how White highlighted how nonbinary folx DO NOT owe anyone androgyny, and we are all valid however we present, which is something I often struggle with. He also highlighted aromanticism apart from asexuality, and how both orientations are entirely separate from each other despite being seen as one and the same most times.

White’s writing is a beacon of hope for trans/queer and neurodivergent readers such as myself, and while his books are young adult, they go SO HARD. If I had had his books as a teen it might not have taken me until I was 30 years old to come out as trans/queer and acknowledge my autistic traits to get help and understand myself. Instead, I always felt like something was wrong with me and internalized it (this book was an essential tool in helping me see myself in Miles’ experience with autism). Even so, it appears that this book came into my life exactly when it was supposed to do so.

White stated in his author letter that this story burns like moonshine going down, but to me, it felt more like a railroad spike shoved down the throat. While the ending is hopeful, the excruciating pain of that spike remains.

If you read nothing else this year, or any year, read this book. And that is something I have never said about any book. It is that important.

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Author Signing Announcement: Lennox Rex

We are beyond excited at Pride with a Bite to announce that we have signed with author Lennox Rex to publish his upcoming poetry collection! Lennox is one of our staff writers and has been published in a multitude of anthologies and publications. We love how eloquent his writing is, and we are positive this collection is going to help so many people and save so many lives.

This is a large project, and two editions of the collection will be published; however, the first edition is slated to be published in March 2025.

Stay tuned for more information!

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Interview with C.J. Leede

I had the honor of interviewing author C.J. Leede for her newest novel, American Rapture, and I am so excited to share it with you.

This book meant so much to me and it is an absolute must-read – especially for those who have been affected by religion in one way or another. C.J. Leede’s first novel, Maeve Fly, was a smash hit, and I love the ferocity that she translates into her writing. My official review of American Rapture will be up soon, but please enjoy her interview for the time being.

As someone who was raised Catholic and experienced a lot of abuse within the faith, I found your novel, American Rapture, to be so cathartic.  Do you have any specific experiences with the faith that led to the conception of this novel?

I’m so sorry to hear that, and I hope you’re okay. I was really so lucky in that I personally never experienced abuse in the church, but of course I know people who did, though I didn’t know that until I was older. For me growing up, I just struggled a lot with the ideas we were taught there, and they never really stopped hounding me for many years. It’s hard to pinpoint a moment because there were so many–my entire childhood in church and CCD and choir, and I was the kind of kid who listened to everything and took it all in, and the stories really are so frightening when you listen. But I do remember a Sunday school teacher specifically telling us that little girls were born into more sin than little boys, and that moment just stuck with me so much for so long because I kept thinking, that can’t be right, can it? Sometimes a little thought like that is all it takes.

I was moved to tears by your letter to the reader in the back of the book, and I am so sorry for the loss of your sweet soul-dog. I lost my soul-cat a year ago, a loss that was also more extreme than any I have experienced before, and I still wonder how I am going to survive.  How do you think readers experiencing any form of grief can find comfort, or at least exploration, in the horror genre?

Thank you, and I’m so sorry for your loss. I truly think it’s one of the worst things a person can live through, and it’s just one of the cruellest facts of our reality that our animals’ lifespans aren’t as long as ours. I feel in general that horror is a safe and important space to explore the worst things we live with in order to at least know that there is shared experience in those things. It’s a space to also show by contrast all that is beautiful and kind and gentle in this world, and I hope in my books (potentially Maeve being a bit of an outlier in this way) to always show both, to always reaffirm that life holds beauty and love too. And that even if we’re going to lose the ones we love one day, or they’ll lose us, we got the time together, and that’s really what matters.

You are such a master at creating strong female characters within the horror genre, first with Maeve Fly, and now with Sophie. Why do you think that it is important to create horror stories that surround such strong (if not wonderfully unhinged) women?

Thank you! I mean to me (and I’m sure many), it’s just so obvious– there are so many strong women in this world, so why wouldn’t they be in our books? I also feel that as a writer you have to love your characters for the reader to love them, and I personally tend to really love and respect characters who are curious and don’t take no for an answer and who are uniquely and imperfectly themselves, so I always try to give those attributes to my main characters especially.

Are there any religion-based horror novels or stories that inspired you with American Rapture?

I really didn’t read many when I was working on this actually. It was largely inspired by the Divine Comedy, and then of course biblical stories I learned growing up. I think probably on a slant it was inspired by Anne Rice because I am just so generally obsessed with all her work, but I wasn’t totally aware of it if so. But since I finished the book, I’ve read a lot more religious horror, and it’s been a fascinating education! There’s so much out there, and so much to learn from other authors and all the incredible work they’re producing.

Lastly, do you have any projects on the horizon that we can look forward to?

Yes! I’ve been working on a Colorado book for a while about ghosts, cannibals, and what lies beyond. I’m really so excited about it, and right now it’s tentatively set to come out Spring 2026. I got to explore two very distinct sides of myself with Sophie and Maeve, and the two main characters of this third book hold a lot more of the side of me that I haven’t gotten to write about yet– the outdoors-loving, quiet-seeking road hound and wanderer, and I’m very excited to live in that space while finishing it. In many ways, this third book is the truest to who I am now, and it feels very special to me for that reason. I’m hoping readers will feel the same when it gets in their hands and becomes theirs!

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