The Doors of Penlyon

Every year for the past few years, I’ve re-written a holiday story through a queer lens, retelling it as a way to retroactively tell stories to my younger self that include people like me. The first year, I wrote “Dolph,” (a retelling of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer). Then I wrote “Frost,” (a retelling of Frosty the Snow-Man), “Reflection,” …

The Five Crowns and Colonel’s Sabre

Every year for the past few years, I've re-written a holiday story through a queer lens, retelling it as a way to retroactively tell stories to my younger self that include people like me. The first year, I wrote "Dolph," (a retelling of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer). Then I wrote "Frost," (a retelling of Frosty …

Ornamental

Happy December! Today was the day my husband and I (and Max) put up the Christmas tree and decorated it. Now, if you've read Handmade Holidays, it's likely this blog post will not surprise you, but there's a story behind our tree. Well, not the tree itself, though there's a story behind that, too. Many …

Card Carrying

I'm struggling with the Christmas cards this year. (Please note this post doubles as an apology for any late Christmas cards you may receive). I normally enjoy writing them, and I sit down, put on some music, and go through the stacks of cards from last year to make sure I haven't missed anyone from …

Sunday Shorts – Sock it to Me, Santa! by Madison Parker

Ryan is assigned to Jamie Peterson for his class's secret gift exchange. If word gets out that he has to make a handcrafted gift for flamboyant and openly gay Jamie, Ryan will be the laughing stock of the school. It's a good thing no self-respecting boy would be caught dead in a craft store, because …

Handmade Holidays: Third Christmas

If you picked up my wee Christmas Novella, "Handmade Holidays," you may have noticed that over the course of the book, a few years get skipped. The third year—where the most famous of all the ornaments was up for grabs—is one of those skipped years. If you'd like to revisit the Misfit Toys, here's "Third …