Ciara Darren

Tonight was another really wonderful Working dinner night with friends, getting together on the floor of the living room with all of our projects and coworking over good food and holding space for the work we want to accomplish. I recommend putting together your own working dinner!

A couple of the books that have made my life more beautiful: Axel's Pup by Kim Dare. Captive/Sire/Broken by Jex Lane. Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts by Lyn Gala. Who knows how many times I will reread these books and others. Comfort rereads.

next a cascade of falling books, it reads: smashwords read an ebook sale. March 1-7 get you some free and cheap books!

Anyway, what I was trying to post was a reminder about the Smashwords ebook sale this week, which plenty of free and cheap books. Also if you're trying to catch up on the Beings because of Everlasting Love coming out, there are some of those on sale as well. Smashwords.com

Thank you!

Will this be available on Kobo by chance?

You have me at "fighting against a corrupt government".

Pre-orders are up on Amazon with the rest of the stores soon to follow: Dark Second Change MXM Romance. Sanctum Book 1: Prior Claim.

This is a standalone serial, meaning it can be read without reading my other books. BUT, it will also satisfy readers of the Residency Boys who want to know more.

My friend is telling me how awesome #HeatedRivalry is to watch but I am not allowed to start a show until I finish writing #Sanctum Episode 7 because I KNOW I'm going to binge like crazy and get nothing done until I finish.

3 Transfem book recs: Shadows Over Ravenkirk by Vivian Moira Valentine The Sapling Cage by Margaret Killjoy Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders 3 Transmasc book recs: A Hex for Hunger by Alistair Reeves Silver Blood by TL Morgan The Prospects by K.T. Hoffman Queer trans BIPOC book recs: - Dulhaniyaa by Talia Bhatt - Confetti Realms by Nadia Shammas - Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto - The Tensorate Series by Neon Yang Genderfluid book recs: - Moth Dark by Kika Hatzopoulou - Court of the Undying Seasons by A.M. Strickland (side character) - Orlando by Virginia Woolf Books with more than one trans main character: - Self Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore - In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu - The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

Sci-fi books with non-binary main characters: - Key Lime Sky by Al Hess - Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto - Terms of Service by Ciel Pierlot 3 historical romance books with trans main characters: - A Gentleman’s Gentleman by TJ Alexander - The Chromatic Fantasy by H.A. - A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell (this is the only one on the list I haven’t read yet) 15 of these books are written by trans or non-binary authors. Support trans people, read trans books, be kind to one another.

I’m trans. I love being trans.

But fuck me. Can we get ONE week without some new fresh hell to deal with?

Anyway, here are 22 trans books I highly recommend, in various genres, with varied representation.

Take care of your trans friends. We are not OK. 📚💙 📚🏳️‍🌈 📚🏳️‍⚧️

A digital drawing of author Maia Kobabe, a white nonbinary person with short brown hair wearing a patterned blue shirt, who scowls while holding up a copy of eir book GENDER QUEER: A MEMOIR. Maia is saying: H.R. 7661 is a national book banning bill which seeks to remove any book that "involves gender dysphoria or transgenderism" from all public schools in the US. This would ban my books, and any other book with trans themes, from public schools. PLEASE call your House Reps and say: NO ON H.R. 7661!

H.R. 7661 is a national book banning bill which seeks to remove any book that "involves gender dysphoria or transgenderism" from all public schools in the US. This would ban all my books, & any other book with trans themes, from public schools. PLEASE call your House Reps & say: NO ON H.R. 7661!

All books from CMU Press | booksellers.ca | Purchase print books and eBooks online A network of over 100 bookstores, more than 500,000 print books or eBooks, unparalleled expertise. It is possible to buy local on the Web!

It's been a long time coming. Canadian independent bookstores have banded together to create an online book buying source so you can avoid the behemoth in the room. (Here are the titles published by CMU Press, which I run.)
Spread the word #booksky!

www.booksellers.ca/publisher/cmu-press-18021

Top of my head, I want the cafe in Send To a Fantasy World and Now All the Men Want Me by @jaclynosborn.bsky.social to be around the block from me. Walking distances for everything and running into friends all the time would be lovely.

If you could add one element of a book you recently read to your local environment, what would it be?

MM authors on Kobo

You're in the spreadsheet. Here's a copy! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Just to be clear, no shade on taking classes. There's a ton of good education material out there. I just find that nothing brings confidence except doing the thing. When I got on my first plane to a foreign country, I had to close my eyes to cross the threshold!

Hypastia lives a long, wonderful life, respected and teaching many others like her.

Saw someone advertising something that included the line "do this and write with confidence". I chuckled.

My experience: there is no pill or class that offers confidence.

Write badly. Write often. Keep writing.

Confidence might show up.

Meanwhile, you'll have a story, a book, or a song.

It came through! I'll update the list and send you a link tomorrow. Heading to bed now.

Not someone you can reach out to again, then, I suppose. I do all my own covers, so I don't have anyone I'm currently working with, or have worked with in the last three years.

I always remember your covers for Treasure for Treasure and A Boy and His Dragon. The whole series is gorgeous!

Why My Characters use Celsius (and other Metric Systems) An editor once sent me back a note that read something like, “It will be easier on your American readers if you use inches here.”  I read that feedback twice because I respect my editors; then…

New blogpost inspired by an editor's note. If you are a U.S. author writing a character from outside the U.S., do they talk/think in metric/Celsius or not?

I just finished reading a nonfiction book by a British author set in Asia and realized everything was in miles. ciaradarren.com/2026/02/25/w...

Yes! The spreadsheet is currently MM strictly, due to the audiences I originally crafted for. Please send me your link to your book as soon as you have it!

Turns out, it's sewer, not gas. Yay! The heat stays on. Sigh... calling landlord tomorrow.

Hm... what to do while I wait for the gas company to come check out the apartment for a weird smell.

Five indie authors I've read at least five books by:

Nora Pheonix
@noraphoenix.bsky.social

Sloane Kennedy
@sloanekennedy.bsky.social

R. Cooper
@rcooper.bsky.social

Jaclyn Osborn
@jaclynosborn.bsky.social

Author Roe Horvat
@roehorvat.bsky.social

I echo this so much. This was a lovely, beautiful read. I loved the focus on the city through people but still a system for people. The love story was comforting.

Five indie authors I've read at least five books by:

AK Faulkner @poopraven.bsky.social
Dani Finn @danifinnwrites.bsky.social
Kara Jorgensen @authorkaraj.bsky.social
DN Bryn @dnbryn.bsky.social
Ciara Darren @ciaradarren.bsky.social

Hail, My Demons – Jun In Damian & Jun, there are a lot of song lyrics written by Jun. I thought I’d share the full lyrics of one of them today. I can hear the music in my head, but haven’t figured out how to get it …

New Blogpost Up. If you wanted the full lyrics to Jun's song "Hail, My Demons" I've released them here for the first time. Along with the recording I made while I was working on it.
ciaradarren.com/2026/02/16/h...

Thank you to beta readers who give the author that push of excitement to get through the stages of editing.

Good luck! I hope you travel safe.