Today I am so pleased to welcome Artemis Glass to Joyfully Jay. Artemis has come to talk to us about her latest release, The Paradox of Love and Death. She has also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

What Inspired You to Write THE PARADOX OF LOVE AND DEATH? Writing About Queer Grief and Love 

Over the past eight years, both reading and writing romance has been a veritable lifeline for me. I know I’m not alone when I say that I have often felt overwhelmed during this intense time of heartache and pain. Writing itself has always been a source of healing for me. I write queer and sapphic love stories, and a big thing that motivates me to write is that I want more sweet and spicy sapphic/ LGBTQ+/FLINTA stories with HFNs and HEAs in the world! 

I started writing THE PARADOX OF LOVE AND DEATH immediately after I attended the funeral for my mom’s childhood best friend that late spring 2016. 2016 was also the year that I first came out to my closest family and friends, and as those who have come out know, the journey can be at once liberating, joyful, celebratory as well as terrifying, hurtful, confusing, and lonely. Then life hit – multiple health crises, the pandemic, the impacts of the hatred-filled violence and terrifying policies that present daily challenges for my little LGBTQ family. 

Esther Perel describes how Death, like sex, is a taboo topic. She says, “Talking about death is talking about life—hopes, fears, uncertainty, imagination, legacy, connection, responsibility, love.” I wrote THE PARADOX OF LOVE AND DEATH to remind myself that it’s okay to want to find love in the aftermath of shocking loss and seemingly interminable grief. It’s a book about authentic hope, even during the darkest of times, which is a thing I think we all need right now, especially those of us who are Sapphic/FLINTA. 

As Adam James Cohen LMFT writes in Psychology Today, “finding ways to be with, express, and move through grief is an important process for LGBTQ+ adults seeking to heal from the impact of anti-queerness.” (Also, I really love the prompts recommended in this article, as they could be excellent starting points for writers who are trying to heal through writing and storytelling.)  I also love stories that provide authentic and often indirect representation, and as Stella Powers writes, that have “gay characters whose main storyline does not surround their sexuality.”  

What I’ve also found during my own journey, is that I feel more connected with writing when I am also making space to be present in my senses, because it’s often then that the creative juices start to flow. The writing itself is a healing space for me to question, problem-solve, and imagine hopeful ever-afters. Over the past year, I have increasingly leaned into the “sensually empowering” part of my bio by sharing hobbies/ practices that support my own healing journey — including gardening, cooking, crafting, as well as the process of writing queer adult romance HFNs and HEAs. 

Writing this novel has been intense and cathartic in that I’ve done my best to explore these very particular themes, both as a soul exploration for myself, and for my community of readers who are seeking similar stories of healing and growth. 

P.S. Re: My latest Shopify release: DATE WITH A BOOK: GET IN THE BATH AND SOB Book Lovers Book Box: Currently available: 20 signed copies of THE PARADOX OF LOVE AND DEATH, lavender-scented bath salts, homemade beeswax body balm, adorable Artemis Glass stickers and pins, delicious candy, Ukrainian tea packets, tealights for a cozy bath atmosphere, and even t a packet of TISSUES* that say ALWAYS remember that you are BRAVER than you believe, STRONGER than you seem, SMARTER than you think, LOVED more than you know, which I truly believe! <3 

*Fine print about my writing: While I cannot guarantee that it’ll make you cry, I also cannot promise you that it won’t make you cry… Learn more here: https://a4c9ab-d3.myshopify.com/

Blurb

Funeral crashing has been the best way for Noemi Moretti to release her pent-up emotions after the death of her parents. But on the anniversary of their passing, she meets Amara Forsythe, a beautiful UCLA student mourning her grandmother. Fate brings them together again at another funeral, but Noemi hides her true intentions from Amara. As their relationship blossoms, so do the lies that threaten to tear them apart. Can Noemi find a way to make things right before it’s too late?

The Paradox of Love and Death follows Noemi as she navigates through her grief and falls for Amara. But with secrets and guilt weighing heavily on her conscience, Noemi must confront the consequences of her actions before it’s too late. Fans of emotional and thought-provoking sapphic romances will love this poignant tale of love, loss, and what it means to truly live. As their connection deepens, so do the lies, and Noemi doesn’t know how to make it right. She soon becomes caught in a tangled mess that threatens to tear her, and her burgeoning relationship, apart.

For readers who enjoyed The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, you won’t want to miss out on this powerful and heartfelt novel. The Paradox of Love and Death is a profound and heart-tugging sapphic adult romance about death, love, and what it really means to be alive.

WLW Meet-Cute at a Funeral, Forbidden Love, Secrets and Lies, Fate and Coincidence, LGBTQ sapphic/FLINTA contemporary romance, steamy, Queer Romance with HEA

Warnings: grief, loss of loved ones, abortion, family dysfunction, depression

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CTGL3MSX

Bio

Artemis Glass is a multi-genre author of sensually empowering queer adult romance who is on a lifelong journey to reclaim her sources of pleasure.

Her first full-length queer adult romance, The Paradox of Love and Death, is a profound and heart-tugging sapphic HEA about love, death, and what it really means to be alive. Available now on Amazon/KU.

Her Amazon bestselling series, Audrina’s Year of Yearning, follows Audrina Axler-Perez as she undergoes a funny, joyful, and spicy LGBTQ+ midlife awakening.

The novellas, Book 1: A New Year and Book 2: Valentines, Book 3: Lucky, and Book 4: True Colors now available! More coming all year. (Insert Michael Scott joke here.)

Connect with Artemis on IG @artemisglassbooks and on FB @artemisglassbooks.

• Author Website: https://www.artemisglassbooks.com/
• Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/artemisglassbooks/
• Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090104731744
• Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artemisglassbooks/
• Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/24295606.Artemis_Glass
• Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/artemisglassbooks

Giveaway

Artemis is giving away a $20 Amazon gift card with this tour:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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