I’m doing a type of post today that I haven’t done in a while, and that’s a Kickstarter post! To tell you all about a book that sounds fun with queer characters, paranormals, getting framed for kidnapping… When I said fun, I meant for me, not so sure about the characters 😅 Seriously though, it sounds cool, and it has a variety of rep, including some that I don’t find super often, like a nonbinary main character! But I will let the author tell you a bit more about it.

If you’re already interested, you can find out more about the book, get yourself a copy, and maybe even get some extra goodies on the Kickstarter page, or keep scrolling because I also have here, from the author, five fun facts about the book!

5 Facts about Heart of Iron

1) It’s based off of my popular TikTok series CaFae Latte, about a café run by fairies (and a few other paranormal creatures). This series was itself inspired by a Tumblr post of the same premise; I just threw in a couple of Karens, and it took off from there. As of February 3rd, CaFae Latte will officially be one year old. Which is crazy.

2) The main character, Jennifer Charles, is the only major character who is not only human, but also has zero magical abilities. They’re not a witch, not a fairy, don’t have a drop of paranormal blood in them. They just have stubbornness and the occasional good idea (and a whole lot of bad ones). And yet they are surrounded by (and picking several fights with) various paranormal and magical beings.

Fresh off of both prison and rehab, their goal is to rebuild their life in a way that lets them live to see forty—preferably outside of prison walls. If they had a theme song, it’d be “The Mystic” by Adam Jensen. (Seriously, give it a listen. It’s a banger.)

3) Magic and paranormal creatures used to be hidden and separate from humans, but that changed in the 1950s and ‘60s. The widespread use of cameras and television—combined with a surge of Fae creatures fleeing war and turbulence in the Fae Realm—made their usual under-the-radar approach impossible.

Initially, they were not welcome on Earth. Even in America. (Especially in America, because the 1950s was just a great time to not be a cishet white male.) So the Fae creatures threw their weight behind the various other human rights movements happening, and with a little magic (re: straight-up cursing any politician who treated them as second-class citizens) managed to secure a few basic rights.

Now, they live openly among humans. But there is still friction. Some countries actively hunt paranormals to use their body parts in witchcraft, and there’s a lot of prejudice in America, where politicians campaign under pseudonyms and actively protect their real names to avoid future curses.

4) All four of the main protagonists are queer. Jennifer Charles (they/them) is a nonbinary bisexual. Their boss Violet (she/her) is aromantic. Violet’s protégé Cyrus (he/him) is a biromantic asexual. And JC’s crush Nicole (she/her) is sapphic.

As I myself am aroace, every story I publish has at least a little bit of queer rep, even if they’re just side characters. Speaking of which…

5) Heart of Iron will be my third published full-length novel and at least my seventh self-publication.

How does that math work? Novellas! I have a queer epic fantasy novella series called Blackwing, the first five installments of which are out now (as well as a compilation that you can get in physical format—that counts as self-publishing #6).

My first novel was Citadel, a science fiction book about telepathic telekinetic wolves with wings. It’s recently been nominated for a Minnesota Book Award—fingers crossed for that in May!

The second novel—a dark epic fantasy currently titled The Witch Who Trades with Death—is scheduled for an early 2025 release, a few months before I will release Heart of Iron.

For this Kickstarter, you can get signed copies of all three of those in addition to Heart of Iron: Citadel, The Witch Who Trades with Death, and Blackwing Vol 1.

Thank you to the author, C. M. Alongi, for the fun facts! The background of the world sounds so interesting, and you’re right, that song is a banger! Already loving the vibe of the character.

About Heart of Iron

Description from the Kickstarter: “Set in the fictional town of Blackwater, Minnesota (which is basically my own childhood home of Hastings, MN, with a handful of supernatural changes), CaFae Latte is owned by the fairy best known as Violet, soon nicknamed “Bob” by her new baker, the human Jennifer Charles. Fresh out of prison and rehab, JC is desperately trying to turn their life around and make things right, and seems to find a golden opportunity in CaFae Latte as an under-qualified but talented baker.

However, they soon learn that, as dark and unfortunate as their own history is, it pales in comparison to the kind and generous Violet. Old enemies of the mysterious fairy come to Blackwater and kidnap her, intent on dragging her back to the Fae Realm for capital punishment.

And to add insult to injury, they frame JC for the crime…”

I didn’t want to copy the entire text, so I cut the description a bit short. But you can find the rest, plus all the extra goodies available (like stickers and character posters) on the Kickstarter page, and you can find the author on YouTube and TikTok!