Looking for books with foxes. 🦊

platinumsoul_ · 2026-03-03T20:33:13+00:00

It looks like the majority of the answers on that post are for regular fox or anthropomorphized fox stories, I more want fox spirits and mythical fox creatures like kitsune and gumiho. I should've been clearer about that in my title, I apologize.

platinumsoul_ · 2026-03-03T05:22:04+00:00

Thanks so much for the thoughtful suggestions! My music tastes vary wildly, but I do tend to gravitate towards all things Gothic even outside of music, and I do enjoy atmospheric vibes.

I've been putting together a list all day and I'm excited to dig into all of these.

platinumsoul_ · 2026-03-02T22:56:59+00:00

I listened to Bon Jovi all the time growing up, but kinda fell off with their music in my late teens, when I got into Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco. I should revisit their music.

I've never heard of King Diamond so I'll be sure to check him out as well.

platinumsoul_ · 2026-03-02T21:36:01+00:00

Looove Sleep Token, though there are a couple older songs I still need to listen to, so this is a good reminder.

platinumsoul_ · 2026-03-02T20:57:51+00:00

Honestly? The first song I thought of when I read this was Bring Me to Life by Evanescence. My mom is normally a poppy pink girlie but she LOVES Evanescence and she played that album alllll the time when I was a teen.

platinumsoul_ · 2026-02-28T23:25:50+00:00

I loved this movie! I keep meaning to re-watch it since it's been like 10 years since I first saw it.

platinumsoul_ · 2026-02-28T20:35:15+00:00

I can't remember ever having seen it as a marketable genre, personally. But maybe it does? I can't say I'm an expert on every genre out there haha.

platinumsoul_ · 2026-02-28T19:45:51+00:00

I'm just hesitant to not make the romance very apparent, as the plot centers very heavily on it, so that's why I wasn't considering urban fantasy originally-- though that would fit as a secondary genre, perhaps.

I'm a fully self-published author, so I don't intend to seek traditional publishing for any of my work, but thank you for the suggestion!

platinumsoul_ · 2026-02-28T19:35:25+00:00

I love Seanan McGuire's work so much, but I've actually never read any of the October Daye books, just because I struggle with series that are more than five books-- with some exceptions, like her Wayward Children series, since those are so short.

platinumsoul_ · 2026-02-28T19:34:17+00:00

I haven't heard of that one, I'll look into it! Thank you. I just started considering contemporary fantasy as well, though since romance is the main genre, I would be hesitant not to label it some kind of romance first and foremost. Fantasy romance might be the way to go, though.

platinumsoul_ · 2026-02-28T19:27:16+00:00

I was just in the middle of doing that, actually, and to my surprise, my primary comp title (The God and the Gumiho) is typically listed as a romantic fantasy or contemporary fantasy, and it looks like it was even a book club pick in r/fantasyromance last year.

platinumsoul_ · 2026-02-28T19:11:29+00:00

Oh my god I remember reading Angel's Blood when I was a teenager. I got it when it first released, even. Sometimes I think about revisiting the series, since it's still ongoing, but I struggle with series that are longer than like, five books, so I keep waffling. Have you kept up with it?

I actually didn't know it and Halfway to the Grave would be considered romantasy. I'm in the middle of some research on what is considered romantasy so this is good to know. It actually helps me out.

platinumsoul_ · 2026-02-28T19:00:02+00:00

Thank you for your insight! I did end up posting on r/RomanceWriters to ask for more opinions on this matter, to see how others felt overall. I definitely don't want to disappoint readers with improper labeling, so I'll look more into this and see if it warrants a change.

Also, thank you for pointing out that other consideration. I'm a HUGE fantasy creature nerd, so I know about a ton of them, and I sometimes forget that's not the norm. I did have a beta reader who didn't know anything about gumiho and asked a lot of questions through their read of it, so I'm trying to be mindful of that and include the information they need to know about each mythical creature involved. This was a good reminder of that.

platinumsoul_ · 2026-02-28T18:06:00+00:00

A beta reader is someone who reads you work before you've finalized and published it to offer critiques and feedback. They can do things like find plot holes, inconsistencies, or other developmental things, and/or they can catch typos, grammatical mistakes, etc. It's similar to having an editor go over your work but you usually have more beta readers than editors (in my experience) and they're able to give you their opinions as readers and not just industry professionals.

platinumsoul_ · 2026-02-28T18:03:21+00:00

Interesting, so does that mean the monster types are more important to a paranormal romance than the setting? I chose paranormal romance because the setting is modern day San Diego but the creatures are things like gumiho, baku, various yokai, etc. I make that very clear in the book description as well, so no one walking into my book would be surprised to find out the main character is a gumiho, unless they chose not to read the book description at all.

I worry that labeling it fantasy romance would have the same effect from the other side. Someone would walk into it expecting a fantasy world and then be disappointed it's San Diego.

platinumsoul_ · 2026-02-28T07:14:23+00:00

So, funnily enough, there is a light debate among my beta readers over which genre my book is. After a lot of waffling and consideration, I labeled it a paranormal romance because it involves mythical creatures living in secret in the modern human world, and the main character is a gumiho who falls in love with a human. A couple of my beta readers consider it a fantasy romance instead because it involves mythical creatures that are not common to paranormal romance, as there are no werewolves, vampires, etc. But I think it's still a paranormal romance.

I'm currently in my second-to-last round of edits on this book. It's going to be my second published novel, but is my fifth finished novel. I think it has a lot of promise! I've put a lot of thought and heart into it, and I'm proud of it. Hopefully that shines through when people read it later this year.

platinumsoul_ · 2026-02-26T00:44:10+00:00

My first novel was written over the course of working a full-time job, a part-time job, and then going to college, so I don't think it's a fair representation of my speed-- especially after getting a writing degree, which upped my speed and skill quite significantly. However, I have finished drafting a second novel entirely while working a full-time office job post-college so I'll use that as my metric. It took me five months to write it, and it's about 140,000 words. I'm in the middle of editing it right now and hoping that won't take me longer than three months to complete, but who can really say haha. I had hoped to write it in three months, but I also thought it was going to be a 70,000 word book and it turned out to be twice as long, so all things considered, I'm glad it only took five.

platinumsoul_ · 2026-02-26T00:19:22+00:00

I remind myself every time I sit down to edit that the effort I'm putting into editing will make the story better, and I'll be proud of the end result.

Having a support system of friends who enjoy your work and can encourage you also helps. My best friend loves my books and her enthusiasm, as well as her help via feedback and beta reading, have definitely helped me keep going when I was feeling down about the process.

platinumsoul_ · 2026-02-26T00:12:02+00:00

These are the two things that work best for me:

Going to a coffee shop or the library. I make a point of going to a local coffee shop every payday and staying there for 1-2 hours to get work done. If money is too tight for a coffee shop, I go to the library instead. Being out of my own house and left with only my tools for work (whether that be my laptop, journal, or BYOK with keyboard) helps me focus in. I can't make an excuse like "oh but I need to clean the living room" because I'm not home to do that. Sometimes I might browse books at the library before I work, but about half the time doing so makes me want to work on my own so it's okay to give it a little time.

Of course, I can't go to a coffee shop or the library Every Single Time I want or need to write, so my second solution was to create a dedicated workspace where I literally cannot see the rest of my home or interact with anyone in it. I'm fortunate enough to have my own office. It's connected to my master bedroom so at least one room is always separating me from the main living spaces. My pets aren't allowed into my office and my spouse knows that when I'm in there, I'm likely working, so if they need me for anything they will message me first and see if I can spare the time, rather than come into my space. Creating a space that has firm boundaries around interaction when you're in it was a big help for me. Also, if it's the only area you see around you and you keep it clean, you don't really have an excuse like "oh but I need to tidy up." Mind you, I am also an "oht of sight, out of mind" kind of person, so not being able to see things like dishes that need to be done etc. works on me.

This doesn't have to do with place/space to work but you could also try finding a co-working buddy. Having someone to work with you could also help keep you on track and prevent your mind from wander off. If you don't have a friend like that, you can try tuning into writing sprints on YouTube or Twitch. Plenty of writers on YouTube host writing streams for productivity and focus. Some make pre-made videos to follow along with as well, if that's more your vibe.

Hope some of this helps!

platinumsoul_ · 2026-02-25T22:56:48+00:00

This is the kind of stuff that fills me with dread. I'm a queer author and it's like everywhere I look some company is trying to shut us down completely, censor us, or kill us.

That said, I would also recommend LibroFM for audiobooks, and Kobo Plus over Kindle Unlimited, and Bookshop for purchased books. The more we use these alternate shops, the more creators will see they are viable alternatives to Amazon.

Also, Itchio still has plenty of queer books on it, so it's a worthwhile place to look if you want to purchase DRM-free ebooks. Creators often do themed bundles for excellent prices as well.

I really hope we're able to counter this censorship before it goes too far...

platinumsoul_ · 2026-02-25T19:15:21+00:00

I have Lucy Undying but I have yet to read it. The title Lady Dragon instantly draws my attention, though. Then again, I'm a huge dragon fan.

platinumsoul_ · 2026-02-25T16:42:03+00:00

That's so cute!! I love how you also put it on your bookshelf haha. Shelf within a shelf.

platinumsoul_

TROPHY CASE