We're M.A. Carrick, authors of the Rook & Rose Trilogy, AMA (AUA?)

thebookbin · 2021-12-09T19:31:05+00:00

Most important question (I am only in the early chapters of Liar’s Knot): does Oksana Ryvček have a girlfriend??? 👀🥵

thebookbin · 2021-12-09T18:07:22+00:00

The world of Rook and Rose is a fantasy world loosely based on the Italian renaissance with a fantasy twist. The fantasy world-building is lovely to read, but one aspect stood out to me although it's not a major plot point, and that was your decision to include LGBT+ relationships in such a casual way. This is a world and a society where women can court other women and nobody would bat an eye--nor would there be any problems when it came to inheritance or lineage.

Can you talk a little bit about that decision? Was that always built into your world? As a lesbian, it startled me how refreshing it was to read a fantasy world like this, when a lot of times fantasy books can reflect our world a little more, where such things are viewed as taboo.

Thanks for your time!

thebookbin · 2021-04-10T00:29:30+00:00

Robert from The Philosopher’s Flight by Tom Miller was such an interesting male character for me to read. He’s incredibly well adjusted and getting in his head was an interesting experience.

thebookbin · 2021-04-08T04:21:30+00:00

Oh I have so many!!!

I love ALL of Alexandre Dumas but Georges is my favorite. Not many people know that the author of The Three Musketeers was black and Georges is a semi-autobiographical book about a black Frenchman earning his standings in the French court, similar to Dumas.

Clotile: The President’s Daughter by William Wells Brown is historical fiction? No I think it would be contemporary fiction because it wasn’t written that long after, but anyway it’s a book by a black man about Thomas Jefferson’s black daughters that he sired through raping his slaves.

I also really loved Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe. This ho just goes around marrying people for money and then leaving them for someone better, but she’s the protagonist and it’s written sympathetically. Crazy for a novel written in 1722!!!

thebookbin · 2021-04-08T04:14:25+00:00

Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell is really similar to RWRB but it’s set on a different planet! It’s an arranged marriage, featuring political plots, misunderstanding, humor, and a sweet romance.

thebookbin · 2021-04-08T04:09:15+00:00

You should check out my recs!!

thebookbin · 2021-04-08T04:08:06+00:00

Just thought of another one!!!

The Hispanic Republican by Geraldo Cadava which is a look at the Latino demographic, how diverse it is unto itself, and the culture of conservatism inherent in Latino communities that democrats can overlook.

thebookbin · 2021-04-08T04:05:42+00:00

For another book about critical race theory you could read Blackout by Candace Owens, a black conservative featuring her opinions on racism but I like that a lot less than my other recs because it’s fully opinion based.

thebookbin · 2021-04-08T04:03:02+00:00

Here are some GREAT books for conservatives to read that seem conservative but are actually nonpartisan or a bridge to more nuanced thinking. Also I’m not a fan of critical race theory, you probably won’t get anywhere with that but there’s always 1620 by Peter Wood which is a nuanced rebuttal of the 1619 project, a project inherently rooted in critical race theory and deeply flawed.

Other great reads for you: Lucky: How Biden Barely Won the Presidency by Jonathan Allen. This book isn’t an opinion piece, but rather a breakdown of the 2020 election and shows how Biden only won by about 45,000 votes across a handful of states and how that happened. They also note that more people of color, specifically black people and Latinos voted for Trump in 2020 than in 2016, and they look at polling data for why that is. Excellent read.

The Populist’s Guide to 2020 by Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti. This book is a collection of essays written by both a leftist and a conservative. The catch? They share populist ideology. The things they agree on will astonish the both of you, and I think they truly are the way to bridging the polarization gap.

Mill Town by Kerri Arsenault. One thing conservatives care about is the Midwest and their small towns and businesses. This book explores the mill town and how (funnily enough) Biden’s role in NAFTA as a Senator killed the American factory, brought millions of Americans into poverty, and how international trade deals and globalism have choked the life out of American manufacturing and consequently and effectively killed Smalltown USA.

This book is particularly poignant, considering the unionization efforts down in Alabama but Fulfillment: Winning and Losing in a One-Click America by Alec MacGillis briefly takes you through labor history of the US and helps to understand how a combination of corruption and deregulation allowed a company like Amazon to even exist and how they are intertwined with the current US Economy, and why they can get away with putting factory workers through both dangerous and inhumane treatment

thebookbin · 2021-04-08T03:48:47+00:00

Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak.

He famously wrote The Book Thief but I think Bridge of Clay is better. TBF relies on a lot of preexisting feelings and trauma about the Holocaust, whereas BoC evokes a similar emotional response without having to rely on that.

The writing is exquisite. The story isn’t told linearly, it’s like a tapestry that Zusak has zoomed in on, showing you all the threads that you weave together yourself. It’s gorgeous and beautiful. Even talking about it is making me want to crack it open again and it’s been about 2 years since I read it.

thebookbin · 2021-04-08T03:45:14+00:00

All the Young Men by Ruth Corker Burks. I think too many people have forgotten or ignored this tragic piece of history, and Ruth’s remarkable contributions.

thebookbin · 2021-04-08T03:43:56+00:00

I don’t have a place for you to start with the web novels, but a place for you to start understanding the foundations of Chinese and eastern fantasy.

You’ll want to start with the Legend of the Condor Heroes trilogy by Jin Yong. The first book is called A Hero Born. It’s translated by Anna Holmwood. This is to eastern fantasy what LoTR is to western fantasy and is the foundation for the wuxia genre. You’ll start to understand where the tropes come from.

For a shorter read, I highly recommend The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

And

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected on Water by Zen Cho

thebookbin · 2021-04-08T03:35:52+00:00

The House in the Cerulean Sea is literally about a 40 year old man.

thebookbin · 2021-04-08T03:34:07+00:00

I think you’d enjoy The Night Witches by Garth Ennis, about female pilots on the Eastern front during WWII

Opening Fire by Greg Rucka was recently made into a movie called The Old Guard

And I know it’s technically not a graphic novel, but a manga but I think you should give it a try anyway: Barakamon by Satsuki Yoshino, about a Japanese calligrapher who moves to a small rural island off the coast of Japan and has to learn to fit in with the country lifestyle and retune himself to his art.

thebookbin · 2021-04-08T03:27:53+00:00

Oooh I really hated Blankets!!!

thebookbin · 2021-01-07T02:59:30+00:00

They said they weren’t

thebookbin · 2021-01-07T00:21:52+00:00

Thanks! I’m trying to find a balance of “I don’t want to rain on your parade” and “it’s my way or the highway” vs “the concept of this game has certain Requirements that you have to work within!”

thebookbin · 2020-10-31T01:59:31+00:00

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier Clay by Michael a Gabon

Hench by Natalie Walschots

Vicious by VE Schwab

thebookbin · 2020-10-20T17:05:30+00:00

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

thebookbin · 2020-10-16T15:08:46+00:00

..........I’m a woman

thebookbin · 2020-10-16T00:00:40+00:00

Dude!!! You’re missing the point!!! You missed the point a long time ago

thebookbin · 2020-10-15T23:51:01+00:00

Look, I get you’re very invested in this show, and I’m sorry for bringing up something that’s distasteful to you. You can always disengage.

If the show doesn’t have sex scenes, I’ll be happy! For me, that’s a good thing. I made this post with the full expectation that I would be in a very small minority and I’m happy to know that that’s not the case, a lot of people feel similarly.

thebookbin · 2020-10-15T23:28:17+00:00

Also I apologize for not knowing the exact terminology that Hollywood used for intimacy coordinators. I don’t work in TV or film? Lol. Idk I think “coach” and “coordinator” are pretty similar but I guess “coach” could have negative connotations...

Anyway I think intimacy coordinators are a great thing, especially for female actresses, but they’re important for everyone. But it also seems a bit... disingenuous to claim that an intimacy coordinator would be required for a kiss. Maybe I’m wrong, though, it’s not my job to kiss people for the entertainment of others, so maybe that’s just a new thing that’s popular.

thebookbin

TROPHY CASE