By: Tony W.

For the most part only white women from the United States are abducted by aliens.

If they want a feisty woman than she’ll have red hair.

Most aliens are humanoid. 

Aliens only want human women because their female population is either on the decline or has died out for various reasons. 

In some novels human women are wanted because they can copulate with various species. 

Aliens are usually seven feet tall with chiseled humanoid features.

The good aliens are usually blue and sometimes gold.

Villainous aliens are usually red, reptilian, or grey with big heads.

Sometimes the aliens will be humanoid with anglo features and onyx or ebony skin.

Recent (the last few year) alien romances include heroines who are Black, Hispanic, or Asian though they mostly seem to come from North America or the Caribbean. 

Also recently, we start seeing more aliens who look more alien – horns, scales, tails, varied eye shapes and colors with no sclera or lashes.

An increasing number of aliens are based on animals, insects, arachnids, and reptiles from Earth both real and mythical.

Men and women are now abducted or find themselves in space for the purpose of mating.

A few books now contain triads or reverse harems (one female and five males). In some books the triad is a human female and two different alien species.

In the majority of alien romances the female is cherished by her male(s) no matter how they came together initially, a version of the one story.

I can’t comment on the “darker romances”.

HEA’s are the most prevalent story line.

The better writers give you interesting world building and character development. However, I can’t discount the writers who simply give a good story with engaging characters.

Love it when alien heroes call out human heroines for calling them alien.

A little humor goes a long way.

There aren’t many women of color writing alien romance.

The few writers who include women of color in their series and go the extra step to have sensitivity readers to ensure the character comes across as genuine.

I read a story recently where the alien/nonhumanoid hero used his claws to comb through and moisturized the heroines’ curls with a plant-based ointment.

I’ve only come across a few alien romances with women who are disabled in some way, usually deaf.

More writers are writing vulnerable heroines of color.

Pet Peeves –

Calling non-Earthlings alien when the Earthling is in outer space on another planet etc.

Continuously calling aspects of the hero or heroes anatomy alien.

If Earth is a dystopian shit show where women and children are vulnerable to the whims of men and actual aliens come to clean the environment and help not harm and the heroin/alien love interest talks incessantly about how humans don’t need help/can do this on their own/ blah, blah, blah

Alien romance series that only contain white women.

The only women of color who are the heroines of the story have a white mother.

Heroines who are in black/brown face.

“Sassy” women of color

By: IO

I tried to find something to write all week but nothing’s coming out. This has been a rough summer filled with discouraging decisions from SCOTUS. I wanted to find empowering words for myself, for the brilliant women I write with, but all I’ve got is this.

Do something. Anything. Any small thing.

Know that you alone are not gonna fix what’s been broken since before the ink dried on the parchment declaring ourselves a nation. It’s not on any one person to untie the binds that’s taken many others many decades to wrap around us. There are no human wrecking balls capable of demolishing a wall in one strike. But if we all do something, support the organizations and the activists that have made these struggles their lives work, donate some spare change, some time, some necessity…if we all act as a chisels, chipping away at the obstacles to our rights, then maybe we can get the work done and we won’t need the wrecking ball. 

Where do you start? Right here.

The Afiya Center is a reproductive justice organization founded and run by Black womxn in Dallas. They have a comprehensive call for volunteers on their site:

https://www.theafiyacenter.org/volunteer

And if you can’t volunteer, or even if you can, there’s also the option to donate:

https://www.theafiyacenter.org/donate

There are other organizations that need help too. This one is important to me as a Black Texan woman who loves her state despite all it does wrong. 

Another thing you can do, and I hate sounding like a shill for one of the biggest corporations in the world, is use Amazon Smile to shop. It’s a program of Amazon, not widely advertised, that makes donations to a charity of your choosing, at no additional cost to you, when you make an eligible purchase. A lot of Prime items qualify. The amount that gets donated is tiny (0.5%) but it’s something. And that’s all we have to do…something. 

By K. Osorio-Teamer

So after a four month reading hiatus I’m back in the literary saddle thanks to a book about dealing with your annoyingly perfect little sister… who keeps killing people.

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite started with a bang. A murder right away. And oooh, it wasn’t even the first murder. It has a fast pace with short chapters, so it was easy to lose time. Sadly before I knew it, I was done! I wasnt sure how it would end, but the protagonist surprised me. 100/10 wish I could amnesia this book out of me and reread it like it was the very first time.

Next up was Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron. After rekindling my love of all things Jane Austen and cottage core, this book was right in time. After rewatching Bridgerton AGAIN, visions of carriages and business deal weddings were easily conjured while reading this reimagining of the fairy tale. This book didn’t grab me like killer kid sister, but it had high stakes and a protagonist who always did the wild shit her heart desired. 7/10 wouldn’t read again but will read the sequel.

My next read took me on some emotional rollercoaster. Upon first starting We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia, I couldn’t get into it. I even talked my partner about my inability to connect to the story. On my next reading session, I cried like a baby. The story touches on immigration, oppression, and the ways that standing against violence can be manipulated to appear violent. It felt like a political spy thriller with bits of forbidden love woven in. 8.5/10 A good time that made me cry and I can’t wait to read the sequel.

I’m currently reading Fledgling by Octavia Butler, AKA the wisest of us all. It’s a fascinating book so far that has left me with my mouth open on multiple occasions. I’ll report back soon. Wish me luck as I try to read 12 books this year!