#OwnVoices
EN POINTE BLOG TOUR
Pantera Press, together with the #AusYABloggers are celebrating the release of En Pointe by Chloe Bayliss. On tour, you will find Aussie bloggers, reviewers and Instagrammers sharing their thoughts on En Pointe, beginning on September 26th and running until September 30th.
Tour Schedule
| September 26th Life of Ink and Words Tanzeem Books about Em Bec Zen Books | September 27th Elysian Reviews Dani and the Books Shelle Reads Books | September 28th Of Dragons and Pages Jumbled thoughts of a Writer Book and the Beauty |
| September 29th Escape into YA Books Fotini Reads The Owl Reader | September 30th Befuddled Bookish Seventyeight Sundays Cherry Jelly Beans Jessica's Bookworld |
About the book
EN POINTE
by Chloe Bayliss
Published by Pantera Press
ISBN 9781925700756
Published 30 September, 2019
Add to Goodreads
RRP $24.99 AUD
Chloe Bayliss’ obsession has always been dancing.
Petite in stature, during her formative years Chloe worked tirelessly to beat the odds. Through sheer determination and physical commitment her dream was finally about to come true. At the age of 16 she had been accepted into a pre-professional ballet school in the US.
But right before her trip to America, Chloe became seriously ill. What followed were many long and excruciating months in hospital, a frightening and lonely journey that tested her courage and spirit.
“I put a lot of thought into whether or not I should reveal my story. I was always scared people would see me for my “past” and not ... well ... just me. I so desperately wanted to prove myself as an actor and artist without my personal life influencing the way audiences saw the characters I would play,” says Chloe.
“But after much thought, I came to the conclusion that revealing my past might be of help to someone who’s going through a tough time with serious medical issues.”
Written for young adults, Chloe hopes to share with her readers what she discovered during the many months of sickness – with strength and determination, there are always dreams to follow.
About the author
Helpmann Award nominee and Finalist in the prestigious 2016 Heath Ledger Scholarship, Chloe Bayliss is one of Australia’s finest emerging actresses. She has numerous credits across stage and screen, including her role in the TV Week Logie Award nominated drama Doctor Doctor which is now filming its fourth season and will air on Nine later this year.
Chloe has an extensive background in dance and choreography, having graduated from the National College of Dance with a Diploma of Dance and Performance. Her life as a dancer has taken her all over America and she now extends her knowledge to students and performers throughout Australia by running workshops, teaching and judging dance scholarships.
Chloe hopes to spark conversation around a number of matters she is passionate about, using her own story of overcoming hardship to inspire and bring awareness to others.
Chloe has an extensive background in dance and choreography, having graduated from the National College of Dance with a Diploma of Dance and Performance. Her life as a dancer has taken her all over America and she now extends her knowledge to students and performers throughout Australia by running workshops, teaching and judging dance scholarships.
Chloe hopes to spark conversation around a number of matters she is passionate about, using her own story of overcoming hardship to inspire and bring awareness to others.
CONVERSATIONS 002: QUEER BOOK CHAT
Since I enjoyed the last queer book chat I did with Star so much, I thought I’d keep it going by chatting with one of the #AusYaBloggers newest members Brooklynne!
Brooklynne came on board a few months back and has been actively partaking in our tours and promotions right from the get-go.
Hi. I’m Sarah, one of the AusYABloggers group moderators and today I’ve asked fellow queer book blogger (she’s an American turned Kiwi), the above-mentioned Brooklynne, to chat to me on the group blog.
Brooklynne is a bisexual transwoman and all-round awesome person. I am a quiet bisexual who can no longer stand to be quiet (and some people think I’m awesome, love ya mum).
Sarah: I recently finished reading Heartstopper volume two. I adored volume one and two of this sweet and queer comic about two teenage boys finding each other, first through friendship, then through something more. In the first volume the boys met and have their first kiss. In the second volume one comes out as bisexual (the other is already out as gay) and the two start dating. SOOOO f***ing cute. But anyway, sorry I’m babbling - get to the point Sarah! In the second volume we are introduced to a trans girl side character, who has a straight boy interested in her – I am hoping that these characters are developed more and we get to get to know them and they can have a beautiful positive love story of their own. But it had me thinking about the lack of positive trans girl fiction. Actually, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since your tweet the other week where you mentioned how all you wanted was a trans girl/m romance novel where everything is soft and sweet and not once is the phrase "does this make me gay" mentioned. Just a guy meeting the hot girl and falling for her and I’m with ya! I want to read a story like that, GIMME GIMME GIMME.
In your years of reading queer fiction have you come across any positive trans girl fiction? and if so, what were the stories names/authors.
Brooklynne: Sadly I haven’t, but part of that is due to being a bit out of the book loop for a bit. Another part of that is subconsciously avoiding it after having read a few bad ones. The transgirl YA fiction that I have read so far has all been mostly from an outsider’s perspective and more about that person dealing with their friend or loved one’s transition. I kind of gave up hope until recently and found myself surrounded by positive Transboy stories. Although excitedly I did discover “If I Was Your Girl” By Meridith Russo* in doing some research for this chat and it seems to be what I’m looking for. I’m looking forward to reading that, as it is an own voices novel and will have to get back to you. Otherwise I really love the short story Light Bulb by Nevo Zisin which is in Kindred which features a trans character even though it is more about Mental Health and Depression. Also and while it’s not really a YA book but it is a classic trans fiction which has a great transgirl side character is “Stone Butch Blues” which is own voices as well.
Sarah: I can understand your avoidance. There is so much hurtful crap written by Cis authors. It is sad, no more than sad, it’s disgraceful, infuriating even, how lacking YA is in regards to positive trans girl characters. That’s why I was so happy when I came across the character in Heartstopper. I have been trying to read as much queer fiction as I can get my hands on and even still, I can feel the lack of trans characters. I’ve got If I Was Your Girl on my ASAP tbr!!
Light Bulb was my favorite story in Kindred. Some people didn’t seem to get it, but I felt a connection to the story deep down - but maybe that was me connecting to being in a dark place mentally.
Brooklynne: Exactly, which I think was poignant because trans people have a higher rate of mental health issues, like depression and anxiety. What has disheartened me lately I have to say, is that two well known YA authors wrote books about trans characters that received negative feedback either about the title or the blurb or the writing that they wrote, from the trans community. Instead of apologising and rewriting the book just dug their heels in deeper and insisted they were right, or they asked a friend. But thankfully we are getting overall better trans and nonbinary fiction out there.
A P.S. from Brooklynne* Since this chat I have read If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo, It was disappointingly not what I was looking for, but was still a good Trans rep novel. Especially for cisgendered readers, I personally felt that too many concessions were made to provide an easy read to cis readers that I felt a little alienated at times. There are some great parts of this book though and I loved it till about the last third. I think it is an important and wonderful book overall but as a transwoman it wasn’t what I am looking for.*
Sarah: While we’re on the topic of under representation (or thereabouts). Alison Evan’s is the only Aussie author who I’ve noticed getting props for their non-binary characters. I love Alison’s books and think they are a fantastic author, but I am wondering if you’ve come across any others in your queer reading experience be they American or Kiwi.
Brooklynne: Interestingly it was reading a book by a non-binary author about a non-binary character that made me make the afforementioned frustrated tweet. That was “I Wish You All The Best” by Mason Deaver (this book is great and just made me wish that I had something similar that represented me), but also recently read Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy which not only has non-binary rep but has asexual, gay, and bi rep as well. Amy Rose’s Lost Coast also has non-binary character. Even though you didn’t ask, my favourite transboy book is a delightful magical realism book by Anna-Marie McLemore called “When The Moon Was Ours” which also has a Trans Woman storyline as well. And the Main character and his trans boyfriend are the absolute cutest in “The Past And Other Things That Should Stay Buried”. Also I might be Biased but I always recommend “f2m:the boy within” as a great book about Transitioning in the Australia/New Zealand area from a transboy perspective, although keep in mind it’s nearly 10 years old now.
Sarah: excuse me while I go add more books to my TBR :-). Actually I have Once & Future sitting on my shelf and I am DYING to read it. And looking up f2m:the boy within on goodreads, it looks brilliant. I’ve added it to my ASAP tbr! Fingers crossed I can track a copy down.
Brooklynne: I’m curious Sarah, looking to the future what upcoming Queer/Trans books, if any are you looking forward to? I’m personally counting the days to Reverie by Ryan La Sala because it includes a Drag Queen Sorceress!!! Like How can I not be excited for that. Anna-Marie McLemore has a new book which I’m always here for Dark And Deepest Red. Finally Mason Deaver’s second book The Ghosts We Keep is due out and after how amazing their first books was I’m hopeful.
Sarah: Drag Queen Sorceress! Yes please!
Before we started this lil chat, I had Dreadnought, George, If I Was Your Girl, Finding Nevo and Extraordinary Birds on my need it radar. In trying to find more books to recommend for this chat I've stumbled upon two comic series I want to try, Quantum Teens and Alters, and a few more books; Spy Stuff, The Art of Being Normal and Peter Darling. ANNNNND then there’s all your recommendations - Oh wow, I seriously need to take a few weeks off work and have a read-a-thon.
Sarah: What was the last queer story you read that you absolutely adored? For me it was Heartstopper and before that it was when I did a binge read of the Concrete Queer zines.
Brooklynne: Jeeze, why don’t you ask me what foot is my favourite, this is just as equally hard question. Jokes, it’s my left foot as it has the cutest pink toe. Not that you needed to know that. Anyway, I read a lot of queer or queer aligned fiction so there are a lot. The last I finished was “Wilder Girls” and while that affected me to my very core on a visceral level I’m not sure “adore” is the right term for it. I think “These Witches Don’t Burn” has to be the last I adored, which makes sense cause it’s Magical Realism, and very gay, plus added bonus of Transboy minor character. Before that would be “Once & Future” because it was very queer and also Pansexual King Arthur so what is not to love?
Sarah: omg I NEED to get Once & Future and These Witches Don’t Burn read. I can see both books sitting on my shelf staring at me with disapproval because I have yet to open them and devour their pages. AHHH there isn’t enough hours in the day.
Brooklynne: Once & Future is so worth it as is These Witches don’t Burn. And I feel you on the TBR, I recently got a cart for my all the books on my TBR that I physically own, and it’s getting pretty full already. I’m not sure what I will do when it fills.
Sarah: Yep! We both definitely need reading holidays - if only.
Here is a list of the books we mentioned in this chat and/or have on our TBR’s. This list is mainly YA, but there are one or two MG and NA titles in there as well.
You can find Brooklynne @ Twitter | Instagram | Book Blog
If you’ve read any of these books or have any recommendations, please leave a comment below. We’d love to know about your reading experiences and favorite reads.
Click HERE to read Conversation 001: Queer Book Chat.
Sarah and Star chatting about things they noticed during Pride month, the importance of F/F in LGBTQ+ books and being able to see yourself in characters and they also give some F/F reading recommendations.
Click HERE to read Conversation 001: Queer Book Chat.
Sarah and Star chatting about things they noticed during Pride month, the importance of F/F in LGBTQ+ books and being able to see yourself in characters and they also give some F/F reading recommendations.
Conversations 001: Queer Book Chat
Over the month of June – Pride Month – Star pointed out to me how most books being promoted were M/M. Until she pointed this out, I hadn’t noticed. Once she pointed it out, it was all I noticed. I’d even been guilty of it! There are so many fantastic M/M books that I’ve read, but sadly not as many F/F. I didn’t think they were out there. But Star proved me wrong with reading recommendations, and I intend to read them all.
Hi. I’m Sarah, one of the AusYABloggers group moderators and today I’ve asked fellow queer Aussie book blogger, the above-mentioned Star, to chat to me on the group blog.
Star is an out and Proud Lesbian who I think the world of. I am a quiet bisexual who can no longer stand to be quiet.
Sarah: During Pride month we had a few discussions about how we were mainly seeing M/M books in people’s Pride month posts. I think we basically deduced that this is what mainstream media seems to push and thus it is a trickle-down effect – yuk.
Star: You’re absolutely right. While a huge part of me is so excited that LGBT+ are getting any representation at all (though it is seriously lacking in full diversity), it makes me a little sad that it’s only M/M and the majority of the time, the M/M books are written by cis straight white women. Give me M/M written by own voices M/M and I am all for it!
Sarah: Yes! #OwnVoices – While I want as varied array of diversity in my books as there is in the world (so Cis whites get on diversifying your characters please), It does feel so much more meaningful when a story is #ownvoices, regardless of what the voice is.
Star: I couldn’t agree more! I was thinking about this again and the more I thought about it, the more I saw that the only F/F book (not even plural) that people were recommending was Leah on the Offbeat and it makes me sad because that is as far from #OwnVoices as you can get.
Sarah: Clancy of the Undertow by Christopher Currie was the first book I read and thought “Oh shit, this girl is me”. This teenage girl is teenage me. Her snarky self-loathing. Her failed attempts at F/F romance. I wanted to hug her and tell her we’d figure it out together.
What was the first book you saw yourself in?
Star: This is hard because I didn’t actually see myself in any books as a kid, but it was fanfiction I first saw myself really represented. Since then, I have been feeding my inner teenager with every single queer book I can literally get my hands on for that representation I so desperately craved as a teenager. The first F/F book I read, however, was Empress of the World by Sara Ryan. It still holds a dear place in my heart because it was my first ever F/F book.
Sarah: I’m hearing ya. And I’m thankful you were able to find a home for yourself in the fantastic world of Fan Fiction. I didn’t find any F/F until a was an “adult” and already married to a man. I often wonder about if in my teens I’d had access to the wonderfully queer books had I have access to now, how different my life may have turned out. I think that’s probably what drives us both to actively search out and promote queer books now. We want today’s teens to have the reads we didn’t.
Star: Absolutely! People who have representation in every single media form rarely stop to think about those that don’t, and it makes me sad. Because everyone deserves representation and to see themselves in a book, movie, tv show, etc.
Sarah: The Dyke word. I can remember you telling me about a book where the POV referred to herself as a Dyke and It wasn’t a positive reading experience. I was horrified when you told me. I think we can agree that we are fed up with derogatory bulls*** and want more positive examples for our teens.
What was the last book you read where the POV lesbian’s status was treated as a positive thing?
Star: My latest and most favourite book – These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling. The MC identifies as lesbian and says on page “I’m a huge lesbian” and I’m like “YES, THIS IS ME!”. More often than not, books will use ‘gay’ and ‘queer’ and even the d-slur over actually using ‘lesbian’. Because apparently “lesbian” is a porn category for men, not a sexuality that actually, you know, pertains to women who love other women.
Sarah: The lesbian word. We’ve spoken before about how meaningful it is for you when a character calls themselves a lesbian and it’s a positive thing and I’m with ya!
Do you think the publishing industry is heading in the right direction, are we seeing more positive examples rather than negatives these days? Because there certainly was a time when all queer stories had sad endings (which we know is bulls*** in the real world, queers can and do live happy meaningful lives).
Star: The fact that more queer books are existing is a huge step in the right direction, I think. There’s always going to be sad stories, because that is how life works, but there needs to be a bit of a better balance. I’m sick of lesbians and F/F ending up dead, dying painfully, cheating on their boyfriends (to only go back to being with a guy because god forbid being bisexual actually exists, too!). There are so many ways that F/F can have happy endings, just like all the heterosexual books that are out there. Give me 500 years’ worth of cute contemporary F/F books (and LGBT+ books on the whole) like there has been for heterosexuals. No trope is too tired when it comes to it being re-imagined with an LGBT+ protagonist.
Sarah: Here Here. Agreed. Bring them all on. I think this is the perfect time to drop a list of YA F/F books for you to check out. It is by no means all the books that are out there. It’s a list of F/F I’ve either read or are planning to read. If you’ve got any favorites that I’ve somehow missed. Please let us know what they are below.
Kindred Tour
Walker Books Australia, together with Michael Earp and the #AusYABloggers are celebrating the release of the Kindred: 12 Queer #LoveOzYA Stories anthology. This is an #ownvoices tour featuring queer creators, bloggers, instagrammers, reviewers and youtubers from Australia and New Zealand, celebrating pride month with the release of Kindred.
Follow The Tour Below
About the book...
What does it mean to be queer? What does it mean to be human? In this powerful #LoveOzYA collection, twelve of Australia’s finest writers from the LGBTQ+ community explore the stories of family, friends, lovers and strangers – the connections that form us.This inclusive and intersectional #OwnVoices anthology for teen readers features work from writers of diverse genders, sexualities and identities, including writers who identify as First Nations, people of colour or disabled. With short stories by bestsellers, award winners and newcomers to young adult fiction including Jax Jacki Brown, Claire G Coleman, Michael Earp, Alison Evans, Erin Gough, Benjamin Law, Omar Sakr, Christos Tsiolkas, Ellen van Neerven, Marlee Jane Ward, Jen Wilde and Nevo Zisin.
Includes a foreword by anthology editor Michael Earp, resources for queer teens, contributor bios and information about the #LoveOzYA movement.
View Kindred on Goodreads | Walker Books Australia
Purchase Links
If you purchase Kindred from The Little Bookroom you can have it signed By Michael Earp. All You have to do is mention in the order notes that you followed the Kindred Tour and would like your copy signed by Michael.
For people looking to find a bookshop near them: Find A Bookshop.
Hashtags to check out and keep an eye on even after the tour is over:
#KindredStories #AusYaBloggers #AusQueerYA #LoveOZYA #OwnVoices
#TBWSH Book Blitz!
Welcome to The Boy Who Steals Houses Book Blitz, to celebrate the second novel from blogger, author and our dear friend C. G. Drews or Paper Fury as she's widely known. Thank you for everyone who is taking part in the promotion and don't forget to pick up a copy of The Boy Who Steals Houses or enter to win a signed and annotated copy below plus an exclusive art print.
The Boy Who Steals Houses
Written by C. G. Drews
Publisher Orchard Books
Add to Goodreads
About the book
Written by C. G. Drews
Publisher Orchard Books
Add to Goodreads
Can two broken boys find their perfect home?
Sam is only fifteen but he and his autistic older brother, Avery, have been abandoned by every relative he's ever known. Now Sam's trying to build a new life for them. He survives by breaking into empty houses when their owners are away, until one day he's caught out when a family returns home. To his amazement this large, chaotic family takes him under their wing - each teenager assuming Sam is a friend of another sibling. Sam finds himself inextricably caught up in their life, and falling for the beautiful Moxie.
But Sam has a secret, and his past is about to catch up with him.
Purchase now from
About The AuthorC.G. Drews lives in Australia with her dog, a piano, and the goal of reading every book in existence. Consequently, her brain has overflowed with words and she spends her days writing novel after novel. She blogs at Paper Fury, never sleeps and believes in cake for breakfast.
You can find her at
Amazing giveaway!
Kindred Blog Tour
If you haven't already seen, last week we announced our next tour! We have partnered with Walker Books and Michael Earp to celebrate the release of Kindred: 12 Queer #LoveOzYA Stories with an own voices blog tour!
If you haven't had a chance to check out Kindred here is the synopsis;
What does it mean to be queer? What does it mean to be human? In this powerful #OwnVoices collection, twelve of Australia’s finest queer writers explore the stories of family, friends, lovers and strangers – the connections that form us.
Compelling queer short fiction by bestsellers, award winners and newcomers to the #LoveOzYA community including Jax Jacki Brown, Claire G Coleman, Michael Earp, Alison Evans, Erin Gough, Benjamin Law, Omar Sakr, Christos Tsiolkas, Ellen van Neerven, Marlee Jane Ward, Jen Wilde and Nevo Zisin.
We are so excited to be part of this release and we want you to help! This is open to Aus and NZ Queer bloggers, Instagramers and YouTubers!! If you want to be a part of this #OwnVoices tour, sign up here! 😁
You can also check out all the authors socials below!
Erin Gough; Twitter
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