Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a novelist and the editor and publisher of Blind Eye Books—a small press focused on producing LGBT genre fiction as well as a lifelong aficionado of queer media, especially BL, yaoi, and danmei. 


I wrote

Book cover of The Sea of Stars

What is my book about?

Thomas Myrdin knows that intrigue is part of life at court, but that doesn’t make his king’s betrayal any easier…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

Nicole Kimberling Why did I love this book?

This book was my introduction to Chinese danmei (AKA boy’s love) novels and also my introduction to Xianxia (fantasy/cultivation) novels. I hunted down a fan translation after watching its live-action adaptation, The Untamed, on Netflix. I cannot recommend it enough to readers who want to sample a fantasy romance set in a non-Western setting. Ultra-romantic, gripping, and full of relevant present-day social commentary. An excellent introduction to this rich and amazing genre and with a brand-new New York Times bestselling official English translation.

By Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, Marina Privalova (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Also known as MDZS, the blockbuster danmei/Boys' Love novels from China that inspired comics, animation, and the live-action series The Untamed! This historical fantasy tale of two powerful men who find each other through life and death is now in English, for the very first time!

Wei Wuxian was once one of the most powerful men of his generation, a talented and clever young cultivator who harnessed martial arts and spirituality into powerful abilities. But when the horrors of war led him to seek more power through demonic cultivation, the world's respect for his abilities turned to fear, and his…


Book cover of Lord of the White Hell: Book One

Nicole Kimberling Why did I love this book?

This novel is everything—a school story, a coming-of-age story, a fish-out-of-water story as well as being chock-full of swords and sorcery. It follows genius mechanist Kiram Kir-Zaki as he journeys far away from his home to attend the prestigious Sagrada Academy where he hopes to make the connections that will earn him a place in the king’s court. Instead, he finds himself shunned on account of his race and compelled to share a room with a man who is widely believed to have no soul. If two hot outcasts being forced to share a room and eventually falling so deeply in love that death itself cannot separate them, then this book is your cup of tea.

By Ginn Hale,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Lord of the White Hell as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Kiram Kir-Zaki may be considered a mechanist prodigy among his own people, but when he becomes the first Haldiim ever admitted to the prestigious Sagrada Academy, he is thrown into a world where power, superstition and swordplay outweigh even the most scholarly of achievements.
But when the intimidation from his Cadeleonian classmates turns bloody, Kiram unexpectedly finds himself befriended by Javier Tornesal, the leader of a group of cardsharps, duelists and lotharios who call themselves Hellions.
However Javier is a dangerous friend to have. Wielder of the White Hell and sole heir of a dukedom, he is surrounded by rumors…


Book cover of Swordspoint

Nicole Kimberling Why did I love this book?

I read this book way, way back in 1988. It was the first fantasy novel I’d ever read that had a queer character who was not a villain. I loved everything about it. The wonderful cover art, the baroque details of the setting—the banter. This is not a romance-heavy title but it had such influence on authors that came after that any serious fan should give it a read. 

By Ellen Kushner,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Swordspoint as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

On the treacherous streets of Riverside, a man lives and dies by the sword. Even the nobles on the Hill turn to duels to settle their disputes. Within this elite, dangerous world, Richard St Vier is the undisputed master, as skilled as he is ruthless- until a death by the sword is met with outrage instead a of awe, and the city discovers that the line between hero and villain can be altered in the blink of an eye . . .


Book cover of To Rule in a Turbulent World

Nicole Kimberling Why did I love this book?

When we first meet our protagonist, You Miao is a smug, lazy scholar hanging around studying for the Imperial examination, but when he saves the life of an enslaved warrior Li Zhifeng his life changes forever. Together the two of them revitalize a rundown estate, navigate court intrigue, and weather an invasion. A big, sweeping epic from a leader in the genre. I’d been writing in the mystery genre for quite some time and this book made me want to write fantasy novels again.

Book cover of The Husky and His White Cat Shizun Vol. 1

Nicole Kimberling Why did I love this book?

Probably the most astonishing book I’ve read in the last five years. Imagine every dramatic extreme you ever thought you wanted in a novel—love, intrigue, brutality, violence, scenes as sweet as candy, spectacular magic, cataclysmic struggles, good and evil writ large across the sky... Then imagine that they were all packed into the same novel and that novel was so hilarious that you laughed out loud, so profound that you quoted it unintentionally, so heartbreaking you had to actually read through tears. Compulsively readable with characters that readers love, hate, hate to love and love to hate. It gave me a book hangover that still hasn’t gone away six months later. I routinely force my friends to read the first few pages of this story—one time I even paid someone five bucks just to try it. It’s that good. An official English translation will be available Fall 2022


Please be aware that this book is absolutely not for children and sensitive readers should take the trigger warnings seriously.

By Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou, St (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Husky and His White Cat Shizun Vol. 1 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Also known as 2ha, the wildly popular danmei/Boys' Love novel series from China that inspired a multimedia franchise!

A historical fantasy epic about a tyrant's second chance at life and the powerful cultivation teacher he can't get out of his mind.

Massacring his way to the top to become emperor of the cultivation world, Mo Ran's cruel reign left him with little satisfaction. Now, upon suffering his greatest loss, he takes his own life...

To his surprise, Mo Ran awakens in his own body at age sixteen, years before he ever began his bloody conquests. Now, as a novice disciple…


Explore my book 😀

Book cover of The Sea of Stars

What is my book about?

Thomas Myrdin knows that intrigue is part of life at court, but that doesn’t make his king’s betrayal any easier to take. Yet heartbreak troubles him less than the apocalyptic visions that haunt him. Fiery premonitions that show the world burning in ruins—and the cause, the king’s daughter. Visions and vengeance awaken a strange new power within him, but not even he is sure if he is the kingdom’s savior, the king’s pawn.

Lord Adam Wexley harbors a secret longing for the elegant Thomas, but his duty is to protect the newborn princess. When a sudden threat arises, Adam seeks to procure the services of Grand Magician Zachary Drake. Even if it means sacrificing his own soul—and his body. In a rising storm of magic with the power to strip away men’s souls, the thread of desire connecting three men could be the kingdom’s last lifeline…

Book cover of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation
Book cover of Lord of the White Hell: Book One
Book cover of Swordspoint

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Book cover of Edge of the Known World

Sheri T. Joseph Author Of Edge of the Known World

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Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Sheri's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

Edge of the Known World is a near-future love and adventure story about a brilliant young refugee caught in era when genetic screening tests like 23AndMe make it impossible to hide a secret identity. The novel is distributed by Simon & Schuster. It is a USA Today Bestseller and 2024 American Fiction Awards Winner in multiple categories, including Best New Fiction, Political Thriller, and Science Fiction: General.

Alexandra is a gifted student, adoring daughter, and exuberant prankster. She is also hiding in the open. After a blissful childhood, Alex learned she’s an illegal refugee from a brutal regime, smuggled into…

By Sheri T. Joseph,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Edge of the Known World as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Fans of Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake will be swept away by this riveting speculative fiction adventure and love story about family, genetic privacy, and the onrushing future of surveillance technology.

2024 American Fiction Awards Winner in multiple categories, including Best New Fiction, Political Thriller, and Science Fiction

Alexandra Tashen is a brilliant student, adoring daughter, merry wit, and exuberant prankster. After a blissful childhood on a Texas ranch, she learns the truth: She is a refusé, an illegal refugee smuggled into the Allied Nations as an infant. Everyone from her birth region carries a harmless but detectable bit of…


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