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jackiijackii.bsky.social
Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill
@jackiijackii.bsky.social
24 followers 82 following 130 posts
Writer, reader, sleeper. She/they/he. Poetry under Jacquelyn, romance under Jem. "Starlight and Cinnamon" has been released! Find this sapphic romance at books2read.com/starlightandcinnamon and find me at https://linktr.ee/jmerrillruiz
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jackiijackii.bsky.social
Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · 26d
Time to switch over to A Courtship in Quarantine! This contemporary queer romance features two bisexual leads, doesn't shy away from the Covid pandemic, and embraces the idea that someone could still find love when their life (and the world) gets turned upside-down. Buy link to come! Out Dec 9.
A trope map for the upcoming novel, "A Courtship in Quarantine" by Jem Spears. The book cover shows a red-haired woman sitting against a wall and a brown-haired man leaning against the other side of the wall, each reading the letters they wrote each other. The tropes listed are actually acknowledges covid, secret identity, found family, I'll help you slay your demons, forced proximity, celebrity romance, and they're both bisexual. The publishing date for the book is December 9, 2025.
jackiijackii.bsky.social
They exist!

Come pick up a signed copy of A Courtship in Quarantine at Bell, Book & Comic on Dec 16 between 6:30 and 8pm! Or preorder the kindle book now at Amazon! Or hop online Dec 9 to order a paperback copy because my distribution is all messed up so there are no pb preorders lol!
A photo of the stacked spines of seven paperback copies of Jem Spears' upcoming contemporary queer romance novel, "A Courtship in Quarantine." The spines are a solid peach color, with the title and author name in dark blue. Bookending the spine text are illustrated pieces of paper that look like handwritten letters.
November 26, 2025 at 7:39 PM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
Damn it, Atticus sent an email promoting four different "writing tools" that all offer GenAI, and they say they have a "major" announcement coming soon. I stg if they introduce some GenAI bullshit into their app I'll buy a Mac just to switch to Vellum to avoid it.
November 26, 2025 at 5:24 PM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
Three weeks until my launch event at Bell, Book & Comic!

A Courtship in Quarantine is available for preorder as a kindle eBook. The paperback will be ready from Amazon on December 9, and from other bookstores later in the month. It's a long story. The wonky distribution, not the novel, lol.
A poster for Jem Spears' author signing event on December 16, 2025. The poster background is the colors of the bisexual flag. There's a photo of the author, a white woman with purple hair; and the book cover for "A Courtship in Quarantine," which features a man and woman on opposite sides of a shared wall, reading letters. Information about the event: takes place between 6:30pm and 8pm at Bell, Book & Comic at 458 Patterson Road in Dayton, OH 45419. "Pick up A Courtship in Quarantine, get a Pride ribbon, and grab your comic book file."
November 22, 2025 at 5:07 PM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
I have a launch party date for A Courtship in Quarantine!

Tuesday, December 16, 6:30pm to 8pm! I'm back at Bell, Book & Comic in Dayton, OH, who decided I'm cool enough to invite for another signing. I think it's because I gave them candy and Pride ribbons last time, but hey, I'll take it.
A poster for Jem Spears' author signing event on December 16, 2025. The poster background is the colors of the bisexual flag. There's a photo of the author, a white woman with purple hair; and the book cover for "A Courtship in Quarantine," which features a man and woman on opposite sides of a shared wall, reading letters. Information about the event: takes place between 6:30pm and 8pm at Bell, Book & Comic at 458 Patterson Road in Dayton, OH 45419. "Pick up A Courtship in Quarantine, get a Pride ribbon, and grab your comic book file."
November 14, 2025 at 8:54 PM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
Popping in one last time today to let you all know that "A Courtship in Quarantine" has a GoodReads Giveaway you can enter until December 8! Check it out here: www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...
Book giveaway for A Courtship in Quarantine (International Love and Misadventure) by Jem Spears Nov 10-Dec 08, 2025
Enter to win one of 20 free copies available. Giveaway dates from Nov 10-Dec 08, 2025. Mattie Redgrave has no doubt that her isolation in an Auckland qua...
www.goodreads.com
November 13, 2025 at 9:22 PM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
I don't know what's up at #IngramSpark but a "technical issue" kept me in "Title in Setup" for almost a month, and now every time I try to upload new files, I get the confirmation they were uploaded but there's no record in the title history and the files don't stick. wtf is going on over there.
November 13, 2025 at 4:10 PM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
"A Courtship in Quarantine" is a month out from pub day! It's only available for preorder from Amazon right now, but more shops will have it soon. And! The GoodReads Giveaway for it just started, and you have until Dec 8 to enter for a chance to win an ebook copy. www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...
The cover of Jem Spears' "A Courtship in Quarantine" pictured on an iPad. The cover is the color of sunset and features a white woman with brown hair sitting and leaning against a wall in the center of the picture, and a biracial man with dark brown hair standing and leaning on the other side of the wall. Both are holding hand-written letters sent by the other. In the background is the sliding doors of their hotel rooms, looking out onto a grove of tree outlines tinted pink by the sun. Besides the title and author, text on the cover says "an International Love and Misadventure novel." Below the image of the iPad is the text "Available December 9, 2025!"
November 11, 2025 at 1:46 PM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
This is today! If you're in the Lebanon/Cincy/Dayton area and looking for something to do, this event is during the Lebanon Girls' Night Out. I have Pride ribbons and Courtship in Quarantine hand sanitizer for anyone who'd like some.
jackiijackii.bsky.social Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · 28d
Aha, my next author event is scheduled! Mulberry St. Books in Lebanon, OH is hosting a big author meet-up on November 8, and you all should come support them, me, and my fellow local authors. At the very least, stop by and give Winnie the shop cat some skritches.
An event flyer for an author meet-up at Mulberry St Books in Lebanon, Ohio on Saturday, November 8, 2025 from 4 to 7pm. The flyer features author Jem Spears and her four books: Starlight and Cinnamon, A Year Without a Season, The White Stairs, and The Fish, The Twins, The Ram.
November 8, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Reposted by Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill
aurorapeachy.bsky.social
Uninstall Grammarly NOW. They've partnered with an AI company and actively scrape your writing to train its models.
November 5, 2025 at 6:19 PM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
Time to switch over to A Courtship in Quarantine! This contemporary queer romance features two bisexual leads, doesn't shy away from the Covid pandemic, and embraces the idea that someone could still find love when their life (and the world) gets turned upside-down. Buy link to come! Out Dec 9.
A trope map for the upcoming novel, "A Courtship in Quarantine" by Jem Spears. The book cover shows a red-haired woman sitting against a wall and a brown-haired man leaning against the other side of the wall, each reading the letters they wrote each other. The tropes listed are actually acknowledges covid, secret identity, found family, I'll help you slay your demons, forced proximity, celebrity romance, and they're both bisexual. The publishing date for the book is December 9, 2025.
November 1, 2025 at 4:09 PM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
Aha, my next author event is scheduled! Mulberry St. Books in Lebanon, OH is hosting a big author meet-up on November 8, and you all should come support them, me, and my fellow local authors. At the very least, stop by and give Winnie the shop cat some skritches.
An event flyer for an author meet-up at Mulberry St Books in Lebanon, Ohio on Saturday, November 8, 2025 from 4 to 7pm. The flyer features author Jem Spears and her four books: Starlight and Cinnamon, A Year Without a Season, The White Stairs, and The Fish, The Twins, The Ram.
October 29, 2025 at 11:08 PM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
The first full-color fan art for Starlight and Cinnamon, sketched by the talented and inestimable @veggiesaurus.bsky.social
A full-color sketch of Daphne "Starlight" Redgrave, from the contemporary queer romance novel "Starlight and Cinnamon," a white woman with white-blond hair in a bob and blue eyes, dressed as Mucha's The Moon in a draped teal dress and a dusty rose flower crown. Behind her is a scene of shining stars and a crescent moon.
October 26, 2025 at 7:21 PM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
Today's a great day to show me you love me by supporting my friend May!
goddessblade.bsky.social May “Bunny” Peterson 🦄 (Mostly Updates) @goddessblade.bsky.social · Oct 24
Hi all,

I need to ask for help again. I have some longer-term goals to work toward paying off, and if I want to keep my website active, it's definitely going to be hard to make rent this month. We'd be grateful for any shares and donations. Thank you all so much. ❤️

#helpsky

gofund.me/a0978348
May Peterson (You) Just now Hi everyone, I've been going over our money situation, and here's where I'm at: I still owe about $1300 in back taxes, and I miscalculated my website renewal fee, which is about $360. There's a $240 bill I thought was going to be covered by insurance, too, but seems not to have been. If I keep my website active this month, I'm definitely going to be short on rent. What makes all of this so tough is that in addition to being functionally unable to work for most of the summer, I was really hoping to be reimbursed by now for the nearly $3000 that we lost earlier this year due to a billing error. But I still haven't seen any of that money, and am worried now we may never get it back. I'm setting a somewhat ambitious longer-term crowdfund goal of about $2450 for now, with the hope that I can raise enough to make ends meet this month and then start paying off the rest. Thankfully, my mental health seems to be slowly but steadily improving, which means I should be able to bring in more money next month, but it's been a rough time getting there. Any donations of any size would be hugely helpful right now. You all have been positively heroic in helping my partner and me keep a roof over our heads, and in being a light of hope for me while I've worked my way out of suicidal depression. Bear God also wants you all to know how sincerely and deeply they appreciate everything you've done for us. As always—my blessings are on you, now and forever.
October 24, 2025 at 7:20 PM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
I know the world is a trash fire, but my nibling--who is way too young to read my romance books--sent me a voice text asking if they can make Starlight and Cinnamon merch for me, because they're starting a t-shirt business and y'all, my heart. 😭
October 24, 2025 at 12:41 PM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
Just realized I eat blueberries like a raccoon, popping them into my mouth with both hands, a feral little freak.
October 22, 2025 at 12:30 PM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
Trope map for A Courtship in Quarantine! This one is a little different in mood, spice level, and form. It's a little heavier, and it's got more spicy scenes than Starlight and Cinnamon. And the first half is epistolary.

Hopefully I wasn't too clever for my own good.

Out December 9, 2025! #booksky
The cover of Jem Spears' "A Courtship in Quarantine:" The cover is the color of sunset and features a white woman with brown hair sitting and leaning against a wall in the center of the picture, and a biracial man with dark brown hair standing and leaning on the other side of the wall. Both are holding hand-written letters sent by the other. In the background is the sliding doors of their hotel rooms, looking out onto a grove of tree outlines tinted pink by the sun. Besides the title and author, text on the cover says "an International Love and Misadventure novel." Surrounding it are arrows pointing out the tropes: forced proximity, celebrity romance, they're both bisexual, actually acknowledges covid, secret identity, found family, and I'll help you slay your demons. At the bottom of the image, text reads "A Courtship in Quarantine, by Jem Spears. Available December 9, 2025."
October 21, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Reposted by Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill
mrhands31.bsky.social
It's worth reiterating that independent creators are getting debanked for the same content
mikestabile.bsky.social Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · Oct 16
Sam Altman suggests ChatGPT is cannibalizing your fanfic and erotica to make its own clanker porn, rolling out this December.
ChatGPT just got filthy after new update lets it talk dirty to you
'You won't get it unless you ask for it.'
metro.co.uk
October 16, 2025 at 4:27 AM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
If you haven't gotten a copy of Starlight and Cinnamon yet, I have a GoodReads Giveaway up for a signed paperback! Check it out here: www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...
Book giveaway for Starlight and Cinnamon (International Love and Misadventure) by Jem Spears Oct 03-Nov 01, 2025
Enter to win one of 8 free copies available. Giveaway dates from Oct 03-Nov 01, 2025. Get your hands on the contemporary queer romance that Kirkus Review...
www.goodreads.com
October 14, 2025 at 7:18 PM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
Releasing three books three months apart may have been a little ambitious of me. I'm still doing things for Starlight and Cinnamon, but I had to share the cover for the next in the series, A Courtship in Quarantine. You all are gonna love Mattie and Raph.
The cover of Jem Spears' "A Courtship in Quarantine" pictured on an iPad. The cover is the color of sunset and features a white woman with brown hair sitting and leaning against a wall in the center of the picture, and a biracial man with dark brown hair standing and leaning on the other side of the wall. Both are holding hand-written letters sent by the other. In the background is the sliding doors of their hotel rooms, looking out onto a grove of tree outlines tinted pink by the sun. Besides the title and author, text on the cover says "an International Love and Misadventure novel." Below the image of the iPad is the text "Available December 9, 2025!"
October 8, 2025 at 12:25 PM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
If you were looking for a way to help someone out today, might I suggest donating to Gwen's surgery fund? Fascists hate when trans people are cared for, so let's do our part and make them upset. www.gofundme.com/f/y7n5z3-hel...
Donate to Help Gwen Get Her Surgery, organized by Jo Downing-Groth
We live in Ohio. It is 2025 and the future is gut-churningly uncertain. Medicaid and its ab… Jo Downing-Groth needs your support for Help Gwen Get Her Surgery
www.gofundme.com
September 25, 2025 at 10:15 PM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
Y'all, I just got an absolutely amazing review for Starlight and Cinnamon. There are links to buy on the review page, if you haven't bought it yet and the review convinces you. Or you can go to books2read.com/starlightandcinnamon #SapphicSeptember #Booksky

indiereader.com/book_review/...
STARLIGHT AND CINNAMON | IndieReader
A 21st-century Romeo-and-Juliet setup blossoms into a light techno-thriller with a rich queer romance at its core.
indiereader.com
September 22, 2025 at 6:04 PM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
Cassian Andor would have cancelled his Disney+ subscription.
September 18, 2025 at 2:33 PM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
We keep losing a few decades at a time, where are we at now, 1870s?
jackiijackii.bsky.social Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · Nov 15
I feel like America is a centuries-long video game we forgot to save periodically so now we have to start over in the 1970s.
September 18, 2025 at 2:52 AM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
1. Everybody cancels all their problematic streaming services
2. Dropout becomes the dominant source of entertainment
3. Dropout buys OFMD, greenlights 10 seasons
4. Fascism dies, queers kiss, everybody's happy
September 18, 2025 at 2:41 AM
jackiijackii.bsky.social
The gym I go to decided to lower the flags last weekend. Y'all, I cancelled my membership so fast. My money will never go to a business that bends the knee to fascism, especially unprompted. Found a pilates studio that's cheaper and closer to my house. Like it was meant to be.
September 16, 2025 at 8:02 PM