Edith Pilaf
@tjwest3.bsky.social
Queer Appalachian ex-pat writer who loves all things pop culture. My debut queer Appalachian rom-com, Country Road Romance, is available now.
One of my goals in 2026 is to read more queer indie fiction, particularly fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and romance. I'm a part of this community, and I want to give back.
So, if you have some recs that I absolutely must read in the coming year, let me know! I love to uplift other authors!
So, if you have some recs that I absolutely must read in the coming year, let me know! I love to uplift other authors!
November 10, 2025 at 3:48 PM
One of my goals in 2026 is to read more queer indie fiction, particularly fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and romance. I'm a part of this community, and I want to give back.
So, if you have some recs that I absolutely must read in the coming year, let me know! I love to uplift other authors!
So, if you have some recs that I absolutely must read in the coming year, let me know! I love to uplift other authors!
Started King & Conqueror tonight, and it’s actually quite good! Definitely one of the better period dramas I’ve seen lately.
November 10, 2025 at 4:04 AM
Started King & Conqueror tonight, and it’s actually quite good! Definitely one of the better period dramas I’ve seen lately.
Happy Swoony Sunday, everyone! For today's edition of Omnivorous I reviewed This Monster of Mine, a terrific Rome-inspired romantasy that serves up lots of trauma and steam. A definite must-read.
open.substack.com/pub/omnivoro...
open.substack.com/pub/omnivoro...
Swoony Sunday Book Review: "This Monster of Mine"
Shalini Abeysekara has crafted a delicious romantasy that draws on ancient Rome to give us a an enemies-to-lovers story with lots of trauma and steam.
open.substack.com
November 9, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Happy Swoony Sunday, everyone! For today's edition of Omnivorous I reviewed This Monster of Mine, a terrific Rome-inspired romantasy that serves up lots of trauma and steam. A definite must-read.
open.substack.com/pub/omnivoro...
open.substack.com/pub/omnivoro...
Well, I WAS gonna throw this box away. 😂
November 9, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Well, I WAS gonna throw this box away. 😂
Holy shit was Frankenstein fantastic. Jacob Elordi's performance broke my heart, and this line stood out to me: "I am the child of a charnel house."
Ugh. My heart broke in that moment.
What a fantastic piece of tragic horror.
Ugh. My heart broke in that moment.
What a fantastic piece of tragic horror.
November 9, 2025 at 2:56 AM
Holy shit was Frankenstein fantastic. Jacob Elordi's performance broke my heart, and this line stood out to me: "I am the child of a charnel house."
Ugh. My heart broke in that moment.
What a fantastic piece of tragic horror.
Ugh. My heart broke in that moment.
What a fantastic piece of tragic horror.
In case you weren't tired of me going on about Queer Communion, I finally got around to writing a complete review. It's truly a terrific book, and I can't recommend it highly enough, particularly if you're a queer person struggling with your faith.
open.substack.com/pub/omnivoro...
open.substack.com/pub/omnivoro...
Book Review: "Queer Communion: Religion in Appalachia"
This edited collection is a poignant, heartbreaking, and affirming celebration of the complex relationship between Appalachian queers and religious faith.
open.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:29 PM
In case you weren't tired of me going on about Queer Communion, I finally got around to writing a complete review. It's truly a terrific book, and I can't recommend it highly enough, particularly if you're a queer person struggling with your faith.
open.substack.com/pub/omnivoro...
open.substack.com/pub/omnivoro...
The Woman in Cabin 10 may not be a very good movie, but I’ll always be here for a film that depicts the rich as the parasitic sociopaths they are
November 8, 2025 at 4:27 AM
The Woman in Cabin 10 may not be a very good movie, but I’ll always be here for a film that depicts the rich as the parasitic sociopaths they are
Presented without comment.
November 8, 2025 at 3:17 AM
Presented without comment.
After a lot of deliberation, I've decided my next queer Appalachian romance will be set in Moundsville. Titled "Hittin' the Right Note," it's a second-chance romance between a country singer and a pop singer who unite to try to save the (fictional) Northern Appalachia Artists Center.
November 8, 2025 at 2:24 AM
After a lot of deliberation, I've decided my next queer Appalachian romance will be set in Moundsville. Titled "Hittin' the Right Note," it's a second-chance romance between a country singer and a pop singer who unite to try to save the (fictional) Northern Appalachia Artists Center.
Currently watching my favorite lesbian couple.
November 8, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Currently watching my favorite lesbian couple.
Happy Friday, everyone! For today's edition of Omnivorous I reviewed the first four episodes of this season of The Witcher. The show might not satisfy book purists, but I still find it eminently entertaining, and Hemsworth isn't half bad!
open.substack.com/pub/omnivoro...
open.substack.com/pub/omnivoro...
TV Review: "The Witcher" (Season 4, Episodes 1-4)
The fourth season of the Netflix fantasy saga might not satisfy purists, but it's entertaining enough to satisfy.
open.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Happy Friday, everyone! For today's edition of Omnivorous I reviewed the first four episodes of this season of The Witcher. The show might not satisfy book purists, but I still find it eminently entertaining, and Hemsworth isn't half bad!
open.substack.com/pub/omnivoro...
open.substack.com/pub/omnivoro...
In today's "water is wet" moment: Ross Douthat once again reveals that he's trash.
November 7, 2025 at 10:50 PM
In today's "water is wet" moment: Ross Douthat once again reveals that he's trash.
So, I just found out someone went quasi-viral on TikTok talking about Country Road Romance, and they were praising the book and talking about how much it meant to them as a fellow WV queer. And my heart...it just kind of melted. THIS is why I write queer Appalachian stories, and why I'll never stop.
November 7, 2025 at 9:51 PM
So, I just found out someone went quasi-viral on TikTok talking about Country Road Romance, and they were praising the book and talking about how much it meant to them as a fellow WV queer. And my heart...it just kind of melted. THIS is why I write queer Appalachian stories, and why I'll never stop.
Getting updates from your editor in the track changes function of GoogleDocs is a lot like watching your professor grade your essay right in front of you.
November 7, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Getting updates from your editor in the track changes function of GoogleDocs is a lot like watching your professor grade your essay right in front of you.
Good evening, everyone! For today's edition of Omnivorous I reviewed the third season of The Diplomat, which is a truly terrific piece of TV that grapples with the pressing questions of our new nuclear age, and it's a joy watching Russell and Janney together.
open.substack.com/pub/omnivoro...
open.substack.com/pub/omnivoro...
TV Review: "The Diplomat" (Season 3)
The third season of the Netflix political thriller grapples with the pressing problems posed by our new atomic age with crackling dialogue, terrific performances, and a plot that just won't quit.
open.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Good evening, everyone! For today's edition of Omnivorous I reviewed the third season of The Diplomat, which is a truly terrific piece of TV that grapples with the pressing questions of our new nuclear age, and it's a joy watching Russell and Janney together.
open.substack.com/pub/omnivoro...
open.substack.com/pub/omnivoro...
My editor is giving the book a (hopefully final) read tonight. Fingers crossed that she likes it and gives it her approval! If she does, we're gonna be all set to get it ready for preorder by November 16!
November 6, 2025 at 9:06 PM
My editor is giving the book a (hopefully final) read tonight. Fingers crossed that she likes it and gives it her approval! If she does, we're gonna be all set to get it ready for preorder by November 16!
Just found out that today is June Squibb's birthday! What a truly remarkable talent she is, and it's so amazing to see her out there acting right up into her 90s. Truly one of my favorite actresses working today.
November 6, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Just found out that today is June Squibb's birthday! What a truly remarkable talent she is, and it's so amazing to see her out there acting right up into her 90s. Truly one of my favorite actresses working today.
I'm about a fifth of the way into Philip Pullman's The Rose Field, and I just adore this book. Pullman is a master craftsman, and his skill with prose and weaving in complex philosophical ideas into the tapestry of fantasy is unmatched. Truly one of the great fantasists writing today!
November 6, 2025 at 3:40 PM
I'm about a fifth of the way into Philip Pullman's The Rose Field, and I just adore this book. Pullman is a master craftsman, and his skill with prose and weaving in complex philosophical ideas into the tapestry of fantasy is unmatched. Truly one of the great fantasists writing today!
A new haircut means that my gay powers have been restored!
November 5, 2025 at 11:12 PM
A new haircut means that my gay powers have been restored!
For today's Writer Wednesday at Omnivorous I wrote about my great experience at the Kentucky Book Festival, which was yet another chance to meet readers, forge connections, and just enjoy the pleasure of the written word.
open.substack.com/pub/omnivoro...
open.substack.com/pub/omnivoro...
Writer Wednesdays: Dispatches from the Kentucky Book Festival
I had yet another fabulous writerly experience at the Kentucky Book Festival: meeting new readers, connecting with fellow queer Appalachians, and just drinking in the book-loving atmosphere.
open.substack.com
November 5, 2025 at 8:48 PM
For today's Writer Wednesday at Omnivorous I wrote about my great experience at the Kentucky Book Festival, which was yet another chance to meet readers, forge connections, and just enjoy the pleasure of the written word.
open.substack.com/pub/omnivoro...
open.substack.com/pub/omnivoro...
Reposted by Edith Pilaf
Oh, you simple-minded, wheezing gargoyle . . . you were very much on the ballot. You are blamed for the shutdown. You are blamed from SNAP shutting down. You are blamed for a bad economy. And numerous people interviewed last night mentioned that seeing the East Wing destroyed motivated them to vote.
November 5, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Oh, you simple-minded, wheezing gargoyle . . . you were very much on the ballot. You are blamed for the shutdown. You are blamed from SNAP shutting down. You are blamed for a bad economy. And numerous people interviewed last night mentioned that seeing the East Wing destroyed motivated them to vote.
Reposted by Edith Pilaf
Happy Native American Heritage Month! To celebrate, I recommend two recent books by @uwapress.uw.edu : Caitlin Keliiaa’s Resfusing Settler Domesticity and Olivia Chilcote’s Unrecognized in California
Take a look at the blog link here & check out these books!
uwpressblog.com/2025/11/04/f...
Take a look at the blog link here & check out these books!
uwpressblog.com/2025/11/04/f...
Five Recommended Reads for Native American Heritage Month
Every November, we mark Native American Heritage Month as a time to uplift the traditions, languages, and stories of Native American and Alaska Native communities, ensuring their contributions and …
uwpressblog.com
November 4, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Happy Native American Heritage Month! To celebrate, I recommend two recent books by @uwapress.uw.edu : Caitlin Keliiaa’s Resfusing Settler Domesticity and Olivia Chilcote’s Unrecognized in California
Take a look at the blog link here & check out these books!
uwpressblog.com/2025/11/04/f...
Take a look at the blog link here & check out these books!
uwpressblog.com/2025/11/04/f...
Reposted by Edith Pilaf
Listen, I'm a small-time author. I don't expect much.
It would be nice to sell a few copies of my book.
I'd love to see it in libraries.
Maybe get a movie deal.
Some merch would be cool.
And of course I'd like a theme park based on my books.
That's it, really.
#BookSky #books #writing
It would be nice to sell a few copies of my book.
I'd love to see it in libraries.
Maybe get a movie deal.
Some merch would be cool.
And of course I'd like a theme park based on my books.
That's it, really.
#BookSky #books #writing
November 4, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Reposted by Edith Pilaf
I’d forgotten what it’s like to see election returns and not feel physically ill
November 5, 2025 at 2:39 AM
I’d forgotten what it’s like to see election returns and not feel physically ill
As I continue copyedits for my queer Appalachian romantasy, I continue to fall more and more in love with the cover. It captures so much about what I love about this story: the moodiness, the imminent political violence, the pulsing desire between the two MCs.
I can't wait for release day!
I can't wait for release day!
November 5, 2025 at 5:24 PM
As I continue copyedits for my queer Appalachian romantasy, I continue to fall more and more in love with the cover. It captures so much about what I love about this story: the moodiness, the imminent political violence, the pulsing desire between the two MCs.
I can't wait for release day!
I can't wait for release day!