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Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · 16h

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!"

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Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · 13d

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

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Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · 14d

I got one of these too, knew it was a scam from the gmail address, reported as spam and didn't engage, but still took notes on the proposed plan because I'm absolute rubbish at marketing. The only way I'd go trad is if they offered an amazing marketing plan. Everything else I can do myself.

Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · 16d

You deserve good friends and I try to be one, even if our encounters are mostly computer-based 😄

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Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · 16d

Hey if you want to talk, I'm available all day! I can listen and affirm, or we can just shoot the shit. And you can send me a text whenever you like. :)

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Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · 16d

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

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Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · 20d

Cassian Andor would have cancelled his Disney+ subscription.

Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · 21d

We keep losing a few decades at a time, where are we at now, 1870s?

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.

Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · 21d

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

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Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · 21d

One office wanted to use AI transcript. I asked who ensures the notes are correct and what's the process for redress if it adds/omits something and I'm denied insurance coverage based on a mistake they would be liable for? Told them I'll record the appt too. Suddenly they don't need to use it! lol

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Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · 21d

happy birthday!!

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Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · 22d

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.

Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · 29d

It's here!! Starlight and Cinnamon is out on books shelves today, and I forgot to take pictures of it because I've been up since before dawn! You can find the best place to buy it here books2read.com/starlightand..., and if you like it, please leave a nice review wherever you like to leave reviews.

Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · Sep 9

I solved the question of Best Chris. It's Andrew Garfield.

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Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · Sep 7

I just met Gwen today and she is so cool, like so much cooler than I am. She does a lot for our community in Dayton and I would love to see her surgery bills covered.

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

Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · Sep 6

My book comes out Tuesday and I have a thousand things to do, so of course I'll be spending the day playing the game where I sneakily kill bad guys and pet all the animals.

Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · Sep 5

Despite being terminally online, I didn't realize it was #SapphicSeptember! My sapphic romance, Starlight and Cinnamon, comes out September 9, just in time. Find your copy at books2read.com/starlightandcinnamon or get the ebook from me directly on the 9th at www.jemspears.com/writing #Booksky

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Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · Sep 4

I know I'm late to this and I'm only 30 hours into the game, but is the BBEG in AC Shadows a sentient ai? "Help me free my digitally jailed friend, you can trust me" reminds me of HZD and I worry the in-game modern times are gonna turn into The Matrix.

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Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · Sep 4

My sensitivity reader in Aotearoa New Zealand just told me their library is getting a physical copy of Starlight and Cinnamon! People will be reading me ✨internationally✨! This information is a little overwhelming!

Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · Sep 3

I'm listed here, and my fellow September releases have made their way to my TBR list! I'm in good company!

Swords & Sapphics: The Podcast @swords-andsapphics.bsky.social · Sep 3

It’s time to shout about the queer books we’re looking forward to seeing released this September! Which ones will you be adding to your shelves this month?

www.swordsandsapphics.com/post/lgbtq-b...

LGBTQ+ Books Releasing September 2025

It's time to shout about the queer books we're looking forward to seeing released this September! Which ones will you be adding to your shelves this month?If you like our content, please consider leav...

www.swordsandsapphics.com

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Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · Sep 1

Beverly writes excellent cozy MG fantasy and is a great human IRL, I highly recommend checking out her work for both the kids in your life and your inner child!

Bev Twomey @bevtwomey.bsky.social · Sep 1

It's September! I'm going on a social media hiatus for the month so I wanted to leave y'all with one final promo post!

Hello! My name is Beverly Twomey and I'm the author of middle grade fantasy novels such as The Necromancer's Apprentice and What the Sea Brings.

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Reposted by Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill

Mel Buer @melbuer.bsky.social · Aug 31

Get the hell off Substack before you literally can’t anymore without blowing up your business

With Substack's latest launch, writers are actually ceding control of the billing relationship to Apple, which now owns and controls the subscription.
These transactions, subscriptions, and customers will no longer be accessible in their Stripe account.

Most importantly, that means that if writers choose to leave Substack, they won't be able to port their paid subscriptions over to another platform like they could previously. This predatory platform lock-in is incredibly dangerous for writers. It strips away data and control, while locking them into the platform.

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Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · Sep 1

Gonna boost my debut novel, Starlight and Cinnamon, contemporary sapphic romance that comes out September 9! books2read.com/starlightand...

Paperback of Starlight and Cinnamon in the middle of a trope chart. The cover is a white woman in a green dress and a Chinese woman dressed in a red warrior costume embracing under a San Francisco night sky. The tropes around the book are messy lesbians, masquerade meet-cute, spies, monkey heist, interracial romance, and wanna upset some tech bros. Text also reads "available september 9, 2025."

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Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · Aug 15

Bell, Book & Comic in Dayton, OH is hosting a book signing for Starlight and Cinnamon! It's on release day, Sept 9, from 6:30-7:30ish. I'll have pride ribbons that represent the characters and some treats to share. It's gonna be super casual because I'm a recovering Type A. Hope to see you there!

A poster for an author signing event for Jem Spears' debut novel, Starlight and Cinnamon. The background is a purple-bluish cloud with white stars. The text reads "Author Signing Event with local romance author Jem Spears: Contemporary Queer Romance with a side of vengeance. Tuesday, September 9, 6:30pm to 7:30pm at Bell Book and Comic, 458 Patterson Rd, Dayton OH 45419. Pick up Starlight and Cinnamon, get a Pride ribbon, hang out with a bunch of queers, and grab your comic book file." There is a QR code on the poster that links to linktr.ee/jmerrillruiz.

Jem Spears/Jacquelyn Merrill @jackiijackii.bsky.social · Aug 14

After hearing how hard it is to get indie books into local bookstores, I'm surprised by how many want to stock Starlight and Cinnamon! Maybe the people of SW Ohio crave queer romance and joyful stories that actually punish the bad guys. I'm taking this as a sign that I should keep writing them.

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