QSFer Archer Kay Leah has a new queer specfic anthology out: Can’t Hold Us Down: Tales of Defiance & Hope.
Resistance. Defiance. Endurance.
Welcome to the Can’t Hold Us Down: Tales of Defiance & Hope charity anthology, where LGBTQA+ characters not only embrace the love in their life, but they’ve got the courage to last and their souls all but scream, “They can’t get rid of us – we’ll always be here.”
Come snarl with the shifters as they serve up FAFO and make new connections in Protect Your Community (Details Inside) and Defiant…
Travel with inquisitive minds as they chase after mysteries and the most unexpected people in Hex of Hiding and The RUST…
Crawl into the hearts of lovers who continue to face the tedious test of time in Berries and My Genevieve…
Cheer on the sweet taste of new love as shifters with disabilities find their people and a fresh future in Pack Life 101: An Outcast’s Guide to Love & Belonging and Night Moth…
Avenge loved ones and stand toe to toe with death and love in A Heartfelt Melody and The Scorpion and the Scythe…
Flash forward and gaze upon what humanity’s future could be like with the communities in Utopian Scholastic and Surfacing.
Stories of strength and fight. Stories with hope and heart. Stories of those who endure.
Featuring works by: Stephanie Rabig, Amir Lane, Disco Barrington, Ari Lawrence, Vivian Moira Valentine, Megan Derr, Caeli Faye, Jasmine Gower, Lexi Ander, Archer Kay Leah, Amara Lynn, and Alex Powell, with a Foreword by Winter Tashlin.
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100% of proceeds from sales of this anthology will go to LGBTQIA+ charity organizations, but the anthology is not endorsed or sponsored by any such organization. The anthology is also a limited edition and will be available until October 31, 2027, so get your copy now! Some stories include content that is intended for 18+ readers. All proceeds will be going to Rainbow Railroad and the Transgender Law Center!
Warnings: Depends on the individual story. Includes: Mild violence, conflict, threat, chronic illness; Ableism. References to past infanticide (not portrayed on the page); References to death; Violence, references to the deaths of family members; Gore, death, grief/loss of parent; References to off-page climate disaster, political upheaval, and death by bacterial infection; Mild violence, kidnapping, forced drugging (tranquilizer), unlawful confinement, human trafficking, homophobia, biphobia, racism, talk of discrimination, assholes being assholes; Explicit sexual content, possible gender dysphoria.
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Excerpt
Excerpt from Amara Lynn’s “Night Moth”:
This is how I ended up in Fresno.
My aunt’s rickety house looks older than the state of California. It’s tall, like it should be more than the simple two stories claimed. Tree branches frame it on either side, reaching towards the house with their spindly, eerie talons as if the house is a truffle they wish to eat up and absorb back into nature.
Moss splots across one side of the roof, while my namesake dots and trots down the other side, and it’s like nature is already partially consuming the abode, or perhaps it’s part hobbit hole. I can’t decide whether it’s cozy or creepy, and I pray to Mothman it’s not haunted.
Might as well get this over with and find out. One thing’s for certain: I am not made for hotter weather. Sweat is trickling down my temples, my breath is short, and I’ve got a migraine coming on after only a few minutes in it. Thanks, POTS. And thank Mothman for AC.
As soon as I’m inside, I find the thermostat and get it blasting cold air everywhere. I turn on the ceiling fan in the foyer and pull my electrolyte drink from my bag as I start my survey of the place I’ll be staying… At least, for a little while. I’m not sure if I want to permanently occupy this place yet.
I’ve only been to Aunty Avi’s house a few times, and when I was much younger, but it’s hardly changed, like a photograph. Towering floral-wallpapered walls meet wooden beams, which steeple to a sharp point. The entryway is an open concept with a grand staircase looming before me like a kraken, the second floor visible from the top.
My lazy cat, Rue, is so quiet you wouldn’t know she’s there most days. Once in a while, she gets the cuddle bug. Mostly, she just sleeps. She doesn’t even come out when I open her carrier. Mood, Rue. Mood. When she’s ready to explore, she will.
I’m achy and can feel a flare-up coming from the long travel. As much as I’d like to take a look around this dusty old place in depth, it’s not happening right this moment. I go into the sitting room and sink into the couch. Just as cozy as I remember it. I’ve always likened it to flopping onto Totoro, and equally as likely to open its huge maw to try and devour you.
Aunty Avi’s house really hasn’t changed much since the last time I’d been able to visit so many years ago. Back then, I hadn’t had my chronic illness battling against me. Now, I need frequent rests, and if I push myself, I risk being barely functional for days. While the hotter months won’t agree with me, inheriting my aunt’s fortune brings the advantage of not having to work anymore.
NEET life, engage.
As I glance around the sitting room, I find a journal sitting on the coffee table in front of me. Aunty Avi was always journaling. She must have dozens of these in her office. I wonder when this one is from?
I pick it up and flip open to a random page.
September 26th, 2007
The strange white being walked through the front yard again. It maunders as if lost, pausing occasionally as if in a trance, much like a deer staring into oncoming headlights. I’m uncertain if it saw me. I’m also uncertain if it has any eyes with which to see me.
This entry must be fictional. Right? Right?
Haha, very funny, past Aunty.
Unsure whether it’s a strange postmortem joke or not, I flip to the next entry.
September 30th, 2007
Each day it gets a little closer to my house. I’m afraid to go outside and get a better look for fear of what I may find. Hard to say if the being is hostile or not.
It seems… Lost. Soft. Flowing as it moves with gracefulness over the grass.
Tomorrow. Perhaps tomorrow, I’ll be brave.
October 1st, 2007
The enigmatic being didn’t show up this evening.
I close the journal, still unsure what “it” is.
Author Bio
This is a charity anthology curated by Archer Kay Leah, featuring 12 authors, and the stories range from short stories to novellas.
| Author Website | https://archerkayleah.wordpress.com/ |
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| Author Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/archerkayleah.bsky.social |
| Author Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/ArcherKayLeah/ |