Medusa, a vampire, a werewolf, a demon, a faerie and a mermaid walk into a bar...wait...that’s not the start of a joke! This queer bunch is actually part of awesome tales about their chaotic love lives.
Join them for feels and shenanigans.
These short stories steamed from a desire to write some fun queer romance.
Sure, those tales could’ve been about ordinary humans, but pushing the boundaries of relationship interactions by having the characters be literal mythical beings is good chaotic, right?
At least I thought so!
The world is complex and full of horrors, can seem irredeemable most days, and I felt like my brain needed to balance things out. When that happens, I write stories that are as entertaining as possible, are full of heart, and hopefully are as heartwarming for readers as they were for me to create.
I am collaborating with a true all-star team for this venture—seriously, go check out the Team section; it’s mind-blowing. I am honored and grateful that every single one of these amazing artists accepted to be part of this silly joyous project. The cherry on top is that they are just as excited as me to see this come to life with your help :)
All this to say that here in this anthology I put my own spin on those well-known mythical beings, and we hope you’ll join us to enjoy their love lives tribulations!
It’s tough trying to find a partner when you have supernatural abilities, and so this series of short tales examine what it’s like for well-known mythical beings to navigate the dating scene.
These explorations are full of benevolence, softness, and humor because life’s too short to not laugh and indulge! They strive to pick apart how challenging relationships—and finding true love—can be, no matter for who.
They are lighthearted reflections on the universal concept of finding your better half no matter what can get in the way. Especially when that complication is literally *mystical*!
SHEDDING SKIN
Medusa always had to deal with her snakes being little menaces for her love life. Incredibly possessive, her lovelies liquefy (not turn to stone like the regular legend) every one of her girlfriends who locked eyes with them, which has led to many heartbreaks. Will she ever be able to tame them?
Art by Laura Helsby
FANG CLUB
Amber is a proud vampire who is her own biggest fan, but loathes dating her own kind. Although dating humans comes with a slew of challenges due to her nature, maybe she finally found a solution to her problem…
Art by Jaws Stone
SHIFT HAPPENS
Up on the roofs of Paris, Clementine is taking a big leap of faith as the next step of her relationship with her girlfriend. What could go wrong when the full moon is rising and you’re a werewolf?
Art by Fell Hound
YOU LOOK LIKE HELL
Being a demon is ingrained into Billie’s nature. They have seen lots of suffering in their life, and went through a healthy dose for themselves as well and being part of a band is providing them with just the kind of escape they need to drown their sorrows. Until something better comes along.
Art by Jonah Walker
MEET ME IN THE SEASHELLS
Isla is getting lonely traveling the seven seas. Her friends have been urging her to use this new deep-sea dating app, but she’s unconvinced of the quality of partners she could potentially find on there. Should she give it a chance or hope the old-fashioned way is still a thing?
Art by Len Gogos
BELIEVE IN MAGIC
While her family always said that her powers were a gift, Hazel never felt that way. Having foresight, being able to fly and become invisible can be a curse when trying to find a stable relationship. But Hazel learned to deal with it all in her own way.
We are passionate about this project, had a ton of fun working on it, and would love for it to be released into the world for you all to read. That means that we calculated our initial funding goal of $16,000 CAD (∼ $11,800 USD) to cover the strict minimum of costs from printing the books, the rewards, the crowdfunding fees, and to pay the artists and the letterer (being indie creators is a 24/7 job and we believe the team deserves a fair wage!)
Full disclosure: I’ve been burned in past campaigns by announcing stretch goals that we unlocked, but last minute cancelled pledges along with failed pledges that never got fixed meant we didn’t truly meet the stretch goals. I am now acting out of an abundance of caution before announcing anything more. For that reason, I also made sure that everything was factored into the main campaign and available directly as rewards. Thank you for understanding :)
M.H. Cali is an Award-Nominated author who writes character-driven romances, romantic suspenses and thrillers books as well as the occasional comic or graphic novel.
The world is complex and flawed, and so are the characters inhabiting the universes she builds. If you ever read any of her works, you’ll notice that she loves writing layered characters, having a diverse cast, and that to her quiet moments are just as important than action-packed ones.
Storytelling is all about harmony in the emotions and events throughout the narrative. It's her motto.
If she manages to make you feel what the characters are going through, live the events with them, and wonder what is going to happen, then she succeeded!
Alex is a freelance illustrator, story boarder and comic book artist from London. Their work often featured loud characters, bold colours and they particularly enjoy exploring visual storytelling.
Alex has boarded project for clients such as EA Sports, Alienware and Adobe. They have worked as an interior and cover artist in both the indie small-press scene and for publishers including Dark Horse, DC Comics, IDW and more. They are currently drawing a YA adaptation of The Count of Monté Cristo for Penguin Random House with writer Rex Ogle but are probably best known for their artwork with Dungeons and Daddies (not a BDSM podcast).
Laura is an illustrator and comic book artist from Manchester, UK. Their credits include publishers such as 2000AD, A Wave Blue World, Scout Comics, Bad Egg Publishing, Band of Bards, and many more!
Loves: Basketball.
Hates: Terfs.
Fell Hound is a Ringo nominated illustrator/writer who’s worked with Boom!, IDW, Scout, A Wave Blue World, and many more. She’s best known for creating the critically acclaimed Commander Rao, the motorcycle jousting romance S.I.R., as well as her love of drawing sword women. When not giving herself rampant carpal tunnel, she enjoys re-watching Witch from Mercury, playing video games, and consuming queer fiction.
Jaws Stone is an illustrator, comic artist and streamer. They’re also one half of the podcast The Art of Comics, a bi-weekly show about, you guessed it, comics. When they’re not spending their time developing stories for their little guys and incessantly drawing them boinking, Jaws can be found on hour-long walks.
Len is a comic artist, illustrator and occasional writer based in Greece. They have been self-publishing their comics since 2015 and have participated in numerous comics anthologies in Greece and abroad. The made their debut in US comics with Quests Aside (Vault Comics), followed by The Gimmick (Ahoy Comics) and a short in DC Pride 2024.
They love queer media made by queer people, long nature walks and baking for their friends.
Jonah Walker is a queer freelance artist and multitasking wizard based in the North of Scotland. With a love for all things storytelling he creates illustrations, TTRPGs, comics and more. When he is not working creatively for once, he can be found enjoying horror movies or baking cakes.
MATT AYTCH TAYLOR is an illustrator and cartoonist with a passion for old boats and weird history.
In the rare moments he's not thinking about boats or history, he enjoys cooking.
Before becoming a full-time artist Matt worked in the Television and Film Industries in New York City.
He now lives in Buffalo, NY with his partner and their cat.
Missupacey, also known as Ashleigh Izienicki, is a freelance illustrator living in California with her assortment of pet reptiles.
Hedda Kverndalen, she/her, 31 years old, queer illustrator from Norway who loves magic, myths and folklore.
Sena Hyeleth is a queer, disabled illustrator and streamer based in Germany. They specialize in character art and character design, creating expressive, vibrant portraits and illustrations, aiming to capture the essence and personality of each character. They care a lot about queerness in art and literature, and are a passionate LGBTQIA+ and disability-rights activist, hoping to draw attention to the discrimination and injustices that vulnerable minority groups are facing on a day to day basis. Outside of work they play DnD, take care of their cats, grow plants, and enjoy collecting crystals and fossils.
Bailey Hoffman is an Illustrator and Story Artist from rural Missouri. She went to the Kansas City Art Institute to study Animation and Art History, and went to Sheridan in Toronto to get a graduate degree in Computer Animation. She loves working on projects that incorporate historical fantasy that can intertwine horror and surrealism. In her opinion, the weirder the better! She's currently working on her debut comic that will be released later this year.
Joeli is a character artist and illustrator. Her style is versatile and clearly defined by the dynamic use of light and poses. From vibrant, romantic, and colourful scenes all the way to dark, serious, and mysterious atmospheres, she makes every character come to life and each project keep its own voice.
Mitzi Krasnoff is a femme lesbian artist born and raised in New Orleans who loves to draw cute and fashionable girls. She currently works as a producer for WEBTOON and has worked on multiple book-to-comic adaptations and collaborative comic properties like DC and WEBTOON's Zatanna & the Ripper, as well as continuing her art career as an independent artist, illustrator, and writer.
This anthology is full of hope, feelings, love, and out of an abundance of caution, we’d like to mention that some mild nudity is present at specific stages of it.
While there are always hurdles we could face, we have been working on this project for more than a year, and it’s well on its way already. Plus, I have already successfully delivered other crowdfunding campaigns (The Fury, The Maelstrom, and The Kiwi and Back To Earth is ongoing due to health issues in the team), have hands-on experience in managing my own online store and book releases. The risks of running into big delays on our side are minimal.
In the event where we are to face any hurdles during production, I will always be transparent and communicate with backers at every step of the way to keep you in the loop. I truly believe that communication is key during any project, and this won’t be any different.
Good news or bad news, you can expect to hear from me, and I’ll always be there to answer any inquiries you might have at any step.
