Welcome to my 135th #Rainbowsnippets*. This one, as always, is uniquely mine, but there are lots of other great snippets to read so after you finish here click the FB link at the bottom of the post to discover other great LGBTQIA authors and their works.

Striking Balance: The Peculiar Making of Beatrice Benjamin Sophia Scott Schnell Gow is a queer Historical Paranormal Fantasy set in, you guessed it, Appalachia. This Appalachia, however, is the frontier, and the story takes place during the Revolutionary War era and the time after, meaning the late 18th century. This explains the narrator’s voice. If you’ve read the letters and journals of the period, you’ll recognize it as reflective of those.

This week I’m picking up where I left off in Chapter One. The part in orange comes from last week’s post, “Mutti,” and it’s Conall commenting on Ben’s small stature.

“We should put some meat on you. Maybe that’ll help.”

Conall straightens my hat as he stands then reaches behind my head to feel the leather tie tethering my hair. “You need a ribbon, but you’ll do, I reckon.” He nods approval of my status. “Let’s go.”

     “I’ll find someone when the time’s right, not before.” I push back my hat as soon as he turns about. “And I will be a happy bachelor ‘til then.”

Happy bachelor, Ben? You and Conall should both be married at your age, especially Conall. Ah, but you are going to the Alcotts where two young women reside, aren’t you? (casts a whimsical smile) If Ben was close enough to touch me, he’d hit me for saying that, but it’s true.

Why else would Widow Alcott invite the eligible men from the neighboring farm to dinner on a weeknight?

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*RainbowSnippets is a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ authors, readers, and bloggers to share 6 sentences each week from a work of fiction—published or in-progress—or a book recommendation. Feel free to join in.