I Shall Never Fall in Love
happy birthday to my queer regency rom-com!!!! overwhelmed by how many people have read and enjoyed it in the last year tbh (especially after being told the genre was probably too niche when first pitching). Thank you to everyone who’s read it and/or said nice things, it means the world. (x)
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Hi! Just happened on your sofa post and discovered your blog ! I just read your regency graphic novel and was astonished by how much I loved it — usually queer posi historical revisionism falls flat for me bc of the lack of research or plausibility and I really appreciate that this one is kind of fix it fic for Anne Lister if she wasn’t evil + that you talk about the changing position of south Asian aristocratic women in this time + that The Ton looks like no fun and everyone was gambling. Great research and nice YA friendship and romance story that I hope a lot of kids read ! Also liked the moment they go over the hill and see the factory (have you read Blood In The Machine or any other books about the luddites?)
THANK YOU!! “fix it fic for Anne Lister if she wasn’t evil” is an incredibly funny but not-inaccurate way to talk about I Shall Never Fall in Love, love to hear from someone who gets it.
I have NOT read Blood in the Machine, I usually only read non-fiction for specific book research - but someone I know made this very good free short comic (subtitle “What the Luddites can teach us about resisting an automated future”) which might be the same topic? I’m always trying to tell people about it, so thank you for giving me an excuse to link to it.
I’m a Luddite (and So Can You!)
A grey day || Drawings from I Shall Never Fall in Love
The house in decline - backgrounds from I Shall Never Fall in Love
Country paths - Backgrounds from I Shall Never Fall in Love
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Hi, sorry if I just totally missed it. But is it possible to get 'i shall never fall in love' as an eBook? Also I am a huge fan of your art! And my mother has mecfs too so big big big hugs to you. This shit is no joke.
Hello, yes you can definitely get it as an ebook! I’m not sure what region you’re in, but I’d try searching wherever you’d usually buy ebooks, I think it’s in most places (apple and google books, kobo etc). Thank you - and best wishes to your mum.
Seasons || Drawings from I Shall Never Fall in Love
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Hi!! I’ve been following your art for a long time and have been SO excited about “I Shall Never Fall In Love”. I finally got a chance to read it, and it’s absolutely stunning! I hope you know how lovely and impactful it is, as well as how big of a feat it is to illustrate a fully-colored ~280-page graphic novel. So amazing!!
I got a little teary at the end thinking about how much a book like this would have meant to me had I been able to see it when I was younger. It is still so rare to see transmasculinity anywhere.
As a history buff myself, I loved the “history corner” at the end and was surprised to find that I had read a lot of the reference material and was familiar with the other historians you’d consulted! It gave me a laugh to think of how small the “transgender historian and artist” sphere is, haha.
Love all your art and work and can’t wait to see your future works. As a fellow ME/CFS haver, I’m wishing you a low symptom day!
THIS IS SO NICE, THANK YOU!! V glad to hear I’m hitting my Exact Niche Audience. I do think I’m almost always subconsciously writing books I needed but never got when I was younger.
And it’s very reassuring you’ve read a lot of the reference material - I’m definitely not an expert but that hopefully means I’m putting in sensible things and haven’t missed anything too wildly obvious.
idk I just like really small/silly more low-key romantic in comics sometimes… for valentines, here’s some of my favourites from I Shall Never Fall in Love
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hey just wanted to pop in to say I LOVED reading I Shall Never Fall In Love!!! as a they/them myself with an interest in historical queerness it is right up my alley, and I really liked all the 'behind the scenes' stuff you included at the end! plus the way you draw expressions is amazing, it makes the characters feel so alive. I actually lended it to my mom once I was done reading the first time, and she loved it too! She hasn't read a lot of graphic novels, but she is a big fan of Jane Austen (I basically grew up watching Pride & Prejudice (2005) lol), and we had a great time talking about it ^v^
I feel like oftentimes people writing queer historical fiction think they have to choose between historical accuracy and having their characters be happy, since so often the stories we hear about queer historical figures are ones of tragedy. It's heartwarming to see someone write a story about queer people in history leading full and happy lives. Thank you for creating such a wonderful story and a beautiful piece of art <3
thank you so much for this message…. every time someone tells me they enjoyed the book and lent it to a family member it replenishes my life essence slightly!!!
Yeah, it’s interesting! I don’t think there’s one ‘right’ approach for queer historicals or fiction generally, but I’m personally drawn to making stories that feel hopeful in the end. Just because queer and trans people were (and are) living in an imperfect and often hostile world, it obviously doesn’t mean there were no moments of happiness. Like… we have loads of evidence queer people historically would deliberately destroy letters to not leave a paper trail, so the records that survive are often legal ones of punishment. But EVEN IN THOSE, there are so many unquestionable glimpses of queer people’s full, ordinary, and often happy lives.
Anyway I’m sure you know all this, just using this as an opportunity to talk about it since I find it really interesting. And I really think there’s value in pointing people towards our real history of queer resilience - and complexity, and complicity - not exclusively looser fantastical stuff where the history is just set dressing.
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I SHALL NEVER FALL IN LOVE HAS ALREADY BEEN TRANSLATED AND PUBLISHED INTERNATIONALLY?? THIS IS LIKE A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE TO ME. Found it in the wild and buying immediately!! I love your art so much, hope you have a wonderful rest of your day!
oooooh yeah the Spanish version was supposed to be out at a similar time to English but I wasn’t sure if it had actually hit bookshops yet!!
I only have a low res pic and tumblr crunched it extra but here it is… ♥ spanish isfnil ♥
The Spanish publisher is in Mexico but they distribute to different countries including the US, so I’d be interested to hear where you saw it (or anyone else who’s seen this in shops)
and thanks for the message, I’m so glad you found it!!
I Shall Never Fall in Love is out today in the US & Canada!
In the US, there’s a regular softcover OR ALSO a hardback, where I got to design an alternate cover for underneath the dust jacket, which I loved getting to draw. The print came out so nice.
Thank you so much to everyone who’s left nice reviews and sent lovely messages, they’re enormously appreciated - and hope everyone getting their copy this week enjoys it!
I only sometimes do comics with enough comedy for with goofy facial expressions, but when I do, I have fun with them
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Something interesting arrived in the post for me 👀 I look forward to reading it.
<3 <3