This Week in Pride |

Here at I Heart SapphFic, we’ll be celebrating Pride all month long. Why? Because IHS organized the first ever I Heart SapphFic Pride Collection, which includes 8 standalone stories by some of the hottest names in sapphic fiction.

To help everyone stay on top of all the good things happening during June, we’ve decided to do a weekly roundup.

Up first, authors in the collection have been sharing Pride memories in the IHS readers group on Facebook. Here’s who shared so far:

Erica Lee

Hello, everyone! Happy day 2 of Pride Month! Is this anyone else’s favorite month of the year? It’s definitely mine! I woke up yesterday feeling like it was Christmas. Anyway, the reason I’m posting is because I’m part of the I Heart SapphFic Pride Collection, which includes 8 standalone stories by some of the hottest names in sapphic fiction (including little old me)! If you don’t know who I am, my name is Erica Lee, and I’ve been self-publishing since 2017.

Now to tell you about my favorite pride memory. I married my wife in 2018 after being together for 5.5 years. For our honeymoon, we went to LA Pride, and let me tell you – this Pride is not overrated. At least I don’t think it is. My memories could be skewed by the fact that the Uber driver who drove us from the airport suggested we drink Monster Bombs – Monster energy mixed with jack daniels – and we took that to heart.

I don’t have one specific memory from this Pride, but the whole experience was perfect. From being upgraded to a special two floor suite that looked right out at the Hollywood sign (at the always classy Holiday Inn) to eating way too many street vendor hot dogs wrapped in bacon, it was quite the experience. There was also the night my wife lost her phone at the Abby and the night that we thought we were going to be in a VIP suite with Jillian Michaels, but those are stories for another time (unless you really want me to tell either one now).

The best part was definitely being there with my wife who I was legally married to – something that so many people could only dream of for far too many years.

I hope you’re all proud of who you are today and always know I’m proud of all of you!

The Perfect Fit: Click here to buy or read in Kindle Unlimited.

Lucy Bexley

Happy Pride everyone!

I felt so lucky to be included in the I Heart SapphFic Pride collection. My story, Howl, is a rom-com about a sapphic bar in Boston fighting for its survival. It’s also a sapphic Coyote Ugly reimagining that was so much fun to write.

I wanted to share my favorite Pride memory with you all to celebrate the collection and this fabulous month.

I moved to Boston from Michigan more than a decade ago and I was so excited for my first Pride in a bigger city. The parade was great, huge, and exciting. I was surrounded by new friends and so many queer people; I’d never experienced anything like that before.

I spent the rest of the day with friends and then that night went to a big party with a woman I’d been spending a lot of time with as friends.
As the night wore on dancing led to a walk and I finally gathered my courage to tell her how I felt. And then, we kissed.

Reader, I married her. I mean, a lot of years later, but still.

So, that’s my favorite memory, kissing someone I’d been dying to kiss beneath a sky full of stars, with glitter from the parade still shimmering on our skin.

For me, Pride is a magical time to be brave and be yourself. Possibility and community are everywhere, glowing a little brighter than usual.
To quote Sam from Howl, “This is your chance to have an adventure, kiss a stranger, make some big mistakes. Those are the things that make life worthwhile.”

Howl: Click here to buy or read in Kindle Unlimited.

TB Markinson

Hey there and happy Pride!

I should get a couple of things out of the way. My first Pride goes back to my early 20s. I’m 48 now. The majority of my life, I’ve been bad with numbers and age hasn’t helped. It’s quite possible, my Pride memory is me conflating a few memories.

With that out of the way, my “first” Pride was in Denver, Colorado. The day was sunny with lots of blue sky overhead. And the mood sizzled with sensational excitement. I’d been out of the closet for a year or two, and had been to gay bars, but this was my first time being smack dab in the middle of so many queer peeps. It was the most amazing experience, to be surrounded by so many who accepted me and didn’t judge.

That’s the part I remember the most. Feeling welcomed and not judged. Something my family had never done, even before I came out. Although, given all the crying fits when forced to wear a dress or when given a doll for a present, it really didn’t come as a shock to anyone, even if they acted like it did.

My friends and I stayed all day, and we ended up at a cowboy bar that night. I couldn’t believe it. All my life, my family idolized John Wayne and his manliness. And now I stood in a queer cowboy bar, with everyone dancing, drinking, and having a fantastic time.

I couldn’t stop smiling because I kept thinking of how much my family would hate it. How they would say it was sacrilegious. To me, though, it was the most honest and true expression of living life to the fullest. Not to mention, everyone in that bar was the bravest I’ve had the privilege of being around.

That’s the meaning I took away from my first Pride. How important it is to be true to oneself to live a happy life, because it can be scary as heck given all the hate in the world. But I truly believe love and community trumps hate.

Happy Pride!

Take Two: Click here to buy or read in Kindle Unlimited.

Here are the daily Pride Photos we’ve been sharing on the socials

TB in one of her many rainbow shirts

Reading opens new doors