F. Malbeck

Queer and Australian Indie Author of the Dusk Lords series 📚 Avatar by @yutaan

[brainstreams]

Underused Ways to Show Two Characters Have History

Everyone writes: “We’ve known each other for years!"

But we can do better than that—let's make things actually interesting.

Here are some quick tips for writing two characters with history (without saying, "we've known each for years"):

• They reach for the same object at the same time without looking

• One of them uses a nickname no one else is allowed to use

• They start arguing mid-conversation like the first half already happened

• They move closer when the other looks uncomfortable

• One of them says, “Don’t start,” before the other has said anything

• They know exactly which buttons to press (and press them immediately)

• They unconsciously drift toward each other in crowded spaces

• They anticipate each other’s reactions before they happen

• One quietly moves something (a drink, weapon, chair) because they know the other will reach for it

• Someone might say something, and the other immediately responds with: “You’re still doing that?”

• They suppress laughter at the same time over something no one else noticed

• One character still treats the other based on who they used to be

• A certain place, smell, or song causes them to exchange a look

• Their arguments sound rehearsed, like they’ve had them before

• They touch each other casually without asking (fixing clothing, nudging, taking something from their hand)

• They stand closer than strangers normally would

• They borrow items from each other

• They bring up something embarrassing from ten years ago

• They sit in silence together and it’s either very comfortable or extremely tense

• One of them automatically orders the other’s drink

• They interrupt each other and still somehow finish the same sentence

• One starts a story and the other finishes it automatically

• They argue about the details of shared memories

• They mention people or events without explaining them

• A simple phrase or nickname triggers an entire inside joke

• They notice tiny things about each other no one else would catch

Real history sounds like unfinished conversations, old habits, and arguments that never really ended. When you show shared history (instead of telling) your characters seem that much more alive and believable.

On a similar note: Not all shared history is comfortable. Sometimes shared history means unresolved tension or an old rivalry:

• They refer to something only as “that” or “before.”

• Someone says “You know why.” without explaining further

• Standing slightly farther apart than expected

• Fingers drumming or fidgeting when they’re forced to talk

• Avoiding eye contact for just a second too long.

• A small disagreement suddenly becomes heated.

• One character reacts sharply to something that shouldn’t matter anymore.

• A casual comment triggers silence or defensiveness.

• One character starts explaining themselves but trails off

• One character makes small, cutting remarks disguised as jokes

• They still know each other’s preferences or weaknesses

• They speak in fragments when the past comes up

• They fall into familiar conversations and then awkwardly break them

If you enjoy digging into character dynamics like this, my printable novel planner has detailed sections for relationships, character arcs, and story structure. It’s perfect for organizing a fanfic or mapping out an entire novel!

⤷ my printable novel planner

[malbeckoning]

Five Lords of Dusk and The First King's Court are available now for a promotional price at @Smashwords as part of their Annual Summer/Winter Sale!

You can find my on-sale books on my Smashwords profile page.

Happy Summer/Winter!

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

Sapphic Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books for Pride Month

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

Sapphic Books Coming Out in 2026 - Part 1 💋

Which of these sapphic books coming out in 2026 are you excited to read?❓

Good afternoon, book lovers and bookish bats, and happy Pride Month. I LOVE seeing how many people are dedicated to reading more sapphic books this year, especially after all the wlw / bisexual discourse that happened on threads last month. Sapphic stories have a special place in my heart. As a bisexual woman in a long-term sapphic relationship, I know there are a dozen different ways these relationships can blossom. Whether it's sparked by the hot tension of arguing with a rival or slowly falling for a friend, sapphic books span genres and lifetimes. 💋

There are so many sapphic books coming out in 2026 that I had to break this guide into two parts (a first!). Here are a few of the amazing, sassy, sweet, captivating, and tantalizing sapphic books coming out in 2026 for you to read during Pride Month and beyond! Remember to read queer all year, my beloved book lovers and bookish bats! 💋

What's your favorite sapphic book?❓

Help! Insta is definitely suppressing my queer book guides during Pride Month (worse, my sapphic book guides get hit the most). Please help by sharing this. 💜

[malbeckoning]

I am doing a mid-year sale on the ebooks for Five Lords of Dusk and The First King's Court, as is my habit. Dusk Lords is my debut, queer fantasy series, featuring a genderqueer lead and a flintlock fantasy setting.

You can get Five Lords for $0.99 and The First King's Court for $2.99 while this sale lasts.

Five Lords of Dusk

The hunt has begun. They will find him. And when they do, he will bring down the Empire from within.

Shye is one of them. A Stormborn, Dusk Blooded, Strange . . . an enemy of the Empire, and he has just blown his crew's cover on imperial docks. Dorian just wants freedom. But such a goal is constantly threatened by the demands of their noble father, who wanted a perfect, controllable heir . . . he got Dorian instead. It is only their reputation that keeps them safe.

The assignment to track down a rumoured Stormborn, a being of legend in tales told to guild children, could destroy that reputation forever if it turns out to be a lie. But, if the rumour is true, Dorian will be untouchable in the eyes of the crown and beyond their father's reach forever. There can be no better coronation gift for the crown prince than a Stormborn.

The First King's Court

The Horned Crown has been destroyed and the prince of Mistral’s Dusk Blood has awoken.

After successfully delivering Cassius’s orders to Feng, Dorian and Shye have found themselves stuck in Aura, waiting on the wind to call Shye’s name – but Shye’s powers are broken.

It isn’t until Minister Sincere of the Feng Council arrives that they learn the true price of their actions in Mistral. Sincere has brought new orders from Cassius for his trusted Stormborn and hunter: find the source of the sickness spreading among the Blooded and eliminate it.

But as Shye and Dorian begin their mission, Cassius faces troubles of his own in the capital. The council are ever suspicious of the changes in their prince, and troubling dreams haunt Cassius’s sleep. Dreams of a place he has never seen and a figure who burns with golden light. Treason stalks the halls of the Brightspir, and the allies Cassius has gathered may not be enough to help him hold the throne, now that he has lost his crown.

And under the seas of Aura the Nain tremble, for Dusk long imprisoned is waking, hungry for vengeance…

As the Blooded fall, the Dusk Eater will rise.

[noahhawthorneauthor]

May is for Mental Health Awareness, which is especially close to my heart. Here is a list of queer books to read not only this month, but all year.

Many, if not all, of my main characters are living with mental illness.

[boilingheart-archive]

Y’all little writers go on and have fun now

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

[captainkirkk]

What they don't tell you about writing is that as you write, you discover scenes and entire plots that you hadn't accounted for that need to be written. So you can spend two hours writing and editing only to realise you're further away from the finish line than you thought you were when you started

[writingdose]

a writer’s struggle

[noahhawthorneauthor]

Lesbian Visibility Week is here with a slash! Here for the lesbians with dangerous tendencies and a trail of bodies in their wake.

[malbeckoning]

Saint of Steel Series - T. Kingfisher (Paladin's Hope Review)

*Re-post from my February 2026 newsletter. Find all the books that have been featured in my newsletters at my Storygraph newsletter tag.

I absolutely flew through this series! I like that each Paladin has a "case" of some kind to solve and a companion to gain along the way. They are easy reads in a deeply interesting world. There is always a sense of more left off the page, in a good way, and broader mysteries that could be solved in the world at some point. All the characters are well-drawn, unique, and interesting. I like how their hobbies are often used to focus them and make them stand out. 

This is a series that I could, and likely will, return to over and over again and still find the adventure a good one. I did read these on my kobo, because it was the most efficient to hand me the next one, but I think they are well worth having on my shelf. I also think they are one to add my #bathbooks list, joining Lava Red and Feather Blue and Breezespells and Bridegrooms.

[byjove]

comment under the trailer for Jacob Elordi’s new film

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

Books With Female Knights to Read for Women's History Month

Good morning, book lovers and bookish bats! Last week, I read GIdeon the Ninth, The Second Death of Locke, and The Isle of the Silver Sea back-to-back-to-back. I guess I was in the mood for a badass lady knight to sweep me off my feet! Fun fact: bae and I are going to the Georgia Renaissance Festival this year, and I am VERY eager to dress her up in a Jedi Knight / Medieval Knight / Badass Bae outfit. As for me, I'm dressing up as the evil witch she's been sworn to slay, which brings me to these books!

In honor of Women's History Month, I want to celebrate the badass women featured in our favorite books. There are many different types of strength, from these lady knights wielding their swords to women brimming with wisdom and resilience. These protagonists aren't simply strong because they fight back--they keep fighting, as a reminder that oftentimes, strength starts within. Here's my list of Books With Female Knights for Women's History Month!

What's your favorite book featuring a female knight? What does strength mean to you?

[kjscottwrites]

I was inspired by @jezifster's recent question about non-gendered royal titles, and I put together this graphic to serve as a jumping off point for people writing monarchies in SFF !

Obviously this non-exhaustive list contains mainly western titles, all in English. Feel free add any on additional gender neutral terminologies that you can think of, including those from different languages and cultures!

A small addition: I'm not a linguist or historian and put this list together based on some quick googling! While you're free to flex the usage and meanings of these words however you choose, researching the real-world context of each term before using them in your own writing is a best practice.

[dionysiaproductions]

[kaylewiswrites-deactivated20180]

How I think I’m writing: Using eye contact, or lack thereof, to display emotions such as intimacy, shock, denial, or nervousness. 

How I’m actually writing: She looked at me, and I looked away. I tried to look back, but she was already looking at the sky. “Look,” she sighs, looking back at me for a split second. “I don’t know how to say this.” We looked at each other and time stopped, but then she looked her lookers at something else to look at, looking tired.