As a fiction writer, I hate to admit this (especially aloud), that I really don’t read much.

Yeah, I know, that’s strange. I did when I was younger, but as we grow up and reading becomes more of a hobby rather than an assignment, time certainly knows how to make it difficult. That, on top of the lack of LGBTQ+ representation in mainstream literary media, I just don’t get excited about reading anymore.

I know I can’t be the only one that feels this way, which is why I’ve decided to start Lauryn’s LGBTQ+ Bookshelf! A blog that will (hopefully) highlight books with LGBTQ+ main characters and themes!

Of course, I considered making one of those basic author platforms that tells you a little about who I am and where you can buy my books (which is coming soon), but I wanted to offer something more. So, as an LGBTQ+ author, what better way to personally expand and possibly help other LGBTQ+ authors along the way than to read and dissect books with those mentioned themes? I honestly can’t think of one.

I started writing when I was thirteen and started sharing those stories on the beloved free-reading platform Wattpad. Most of my stories focused around a lesbian protagonist because I also identify as a lesbian. I lived in a very small, southern Louisiana town up until the summer I turned 23. My hometown had little-to-no sexual diversity when I was growing up, or, at least none that I could see. There was no such thing as bisexual, trans, ace, or pan. In my ignorant, thirteen-year-old mind, everything was pretty black and white, and the LGBTQ+ community is anything but.

Of course, as I got older, I learned more and more about the LGBTQ+ community. I learned that there is an array of sexualities that all seek representation. Us humans crave love and acceptance. We’re affectionate and social creatures, and we love to see ourselves in beloved characters either on paper pages or big screens. It makes us feel less alone in a world that tends to ostracize our community daily.

And no matter how people try to spin it: Representation is important and always will be.

Now, I’ve been writing for 10+ years and with skill comes responsibility. Art can change the world. You see it every single day and most people tend to not even realize it. I believe every creator has the power to shape and move people with words, art, music, and so much more. We’re able to give readers a new perspective that they might’ve never been able to see without our help. Books are important. Representation is important.

So, that is a little introduction into what you can expect to find on this site. Of course, on top of that I’ll probably throw in forms of other media like music and movies and TV shows because, well, why not?