Harmony Ink Press - Young Author Challenge Series

Celebrate with Harmony Ink Press as we recognize the talented winners of our first annual Young Author Challenge. This anthology showcases the LGBTQ genre’s best up-and-coming-authors between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one. The transition from childhood to adulthood is never easy, and growing up presents unique challenges for LGBTQ youth. Confusion, bigotry, and struggle transcend time and place, but fortunately, so does love. Travel with these exceptional young authors from country cottages to big cities, into the past and the future, from fantastic lands of magic to the recognizable landscapes of our world. Regardless of the setting, the characters in these stories, along with families, friends, lovers, and allies, fight to claim their places in life. Their identities and situations are different, but the young people in this collection share the strength and courage to succeed, sometimes against great odds, and they invite you to join them on their journeys. Cigar, Parasol, Star by Laura Beaird Counting Stars by L.A. Buchanan The King of Dorkdom by Avery Burrow Happy Endings Take Work by Morgan Cair Tess by Becca Ehlers Our First Anniversary by Trisha Harrington The Dragon Princess by Eleanor Hawtin An IRL Love Life by Rebecca Long On Their Own Terms by D. William Pfifer Glitterhead by Benjamin Shepherd Quiñones City Lights Will Carry You Home by Amanda Reed The Gift of Flame by Scotia Roth Waiting by Annie Schoonover Quiet Love by Gil Segev Paranormal Honor Society by Leigh Taylor

Celebrate with Harmony Ink Press as we recognize the talented winners of our second annual Young Author Challenge. This anthology showcases the LGBTQ genre’s best up-and-coming-authors between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one. The road from childhood to adulthood can be a bumpy one, especially for LGBTQ youth. Travel beside characters of all identities, orientations, and expressions as they search for a place to belong and people to love and support them just the way they are. From cities to the countryside, across diverse nations, and in fantastical realms of imagination, these young people struggle against society’s expectations, judgment from friends and family, and their own confusion—all while trying to enjoy their teenage years. Join them as they find the strength to be the people they’re meant to be and the courage to show their beauty to the world. Angelicque Bautista—Hummingbird Heart Alice Blank—I Wouldn't Let You Drown Erica Engelin—My Friend, My Sister Melissa Dollison—Home Before the Moon Turns Shaye Evans—Boarding Discovery Danielle Eyer—The Love Song of Amalia Savage Jordan Gillespie—Love in the Time of Figure Skating Juli Philippo—Ceilings Zig—The Three Poly Teens Hannah Irene—Black Rose CJ—The Pirate and the Princess Sheila McIntosh—Leucippa Gabriella Reeb—Just a Little Bit Late S. A. Star—Chance Encounters Sara Stark—Stardust Laura Swogger—This Photograph Imani J. Walton—Three Stages of Agony

Harmony Ink Press is proud to present the winners of the fourth annual Young Author Challenge. This book contains the best of the best in short LGBTQ+ fiction by authors from age fourteen to twenty-one. They represent the future of both our literature and our community, and the future looks as bright as these voices are strong, inventive, and unique. These fifteen stories range from the realistic to the fantastical, and they are populated with characters from all across the rainbow. They explore love, friendship, being different, finding one’s purpose and place, and what it means to grow up—in the modern world or one of pure imagination.

For six years, Harmony Ink has been privileged to showcase the very best up-and-coming writers of LGBTQ+ fiction. We are once again awed and inspired by the talent, creativity, and heart displayed by these authors, all fourteen to twenty-one years old. Selected from dozens of entrants, these young people are the winners of the Harmony Ink Young Author Challenge, and they represent the entire spectrum as well as a variety of fictional genres. They are the future voices of our community, and they invite you to take a journey into their rich and imaginative worlds.

Edited by Anne Regan Diversity is our strength, and now more than ever, the voices of young LGBTQIA authors need to be heard. Harmony Ink is proud to showcase the next generation of talented writers in our fifth annual Harmonious Hearts anthology. These authors, all between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one, are the winners of our Young Author Challenge and represent the future voices of our community. We are honored to showcase these writers, their experiences, visions, and the glimpses into their hearts in these pages. Join them on their journey and help us celebrate their courage, their love, and their unique ways of seeing the world.