Hi friends! I can’t believe we’re already starting to gear up for the release of The Golden Boy’s Guide to Bipolar. The cover is out, preorders are up, and you can already request it to read early on NetGalley and Edelweiss! If you want to be one of this book’s first readers, or if you’ve been waiting for a chance to read it for free, here’s your chance!

If you’re new to hearing about this book, it’s a companion novel to The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School. This one takes place after the events of the first book and follows Yami’s brother, Cesar. Both books can be read without the context of the other, but don’t worry! There’s still plenty of time to read the first one if you wanted to experience them in order.

In case you missed the cover reveal, look at this beauty!

<sup>Seventeen-year-old Cesar Flores is finally ready to win back his ex-boyfriend. Since breaking up with Jamal the year prior in a last-ditch effort to stay in the closet, he’s come out to his mom, his sister, Yami, and their friends, taken his meds faithfully, and gotten his therapist’s blessing to reunite with Jamal.

Everything would be perfect if it weren’t for The Thoughts—the ones that won’t let all his Catholic guilt and internalizations stay buried where he wants them. The louder they become, the more Cesar is once again convinced that he doesn't deserve someone like Jamal—or anyone really.

Cesar can hide a fair amount of shame behind jokes and his “gifted” reputation, but when a manic episode makes his inner turmoil impossible to hide, he’s faced with a stark decision: burn every bridge he has left, or worse—ask for help. But is the mortifying vulnerability of being loved by the people he’s hurt the most a risk he’s willing to take?</sup>

This book means so much to me as someone who has gone through a long and grueling mental health journey to get to where I am now. For a long time, I’ve wanted to write about a character with a similar experience with mental illness. It felt very fitting to bring this story to life with one of the most beloved characters from The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School. I want readers who struggle with this or similar illnesses to see themselves in Cesar, and then to see how much people love him. He’s not only loved by his friends and family, but by so many readers over the years! This book is a love letter to everyone with serious mental illness who might feel like they have to be completely stable before being worthy of love. You are so worthy and lovable and deserving of compassion—especially from yourself.

upcoming events

If you happen to be in or near the San Antonio area on 4/12, I’ll be at the San Antonio Book Festival and would love to see you! I’ll be on the panel Sandra Cisneros Presents: Fearless Books, Brave Writers and have a signing afterwards!

On 5/1 in Tempe, Arizona, I’ll be moderating an event at Changing Hands Bookstore for one of my favorite authors, Jonny Garza Villa. Their adult romance debut, Fútbolista, comes out on 4/15!

On another note, I wanted to thank everyone for the incredible support for my last release, The Broposal. It has been a really hard time to be releasing a book that so heavily deals with immigration in the United States, but it’s also been so lovely to see how many people are geared up to fight the good fight! As I always say, books can be excellent tools of a movement, but the fight doesn’t start and end with reading.

If you or someone you know needs help with DACA, naturalization, or residency applications/renewals, LUCHA has some excellent resources. You can find many of them here. This is an Arizona based organization, but they can offer services through Zoom for those not based here.

On a lighter note, for anyone new to hearing about The Broposal, see below a very serious book trailer I built with my own two hands and the donated blood sweat and tears of my good friend Lee who styled and held a Ken doll when my two hands were not enough.

You can get your own copy of The Broposal anywhere books are sold, or just click here.