GUEST POST – Godspeed, Lovers by TQ Sims #GuestPost #ExclusiveExcerpt #Excerpt
✨ GUEST POST ✨
with Exclusive Excerpt
What inspired Godspeed, Lovers (A Lovers Universe Novella)
This is a question a lot of artists and storytellers get. I think it’s a good one. Why on earth in the face of late-stage capitalism, climate change, and the erosion of human rights do we feel the need to create? I think it’s because of and despite the horrific state of the world, I feel compelled to write. I’m inspired by the people around me, by my teachers and friends who continue to practice kindness and build community. I’m inspired by organizers and activists who stand up in the face of injustice, raise their voices, and bring people together.
I’m also intrigued by our human potential. We have within us a power which can be used to lift others up or tear them down. We all have it. Any one of us can be heroes or villains. That’s interesting to me. That gets my wheels turning.
When I write, I center queer characters in super-normal situations. In my first novel Godspeed, Lovers, characters deal with having superpowers activated within themselves when sentient, extradimensional storms attack their city, causing severe mental illness and homicidal tendencies in 97% of the population. One-hundred years later, those same characters have built technology like spaceships and space stations to fight back against the assault. While all of that is going on, Casey and Oscar are falling in love, protecting each other, healing each other, and gathering found family around themselves.
But the storms are not the only villains. Casey and Oscar must determine who they can trust: the eccentric trillionaire keeping them in the dark, the independent contractors with secrets of their own, or a seemingly helpful extradimensional being shrouded in mystery.
Their world gets chaotic (relatable), but the most interesting aspect of the story for me was how the characters responded to their situations. The super-powers, technology, and romance all drive the plot because really this is a story about what it means to hold power.
I wanted an exciting story about Queer superheroes who weren’t just incidentally Queer… so I wrote Godspeed, Lovers. An aspect of these heroes’ powers is drawn from their Queer experience. Through their queer resiliency, queer rage, self-discovery, self-determination, they access powers that just might break the storms that threaten humanity. I think that’s what queer people are doing in real life. We’re accessing power to shape the world—and that’s inspiring to me.
Excerpt from Godspeed, Lovers
I remove the slender ramón tree leaf from the case. Yahima holds out their hand, and I gently place the dry leaf on their palm. Yahima extends the leaf toward Pyaar, who frowns down at it.
“A leaf?” Pyaar frowns at me, then Yahima.
Yahima seems amused with her.
I have no idea why she requested a leaf, so when the others look at me, I shrug.
“I have a hobby.” Yahima says and waves the comment away. “But for now… look.” Yahima takes the leaf by the stem and holds it out toward us. “Do you see the cloud in the leaf?”
The rest of us shake our heads no.
“Give it a little spin,” Pyaar says. “Maybe it’s on the other side.”
Yahima turns the leaf around. Oscar’s brow is momentarily furrowed, and I watch as it relaxes, and a brightness comes into his eyes. He’s figured it out, I guess.
“I don’t get it.” Carmel bluntly states.
I study the apex, the margins, thinking maybe the light coming through the leaf is creating the subtle shape of a cloud. I wonder if Yahima had some sort of foresight about the very shape of the leaf I would return to them, and I let the thought go, thinking that what Yahima is asking us to see is much simpler. I look again at the blade, the veins, the midrib.
“Where is the cloud?” asks Yahima, turning the dry leaf. “Don’t rely on your eyes alone to see.”
“Oh…” Aaliyah’s got it now. “Nice.”
“It’s harder to see because it’s so dry,” Yahima says. “But the cloud is here. The leaf was once vibrant and green—”
Now I see the cloud.
“—nourished by the rains which came from…” They hold out their other hand.
“The cloud,” Franxis says.
“And when I’m back on Scire—” Yahima pauses, holding the dry leaf between their palms over the small case. They crush the dry leaf, and hundreds of tiny pieces cascade into the case. “I’ll put the leaf back together again. Like a puzzle.”
Pyaar snorts, “You must’ve attained superhuman patience.”
“Also tiny tweezers and a magnifying glass. We need the right tools to put things back together, but even then, we’ll always remember that they were broken. And that’s okay. The cloud is in the broken leaf as well.”
Pyaar chuckles.
“Thank you for remembering, Casey.” Yahima closes the case and the smile on their face lifts my mood. They obviously wanted to share this teaching with me, and I’m happy they got to share it with the whole crew. “I won’t keep you any longer. Go. Be sure to get at least a little rest.” This might be the cheekiest I’ll ever get from Yahima, and they turn away before I can blush.
Oscar notices my cheeks blushing, and one corner of his mouth creeps up slowly.
We are all the cloud and the leaf. I’m excited to continue this story through future installments of The Lovers Trilogy. Book 1: Godspeed, Lovers is a sci-fi romance with an element of queer, secular spirituality. It’s a story about post-traumatic growth through love—of community, of a lover, and of oneself. It’s also got sentient storms, psychics falling in love, super-powered sex, an evil corporation, and a lot of found family love. It’s my wish that readers see a bit of themselves in these characters, break through their own stormy skies, and hold fast to love.
Godspeed, Lovers
by TQ Sims
Series: The Lovers Universe (Book 1)
Publisher: Archway Publishing
Cover Artist: Joel Luna and Fritz Westenberger
Release Date: Friday, October 20 2023
Primary Plot Arc: Speculative Fiction
Main Genre: Sci Fi Fantasy (with heavy romance subplot)
Tropes: fated love, love at first sight, sexual healing
Pairings: m/m
LGBTQ+ Identities: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Pansexual, Intersex, Two Spirit, Transgender, Ace, Non-binary
Keywords/Categories: super-powers, psychics, space battles, sentient storms, fated love, love at first sight, sexual healing, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Pansexual, Intersex, Two Spirit, Transgender, Ace, Non-binary, fated love, love at first sight, sexual healing, science fiction, sci-fi, sci-fantasy, fantasy, romance, new release, announcement, giveaway
Length: Long Novel / 167K Words / 382 Pages
🛒 Purchase Links
As an Amazon associate, the owner of this site earns from qualifying purchases. Neither the buyer nor the seller is directly charged for this. The referral fee comes from Amazon’s deep pockets, and surely we can all get behind that!
A storm more powerful than any before is brewing.
Blurb
Lovable loner Casey Isaac thinks love isn’t for him. Not since extraordinary events left him with supernormal powers and a great deal of trauma. But when Oscar Kenzari looks at him, he can’t help but change his mind.
As Divinators, Casey and Oscar have used their psychic powers to defend humanity from sentient, extradimensional storms for one hundred years.
But a storm more powerful than any before is brewing. MaalenKun, prince of the maelstrom, conqueror of countless realities, plans to turn the tables by infecting Casey’s mind.
MaalenKun is not the only threat.
Casey and Oscar must determine who they can trust: the eccentric trillionaire keeping them in the dark, the independent contractors with secrets of their own, or a seemingly helpful extradimensional being shrouded in mystery.
As Casey works to defeat threats around and within himself, he must open to love for his chosen family, for Oscar, and for himself to unlock a transformative power capable of banishing MaalenKun. And Oscar must make a difficult choice that could cost him the future he dreams of.
Can Casey and Oscar’s love break the storm?
“It’s fantastic to have such an emotional, thoughtful, and at times really sexy story to enjoy and identify with. I love books that take characters who are usually shoved to the margins and make their stories, their struggles, fears, hopes, tragedies, and triumphs the focus–which is exactly what this book does.” –Doug Spearman, Actor/Activist/Writer/Producer/Director, From Zero to I Love You
“From the title page onwards, I was unable to put this book down. With excellent worldbuilding and rich, dimensional characters, T.Q. Sims’ Godspeed, Lovers skillfully weaves a world that is equal parts fantastical sci-fi, spirituality, and queer joy. I can’t wait to see where Casey and Oscar go next.” –Colette Bennett, Author, Enter the Meta
Excerpt
I realize that without assistance nearby from Casey, I would not be able to maintain the psybridge alone. I send him waves of gratitude and he nods at me. No one has to do this all on their own. It occurs to me, then to both of us. His special divination, his unique attainment, is empathic. He gleans from other divs that he syncs and replicates their capabilities. This is a new skill he is tapping into. He smiles with a hint of surprise and amazement before a hint of fear shows in his eyes. We both know the ability he is beginning to unlock through Four is incredibly rare and powerful. I nod at him, signaling my confidence in his abilities.
“Ready, Div Kenzari, Div Isaac,” Murtagh speaks and transfers her message to ensure we are tuned into each other in body and mind. “Prepare for mass heartstar turning.”
Murtagh stands in the pontiff suite at the metaglass bow of the yacht. She lifts her hands to the heartstar shining brightly in her chest. Casey does the same. Through the psybridge Murtagh’s voice is mighty as she addresses hundreds of divs ready to level up. Everyone, steady.
Murtagh and Casey turn hundreds of heartstars, locating within each the light-thread connecting each Div to MaalenKun’s energy. The sound of a bass drum echoes throughout our connections, and a low steady AUM builds as glowing mandalas expand and turn around Casey’s mudras. Hundreds of light-threads pour through the psybridge, glistening through space, and funnel through the mandalas. The array reaches into the crystal chamber and pins MaalenKun down just as Vasif breaks through, tearing away an entire end of the crystal before flowing inside and descending onto the immobilized Haddyc.
Now! I shout through the psybridge.
All the divs, all the Sages create space with and through their light-threads. Casey channels it into the trapped storm being enveloped by Vasif’s radiance. Vasif expands like rolling fog descending onto the darkened storm cloud. The force pushes against the Haddyc’s body within Vasif. As planned, the force steers the crystal closer to the rift.
Vasif roars like breaking timber as MaalenKun screams the sounds of bending metal. With fast moving vines, Vasif pulls MaalenKun into its body. A flash of purple-black lightning is quickly disarmed within Vasif’s expanding luminous body. The dingy cloud that is MaalenKun explodes into sprays of grey light and ash which slam against the interior of the crystal chamber and knock us onto our knees. The violent bursts of grey give way to explosions of white light before the explosions become invisible light, seen only psychically. As Vasif’s luminous body rips apart the Haddyc’s storm, sounds of metal bending and breaking reverberate through the crystal’s cracked surface.
The cracks grow and spread as the crystal chamber moves toward the rift.
Yahima looks back toward Mira and Liam. “Signal Vasif!”
“Hurry!” Mira urges. “Vasif is struggling!”
Yahima slides the ornate cover away from the coffer and hands it back to me.
The misty leaves which merged with the golden festoon within the ring shine brightly as they peel away. The leaves stretch long and thin. They become a film of glowing colors which psychically reaches towards Vasif. The EDB has shifted its shape as well. It has become a luminous whirling pale mist stretching toward the rift. A flash emerges from within the ring and a high-pitched peal pours from it. The rift crackles before a low hum reverberates from it. It is unlocked. The Helixx Corp drones zoom forward into the rift. Their flashing lights drift into the half-lit interior and disappear. Hundreds of divs work to immobilize and dull MaalenKun, and Vasif consumes the Haddyc. Vasif stretches itself into the dull half-light of the rift and expels the shredded body of MaalenKun and all of the Haddyc energy it had consumed and contained back
Through the psybridge, the sounds of hundreds of divs reaching new Levels builds. An ebullient music of their emotion swells and cascades around us. Joy bubbles forth from within and rolls like a wave through us, uplifting us all.
The unstable crystal shatters!
Vasif begins to drift. Luminous thin mists stretch from its body, and it clings to the open space around it.
From within the rift, a bolt of purple-black lightning rushes out, sizzling the space around it. As it moves past us, several of our gear functions are affected. I try to call Ops through the comm but hear only my voice reverberating in the helmet. My HUD flickers and faintly indicates that all of our thrusters are offline, but I swear I hear their quiet whistle through a looped sensation.
Casey drifts into the rift first. Yahima slings the coffer containing the ring back, away from the rift, as they sail into the half-light. Through our psybridge, I hear Liam and Mira and Carmel screaming as the two prescient divinators who could not see this coming disappear into the rift. Mira and Liam drop away from my psybridge. Carmel panics.
The music of the levels becomes discordant. Joy is torn away. The nimbuses grind against each other as they fall out of sync. There are so many. Even the Sages cannot hold them in place.
Vasif catches the coffer and begins to shapeshift into its more human-like body. I drop the ornate coffer cover, and it floats away. Misty vines wrap around the cover and the clear box containing the ring.
Behind me, a bright, fiery light grows as the purple-black lightning breaks the shields and pierces the wings. The psybridge is filled with wailing moments before the low boom of exploding deep space V’s reaches me. It all fades into muffled distortions as I drift helplessly amidst broken crystal and empty space.
My thrusters come back online, and I right myself.
Realizing my intentions, Thiia cries out.
Without pause, I fly into the rift.
About the Author
TQ Sims writes stories that center Queer characters in supernormal situations. In their first novel Godspeed, Lovers, two men fall in love while using their psychic powers to battle sentient storms and an evil corporation that wishes to control them. Godspeed, Lovers is a story about mental health, post-traumatic growth, and found family.
TQ’s story “The Ritual” was a finalist in competition at the Tennessee Williams and New Orleans Literary Festival in 2022. Their work has appeared in Louisiana Words, Beyond Queer Words, and The Queer and Trans Guide to Storms. They live in New Orleans with their partner and a growing number of cats.
Author Links
