Venessa Vida Kelley
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venessakelley.bsky.social
Venessa Vida Kelley
@venessakelley.bsky.social
590 followers 120 following 270 posts
🇵🇷💗💜💙 Rep'd by @LitAgentSaritza WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON (@erewhonbooks, 2025), MANU FACES THE MUSIC (@onipress, 2026)
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Reposted by Venessa Vida Kelley
andreabrownlit.bsky.social
The Goodreads Choice Awards 2025 is open and these ABLA titles are in the running!

Science fiction: LOCAL HEAVENS by K.M. Fajardo

Horror: YOU WEREN’T MEANT TO BE HUMAN by Andrew Joseph White

Debut: WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON by Venessa Vida Kelley

YA fiction: I AM NOT JESSICA CHEN by Ann Liang
Vote in the GoodReads Choice Awards 2025 for these ABLA titles: For readers’ favorite science fiction: LOCAL HEAVENS by K.M. Fajardo For readers’ favorite horror: YOU WEREN’T MEANT TO BE HUMAN by Andrew Joseph White For readers’ favorite debut: WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON by Venessa Vida Kelley For readers’ favorite young adult fiction: I AM NOT JESSICA CHEN by Ann Liang
November 11, 2025 at 7:13 PM
venessakelley.bsky.social
✨Happy Asexual & Aromantic Awareness Week!✨

Though “Demisexuality” as a term didn’t exist in 1911, there are a number of scenes scattered throughout WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON that articulate Benny’s experience of being on the gray-asexual spectrum. This one might be my favorite.
October 21, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Reposted by Venessa Vida Kelley
litagentsaritza.bsky.social
Love seeing @venessakelley.bsky.social’s WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON in Swoon’s list of sexy and spellbinding paranormal romance books!

www.swooon.com/book-list/pa...
10 Paranormal Romances to Read in 2025: Our Sexy and Spellbinding Recommendations
These romances include a merman, an alien abduction, and stories that will make Twihards swoon.
www.swooon.com
October 18, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Reposted by Venessa Vida Kelley
misanalias.bsky.social
When the Tides Held the Moon by @venessakelley.bsky.social is so beautiful I’m actually weeping
October 3, 2025 at 6:38 AM
Reposted by Venessa Vida Kelley
scriptorsapiens.bsky.social
When the Tides Held the Moon by @venessakelley.bsky.social absolutely slammed me would be a gross understatement. Please, read it!

#whenthetidesheldthemoon #fanart #digitalfanart #illustration #queerlit #historical #romantasy #lgbtq #merman #mermanart #commissionsareopen #queerartist #lgbtartist
Benny Caldera, an Afro-boricua man, plays a quatro and sings, illuminated by an oil lantern. His verse is: "Lleva me, Rio, hasta el mar, sobre olas azules de agua cristal! Porque soy un muchacho a que le gusta cantar! Con tritones y sirenas me gustaria bailar!" Rio, a merman with blue-gray skin and red hair, sings inside his aquarium tank, illuminated by the lantern and the moon. His verse is "Acercate mas, amante del mar. Dijo las olas de agua cristal! El ritmo que sientes, la tentacion fluvial, el latido de mi corazon es tu cantal!"
October 7, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Reposted by Venessa Vida Kelley
scriptorsapiens.bsky.social
Singing Each to Each: Night Hunt🧜‍♀️

Off the coast of Aotearoa, Iamiq struggles to balance raising his orphaned sisters and his own needs.

This is a pilot for a much larger project I want to get published.

Part 1/4

#mermaids #mermen #comics #art #ocart
September 29, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Reposted by Venessa Vida Kelley
capnjoy.bsky.social
A book that helped get me through a particularly dark few days in American life: WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON by @venessakelley.bsky.social. Rich prose, vivid detail, grounded in the actual world we live in but with a tidal pull of solidarity and hope. Oh, also it’s a boricua merman romance.
An illustration from the book, featuring a 1911 Coney Island skyline in the background and an expanse of ocean in the foreground. It’s night. The left side of the illustration is sepia toned, the right is full color, mostly the blues of night with the electric glitter of the rides in the background. In the left corner, it’s just possible to perceive the head and upper torso of two men in the water, embracing. And a the end of a merman tail just surfacing to their left
September 16, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Reposted by Venessa Vida Kelley
tjalexandernyc.bsky.social
🌈COVER REVEAL🌈

From the acclaimed author of Chef's Kiss and A Gentleman's Gentleman comes a riotous Regency romp, featuring a charming and unforgettable genderfluid lead.

A LADY FOR ALL SEASONS is out March 10.

Preorder & full synopsis: tjalexander.com#books6
The cover for A Lady For All Seasons. A photograph of a redheaded woman in a blue dress is facing away from the viewer. The title and author name are illustrated as if on the front of a poetry chapbook.
September 10, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Reposted by Venessa Vida Kelley
violamoon.bsky.social
@venessakelley.bsky.social I've just finished When the Tides Held the Moon and I can only say "Thank you" with my whole heart. I love everything about it: the way ALL the characters are portrayed, the historical setting, the beautiful love story, the drawings (just gorgeous and sooo moving).
August 25, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Reposted by Venessa Vida Kelley
kobidor.bsky.social
I'm so glad I requested that my library buy When the Tides Held the Moon by @venessakelley.bsky.social - it's a fantastic story and has gorgeous illustrations!
A pencil illustration with blue highlights from the book showing a merman and a human embracing.
August 22, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Reposted by Venessa Vida Kelley
alisonmalort.bsky.social
I CANNOT stop reading When The Tides Held The Moon by @venessakelley.bsky.social. It’s so good I wanna scream and run thru walls like the Kool-Aid man.
August 20, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Reposted by Venessa Vida Kelley
soundingline.bsky.social
This was a great event today with @rrvirdi.bsky.social, @kcsmithbooks.bsky.social, @venessakelley.bsky.social, @chelsabdullah.bsky.social and @clydeboyer.bsky.social. Good folks and talented writers all. Do yourself a favor and check ‘em out!
August 10, 2025 at 12:51 AM
Reposted by Venessa Vida Kelley
tjalexandernyc.bsky.social
I just finished Tides and it's so, so good. A beautiful physical object as well as story. It's healing to see a queer book crafted with that level of care and respect.
garnettillie.bsky.social Fruiting Body @garnettillie.bsky.social · Aug 1
Hey last month I really enjoyed @tjalexandernyc.bsky.social's A Gentleman's Gentleman and @venessakelley.bsky.social's When The Tides Held The Moon and if you like lovely men (of various definitions) kissing across time you should read these books.
August 2, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Reposted by Venessa Vida Kelley
lpetersonwrites.bsky.social
At @moonpalacebooks.bsky.social for the release of The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by @jrdawson.bsky.social (which I'm very excited to read), and I spotted another great book as well! Always happy to see work by @venessakelley.bsky.social out in the wild.
My hand holding my copy of The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World A photo of several books on the shelf at a bookstore. In the center of the photo is When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley.
July 30, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Reposted by Venessa Vida Kelley
lpetersonwrites.bsky.social
I recently finished @venessakelley.bsky.social‬’s amazing debut, an illustrated historical adult romantasy called When the Tides Held the Moon. Hot damn, Venessa. What a beautiful story of queer love, found family, and the tug of war between caring solidarity and corrupting greed. Well done.
My copy of When the Tides Held the Moon sitting on a wooden desk
July 27, 2025 at 8:48 PM
venessakelley.bsky.social
Of course I saw K-Pop Demon Hunters and lost my chill just like everyone else who’s seen it. Between the music, art design, romance, humor, and all that blessed bisexual lighting, I fell back on my old coping mechanisms.

[Close-ups & Timelapse in thread]
July 22, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Reposted by Venessa Vida Kelley
wolfandwyldbooks.com
🌈📚

📖 When the Tides Held the Moon

by Venessa Vida Kelley
@venessakelley.bsky.social

beautifully illustrated queer historical cozy fantasy

Affiliate Link
bookshop.org/a/100590/978...

#booksky #queerbooks #fantasy #merman #romance
When the Tides Held the Moon
Check out When the Tides Held the Moon - <b><i>The Shape of Water </i>meets <i>The Greatest Showman </i>in this beautifully illustrated queer historical cozy fantasy, as a young Puerto Rican immigrant...
bookshop.org
July 9, 2025 at 1:34 AM
Reposted by Venessa Vida Kelley
clarenceahaynes.bsky.social
To share, for those in DC area, @loyaltybooks.bsky.social will host convo between myself and @venessakelley.bsky.social on Thurs., July 10 at 7pm, at the DC Pop-Up as we discuss The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery and When the Tides Held the Moon. For free RSVP, visit loyaltybookstores.com/gwendolyn
June 30, 2025 at 6:01 PM
venessakelley.bsky.social
On this last day of Pride and Caribbean Heritage Month, I figured I’d remind old & new friends that I’m already hard at work on my next book: MANU FACES THE MUSIC (@onipress.bsky.social, 2026) 🎶🇵🇷

Get ready to see a lot more about this sapphic urban fantasy in the coming months!
June 30, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Reposted by Venessa Vida Kelley
pezazul.bsky.social
Loving “When the Tides Held the Moon” by @venessakelley.bsky.social . Listening to the amazing audiobook narrated by Michael Crouch and Christopher Salazar. Beautiful writing set in an early 1900s Coney Island side show. Love all the characters that make up this chosen family. #booksky #queersff
June 29, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Reposted by Venessa Vida Kelley
peppermintfeather.bsky.social
“This ailment is a part of you that you did not choose and cannot help. You are not your body, Benigno.” Living with multiple invisible disabilities, I take such solace in these words. @venessakelley.bsky.social , thank you for treating all bodies with kindness and dignity. You are so cherished 🧜🏼‍♂️📖🎵💙
Page from “When the Tides Held the Moon” by Venessa Vida Kelley. “This ailment is a part of you that you did not choose and cannot help. It is the simple truth of every creature with a soul. You are not your body, Benigno.”
June 27, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Reposted by Venessa Vida Kelley
johnwgrey.bsky.social
I'm nearly halfway through when the tides held the moon and listen, it just occurred to me that Eli and Emmett are EACH OTHER'S OTHER HALF IN AND OUT OF THE SHOW. I'm obsessed. Well played, @venessakelley.bsky.social well played. I take my hat off to your genius.
June 23, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Reposted by Venessa Vida Kelley
rebeccas09.bsky.social
Finished “When the Tides Held the Moon” by @venessakelley.bsky.social
A really beautiful love story with a wonderful found family. Adored all the gorgeous illustrations! Really great to learn more in the author’s note at the end. Love Benigno and Río! 🧜🏼‍♂️🌊🌙💕
June 19, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Reposted by Venessa Vida Kelley
dezinthecloud.rwrb.social
I picked "When The Tides Held The Moon" by @venessakelley.bsky.social yesterday and haven't been able to put it down 💖😭💖😭 This book is making me feel so many things!!! 😭😭😭 Last 150 pages left and Rio is so unwell. I am fragile!! 😭😭😭😭
June 17, 2025 at 5:33 PM
venessakelley.bsky.social
I don’t know about you, but I’m in need of community right now, and to that end, I’m very grateful to have Lavender Con to look forward to this weekend. Here’s where to find me at the event. Hope to see you there! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️
June 13, 2025 at 3:32 PM