DESERT ISLAND CASTAWAYS: D.K. Girl

Our favorite  MM authors a.k.a. castaways are asked, what books, songs and luxury item would they take to a desert island?

This is a monthly series inspired by LezReviewBooks.com’s ‘Desert Island Books’, which in turn is based on BBC’s ‘Desert Island Discs’.

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Let’s welcome our December castaway, D.K. Girl!

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DESERT ISLAND BOOKS:

So, here we are…cast adrift…well, we’re on a sandy beach actually, where coconut trees lean out over pristine white sand, as wildly coloured parrots fly and caw their way through the steamy jungle that makes up most of this deserted island. D K Girl washed up here about a week ago, settled in nicely, and very conveniently got shipwrecked with their backpack on. It was filled with books of course, plus a few other little extras. 

Here’s what I’m stranded with:

* The Captive Prince Trilogy by C S Pacat. This is definitely the series that got me into the MM genre. It had me, well, captivated from the opening chapter. I’d not read anything quite so hot in my life. It was eye-opening. Not to mention beautiful writing, and most importantly, fantasy with a historical feel. I needed more. It’s been a long time since I’ve read the series, so all that time on the island will be perfect.

*House in the Cerulean Sea. (or really anything by T J Klune) Truly, this man has a gift for touching right at the heart of what it means to be human, even when he’s writing in a purely fantastical setting. His books get me in the feels every time. And I think on those days when I was forgetting what it meant to be human, I’d need some TJ to get me back on track.

That’s my dose of fantasy, but I have definitely packed some historical fiction in my trusty backpack.

*Anything by K J Charles (Clearly, I am a great fan of authors with double initials) – I need my dose of history while I’m sunning myself on my island. And Charles is truly the queen of 

*Earthly Joys by Phillipa Gregory – I cut my teeth on Ms Gregory’s superb books. I’m a sucker for royalty, and history, and her books were my absolute heaven. Their ability to bring real historical characters to life is unparalleled. Imagine how excited this little duck was to discover that Earthly Joys is actually a queer story. Luckily, I had time to pack it in my trusty backpack before my yacht sank.

Speaking of history… 

*I think I’d take this book purely for the days I needed to get some tears flowing. Crying is good for the soul and The Song of Achilles  by Madeleine Miller had me sobbing. I was still feeling delicate days later. I would wake up feeling kinda bummed, and couldn’t work out why. Then I realised it was because I was still in mourning for Patroclus and Achilles. This is the sort of power, skill and emotional resonance I’d like to have one day as an author, creating characters that feel so visceral it hurts to think of them.

 Even though my first love is fantasy, preferably historical fantasy, there are some SciFi books that have really grabbed me by the gonads. 

*The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer is SUCH an under-mentioned book. This is marketed for a YA audience but that’s doing it a disservice because that means a whole bunch of old farts will miss out on this brilliance that is this book. Holy mother of scifi it’s so profound. And doesn’t get half the love it should, IMHO. So I will be telling all the fallen coconuts about this one on my island. Another book that stabs a knife right in the heart of this bothersome thing we call ‘being human’. 

*Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell – What can I say but that one day, when I grow up, I want to be as good a writer as Everina.

DESERT ISLAND PLAYLIST:

This is an easy one. Probably easier than books. When I write I love to listen to ‘trailer music’, epic music produced for movie trailers, or the movies themselves. It’s a thing! Check out Two Steps from Hell, Audiomachine or Twelve Titans to hear what I mean. You’re welcome! There’d be nothing better than being able to stride along the beach, or clamber up a coconut tree, or climb out over a cliff to get to a bird’s nest for eggs, with epic music to accompany me. Then, when I was safe back at my campfire with scrambled coconut eggs for dinner, I’d put on some KPop – some Stray Kids, or Blackpink, maybe some BTS or Vixx, to end the night on a party-note. 

LUXURY ITEM

Okay, so I’m pretty much down to the bottom of my backpack now….there’s half a packet of Oreo’s there, which is inedible, thanks to seawater and sand, but they might make good fish bait I suppose, if tuna has a sugar addiction like me. I’ve got one item wrapped up nice and safe and tight in a water-proof bag… a luxury item….this was a hard one to pick! And really, I’m not convinced I could actually get this into my backpack, but I’d give it a bloody good try. A bathtub! I love, love, love hot baths. And what goes better with hot baths than good books?? Nothing, I tell you! So I’ll be getting those campfires burning beneath my clawfoot tub every night, as even tropical nights can cool right off. 

Righto, that’s me done! I’m off to find some kindling. Thanks for having me, neverhollowed. It’s been fun!

ABOUT D.K. GIRL

Danielle K Girl is an Aussie who recently moved from Melbourne, Australia to Lititz, Pennsylvania – a town she secretly likes to pretend is really Gilmour Girls’ Stars Hollow. She chose Girl as her pen name because she got tired of reading about female authors having to hide their gender.

Extra|Ordinary is her debut novel.

Website | Amazon | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram

A big thank you to D.K. Girl for joining us on this month’s Desert Island Castaways!

Check out our other Castaways:
Natalina Reis
V.L. Locey
 J.P. Jackson
A.E. Wasp
Elle Keaton.
Elouise East
J.K. Jones
Colette Davison
B.A. Tortuga
Casey Cox
Amanda Meuwissen
A.M. Johnson
Becca Seymour
Alexa Piper
Rick R. Reed
C.P. Harris
K.L. Hiers
A.E. Lister
S. Rodman
Kaje Harper
M.A. Church
Karenna Colcroft
Aiden Ainslie
J. Hali Steele
Kristian Parker
H.L. Day

Hope you enjoyed this post. Don’t forget to check out next month’s Castaway.

What books would you take with you to a desert island?
What’s on your desert island playlist?
Who would you like to be the next Castaway?

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