Welcome to A Month of Rain and Reads, a celebration of self-published and indie SFF throughout the entire month of November. To find out how you can take part and view the whole list of content, visit our introduction post.
Today we’re interviewing Valiant Evermech, author of the upcoming BOOM goes the Bride, as she launches her crowdfund campaign on Backerkit as part of The Book Bazaar 2025.
Valiant is raising funds for BOOM goes the Bride, A pulpy lesbian romance between an elven thief from another world and a corporate princess whose company is built on her clones. 300,000 and counting, and the woman they’re made from wishes they didn’t exist. Danger, spice, and everything not-nice.
Follow the campaign and pledge your support!
Please tell us a little about yourself and your Backerkit project.
Val is a linguist, writer, cook, parent, and Godzilla fanatic. BOOM goes the Bride is an epic lesbian cyber-fantasy romance born from my desire to make a doomed yuri that undoes the doom. It’s funny, action-packed, heartfelt, and full of angst that becomes rage.
Why did you join The Book Bazaar 2025?
To get Boombride out in front of people as finely as possible!
Have you crowdfunded before? What do you hope to achieve with your project?
Negatory. I hope to get a well-printed version that looks as good on paper as it does on the screen!
Tease us with your Backerkit campaign! What rewards can we expect?
The book in paper and digital, postcards, prints, saucy bookmarks, and more! I’ve commissioned a lot of art of these characters and their world because I know you’re going to love them as much as I do.
Why did you decide to self-publish/publish with a small press and what has been your biggest success so far?
Because mixed-genre stories don’t do well with trad publishers, and i can give myself a budget bigger than many small pubs would. I have a vision and I’m going to see it through. My biggest success so far has been getting this much interest in the project!
What is your favourite thing about being an indie author?
The control! CONTROL!!! Being able to title, cover, and market how I like without fear of upsetting some distant investor.
What tips can you share on self-publishing or crowdfunding with your fellow indies?
MARKET MORE. Repost more. Hype more! Be more visible, be more unhinged, and take marketing SERIOUSLY. It’s a big job and you have to do it as a tradpub anyways!
Can you recommend a few of your favourite SFF books from indie/self-published authors?
Name Her Holy, the Persephone Effect, Stars and Soil, Sails of Black and Blood, Wool.
What are you working on after your campaign?
The sequel!!! And my web serial Summon the Mage-Wife. But mostly the SEQUEL.
Do you have any last words?
LESBIANS R KOOL
About the Author
Val is a genderqueer trans lesbian who lives in the lower mainland of British Columbia with her brilliant wife and equally brilliant almost-four-year old (he can read!). Some people might be finding out that she’s trans RIGHT NOW AS THEY READ THIS. Isn’t that fun? Anyways, Val likes outer space, lesbians, dinosaurs, and [censored] and not necessarily in that order. She is currently a stay at home parent, registrar on the local preschool board, and well, obviously, writer. Possibly cool too. That’s up for debate.
- Website: valwrites.ca
- Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/valiantly.bsky.social
- Instagram: @castlestation
