Saffron and Honey is the cozy comfort-read from local novelist Aphy Ray, making their debut with their first print paperback. Join us for an evening of book readings, boozy boba, and a celebration of a bi-sapphic literature on Friday September 6 (part of the First Friday Art Crawl!)

WHERE: MILK + TEA in Peterborough – 360 George Street North

WHEN: Friday, September 6th, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

WHAT: Readings from “Saffron and Honey.” Chapter 1 reading at 6 p.m. Chapter 2 reading at 7 p.m. Chapter 3 reading at 8 p.m.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Aphy Ray is a queer Canadian Canadian queer fiction writer.

BOOK DESCRIPTION: Ravi Beausoleil has never had a woman who tastes like honey before – because there’s not a woman made on Earth who does, obviously. And you’d think a material chemist wrapping up their post-grad thesis would be pretty good at figuring out the make-up of even the strangest things, no matter where they’re made. So, frankly, it’s kind of embarrassing just how long it takes them to figure out what that summer-scented, gemstone-eyed, nectar-flavored puppy-dog of a woman crashing on their couch is really made of. But hey, to be fair, it’s a pretty convincing prison of a human body for the poor unfortunate faerie stuck living out her eternal exile in it. And it’s just as well Ravi doesn’t know, because if they ever found out exactly how much their relentless generosity was hurting that poor debt-bound creature, they’d probably drink themself into oblivion and throw themself in the river for it.

Saffron and Honey is a bi-sapphic fantasy romance set in a modern world plagued with a mysterious terminal illness that only one tech giant in the world seems to have the treatment for. It’s a mysterious terminal illness that Ravi is convinced is going to kill them in a few years. It’s also a mysterious terminal illness Ravi’s poor indebted faerie boarder is convinced she can cure to get out of her agonizing debt to them – and maybe even to the whole of humanity, if she plays her hand right. And since she’s the cleverest and most powerful faerie in the universe, she always plays her hand right. …Except… that time. And that other time. Ah… right… and there was that other time… Look everyone makes mistakes and when you’ve been around for thousands of years you’re bound to have a few on your record. But this time, it’ll go perfect. For sure. It has to.