THE COMEDIENNE'S GUIDE TO PRIDE

Taylor Parker is elated when she is accepted as a finalist for a diverse writers' internship at Saturday Night Live, the iconic American sketch comedy show that has launched the careers of many famous actors and comedians. If she wants a shot at winning in a little more than a month, Taylor will have to come out about both of her secrets: she wants to be a comedian... and she's a lesbian.

To distract from her anxiety about the competition, Taylor frequents Salem's Museum of Witchcraft. While at the museum she meets Charlotte Grey, an aspiring actor who is an out and proud lesbian at her high school. Charlotte radiates so much confidence in her acting and queerness that Taylor can't resist falling in love. As they spend more time together, Taylor sees what living her truth and pursuing her dreams could bring her, but Charlotte can't understand why someone as funny as Taylor wouldn't do everything she can to win the competition. To live up to her own comedy dreams and become the person she wants to be, Taylor will have to find the confidence to reveal her secrets - by telling everyone exactly who she is and what she really wants.


Hayli Thomson lives in Sydney, Australia, and writes novels about candid characters for anybody who ever watched Jo March leap a fence and longed to be her best friend. Bizarrely, during her teen years, Hayli was afflicted with a "headache" every third Monday in September, when she was left with no option but to stay home from school and watch her favorite female comedians collect Emmys live on the other side of the world. The Comedienne's Guide to Pride is her debut YA novel.