A Higher Playlist: Songs to Start Something New
Roz Alexander
Higher is about two butch women: Tali (an Ashkenazi Jew and rabbinical assistant) and Maple (a Sephardic Jewish artist) having hot sex and falling in love while planning for Rosh Hashanah. It’s a typical grump-sunshine setup, with a heavy dash of angst, and a lot of community. To celebrate their radical love, here’s a themed playlist for your enjoyment:
So much of their love story is about Maple intentionally annoying Tali into loving her back (Tali needs a little shaking up). This song is how Tali feels about Maple before she lets herself get to know the sexy artist.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody — Whitney Houston
Maple is ready to be in love, but when none of her previous relationships have worked out, she channels all of her energy into her successful painting career. One night with Tali sparks the feelings this classic gives you.
New Year’s Resolution — Camera Obscura
Rosh Hashanah is a new year, and Maple and Tali are definitely wrestling with typical new year energy of how they want to change their lives…and who they want in them.
I’m On Fire — Chromatics (cover)
I can absolutely picture Maple playing this in her truck as she drives Tali out for a weird day in a field. Tali is a Springsteen fan and Maple loves when Tali calls her Daddy.
I mean, come on! This book is also about pollinators (it makes sense, I promise). So, this sexy song about bees? Has to be on the list!
It’s gay, about bravery, and loving someone for who they really are — a song Tali should be listening to on repeat.
Has there ever been a better song for the feeling of falling in love with the person you’re having sexy times with? “It’s like I’m powerful with a little bit of tender/ An emotional, sexual bender/ Mess me up, yeah, but no one does it better /There’s nothin’ better”
What are you working on now, and when can we expect it?
I just released the fourth book in the series. It’s called A Year of Firsts. It was supposed to be a Pride read, but the life of an indie author means living at the whim of our publishing platforms on occasion. Luckily, queer characters are important all year round, and this book is my ode to queer community.
A child of multiple diasporas, Roz Alexander (they/them) has always been obsessed with the idea of home being how you love another person. Their books focus on that idea while showcasing characters of many intersections of identities—plus a little humor, a heavy pour of steam, and a dash of angst.
They are a physically/progressively disabled, white, trans person with ADHD and have more interests than time in the day. You can find them spoiling their three terrible cat-beasts; connecting to their Jewish culture through moon-worship, plantcraft, and cooking traditions; and making weird art when they’re not writing or stewarding a native pollinator garden with their beshert.
Where do dreams go to wait?
Tali Blue is definitely going back to finish her last semester of rabbinical school…eventually. When she moved back to her hometown seven years ago to help her grandparents raise her younger sisters, she planned on it being temporary. Now though, she has a stable job and a stable life surrounded by the people she’s known forever. It’s all just fine – and then there’s the incredibly annoying surprise of Maple.
Maple never meant to be successful. She just wanted to make weird art and practice her Ladino. And just like that, 15 years of adulthood has built a solid career, a great reputation as an art instructor, and a lackluster love life. It doesn’t help that she’s been spending all her free time consumed with making it as a Sephardic Jew into the Jewish art world that never seems to have space for her. And it definitely doesn’t help that she’s strictly a butch-for-butch queer. And then comes a sex goddess in the form of short, chunky, smoking hot, and incredibly nervous, butch, Tali Blue.
When Tali’s love of family, Maple’s art ambitions, and a Rosh Hashanah effort to #savethebees force these two together, both of them may learn that the only way out is up, together. This new year the honey is dripping on a lot more than apples. Higher is a steamy, butch-for-butch, grump-sunshine sapphic romance about what happens when you choose to take your dreams higher.
About the Series:
This entire Hot for the Holidays series is about queer Jewish people (and the people who love them) falling in love and having hot, explicit sex that can be read in any order and all year round.
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She was about to whip off the towel and dive into her closet for an outfit when she realized Maple was sitting on her bed. Looking at her.
She gripped the towel tighter, conscious of how it barely met across her hips. “What are you doing in here!”
“Want me to avert my gaze?” Maple’s tone was pure hunger, even while a teasing glint shone in her eyes.
“Why are you always early to everything? It’s ridiculous! Did Anna send you up?”
“Why are you always so late? And, yes. Both of your sisters did. I’m sure they’ll find this amusing that I made it just in time.” She stood and took a step toward Tali, who backed up, her shoulders and ass meeting the doorframe. “You don’t look embarrassed though, so maybe you’re as amused.”
“It’s a towel, why would I be embarrassed?” Tali swallowed around a surprising lump in her throat. And had it suddenly gotten much warmer in the room? She glanced over to double check she’d remembered to close the windows that morning. Yep, shut tight. The AC must be off or something.
“What is this look then? Is it your tell?” Maple was practically purring, a sound Tali didn’t realize humans were capable of until that moment.
“I’m great at poker. No tells here.” But her voice was growing faint, which indeed seemed to be a tell all on its own.
“No? What about me?” Maple was almost on top of her now, and Tali was torn between putting a hand out to stop her, and gripping her floral button-up to pull her closer. So many of their conversations took place over the phone and through text. Having her there, in front of her, reminded her how handsome and tall she was. How strong her arms looked. How irritating that smirk was. “If I wanted to kiss you, for example. What would my tell be?”
“Uh.” Tali felt herself at a crossroads. Maybe one they’d been at for some time. “You lick your lip.”
Maple startled at that, the smooth top energy sliding away for a moment while she considered that information. “In a sexy way?”
And here was the moment Tali knew it was up to her to choose what path they’d take. She wasn’t sure how to move forward in either direction, so she chose honesty. “Yes.”
Maple’s smile was staggering before it turned dangerous. She placed a hand on the wall above Tali’s shoulder and leaned in until they were a whisper apart. And then she slid her tongue slowly across her bottom lip, staring into Tali’s eyes.
“Yes,” was all Tali could manage. Yes, like that. Yes, please kiss me. Yes, I want this. Yes, yes, yes.
Maple’s other hand slid up the side of the towel, reaching the top and tucking her fingers under its edge. The look she gave Tali turned to one seeking permission. And Tali was going to give it, was going to enthusiastically consent to whatever came next, was going to…
“TALI!” Beth shouted as she swung the bedroom door open. “You locked the go—”
Tali moved faster than she could ever remember moving in her life. She meant to spin back into the bathroom and slam the door behind her, but Maple’s hand was still tucked into the towel.
So, instead, she pulled herself free of the fabric, falling naked onto the cool blue tile. Maple, eyes round as the moon, spun away from her, holding up the towel to block the sight from Beth while she managed to move forward and shut the door with her foot.
Forget every embarrassing moment before this. This is how I die of embarrassment. There’s no coming back from this. Beth will literally never let me live this down. And Maple…
Tali groaned and rolled around on the floor helplessly. She was stuck in here without her towel and with no clothing. Maybe she’d take up sewing and emerge one day in a beautiful button-up and slacks made out of the Moomins shower curtain.
They are a physically/progressively disabled, white, trans person with ADHD and have more interests than time in the day. You can find them spoiling their three terrible cat-beasts; connecting to their Jewish culture through moon-worship, plantcraft, and cooking traditions; and making weird art when they’re not writing or stewarding a native pollinator garden with their beshert.
Author Website: www.rozalexander.com
Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/WritesRoz
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Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21096037.Roz_Alexander
Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roz-Alexander/e/B0917ZWFZ2
