
January Events

Claire Jones

Each novel of this eight-book series will focus on the blessed ones that wield their powers against the malevolent forces that seek to destroy them while also exploring the complex intricacies of love, hate, and everything in between.
Will they succeed before it’s too late?
(18+ Recommended: Sex & Violence)
(3 out of 5)![]()
Since launch, this series has been sold in six countries, been picked up by bookstores across the U.S., and ranked in the top 100 of the Ingram Fiction Fantasy Romance category.
Claire E. Jones (she/her) is a queer fantasy romance author who is committed to changing the world for the better through inclusive stories & practices. As an internationally-recognized speaker & writer, her novels have sold in six countries, been picked up by bookstores across the U.S., and ranked in the top 100 of the Ingram Fiction Fantasy Romance category. She works from Seattle WA, where she lives with her precious pup, Karma.
Purchase copies 1-3 of The Threads of Destiny books at Rubber Rose or shop from home here!
Click HERE to learn more about Claire at their website!
Local Sponsorships
2025
Kankakee County Humane Foundation Corporate Sponsor
Merchant Street Music Fest Roadie Sponsor
Bradley Public Library Summer Reading Sponsor
LGBTQ+ Network Gala Sponsor
Electric Lady Pride Event Sponsor
Estival Festival Sponsor
Kankakee Kultivators Garden Walk Donor
Luxury Skin Spa Self Care Social Donor
Harbor House Laugh For A Cause Donor
Sabali Arts Festival Participant/Donor
Clifton Central High School Fundraising Event Donor
Sophie Strohmeier


Set among high school music students and opera fanatics in Vienna, Sophie Strohmeier’s All Girls Be Mine Alone spins a tale of obsessions, monsters, and romantic conquest.
An unnamed lesbian narrates the demise of her friendship with her high school classmate, Joachim, and their rivalry over his girlfriend. She then recalls an anecdote overheard years earlier, when a former opera singer confides her own haunting memories from her time studying at the renowned Mikhail Glinka Conservatory. In a crowded dormitory late one night, a group of student singers accidentally conjures the spirit of an excommunicated monk living in agony over the tragic death of his beloved. When one of the students becomes convinced that she has been possessed by the monk, she discovers a new sexual appetite. Together, the two narratives form a single fugue of memory and eroticism.
Marked by hypnotic precision and frank humor, All Girls Be Mine Alone is an inventive and deeply felt novella of queer awakening, artistic fixation, and the strange intimacy of rivalry.
SOPHIE STROHMEIER is a bilingual writer and translator from Vienna, Austria. She is the author of one novel in German, Küss mich, Libussa (edition a, 2013). Her English-language writing has appeared in Apofenie, Joyland, The Missouri Review, and The Kenyon Review. She lives and works in New York City.
Click HERE to learn more about Sophie’s works and purchase a copy of All Girls Be Mine Alone.
Erin Becker


Erin Becker is an Iowan author living in Washington, DC. Her debut novel, Crushing It, is out now from Penguin Young Readers. It’s Bend It Like Beckham + “enemies-to-first-crushes” for the preteen set––but adults will love it too.
An action-packed but tender novel about first romance, queer identity, and learning how to be brave when it matters the most.
Purchase a signed copy at Rubber Rose or order one online here!
Learn more about Erin on her website: https://www.erinbecker.me/
January Events

Beck Grey

Beck is a non-binary writer of sweet, sexy, LGBTQ happily ever afters. Why? Because everyone deserves all the happy. They live in the Northeastern United States with their two adorable dogs. Weekdays are spent working their day job, but nights and weekends are devoted to writing stories involving hot characters, favorite tropes, and happy endings. Any additional time includes reading, laughing with friends, and playing D&D. If there’s cake involved at any point, it’s a win!
Click HERE to check out their available titles

Book Clubs & Meet Ups





