Welcome to IHS’s Great Pride Giveaway!
June is a special month for us at IHS Headquarters because it’s Pride season. Which means rainbows galore! That makes us truly happy because one of our missions in life is to spread rainbows and to show our pride every single day.
PRIDE PHOTO
Miranda here. I’ve never been a big t-shirt wearer. I love going into shops with funny t-shirts and reading all the silly sayings. I’ve even purchased a few for TB. I mean, who can resist helping a wildlife rescue by buying their “I passed my beaver inspection” t-shirt? (I’ve promised TB $20 if she wears it to her next physical.) But I hardly ever buy anything like that for myself. However, when I came across this special t-shirt design that Mass50501 created for the combined No Kings and Pride Parade event in Boston this year, my only hesitation was deciding which color to order (I went with lilac). While I was not one of the one million people who hit the streets in Boston, I wore it proudly for the crowd of a few thousand in Concord.
GREAT PRIDE EBOOK GIVEAWAY
We asked authors to donate eBooks for a massive giveaway and wowzers, so many authors are taking part. Every day in June, there will be a new eBook giveaway. So not only will you see another pride photo, but you can enter to win loads of eBooks!
A few things about the giveaway. They’re open internationally. Authors will be responsible for delivering the eBooks. You WILL NOT be signed up to anyone’s newsletter when you enter.
Today’s giveaway has 56 books involved. One winner will be selected on June 25. That’s right. One lucky reader will get 56 books!
THE JUNE 21 WINNER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED
We’re thrilled to announce the twenty-first Great Pride Giveaway winner has been sent an email. They won 57 eBooks featured on June 21, 2025.
The winner for June 22 will be selected tomorrow. There’s still time to enter by clicking here. Don’t wait. It closes later today.
QUEER TRIVIA
Before we get to all the wonderful books involved in today’s giveaway, we want to share some queer trivia. It’s the former historian and teacher that compels TB to pull together the daily trivia. So many amazing and brave people in history paved the way for the rest of us. The fight isn’t over, but while we keep showing up it’s important to remember those who came before us.
Here’s today’s trivia:
She was born in 1673 to a secretary to Louis de Lorraine-Guise, comte d’Armagnac, the Master of the Horse for King Louis XIV. Her father, who trained the court pages, oversaw her education, teaching her academic subjects typically reserved for boys and also training her in fencing. She became skilled in the sport from the age of 12 and successfully competed against men.
At 14, she became the mistress of Louis de Lorraine. In 1687, that same year, the Count d’Armagnac arranged her marriage to the Sieur de Maupin of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and she took the name Madame de Maupin, or simply “La Maupin” as was customary in France. Shortly after the wedding, her husband was given an administrative post in southern France, but the Count kept her in Paris for his own reasons.
Around 1687, she also became involved with an assistant fencing master named Séranne. When Lieutenant-General of Police Gabriel Nicolas de la Reynie attempted to arrest Séranne for killing a man in an illegal duel, the pair fled Paris for the countryside. To support themselves, they gave fencing demonstrations and sang in taverns and at local fairs. While traveling and performing in these informal shows, she wore men’s clothing but made no effort to disguise her gender. Upon arriving in Marseille, she joined the opera company led by Gaultier de Marseilles (1642–1696), performing under her maiden name.
During this period, she began her first romantic relationship with a young woman. To keep the two apart, the young woman’s parents sent her to a convent in Avignon, possibly the Visitandines. She followed her there and entered the convent as a postulant. To escape with her lover, she stole the body of a deceased nun, placed it in the young woman’s bed, and set the room on fire before fleeing with her. Their relationship continued for a few months, but eventually the young woman returned to her family.
In 1690, the Paris Opéra hired her after initially rejecting her. She became friends with an older singer named Bouvard, and with the help of Bouvard and Thévenard, she persuaded Jean-Nicolas de Francine, head of the king’s household, to admit her into the company. That same year, she made her debut as Pallas Athena in Cadmus et Hermione by Jean-Baptiste Lully. From 1690 to 1694, she performed regularly with the Opéra, first singing soprano roles in major productions before transitioning to her natural contralto range.
Following the death of her lover, Madame la Marquise de Florensac, in 1705—a woman with whom she had shared a deep and devoted bond—she retired from the opera and sought refuge in a convent. She is believed to have died there in 1707 at the age of 33.
Do you know her name? The answer can be found below all the books.
TODAY’S ENTRY FORM:
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NOW FOR ALL THE BOOKS IN THE GIVEAWAY
Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom for today’s trivia answer!
