A Troublemaker Never Cries

by Genta Sebastian

When you can’t live by the rules, break them. All of them.

A fast paced adventure, A Troublemaker Never Cries grabs you from the first scene perched atop the roof of a whorehouse and takes you on an emotional roller coaster through laughter and tears to a dark cemetery on a cold Christmas night.

Traf knows what she wants, challenging island traditions and forging her own unique path. She wears men's clothing, competes for their jobs, steals their women, and she’s not alone. A growing group of young lesbians soon join her, supporting each other as they break the rules of God and man. They earn their reputation with a style all their own, dashing and daring, brazen and caring.

Situated in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and 20th century, they strive to form the first all-woman social club of its kind, Troublemakers, on their small Azorean island. It’s the 1960s and together they fight sexist laws, brutal bullies, the US Air Force, and sometimes even their own families. You'll cheer for Traf and her friends as they shape a new world for their future, facing every trial with epic stoicism because, as they’ll all tell you, A Troublemaker Never Cries.

Genres: Romance, Historical

339 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 23, 2023

About the author

Genta Sebastian runs with scissors, always laughs without shame, sometimes writes naked, and can’t help dreaming big.

A multiple award-winning author, she sometimes writes Sapphic romances, like the Troublemaker series:

When Butches Cry (2nd ed. rel. August, 2023)as:
A Troublemaker Never Cries
A Troublemaker May Surprise (rel. August, 2023)
A Troublemaker Sometimes Lies (exp. rel. date Nov. 2023)
A Troublemaker in Her Eyes (exp. rel. date May, 2024)

She’s also written two novels for children living in Rainbow Families: Riding the Rainbow (GCLS award winner 2015) for middle-school readers, and A Man’s Man for Young Adults.

She stepped into the horror genre with: We Don’t Say Gay in Tranquility Bay! a trigger-warning horror story with a twist.

Lost is a novelette right out of the Twilight Zone. A grieving widow finds a strange child lost in a snowstorm, made of snow and ice.

But she started out writing wlw (women loving women, i.e. lesbian) erotica short stories that range from super-hot sexy sci-fi Martian/Human first contact, to culinary cunnilinguists, to drag kings, to college and tropical vacations, exotic settings, unforgettable characters, and quirky situations. These stories are fully adult and not intended for young audiences.

See her Amazon Author Page for current releases.

Reviews

[J H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read by a new for me author

The novel started out with the MC as a young girl that knew she was different from other girls. Later, she and her friends became aware of their group of friends' peculiar feelings, especially with how many of them shared it in common. While the story dealt with their coming of age, it also addressed the differences in life in a small town on one of the Azores Islands, the future "opportunities" for women during the decades it covered, and the many struggles they faced as lesbians in Catholic society. I found it very interesting and engaging, and I appreciated that it wasn't a romance novel (even though the protagonist had a lover). I look forward to continuing the series.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really unique and special look at growing up butch in a tiny little part of the world, but at the same time resonates deeply with anyone who has been a young butch or loved one. I've been a femme married to a butch for 18 years, and I see so much of our early years together in this, even though my butch was years older than these characters when we got together.

Love, life, celebration, ugliness, death and heartbreak all abound - but the love and hope are the highest notes and resound the longest. Truly worth every moment reading.

[Donna Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so powerful from the fun start with the brother and sister on the roof of the brothel through the 1960s growing up Catholic and lesbians on an Island in the Azores. Genta Sebastian writes so deeply of coming out, definitions of love and friendship . Of course there is horrendous bullying and consequences which give us the title. Well worth reading

[Christine Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a rollercoaster of emotions.the main characters dynamics was written with so much depth that it felt like you knew them personally. It made me laugh and cry. it's such a gripping storyline it was like I couldn't put it down. it definitely must read congratulations

[Joann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

This book is so good. The story of Traf is so interesting. Girls becoming women and realizing they love women. There was everything in this book. Sadness, fear and of course love.

[karen fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow, what an amazing book. Genta has done a fantastic job of taking you through the early years of Traf the Troublemaker. You are taken along with her on all the highs and lows that go along with being a young lesbian on a small unaccepting island. All the naivety and learning that is so well expressed as Traf and her friends navigate their own feelings and that of their fellow islanders. This book had me laughing and crying (which I don't do very often)and I look forward with anticipation to the next installment on Traf's journey of life.

[Kim Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg! This book had me in all my feelings from laughing to crying. I have never related to a character more than I do to Traf and I am loving it. This is the first book in the Troublemaker Series and starts with the main character, Vitoria/Traf around the age of 12 and goes till she is around 18. It is set in the late 1950s on a small Portuguese island. There are some triggers from rape, homophobia, abuse, and suicide. I enjoyed this book so much that I have already started the second book. I received an advanced readers copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.