Nerdology 101: The Fate of Angels and Demons

Hey there, Booksluts. Thanks for dropping by! For those who are new here, this is Nerdology 101, my blog. Here, I discuss all the nerdy happenings. My name is Maria Levato. I’m an indie author, anime-lover, self-certified kinklord, mythology obsessor, and more. This week, I wanted to talk a bit about my upcoming release, The Fate of Angels and Demons.

This post is spoiler free!

The Fate of Angels and Demons is a 94,000 word (388 page) romantasy featuring [the spicier] elements of a dark romance. The book comes out on April 1st, 2026.

Here’s the official blurb:

Lilly, a priestess sent to prevent a prophecy that foretold the death of her brother (angel), the heir to Oceanica's throne, from unfolding falls in love with the demon king that is said to be her brother’s killer—and goes even more insane than he is.
Michael, the demon king of Tendu, has long resented the royal family of Oceanica due to the part they played in his father’s downfall—little does he know, his obsession with this priestess might lead to his own.

The book will be available in 3 formats. Paperback and ebook, available at most major retail stores through the Ingram catalog, and a special edition hardcover that will only be available via direct purchase. Retail stores and libraries may purchase it via the direct wholesale ordering form at a discount if they are ordering 20+ copies, and it will be available for individual purchases on this website at launch.

The special edition will include the following:

1. Sprayed edges,

2. 2 pieces of character art, 1 NSFW and 1 SFW,

3. A ribbon page marker,

4. Head and Tail bands,

5. Bonus content.

For readers who just can’t wait to get their hands on a copy, though, I am currently accepting applications for e-ARCs. E-ARCs, for those who may not be aware, are advanced reader copies, a number of distributed copies of a book sent to readers prior to release in the hopes that they might review the book and help build buzz. My ARCs are distributed through BookFunnel as a PDF. The minimum requirements are that the reader must be at least 18 years old (in the U.S., if outside of the U.S., whatever the age of majority is in your country), I must also be able to confirm that you’re human (no bots), and finally, the reader must agree not to re-sell, share, or distribute their ARC. To apply for an ARC, fill out THIS form.

Now, time for the fun part!

What is the spice level in The Fate of Angels and Demons?

This book is on fire. It features 7-ish sex scenes, all of which include some form of kink. The love interests develop a switch dynamic (For the vanilla folk: Sometimes he’s dominant; sometimes she is. It’s about a 50/50 split). My favorite spicy scene is the one that got made into the NSFW piece of character art for the special edition. It’s based on a scene in chapter 5. Needless to say, this book is INTENDED FOR AN ADULT AUDIENCE. Even among adults, its content may be triggering to some readers. I do strongly advise that readers review the trigger list thoroughly prior to starting the books (provided on the ARC sign up form, in the front of the book, and in numerous other locations).

What inspired me to write The Fate of Angels and Demons?

Well, to start, Lilly’s character has been around in my writing for a while. If you’re new to my writing, I write The Islands of Rune universe so it can be read as a series or as standalones. The books are connected, but you don’t have to read them all in order to understand the latest release. In part, I do this because my craft tends to improve drastically from one book to the next (as with anything, even if you’re good, there’s always still room for improvement). I always want new readers to be able to start off reading my best work. So, I actually encourage people to always start with what’s newest.

As for this book specifically, Lilly was always intended to get her own book. I knew it from the moment I introduced her. Her character development, some of the things she’s been through, thinks, and feels, are all deeply personal to me in one way or another. In my writing, I tend to use the enthralling fantasy plots and intense romances to make palpable the more serious topics I address (as do most authors, at least the ones I read). Underneath the fun of the story is a lot of important commentary regarding what life after trauma actually looks like and why its okay if you never go back to “normal” (gag, I hate that stupid word), along with other topics surrounding racism, bigotry, forced labor, poverty, and more. This book came out of me when it did for a reason. With the state of the world being what it is, art and literature are more important than ever. It’s no secret that reading helps people develop a stronger sense of empathy and increases literacy, so I write to make sure people can accomplish those goals in a fun and accessible way. Lilly is the perfect character to help me accomplish that because she has such a unique perspective that allows for both a brutal rage and a kind heart.

Also, though, I love priestess characters.

What sorts of things are you doing to help boost yourself coming up to the release?

So, so many things. Of course, there’s the social media aspect. I hired a PA to help me with content creation. Her name is Jazmine (@jazzys_books & @apenandapromise on IG). She’s been great. Having her helping me out has done wonders in terms of freeing me up so I can A) focus on writing other books, B) focus on contacting bookstores (both previously partnered and new to me), libraries, planning events, and contacting book bloggers/influencers to seek partnerships, and C) managing and distributing ARCs, running ads, and connecting with readers directly. With all of that going on, I’m sure you can see how sparing myself that 3ish hours/week on making posts is actually so helpful (plus I literally suck at coming up with stuff to post. I’m still at that stage in being an author where I freeze up any time I’m asked what my book is about or am expected to speak out loud.) (If you happen to be a more popular author reading my blog, please let me know if and when that will go away? LMAO.)

Anyway, as things happen, you can hear all about them on any of my socials. Here’s my Instagram, my Bluesky, my Threads, and on the home page of this website, you’ll also find a form to sign up for my email list (I won’t spam, I promise).

That’s all for this week! I hope you’ll drop in again next week for another segment of Nerdology 101. Until then, have a nerdy week!

Nerdology 101: The “Smut” Convo

This blog post is not recommended for anyone under the age of 18. If you’re a minor, please check with a parent or guardian before proceeding.

We’reeee backkkk! Welcome to Nerdology 101. I’m your host, Maria Levato. This week we’re going to talk about the word smut. I’m not going to waste any time getting into it because this is already going to be a rant. So, let’s get into some Nerdology!

If you read this blog, my books, or my social media content, it’s probably no suprise to you that I love smutty books. I love reading them, writing for them, and today I love advocating for them because by now we’ve all seen the shift start to happen.

I’m going to say this loud and fucking clear: There’s nothing wrong with sex. Sex is normal. It’s healthy. It’s enjoyable. Therefore, there is nothing unclean, shameful, embarrassing, or wrong about reading smut. It’s a book. The fact that sex happens in a book doesn’t reflect whatsoever on its literary value or relavance. In fact, it adds value in the sense that it highlights ideas that push forward social movements such as sex positivity, feminism, and LGBTQIA+ rights—all of which I stand by firmly.

The word smut, in this context, is one the bookish community used to refer to these books when BookTok, Bookstagram, and other bookish social media tags started becoming more popular. It was used primarily as an inside joke that brought joy to the community. Anyone who has actually read these books is unlikely to see them as simply being pornography. Recently, however, we’ve started to see a rise in people who are using the word smut to diminish the books, the people who read them, and the people who write them. As such, the language has started to change. I’ve seen more and more people beginning to avoid the word smut altogether. In leiu of it, they’re leaning towards softer, less direct options like spice—which has been used for a while, but not in the way that it’s happening now where it’s being used to avoid stigmatization. With that being the case, many have begun to debate which words should and should not be used. In this post, I’m going to give my thoughts on why we shouldn’t let go of the word smut or otherwise soften our language.

1. What message are we sending?

   When we communicate, word choice matters. That’s why an author will some times spend hours searching for that perfect word. When I stop and ask myself what message we are sending with our word choices regarding sexual content in books, here’s what comes to my mind (I cannot speak for everyone. I’m giving my perspective and that’s all.):

   “I read smutty books.” - I confidently read sexual material with the critical engagement necessary to understand that books containing it often offer great stories, diverse voices, powerful social commentary, and that the act of reading it is a form of empowerment that affirms for me that my pleasure, autonomy, and needs matter both in and outside of the bed.

   “I read spicy books.” - This does NOT automatically imply that the person speaking doesn’t feel the same way as the one who says they read smut. It does however require more thought. In the bookish community, I’ve never seen anyone use a smut scale because of the implications behind the word, but spice scales are frequently used. The translations of these scales often vary widely. For one reader, Fourth Wing may be the spiciest book they’ve ever read. For another reader, it could be a one or a two on a scale of one to five. I think that matters because it means using the word spice allows a massive amount of interpretation that can lead to some misunderstandings. So, by using the word, you’re allowing the other person to judge your meaning based on their scale. Because of this broadness, the message you’re sending with your word choice is less clear. I can’t tell based on the sentence alone if this person is quietly capitulating to purity culture or if they are loudly and intentionally rebelling against it in their own way. Thus, I have to assume someone who loudly and intentionally perpetuates purity culture would be pleased by this because it leaves room for them to twist things in a way that may or may not align with the intention of the person saying it. I can see people using this type of soft language to make it seem like “Oh, so this is something you know you should be ashamed of” even though that argument is easily dismantled by anyone with a critical thinking skills. The danger of it, though, is that not everyone has critical thinking skills. Moreover, the crazies would rather not think critically if what’s being said inflates their false sense of superiority and makes them look justified in their oppression.

2. Infantilization

   We’re fucking adults. It is insane to me that a bunch of adults cannot speak about sexual content in a direct way. The softening of the language is reminiscent of arguing on a playground about who has cooties. This probably has a lot to do with censorship on social media platforms as well, but it has a real impact. This soft language and avoidance reaffirms stereotypes (particularly when it comes to women). It allows people to imply shame, lack of assertiveness, indecisiveness, innocence and corruption in accordance with whatever arbitrary standard they so choose, and other harmful ideas that make it sound like we’re unable to think and act of our own free will. Men talk about sex amoungst themselves. The fact that its considered problematic for women to do the same in regards to books often written with women in mind is a symptom of misogyny and the infantilization that comes with it.

3. Content

   Changing the language we use to discuss content could result in a change the content itself. I love these smutty books and a lot of you do too. So, let’s talk about how erasure of the word smut could lead to erasure of the content. Censorship is a tricky thing. It usually doesn’t start by saying “this type of language is banned”. Outright attacks on words like that are more likely to meet resistance. Convincing people to self-censor is a much easier thing to do, especially on social media platforms because it rewards self-censorship with reach, which leads to engagement, and to sales that a lot of bookish accounts might be depending on for their income. While I acknowledge how difficult it might be for people to cope with this loss of income, I’d argue that the benefit outweighs the cost. If we will self-censor on social media, we’ll eventually self-censor in other ways when that push for it expands. Bookstores and readers may eventually start to move away from carrying smut, which will push publishers away from publishing it, then agents away from representing it, and in the end push writers away from writing it. Even self-published authors have to consider the market and what will sell, it could even result in less smut being available from us too. The issue is bigger than one word. If we allow that word to be erased, we invite them to push for more.

   The impact of it could substantially setback conversations around sex positivity and feminism as I’ve addressed, but it could also setback conversations around LGBTQIA+ rights. I know recently there’s been a lot of conversation around straight women writing MM, but that’s the point—There’s conversation. Representation leads to conversation. Conversation leads to increased understanding of the communities perspective. Increased understanding leads to better representation. I read a fair amount of LGBTQIA+ books written by LGBTQIA+ authors, but I never would have found most of them if I hadn’t been reading smutty MM written by straight women that were already popularized. While I do agree that books by LGBTQIA+ authors should be the priority in LGBTQIA+ genres AND that staight people who write LGBTQIA+ stories need to do better, I think the point stands that without popular smut, I would know less LGBTQIA+ authors and that these conversations about what good representation and allyship look like wouldn’t be happening.

With all of that being said, I will continue to use the word smut because I think the benefits of it are worth protecting. That’s my two cents on this discourse and I hope it helps readers and writers alike think more about the language we’re using and decide for themselves what language they want to use.

Let me know in the comments what your thoughts are! See you back next week for the next segment of Nerdology 101. Until then, have a nerdy week!

Nerdology 101: Thoth

Hey, hey! You, you! It’s time for some Nerdology! No way, no way. You can’t be too excited!

[Clears throat] … Please excuse my outburst. I had to do it at least once and thought this would be a good week because [Insert drum roll] it’s my 10th post! Over the past 10 weeks of hosting and writing this blog, it has become the most visited page on my website. So, thank you all so much for sticking with me. It’s actually a huge help and is definitely boosting my visibility, so I appreciate it.

If you've been here for a while, you already know me. But if this is your first time visit, I’m Maria—the crazy, quirky kinklord of an indie author who runs this blog. I'm happy to have you all here and for that reason, this weeks post will be a bit special. I’ll be doing a bit of a deep dive on my favorite deity: Thoth. Most of you have probably heard the name before, but for those who haven’t, Thoth is the Egyptian God of wisdom, writing, science, the moon—pretty much everything a nerd could ask for, right? I thought so too. Let’s get into some Nerdology!

Thoth (originally called Djehuty in Egyptian) was an awesome god. I listed a few of the areas where he’s noted above, but there’s more. How Thoth came into existence is a bit debated. According to some sources, he was born from Ra’s lips asexually. Others say that the god literally created himself. What is clear, in any source, is that Thoth was revered and that Egyptian mythology placed him as a central figure. A lot of gods depended on him in some way or another. He had a hand in judging souls as they moved to the afterlife. He advised Seshat, Osiris, Horus, and other gods. Perhaps most importantly, though, is the fact that this god knew everything. Period. Every scrap of knowledge there was to know, he knew it. Now, I like to learn, but that’s a lot of stuff to know.

One of my favorite things about Thoth is that he’s so intersectional. Thoth is equally associated with science and math as he is with art and philosophy, literature—even mediation. He did it all. It’s nice to think of it that way. In the modern age, it always kind of feels like there’s this huge divide between the humanities/liberal arts/art and STEM where it’s constantly a choice between one or the other. Either we invest in STEM or we invest in the arts? If we prioritize science, non-STEM subjects become “useless degrees”? It’s all very black and white, one or the other. We seem to have forgotten the word “and”. Thoth, to me, serves as this sort of ancient reminder to place equal importance on all of it because they’re all important aspects of intelligence. It would probably seem crazy to such a god to place more weight on one form of knowledge than another.

Thoth was so important to the Egyptian pantheon that he was one of its first gods. We can trace him back to the 25th century BCE. Roughly, that places our earliest accounts of Thoth’s worship within a few centuries of the Akkadian rule of Mesopotamia, making this god pretty freakin’ old. Of course, that’s not to say Thoth doesn’t still have his following today. Many self-identifying witches seek his guidance. Here, you can see one such practitioner talk about their experiences with the deity, and here, we see that later pantheons recognized that their own god, Hermes, was an iteration of Thoth in their own culture. The Romans also had their own iteration of him in Mercury too, hence the planets astrological associations with communication, curiosity, and versitility. It’s the “messenger” of the astrological world.

As a writer and a lover of knowledge myself, I’ve always taken a great interest in Thoth. He’s one of the few deities I can identify with. Of all the tales various religions tell, not many of them register with what I’d see as god-like. Thoth makes a lot of sense to me as a god, though. Knowing things that mortals, and even other deities, are unaware of. Being a sort of vessel for knowledge, literature, and art sounds like something a god would do to me.

I’ve been known to embrace witchy concepts, although its worth noting that I wouldn’t call myself a witch (I just have a deep respect for them and think they could be closer to “right” about spirituality than most humans). For me, I view religion of any kind through an academic and/or culturally curious lens. But, I do hold certain ritualistic things that I do not necessarily because I believe a deity is on the other end of them, but because the practice is something that helps me psychologically. So, yes, you could say that on several occassions, I have connected with the idea of Thoth during those practices—if not the deity himself, then with the ideas the archetype embodies that I identify with on a deep enough level to consider it spiritual. These moments fuel the curiosity that comes to life when I write… or travel… or watch something that brings up a question… or just about anything because I tend to get curious often. I consider that, in and of itself, a form of honor to Thoth and deities like him, who, whether they exist or don’t, inspire humanity to pursue the creativity and knowledge they stand for. As intangible and unprovable as the concept of a god is, there’s no denying that the impact mythology has had on us as a species it. Ultimately, unlike many gods, I see the idea of Thoth and his iterations as one that has a net positive impact on the world and that’s not something I would say about many deities, modern or ancient. That’s why he’s my favorite deity and one I consider myself connected to.

That’s about it for this weeks Nerdology 101 post. I’ll see you back next week for the next segment of Nerdology 101! If you want to know what the topic will be, I post weekly topic reveals on Saturdays across my socials! (Meta: @malevato6 , Bluesky: @marialevato.com ). Until then, have a nerdy week!

Source List:

https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/religion-and-philosophy/thoth-deity

https://egyptianmuseum.org/deities-thoth

https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/the-akkadian-period-ca-2350-2150-b-c

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/700048