News Roundup: New Release from SJ Campbell, Q&A With VG Lee, Blogs, Free Fiction, and More!

With Storm Doris (Doris? Really?!) upon us and the kids all off school, it’s probably a good idea to hunker down with a book and a brew. But first, the news…

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If you’re looking for a new book to take into the storm bunker with you, Ishinnie by SJ Campbell (who also wrote Diary of a Broken Heart and the Strange Adventures of Mavis Street) is fresh off the press:

ISHINNIE. Perfect love in a world where same-sex relationships are expected and heterosexuals are the minority. This is a book of two love stories.

Annie, who falls in love with the beautiful and career-driven Christina, never feeling good enough with her small dreams of a happy family. Annie is haunted by the death of her alcoholic father, destroyed when his husband leaves him for a woman, but Annie believes in ‘Ishinnie’ and that her perfect love with Christina will get her through.

Their son, Jim, tells his story as he falls in love with a girl at school, learning to hide his love for fear of ridicule and bullying. As Jim matures and his passions grow stronger, he has to learn what ‘Ishinnie’ is and take a stand.

Annie and Jim, mother and son, on a collision course because of their love, held together by Christina. Will they learn that the hardest part of love is forgiveness?

You can buy Ishinnie in e-book or paperback from all the usual places.

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If free fiction is more your thing, then The Globe and Mail (no, not that homophobic, bigoted pedlar of shite, but the Canadian one, which should be far more sensible and polite) are celebrating the occasion of Canada’s sesquicentennial by inviting a group of writers – from home and abroad – to celebrate the country’s history in fiction. Stir Fry and Frog Music author Emma Donogue is one of the first to contribute, and you can find her story – The Big Cheese – here.

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Skipping on to blogs now, and AL Brooks has a dual offering for us. First up is her Valentine’s Day piece, The Love of Writing about Love:

Every time I read such a book, I am in awe of the story-crafting that has been employed by the author to elicit such a reaction in me. How did they know which exact words to write, in that exact order, to make my heart beat just that little bit faster, and my stomach do that kind of tightening thing it does when I’m getting the “feels”?

You know what I mean, right? That indefinable combination of emotion and physical response to a scene that has you tingling with joy at what those two characters are sharing. It’s a good dose of empathy (if you’ve been there yourself), maybe envy (if you haven’t), a definite dollop of awwww, a hint of arousal, and an all-round deep satisfaction that you just cannot explain…

To get all squishy with AL, click on the link.

Tying in with the release of her new novel, Dark Horse, AL has also been blogging about her time spent in Australia:

I also spent a few weekends in Ballarat, a country town about 90mins drive from Melbourne. My housemates were from there originally, and still had friends back there they would meet up with for dancing at the (only?) nightclub in town. Ballarat was the only Australian town in which I ever really experienced homophobia – it was pretty redneck back in those days. And when I started plotting out Dark Horse, for me it was a no-brainer to set the main part of the story there, and show the new, grown-up version of Ballarat that is a significantly more tolerant place to visit these days.

Read the rest of the blog here.

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New BSB author Anna Larner is pretty damn chuffed about having her short story accepted for the forthcoming anthology Girls Next Door. Anna’s story – Hooper Street – will be available in the collection, scheduled for a June 2017 release:

Sometimes the most intriguing girls are right next door—BFFs, ex-girlfriends, new girls in town, party girls, study mates, team mates, and sexy strangers. All it takes is a night out, the right moment, or an accidental kiss to discover what’s been there all along—the perfect girl for a love that lasts a lifetime. Best-selling romance authors tell it from the heart—sexy, romantic stories of falling for the girls next door.

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The LGBTQ Arts Review has been chatting to VG Lee, who will be sharing an extract from her new book, Mr Oliver’s Object of Desire, at the WOW Festival Polari Salon on March 8th:

I was inspired to start writing when my long-term relationship broke up. At the time I was devastated and found myself writing sad, angry & self-pitying poems on scraps of paper. When life took a turn for the better, I joined a Creative Writing Class in Hackney and found myself writing quite humorous prose. At a local reading event the Editor of the then Diva Books liked one of my short stories and asked if I had a novel? I didn’t, but set to work on my first novel, The Comedienne, published by Diva Books in 2000 when I was 50!

The full Q&A can be found here.

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And that’ll about do us for this fortnight. Have a good weekend everyone!

 

 

News Roundup: Blogs, Audio Books, Reviews, Giveaways, and BBQ Beach Book Launches, Oh My!

Spring it is a springin’, with lighter nights, tulips blossoming, and only the odd spot of storm-force wind and rain to bugger things up a bit. It’s looking brighter in UK LesFic land as well, with this fortnight bringing forth a lively bit of news…

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First up is Jane Fletcher who has recently redesigned and updated her website (“Welcome to my new revamped website – which has pretty much all the same stuff as my old website, except it’s got spiffy new colours and layout”) in readiness for her June, 2016 fantasy release The Shewstone.

Jane will be appearing at the Bold Strokes UK Fest in Nottingham on June 4-5th, along with a whole host of UK based BSB authors, and you can read an extract from The Shewstone by clicking that thar link.

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I’ll stick with Bold Strokes authors for the moment, because I. Beacham has been blogging about the inspiration behind her April release, Salvation, at the main BSB site:

I knew it the moment I sat down in front of my laptop. The empty pages that had stared back at me the day before yesterday, taunting me with my inability to dream up my next book, started to quiver and fade. All at once, my fingers cut across the keys like a centipede wearing running shoes. They moved so fast I had to keep dipping my fingertips into a bowl of water to cool them. Yes, something had changed. I had changed.

I had entered…“The Zone of Author Contentment,” and I was finally back in the groove.

If you’re curious as to what exactly sparked Beach’s entrance into that zone of contentment, click here to read the full piece. Salvation has also been reviewed over at the Romantic Reader’s Blog:

Salvation by I. Beacham is heartbreakingly beautiful book about two women who meet at during a painful period in both their lives. Beacham weaves a tale of strength, determination and reminds us that love really can conquer all. Angst lovers rejoice, this is another book that will make your heart ache, but it is totally worth it.

As ever, you can read the full write up at the link.

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Meanwhile, over at The Lesbrary, one of their reviewers has proven that it’s never too late to catch up with Kiki Archer’s Too Late…I Love You: 

In spite of its impressive entertainment value, Too Late… I Love You addresses important topics such as same-sex parenthood, bisexual stigma and closeting in a tone that is affirming without being victimizing and courageous without coming across as preachy. Each occasion is handled without a break in the humor or pause in the plot, propelling the story’s momentum and subtly foreshadowing some of the most memorable scenes.

The complete review is available here.

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For those people who like their lesfic with a dash of intrigue, Andrea Bramhall is launching her new murder mystery, Collide-O-Scope (released this month) with a short reading, a free BBQ, and a guided tour of some of the areas that inspired the novel on 15th May at 2 p.m. The event will take place at Deepdale Backpackers and Camping on the North Norfolk Coast, and you can find all the necessary information here at Andrea’s blog. Here’s a hint of what Collide-O-Scope has in store for readers…

One unidentified dead body. One tiny fishing village. Forty residents and everyone’s a suspect. Where do you start? Newly promoted Detective Sergeant Kate Brannon and Kings Lynn’s CID have to answer that question and more as they untangle the web of lies wrapped around the tiny village of Brandale Stiathe Harbour to capture a killer.

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A snippet from Emma Donoghue: In other delightful film news – UK producer Alison Owen has optioned my last novel Frog Music, about an unsolved murder in 1870s San Francisco, and I’m writing the screenplay.

More on that as it happens.

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And finally this fortnight, good news for those folks who like to read with their ears. Jane Retzig has been in touch to say that her novel Boundaries is now available as an audio book, narrated by Jan Cramer. Originally published in 1994, Boundaries was Jane’s first novel, and holds a special place in her heart.  To celebrate the release, Jane has some free audible copies to give to UK LesFic readers. All you have to do to get your mitts on one is email Jane at: jane retzig @ gmail. com (take the spaces out of the address before you use it) or message Jane via her Facebook or Goodreads page.

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Speaking of first novels that you can now listen to, my very own début, Snowbound, has just made the leap onto audio book. Narrated by the perfectly named (and British!) Lesley Parkin, the audio book is unabridged and – judging from the small sample I’ve listened to – pleasantly northern. Bold Strokes are currently holding a giveaway on their Facebook page. All you need to do is leave a comment on the relevant post to be in with a chance of winning a copy. The competition closes on Sunday 10th April, at noon EDT (I have no idea what that translates to either, but get yer skates on!)

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Right-o, I think that’s plenty to be getting on with for the meantime. Have a fabulous weekend whatever the weather.

News Roundup: Clare Lydon is Feeling Festive, a New Release from Jade Winters, Sarah Waters on the Silver Screen, Jody Klaire Interview, and More!

At last! The Spooky Season is nigh upon us, with pumpkins being readied, the shops full of Haribo, and ridiculously expensive Halloween costumes clogging up the aisles (whatever happened to making your own out of a sheet and some fake blood?!) All of which leads me nicely to our first news piece of the fortnight…

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Handily combining two festive occasions in one book release, is Clare Lydon whose fourth novel, All I Want for Christmas, is set to hit bookshelves (or e-readers) on October 31st, which should give people plenty of time to buy it and get it ready to tuck into Christmas stockings. Eyes right for the seasonal cover. Meanwhile, the book’s blurb goes like this:

This Christmas, Tori Hammond is on a mission to find love. Her ideal present under the tree would be a shiny new girlfriend, so Tori gives herself one month to find that special lady by December 25th. Christmas spells romance and she’s going to grab some.

However, Tori’s dates bring their own complications, and when someone unexpected strolls back into her life, her Christmas girlfriend quest is turned upside down. Will Tori land on her feet and find the woman of her dreams? And if she does, will it be who she expected?

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Jade Winters has sneaked another novel onto Amazon, with the release of Love Interrupted:

There are two sides of every story. And then there’s the truth.

Divorce is rarely pretty and never fair. When successful divorce solicitors Harper Anderson and Dylan Blue find themselves on opposing sides of a bitter separation, they become uncontrollably consumed by more than just the case…

Dylan is fiercely ambitious, Harper a crusader for justice, so when the adversaries lock horns in professional combat, the tension is overwhelming. Harper hates Dylan’s ruthlessness, Dylan is repulsed by Harper’s ‘bleeding heart liberalism’. As they both battle for their clients’ interests, they find themselves at once repelled and strangely attracted to one another.

It is a case which will divide, infuriate and ultimately unite the two women, who find a deep love and understanding in the ashes of their clients’ broken relationship.

The novel is available to buy on Kindle or you can read it for free if you’re a Kindle Unlimited punter.

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Someone we’ve not heard from for a long while is Bold Strokes author, Jane Fletcher, but fans of her Celaeno and Lyremouth Fantasy series will no doubt be pleased to hear that a new book is on the way. Jane recently posted this message on Facebook:

I’m not a compulsive writer. I don’t have the all-consuming urge to write that other authors talk about. Sometimes it just feels like a slog. But the thing that keeps me going is though I don’t necessarily like writing, I adore having written. And to that end, I can announce that I have wrote. I sent off the manuscript for The Shewstone this morning.

We’re not sure yet whether the novel will be related to her previous works, or a standalone – more news as soon as we get it!

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Jody Klaire has made a return to the Liz McMullen Show to chat about her French romcom romp, La Vie En Bleu, her Above and Beyond series, and her passion for music, amongst other stuff. You can watch the interview at this link.

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News about Emma Donoghue‘s next novel has been posted on her website. We have no clue as to its lesbian content (might not have any!) but we thought we’d give you a heads up just in case: You heard it first: my next novel, The Wonder, set in 1850s Ireland, comes out in September 2016. It’s the story of an eleven-year-old girl who seems to live without eating, and the English nurse sent to discover whether she’s a fraud.

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I mentioned a Sarah Waters film night in the last but one news, and it’s been listed on the Events page for a while as well. Originally, following the link provided sweet FA in terms of information, but Sarah’s website has now updated with details of what the evening will entail. Apparently the first in a Desert Island Flicks (stop it!) series, Sarah will be showing clips from and discussing films that have “moved, entertained and inspired her.” The event will be held on 7th November at the Cinema Museum, London, and tickets are £8.50. You can find more information here.

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Finally this week, the larger LesFic community received the news that one of its most popular authors, Sandra Moran (Letters Never Sent, Nudge, and All That We Lack) had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. Sandra has a hell of a lot of British mates, myself and Tig included, and our thoughts are with her and her family.

News Roundup: Clare Lydon Lovin’ In London, Kiki Archer & L.T. Smith Interviews, New Releases from Manda Scott & Jenny Frame, and More!

With a mini heatwave, England coming so close in the footy, and everyone cooking at Wimbledon, it’s been a busy ol’ fortnight here in the UK. So what have all our authors been up to?

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It’s always nice to kick off the week with a new release, and we’ll start with the new ‘un from Clare Lydon, whose third novel This London Love is currently riding high in the UK amazon LesFic charts. The book is a spin-off from Clare’s début hit, London Calling, and you can find a trailer for it right here.

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For all those folks who live up north, the rather fabulous Hideaway Cafe in Urmston, Manchester is building on the success of its regular Saturday LGBT nights by launching a women’s LGBT reading group. The inaugural meeting will be on Tuesday July 7th at 7 p.m., and it’ll be a chance to meet like-minded women, pick a book, and eat cake. And trust me, the cakes there look amazing. Also, the cafe is licensed, which is always good news. The cafe’s owners – the Sponge Sisters – have strong ties to the local LGBT community, and Jo and her missus are also planning a lesbian book fest to take place on September 12th 2015. The details are still being finalised, but Tig and I will be going along, to read, chat, sign, but mostly to eat cake with lesbians. Personally I can’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday. Hit the link for more information on the Hideaway, and we’ll keep you updated with details of the book fest as we receive them.

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With Too Late… I Love You kicking up a storm in the Amazon charts, Kiki Archer has been chatting to Plumsauce Productions about the novel and her move towards writing mainstream fiction:

I noticed that my two previous novels One Foot Onto The Ice and When You Know both broke into the mainstream contemporary romance charts, at one point sitting alongside JK Rowling’s Casual Vacancy. Both novels were obviously lesbian-romance, the covers and the blurbs made that very clear, yet they were charting as mainstream. This made me wonder how many straight women were actually enjoying my books, and if I did release one with a pretty, typically chick-lit-type cover, would this work to push sales even higher into the charts…

To find out exactly how successful that tactic was, hit this link.

The book has also been reviewed over at A Modern Girl’s Bookshelf, in a write up that emphasizes its appeal to a mainstream readership:

Something many people don’t realize (and something Too Late… I Love You certainly proves) is often, LGBT lit isn’t much different from popular lit that features a heterosexual relationship. I feel like there’s this unspoken misconception that gay/lesbian relationships portrayed in literature can’t be appreciated or enjoyed by straight readers. Sure, it’s viewed as “cool and quirky” to feature a secondary relationship that isn’t straight, but for some reason, if it’s the protagonist’s relationship, it’s a big deal. I’ll say it here, loud and clear: that is not true! Lately, popular fiction authors have been taking strides to rid the bookish community of this idea (see: Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On; Kimberly McCreight’s Reconstructing Amelia; John Green & David Levithan’s Will Grayson, Will Grayson), but LGBT genre writers have been doing it for years. Enter the captivating world of Kiki Archer…

For the full text of the review go here.

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Following on from the success of her début novel, A Royal Romance, Jenny Frame has revealed the cover of her next book Heart of the Pack (a Wolfgang County novel). The book will be released via Bold Strokes in 2016.

Jenny’s début A Royal Romance has been well received by book blogger Leeanna.Me:

It was just fun to see the relationship develop between George and Bea, to see George’s life as queen and Bea’s as a commoner. It was also refreshing to see that both of their families were encouraging, even when Bea doubted that things could work between them because of their class differences. I did think the ending was a tad rushed, considering all the build up and back-and-forth on their relationship. But A Royal Romance left me wanting a sequel, and romances don’t usually do that to me.

Find the full review here

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L.T. Smith is the under the spotlight over at the Ylva website, with an interview discussing the reissued version of her novel, Once:

Personally, I would describe Once as a book about overcoming life events and experiencing the wondrous realization of how strong the human spirit actually is. Once is about rediscovering hope, falling in love, and learning to love life. This book is about friendship, new beginnings, recognising that although we do have limitations these are definitely outweighed by our strengths but it just takes a little time to remember that.
And, best of all, Once has a dog in it. What else do you need to know?

The interview also reveals the title and cover for L.T.’s next novel Driving Me Mad, which is apparently “a little darker” than her usual fare. Driving Me Mad will be released in October, and its blurb reads like this:

For Rebecca Gibson, her journey to a work convention will be one she’ll never forget. After driving around for four hours, Rebecca stops to ask for directions at an isolated house on the outskirts of Kirk Langley, Derbyshire.
Her initial meeting with the house’s attractive owner, Annabel Howell, seems strange and unsettling, but at her hostess’s insistence, Rebecca spends the night.
Plagued by nightmares, Rebecca senses that her dream world has blended with what she believes is reality. When she leaves the next day, her life has changed. Can Rebecca solve a mystery that has been haunting a family for over sixty years? Will she find love along the way? Or will the events drive her mad?

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Manda Scott has been busy publicising the release of Into the Fire with a series of interviews and blogs, the most recent of which is this in-depth and revealing interview at Writerly Witterings:

When my mother died, I found amongst her ‘saved from childhood’ file, my first book – it was 10 pages written in feltpen from the perspective of one of the owls in the kitchen. It was early self-publishing, it had a copyright and a publisher’s marque and it was all bound up with blue ribbon. So yes, I always planned to write, but what I hadn’t planned was how much focus veterinary medicine was going to take to be any good. Then I had a 3 month gap between jobs and that let me start my first real book – a fiction set in a Vet School.

Full details for the official Into The Fire blog tour for can be found here. 

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Emma Donoghue has revealed details of her first novel for middle-grade readers (8-12 year olds):

The Lotterys Plus One introduces Sumac Lottery, a girl with six siblings, two moms, two dads, and a tranquil cloud-painted room in the big Victorian house they all call Camelottery. When her racist, homophobic grandfather nearly burns his house down, he has to move in with the Lotterys, a volatile situation about which no one is happy, least of all Sumac, who has to give up her room. The Lotterys Plus One explores family, the limits of tolerance, and the possibilities of love.

The book will be released February 2017.

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VG Lee has loads of events and appearances on the way, with the first being LFest on July 19th, where she’ll be appearing alongside Kiki Archer, VA Fearon, and Diana Souhami. You can find the full list of VG’s upcoming events here, and there’s more details about LFest – including a list of all the other UK authors who’ll be attending – on our own Events page.

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And that just about covers it. I’ll be over here eating a tub of Ben & Jerry’s. Y’all go and read a book 🙂

News Roundup: New Books from Clare Lydon, Jody Klaire & Jade Winters, New Ylva Author A.E. Radley, Events, Blogs, Giveaways, & More!

Torrential rain and gale force winds? It must be summer in the UK! The manky weather doesn’t seem to be denting the enthusiasm of our authors, though, and there’s a ton of news for me to get through. Also I am typing around a cat, so please bear with me. Now, without further blathering…

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How’s about we start with some new books and a new author?

Clare Lydon has recently revealed the cover and the first two chapters of her (tentatively scheduled for) June release This London Love:

And to get you in the mood, here’s the new cover in all its shiny redness, plus the first two chapters to whet your appetite. This London Love is a spin-off of London Calling, focusing on Jess’s flatmate Kate and her search for her London love. The exact launch date is yet to be decided but I’m hoping for some time in June. Watch this space for more soon, but for now, it’s time to get acquainted with Kate and Meg…

You can read the chapters here or listen to Clare reading from them in her latest Lesbian Book Club podcast.

Clare will also be hosting the literature tent at this year’s Brighton Pride (August 1st). She’s promised us more details on the line up as it’s confirmed, but the main site should be enough to whet your appetite for now…

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Sneaking past us in a manner befitting a thriller, and heading straight into the charts, is Jade Winters’ Everything to Lose, the sequel to her first Ashley McCoy novel, A Walk into Darkness. The book is widely available from the usual places, and its blurb reads thusly:

Detective Sergeant Ashley McCoy is about to face her most challenging case yet, when her own brother is accused of the callous murder of a young woman. Though desperate to prove his innocence, Ashley is prevented from investigating the case. Instead, she is sent to solve a strikingly similar murder.
As she struggles with the immense pressures of work, her own personal life starts to implode when her partner abandons her. Just as things can’t seem to get any worse, a past case comes back to haunt her. Sometimes it takes the pain of the past to uncover the mysteries of the present…

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Jody Klaire has revealed the cover for her forthcoming romance La Vie En Bleu. She has also been chatting about the book’s French setting in this blog piece:

I specifically wanted to chat about the area I chose to place the story. Ajoux-Sur-Rhône to be exact and those of you who are used to me will know that, yes, I created a new little town just for Pippa to inhabit with her friends. It is based in a beautiful region. Provence and the Côte D’Azur are some of the most romantic settings in the country.

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Oberon Books have just released a collection of selected plays by Emma Donoghue:

Adapted from her book of thirteen revisionist fairy tales of the same name, this play interweaves four classic plots – Beauty and the Beast, Donkeyskin, the Goose Girl, the Little Mermaid – with an invented one about a desperate girl going to a witch for help. Kissing the Witch finds the gritty in the fantastical, and excavates magic to find what’s really going on.

Synopses for each of the plays can be found at this page of the publisher’s website, with the book available to purchase at the same link.

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Finally in the brand new books bit is the chance to win a signed copy of Manda Scott‘s forthcoming dual timeline thriller Into The Fire. Manda has five copies to give away and all you have to do is hop over here and complete the entry form. The draw will take place on Sunday 7th June, 8 p.m., so get your skates on. The book is released June 18th, and there’s loads of information including a preview of the opening chapters on Manda’s website.

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Ylva has snapped up a new British signing, with A.E. Radley joining the wolf pack in the last couple of weeks. A.E. Radley is already a popular fan fic author (curvypragmatist at fanfiction.net), and her début novel – Flight SQA016 – will be published in March 2016.

Spurred on by overwhelming and ever-increasing debts, Emily White takes a job working in the first-class cabin on the prestigious commuter route from her home of New York to London with Crown Airlines. A gruelling transatlantic schedule means she is in the air nearly as much as she is on the ground and desperately misses her five-year-old son.

On board she meets Olivia Lewis, who is a literal high-flying business executive with a weekly commute, a meticulous schedule, and terrible social skills.

When a personal emergency brings them together, will Emily be able to swallow her pride and accept help from Olivia? And will Olivia be able to prevent herself from saying the wrong thing?

You can read a little more about A.E. Radley here at the Ylva website.

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Summer tends to bring with it a slew of events, and Kiki Archer will be reading at L Fest on the Sunday (July 19th) Polari panel. Click this YouTube link to find out about tickets and – in the words of the irrepressible Ms Archer – “Win at life”. There’s more information on this weekend of lesbian-themed shenanigans over on our Events page.

Sticking with Polari, London’s award-winning LGBT literary salon will be at the Stoke Newington Literary Festival on Saturday June 6th at the St Mary’s Old Church, Stoke Newington, Church Street, N16 9ES, at 7.30pm. Tickets are £5, and V A Fearon will be appearing along with VG Lee, James Maker and Sophia Blackwell. Hit this link for all the necessaries.

And just sneaking in under the deadline is the cover for Kiki’s new book Too Late… I Love You. No blurb as yet, but the book is due out at some point this month, and the cover (designed by Jayne Fereday who also takes the credit for the cover of That Certain Something) is very pretty indeed.

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Also this weekend (6-7th June) is the UK BSB Fest in Nottingham, which kicks off at 11.00 at the town centre Waterstones bookshop. In preparation for the event, the attending authors have been blogging on the theme of “Change”, with Andrea Bramhall, Crin Claxton, I. Beacham, Rebecca Buck, Jane Fletcher, Amy Dunne, and myself (Cari Hunter) posting entries since our last news roundup. You can read the blogs by clicking the links, and the pertinent info for the weekend’s festivities is on our Events page.

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If all that’s not enough to be getting on with, Sarah Waters will be discussing The Paying Guests at the Guardian Bookclub, which offers a chance to chat about the novel with the author on Monday 8 June 2015, 7pm – 8.30pm at Amnesty International UK , London, EC2A 3EA. Tickets are £15 and you can book them here. Spoiler warning as per the website: this event assumes you’ve read the book!

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A quick hop around the blogs now, with an opportunity to Meet Jen Silver on Lyn Lawler’s blog. Jen has been chatting about her latest novel Arc Over Time, writing in general, archaeology, and golf, amongst other things!

In terms of writing, I like to get straight into the story. That’s something I might be criticised for. I don’t go in for lengthy descriptions, which is why my books aren’t likely to go over the 200-page mark. Telling a good story is important to me, and I hope that’s what I’ve managed to achieve so far with these two books.

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The Lesbian Review has picked out its Top 10 Lesbian Covers (that’s book covers, not rehashes of songs!) with Clare Ashton‘s That Certain Something – “a perfect representation of this sweet, light romance”, and Clare Lydon‘s London Calling – “The colours, symmetry and image style show that it is a light chicklit book and the white space gives it a lovely balance” – both finding a spot on the list. Head to the website to see if you agree with the team’s choices.

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Adding a full stop to this mammoth round up are two blogs I’ve posted in relation to the forthcoming release of No Good Reason. The first – a menu and swearing guide – might be a little like teaching British readers to suck eggs, but it is full of pretty pictures of delicious food. Then I’ve been discussing the joys and terrors of kicking off a new series in Serial Thriller, which was recently posted on the BSB blog:

For my shift-addled brain, remembering to put knickers on in a morning can be enough of a stretch, so keeping track of continuity details across two novels has required an extensive series bible, timeline, cast list, and the occasional map. As an avid series fan, I know that there’s nothing more annoying than an author who can’t be bothered getting it right, and that there’s always someone out there who will spot an inconsistency.

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And I think the topic of knickers is as good a place as any to draw the proceedings to a close! If you are planning to come to Nottingham this weekend, be sure to say hello – all being well, Tig and I will both be there on the Saturday.

News Roundup: Sarah Waters Hits the Stage, New Romance from KE Payne, Blogs from Jody Klaire, Clare Lydon, Jenny Frame, & Cari Hunter, Angie Peach Heads to GCLS, and Loads More!

Ahh, the sun is shining between rain showers, the birds are singing, and the Tories have finally stopped ringing me up at inopportune moments. Life is good and the news is absolutely hopping. So without further ado…

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Let’s start this week with a snippet about a new romance from K.E. Payne, who contacted the blog to let us know she has her seventh novel due out with Bold Strokes in October. The novel’s title is When I Knew You and its blurb goes like this:

When Ash Wells and Nat Braithwaite are thrown together after seventeen years apart, old resentments and passions are rekindled. The days of their heady teenage relationship are long gone – or are they? As they put aside their differences to honour the memory of a friend, Ash and Nat learn that sometimes, to build a future, you have to be willing to let go of the past.

K.E has promised to let us know when she gets the cover for this one sorted, so keep an eye on the news for updates.

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Awards season is continuing apace, with Emma Donoghue‘s Frog Music and Sarah Waters‘ The Paying Guests both shortlisted for the Third Annual Bisexual Book Awards. The Bi Writers Association will announce their winners in a ceremony to be held Saturday 30th May, with Waters and Donoghue competing against each other in the Bisexual Fiction category. You can find the full list of nominees here. Good luck to both Brits!

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We’ll stick with Sarah Waters for a moment, as word of a stage adaptation of Tipping the Velvet has sneaked onto the ‘net. Waters’ much-loved début novel is to be adapted for the stage as part of the Lyric Hammersmith‘s new season:

The play opens this autumn, and will run from 18th September to 24th October. This new adaptation of the novel by acclaimed playwright Laura Wade (Posh, Royal Court/West End) has been in the planning for four years. It will be directed by Lyndsey Turner (Chimerica, Almeida/West End).

From October the play will also be running in Edinburgh at the Edinburgh Lyceum, with the final performance scheduled for Saturday 21 November. As ever, more details can be found by hitting the link.

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The Still Got Manners website has reviewed Polari‘s recent evening at Glasgow’s AyeWrite! festival. The event featured VG Lee: “who kicked things off in riotous style with accounts of her attempts at writing lesbian erotica. The droll sense of humour that runs through her writing is made even more hilarious by her impeccable comedy timing”, and Jackie Kay “with the talent of the true poet, she had audience members wiping away tears one moment with a lyrical tribute to her mother (and a reminder never to dismiss people as simply ‘old’)”. 

You can find the full review at the above link. Upcoming events from Polari feature Karen Campbell and Kerry Hudson. For more details see their schedule here.

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Skipping onto blogs now, and Clare Lydon has decided that Book Editing: Not for Wimps in a new post detailing the trials and tribulations of cutting her next novel down to size:

With The Long Weekend, my beta readers brought up the fact I kept using the word ‘arse’, and had all the characters slapping each other’s bums every other scene – so I changed it. In This London Love, my beta readers told me people kept cocking their heads, putting their hands on their hips and turning on their heels every five minutes – all terribly camp and dramatic, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Clare’s third novel, This London Love – “not strictly a sequel” to London Calling – is due out in June, and the full blog entry is at the first link.

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Jody Klaire has been busy getting ready for the release of two novels. With Blind Trust, the sequel to The Empath, due out in summer, and a new romance La Vie En Bleu also pending, Jody has three blog updates to get people in the mood. You can find a primer for Blind Trust here and a character study on Renee Black from The Empath here. Rounding it all up is Jody discussing writing a romance when she’s better known for thrillers, along with a sneak-peek at the blurb for La Vie En Bleu, a snippet of which reads like this:

My name is Pippa Saunders and I have a BIG secret. You see I am engaged to Prince Charming, AKA Doug Fletcher, (Well unless it’s a golf day,) and my best friend and I, Rebecca (The one with the terrible haircut) live in our pokey little flat and are wonderful underachievers.  My life is pretty simple, I go to work in an office, go out to dinner with the handsome Doug and enjoy girlie DVD nights with Rebecca. It’s how I like it. Simple, uncomplicated and… well… Rebecca says boring…

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Over at the Bold Strokes blog, Jenny Frame, whose début A Royal Romance is out this month, is the feature of a new interview. In an interesting read, Jenny field questions about her influences, writing methods, and inspiration, amongst numerous other topics:

I always wanted to tell a story that was a modern retelling of a fairy tale. So my knight in shining armour and handsome prince is a handsome butch instead, who falls in love not with a suitable princess, but the village girl who protests outside the palace gates…It also gave me the opportunity to write about history and politics, two subjects I love, but still keep at its heart a sweet romance, with a healthy dose of spice.

Read more at this link.

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Finally in our blog hop I’ve chucked some pretty pictures of the Dark Peak and a shot of some rather gnarly-looking sheep onto my blog as a scene setter for No Good Reason. The snaps were mostly taken during the last year’s worth of hikes and include a few spectacular snowy shots from what turned out to be a good winter for walking. The pics and a bit of Dark Peak history can be found at the link.

And sneaking in just before the deadline, my freebie author copies arrived, which means only one thing: Giveaway! I’ve put two copies of No Good Reason up for grabs, either here at my blog or on my Facebook page. Deadline for comments/likes/discussion of biscuits is whenever I get my arse out of bed after my night shift (officially: noon GMT) on Wednesday 13th May. Best of British to you all.

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For those readers who might be reading this across the pond, or for anyone fond of travelling, Angela Peach will be heading Stateside in July to play at the Golden Crown Literary Society conference. Taking place 22-26 July, the conference is an extravaganza of LesFic, featuring panels, signings, readings and discussions, and culminating in the Goldies award ceremony. Although the schedule is still a work in progress, Angela has confirmed that she will be appearing on one of the panels. Hit the main GCLS site if you fancy making the trip or to have a toot at the finalists for this year’s awards.

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If you’re more of a homebody, Vic Oldham has offered a glimpse of what this year’s Bold Strokes UK Nottingham bash has in store. With 13 BSB authors in attendance, the event promises to be bigger than ever and will include two after-event parties, the chance for prospective authors to pitch their novels, panels, chats, signings, and something called a Mayhem Team. I wish I could shed some light on the latter, but I honestly have no clue. As ever, the weekend will be held at the Waterstones store in the centre of Nottingham and it takes place 5-7th June.

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News Roundup: Brits’ Lambda Award Joy, New Author Evangeline Jennings, Emma Donoghue on the Stonewall Honour List, and More!

It’s been an excellent couple of weeks for news here in UK LesFic land, not necessarily in terms of quantity, but definitely in terms of quality. So let’s bloody-well get on with it, eh?

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First and foremost, a massive shout out to our very own Clare Ashton whose delightful RomCom, That Certain Something, has been shortlisted for a Lambda Literary award.

For those not in the know about these things, the Lambda Literary Awards “identify and celebrate the best lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender books of the year and affirm that LGBTQ stories are part of the literature of the world. The Awards ceremony has consistently drawn an audience representing every facet of publishing.”

The much-anticipated shortlist was announced on Wednesday 4th March, with Andrea Bramhall‘s Nightingale joining That Certain Something in the Lesbian Romance category. Sarah Waters‘ The Paying Guests was also listed in the category of Lesbian General Fiction.

The awards ceremony will take place on June 1st, and a full list of all the finalists can be found here. Congratulations and all the luck in the world to the three Brits (and to everyone else, of course!)

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It’s always lovely to welcome a new author to the site, and Evangeline Jennings has recently joined our listing. Born and raised in Liverpool, Evangeline now spends most of her time in Austin, TX. She is the author of Riding in Cars with Girls, a crime-themed collection of essentially feminist, very noir, and almost entirely queer short stories and novellas. She is also the founding editor of the Pankhearst writers collective. Her full bio can be found on the Authors page, and her next publication will be a short story in this erotica anthology.

You can find out more about Evie over at her blog.

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Nicola Griffith‘s website has a whole new look and very nice it is too, with links to all of her books, loads of information, a blog section, and updates about guest appearances. The site is still a work in progress and Nicola is keen for reader feedback, so pay a visit and see what you think.

Sticking with that theme, Val McDermid‘s site has also had a makeover. There’s certainly a lot of information to be found, but with so much moving, streaming, and jumping out at you, you might want to take some Hyoscine before heading on over there!

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It’s a very award-themed update this one, and Emma Donoghue has just announced that Frog Music is one of four Honor Books in Literature for the 2015 Stonewall Book Awards:

The first and most enduring award for GLBT books is the Stonewall Book Awards, sponsored by the American Library Association’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table. Since Isabel Miller’s Patience and Sarah received the first award in 1971, many other books have been honored for exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.

All of this year’s Stonewall winners can be found here, and Emma’s news nicely coincides with the paperback release of Frog Music, which comes complete with a rather natty new cover design.

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Speaking of new covers and shiny things, I was pleasantly surprised to receive word from Bold Strokes that my fifth novel, Cold to the Touch – the second in the Dark Peak series of crime thrillers, and the sequel to June release No Good Reason – will be published in December, 2015. That was rather earlier than I’d anticipated, but very fitting for a winter-themed book. I suppose I’m a bit like the 192 bus: you wait and wait for one book to come out, and then two turn up in quick succession.

Given that the first book in the series isn’t out yet, I’ve tried to keep the blurb for book two spoiler-free, but it should be enough to give you a general idea…

Winter in the Derbyshire Peaks: months of knee-deep snow, short days, and rocketing crime rates.

Detective Sanne Jensen is living in self-imposed isolation and quietly falling apart, while Dr. Meg Fielding–Sanne’s best friend and occasional lover–is struggling to cope with her violent brother, who is back in town and demanding money that she doesn’t have.

When the murder of a drug addict is dumped onto Sanne’s already unmanageable caseload, she suspects the death may be the start of something more sinister. But how can she investigate a crime when no one cares about the victim? And how can she stop a killer who has no identity, no motive, and no conscience?

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A call to all budding UK LesFic authors now, as the Polari prize opens for submissions. If you’ve no idea what I’m yammering on about – where have you been?

Now in its fifth year, The Polari Prize is for a first book which explores the LGBT experience and is open to any work of poetry, prose, fiction or non-fiction published in English by a writer born or resident in the UK within the twelve months of the deadline for submissions (this year 1st February, 2015). Self-published works in both print and digital formats are eligible for submission.

Previous winners and nominees have included Mari Hannah, Kerry Hudson, and Beatrice Hitchman. All submissions for this year’s prize need to be in my May 1st, and for more information about the process, head over here. Good luck!

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Niamh Murphy‘s recently republished swashbuckling epic, Mask of the Highwaywoman has been reviewed by jj over at Rainbow Book Reviews, who had this to say about its central characters:

Bess is a rather sweet enigma wrapped in a formfitting disguise for the road that somewhat has her blending in with her highwayman colleagues and initially she is masked as they are… Along with Evelyn, I was constantly losing my balance and a sense of perspective largely because the highwaywoman is so difficult to get a handle on and nothing that unfolds could possibly have been anticipated. Disconcerting and exhausting, it was also exciting and extremely challenging. These twists and turns more than elevated the excitement. For me, they put this book in a class by itself! 

You can read the full text of the review here.

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Rounding out the roundup with a couple of dates for your diary…

Catherine Hall will be appearing at the Words by the Water Festival in beautiful Keswick on Friday 13th March, at 10.45 a.m). Tickets and more information are available here.

Hopping across into April, and Manda Scott will be discussing the topic Romans to Redcoats (which probably has nothing to do with Butlins!) at the Wrexham Carnival of Words on Saturday April 25th. The event will run from 2.30 p.m., and tickets can be purchased at this link.

As ever, event info can be found separately on our Events page, and I’ve recently updated the New & Upcoming Releases page as well – authors if you have a book out in the next five months or so, let us know about it!

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And that’s about all she wrote for this update. Have a lovely weekend and watch out for the eclipse (20th March!)

 

News roundup: a lot of blogging and chatting from Emma Donoghue, VG Lee, Nicola Griffith, Amy Dunne and more!

A whiff of spring is in the air, or at least the green shoots of a busy lesfic year are coming through at last, and there’s quite a bit to tell you this week:

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Emma Donoghue has been answering Seven Questions for the Working Writer over on Jenna Leigh Evans’ blog. She answers questions about juggling writing with earning a living (she’s never had a day job) and how she knows when a passage needs editing (it makes her stomach twinge). Read the full piece here.

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Nicola Griffith has been busy on her blog. This week she has been talking a little about how to avoid cliched characters when writing fiction and how to create a memorable cast.

“But a great story or novel—oh, a great story is dense. The characters’ actions are plot-driving and characteristic and specific. These people are fully human, the kind of people we would recognise this year, last century, tomorrow. In this fiction, the writer is almost profligate in her generosity: we know a lot about the protagonist just by the way he flips his hair, just by the speed with which they blinks before they kill someone.”

Here’s the full piece.

It also turns out that even the best get the odd duff review. Nicola has been braving Amazon and reading Hild reviews and details her reaction to some particularly snide 1-star reviews. It only bothered her, mildly, for 5 minutes. Still, an entertaining and interesting piece which is here in full.

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VG Lee was interviewed by Sacha Black about VG’s writing process. She talks about her technique of prolific note taking as first draft, what and who inspires her characters and her take on the publishing industry. This is her advice for aspiring novelists:

“Not to be influenced in any way by friends and family. They will be biased. To aspiring novelists I would recommend a writing group, creative writing classes at local colleges or universities. Here you will get unbiased feed back. Friends I made through a creative writing class when I first began writing, I am still friends with them now. We are all still writing and we have all been published, in fiction, non-fiction, flash fiction and poetry. We help each other.”

VG is always an interesting read and here’s the full interview.

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LT Smith has been catching up her readers on her writing exploits. And she’s been busy. Beginnings is out in its second edition and she talks about the horticulture involved in that. She’s also having a shufty at Once and a few other things besides:

“I can remember not long after Once was published and I won an award from the Lesbian Fiction Readers’ Choice Awards for comedy. Obviously, I was really excited, as anyone would be if his or her book had been given the big thumbs up by the reader. But, I can still remember thinking ‘I thought it was sad’. Shows how much I know doesn’t it. Maybe if I write a comedy I may get an award for drama. Food for thought.”

Read the full article, and keep an eye out for an imminent book giveaway too, over on LT’s blog.

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Clare Lydon continues with the book club on Lesbian Radio. And this week she had a good natter with Amy Dunne author of Secret Lies and Season’s Meetings. Amy gives some insight into her writing approach to each book and what inspired her to write the gritty Secret Lies. Have a listen here.

Amy also revealed the cover and blurb for her next book this week. The Renegade, a post-apocalyptic romance, will be available in September. Here’s the blurb:

In this post-apocalyptic world, you have a choice: survive as a slave or fight for your freedom.

The Red Death pandemic wiped out most of the human population, and the world that remains is dangerous and unforgiving. Survivor Alex Clarke and her companions are rescued after a vicious attack and welcomed into the Rapture’s Haven Camp. Although given medical treatment, food, shelter, and protection, Alex senses something sinister lurking beneath the camp’s friendly exterior.

Camp medic Evelyn Bennett is instinctively drawn to Alex and warns her that the camp is a dangerous cult and the women are slaves. While planning to escape, their secret relationship is discovered. Escape is no longer possible. They must fight for their freedom—or die trying.

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Meanwhile Cherry Potts and VA Fearon have been chatting about lesbian fiction. Cherry talked about running Arachne Press and trying to fit in her own writing. VA Fearon revealed her obsessive writing habit and also chatted about the Dani series. All five books have been written – although only The Girl with the Treasure Chest is out so far. Here the video of their conversation.

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A few items in brief:

VT Davy‘s second ‘state of the lesbian nation’ novels, The Hystery App, is now available. VT has produced a trailer for the book which is a blend of science fiction, romance, and women’s history. The trailer is available here on YouTube.

Jenny Frame has been putting the final touches to the forthcoming A Royal Romance and has an update on her other work here.

Gill McKnight, author of the Garoul werewolf series, has been quiet of late, but she’s just about to get a lot noisier. She’s joined Women and Words as a regular contributer and she’s already received a very warm welcome. She has a new book, Soul Selecta, is due out in April.

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Finally, you can catch HP Munro in the Virtual Living Room today. The online discussion group is hosting a Hollywood weekend where authors of novels with a film theme will be chatting about their books. Authors include Melissa Brayden (Waiting in the Wings), Karin Kallmaker (Stepping Stone), Krystin Zimmer (The Gravity Between Us), Jae (Departure from the Script) and Chris Paynter (Survived by her Longtime Companion). You can join the group here.

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That’s all folks!

News Update: Clare Lydon Events and Radio Show, Hild and The Paying Guests Scoop Library Awards, Interview with Sarah Waters, & Emma Donoghue on Audible…

I suspect the recent cold weather might have sent most of our UK LesFic authors into hibernation. These last couple of weeks have been very very quiet on the news front, but – being knee-deep in edits myself – I’ve decided not to hang on to this update any longer (mainly because one of the events featured is actually taking place tonight!)

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We’ll start with the aforementioned event, which is Clare Lydon reading at Wood Green Library (alongside Katie Bennett-Hall) as part of LGBT History Month, and also for the launch of the LBT Women & Guests Drop-in & Book Club. This event is tonight (12th February) 5.30-7 p.m, and will cost you absolutely nothing, although booking is advised. Clare will be reading from the charity UK LesFic anthology, L is For and there will be an author Q&A after the readings. You can find more details and the booking information at this link.

This seems like the perfect moment to remind people that Clare will also be reading from her second novel, The Long Weekend, at Polari (Royal Festival Hall) on the 23rd February. Tickets and more info here.

I’m not sure when this woman ever sleeps (she certainly doesn’t hibernate!) but the third episode of her radio show, The Lesbian Book Club, is now up featuring American author Cindy Rizzo talking about L Fest, her novels, going from being self-published to signing with Ylva Publishing, and generally having a right old natter. You can listen along at this link.

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More good news now for all those who like to read with their ears. Kissing the Witch, Emma Donoghue‘s lesbian, feminist retelling of well-known fairy tales has been released as an unabridged audio book on audible:

Thirteen tales are unspun from the deeply familiar and woven anew into a collection of fairy tales that wind back through time. Emma Donoghue reveals heroines young and old in unexpected alliances–sometimes treacherous, sometimes erotic, but always courageous. Told with luminous voices that shimmer with sensuality and truth, these age-old characters shed their antiquated cloaks to travel a seductive new landscape, radiantly transformed.

Hit the link for more information. Meanwhile, Emma’s website reveals she’s is “immersed” in her next adult novel, set in 1850s Ireland.

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Nicola Griffith‘s Hild has bagged a runners up spot in the Historical Fiction category in the American Library Association list of Notable Books 2014. The full round up of all the winners and runners up can be found here. Hild was also chosen, alongside Sarah Waters‘ The Paying Guests, for the 2015 Over The Rainbow list, which aims to create a bibliography of books that exhibited commendable literary quality and significant LGBT content and are recommended for adults. Congrats to both!

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Speaking of Sarah Waters, she has been interviewed over at the Indian Express blog in which she discusses her novels, her thoughts about writing a book set in the present day, and what she thinks about her unofficial title: The Queen of the Tortured Lesbian Romance:

Yes, some of my characters have been a little tortured. And while my books have love stories, all of them except one (The Little Stranger) have had lesbian protagonists and lesbian desire has been at the heart of the narrative. I don’t want it ever to be forgotten.

You can read the full 3 page interview at the link.

Meanwhile, Elinor over at The Lesbrary has been catching up with one of Sarah’s older novels with a recently posted review of The Night Watch:

I loved it, but other readers may find The Night Watch too depressing. I felt emotionally drained when I finished it. For me, it was worth it, but fans of happy endings might disagree. Whether or not you enjoy the book depends largely on the degree to which you engage with the characters, and not everyone will like these reserved Londoners and their private struggles. This is not a novel with an action-packed plot, which keeps the reader close to the main characters. If you don’t connect with the characters during the 1947 section, you probably won’t enjoy hundreds more pages with them.

The full in-depth review can be found here.

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And that really is yer lot for this fortnight, although, just taking a toot at the list of releases pending from UK authors, I suspect this may be the lull before the storm…

News Roundup: New Blogs from Clare Ashton & RJ Samuel, Interviews with Stella Duffy & Emma Donoghue, Kiki Archer Gets Her Tatts Out, & Much More!

After Tig copped lucky with a quiet spell last week, the recent sunshine seems to have made this week’s news fairly blossom. There’s loads of it to catch up on, so slap on some sun cream, and enjoy…

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If the fine weather has you hankering after a night out in the Big Smoke but you’re stuck for entertainment ideas, VA Fearon and Sarah Westwood (AKA  The Rubbish Lesbian) will be appearing at Polari on May 27th. Tickets are £5 and you can book them here.

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The Writing Processes Blog Hop continues apace, with Clare Ashton copping a tag from VG Lee and subsequently posting her entry, in which she chats a little about the inspiration behind her current best seller That Certain Something:

It was sparked by a conversation on the VLR discussion group where I was larking about answering questions for one of their spot-on weekends. Someone found my answers entertaining and fun and asked if my novels were the same. I had to respond that actually they were rather angst-ridden and miserable, so it had me wondering why on earth wasn’t I writing something humorous?

And goes on to reveal how she actually begins to put pen to paper:

A lot of that daydreaming at first. Playing with the glimmerings of a plot, characters and themes. I start jotting down bits of dialogue that I keep hearing in my head and ideas for scenes in a new Moleskin notepad for each book…

To read the full blog, hop over here.

RJ Samuel also got nabbed and provided some insight into the influences behind her novels:

I don’t really write by genre. I write the story I need to tell, and everyone’s story is different. I draw from my diverse background as an Indian, born in Nigeria, living for many years in Ireland, and with all my family in America. From my educational and career background as a doctor, an IT person, a restaurant/bar owner, a writer. Even from my brief experiences in summer jobs as chambermaid, inventory clerk, pizza cutter, physiotherapy assistant, flower-stall ‘manager’.

Click here to read the rest of RJ’s answers.

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We’ve found a couple of interviews with Stella Duffy to catch up on. In a lively feature in The Guardian this weekend, Stella hopped through a multitude of topics covering family, work, cancer, and Nigel Farage (to name but a few).

Nigel Farage is probably fun to have a drink with, which is a problem. Some people might think: “Working class, lesbian, left wing – ugh!”, but they’d find I’m fun to have a drink with. Without space for dialogue, there’s no reconciliation.

And while I was hunting down the link for that chat, I came across another piece from the British Council in April that we somehow managed to overlook – never let it be said that we’re infallible! In Brussels to debate the concept of a national literature, Stella had this to say on the topic:

“The idea of there being a British national literature sort of confuses me anyway, making it ripe for a good discussion! The range of people in Britain is amazingly interesting – rather than there being a particular ‘national identity’, there are so many different ‘national identities’. One of the reasons the different regions of the UK are so important is because they didn’t used to speak the same language. There’s an incredible diversity in dialogue which comes through in prose, which is one of the things that makes British writing so exciting.”

You can read the full text of both interviews by hitting the links.

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Meanwhile, Emma Donoghue has been Making Beautiful Music over at Lambda Literary, where she chats about Frog Music, the rise of queer literature, and her quandary over whether to kick off her writing career with Stir Fry or Hood:

I think that what I would say is that I was entirely wrong. I remember my editor talking me down. I rung her up to say, Stir Fry’s really immature and shallow, it won’t work!
She said to me, “Emma, lots of people are going to prefer Stir Fry,” and she was entirely right. It sold much better. Clearly, it’s not that I was insecure in general—I wasn’t—I just had this feeling that Hood was much stronger stuff. I would still say it is, I would say it’s a far better book. But readers need all sorts of things from their books.

Click the first link up there to read the entire piece.

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If you’re a better woman than I am (not difficult!) and one of the 186.9 million people who understand what the hell Tumblr is all about, you can join Niamh Murphy over there on her brand new page. There are handy links to each of Niamh’s books and to the reading she recently posted from Mask of the Highway Woman. For those of you who aren’t so down with the kids and remain befuddled, head here, where WikiP will make everything as clear as mud.

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Kiki Archer has been getting her tatts out (quite literally) for all those lesbians who might struggle with the tricky concept of letting a potential love interest know that they too are a big old friend of Dorothy. In five handy steps, you can learn how to drop hints, let the cat out of the bag, and if all else fails, flash a bit of tatt. For Kiki’s How To guide, click here.

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A couple of reviews now to wind up the week, both for Andrea Bramhall‘s Nightingale, and both resoundingly enthusiastic:

The Lesbian Reading Room had this to say:

Nightingale is an amazing and sometimes brutal tale of the fate of women forced into arranged marriages and abducted by their husband’s family to places where western law and western agencies cannot reach them. At the same time it is a wonderful romance that tells the tale of two women who’s souls connect from the very first day and are destined to love each other despite their separation.

While over at Rainbow Book Reviews:

This multi-tiered story with a hot and sexy love story, an extremely exciting intense military-like task force operation marvelously intertwined with a host of outstanding supporting characters makes this book a wonderfully balanced and supremely entertaining read. I easily give this my highest recommendation. Truly, not to be missed!

As a Lambda finalist, Andrea also took part in an ongoing Q&A blog spot at the Lesbian Reading Room, where she chats about finding the inspiration for her novels, what the nomination means to her, and what’s up next.

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Righto, that’s me done for the week. Apologies to my neighbours, but I’m getting my shorts on!