News Roundup: New Books from Nita Round, AL Brooks, & Scott Campbell, Reviews, Events, and More!

It’s a bit of a chilly welcome for this fortnight’s toot at the UK LesFic news. I heartily recommend reading this whilst cradling a nice hot water bottle, wearing gloves, and slurping from a mug of tea…

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Let’s kick off the roundup with two new books from UK authors. Nita Round‘s debut, Knight’s Sacrifice, is already available to buy, and A L Brooks‘ second novel, Dark Horse, is set for publication on February 15th. You can read the full synopses for both novels over on our New Releases page.

Not one to rest on her laurels, Nita has a second book in the pipeline, The Ghost of Emily Tapper, which has a tentative publication date of May, 2017:

Two families, inexorably linked through time and misfortune, come together to face an uncertain, and possibly fatal, future. Maggie Durrant is heir to a rambling estate in the middle of nowhere. Along with the ramshackle, gothic style castle, she is plagued with a curse that will end her days sooner, rather than later. Providing her brother doesn’t get to her first. In the city, a world away from the estates of Magwood Hall and the Durrants, Emma Blewitt discovers a heritage that she did not know she had. Orphaned at a young age, she finds herself the beneficiary of a house, money, and the legacy of an aunt who leaves her everything and tells her nothing.

Through ghosts and spectres, murder and mayhem, even the curse of the ghost of Emily Tapper cannot diminish the attraction between Emily and Maggie. Their bond has the strength of ages behind them, but Emma must discover her own legacy before she and Maggie can seek a solution to The Ghost of Emily Tapper.

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Sticking with recent releases for the moment, as there’s a new review of Clare Lydon‘s latest, All I Want Forever, up at Les Reveur blog:

Firstly the writing as always was impeccable and to be honest I’ve come to expect nothing else from Clare Lydon. She has a way of bringing you into the book, so much so that you feel like one of the secondary characters. The best part for me is how in this series the characters are real people, with real people issues and anxieties and it made me connect with the main protagonists Holly and Tori on a much deeper level, which in turn made me much more invested. We’ve followed Tori and Holly’s love through many obstacles and relationship hurdles that have only brought them closer and solidified their love.

You can read the full piece here.

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Meanwhile, Out in Print have been casting an eye over A Quiet Death, the final part of Cari Hunter‘s Dark Peak crime series:

Hunter moves these people through the plot with a confident joy that really comes through on the page. She revels in the details, works in the peaks and valleys, and maintains the balance between explanation and action like a true pro. And those action scenes are incomparable. They move so well, so effortlessly that it’s past your bedtime before you know it, and you’ll still want another chapter. She also has a way with a twist, keeping you off balance until she reveals the true connection between Sanne and the case at hand…

The full review can be found here.

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From new books to forthcoming ones, as Scott Campbell has been teasing his Facebook followers with extracts from his forthcoming novel, Ishinnie.

I could almost see her heart breaking while she stood at our breakfast bar staring out into the clouds, looking for sense in life, to understand why we could be blessed with so much love and stripped of it in the same breath.
She turned her eyes, met mine, and I swallowed hard. She had never been more breath-taking or more beautiful than she was in that moment, with tears unabashedly wetting her cheeks, and the sun golden through her red hair. She was my perfect love.

 Apparently, the book is due out “very soon,” so more on this when we have it.

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Hopping on to events, and Bold Strokes author, Anna Larner – whose debut Highland Fling is scheduled for release in April – will be presenting a paper discussing the “Permutations of Lesbian Love in Popular Fiction,” at the Lesbian Lives conference in Brighton on Friday 24th February. For more information about the event, head to the official page.

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Andrea Bramhall is planning a launch party for the second part of her Norfolk Coast Investigation series, Under Parr. The event will be held on the 13th of May 2017 at Deepdale Backpackers and Camping, from 5pm to 9pm. There will be a short reading from the novel, and there’s an open invitation for interested folks.

If you are one of those interested folks, then you can find more information here at the event’s Facebook page.

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I’ll round out this roundup with a peek at a couple of blogs. Jen Silver has been chatting about British Wording and Other Things, AKA the art of weeding out any obscure British-isms in her books (balls to that! Leave ’em in! – Ed), and Jenny Frame has been discussing the other love of my life, food, over at her blog:

In the idyllic haven of Wolfgang County, Lena comes close to nature, understands the importance of eating good, well cared for food, not seeing some foods as bad and letting go of the outside world’s body image demands, and just enjoying the life that nature has provided for us. If only more places in the world were like Wolfgang County.

Courting The Countess also used food in a big way. Annie courted Harry with cakes, biscuits, and delicious home cooked meals, until the countess was putty in her hands.

To read more about The Food of Love, click the link.

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Right, that little lot should keep you going for a while. Have a great weekend!

News Roundup: New Author Nita Round, Festive Fare from Clare Lydon & Jade Winters, Polari with Kiki Archer Tonight in Brum, and More!

Hard to know what to say, really, when the last fortnight has seen the world whacked off its axis and many of our overseas friends are now terrified that all their hard-fought progress and steps towards equality could begin to unravel. As governments lurch to the right, it’s now more than ever that we need our community and our mates and our wits about us. And our stories, of course – we need to keep telling our stories…

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So it seems apt that we start this week by welcoming a new author to the site. Nita Round has been writing all of her life in one form or another, and she loves telling stories. Her head is full of them, and they all scream for her attention. Chosen as one of the winning entries in a short story competition, publication was the catalyst for her to write more, and she now writes full time.

She loves being outdoors in the garden or visiting sites of National heritage, but she also loves reading, cooking and gaming, and no matter what she always finds something to do. She lives in the heart of England with her wife of 21 years and their King Charles Cavalier, Rosie.

Her first novel, Knight’s Sacrifice, is due to be published by Regal Crest in February (tentative release date), with a second, The Ghost of Emily Tapper, set to follow hot on its heels. This is the blurb for Knight’s Sacrifice:

For most people, running a funeral home is a dull and conservative line of work, but when Catherine Samuels inherits the family business she discovers that it is anything but straightforward. For a start, the dead do not always stay dead, they sit up, and they bite. In this strange world, Catherine needs help, and that comes in the form of Cassandra (Cassie) Evans, a heavily armed problem solver, knowledgeable in all things arcane and undead.

Cassie, however, hates her posting to Catherine Samuels. Her charge knows nothing of family, her heritage, nor her duty as the sole remaining caretaker of The Gate, a sentient construct that guards the way to hell and stops the inhabitants of Hell finding their way to the land of the living. Anyone who does not understand the importance of this duty is a liability. Catherine is a liability. Except that Cassie finds an unsettling attraction developing between them that she neither expects nor wants. Duty first, there is no room for emotional entanglements, and certainly not with a woman who rejects all that Cassie thinks is important.

When Catherine finds herself on the brink of losing everything, Cassie, her family, and even life itself, then she must awaken. She must become The Samuel, The Gate Keeper and guard the way between the living and the dead. To make it safe she must travel to hell, with the warrior that she has chosen, and there, if they survive, she must heal the problems of the Gate before all hell breaks loose.

You can read more about Nita here on her website.

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Just in time to offer a bit of pre-festive cheer, Clare Lydon is giving away copies of her new Christmas-themed novella It Had To Be You over on her website:

When Georgia meets Milly, she knows she could be a game-changer. But then she meets her mother, and all hell breaks loose.

To get your freebie gift, hit this link and complete the small form on the page.

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And, judging by the new cover on Jade Winters’ Facebook page, it would seem that she also has something in mind for Christmas. No details of release or content as yet, but we’ll do our best to keep you updated.

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Nicola Griffith has written a blog post in remembrance of her US editor, Ellen Key Harris-Braun, the woman who was the first to see the potential in Ammonite (“this sex-romp-on-girlie-planet, or radical-reexamination-of-gender, or biological-What-If”). It’s a very fond and interesting look back at those initial steps towards publication and well worth a read:

And then one day the president of Ballantine, Linda Grey, walked through the Del Rey offices, caught sight of the sketch, and said, “What the hell is that?” Ellen started to explain but Linda Grey gave her a look and said, “Del Rey’s an SF imprint; put a spaceship on the cover.” So that’s what happened. Ammonite, my precious first novel about self- and other-worldly exploration acquired a lurid orange and yellow illustration, complete with jelly-bean spaceship…

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New Bold Strokes author Robyn Nyx has been blogging on the publisher’s official site about the gamut of emotions involved in publishing as a first timer:

There’s disbelief when you read the email offering you a contract for your pretty paper baby. Then comes elation, because someone actually believes you’re talented enough for them to invest $10,000 to edit, produce, and market your manuscript. A few short months later, there’s pain…

You can read the full piece here, and her debut, Never Enough, was released this week.

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Polari, the LGBT Literary Salon, is making an appearance as part of Birmingham’s Shout Festival at the Mac, TONIGHT (Saturday 19th November). Kiki Archer, Scott Campbell & VG Lee will be reading from their latest novels, and a good time is always had by all. The evening sold out when it was held last year, so for tickets and more specifics, hurry over to the main site.

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Finally this week, for anyone who has been following Jody Klaire‘s downloadable Whistleblower series, the fourth part, Not Genuine, is now available by following this link at Jody’s blog.

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Whatever you may be up to this weekend, have a safe one.

 

News Roundup: New Author CK Martin, Reviews, Threesomes, Bargain Books, Giveaways, and More!

With the debacle of the Great British Bake Off’s C4 sell-off travesty hanging heavy over us all here at UK LesFic, it’s a good thing we have so many new books to cheer us. So, Ready, Steady…BAKE READ!

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First up, we’ve recently added a new author to the UK LesFic listings. C.K. Martin loves writing character-driven stories, so you’ll find her books in the romance, crime and fantasy genres. She believes that realistic, diverse and engaging characters shouldn’t come at the expense of great plots – readers deserve to have both – and is a big fan of the slow burn when it comes to relationships, so be warned!

When she’s not writing, she can usually be found with her nose in a book (or pressed against the Kindle screen). Her third biggest passion in life is travel, so although she says she’s based in England, for much of the year you won’t find her there. Instead she’ll be hanging out with her wife in some amazing city or, more likely, at the beach. Read more about CK and her novels here at her blog.

CK’s current release is Dirty Little War, the blurb for which reads like this:

Evie Baedeker knows her place in the world. Born into a life of organised crime in the gritty East End of London, she has endured nothing but hardship and disappointment. Then one night, in a sleazy bar, fate sends a dangerous opportunity her way.

Carmen Trogan, daughter and heir apparent to a rival business, has no idea who Evie is when their eyes meet across the dance floor. But Evie knows all about her. The chance to bring the rich and beautiful woman to her knees – both figuratively and literally – is too good to pass up. Sparks fly from their first kiss, but Evie is playing a dangerous game. There are consequences that come with spending the night with a woman like Carmen.

Will she be able to walk away from the best night of her life, or will she risk it all to see Carmen one more time?

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If you’re fond of relaxing and letting someone else do the work for you, then take a peek at Kiki Archer reading the first chapter of her new super smash hit Lost in the Starlight. Kiki will also be appearing alongside VG Lee and Scott Campbell at the Polari Shout Festival on Saturday 19th November at the Birmingham Mac. The event sold out last year, so get your skates on and head here for more details and tickets.

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Never one to shy away from a contentious subject, AL Brooks has been discussing threesomes in her There Were Three in the Bed post over on the Ylva blog:

The other main issue women have with it is that, somehow, saying you’d want to experience a third woman in the bed equates to you saying that there’s a problem with your sex life as it is. That there’s something ‘missing’. That may be true in some instances, but I think if both women in the couple are open to discussing sex freely and without judgment, they could find that it’s something that appeals to them both, and add a whole new dimension to the way they enjoy each other. There could also be a specific reason why a third woman could compliment their existing relationship – for example, if the couple has a very established top/bottom dynamic and one (or both) wants to occasionally play with the other role.

If that snippet has tempted you into reading the full piece, hit the above link.

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Some reviews now to tempt you in the direction of recent releases…

Les Reveur (ooh la la!) has thoroughly enjoyed Nothing to Lose by Clare Lydon:

I found the novel light, sexy and easy to read. It was exactly what I was in the mood for. The characters had genuine life and love obstacles and I found myself cheering them on throughout…This was the first novel by Clare Lydon I’ve read and I’ll definitely be watching out for her next. 

Meanwhile the lasses at The Lesbian Review have been casting their critical eye over All I Want For Summer:

This book reminded me why I hate camping, but it also reminded me why I enjoy this series. It’s charming, light and fun and keeps you reading until you realise you’re at the end. I am super surprised at how this one ended though, much darker than usual. I can’t wait for the next book to see what happened.

And Gill McKnight‘s Welcome to the Wallops:

I love when an author gives me a great storyline, wonderful rich setting, believable characters, and new information that enhances the story, but never interrupts  or takes away from it. Ms McKnight ticked all those boxes for me.

Read the full text of those reviews here and here.

Clare Ashton‘s Poppy Jenkins continues to garner strong write ups. This first from Jess van Netten at the Lesbrary:

There is underlying current of chemistry between Poppy, the out lesbian, and Roslyn, the seemingly straight friend, that moves the story along at varying speeds. At times, it reaches fever pitch, with sexual innuendoes providing very funny conversations between the leads. I laughed out loud many a time, explaining little plot points to my wife as though talking about my friends.

And this in-depth review from Shira Glassman on her blog Welcome to the Mangoverse:

Poppy may as well be a 21st century Anne of Green Gables or other costume drama small-town girl, full of buoyancy and enthusiasm, as well as love for her village and its people. But by making her this, the author doesn’t rob her of her sexuality, and that’s what makes this so wonderful. A woman’s sexual–not just romantic but sexual–attraction to another woman is depicted as innocent and wholesome. Do you have any idea how fucking healing that is?

Click both links to read the full text.

And finally, The Romantic Reader has had fun with Andrea Bramhall‘s new comedy release Just My Luck –

While Bramhall’s other novels have serious plots, murder, kidnapping … this book is just more fun. These characters talk to you, the reader, and it took me a few chapters to get into it, once I did I was hooked on them. I loved being in their headspace, feeling their struggles right along with them.

If you fancy trying your luck to win a copy of this book, Andrea is running a Goodreads giveaway for five signed copies. The closing date for entries is October 7th.

Wendy Hudson is also running a GR giveaway for three signed copies of her new Scotland-based thriller/romance, Four Steps. Closing date for this one is September 30th.

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Bargain books!

From free books to very cheap books now, with Clare Lydon‘s second novel The Long Weekend currently on e-book sale for the whopping bargain price of 99p.

And Cari Hunter‘s debut romantic Peak District-set thriller Snowbound is today’s e-book Daily Bargain over at the Bold Strokes website (Saturday 24th September only.) It’ll be on sale for $2.99 (about £2.30) until 11.59 p.m. (EDT) and will also come hand in hand with Jenny Frame‘s short story Dapper, which is free with all BSB e-book purchases throughout September.

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Hopefully there’s enough in that little lot will tide you over for a while. Meanwhile, let’s just remember the good times before they get taken away from us…

News Roundup: Lambda Finalists Announced, New Bold Strokes Authors, New Books From Clare Lydon & Gill McKnight, and More…

It’s been an up and down couple of weeks in LesFic land: quiet for a while and then bang, the news came a-rollin’ in. Given the current dearth of decent biscuits on the shop shelves – hurry up and get unflooded, McVitie’s! – I heartily recommend that you cut yourselves a nice piece of cake, fetch a brew, and settle in for a few minutes.

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The big news this week was the announcement of the 2016 Lambda Literary Award finalists. There’s no warning as to when these bad boys come out, they just sneak online and the LGBTQ book-reading world goes a bit nuts for a while. The Brits didn’t do at all badly this year, with four very familiar names included amongst this year’s finalists:

Bisexual Literature: The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson

Lesbian Mystery: No Good Reason by Cari Hunter

Lesbian Romance: The Chameleon’s Tale by Andrea Bramhall & The Renegade by Amy Dunne.

The awards will be announced on June 6th, and you can find a full run down of the contenders here. Congrats to everyone who made it through 🙂

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The 2015 Indiefab Book of the Year finalists were also announced this week, with Crin Claxton‘s second Supernatural Detective novel, Death’s Doorway, listed amongst those in the LGBT (Adult Fiction) category. The winners will be announced in June, and you can read all about the awards, and find a full list of those finalists here.

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Moving on to new authors now, and Bold Strokes Books have recently added two Brits to their listing, both of whom will be appearing at the annual UK BSB bash, to be held in Nottingham the weekend of June 4th & 5th.

Anna Larner has a degree in English literature and master’s degrees in word and visual imagination, and museum studies. She has written and curated a permanent exhibition of LGBT voices and memorabilia, based at Leicester’s LGBT Centre, one of the first permanent exhibitions in the UK. As a member of the steering committee for the Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland LGBT History Project, Anna is passionate about preserving LGBT history and ensuring that LGBT voices are heard. When she’s not writing or reading, she loves lazy Sunday lunches and all things Scandinavian. Anna lives in Leicestershire with her partner Ang.

Her début novel, Highland Fling, will be released in 2017:

Eve Eddison describes her ideal woman to her best friend, Roxanne, over pints in their local pub a few days before she travels to the Scottish Highlands. There she falls head over heels for an enigmatic local, Moira Burns, and the usually reticent Eve wants more than a holiday romance. Forestry officer Moira Burns has no intention of letting go—either of past pain or for present pleasure. If that means she misses out on her chance at happiness, so be it. Convinced Eve is headed for heartbreak, Roxanne advises her to let Moira go…but has Eve found her ideal woman at last?

From the breathtaking Highlands of Scotland to the buzz of a Leicester gay bar, family and friendship are tested to breaking point, as letting go proves painfully hard.

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Robyn Nyx is an avid shutterbug and lover of all things fast and physical. Her writing often reflects both of those passions. She writes lesbian fiction when she isn’t busy being the chief executive of a UK charity. She lives with her soul mate and fellow scribe. They have no kids or kittens, which allows them to travel to exotic places at the drop of a hat for “research.” She works hard to find writing time, when she’s not being distracted by blue skies and motorbike rides. You can read more about Robyn over on her blog, and her début novel, Never Enough, is scheduled for a November, 2016 release:

Award-winning journalist Madison Ford is taking a well-deserved break from covering foreign wars. That break is cut short when she receives a mysterious package, full of incriminating information on a human trafficking ring. When she’s asked to do an interview with an actress and humanitarian, it seems like a welcome distraction. Little does she know how distracting it will become.

Elodie Fontaine is in demand. She chooses the movies she wants to work on and the women she wants in her bed. Humanitarian work takes up the rest of her time. Love isn’t an option. When Madison walks into her life, she’s faced with a dilemma: pursue Madison and lose her heart, or avoid the risk and lose her chance at happiness. When Madison’s life is in danger, will love pull them through? Or will it be too late?

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Celesbrian TV, a new LGBTQI lifestyle magazine channel – has recently interviewed Scott Campbell (formerly Karen Campbell). Scott discusses his creative processes, writing to music, and choosing character names. The feature also includes a review of his novel, Diary of a Broken Heart. You can watch the interview here.

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On to new books now, and Clare Lydon‘s second novella in her I Want… series, All I Want for Spring, will be released on March 18th. The follow-up to All I Want for Christmas, and All I Want for Valentine’s, takes the action to Rome…

Never mind spring: will Tori & Holly’s relationship survive the weekend?

Two women in love, and all they want for spring is a romantic break in sunny Rome. But what happens when they don’t spell romance the same way? What happens when their long-held beliefs are challenged? Will Tori & Holly be willing to compromise to get home unscathed?

Welcome back to the world of London’s No.1 lesbians, chock-full of love, heart and desire. Will Tori & Holly come back from their weekend away stronger than ever, or bruised by love?

If you want to find out more about Tori and Holly’s year of romance, Clare has written a brand new piece for the Women & Words blog, which also features a chance to win a copy of All I Want For Spring. Winners will be selected on March 18th, so get yer skates on.

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Gill McKnight‘s new novel, Welcome to the Wallops (The Wallops Book #1), will be published in May 2016:

The villages of High Wallop and Lesser Wallop have graced either end of the Wallop valley since medieval times. And competition between the two has never ceased since, especially over the famous Cheese and Beer festival.

As head Judge of Show, Jane Swallow has always struggled to keep peace, friendship, and equanimity within the community she loves, but this year everything is wrong. Her father has just been released from prison and is on his way to Lesser Wallop with the rest of her travelling family and their caravans.

Her job is on the line, and her ex-girlfriend from a million years ago has just moved in next door.

Her life is going down the drain unless she can pull off some sort of miracle.

You can read more about the inspiration behind the book in this blog post.

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Hopefully that little lot will tide you over for the next fortnight. We’ll see you back here around about Easter, eh?