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Tag: lesbian romance

A Starvation of Confidence by Rose Matthews

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It’s Queer the Shelves next week and I know because I’m counting down the days. Being invited onto the panel of new authors has been the most exciting opportunity I’ve had all year; it’s also filled me with so much imposter syndrome that I’ve spent an hour trying to finish this sentence. When I was asked to write a 4,000 word short story for Sapphic Eclectic I was all over it. But 400 words on ‘what it means to be a storyteller’? Total paralysis! Couldn’t get a word on the page. So, like a fool, I’ve spent the past week in search of a cure for this syndrome. Here are my findings:

Firstly, I turned to a friend. I told her I felt like a fraud and an idiot calling myself a ‘storyteller’. I was hoping for sympathy. Instead, she pointed to the spreadsheet I use to track my daily writing schedule and confirmed that, yes, I was being an idiot, but I was also undeniably telling stories. I looked at my (beautiful) graphs and I thought: nah.

Aren’t storytellers supposed to be magical? Magic’s for other people, not me.

So, I turned to other blogs. Good lord, what a mistake: a deluge of talented, worldly, brilliant writers. Awards won, readers connected with, breakthroughs made. I was screwed! I’d never done any of this! Surely all these authors had burst onto the scene, fully formed, and had never had any insecurities ever. Again, I kept asking: what do you think you’re doing? Leave this to the professionals.

Finally I came back to the place I’d been avoiding: this blank page. Only by putting one word in front of the other does the problem become blindingly obvious: imposter syndrome is a starvation of confidence. It plagues you with ‘not _____ enough’ statements and it belittles the belief your friends have in you and it stops you from seeing all these talented people in your community as, y’know, people.

So that’s my cure for imposter syndrome: keep on keeping on. In other breaking news water’s still wet, but I think this might be a lesson everyone has to teach themselves at some point. So if you’re reading this and no one’s ever told you: if you tell stories, you’re a storyteller. The magic isn’t just for other people. It’s for all of us.

We need you now more than ever by Valden Bush

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I wake up in the morning and find the world is chaotic.

There are people fighting for survival in terms of land rights, religion and money. Every day we are bombarded with more information than I personally want or need. BUT the thing that I’ve found disturbing is the way that trans, lesbian, and people of color are being erased from the both the world and people’s consciousness. It is happening quietly, through the back door in many situations and censorship can take several forms. Removing the lesbian tag for marketing purposes on Amazon and Insta is one of these steps.

Why do I mention this?

We need storytellers to be loud and proud, to tell the world that we cannot be removed. To show, through our stories, that lesbians will continue to thrive despite everything. We have been fighting for what we have for a long while and we need to continue. Storytellers, artists and musicians are important to show the way. So keep writing and keep reading, we need you more than ever.

Pulling together the scattered threads by Sharryn Ryan

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‘So, on 6 May when I flew from Sydney (where I live) to London, I didn’t know I’d be getting an email that same day inviting me to contribute to a blog train about the upcoming publication of Volume six of SapphFic Eclectic.  

I almost always travel with my laptop, but, heading off on a four week holiday (three in the UK, one in the Czech Republic, various time zones and seasons involved) I’d decided to ration my luggage. As far as I knew, no writing would be involved in the next month: most writers of my acquaintance, faced with the need to put something in writing would merely go to the nearest stationary store and pick up a notepad and pen: but my brain content seems most accessible when sliding directly down my 10 fingers straight onto that qwerty keyboard, (except I have no keyboard!  See luggage rationing above). 

“I’m pretty sure there’s a business centre on the lower ground floor,” my wife says, always ready to help out. 

But when I venture down there and spend an hour familiarising myself with the ancient computer that OBVIOUSLY no one ever uses (evidenced by the various documents I find saved to the desktop, several years old. Interesting but disappointingly written in Czech), I finally work out how to type a document, but, not wanting to save it to the desktop and have some other hapless tourist discover it in 10 years time, I figure I’ll type it, print it and read it onto (into?) my phone. 

After all, if Behrouz Boochani, the prize winning Iranian refugee author of “No friend but the mountains: writing from Manus prison” can write an entire book on WhatsApp, surely I can squeeze out 500 words.

So, sitting in my tasteful art noveau hotel room (spell check had that as ‘aunt Neville,’ by the way) in the old part of Prague, staring across the internal courtyard that my room opens onto, where the old cat from the apartment opposite sits in a netted (spell check- ‘knitted’) balcony staring at me as openly as a six month old human, only more bored, I get started. 

“The grief I explored in the piece (‘peace!’)  was real:  just the characters have been changed to protect the grief struck.” 

Sharryn Ryan

So, to my part in the anthology, Cafe Mysterious.  How spooky to have noticed the cat across the way and also to have walked past an establishment just yesterday in Prague called Hotel Mysterius.  My story was inspired by real life Cafe Mysterious (maybe they just like being mysterious here in Prague?) discovered last time I was in this beautiful city. Even though the kind waitress and cat of the story exist only in my imagination, the grief I explored in the piece (‘peace!’)  was real:  just the characters have been changed to protect the grief struck. 

To me that is the essence and importance of storytelling: to pull together the scattered threads of life and make something coherent and meaningful, that we can all relate to. I hope I’ve done that.  

And finally, a note to future travelling self: don’t leave home without that laptop ever again.

Sent from my iPhone (really!).

Check out Sharryn Ryan’s story, Cafe Mysterious, in SapphFic Eclectic, volume 6!

We are… by Maggie McIntyre

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Who are the story tellers? Members of the oldest profession in the world?  The weavers of dreams? We wander the hedgerows gathering wool from the thousands of sheep who have passed through our own and others’ subconscious, and then start to knit them into socks and mittens to keep out the cold. We can spin gold from straw, create heartbreak, happiness or humour.  We are vital to humanity. We hold its history and predict its future.

We are also artisans, creating a fifth dimension of reality with our bare hands. We can have rough, work-worn hands, we have sharp ears and sharper tongues. We can assassinate, sabotage and subvert. We are imps with sharp little knives. Sometimes we bite, sometimes we soothe and sometimes we save lives.

“We can spin gold from straw, create heartbreak, happiness or humour.”

Maggie McIntyre

We heal our own hurts by turning them into flirtations and kiss the world’s bruises better.

We are amazing.

We are silly.

We are eternal apprentices.

We spin yarns.

We are the story tellers, and our work is what defines us as human beings within a chaotic and terrifying universe

Read Maggie McIntyre’s story Tightlipped in SapphFic Eclectic, Volume 6!

The Purpose of My Storytelling by Cathy Rose

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In Ireland a storyteller is called a seanachaí (shan-ah-key).

Loosely translated it means the bearer of old lore. As with many cultures, stories were passed down through generations, and details changed as each seanachaí told their version. These stories are important, even if the narrative has changed, as it helps us to keep the old lore alive and means we continue traditions and events that would have otherwise been forgotten.

Storytelling was always a feature of my childhood, whether it was my Granddad making up another tale about the Púca (Pooka) to scare me at Halloween, or having a book read to me before I could read and then becoming an avid reader myself. In reading I found myself in stories when I often couldn’t find myself in the real world. I enjoyed the escape. As I got older, I felt the need to tell the stories that were always roaming around in my brain at odd hours of the day and night. Stories that have changed in configuration many times, much like the lore the seanachaí told.

“I have held onto the story I want to tell.”

Cathy Rose

Through it all, I have held onto the story I want to tell, whatever version it might be on now. The characters take shape and the setting around them develops. Writing stories helped me to learn more about myself and in turn, I ended up with more stories to tell. Whether they’ll transcend the generations remains to be seen but I’m happy to know that my stories are out there for people to read, and if they find a little bit of themselves that they couldn’t find anywhere else, then the purpose of my storytelling has been fulfilled.

Watch for Cathy Rose’s story, I Found Myself, in SapphFic Eclectic, Volume 6!

It’s nearly that time…

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And we can’t wait.

The Queer the Shelves Book Festival in Nottingham is this coming Saturday. Twenty-two authors, seventy readers, an after-party, old friends, new friends, books, books, books… It’s always a fantastic day, and this year is going to be just as awesome.

If you haven’t already, go check out the fabulous blogs from the authors who are attending. We asked them to tell us about their favorite writing memory, and we got some really great answers.

Queer the Shelves Blogs

Tickets for the day program sold out three months in advance, and that tells us something really important; our community wants community. Regardless of who the attending authors are, regardless of what we’ve got planned, our LGBTQ readers wanted to be there. How amazing is that? If you’re one of the ticket holders, we can’t wait to see you. If you didn’t manage to get a ticket, we still have room at the after-party, so you can join us there and have some food, listen to some readings, and have a good laugh.

Grab your after-party tickets

And, if you’re around on Friday night, we’re going to have a casual meet up at The New Foresters Pub. We’ll be there about 7pm, and hopefully we’ll gather outside and have a lovely, chilled out night. Feel free to come along!

See you soon.

Shedding Mumbles by Tania Almond

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My number one cardinal rule is: Don’t overshare on social media. Use the trauma in your life to inform your writing. Sadly, I’m not much of a rule-follower so my life haemorrhages out into everything; my writing, my social media posts, or idle chit-chat in a supermarket queue to any stranger who is too bored or busy to move to another checkout. I have verbal diarrhoea and no filter. 

I exfoliate the trivial aspects of my life, shedding mumbles of discontent as I field endless calls and tasks, managing the chaos that surrounds our foster children’s lives while I recover from major surgery following removal of a cancerous tumour from my left cheek. Sixty-two stitches, one for each year of my life, in a u-shape from below my ear to under my eye and down past my nose. It’ll heal but, in the meantime, it hurts like hell and has turned me into an inflamed older woman.

To my wife: I’m sorry. You know how much I love you.

About Tania:

Tania Almond is a Hampshire, UK based writer of contemporary women’s fiction. 

Tania’s books describe the lives and loves of lesbian women in the contemporary world. Her characters’ lives are led by neurodiversity, a sense of purpose, and hope.

Tania’s writing is infused with a love of nature, women, travel and her life’s experiences: from growing up on a council estate in a shipbuilding town in Cumbria, surrounded by one of the most beautiful landscapes in Britain; to working across Europe and in the European Parliament; to living on the south coast of England with her partner Cath, their foster children and two aging rescue cats, Ronnie and Ruby.

You Know When You Know was Tania’s first indie published novel, available on Amazon, Apple Books and Barnes & Noble.

She is touting Life of Riley around literary agents, which ironically is about longing for a place to call home. She is also writing An Island Romance, a lesbian romance, and researching Book of Eillish, about an aging charity worker, set in Kenya.

https://taniaalmond.com

Falling behind and catching up

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Goodness. It has been WAY too long since we posted about what we’re up to. I guess that’s what happens when you’re busy living life–you have less time to write about it.

Let’s get you filled in, shall we?

Unwritten, the second book in the Windy City series by Helena Harte is out, and she’s taking a trip to Chicago in July to do some solid city research for book three! Right now, The Sister Act is with ARC readers, who are LOVING the fake romance. It’s out in June!

RJ Nyx has re-released the first in her fantastic Extractor trilogy, an intense sapphic sci-fi time travel adventure featuring bad ass women. Escape in Time is out now, and Change in Time will be out in September and can be pre-ordered now!

Ship of Dreams by Brey Willows is a Victorian steampunk romp featuring pirates and an opposites attract romance, as well as a cast of quirky characters. She’s just about to start her next book, which takes place in the administration offices of hell…

Ally McGuire’s release Heart of the Storm has had so much love (already more than 700 reviews/ratings!) It’s a city-femme, country-butch romance with lots of feels and plenty of snark.

E.V. Bancroft released Encrypted Hearts, a gorgeous, heartfelt Women at War book that makes you sigh with contentment.

Valden Bush has a new book coming out! Set in Africa, this Department Six novel is all about saving a kidnapped ambassador…and not getting distracted by the hot agent she’s on the rescue mission with. It will be out this year! Check out the first Department Six book, Breakout for Love.

Jo Fletcher released Back to Back, a lovely romance featuring two women who clash on many levels, but can’t stay away from each other. And she’s hard at work on a new romance set in the most romantic city around–Venice.

Karen Klyne has released Secrets of Her Heart, a beautiful age-gap romance featuring a single mum and a woman rebuilding her life.

And we’ve got new authors!

We welcome JP Preston and Sydney Lear to Butterworth Books.

Sydney Lear’s debut book, Racing Hearts, is set in the world of Indy race car driving. What happens when a driver in the fast lane dates a nurse who is a little more cautious? You should find out!

JP Preston has released Driving Me Barking, a fabulous British, first person story of falling in, and out, and back into, love. All while driving through London with an angel and demon on each shoulder, suggesting rather opposing options.

SapphFic Eclectic, Volume 6, will be out in June, to coincide with the Queer the Shelves Book Festival in Nottingham. And speaking of the festival…tickets have sold out! We’re three months ahead of the event, and there’s not a ticket left in sight. If you missed out and you want to get on the waiting list, give us a shout.

For more about the authors, check out the Authors page. Have you read any of these books? Are there books you’re looking forward to? Tell us in the comments!

For the Community by Brey Willows

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My mom would kick your ass, and she’d do it in high heels without breaking a sweat. The butch women she dated would just stand back and not interfere, knowing full well she could take care of herself. That makes it sound like my mom was some kind of bar brawler. She wasn’t, really. She just didn’t take anyone’s shit, and she stood up for anyone she felt deserved better. Even now, she’ll whack someone with her cane if there’s injustice occurring. She taught me to never back down from a fight. When I was being picked on at school by a girl three times my size, and I was leaving campus at lunch to avoid getting beat up, my mom found out. She was…not happy.

Off we went to the principal, who said I should just, “curl up in a ball and wait for help,” should it come down to me getting beat up. I thought my mom was going to crawl over the desk and throttle him. Instead, she stood up and said, “Let me tell you something. If my kid is going down, she’s taking a piece of that girl with her.”

I was given a pass to leave campus at lunch from that point forward.

Weirdly enough, that’s why I write lesbian fiction. I grew up in a lesbian household that was out and proud, and I was surrounded by so many powerful, smart, kick-ass women. It’s easy for me to populate my books with the kinds of heroines that surrounded me all my life. I write for the community I grew up in, for the community I’m part of, and for the community that supports me. I write for the people who don’t have the kind of network I do, who need to see happy endings and groups of friends they just might find themselves one day.

Brey Willows’ story, A Love Letter to My Creations, is in SapphFic Eclectic, volume 5.

Create it Yourself by Suzi Vilkman

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From early in my childhood I have loved to tell stories. The more drama the better. I learned to read when I was four, and have loved reading dramatic, even tragic stories all my life. The Adventures of Robin Hood was one of the very first, and I would always come back to the tragedy of Lady Marian’s demise. The most memorable scene of The Three Musketeers was the death of Constance, D’Artagnan’s significant other.

Fast forward a few decades, I found lesfic. Or sapphfic, as the PC term appears to be. All my life, I have known that I like girls, hence finding lesfic brought fiction back into my life. Only now, I much prefer an HEA to a tragic ending.

Ebooks have been a lifesaver for me, as here in the backwoods there are no other options for finding lesfic, and I feel blessed to be bilingual. I read and write in English, and I also now have a degree in editing and proofreading in English.

This means that I cannot only read books that I love but also sometimes get paid to do it. Writing stories is an added bonus. One of my favorite authors said, if you can’t find the book you want to read, create it yourself.

When I saw the email about the next Sapphfic Eclectic, I got interested. I wanted to finish the story I was writing. I love age gap romance, and here the younger character is rich so there’s social discrepancy. The happy coincidence of love at first sight inspired this.

The young manager of her own company stops at a grocery store she’s never visited before and sees the cashier lady she is immediately attracted to. Now she has to figure out how to get the lady to notice her. A bit of a klutz, she makes a go of trying to steal her groceries. She already knows it is a bad idea, but so starstruck by the beautiful check-out lady she just works on instinct. The police called to the scene recognize her as her company has invented their new communication system.

The officers are shocked to see the young woman CEO held down by the security guards. She gets her chance, asks the lady out and to her surprise the check-out lady agrees. Hesitantly, as she is not in the habit of dating thieves, or even dating.

Suzi Vilkman’s story, Check Her Out, is in SapphFic Eclectic, volume 5.