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Books Under My Bed by Julie Logwood

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The first truly queer book I owned was an anthology of lesbian short stories that I bought at a yard sale in San Francisco, brought home and promptly hid under my bed. I was 16 and out, my parents were supportive, but having a whole world of queer stories to myself was so thrilling it felt illicit. 

I was, and remain, a voracious reader. As a kid I was drawn to stories of escapism, whether it was new worlds or ways of living differently in this one, I wanted to be transported, lost in other realities. By the time I purchased that slim tome, something had shifted. I had begun to search for myself in the worlds I was escaping to, and I was coming up short more often than not. That book was a balm, and began a lifelong affair with queer literature, from classics to camp. 

I still love a good escape, and delight in seeing echoes of myself and my community in the words of others. I recently happened upon a short story that casually featured gay parents, and I realized how hungry I’ve been, as a lesbian parent, to see my new reality reflected through fiction. The joy in that spark of recognition is what drives me to read in, and to write for, this wonderful community. There’s so much diversity in the stories to be told about queer lives, so many facets for exploration, and it’s the quest of a lifetime to find all the amazing authors bringing them to life.

I’m forever grateful to those giving these stories a chance, both by getting them out into the world, and by taking them in once they’re out there.  Without publishers and audiences willing to take a risk on them, my world as a reader and a writer would be much less fun. And there would be far fewer books under my bed. 

Julie Logwood’s story, Archival Enemies, is in SapphFic Eclectic, Volume 5.

Not the Odd One Out Anymore by Lee Haven

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You could say I discovered Sapphic fiction by accident. I was finishing listening to an audio book on my way home when I got the usual “if you enjoyed this book, you might like this” recommendation. The book I just finished was paranormal fiction. One of my favorite genres, together with fantasy. So, I opened the first recommendation in the list to read the blurb. I think I ended up reading it four or five times because I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Partly because I’d never seen sapphic representation in a book before and partly because the blurb and book were in English. Which isn’t my native language, so I didn’t quite trust that I got it right. However, I got the audio book and started listening to it immediately. Even though it was a fairly long book I finished it in a day and a half and I was in tears by the end of it.

Listening to that book I found something I didn’t even know I needed at the time and that in a sense was seeing myself represented in a book. It had the power to make me feel less like the odd one out. It also made me feel less alone in the world. It threw me a lifeline at a time I really needed one.

After that I went looking for sapphic books and found out quickly that there weren’t many in my native language. I’m very happy that that has changed in the past couple of years. But I found many more books in English and through social media, the reading community that came along with it. Subsequently, it led me to fly to England a couple of years later to attend a book event in Nottingham. It gave me a community where I feel like I belong.

Facebook

Instagram

Welcome to my world

Lee Haven’s story, Blood Moon, is in SapphFic Eclectic, Volume 5.

Courageous and Legendary by Erin Rockfort

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I’ve always been an avid reader, always enjoyed the thrill of escaping into different worlds, into different people, into different ways of being.

In particular, I loved science fiction and fantasy, stories about galaxies and magic, spaceships and dragons. As a quiet, sometimes lonely kid, I was attracted to stories with compelling characters and complex plots, stories about triumphing the face of overwhelming odds. Connecting with fiction also gave me opportunities to connect with other people, to engage in animated discussions, debates, and theorizing about our reading.

When I got older, I realized how rarely I, as a queer person, was represented in these stories I loved so much. My favourite characters, all assumedly cisgender, settled down in happy heterosexual relationships. If there was a hint of queerness, it was only ever implied, and more likely than not, said queer-coded characters either lived lonely lives, or died tragically (or both!).

I don’t need to always see myself in the stories I love. Whether as a result of lifelong conditioning, or just my own inbuilt preferences, I am often happy to read about experiences other than my own. However, persistently feeling left out of things I loved didn’t feel good, and I began to feel terribly at odds with something that had otherwise brought me a great deal of comfort and joy.

Where I could, I attempted to find examples of queerness in stories, but to do so, I often had to look more into the realm of literary fiction, which has never been my favourite. Furthermore, these had the same problems as I had encountered in genre fiction — queer characters could only ever be implied, be sidekicks, be dead. When trying to talk to non-queer friends about this, I received silence and blank stares.

Seeing queer characters become much more prevalent in speculative fiction, in works like Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth and Micaiah Johnson’s The Space Between Worlds, has been one of my greatest joys. Knowing that I can seek out stories that will live in my heart in the same way that some of my childhood favourites did, and knowing that those characters might be like me, might be queer and courageous and legendary — it kindles something powerful within me, something that might allow me to be courageous and legendary on my own.

I can be found on Bluesky as “pineapplefury” and on instagram as “thepineapplefury.”

Dog Eared Copies by Yvonne Heidt

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We can call it coming out of retirement or shaking off the years-long writer’s block of the century.
Either/Or
TomAto/ToMAHto

So, I did a thing. I wrote a paranormal short story for inclusion into Butterworth Books Sapphic Eclectic Volume 5.
And I appreciate that they have graciously allowed me a reintroduction to the Sapphic Lesfic Community.
The question was posed, what does Lesfic mean to you?
The answer is: Funny, and totally unlike me (sarcasm) I have a story for that!
I came out later in life and had no idea Lesbian Fiction even existed except in snippets of mainstream books.
Which in and of itself is humorous because I am an avid reader. Secret: And those books were all – gasp –
pretty well dog-earred.
It was the first trip I took to the local Barnes & Noble that I happened to come across the section I had never
seen before. I was a kid in a candy store. Not only was I a new lesbian, they had whole books on it! It opened
up a whole new world to me.
Now, before you think I grew up under a rock, ( I grew up in San Francisco – which makes it even more
hilarious) you’d have to know my coming out story. I have it nearly word for word in my debut book, Sometime
Yesterday. Natalie is trying to find a way to tell her mother and best friend that she’s attracted to another
woman. There are a few sentence omissions for space consideration.

“I have something to tell you.”
They both looked at her. “Okay, shoot.”
“I think I’m a lesbian.”
Mary paused for a second and took a sip of her drink. Her mother continued to look at her directly. Neither said
anything.
“Did you hear what I just said?” Natalie raised her voice a little. “I said I’m a lesbian.”
Silence.
“Mom, Mary? Say something.”
“Oh honey,” said her mother. “It took you long enough.”
Mary sipped her wine. “I’ve often wondered. But what brought this on? Is it because of what Jason did to you?”
“What do you mean it took me long enough?” Natalie asked crossly. “I didn’t even think about it until recently.
You’ve often wondered? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
Her mother’s tone was gentle. “Honey, do you remember when you used to watch Lost in Space reruns when
you were growing up? What was that girl’s name again? The middle one, you know, cute, long, dark hair?”
Natalie smiled. “Penny, Her name was Penny.”
“Yes, that’s right, Penny. Do you remember telling me you were going to marry her?”
“Mom,” I was nine.”
“Okay, do you remember the Partridge Family? The oldest sister, Laurie? I seem to remember you having a
crush on her also.”
Natalie knew her face turned bright red. “Mom!”
“Oh, and let’s not forget how you would never miss an episode of Days of Our Lives, with that Hope character,
and – “
“Oh, I’ve got one!” Mary shot her hand in the air. “Pick me, pick me!”
Natalie’s mother pointed obligingly. “Your turn, dear. Go ahead.”
“Nat, do remember all the hair bands? You loved them.”
“Mary, they were men.”
“No, Natalie, they were pretty, pretty boys with lots of hair and they wore makeup.”

Me again: I still love those video’s of those pretty pretty boys – And no wonder I was confused!
My point is that Lesfic opened my world to a new community that I felt a genuine part of. I wasn’t on the
sidelines anymore.
To quote Natalie (loosely) again: “It was like all my life I’d been ordering pizza – when what I really wanted was
chinese food!”
Yvonneheidt.com
Facebook
Instagram

Yvonne Heidt’s story, Not This Life, is in SappFic Eclectic, Volume 5.

SapphFic Eclectic Volume Four – release day!

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Woo hoo! Today is release day for volume four of our free anthology, and this year’s is packed with 22 stories of all genres from new, upcoming, and established authors. Dip in and find what you love, and maybe try something new. You never know, you might like it, and as Dr. Pepper says, “What’s the worst that could happen?” Enjoy short stories from authors you know and love, and find new voices you’ll love too!

Get My SapphFic On!

Hugs,
Robyn and Brey

Sign up to our monthly Butterworth Books newsletter for book giveaways, author exclusive previews, cover reveals, and quality LGBTQ literature.

Want to know more about all the wonderful authors featured in this year’s anthology? Well then, here you go:
AJ Mason ajmasonauthor (Facebook) @AJMasonAuthor (Twitter) ajmason.net (website)
Ami Spencer: @aspencerwriter (Twitter and Insta) amispencerwriter (Facebook) amispencerwriter (website)
Brey Willows: @breywillows (Insta) @brey_willows (Twitter) @breywillowsauthor (TikTok) breywillows.com (website)
Robyn Nyx: @robyn_nyx (Insta & Twitter) RobynNyx (Facebook) RobynNyx_author (TikTok) robynnyx.com (website)
Ally McGuire: allymcguireromance (Facebook and TikTok)
Helena Harte: AuthorHHarte (Facebook) Author_HHarte (Twitter) HelenaHarte_author (Instagram) helenaharte.com (website)
Lee Haven: @LeeHavenFiction (Twitter, Insta, & Facebook) leehavenfiction.com (website)
Jo Fletcher: JoFletcherWrites (TikTok) jofletcher.com (website)
Maddy Thomas: maddythomasauthor.com (website)
Debbie Zimolong: @/debbie_zm (Insta)
Emma Nichols:  emmanicholsauthor.com (website)
Maggie McIntyre: @maggiem_author (Twitter) MaggieMcIntyreCrawford (Facebook)
E.V. Bancroft: @EvBancroft (Twitter) e.v.bancroft.writer (Facebook) e.v.bancroft (Insta) evbancroft.com (website)
Valden Bush: valdenbush.com (website)
Julie Brydon: https://juliebrydon.squarespace.com/ (website)

Watch out for all the other new authors not detailed here as they emerge onto socials, and be sure to follow them!


SapphFic Eclectic Volume Four – authors talk part three

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It’s the last day to get inside the head of more of our anthology authors as they share what it means to be them to be part of the LGBTQ+ reading/writing community. Tomorrow is release day of our free anthology!

“I have been part of this community for nearly twenty years now, and I consider it a gift. How lucky am I to have been surrounded by so many amazing people who love stories in all their vast and vivacious forms? From Radclyffe, who took a chance on someone eager but totally untested, to working beside my wife as we continue to help writers all over the world develop their craft, to speaking with readers who felt my books on an almost existential level, this world of tale-spinning among other queer folk is something truly magnificent. Long may it continue. ”  

Brey Willows

“Privileged is the first word I think of when asked how I feel about being. part of this community. The support, camaraderie, and kinship is something very special in a world where real connection is hard to come by. And these books are especially important for young people as they grow and learn that it’s okay to be whoever and whatever they are, to see themselves reflected in our stories, to know that they can be happy, and successful, and fulfilled. We’re connected through the power of words, across oceans, continents, and cultures. That’s phenomenal, and I love being a part of making that happen.”

Robyn Nyx

“I was pretty lost when I discovered LGBTQ+ fiction in my twenties, and it gave me a profound feeling of coming home. It took me a few years longer to find sapphic fiction mainly because my English wasn’t good enough to read a whole novel. Instead, I started to type sapphic short stories in my own language in a hidden document on my computer. It was something I could revisit when I felt lost and lonely. Back then, I never thought I had the courage to tell anyone about what I was doing, much less ever publish a short story. Now this will be my fourth short story with LesFic Eclectic and the sense of family and community my fellow authors and readers provide are invaluable.”

Lee Haven

“Being part of the sapphic readers community has given me access to stories which validate my identity and reflect queer experiences. As a debut author, I hope to bring some of that relatable drama and romance through my stories. I want to write heart-warming tales of connection for queer people – wherever they are.”

Jo Fletcher

“The LGBTQ+ writing and reading community is to me a warm, positive tribe. One that, slowly, I have come to feel at home in. Quick to cheer each other on, to celebrate success, and generous with their time and expertise. Also, quick to form a defensive line when an author or reader is having troubled times. 

This year has been a difficult one at times for me, and my tribe within a tribe, the Butterworths gang, have gathered around and offered support in whatever way that they can. A quick “how are you doing?” or a big box of delicious brownies. I have nestled warm in their comfort and been propped up by the strength of their positivity.

On a wider front, I have seen sections of our community denigrated in the media and threatened by politicians. I have seen many authors and readers rally to their side, and I have never been prouder. This wonderful tribe of ours continues to show it is committed to standing up for every letter of LGBTQ+, and that feels wonderful.”

AJ Mason

Thanks for hopping on our blog train this week. Look out for our final journey tomorrow which will include the link to your free collection of amazing stories from our fantastic authors!

Hugs,
Robyn and Brey

Sign up to our monthly Butterworth Books newsletter for book giveaways, author exclusive previews, cover reveals, and quality LGBTQ literature.

SapphFic Eclectic Volume Four – authors talk part two

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Yesterday, we had the thoughts of five of our anthology authors on what it means to be them to be part of the LGBTQ+ reading/writing community. We’ve got more for you today, and there’s just two days to go until release day of this totally free anthology!

“Okay, confession time. I had never read genre sapphic fiction before 2019 when I went on a Global Wordsmiths retreat. I’d read all the mainstream sapphic books I could get hold of (from Well of Loneliness through to some of Emma Donoghue’s), but it was a whole new world to me. Then I found my tribe. I love that people are supportive and have a love of writing and books, and we are accepted for all our wonderful weirdness. I love the camaraderie, which is amazing given that writing is primarily an individual pursuit and a fair proportion of us are introverts!”  

E.V. Bancroft

“As a lesbian woman who lived many years in the pain of the closet, being a writer in the LGBTQIA+ community feels very special indeed. because I knew who I was but felt unable to be honest and so, I spent time desperately seeking characters whose stories were like mine. I sought refuge in reading and took the courage in hearing the voices of other gay women. I used their courage to fuel mine and ultimately find the strength to live my true life. As a writer, I feel the importance of sharing not only my story but the stories of other gay women through my writing because I know first-hand, how important that can be for readers who like me, may have been searching for LGBTQ+ voices.”

Maddy Thomas

“Being part of the LGBTQ+ writing/reading community means creating and supporting queer stories with positive representation and happily ever afters. Connecting with characters is a powerful way to learn about ourselves and others. There wasn’t much LGBTQ+ literature available when I was struggling to figure out my bisexuality, and what little there was tended to end tragically. Thankfully, that’s changed. It’s been amazing to watch LGBTQ+ literature grow and flourish. As a writer, I’m hoping to add to all that queer joy.”

Julie Brydon

“Honestly, this is a tough one. It means so many things; as a reader, it was finding a group of people who not only read the same books as me, but also shared some common interests or similar personalities. As a writer, I guess it’s the ability and opportunity to reach so many people. I tend to touch on tough subjects in my books, and sometimes the community tell me that they’re grateful, that they relate to some of the situations which I paint. That’s really rewarding. I learn from them just as much as they learn from me. And then there’s the other writers I have connected with. Let me tell you, hearing an author you’ve read say they’ve read your book is mind-blowing! And so it becomes a full circle: readers being writers, writers being readers. And overall, it’s just awesome to be part of the circle.”

Ami Spencer

“Being a part of the LGBTQ+ reading/writing community has been a wonderful experience for me. It has given me a platform to do what I have always wanted to do: write! I am so grateful for the support from other authors and for all the opportunities they offer to those of us who are new to the writing world. And I am always mindful of the time that readers give to read the words I have written.”

Emma Collier

“As a teenager, I read all the LGBTQ+ books I could get my hands on, which were not many. Living in a small country meant a very limited selection , and none of them were fantasy. I remember thinking I would have to write those stories myself. As I got older and learned to read English, I found more LGBTQ+ books and to my delight, they included stories in fantastical genres. I couldn’t believe that there were other people who wanted to read the same kind of stories I did. It made me realise that there was a community out there that I belong to even if I don’t actively connect with it. I rarely talk to other people about reading or writing; it somehow seems too intimate for me. I do, however, find joy in knowing that other people disappear into the same stories I do, and connecting them to their own lives. It makes me feel connected to people I don’t know through the stories we read.”

Karen Due

Being an author can be a lonely occupation, even if you have some great and interesting characters to keep you company. Being part of a community that understands your struggles and shares your passion for writing is to have the best kind of family; one that cares about you and wants you to succeed. Who could ask for more than that?

Emma Nichols

Tomorrow is the final day of our author thoughts on our beautiful community before we release the anthology on Saturday 1st July. Look out for our Saturday blog if you’d like our fantastic and free book jam-packed with 22 stories from new, upcoming, and established authors.

Hugs,
Robyn and Brey

Sign up to our monthly Butterworth Books newsletter for book giveaways, author exclusive previews, cover reveals, and quality LGBTQ literature.

SapphFic Eclectic Volume Four – authors talk part one

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We asked our lovely authors what it means to be them to be part of the LGBTQ+ reading/writing community, and we got some wonderful, honest, and moving responses. We’d love to hear what it means to you too!

“It connects me with all the women in past generations in my own family who weren’t able to tell their stories, and it opens the door for so many today who still cannot express who they are in all their glorious diversity.”  

Maggie McIntyre

“Being part of the LGBTQ+ writing/reading community gives me a sentiment like the centre of a chocolate fondant, soft and warm. It’s that feeling of belonging.”

Valden Bush

“I came from a country where being queer could land you in jail. Freedom to be myself, freedom to express myself, and to be a part of the like-minded community helped lessen my anxiety and boost my creativity. I’m especially grateful to my writing group for their infinite support and encouragement. It’s a pure joy to read and write sapphic stories.”

Claire Donniere

“To me, being part of this community means that I get to put everything wonderful and everything painful about being queer into words and what echoes back is an “I know. I have felt the same.” It means letting go of boundaries of what we can and can’t talk about. It means learning. Learning about new ways of loving, about new ways of living and recognising that no matter how different I might be from you in so many ways, we are united not only in our struggles, but in our joy. In our creativity. Simply put, it means community. It means getting to read about queer lives I wish I could have lived and about queer lives that are so similar to mine it’s almost frightening. It means getting to channel the deepest parts of me into writing and sharing them with my queer siblings who lift me up.”

Debbie Zimolong

“As a new writer, I love being part of a community which is supportive and understands me. By going on retreats with like-minded women, I have been able to express myself more comfortably and have learned so much about the craft of story writing. Through projects like this, I have been able to express myself and tell my story. I look forward to the journey moving forward.”

Sarah Snow

Watch out for more author thoughts on our beautiful community tomorrow. Saturday 1st July is release day for SapphFic Eclectic Volume Four – a totally free anthology with 22 stories from new, upcoming, and established authors. Don’t miss it!

Hugs,
Robyn and Brey

Sign up to our monthly Butterworth Books newsletter for book giveaways, author exclusive previews, cover reveals, and quality LGBTQ literature.

LesFic Eclectic Volume Three: Coach Six on the Blog Train

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The big day is here! It’s release day for LesFic Eclectic Volume Three—just in time for Christmas. And the final coach on our LesFic Eclectic blog train brings the last three authors featured in volume three to you: emerging author Margaux Fox plus me and my beautiful wife, Brey Willows. Here’s your link for Volume Three, and you’re very welcome to download Volume One and Volume Two as well.

Sign up here to the Butterworth Books newsletter for early release details, cover reveals, new author announcements, and author works exclusively.

How excited are you to be involved in this project?

Robyn: It’s my baby, so I love it, of course! I love discovering new voices through my work with Global Wordsmiths, and I love being able to publish those talents for the very first time in a top-quality anthology. Supporting new writers is one of my biggest passions, and I also love putting this together to say thank you to all the wonderful readers out there.

Brey:  One of the things I love about being Involved with anthologies like this is being Included amongst so many great authors; some who are friends, some I’ve never met. And there’s nothing like having a new story out in the world, one that allows me to challenge myself and explore new ideas. 

Margaux: I really feel honoured to be asked back for a second year to LesFic Eclectic. I’ve been doing a lot of research and learning around the art of writing a great short story, and I’m really proud of this one. I really hope you all enjoy it.

What’s your story about and what genre does it fall into?

Robyn: Thai’d Up is an erotic short about a contractor and a chef exploring their attraction to each other. It’s just a little bit of fun.

Brey: Feed Me Your Colours is about family, I suppose. It’s about the powers that skip generations, about the nature of love and how we feed on it to nourish our souls. It’s fantasy but borne of my own history.

Margaux: Charlotte Morgan is about a woman who gets drawn into an all-consuming sexual desire and obsession for the enigmatic and complex Charlotte Morgan, despite there being a million reasons why she should resist her lure. It’s a romance all tangled up in mystery and crime. It isn’t necessarily an easy read, but at heart, it’s a romance, so it should give a strong message of hope and love. 

What kind of fiction do you like to write and why?

Robyn: I like to write all kinds of genres, including sci-fi and adventure. I’ve just finished my first thriller, which was a challenge. But at the heart of all my stories are two women falling in love and finding their happy ever after.

Brey:  I love writing urban fantasy and science fiction, as well as some dystopian. I love the escape it gives us, and the idea that magic surrounds us if only we search, if only we open ourselves to it, is something I love. 

Margaux: I love to write romance and intense sexual connection between two strong women. I’m inspired by incredible women every day, and I like to write amazing female characters. A lot of my romances seem to be illicit in nature. There is something about the thrill of the forbidden that I really love. I sometimes like to set romances in and amongst crime to explore the darker sides of human nature and the sometimes very blurred line between people we believe to be bad or good.

Tell us something about yourself that readers might not already know.

Robyn: I recently gave up my chief exec position so that I can concentrate on playing with words all day, every day.

Brey:  I am weirdly double jointed. My fingers and toes are super bendy. I broke one finger and now it won’t bend backwards like the rest, and it really distresses me that it looks so…straight.

Margaux: I have a very eclectic career history. I worked with horses for years for one of the top riders in the UK at some of the biggest equestrian competitions in the world. I think horses are truly incredible animals and the ultimate athletes. Amongst other skills, from this career I gained exceptional hair plaiting (braiding) skills and I then began doing hair for weddings!

What’s your favourite line from your story in LEV3?

Robyn Nyx ~ Thai’d Up
“I brought liquid dessert,” Karnie said, her voice low and husky. She peeled off her coat and threw it onto the sofa. “I want to drink it off those Rocky Mountain abs of yours.”

Brey Willows ~ Feed Me Your Colours
I am a complex cocktail of the colours of those I’ve touched before you, those I left stranded on the river of my own underworld, with no ferryman coming to take them anywhere.

Margaux Fox ~ Charlotte Morgan
She kissed me with an urgent, thrilling passion, and I let her. The lioness was hungry, and I was her willing prey. I wanted her to devour me.

Get Volume Three here!

LesFic Eclectic Volume Three: Coach Five on the Blog Train

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It’s the penultimate day to the big release, and coach five on our LesFic Eclectic blog train brings another four authors into the station for your entertainment: the brand new voice of Tabetha Dale, and emerging authors E.V. Bancroft, Valden Bush, and Maggie McIntyre. Volume Three is released tomorrow on Thursday 23rd December, but you can download Volume One and Volume Two right now.

Sign up here to the Butterworth Books newsletter for early release details, cover reveals, new author announcements, and author works exclusively.

How excited are you to be involved in this project?

Valden: I’ve really loved it. To be in books with authors you admire gives you a huge buzz. I’ve been in each of the three volumes, and it has given me huge confidence as a writer to get words on paper and have them published. The experience is irreplaceable.

Tabetha:  It is an honour and privilege to be involved in this project. This is the first work I have had published and I’m very excited to have the opportunity to share my writing with the wider world.

Maggie: Extremely. This Is the first short story I have published, and It’s been a most enjoyable challenge.

E.V.: It’s great to have the chance to hone my skills and also an opportunity to have my story nestled between some fabulous writers—well, their stories anyway!

What’s your story about and what genre does it fall into?

Valden: My story is about a couple, one of whom is injured and in hospital. The genre is romance.

Tabetha:  It’s Poetry’s birthday. Spending time out on the water with her dad in their little fishing boat should have been an idyllic day for them. When a storm sets in, Poetry and her dad are in danger from the raging sea. But what else waits beneath the waves around Whispering Skerry…waiting to change their lives forever? Find out what Poetry’s destiny will be in this young adult fantasy fiction.

Maggie: It’s a contemporary lesfic romance, between an older woman and a younger one, about taking a chance, and finding new hope and a new love in unexpected places.

E.V.: It’s a contemporary romance. Not interested in romance after a bad break up, Beth has decided the only love in her life is her rescue dog, Darcy. A dog emergency challenges her perspective.

What kind of fiction do you like to write and why?

Valden: I like space opera and adventure because the stories can be gripping with action and movement, and they can have heroes and lots of romance and love.

Tabetha:  I’m enjoying exploring my writing style and young adult fiction is certainly not something I thought I would enjoy…but how wrong was I? Tapping into my latent teenage angst has been intriguing. Exploring the darker side of life is something I’m curious about too. 

Maggie: I write lesfic romance, but usually with a gritty, realistic undertone which addresses some deeper Issues on the way. I especially like the ice queen trope. All my six novels so far have definitely had happy endings as I am a hopeless romantic. 

E.V.: I enjoy the more lyrical romance genre, so I’m striving for the sweet spot between lesfic and literary fiction. Why? Because I have a passion for the classics and love lesfic novels that also have some depth and commentary about life in them.

Tell us something about yourself that readers might not already know.

Valden: I worked in the Vice Squad for a year.

Tabetha:  I’ve had the amazing experience of swimming with turtles, penguins, lizards, seals, manta rays, and even a shark in the waters around the Galapagos Islands…and perhaps a mermaid. 

Maggie: I tend to fall in love with my main characters, so have written two series to see what happens to them next. I alternate between UK and US settings and characters.

E.V.: I can touch my nose with my tongue. Come on, admit you didn’t try it! :0)

What’s your favourite line from your story in LEV3?

Valden Bush ~ The White Feather
Does anywhere exist with waves that are equal in length? Where did they come from?

Tabetha Dale ~ The Mermaid of Whispering Skerry
I’ve got to breathe. I jerk, and twist, and water rushes up my nose. I open my eyes to see my last bubbles of breath escape to the surface. 

Maggie McIntyre ~ Zumba (Taking a Chance)
With the scent of warm scones still floating on the air behind them, Hilary reached for Jackie’s soft, smiling mouth yet again, and resolved to make up for all the wasted years.

E.V. Bancroft ~ The Left Behinds
Even I couldn’t ignore the smattering of tell-tale signs that individually meant nothing but together signified so much, like an artist who makes a few seemingly random strokes until gradually you pull back and see the whole picture.