Tag Archives: Lesbian

New Release Spotlight: Forget Me Not by Alyson Derrick

You may already know Alyson Derrick as half of the married writing pair behind the fabulous She Gets the Girl, but her solo outing is definitely noteworthy all on its own. Forget Me Not hearkens to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with the story of a girl named Stevie, who loses two years of her memory, not realizing just how consequential those two years were when it comes to her identity, her relationships, and her heart. The only person who knows absolutely everything is Nora, who was not only there for the accident, but is also the key to it all. Fearful of how the truth would land and all it might uproot if heard all at once, Nora’s determined to let Stevie fill in her memories on her own, even if it means she might be obliterated from them entirely. Sound utterly heartbreaking? It is! Sound beautiful? It is! Sound like a must read? Sure is!

What would you do if you forgot the love of your life ever even existed?

Stevie and Nora had a love. A secret, epic, once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. They also had a plan: to leave their small, ultra-conservative town and families behind after graduation and move to California, where they could finally stop hiding that love.

But then Stevie has a terrible fall. And when she comes to, she can remember nothing of the last two years—not California, not coming to terms with her sexuality, not even Nora. Suddenly, Stevie finds herself in a life she doesn’t quite understand, one where she’s estranged from her parents, drifting away from her friends, lying about the hours she works, dating a boy she can’t remember crushing on, and headed towards a future that isn’t at all what her fifteen-year-old self would have envisioned.

And Nora finds herself…forgotten. Can the two beat the odds a second time and find their way back together when “together” itself is just a lost memory?

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon

New Release Spotlight: How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow

Love light Sapphic YA romance? Love queer holiday romance? Excited to see a book mesh the two and be resplendent with nerdery? It’s got enemies-to-lovers! It’s got Jewish rep! It’s cozy and funny and basically exactly what you want to read as the fall turns to winter, and I loved it so much I blurbed it, so I’ll throw that in here too, because why not:  “With wit and chemistry that crackle like a roaring fire, the warmth and sweetness of gourmet hot cocoa, and the surprising softness of a gentle snowfall, How to Excavate a Heart truly gave me the romantic winter break of my dreams. You’ll want to savor every word, and then run and recommend it to everyone you know.” (Let the record show I am not usually so annoyingly flowery with blurbs, but like, the perfect winter vibes are so strong, it was beyond my control!) Anyway, it’s out now from HarperTeen, so go get it!

How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow

55348105. sy475 It all starts when Shani runs into May. Like, literally. With her mom’s Subaru.

Attempted vehicular manslaughter was not part of Shani’s plan. She was supposed to be focusing on her monthlong paleoichthyology internship. She was going to spend all her time thinking about dead fish and not at all about how she was unceremoniously dumped days before winter break.

It could be going better.

But when a dog-walking gig puts her back in May’s path, the fossils she’s meant to be diligently studying are pushed to the side—along with the breakup.

Then they’re snowed in together on Christmas Eve. As things start to feel more serious, though, Shani’s hurt over her ex-girlfriend’s rejection comes rushing back. Is she ready to try a committed relationship again, or is she okay with this just being a passing winter fling?

Buy from an indie using Jake’s very comprehensive website!

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon

Special Edition: Dazzling Book Box

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Out of Character by Jenna Miller

Today on the site I’m delighted to be revealing the cover for Out of Character by Jenna Miller, a debut f/f YA romance releasing February 7, 2023 from Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins! Here’s the story:

If you asked seventeen-year-old Cass Williams to describe herself, she’d happily tell you she’s fat, queer, and obsessed with the Tide Wars books. What she won’t tell you—or anyone in her life—is that she’s part of an online Tide Wars roleplay community. Sure, it’s nerdy as hell, but when she’s behind the screen writing scenes as Captain Aresha, she doesn’t have to think about her mother who walked out or how unexpectedly stressful it is dating resident cool girl Taylor Cooper.

But secretly retreating to her online life is starting to catch up with Cass. For one, no one in her real life knows her secret roleplay addiction is the reason her grades have taken a big hit. Also? Cass has started catching feelings for Rowan Davies, her internet bestie…and Taylor might be catching on.

As Cass’s lies continue to build, so does her anxiety. Roleplaying used to be the one place she could escape to, but this double life and offline-online love triangle have only made things worse. Cass must decide what to do—be honest and risk losing her safe space or keep it a secret and put everything else on the line.

And here’s the cover, designed by David DeWitt with art by Nicole Rifkin!

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | IndieBound

Jenna Miller (she/her) writes young adult books about fat, queer, nerdy girls who deserve to be seen and have their voices heard. When she’s not obsessing over words, she can be found making charcuterie boards, befriending people online, cross stitching, or adventuring in the Minneapolis area. Out of Character is her debut novel. Visit her at jennamillerwrites.com to find out more.

Exclusive Cover Reveal: In the City of Time by Gwendolyn Clare

Today on the site we’re revealing the cover of Gwendolyn Clare’s speculative YA, In the City of Time, which releases from Feiwel & Friends on November 29th and stars two queer POV characters, one pansexual and polyamorous and the other a trans lesbian! Here’s the story:

In 1891, Willa Marconi’s life falls apart when her mentor at the University of Bologna unexpectedly dies, but Willa refuses to let anyone take her research away. While testing her prototype radio equipment, she detects a mysterious signal and pursues its origin.

In 2034, a cataclysmic event has rendered Earth uninhabitable, and humankind survives by living inside artificial worlds. Riley would do anything for Jaideep, who lost his family in the collapse of the Bay Area pocket universe—and “anything” includes building a time machine so they can travel back to the nineteenth century to prevent the destabilization of the planet and rewrite history.

But the experiment goes wrong. Willa is pulled forward in time, and the three find themselves stranded in a strange, seemingly abandoned city. Now they’ve got a glitchy time machine, a scary android time cop hot on their trail—dead set on preserving the current timeline—and some tangled temporal mechanics to unravel. Can they save the Earth before there’s no Earth left to save?

And here’s the electrifying cover, designed by Sarah Kaufman!

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | IndieBound

Gwendolyn Clare’s young adult novels include the steampunk duology Ink, Iron, and Glass and Mist, Metal, and Ash, set in the same universe as In the City of Time. Her short fiction has appeared in Analog, Asimov’s, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and Clarkesworld, among others. She has a BA in Ecology, a BS in Geophysics, and a PhD in Mycology, and swears she’s done collecting acronyms. She lives in central Pennsylvania with too many cats and never enough books. You can find her geeking out over other people’s book covers on instagram @gwendolynclare and on twitter @gwendoclare.

New Release Spotlight: Rainbow Rainbow by Lydia Conklin

I must confess that other than YA anthologies, I’m not much of a short story person, but I was really intrigued by Rainbow Rainbow by Lydia Conklin and decided to pick it up, figuring I’d read a couple of stories. Of course, I ended up devouring it and all its beautifully messy stories about gender and sexuality, falling in love with it, and blogging about it for Buzzfeed, and now I’m passing that love along to you in the hopes you’ll pick it up too (it releases May 31st from Catapult), whether or not you think you’re a short story reader!

Rainbow Rainbow by Lydia Conklin

In this delightful debut collection of prize-winning stories, queer, gender-nonconforming, and trans characters struggle to find love and forgiveness, despite their sometimes comic, sometimes tragic mistakes.

In one story, a young lesbian tries to have a baby with her lover using an unprofessional sperm donor and a high-powered, rainbow-colored cocktail. In another, a fifth-grader explores gender identity by dressing as an ox—instead of a matriarch—for a class Oregon Trail reenactment. Meanwhile a nonbinary person on the eve of top surgery dangerously experiments with an open relationship during the height of the COVID crisis.

With insight and compassion, debut author Lydia Conklin takes their readers to a meeting of a queer feminist book club and to a convention for trans teenagers, revealing both the dark and lovable sides of their characters. The stories in Rainbow Rainbow will make you laugh and wince, sometimes at the same time.

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Hazel Hill is Gonna Win this One by Maggie Horne

Today on the site I’m delighted to welcome Maggie Horne to reveal the cover of her Middle Grade debut, Hazel Hill is Gonna Win This One, which releases from Clarion Books on October 18, 2022! Here’s the story:

In this funny, feminist, and queer middle grade debut, seventh-grader Hazel Hill is too busy for friends. No, really. She needs to focus on winning the school-wide speech competition over her nemesis, the popular and smart Ella Quinn, after last year’s embarrassing Hyperbole/Hyperbowl mishap that cost her first place. But when Hazel discovers Ella is being harassed by golden boy Tyler Harris, she has to choose between winning and doing the right thing. No one would believe that a nice boy like Tyler would harass and intimidate a nice girl like Ella, but Hazel knows the truth—and she’s determined to prove it.

And here’s the absolutely adorable cover, illustrated by Luna Valentine and designed by Marcie Lawrence and Samira Iravani!

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound

Maggie Horne is a writer and editor who grew up near Toronto, Canada. She studied at Oxford Brookes University, where she obtained both a BA in Publishing Media and a wife, which was a pretty good deal. She now lives outside of Ottawa with her family. Her writing has been featured in Catapult and on Medium’s Mental Health and LGBTQ pages. Hazel Hill Is Gonna Win This One is her first novel. Website: maggiehorne.com Twitter: @MaggieHasHornes

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Errant, Vol. 1 by L.K. Fleet

Today on the site, I’m delighted to reveal the cover for Errant, Vol. 1, the very first in a new novella series by L.K. Fleet, the pen name for the formidable joined forces of K. R. Collins, Felicia Davin, and Valentine Wheeler! This f/f (bi/lesbian) fantasy releases on February 15th, and here’s the story:

Aspen Silverglade used to be a force for good, but now she’s just a sword for hire. On the run from the people she once trusted most, she needs to keep her head down and keep moving.

But old habits are hard to quit. One night in a tavern, Aspen tries to save a woman from some unwanted attention. The woman, Charm Linville, is in the middle of a subtle and delicate act of thievery, and she does not appreciate Aspen blundering in.

The disastrous and public rescue-gone-wrong makes the townspeople think Aspen and Charm are a couple. This mistake sets Aspen’s bloodthirsty betrayers on Charm’s trail, tying the two of them together.

Even if Aspen can’t run from her past any longer, Charm shouldn’t have to suffer. Despite Aspen’s determination to work alone, Charm insists on helping—and she has a past of her own. The two of them don’t care for each other’s methods, but as they journey through the villages and wildernesses of Falland, solving problems and meeting magical friends and foes, Aspen and Charm grudgingly come to care for each other. Can these two guarded, stubborn women admit their feelings, or will Aspen’s enemies kill them first?

And here’s the absolutely epic cover from the epic Laya Rose!

Buy it: Amazon

L. K. Fleet is the pen name for the trio of authors K. R. Collins, Felicia Davin, and Valentine Wheeler. They are longtime friends who share a love of fantasy settings and romance tropes. Errant, a series of sapphic fantasy novellas, is the first thing they have written together.

Fave Five: Sapphic Fiction Set in the 1920s

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters (1922)

Of Trust and Heart by Charlotte Anne Hamilton (1923)

Silhouette of a Sparrow by Molly Beth Griffin  (1926, YA)

Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia (1926)

The Last Nude by Ellis Avery (1927)

Bonus: These are all realistic fiction, but for historical fantasy, check out The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo and Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May, both of which are heavily Gatsby-inspired.

Double Bonus: For books that begin in 1919 and then span the next decade plus, check out The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher and Swearing Off Stars by Danielle Wong

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Fave Five: Sapphic Witches

Sweet & Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley

Edie in Between by Laura Sibson

Witches of Ash and Ruin by E. Latimer

These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova

Bonus: These are all YA, but if you’re looking for Adult, check out Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper and, for a bi witch in an m/f romance, Boss Witch by Ann Aguirre