Oct 25, 2020An essay about AIDS… Or maybe about COVIDThe flashbacks started in March. Or maybe earlier. An infectious disease was emerging in December or January or February or 1983. It was a long way away. China, Korea, Italy. Or was it San Francisco and New York? In any case, it was so far away, and it was other…AIDS3 min read
Aug 9, 202010 things I learned rewriting a 20-year old manuscriptNote: This blog post was originally published on Women and Words in 2016. More than 20 years ago, I wrote a 65,000 word novel that I was convinced would make me the sweet young darling of literary circles. It didn’t happen. That manuscript was rejected by every English language publisher…Writing4 min read
Jul 27, 2020Black lesbian (and bi, queer, trans, and non-binary) fiction authors you should knowThere’s been some hand-wringing lately in the white lesbian literary community about racism in our midst. Stop wringing your hands. You’ll chafe, and it won’t make any difference. Take action. Maybe buy and read books written by Black (writers of the African diaspora) lesbian (and bi, queer, trans, and non-binary)…Lesbian11 min read
Jun 13, 2020Adipose Unleashed (flash fiction)Journalist Nicola VanKing had to get this story. The development years ago of a procedure that removed excess adipose tissue and released traumatic memories and emotions had revived journalism and saved her career. …Lesfic2 min read
Apr 19, 2020How mask making saved this extroverted writerThere was a meme making the rounds advising introverts to check on their extroverted friends during this time of social isolation because we are not okay. And for quite a while this was a true statement for me. I’m a rare breed. I’m an extroverted writer who writes on crowded…Writing3 min read
Apr 19, 2020Now, Writing is for Extroverts tooWhen my wife proposed writing a novel together a few years ago, I was initially resistant but not for the most obvious reasons. I wasn’t worried about our ability to work together. I wasn’t even worried about whether we could actually produce a good novel. We had decades of writing…Writing4 min read
Mar 31, 2020#lesficforthepandemic, Wise Words from Lesfic AuthorsAt this time of social distancing, economic stress, health stress, fear, and anxiety, I decided to get together (virtually, of course) with other lesfic authors to share words of wisdom and, hopefully, some comfort. We write because we love it, and we love you, dear readers. Many of us are…Lesbian4 min read
Mar 28, 20205 tips for the lesbian accidental time travellerTime travelling can be lots of fun, just ask H.G. Wells, but such journeys have special challenges for lesbians. Laws and attitudes have changed a lot over the decades. Being a lesbian can complicate a time traveller’s attempts to fit into a new time and place. …Lesbian3 min read
Dec 25, 2019Where I get the moxie to write and publish booksAs a writer I get asked all sorts of interesting questions and offered terrible advice (for the last time, getting kidnapped is not a good way to get a book deal). …Writing3 min read
Sep 9, 2019The three big steps to marketing your fabulous self-published novelMost writers say they hate marketing, but I believe that’s mostly because writers don’t really understand what marketing is. It doesn’t have to entail nagging an endless list of bloggers to review your book (and honestly most of them probably wish you would stop). Marketing does start the minute you…Writing2 min read