The Lesbian Book Club with Kate Davies

Welcome to episode 69 of the Lesbian Book Club, where I interview UK author Kate Davies. Kate is a novelist, screenwriter and author of children’s books. Her debut novel In At The Deep End won the 2020 Polari Prize and was shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse prize for comic fiction. The Guardian described it as ‘without doubt, the afterparty book for anyone looking to continue their Fleabag fun’. Kate talks about writing from a place of truth, celebrating queer London, living her best life in a Scottish castle, and writing stuff that shocks you. “There’s stuff in the book I’d be embarrassed to read out loud!”

As usual, I do a run-down of the Amazon Lesbian Fiction charts in the US & UK, as well as updating you on the latest news of lesbian fiction conferences & awards season. I hope you enjoy – Kate was a fabulous guest!

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Pride Month Sale: 25% Off!

Happy Pride Month! To celebrate, I’m doing a 25% off all my books for sale on my web shop. All you need to do is head over there, select the books you want, then check out using the coupon code HAPPYPRIDE.

Nearly my whole back catalogue is there, including all the London Romance books and boxsets, the All I Want series and boxsets, as well as six standalone novels: Before You Say I Do, Christmas In Mistletoe, You’re My Kind, Twice In A Lifetime, The Long Weekend and Nothing To Lose. What are you waiting for? Go stock up on lesbian romance and make Pride month that little bit happier. Sale ends June 30th, use the code HAPPYPRIDE at checkout. Happy reading!

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Top Tips: Write What You Know

“Write what you know.” It’s the first advice given to new writers, but it’s invariably bad advice if you take it literally. Write what you know doesn’t mean your story has to be a carbon copy of your life. Nobody wants to read that, trust me.

On the contrary, ‘write what you know’ means you have to examine what you know, and also what you can research or learn. Because once you research or learn something, then you know it. Write what you know means you can literally write about anything, so long as you prepare.

Write what you know it also about experience and emotion. So yes, write about your dad’s red Ford Cortina estate with the traffic-light air freshener. Write about the fear of walking into your first gay bar. Write about the gut-wrenching pain you felt when that first woman broke your heart. But also, write about women from 1958, as I am in my upcoming lesbian romance, Big London Dreams. I wasn’t alive then, but I know how it feels to kiss a woman for the first time. To dance with a woman. I can put a magnifying glass on those emotions to hold the reader in the story, then shade in the period details once I’ve researched them.

Don’t be scared to write eras you haven’t lived, jobs you’ve never done, a gender you’ve never lived. Do the research, put yourself in the character’s shoes and truly feel their life. Then you can write what you know, because you know.

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Tuesday Tips: Writing Lesbian Sex Scenes

When you’re writing a sex scene, it’s important to focus on the emotion and not the body parts. It’s not a biology exam, and nobody is going to thank you for using the word vulva. Trust me.

Sex scenes in romance are like fight scenes or car chases in action-adventure books. They’re essential and highly anticipated. Your characters (and your reader) have to work to get there, and when they eventually reach their peak, it’s your job to ensure nobody is let down.

The key thing is to make your sex scene both sensual and alluring. Describe what’s happening, but do it from the perspective of the character and all that they bring to the scene. What are their hopes? What are can they see, touch, taste, hear? What’s it reminding them of? What are they feeling in their heart now it’s finally happening?

Fingers can slide and caress. Tongues can tantalise and tease. Lube can be popped and pressed. Everything the character thought they once knew can be rewritten. Sex scenes should move the story forward. They should reflect what has gone before and what’s possible from here on in. Your characters have just taken things to the next level. Show it all.

Remember, you’re not playing a game of Sex Twister: no crazy moves required. Don’t use coarse or flowery language as that will throw your reader out of the story. Keep it real, but elevate it to a almost-perfect reality. Make sure senses tingle and stars collide. It’s all in the build-up, all in the emotion. The first kiss, the first touch, the loaded look that tips your character over the edge. Romance and sex go hand in hand, so don’t be scared of writing a sex scene. Instead, put yourself in your character’s shoes and write from the heart. Embrace it. Have fun with it.

And don’t for one second think about the fact your parents might read it.

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Jae’s Sapphic Reading Challenge: Start Here!

Are you doing Jae’s Sapphic Reading Challenge 2021? If not, maybe you should consider it! There are prizes on offer, as well as the chance to read more widely and be introduced to a ton of new books and authors. Plus, if you join her Facebook group, you could even chat about the books you’ve read with other like-minded readers, too. It’s a triple win!

How does it work? In Jae’s own words: “The goal is to read sapphic books that fit as many of the 50 categories listed as possible. You can read ebooks, paperbacks, or audiobooks; and they can be new-to-you books or re-reads. I’ll post book recommendations for a new category once a week. Of course, you could also just read whatever books you want and then, afterwards, see what categories they fit into. Depending on how many sapphic books you manage to read in 2021, you can earn different badges and book prizes.”

Basically, read books that fit certain tropes, and there are prizes to be had! Plus, you get to call yourself a Book Penguin, a Book Dragon or even a Book Unicorn.

Jae has 50 categories to tick off in her challenge, so I thought I’d list my books and what category they fit in. I’ve got 18 novels, and there are 50 categories. I might miss some matches, but I’m going to do the absolute best I can, and hopefully it might help you to fill your challenge card and puff your reading muscles. Ready? Here goes…

Continue reading » “Jae’s Sapphic Reading Challenge: Start Here!”

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Christmas In Mistletoe Out Now!

I come bearing jingly-jangly news: Christmas In Mistletoe, my brand-new festive lesbian romance, is out now!

You’re going to love this book because:

1. It’s set in a village called Mistletoe & features a Christmas tree farm. I know!

2. The story is a gorgeous enemies-to-lovers romance.

3. It’s got a hot singer, delicious simmering attraction, plus a scorching first kiss.

4. There are snowball fights, mulled wine and twinkly lights, plus a sparkling array of locals.

5. The story is gift-wrapped with emotion, and guaranteed to give you the Christmas feels. All of them. Proper head-to-toe tingles.

It’s been five years since my last Christmas romance, and I’ve got my fingers crossed that this one was worth the wait. I hope you enjoy the story of Fran and Ruby! Do let me know what you think.

Buy Christmas In Mistletoe by clicking here!

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Christmas In Mistletoe: Title & Cover Reveal!

It’s title and cover reveal day for my upcoming festive romance, Christmas In Mistletoe! I hope you love both as much as I do. This lesbian romance has a Christmas tree farm, a singer, a Christmas curmudgeon, mulled wine, tinsel, hilarious locals, snow, a yappy dog and all manner of yuletide goodness. Suffice it to say, if you like Christmas and women falling in love, this is the book for you. ⁠

Blurb to come later this week, and you can expect the novel to drop in a few weeks time. November. Definitely November! ⁠

It’s time to get excited for my new fairy-lit romance where Ruby and Fran have no idea what’s about to happen in the cutest Suffolk village! ⁠

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Time-Limited Book Sales!

If you’re a bargain book hunter, sit up straight and pay attention. I currently have two out-of-this-world deals on my lesbian romances, but be quick, they’re for a limited time only.

First, my All I Want Series Boxset, Books 1-3 is currently on sale across Kindle, Apple, Kobo, Google and Barnes & Noble for just 99p/99c – a whopping discount of 90% from its usual price of £9.99/$9.99. It’s available until Wednesday August 12th, so don’t delay, snap it up today!

On top of that, my runaway best-seller, Before You Say I Do, is currently part of the August Kindle Monthly Deal in the UK, Australia & Ireland. Grab it now for the incredible price of 99p/$1.49/29r. I know, I spoil you.

Happy summer reading!

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