We love good books, just like you do

Welcome to Bywater Books

Dear Readers,

Here come the holidays — just the right time for publishing the new novel by Mari SanGiovanni, Camptown Ladies. Already the reviewers are saying that this is a book that will have you laughing out loud. It is available now from our website, and will be shipping to stores from this Thursday, December 8.

We're excited to announce that we're teaming up with Kate Clinton next year. For more details, see News from Bywater below.

Now, a heads-up: This holidays, we reckon many of you will find yourself unwrapping an eReader. So we'll be having a two-day sale — December 25 to 26. We'll send you more details nearer the time.

Check out P-town 2011 to find out what Georgia Beers, Sally Bellerose, and Marianne K. Martin got up to this year.

As always, we at Bywater strive to bring you the finest in lesbian romance, mystery, and literary fiction.

Till next time!

The Wisconsin Gazette reviewed Indelible Heart, the new novel from Marianne K. Martin, and said that "Readers will be reintroduced to beloved characters and welcome new ones." And the Windy City Times asked, "Do you like the old quick-read Naiad Press books featuring women seeking justice through whatever means necessary? Here's a book for you."

The same paper also reviewed The Girls Club by Sally Bellerose, urging readers to get "to a bookstore (or computer) to purchase this book." Click here.

Val McDermid
will be making appearances across America between January 19 and January 26. She will launching The Retribution, the latest story featuring Tony Hill and Carol Jordan, which will be published by Atlantic Monthly Press.
Check out our website, where we'll post further details as soon as we have them.

We love good books, just like you do

Welcome to Bywater Books

Dear Readers,

This month, we're delighted to be publishing the new novel by Georgia Beers, 96 Hours. The story is set in Gander, the town in Newfoundland that played host to passengers whose flights were grounded on 9/11. For more details, see Author Profile and Hot Off The Press below.

We're also pleased to announce that 96 Hours will go on sale from our website on Monday, October 17. It will be available as an e-Book a couple of weeks later, on Monday, October 31.

We'll be launching the book at Womencrafts. To find out more about the women-owned and operated business at the heart of Provincetown, check out Womencrafts below.

The launch takes place during Women's Week at P-town this year. Bywater will be hosting further events besides, and authors Sally Bellerose and Marianne K. Martin will also be in town. For more details, see P-town 2011 below.

As always, we at Bywater strive to bring you the finest in lesbian romance, mystery, and literary fiction.

Till next time!

Soon after Womencrafts opened for business, rocks were being thrown through its windows.

This was back in 1976 when no-one had heard of the pink dollar, and when "radical" meant selling items specifically to lesbians. In the years that followed, Womencrafts continued its "radical" strategy and even had to field complaints about discrimination. But 35 years later, Womencrafts is still here and it's a long time since any rocks were thrown.

All this explains why Kathryn Livelli, the current owner, remains confident at this time of economic gloom. The store survived rocks; she'll survive this downturn — thanks, says Kathryn, to "the support of women who keep us here."

She pays tribute to the "wonderful, loyal customers," for whom Womencrafts has become a reliable source for lesbian literature at a time when independent bookstores across the country are closing.

Womencrafts has always been more than a bookstore, though. From its beginning, it has been a business that supports women, selling the work of 90 artists and craftswomen from across the United States and Canada. Jewelry, pottery, mosaics, and more make up the core business of Womencrafts (check out the website), and sales enable donations to be made every year to women's foundations. Truly, this is a business created by women for women.

For that reason, says Kathryn, both customers and staff are very protective of Womencrafts. In fact when the previous owners were looking to sell, they chose Kathryn and her partner Debbie Estevez because they knew the store would be in good hands: Kathryn was already a member of staff. They said later that selling the store felt a little like "walking her down the aisle."

Debbie, who was "an integral part of the business," passed away in 2009. Kathryn is full of praise for the current staff: Karen, Michelle, and Bea are "incredible," "like a family," and "my left and right arm", while Wendy, her partner, "has truly been a miracle in my life."

So when you're next in Provincetown, take a walk to 376 Commercial Street, and enter the world of Womencrafts.

And if you're there during Women's Week (October 7-16), pop in and say Happy Birthday! The store is now 35 years old, and celebrating!

The Indelible Heart, the new novel from Marianne K. Martin picked up another good review. Margaret Lane, writing for The MidWest Book Review, described it as "a moving lesbian romance, highly recommended."

Over the next few months, All Things Gay will be talking to Bywater authors. Interviews will be 45 minutes — long enough to get properly acquainted: Sally Bellerose, October 10
Lisa Gitlin, October 17

will be appearing at the Pride Center of Western New York on Thursday, October 6. To celebrate the opening of the new Lending Library, Georgia will part of an evening of Lesbian Fictions Authors. All will give a short reading, and this will be followed by a panel discussion. The event starts at 7 p.m.
The Pride Center of Western New York,
206 S. Elmwood Avenue,
Buffalo, NY 14201-2156
For more details: (716) 852-7743 or click here.

Sally Bellerose · will appear on the panel Plot: Shaping the Story at the Write Angles Conference. Saturday, October 22 at 9:30 a.m.
Willits-Hollowell Center
Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, MA
· will be appearing in November's meeting of Drunken Careening Writers at the KGB Bar, NYC. The event will be hosted by playwright Kathleen Warnock. Thursday, November 13 at 7 p.m.
KGB Bar
85 E. 4th St
NYC 10003

We love good books, just like you do

Welcome to Bywater Books

Dear Readers,

It's fall and the evenings are drawing in. What better time to settle down with a murder mystery? Trick of the Dark is the latest from Val McDermid, who's widely acknowledged as one of the very best crime writers today. To find out why Val is loved by fans and writers alike, see Author Profile below. And for details of Trick of the Dark, check out Hot off the Press.

Soon we'll be publishing the new novel by Georgia Beers, 96 Hours. The story is set in Gander, the town in Newfoundland that played host to passengers whose flights were grounded on 9/11. What happened in Gander has been told this week on From Our Own Correspondent on BBC Radio 4, and the program is available to listen again via the BBC i-Player. You should be able hear it for the next seven days. (The segment about Gander is featured toward the end of the program, about 22 minutes in.)

We'll be launching Georgia's book at P-town this year. And taking part in plenty more events besides. For more details, see P-town 2011 below.

As always, we at Bywater strive to bring you the finest in lesbian romance, mystery, and literary fiction.

Till next time!

Bywater Trivia

Joan Opyr published her third novel Shaken and Stirred earlier this summer. It's picked up some great reviews. The latest rave comes from Lynne Pierce: "'My surgeon lied to me.' may go down as one of the best opening lines in literature." Describing the "tremendous humor that reverberates through the pages, she says too that "Joan Opyr writes about family in the way that most people experience it and few have the nerve to discuss it." To read the whole review, click here.

Fans of Marianne K. Martin have been enjoying her lastest novel The Indelible Heart. Terry B, a lesfic fan based in the UK, posted this review on Amazon, September 8. She says, "In my honest opinion, we don't get enough works from Marianne and when a new book does come out, it has to be savored and read slowly. This will join the rest of Marianne's excellent books on my shelves to be re-read again and again." For the whole review, click here.

Marianne was also interviewed by Dara Girard of Novelist's Inc. To hear why Marianne helped to establish Bywater Books and what she thinks of self-publishing (hey, she can see the advantages), click here.

In Kissed by Venus magazine (Issue 3), Lindy Cameron celebrates the art of procrastination. She reckons she's got it down to a fine art — which makes her wonder how she ever became a writer who became an editor who became a publisher who became a conference organizer. Find out what happened here.

Finally, Marcia Finical appeared alongside fellow author Barrett at the Range Café in Bernalillo, New Mexico. She read from her novel Last Chance at the Lost and Found, the first winner of the Bywater Prize for Fiction.

All Things Gay is the first gay radio show in New Hampshire, airing on Portsmouth Country radio,106.1 FM, on Mondays at 8 a.m. The show can also be streamed at wscafm.org
Over the next few months, All Things Gay will be talking to Bywater authors. Interviews will be 45 minutes — long enough to get properly acquainted:
Bett Norris, September 26
Sally Bellerose, October 10
Lisa Gitlin, October 17

Woman Stirred Radio airs on WGDR, 91.1 FM, a community radio station serving the Central Vermont region. Woman Stirred Radio is hosted by Merry Gangemi on Thursdays at 4-6 p.m. The show can also be live-streamed; click here.
Sally Bellerose will appear on September 22

Georgia Beers
will be appearing at the Pride Center of Western New York on Thursday, October 6. To celebrate the opening of the new Lending Library, Georgia will part of an evening of Lesbian Fictions Authors. All will give a short reading, and this will be followed by a panel discussion. The event starts at 7 p.m.
The Pride Center of Western New York,
206 S. Elmwood Avenue,
Buffalo, NY 14201-2156
For more details: (716) 852-7743 or click here.

Sally Bellerose
· will be reading from The Girls Club on Saturday, September 24, at 3 p.m. Forbes Library Community Room
20 West Street
Northampton
Massachussetts 01060
For more details: (413) 587-1011
· will appear on the panel Plot: Shaping the Story at the Write Angles Conference. Saturday, October 22 at 9:30 a.m.
Willits-Hollowell Center
Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, MA
· will be appearing in November's meeting of Drunken Careening Writers at the KGB Bar, NYC. The event will be hosted by playwright Kathleen Warnock. Thursday, November 13 at 7 p.m.
KGB Bar
85 E. 4th St
NYC 10003

We love good books, just like you do

Welcome to Bywater Books

Dear Readers,

As Bywater prints The Girls Club, Sally Bellerose is already thinking about her next novel — and she's looking forward to writing about sex. For more details, see An Author Talks Sex below. To see what reviews she's already picking up (it's published next Thursday), see Bywater News below.

Marianne K. Martin has been picking up great reviews for her latest novel, The Indelible Heart. To find out more, and for details of an interview with Kissed by Venus magazine, see Bywater News below.

This month, we're profiling People Called Women, now the only feminist bookstore in Ohio. See People Called Women below.

And do check out Bywater Events for details of radio interviews lined up with our authors throughout this summer and fall.

As always, we at Bywater strive to bring you the finest in lesbian romance, mystery, and literary fiction.

Till next time!

Marianne K. Martin has been picking up great reviews for her lastest novel The Indelible Heart.

Amos Lassen describes the story as a testament to the "power of friendship" and says, "When a good story comes together with beautiful prose, we get a wonderful read . . . Martin has a knack for wit and writing about emotions that puts her in a special class of writers. Her character development is excellent and as we read, we begin to see the characters before our eyes." To read the whole review, click here.

Lynne Pierce reckons this is a romance by a writer who "has a habit though of going deeper with her characters and sometimes that can make the observant reader uncomfortable. Martin can cut pretty close to the bone . . . The Indelible Heart is not a dark book, but it is a thoughtful one. It will not take long to read it. Not nearly as long as it will cause the reader to think about what it says. For those who say they want to see more stories that deal with real issues in an entertaining way, this is the answer."

In Kissed by Venus magazine (Issue 3), Kate Genet says: "The story is powerfully written by someone who knows what she wants to say and how . . . It is a book that never stumbles . . . I feel like these characters are women I actually know and admire. It's a story well worth reading, because in a way, it's a story about all of us."

The magazine is available to read online: click here. The issue also includes Marguerite Quantaine's fascinating interview with Marianne, which ranges across twelve pages, so you're bound to find out something new about this best-selling author.

Sally Bellerose's first novel The Girls Club will be published next Thursday (August 11). Already it's picked up two reviews:

Publishers Weekly says that "Bellerose's sympathetic characters are all the more appealing and realistic for their lack of perfection . . . the portrayal of Cora Rose, a lesbian struggling to deny her realities to everyone including herself, is riveting and at times heartbreaking. A fast-paced, well-written tale with characters who will linger in the reader's memory long after the final page is turned."

And Richard La Bonte writes: "Bellerose's warm novel embraces the concept of sisterhood with propulsive gusto — mostly the real deal of sisters caring deeply for each other, even as they squabble, but with hints that the sisterhood of nascent feminism has reached the small town where the three are realizing their emotional and sexual selves." For the whole review, click here.

We love good books, just like you do

Welcome to Bywater Books

Dear Readers,

Marianne K. Martin has just published her ninth novel, The Indelible Heart. The long-awaited sequel to the best-selling Love in the Balance, it brings readers up to the date with some much-loved characters: Sage and Deanne, and Kasey and Connie. For more details, see An Author Explains and Hot off the Press.

This month Sally Bellerose will be running the final leg of our Blog Tour, see below. (And a heads-up: it'll be returning in the fall.)

As always, we at Bywater strive to bring you the finest in lesbian romance, mystery, and literary fiction.

Till next time!

Congratulations to Georgia Beers! At this year's Golden Crown Literary Society conference, her most recent book Starting From Scratch won two awards. The first was for Traditional Contemporary Romance. The second was the Ann Bannon Popular Choice Award — which pleases her most because, as she says, this is "voted on by the readers and not by judges), so that was very cool and a huge honor."

Georgia lives in New York. Check out her blog to see what the Senate's decision on June 24 means for her and her partner, Bonnie — and her mom.

We love good books, just like you do

Welcome to Bywater Books

Dear Readers,

Since our last newsletter, we've been receiving honours, awards, and great reviews. To find out more see Bywater News below.

Joan Opyr has just published her third novel, Shaken and Stirred. It's already picked up rave reviews. For more details, see Author Profile, Hot off the Press, and Bywater News below.

Our Blog Tour continues — see Blog Tour below.

To find out why independent bookstores are so important for LGBT literature, visit the Common Language Bookstore, below.

As always, we at Bywater strive to bring you the finest in lesbian romance, mystery, and literary fiction.

Till next time!

Joan Opyr was at grad school, on her way to a life of academia, when it struck her: "Writers write what they know, and I didn't want to write novels about college professors." Her solution? She quit, and moved to Idaho.

"Compared to the East Coast," she says, "it's so empty! Small population, very big state . . . Miles and miles of wheat fields, not a lot of people . . . I said, 'Man! You could hide a body out here and no one would ever find it.'" From that thought came her first novel, Idaho Code.

Readers were quick to welcome Joan's easy flair for comedy. Ask her about this, and she says simply, ". . . that's the way I roll. I see the humor in most situations. Human frailty, fallibility — all of that, for me, is part of the comic undertow. I grew up in a family that liked to laugh, and believed that you might as well laugh as cry. What my family valued was being able to make others laugh." This fan of the Brontë sisters goes on to admit, "I've tried writing tragedy; it always comes out as comedy."

Bear that in mind when I tell you the setup for her new novel Shaken and Stirred: Poppy K, recovering from a hysterectomy, must return to Raleigh, NC, to pull the plug on her dying, alcoholic grandfather. It's not an obviously comic storyline, but here's what Kate Clinton had to say: "What a great read! Character, story, dialogue — it's a trifecta of a page turner."

It's also the first time that Joan's writing has taken her away from Idaho and back to the South. She welcomed this because as time passes she becomes increasingly aware that she's not an Idahoan: "I'm a North Carolinian. My memories of the past shape my present. Everything I do in the here and now passes through the filter of my formative years." Poppy also grapples with this idea, and the story switches back and forth between her childhood and the present-day. That was, Joan admits, a challenge to write; Shaken and Stirred is her third novel and she got the basic storyline for it down in two weeks, then spent "about the next five years" editing it.

On the plus side, she did get to go back to North Carolina for a spot of research: "I had to fly home to Raleigh a couple of times to get the setting just right . . . Raleigh has changed a lot since I left — it's not the same sleepy city I knew. It's now a booming metropolis like Atlanta, and the native accent is becoming rare." Just like her own, which has faded over time, "but it comes back to me when I'm home. Or when I'm tired. Or a little tipsy."

Joan is now working on her fourth novel, and at the same time pursuing a degree in nursing from Lewis-Clark State College and working as a CNA on an Alzheimer's and dementia unit. Together with her wife Melynda (they married just before the passage of Proposition 8), she's raising a family of two children, two dogs, and a guinea pig.

Bywater's Virtual Book Tour continues. Seven of our authors are making connections one blog at a time. Guest blogging on each other's blogs for the next four months, they're posting from the Pacific Northwest, the Great Lakes region, New England, the South, England, and Australia.

In July, Sally Bellerose will finish off the tour. She'll visit Marianne K. Martin on July 6; Lindy Cameron on July 8; Bett Norris on July 11; Georgia Beers on July 17; Jill Malone on July 15; and Lindy Cameron on July 18.

This probably goes without saying, but click on the authors' names above to link straight through to their blogs.

The Common Language Bookstore in Ann Arbor, MI is now in its twentieth year. It lies at the heart of the LGBT community, one of several businesses housed in a complex of buildings that the poet and author Michelle Tea calls "the homoplex"; local students prefer "the Queer Quad."

Here, in houses built between 1915 and 1918 and now converted, you'll find not just Common Language but also the \aut\ bar, the SH\aut\ performance space, and WRAP (the Washtenaw Rainbow Action Project). All are run by Keith Orr and Martin Contreras, who are proud to contribute to the neighborhood's strong LGBT identity.

Yet Common Language, like many LGBT bookstores today, faces an uncertain future. And that's something which threatens LGBT literature itself. As Mr. Orr explains, our literature is made up of four elements: bookstores, authors, publishers, and readers. All four must work together if all are to thrive. And if just one element fails, it's possible the rest will fail too.

Come to Common Language, and you'll find staff who have read the books, who know their customers, and who can recommend accordingly. That type of service explains why many LGBT authors owe their careers to the support of independent bookstores. E. Lynn Harris is one such example: he self-published his first work, asked independent bookstores to take a look, they did, they loved it, they recommended it — and Harris went on to have ten books on the New York Times Best Seller list. Similarly, many LGBT publishers admit that they depend on LGBT bookstores to sell their titles, knowing that chain stores won't deliver the sales they need to survive.

And here's where the LGBT reader comes in. Buy a book from an LGBT bookstore, and you're offering direct support to the LGBT community — buy from a chain bookstore or online, and you're not.

There's something else to remember: if you want to meet LGBT authors and personalities, Bywater authors included, you'll find them at your local LGBT bookstore. In the past couple of months alone, Common Language has played host to Judy Shepard, Milt Ford, and Kage Alan. Later this month, it will play host to Marianne K. Martin (see Bywater Events below). It also runs two book clubs that meet each month – LezRead and the Ann Arbor Rainbow Book Club. For more details, click here.

So next time you're in Ann Arbor, visit the gayborhood of Kerrytown and check out the "homoplex" in Braun Court. Have a meal, take in a show — and make your way from room to room, browsing the shelves of the Common Language Bookstore. It's there for you.

We love good books, just like you do

Welcome to Bywater Books

Dear Readers,

Summer's coming, and this month we're pleased to introduce our newest author Sally Bellerose. The Girls Club, her first novel, will be available later this month. For more details, see Author Profile and Spotlight below.

Congratulations to award winners Lisa Gitlin and Stella Duffy. For more details, see News from Bywater below.

Our Blog Tour continues. For more details, see Blog Tour below.

To find out why Amazon represents such a threat to independent bookstores, take a look at Women & Children First below.

The Saints and Sinners Literary Festival takes place later this week. For more details about panels and appearances featuring Bywater authors and editors, see Saints and Sinners below. At the festival, Kelly Smith will also announce the winner of the Bywater Prize for Fiction.

The Golden Crown Literary Society Conference takes place early next month. For more details, see Golden Crown below.

As always, we at Bywater strive to bring you the finest in lesbian romance, mystery, and literary fiction.

Till next time!

It's not always easy being a writer. As Sally Bellerose explains, she is "surrounded by a good many people who have no idea why I engage in this eccentric activity." Which is why she's a member of "an embarrassing number of writers groups."

"Embarrassing" because, as she admits, it's funny how most of her fellow writers reckon it's much better to talk about writing alongside food. And yes, there have been a few accidents along the way. Sally offers this bit of hard-won knowledge: "It is best not to ladle soup or serve beverages within ten feet of a laptop."

(She adds that she's currently considering writing a cookbook for writers' groups. She doesn't yet have a name for it — all suggestions welcome — but sample chapters include: "Drink Me: mind-expanding legal intoxicants to combat writer's block.")

There's another reason the groups have been so important for Sally: "I have not had a formal writing education," she says simply. So it's been with the support of groups that she's found her voice. Her most recent short story, "Fishwives," has just won the Saints and Sinners Fiction Contest. And Bywater Books is pleased to be publishing her first novel The Girls Club, which won the 2010 Bywater Prize for Fiction.

By now, she has been writing long enough to see that "sexuality, illness, and class are common themes in my writing." Why? She explains "I'm fiercely working-class," and adds that "I struggle with my passions and prejudices when exploring the ways class, race, good or bad luck, and ability interact and inform each other."

She also knows about illness, coping with what she nicknamed "the dreaded bowel disease." A Registered Nurse, she has also spent "twenty-six years working … with the inspirational residents and staff of Monson Developmental Center, once a community of 1600 residents, now a vastly depopulated home for profoundly delayed, multiply challenged adults." It's an experience that introduced her to many "amazing people," and she has been writing to celebrate them "as well as the wondrous characters from my many other jobs."

And there have indeed been many other jobs — "including, but not limited to, fence painter, babysitter, hall guard, tobacco picker, short order cook, hole-punch operator, cashier, bus driver, security guard, EMT, nurses' aid, Personal Care Attendant, editor, author, and gardener."

She's also been a laundress: "Once, in the era when he used the name Cassius Clay, I washed many pairs of Muhammad Ali's exquisitely knit socks and handed them directly to him. With the possible exception of my son, he was the most beautiful man I have ever seen."

Don't expect Ali (or too many pairs of socks) to show up in The Girls Club, though. It's a story about a working-class girl struggling with an embarrassing illness, and an emerging sexuality that's at odds with her Catholic upbringing. Sounds heavy-going? Don't be mistaken. As Sally explains: "The older I get, the more interested I become in the line between sentimentality and empathy in my work and the value of embracing humor, irony, and absurdity in my life and writing."

Sally lives with Cindy, "my beloved spouse of over twenty years." And when not writing, "you can often find me wrapped around the little finger of my smart, sassy four-year-old granddaughter, Kennedy."

In fact, to find out more about Kennedy, click here. It'll take you straight through to the website, where Sally has written a piece about being happily un-wed — even in a state that allows her to marry.

Bywater's Virtual Book Tour continues. Seven of our authors are making connections one blog at a time. Guest blogging on each other's blogs for the next four months, they're posting from the Pacific Northwest, the Great Lakes region, New England, the South, England, and Australia.

This month, Bett Norris has been on the move. She visited Marianne K. Martin on May 2; Lindy Cameron on May 4; Georgia Beers on May 6; and Sally Bellerose on May 11. And she will visit Jill Malone on May 13.

Georgia Beers will visit Marianne K. Martin on May 16; Lindy Cameron on May 18; Bett Norris on May 20; Sally Bellerose on May 25; and Jill Malone on May 27.

In June, Lindy Cameron and Stella Duffy will be on the move. And in July, Sally Bellerose will finish up the tour. We'll give you more details nearer the time. Or check out our website.

This probably goes without saying, but click on the authors' names above to link straight through to their blogs.

Women & Children First is a bookstore with a mission: to celebrate women. It opened in Chicago in 1979 and for more than thirty years co-owners Linda Bubon and Ann Christophersen have had a clear purpose. They want to focus on women's writing and draw attention to the roles that women fulfill, raising children and providing care.

Today Women & Children First is one of the last feminist bookstores in the country — but it's under threat. The reason is simple: Amazon.

Unlike a bookstore, Amazon doesn't need to need to make a profit from books. In fact, it offers books at a loss and makes its profits from the other products it sells, such as electrical goods.

Independent bookstores struggle to compete. And many have simply given up. But Linda and Ann are determined to remain open, which means that they've had to figure out a way to keep the store open even as sales decline. So they've cut staff and overheads, and they've raised funds — none of which is easy. "But," says Linda, "I can't imagine working without a mission. A mission makes work worthwhile."

As part of their mission, here's what the bookstore offers:
· Storytime for children every Wednesday morning throughout the year.
· Sappho's Salon, every Saturday evening.
· Author appearances; last year, more than 300 authors visited.
· Four different book groups, discussing subjects that range from classic literature to feminism — and Buffy.

You can't get any of that on Amazon.

So the next time you want to buy a book, don't shop with your mouse. Remember what they say at Women & Children First, and Shop as Independently as You Think.

Congratulations to Lisa Gitlin, who has won twice over in the Independent Publisher Book Awards. Her debut novel I Came Out For This? won the Gold Medal for the Humor category and Gold Medal for the Gay/Lesbian/Bi/Trans Fiction category. She will be attending the award ceremony May 23 in New York, the 15th Annual IPPY Awards.

Congratulations too to Stella Duffy. Her novel Parallel Lies was also recognized, winning the Bronze Medal for the Gay/Lesbian/Bi/Trans Fiction category.

Stella's work will also feature in a new Photo Stories exhibition launching May 26. She has also written a new short story, which will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday June 7 at 3:30 p.m. (GMT). It will be available to Listen Again via the BBC i-Player for the following seven days.

The Saints and Sinners Literary Festival attracts writers, editors, publishers, and reviewers from around the world. As well, of course, as readers and fans.

This year's event takes place May 12-15, and Bywater will have a considerable presence:

Sally Bellerose
· will be reading at the Book Launch Party to celebrate publication of Saints and Sinners 2011: New Fiction from the Festival. She will be reading from her short story "Fishwives," which won this year's Saints and Sinners Fiction Contest and which features in the anthology. Thursday May 12 at Hotel Monteleone, 7 p.m.
· will read from her debut novel The Girls Club, as part of Writers Read. Saturday May 14, at 11:30 a.m.
· will appear on a panel called Well Versed: Poetry Discussion and Readings. Saturday May 14, at 2:30 p.m.

Bett Norris and Kelly Smith will appear on a panel called Spit and Polish — a Guide to Self-Editing. This will explore the limits of self-editing, and the responsibilities of the publisher. Saturday May 14, at 10 a.m.

Marianne K. Martin
· will moderate a panel called Women's Writes: HerStory or Sisters Doin' It for Themselves. This will explore how writers, publishers, and booksellers can build a community and help each other, especially in an increasingly virtual world. Saturday May 14 at 11:30 a.m.
· will also be reading from her new novel, The Indelible Heart. Sunday May 15 at 2:30 p.m.

Bett Norris will appear on a panel called If I Could Turn Back Time, to discuss writing historical fiction. When should writers stick to the truth, and when may they take liberties? Saturday May 14 at 4 p.m.

Our publicist Michele Karlsberg will be delivering a masterclass called Make Social Networking Work about connecting writers and readers via social networks. Friday May 13 at 3 p.m.

For further details, including all venues, visit sasfest.com

The Golden Crown Literary Society Conference is a must for anyone interested in lesbian literature — readers and writers alike!

Across a fun-packed weekend, you'll be able to attend presentations and listen to panel discussions. Authors will be reading, as well as signing their books. Publishers will be exhibiting, and there'll be time for chats over coffee.

This year Georgia Beers, Marianne K. Martin, Bett Norris, and Marcia Finical will be attending.

The conference takes place June 9-12, 2011 at the Buena Vista Palace in Orlando, FLA.

For more information, click here.

Stella Duffy
- will be appearing at the Du Maurier Festival to discuss
· Daphne du Maurier and the Historical Novel. Friday May 20 at 11:30 a.m.

· her latest novel Theodora. Saturday May 21 at 2:15 p.m.
The festival takes place in Fowey, UK.
For more information: (44) 1726 833847

- will be offering a Story Surgery as part of the Brighton Festival Fringe. Tuesday May 24 at 12 p.m.
The festival takes place in Brighton, UK.

- will be appearing at the Hay Festival as part of a panel called Bio-Fiction: Mapping Science's Eureka Moments. Monday May 30 at 8:30 p.m.
The festival takes place in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, UK.
For more information: (44) 1497 822 620

- will be reading from Theodora at Dulwich Books. Tuesday June 21 at 7:30 p.m.
6 Croxted Road
London SE21 8SW
For more information: (44) 20 8670 1920

Elana Dykewomon
· will be among the readers at Betty's List Literary Anniversary Party & Book Swap. Friday June 3 at 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Duboce Park Café
2 Sanchez Street
San Francisco
For more details, click here.

· will read at Art and Music in the Gardens, a free two-day even showcasing Oakland talent. She will be reading under the Oak Tree in the Garden Centre. Saturday June 4 at 3:50 p.m.
Lake Merritt and Lakeside Park Garden Center
666 Bellevue Avenue
Oakland, California
For more information: 510-547-8894

· is honored to be taking part in the opening ceremony of the Pacific Northwest Old Lesbians Organizing for Change regional gathering in Tacoma. Thursday June 28
For more details, click here.

Marianne K. Martin
will be reading from her latest novel, The Indelible Heart, at
· People Called Women on June 21, at 6 p.m.
3153 W Central Avenue
Toldedo
OH 43606-2923
For more information: (419) 535-6455

· Common Language Bookstore on June 23, at 7 p.m.
317 Braun Court
Ann Arbor
MI 48104
For more information: (734) 663-0036

Bett Norris
will be reading from her latest novel, What's Best for Jane, at BookStore1Saratosa. Wednesday June 8 at 6 p.m.
1359 Main Street
Saratosa
FL 34236
For more information: (941) 365-7900

We love good books, just like you do

Welcome to Bywater Books

Dear Readers,

This month, we have just published the second novel by Bett Norris, What's Best for Jane. (It will also be available as an eBook in a few weeks' time.) For more details, see Spotlight below.

Jill Malone wonders what makes a "lesbian" novel. See An Author Argues below.

Congratulations are due to Val McDermid, Sally Bellerose, Stella Duffy, and