Literature Festival | jenjsilver

Last week I travelled to Nottingham to take part in the 1^st Annual Waterstones LGBTQ Literature Festival. I read from Deuce on Friday afternoon alongside authors – Lise Gold, Anna Larner, Rebecca S Buck, and Basil (“I’m not an herb”) Osborne.

My wife took a photo of me reading through the glass of the door – which is why it’s a bit blurry. She said she didn’t want to put me off by coming into the room. I don’t think I would have noticed as I was just trying to read without stumbling over words.

Deuce_reading

The next day was the start of the 10^th Annual Bold Strokes Book Festival, also held at Waterstones. I learned something at one of the morning panels where romance novels were being discussed. Apparently, readers of lesbian fiction (what we refer to as ‘lesfic’ – as opposed to, someone suggested, ‘hetfic’) are quite conservative in their views of how romantic protagonists behave. They don’t want to read about lesbians cheating on their partners.

This was a revelation to me. I guess I didn’t get this memo. My debut novel, Starting Over even states in the first line of the blurb that one of the main characters is a philanderer. Thinking about it later I realised that five of my novels have partners who cheat (not always the main characters though). And my current WIP has a serial cheater as an MC.

Oh dear. There go my chances of a breakthrough number one!

Safe books of mine, in case you’re wondering, would be the second and third books of the trilogy Arc Over Time and Carved in Stone, then Calling Home and Deuce.

I didn’t take any photos during either of the days, so I’m grateful to Kitty for posting some on her blog and writing a great overview of the event.

And, as a fan of lesbian fiction, I did buy a few books. Who can resist when faced with such an amazing selection from the many talented authors who were there and available to sign the books as well.

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It was a marvellous two days and I enjoyed every minute. I can recommend it as a date to put in your diaries as soon as BSB announces the timing for next year’s festival. Thank you to Robyn Nyx, Brey Willows, and the Nottingham Waterstones team for organising the excellent and varied programme as well as providing a welcoming and safe space for us to gather.

I didn’t join in the after party on Saturday as I was meeting my wife for dinner. But I did manage to celebrate with a pirate mojito. Cheers, and here’s to a summer of good reading!

pirate_mojito

Another important date for readers of lesfic is the Lesbian Writers Read event at the Happy Valley Pride Festival. Brochures and website information for the week-long festival will be available soon. I can give advance notice though that our reading session takes place on the afternoon of Saturday 27 July in the Little Theatre in Hebden Bridge. And the authors who have agreed to take part this year are: Clare Ashton, Andrea Bramhall, Jody Klaire, Clare Lydon, and Sam Skyborne. I’ve also enlisted the services of well-known reviewer, Velvet Lounger, to be our MC.

Buying links for Deuce: Affinity Rainbow Publications / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA / Barnes & Noble / Bella Books / Smashwords / Apple iTunes

I’ve never been to Nottingham. Which is a bit odd considering my obsession with Robin Hood in my early years and now in my later years, shooting longbow at our local archery club.

When I was about seven or eight, I made my own bow and played in the woods. I always wanted to be Robin, not Maid Marian. We’d moved to house next to a wooded area, which seemed large to me but probably wasn’t very big.

My mother signed me up for Brownies. I think I only went twice. I wasn’t impressed with the range of activities on offer…none of which involved shooting arrows. And I didn’t want to sit in a village hall with the other girls around a fake fire being a pixie or a kelpie.

One day I came out of the woods just as the Brownie troop was marching down the road. Brown Owl brought them to a halt and kindly asked if I would like to join them on their nature hike. I’ve no idea what I said, if anything. But I disappeared quickly back into the woods and let them march on to study flowers and butterflies while I went returned to fighting off imaginary foes…Guy of Gisborne and the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Dressed for playing in the woods

We moved to Canada not long after that and my first girl crush was over a young woman at the summer camp who taught archery. On my tenth birthday I was given a fibreglass bow with a set of arrows and paper target. It stayed with me until I moved back to England over twenty years later. I gave it to two little boys before leaving…they were absolutely thrilled. (I’m not sure their mother was.)

And then there was a hiatus of many years…working, meeting my wife, getting a university degree, and taking up golf. It was actually another golfer who reignited my interest in archery. She told me about the local club and I took their beginners’ course. That was nine years ago and I still love it.

Dressed for an Agincourt shoot

So, this weekend, I will finally be visiting Robin Hood’s heartland. On Friday I’m taking part in the 1st Annual Waterstones LGBTQ Literature Festival in Nottingham where I will be reading from Deuce. (If you haven’t come across my most recently published novel, take a look at this review from Gaby at Lesreviewbooks)

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And then on the weekend I’m looking forward to meeting up with authors, reviewers, and readers at the 10^th Bold Strokes Book Festival, also held at Waterstones.

BSBprog