Categories: Good Shit vs. Shit to Avoid
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by SB Sarah • Monday, February 26, 2007 at 11:40 AM
I’ve reviewed gay romance twice, and we certainly have snarked our share of gay romance covers, but it has been brought to my attention that we have not asked the Bitchery for Lesbian Romance Recommendations.
So - what lesbian romances burn your carpet?
Personally, I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t read any. It’s not a deliberate slight; I just haven’t come across any romances wherein the protagonists were women. Back when I was a member of BooksFree, I had Pembroke Park on my request list for ages, but it never became available in the year-plus time I was a member. I was bummed when I finally discontinued service that I’d never borrowed that particular book.
Online, I’ve seen a few recommendations, including books by Sarah Waters, but I have seen more discussion about romance readers enjoying gay romance than I have about lesbian romance.
So, I have to ask the Bitchery for a Good Shit vs. Shit to Avoid List: Lesbian romance recommendations? Historical? Contemporary? What’s on your keeper pile from the Sapphic protagonist set?
I’m really curious about this one. I keep hearing how readers and writers are so hot for m/m stories but, personally, they just don’t do it for me. I queried my editor about a f/f sci-fi romance and she said ‘go for it’ so that’s on The Plan for 2007...BUT, considering that I can’t seem to find much e-press f/f, does that mean there will be no readers for any little tidbit I submit?
Verification: moved39. Moved to write, indeed!
Ellen said on...I’m currently reading Ellen Kushner’s The Privilege of the Sword, which I think is going in the f/f romance direction, though it’s advertised as a fantasy so I really don’t know. It’s fun, though. (The fact that I share a first name with Kushner is pure coincidence.)
Sarah Waters is my only recommendation that I can think of.
Femmeslash runs rampant in the fanfiction I read, noticably less than ManSlash, but that could be due to the relationships in the canon. Stories with solid female relationships at the centre might be more likely to find a femmeslash-writing fanbase. My fandoms...just...lots of manfriends and intense loyalty.
Aside from that, I can only think of movies like Imagine Me & You and Fucking Åmål. Which...there seems to be no fictional counterpart for these films, sadly.
I know Phaze is actively seeking F/F. Merry Phillips just sold them a F/F/M and they seem very enthusiastic about it.
Frankly, though, F/F or F/F/M just doesn’t work much for me. I can appreciate a beautiful woman’s body in much the same way as I can appreciate a sunset or a beautiful horse, but it just doesn’t trip any of my triggers.
I think that it’s the DIFFERENCES between a man’s body and mine that makes them so much more interesting and enticing.
In my day (gawd, did I really just say that?!) both male and female homosexuality was something to be scorned and ridiculed. It seems that there is more of a sense of freedom today to explore bisexuality.
I wonder if F/F is a common fantasy or maybe curiosity for someone who is in her 20’s and still exploring her sexuality. If so, I also wonder why there aren’t more (or any) F/F or F/F/M books out there aimed at this age range.
Chick-lit (clit-lick?) lesbians? Debbie Does Darla? Thelma and Louise and Natalie?
Just came back from RWA conference in Miami Florida and have the opportunity to chat with an editor from Ellora’s Cave (We were in the bar having drinks, so not pitching, just yaking). This was the exact topic of conversation I brought up to her. I have a number of friends who write M/M homoerotica. One of the guys at the breakfast table that morning had mentioned that he had written an F/F story. I asked her if there was a market for F/F.
Her reply - other than publishers that target directly to the Lesbian market, the answer is no. In fact, Ellora’s Cave has just posted new guidelines and they will no accept any F/F stories. They do not sell.
M/M is a whole ‘nother story. VERY hot hot hot.
It’s sad. I wouldn’t mind reading f/f, if the story was good, but I haven’t come across any romances that were f/f. I’ve read several fantasy/sci-fi books that contained f/f relationships, but no romance.
There’s lesbian fiction out there but not much lesbian romance. Jolie du Pre writes some although it might be seen as erotica. I’ve written some (shameless self promotion - at eXtasy and Forbidden Publications) but every one tells me there’s no market for it. But there must be other women like me out there who’s sexual orientation is kind of queer (although nowadays it tends to go toward a good book and gardening) and who likes lesbian and bisexual romance. I don’t like f/f/m when the second f is merely a toy thing of the primary het relationship. OK that’s not true, if it’s hot it’s hot, but I want the women to have a solid loving relationship. And the sex has to be hot not just a wishy washy “she’s so soft” silliness. I like my women to go for it. But I haven’t seem it in romance, or erotic romance only in erotica. The Best of Lesbian Erotica anthologies are good.
http://www.torquerepress.com/
Torquere Press does some lesbian fiction but I don’t think it’s particularly romance oriented.
There’s also Bella Books http://www.bellabooks.com/
but a little far away to access for me in Oz.
I wish a trend would start.
I think a lot of women are turned off or suspicious of f/f erotica or erotic romance because they associate it with porn ie something for a male audience. But I came into my erotic flowering (just had to get that in) at a time when lesbianism was seen as empowering for women (which carried it’s own set of pc problems). So I’ve always seen sex between women and fiction that explores the relationships between women as positive and necessary rather than a morsel for men.
Interesting feedback, Cynthia. I dunno though. I mean, I consider myself pretty average in my romance preferences and I would *love* to read an action f/f space opera. Guess the only way I’m going to get that is to write one! And I’m not in my 20s, so it’s not like I’m experimenting/exploring my burgeoning sexuality. (Been there, done that, got the lube tube). Hey, Keziah, maybe we can start a trend? :)
How about this: I consider this a personal challenge! I *will* submit an f/f erotic space opera novella to *someone* by the end of this year. Bug me around September if anyone remembers! ;)
If you build the world and write the sex, they will *ahem* come. Thanks for the topic, Sarah & Candy!
said on...Woohoo, this is my first Bitchery post! Wild applause for me.
Firstly, as a brief intro, I am a voracious reader of romance novels: historicals, fantasy, contemporary, even m/m- you name it. If it has a brooding hero and some bodice ripping, count me in. I am also a lesbian and have been happily married to my wonderful wife for 7 years. That being said, I have tried on numerous occassions to read lesbian fiction or romance. I have been very disappointed on the whole, with rare exception. I do enjoy Sarah Waters, but Naiad press, a lesbian publisher given to shamltz, is all that fills the shelves of the lesbian sections.
Now, I haven’t read any of the newer fiction, so maybe there is hope. I have started reading m/m ebooks from places like Torquere, and really enjoyed them. Maybe I should branch out and try some new ones. I would love to hear any good recommendations!
On a side note, thanks for such a great website. I love reading such a hysterical and refreshing look at the novels I love, and love to hate!
said on...Interesting that there’s so little when it seems to be a growing area in detective fiction. I’ve read one decent book and it might be a little old, but it was Curious Wine by Katherine Forrest.
said on...In the romance/mystery genre, Sarah Dreher Stoner Mactavish series is very good. There is a strong romance between Stoner and Gwen, whom she meets in the first book.
Barbara Wilson’s Pam Nilson series is good. The Dog Collar Murders is one of my favorites.
JM Redmann’s Micky Knight series is more one-night-stand hard boiled lesbian gumshoe than romance, but still good.
said on...I read alot, and not nnecessarily mainstream titles. But, rarely come across f/f stories.
If it’s well written, I can really enjoy m/m or m/m/f...probably because I find men sexually attractive and therefore can understand (identify) others who find them sexually attractive. I’m an avid people watcher, and although I might find another woman attractive, I do not find them sexually attractive...like BevL, not happening for me.
So, no recommendations from me...and probably no buying either (unless its recommended by many SBs as fabulous).
said on...I would love to read some lesbian romance novels. The only lesbian I can think of in my romance novels was a next door neighbor. Actually, I consider myself bisexual, and I think it would be much hotter to read f/f than m/m. Not that I have anything against gay romance novels, and I would even read some if they were at my library, but I just can’t identify with and be interested in the sexuality of people without my basic plumbing. Its just… nice, and pretty to watch/imagine, but I can’t pretend they are my orgasms, if that makes sense. And that is why I like reading about women with men or women with women, I can identify with (at least the one) woman and transfer her orgasms to me.
said on...Mmh… I can’t think of any specific lesbian romances, but if you’ll accept some reaching, you might want to check out Terry Pratchett’s “Monstrous Regiment”, which has one mentioned pairing and plenty of faint hints that fans have expanded upon, though the book itself is not focused on romance.
The only specifically lesbian romance I’ve read is Pembroke Park, and it was interesting, but I admit I haven’t been motivated to seek out more. But then, I don’t read much m/m stuff either. I’m just a vanilla sort of reader.
The only lesbian romances that I know about are written for teens, so there’s not much in the way of sex in them. It is curious that while m/m stories do so well, f/f don’t. If given a preference, I’d be more apt to read a good f/f book than the other way around.
said on...Hmm for romantic lesbian books the only ones I can think of are from Japanese manga like Revolutionary Girl Utena
and Sailor Moon. For fiction Sarah Waters is good, other than that there are no specific romace titles, they are mostly mystery and sci-fi books.
How about this: I consider this a personal challenge! I *will* submit an f/f erotic space opera novella to *someone* by the end of this year. Bug me around September if anyone remembers!
I want to read that! I’ll remind you KSA
I do enjoy Sarah Waters, but Naiad press, a lesbian publisher given to shamltz, is all that fills the shelves of the lesbian sections.
They’re so earnest aren’t they? Although if memory serves me correctly they did publish Pat Califia years ago.
Its just… nice, and pretty to watch/imagine, but I can’t pretend they are my orgasms, if that makes sense. And that is why I like reading about women with men or women with women, I can identify with (at least the one) woman and transfer her orgasms to me.
That’s exactly why lots of m/m doesn’t do much for me. I have to fantasize myself into the exchange somehow. I can’t do that with two men having sex no matter how gorgeous they are.
DS said on...Patience and Sarah, a historic and not particularly erotic novel was published by Fawcett in the 70’s. I remember an early Amanda Quick with a lesbian aunt. And I’ve been listening to an audio Victorian mystery where the heroine’s sister is openly (within the family)lesbian.
However, I have noticed that lesbian writers who deal with romantic relationships tend to write about m/m. The Front Runner and subsequent books by that author, Mary Renault’s novels set in Ancient Greece or her contemporary (WWII) novel The Charioteer. She wrote a novel about a lesbian relationship called the Middlea Mist that ends unhappily unlike her m/m books.
The ancient Greek ideal of m/m relationship actually appears to be the western ideal in lots of hetero romances. (The other great ideal of western romance-- the Courtly Love tradition appears to be anathema to a lot of modern romance readers.)
Naiad Press if often derided as the
Oops meant to say that Naiad Press has often been derided as the Harlequin of lesbian romance.
As a straight fan of the L word I’d read some lesbian romantic fiction. After 3 years of skinny rich gorgeous lesbians on the show i’m curious as to how lesbians would be portrayed in a romance. i mean dont any of them have cellulite? love handles, saggy boobs???
Are lesbians really that promiscuous? do their relationships really just last one season? Errrrr… 6 months? LOL The oldest, most out of shape one on there is cybill shepard for goodness sakes..she’s a 50 somethin yr old supermodel!!
Tongue in cheek questions but seriously, i’ve read some m/m romances but simply have never SEEN any f/f romances around.
A lesbian romance would be perfect PMS week when I HATE MEN ... let him see what i’m reading and start sweatin!!
I think this is a shame and have for some time, because I think f/f scenes are hot.
I’m not a lesbian, I’m not even bisexual (I did kiss a girl once, on a dare, and it was like kissing my own child, nothing remotely sexual about it at all), but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy reading or writing them. I’m not a big fan of some other sexual practices either but it still turns me on to read or write them.
I’ve wondered if it isn’t, as Keziah said, something to do with a distaste for those insatiable porn stars, or if it’s a discomfort with the idea that liking f/f scenes might mean you would want to try being with a woman, or what...but I do wish I was able to, say, write a f/f/m menage story, or some straight f/f erotica. I don’t know that I could write a whole lesbian romance, but I’d love to spice my work up a bit with something a little different.
I just sold a book to EC--a vamp romance--which insludes a short f/f scene done at the bad guys’ house, for their entertainment. I don’t know if I’ll be asked to cut it or if its inclusion will up the sex rating of the book, which other than that is plentiful but fairly vanilla. There’s not even any real anal in it (aside from a finger here and there).
I guess we’ll wait and see…
said on...Does it count that I was plagiarized in a lesbian romance novel? So I kinda read one--hmm, kinda wrote one, inadvertantly.
said on...Hasn’t anyone read Lifemask by Emma Donohue (sp?)? The relationship was very well done. I’m not gay, but I identified strongly with the depth of feeling the characters had for each other. Its not the only relationship described in the book, but I thought it was great.
Don’t read any erotic romance, but I’d have no more problem reading a f/f romance than reading a m/m romance. I imagine Jen is right, and in some ways it would be a more involving read. (And on occasion a m/m romance as written by a female author will strike me as implausible - a bit too much fantasy in it, or something.)
So it’s not that I wouldn’t, it’s just that they haven’t come my way.
The only one I tried was Coyote Sky by Gerri Hall. I was trawling for new authors, and her books were high up the Amazon Romance bestseller list, and were uniformly five starred, so she seemed worth a try.
I didn’t get as far as the romance - I just found the thing unreadable, so I couldn’t personally recommend her.
said on...Oh come on, I can’t believe no one has yet mentioned the Lynne Cheney lesbian romance, “Sisters.”
Love you Nora!
So...is there no market, or nobody filling the market?
The few I have read have been eeeeeeeh.
M/M must be more interesting or something.
F/F seems to bring out the blah.
First post ever! Very exciting!
Had to chime in to give out some names for lesbian romance… then realized I don’t know any lesbian romance. I’m a big, big fan of same-sex relationships/smut in fiction, but pretty much the only fiction is literary mainstream:
-Jeanette Winterson (all of her stuff)
-Sarah Waters (loved “Fingersmith” and “Tipping the Velvet,” just hated “Affinity.")
-Emma Donoghue ("Kissing the Witch” was one of my favorite books as a teen, “Hood” was pretty excellent, etc.)
-Nevada Barr’s “Bittersweet.” Don’t know how many people here read mysteries, but Nevada Barr’s pretty big in that field, and “Bittersweet” is an interesting departure for her.
-Dorothy Allison’s semi-famous “Bastard out of Carolina.”
-Rita Mae Brown’s “Rubyufruit Jungle.”
Actually, this list isn’t very helpful b/c it’s all mainstream fiction. I can’t think of any f/f romance at all. I do know that other genres (SF&F) have a fair smattering of f/f stories, but that’s it.
I do know that when I was younger I devoured every f/f work I could get my hands on (along with tons and tons of traditional romance novels). I doubt I’m the only one (especially reading other people’s comments here), so I think there could definitely be a market for it. I know that every time I come across a same-sex pairing in Science Fiction or Fantasy, I get a thrill and devour the book.
However, the internet and fanfic have pretty much satisfied my same-sex “cravings” (yuck). Now, when I want a hot f/f romance/smut story, I just look it up on the web. Same goes for m/m fic, which I am a BIG fan of. But despite that, I’d really like some well-written, professional f/f fiction.
Anyhow, there’s my two cents. Love the website! Love the comments!
said on...Like Danielle, I’m a longtime lesbian, and I tried and tried to think of a lesbian romance that I would recommend. All I could think of was “Memory Board” by Jane Rule, which features an older female couple (I don’t remember what age exactly), one of whom suffers from severe memory problems. I don’t think there was any sex at all.
Back in the late ‘80s I read a romance about two women who met working in a factory during WWII. One was very butch and the other femme. It was terribly sweet. I think it was called “A Good Woman is Hard to Find” or maybe “For the Love of a Good Woman” (not Alice Munro’s), but I can’t find reference to it using Google.
Abigail Padgett wrote a good mystery called “Blue,” but there’s not a huge romance element to it.
Kim Harrison’s awesomely good series featuring Rachel Morgan (starts with “Dead Witch Walking") has a female vampire who’s in love with the Rachel, but in the ones I’ve read so far, it’s totally unrequited (frustrating!).
I wrote a polyamorous lesbian romance for the National Novel Writing Month challenge in 2005. I have to say, for a first novel written in 30 days, it really sucks wind. The concept was good, but the execution was shoddy, so don’t hold your breath waiting for it to see the light of day.
I know what you mean, Esme - fanfic is where I get my bicurious rocks off. I’d love to read professional f/f romances, if they were more available.
Hint hint. ::Meaningful wink Nora-wards::
Hello...I’m a first time commenter. But wanted to comment on this. First, Naiad press is no more. Just looked it up on google and they have retired. I guess that they have passed the hat to Bella Books, and there looks to be lot’s of lesbian romance there. I was personally a fan of Karen Kallmaker; however, lesbian romance tends to be marketed to lesbians only because most men don’t pick up romance and it’s not usually smutty enough to be outright porn. The books tend to be more expensive because they are coming from a small press and they are only stored in “lesbian sections” of bookstores.
All of this contributes to the lack of exposure and, therefore, lack of market. It’s not just about the schmaltz factor, since I’ve read plenty of mainstream romance that is complete schmaltz.
My own background...I’m a bi woman, and a historical romance junky.
Sarah. DUDE. Have I got a treat for you.
I highly recommend Saber and Shadow by SM Stirling and Shirley Meier. The whole Shkai’ra and Megan series is wonderful, but that book (published as both The Sharpest Edge and Saber and Shadow) has some of the BEST combat scenes EVER, and the emotional relationship between two women is very well done. (Though Shkai’ra is sometimes a boy with a vajayjay. Hey, we can’t all be perfect.) I also adore Dorothy Allison’s short stories, but they’re technically not romance…
I’m in my 30s, not in my 20s, but F/F is a fantasy that works for me. I’ve never been attracted to a woman in real life—except for Giada de Laurentis, but it’s not like that’s really “real life” for me; still, the woman is seriously hot, IMO—but I own plenty of straight erotica and a couple of porn vids that feature F/F either alone or in conjunction with a M.
And, sadly, I totally resemble the “comfortable shoes” comment.
said on...I definitely have to recommend Sarah Waters, as well. Tipping the Velvet made my eyes cross. Yum! Other than that, I’ve read some Karin Kallmaker and she’s okay, but not my favorite. I’d second or third Emma Donohue, too. I adore Kissing the Witch! It’s incredibly hard to find good romance/erotica in full length novel form (or at least I’ve found it really hard too find!)The Femme Mystique is a good anthology with some pretty smoking fiction in it if one wants to get one’s butch/femme on, as is Butch. Mostly when I need my f/f fix I write it myself or search the internet. :)
I just wrote one, set in the 50ies! It’s unpublished and in Swedish though… I’ll submit it to a queer press who have published translations of Curious Wine (mentioned above) and Patricia Highsmith’s Carol (which I haven’t read).
Perhaps ye good olde lesbian pulp fiction would do the trick? I’ve only read a little from an anthology, but I’d say that by today’s standards they are relational romance, not smutty erotica.
And of course Sarah Waters’ historical novels on the verge of romance - Tipping the Velvet, Fingersmith, Affinity (I’m currently reading Nightwatch but it’s a completely different animal)
For non-romance, and queer rather than lesbian, I’d say Jeanette Winterson and Angela Carter.
I also think there is lesbian fantasy, but that’s not my cup of tea so I can’t give you any titles.
said on...This isn’t a romance by any stretch of the imagination—more of a sexual memoir—but there’s a lesbian relationship at the core of Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady by Florence King (whom older romance readers might know better as Laura Buchanan, author of The Barbarian Princess).
Sorry, how could I forget Fried Green Tomatoes? The movie portrayed the relationship as a friendship, but the book was much clearer that Idgie and Ruth were lovers and partners. It wasn’t only about them, but it was fairly central to the story.
said on...Thanks BevL! Yes I did write a Heat Sheet for Phaze that’s due out in April of this year. It has a strong f/f romance angle but is being marketed as a menage. It is definitely erotica.
(Yes this was another shameless self plug!)
I think it’s pretty hot, but will admit to some predjudice! I’d love to hear what others think of it when it comes out.
There’s a great YA lesbian romance called “Annie on my Mind” that I LOVED all three times I read it, but it doesn’t have detailed sex scenes. Other than that I’d pretty much be echoing everyone else--it seems like we’ve all read the same four books!
I am totally straight, so less interested in f/f than m/m, but I have read f/f erotica before and enjoyed it. I would TOTALLY read f/f historical romance or fantasy if I could find some (KSA your novella idea sounds awesome!), but yeah, I’ve never seen it in mainstream stores and the stuff I’ve found in lesbian bookstores always reads like it was written in the 70s, somehow. I bet this is a niche market that will open up just like m/m has---that wasn’t big a few years ago either.
ITA in the hinting, Kiku, especially considering how often I’ve been in the mood for some fun, well-written slash fic and found nothing new on my favorite sites. Clicking the Refresh button stops being fun after the fiftieth time.
Professional, well-written lesbian romances would definitely make my day.
Off to troll for more slash.
Hmm.. I’d love to see more f/f romance, myself. Informationally, I’m a 33 year old bi girl, who has always been attracted to both but didn’t acknowledge it until my 20s.
As far as movies, no one has mentioned “Kissing Jessica Stein”, which I really enjoyed.
M/M is okay, and I like any combo of threesome/group, but it would be nice to see a little girl on girl romance :)
It’s not really a romance, it’s historical fiction, but DUCHESS by Susan Holloway Scott actually has some lesbian sex type scenes in it. It was rather interesting (once I got past my initial “Oh, my..” reaction) seeing as how the two women were both happily married… Well, I found it interesting, anyway, in the context.
I will second the raves for Sarah Waters...I also remembered a Cheryl Holt, More than Seduction, I think, that features a secondary lesbian romance. Pretty sweet.
I also like Dorothy Allison, though I dont classify her in the romance category.
I read a great fantasy novel called Fire Logic by Laurie Marks that has a lesbain relationship as the main relationship in the story. The protaganist is a lesbian. It’s a fabulous book.
I’ve never been one for m/m. Can’t get into it, but I have written a few f/f scenes. In Blood Red, I have a f/f scene, and in Inferno, one of my secondary female characters is in love with Kat because they had a brief but poignant affair.
I’d like to see more lesbian relationships in mainstream books.
said on...Vajayjay is my new word. I was getting a little tired of twa twa, anyway.
And I have to say, Sarah Waters is SOOOO GOOD. And you have to watch the BBC miniseries of Tipping the Velvet; it’s delish.
I have a copy of Spring Fire by Vin Packer, but I haven’t read it yet. It’s “lesbian pulp fiction”.
The supernatural murder mystery Touch, by Gayleen Froese, includes a lesbian romance. Several of them, if you include flashbacks.
But no erotica.
It’s a nice subtle building of the relationship, though.
Yay for you bitches for bringing up F/F romance. I too have always loved to read it although I’m straight. I wanted to find out if I could write one, so I did and Loose Id published it. It’s called “Widow’s Weeds” and although it’s a novella, I think I captured the romance and the hot sex.
Loose Id published two F/F erotic romances in 2006, mine (http://www.loose-id.net/detail.aspx?ID=295) and “In the Eyes of Love” by Sheri Livingston (http://www.loose-id.net/detail.aspx?ID=274).
I loved Sheri’s story and I know that Loose Id is always open to publishing more F/F.
I hate to say it, but F/F romance doesn’t appeal to me in general. I do love Sarah Waters and “Tipping the Velvet” was damn hot. But I think it was really the messing-with-gender that did it for me more than the lesbian sex. Emma Donohue I’ve read and didn’t like as much.
M/M is a lot sexier to me, and I guess it’s just because I’m hopelessly straight, and I can’t help wanting to read about men, whether with chicks or with each other.
I would definitely give a well-written lesbian romance a shot, but I don’t think I’d get the same thrill out of it. If there is no market for f/f, as Ellora’s Cave says, I would guess it’s because other (straight female) readers feel the same way.
said on...First post. :)
I second the recommendation for Sheri Livingston.
“I’ve never been one for m/m. Can’t get into it, but I have written a few f/f scenes. In Blood Red, I have a f/f scene, and in Inferno, one of my secondary female characters is in love with Kat because they had a brief but poignant affair.
I’d like to see more lesbian relationships in mainstream books.”
Now hold on there! I want more M/M in mainstream books…
OK, let’s split Harlequin down the middle and dump the straight stuff out the back.
No one will notice… I swear!
I loved Sheri’s story and I know that Loose Id is always open to publishing more F/F.
Beth, thank you very much for recommending my book. I haven’t done a very good job promoting myself, so you helping is greatly appreciated.
When I first approached Loose (with AK’s recommendation), I was shocked when they grabbed it...lolol...and even more shocked when Cobblestone grabbed my second novel.
What I was writing was not sought-after material, so I’m thrilled they both gave me a chance to get it out there.
I’m also proud to announce Loose will be publishing my 3rd, Watching You.
Thanks again!!!
You’re the best!
Muah,
Sheri
I second the recommendation for Sheri Livingston.
Muah, to Lesley!!!
Crap, this is my second post...was I supposed to announce the first?
Hmmm...oops?
*grin*
Thank you!
Sheri
Great subject Sarah, as usual. Not only recommendations, but interesting insight as to how we relate to ourselves and our sexuality.
December...doubt you will offend the editors at EC, do you have a release date?
Spinsterwitch...another victim of the bizarre shelving practices of bookstores? So...Lesbian, Gay, black authors, erotica, and romance are seperated and shelved seperately? As much as I love books, finding what I want in any large bookstore is a MAJOR frustration. It’s suprising how often I leave the store knowing a book I wanted is on the shelf (or back room) but neither myself nor the staff can find it. Climbing off my soapbox now.
said on...I write Lesbian fantasy romance (not published, but cross your fingers) and I can hardly find any ebooks. Sheri Livingston is one of the better authors that I have found. I personally think that Lesbian romance should blow up in the next few years.
It’s a fantasy, not a romance, but Kristopher Reisz’s “Tripping to Somewhere” has a lesbian main character who is in love with her best friend, and then falls in love with another woman in the course of the story.
Main characters are high school students, but there several sex scenes.
said on...Hi my name is Taylor Voltaire and this is my first post.
Sheri Livingston certainly makes a straight girl wonder!!!
I wouldn’t have ever bought a lesbian book to read, BUT after reading Ms. Livingston, I have purchased both her books, and will be one of the first to buy her third.
Sheri Livingston is one of the better authors that I have found. I personally think that Lesbian romance should blow up in the next few years.
Thank you very much!!!
And I’m sure crossing my fingers what f/f will bust loose in the next few years.
Sheri Livingston certainly makes a straight girl wonder!!!
I wouldn’t have ever bought a lesbian book to read, BUT after reading Ms. Livingston, I have purchased both her books, and will be one of the first to buy her third.
Taylor, you’re a mess...MUAH!!!
I liked “Annie On My Mind” but it’s a little preachy in parts… it mentions some other books I’ve always meant to read but never remembered to write down! Mercedes Lackey, a fantasy author, has several lesbian characters, though they are often secondary characters and the romance is secondary to the plot. Tamora Pierce’s latest book, I forget the title, has a lesbian romance at the center.
Torquere Press has a really good anthology called Locked and Loaded. The theme is women with guns like spies, cowgirls, and private detectives. I’ve just finished it, and I loved it. I haven’t read such good lesbian romance fiction in a while.
said on...Naiad Press, which used to publish the majority of lesbian romance novels, went out of business several years ago when the owners retired. Now the main publisher of lesbian romances, I believe, is Bella Books (http://www.bellabooks.com/). They have lesbian-themed books in multiple genres--mystery, fantasy, science fiction, etc. They also sell books from other LGBT presses on their website. I don’t have any particular recommendations for authors, but it would be a useful site to check out. They may give away review copies as well.
I’d have to say, IMO, Katherine V. Forrest’s CURIOUS WINE is probably the modern-day classic of lesbian romance, the benchmark against which many romances are still judged. Marion Zimmer Bradley also had a wonderful ground-breaking lesbian romance in the Shattered Chain trilogy in her Darkover books, and has many bi/m-m/f-f romances going on in those well-known mainstream classics.
Move-wise, DESERT HEARTS is probably the classic, the spot to start, the place where all discussions of lesbian romance movies begin. By the time those two women finally kiss, the tension is so intense, that straight or gay, I defy you not to scream out loud with relief. BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER totally cracks me up as a farce, too, movie-wise. A sweet YA romance is involved in that goofy movie, too.
Lesbian romance, marketed directly to a lesbian audience (and to some extent, exclusively, as in the publisher has primarily gay and lesbian offerings, or a gay and lesbian imprint), is actually fairly large. There was a time when I could boast owning just about every lesbian romance out there. Yeah, my age is showing. Now there are *thousands* if not hundreds of thousands of very high quality lesbian romance pieces, of all subgenres you’re familiar with, with the addition of “coming out stories,” which I’d bet have the most popularity and might be most enjoyed by bi or straight(er) women. But I don’t know that for a fact.
The big players in lesbian romance are Bella Books (already mentioned), Alyson Books (http://www.alyson.com--and they have a lot of schoarlarly stuff, too, not to mention a hefty print lesbian erotica section--as well as HEY WRITERS typically a call for short story submissions for various romantic or erotic anthologies), Kensington and St. Martin’s (for larger, more mainstream), Firebrand Books (tend toward the deep and literary), Cleis (lots of erotica), New Victoria (broke a lot of ground with the Stoner McTavish paranormal series), and Seal (also erudite, lots of academic studies and social commentaries, too). I’ve probably missed some.
For writers, http://www.queerwriters.com is an excellent resource with updated submission calls, if you have short pieces to place, f/f OR m/m or transgendered or any combo thereof.
said on...Years ago, I wrote a term paper on lesbian pulp novels of the 1950’s & 60’s for a college class.
My favorite is Ann Bannon. Some of her books are:
Beebo Brinker
Odd Girl Out
I Am A Woman
There is also Vin Packer who wrote Spring Fire, which is credited as being the first lesbian pulp novel. She also wrote under the name Ann Aldrich but it is her young adult novels (not gay, IIRC) written under the name M.E. Kerr that most people are familiar with. (Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack!, If I Love You, Am I Trapped Forever, I’ll Love You When You’re More Like Me, etc.)
Also from the 50’s/60’s:
Valerie Taylor - Return to Lesbos
Paula Christian
Mabel Maney wrote some send ups of the Nancy Drew books that were pretty funny in which Nancy Clue and Cherry Aimless fall in love, George and Bess are kissing cousins, if you get my drift and everyone has a gay old time solving the case.
The Case of the Not-So-Nice Nurse: A Nancy Clue and Cherry Aimless Mystery is the first book.
Vivi Anna, thanks for recommending Fire Logic by Laurie J. Marks. I read the Amazon reviews and as soon as she was compared to Tanya Huff (who I’m reading now), I requested Fire Logic and the sequel from Paperback Swap. There’s also a third book in the series coming out in June. I also have Marks’ first book Delan the Mislaid and now that I know it has two sequels, I’ll be on the lookout for those.
I’ve never read a lesbian romance, although I’ve read a few mainstream lesbian books and I read a lot of science fiction and fantasy by lesbian authors or books which feature homosexual or bisexual characters. Some of my favorites featuring lesbian characters are Lackey’s The Heralds of Valdemar Trilogy (secondary characters are lesbians), Elizabeth A. Lynn’s Tornor Trilogy, Melissa Scott’s Dreamships and Dreaming Metal, Tanya Huff’s Quarters series (I’m reading book one now and it seems that most characters are bi, the heroine has a female long-term partner), Lyda Morehouse’s AngeLINK series (lesbian secondary character in book one becomes a more central character in later books), and Spin State and Spin Control by Chris Moriarty.
I really like Nicola Griffith. Her stories are not really romance or erotica, but they are excellent lesbian fiction with strong romantic subplots. Sarah Waters is okay. Much better is Jeanette Winterson.
http://www.babeland.com and http://www.goodvibes.com both sell books and are woman/lesbian owned and operated, so their selections have a strong f/f slant. Linsay Welsh and Alison Tyler are probably more “genre” romance, except that they are both “terrible, awful, and bad” in the words of my SO, who has read all their books. A (former) Babeland employee, she read all their books for work-knowledge. She claims.
Laura Antoniou writes all pairings, kinks, and sexualities, with strong f/f stories.
Melissa Scott writes sf with f/f pairings (as well as m/m), as many other sf writers do, as well. SF tends to be rather liberal in re sexuality.
SM Stirling writes rather brutal f/f sf novels, including collaborations with Shirley Meier which I like quite a lot.
Just found this site today, and kudos to the owners—funny stuff! But I do have to say this with all due respect, but.. are any of you ladies actually lesbians?? I’m astounded at all of the comments lamenting a “lack of lesbian romance”—it’s all over the damn place! Lesbian romance novels have exploded in the last ten years; you can’t get away from them when browsing les bookstores or websites these days. The GLBT bookstore in my city has six freaking aisles of the damn things, LOL!
If you want an idea of how many there ARE, go to Amazon and browse books by categories. Select Gay and Lesbian -> Literature & Fiction -> Fiction -> Lesbian. Almost every single one of the 3000 hits? Lesbian romance novels.
Now, as for what’s good and what’s not—I’m not a romance fan, so all 3000 fall into my “what’s not” category. I’ll leave that to you guys. ;)
But I do have to say this with all due respect, but.. are any of you ladies actually lesbians?? I’m astounded at all of the comments lamenting a “lack of lesbian romance”—it’s all over the damn place!
Yep...I’ll stand up and raise my hand. My B & N has a gay/lesbian section that I can open my arms spread eagle and reach both ends of the shelves...yep, it’s THAT tiny!
I don’t do a lot of book ording online, so haven’t checked out all that’s available, but a lot of what I have ordered in the past was a waste of time and money. The ones I purchase in the store I actually get to browse through before I make a decision.
Sheri
Hi, I read a lot and I happen to be a lezzie, so I prefer to read lesbian fiction. Which contrary to popular belief does exist. Okay so here are my current list of favs:
1)Greetings from Jamaica, Wish you were Queer by Mari Sangiovanni. Funny, modern and an easy read.
2) The Spanish Pearl by Catherine Friend. Time travel, sword slinging, and a tad predictible but fun none the less.
3) The Kylie Kendall mysteries series by Claire McNab. More of a mystery with a strong lesbian lead, but the author does throw in a bit of romance here and there.
4) Anything by Karen Kallmaker. Typical romance novels, but I love her stuff.
5) Anything by Radclyff. Just as equally popular as Karen Kallmaker, Has a ton of erotic scenes in all of her novels.
6) Fingersmith by Sarah Waters- Similar to Tipping the Velvet, but IMHO w/ a better plot.
7) Anything by Mabel Manley- Gay spoofs of popular classic novels such as Nancy Drew and James Bond. Funny and worth picking up.
8) Family Traginomic by Alison Bechdel- A touching graphic novel that is partially auto biographical. You should also check out her long running comic strip Dykes to Watch out For
9) Geography Club by Brent Hartinger- A young adult novel and a quick read. Oddly addicting.
10) The Say she Tastes like Honey By Michelle Sawyer- A snarky and witty read with a helpless and self-destructive heroine you just can’t help but cheer for.
02.26.07 at 03:28 PM |