Author Profile: VG Lee

Successful author VG Lee shares a few tidbits of life behind the scenes, in the second of our author profiles.


What's your first memory of enjoying reading?
My grandmother had a pictorial copy of Pilgrim's Progress - four drawings on each page with writing underneath. I remember at some point finding the writing of more interest than the illustrations.

What are you currently reading?
Empire Falls but Richard Russo. I read a collection of his short stories on holiday this year and loved his writing.

Which character you've created/written do you wish you could spend a day as?
Mrs Botolph in my first novel, The Comedienne. She is the old friend of the main character's mother and is very bossy and gets things done!

Which character that someone else has written do you wish you could spend a day as?
Hmm. As a child I wanted to be Katie in the What Katie Did series. Can't think of anyone I'd like to be in a more recent novel.

Have you created any characters you don't like?
Not really. I have created characters that I like but aren't necessarily meant to be liked by the reader!

What was the first thing you ever wrote that made you think, "I want to be a writer"?
Just a few pages about going to see 'Perchance to Dream' with my mum and aunty at The Connaught Theatre in Worthing. I sort of knew that I'd captured them with affection and thought I might be able to do it again.

Do you edit as you go or as a full process after a first draft?
I do both: edit as I go along all the time and then again after each of many drafts.

Where do you write? And what do you need around you?
It's a bit like sleeping, I can do it anywhere. Best times are when I wake up in the morning but often on a train when I have set myself a deadline I'll work.

Pen and paper, typewriter or computer?
I always start with pen and paper. I have notebooks piled high and full. At least first draft, sometimes second before I move on to typing it up.

Keep up to date with VG Lee
My website is www.vglee.co.uk (currently being updated).

Watch VG Lee reading from a work in progress, her next novel, Mr Oliver


If you want to buy any of VG's excellent novels and books, find her on Amazon:
The Comedienne, Always you, Edina, Diary of a Provincial Lesbian, The Woman in Beige (only available on 'new & used') and short story collection, As You Step Outside.

Author Profile: Clare Lydon

The first in our series of author profiles... get to know Clare Lydon!

What’s your first memory of enjoying reading?

My parents are both keen readers and they took me to the local library every three weeks when I was a kid.

I would take out eight books every time and read the lot. Books have always been the ultimate great escape for me.
 
What are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading two quite contrasting books. First, Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway as it’s a classic I’ve never read. Second, Lindsey Kelk’s I Heart London - she’s a fantastically compelling romance writer.
 
Which character you’ve created/written do you wish you could spend a day as?

Tricky one! I would say probably Kate from London Calling. She’s cool, has a chilled attitude towards life and has great hair. My hair is ultra-fine, therefore impossible to do much with. 

Which character that someone else has written do you wish you could spend a day as?

Good question! In lesfic, it would have to be Caid from KE Lane’s ‘And Playing The Role Of Herself’ just for the chance to kiss Robin. Swoon!
 
Have you created any characters you don’t like?

Yes! In my new novel, The Long Weekend, there are a couple of characters who are annoyingly self-absorbed. In London Calling, Jess had her moments too - she was a frustrating lead character at times, even if her heart was in the right place.
 
What was the first thing you ever wrote that made you think, “I want to be a writer”?

I wrote my first novel in primary school and loved it - so the seed was sewn early on. I’ve always written since, formerly as a journalist, now as an author and blogger. It’s a pretty cool gig!
 
Do you edit as you go or as a full process after a first draft?

I read what I did the previous day every morning when I’m in full writing flow, so edit lightly as I go. But the key thing is to get the first draft done, then it’s time for serious editing. Finish first, edit second. The edit often takes longer than the writing.
 
Where do you write? And what do you need around you?

I write at my desk in my office. I had it specially built into an alcove and I love it. I need a cup of tea, notepad and a thesaurus. The internet helps too if you want to check facts. I wrote the first half of my second book, The Long Weekend, at the kitchen table of my friend’s house in Spain. So sunshine and the promise of a pool in the afternoon works too!
 
Pen and paper, typewriter or computer?

I prefer to write directly onto my laptop. I occasionally write with pen and paper, but it’s always a pain transcribing it.

Find out more!

Personal Blog: www.clarelydon.co.uk
 
How can we buy your books?
 
The ebooks are available at Kindle, Kobo, Smashwords, iTunes, Nook and most other stores.

• Kindle version 
• Smashwords 
• Kobo

To buy a paperback, contact Clare via her website to buy a signed copy. Or head to Lulu.com or Amazon.co.uk. 

Read our review of London Calling

• Lulu

'The Knowing' by Karen Campbell

Rating:

The Knowing is set in Glasgow and is narrated by a psychic psychology lecturer named Jen Keith. Her girlfriend, Kate Coutts is a police officer who finds it hard to believe in Jen’s powers. Jen’s life is a constant struggle with trying to cope with the visions she is seeing and convincing the police and Kate to act upon said visions and save people’s lives.

This book is probably one of the best I’ve ever read. The character of Jen is fantastically written and I really felt like I connected with her on every level, actually feeling every emotion she experienced, both good and bad. There are so many twists and turns in this book you really don’t know what is going to happen next and this made we want to continue reading, I found it hard to actually put the book down.

I would recommend this book to fans of mystery, thrillers, and the supernatural, in fact I would recommend to it anyone who likes reading, and to anyone who doesn’t, this book could certainly change your mind.

A thoroughly enjoyable read and I can’t wait to read the next one and find out what happens to Jen and Kate. 

Available from AustinMacauley Publishers Ltd in e-book and paperback.

Review by Amy

 

Jean Erhardt: The Kim Claypoole Mysteries

Ratings
Small Town Trouble

Deep Trouble




I thoroughly enjoyed both of these books, firmly set within the lesbian crime genre, with the required heroine, Kim Claypoole, a typical lesbian detective, unlucky in love, big drinker, dry wit, eclectic living situation and unwittingly getting herself into trouble, just as you would expect. That is where the clichés end; unusually these books are set in the smoky mountains rather than a big urban city with plenty of lesbians which brings for a very pleasing contrast and glimpse into the realities of life in a very small town.

In Small Town Trouble, I really enjoyed reading the sub plot, about the two gay dads who were doing their best to raise a child in the face of extreme prejudice without completely unravelling as a couple. The main crime plot was thrilling and a real page turner, I just had to keep reading to see what happened next and who was behind all the random murders.

Deep Trouble, was less original than the first with hillbilly counterfeiters as the main villains but it still had plenty of wit and enough drama that kept me gripped and I couldn’t stop reading until it was done. The characters in both books, are well developed not just our heroine but her mother how can you not love a woman who names her house Tara after Gone with the Wind especially when it is nothing like that grand structure. Kim has a not totally unexpected crazy family and many interesting women in her life. All of the characters, even the villains, are well written, three dimensional people who you can see and believe in.

These books are a welcome addition to the cadre of lesbian crime, they are anything but clichéd; they are funny and moving, offering an alternative view of a part of America that isn’t usually all that welcoming to gay people. Also let’s not forget that these books are thrillers and they are real page turners, as the stories unfolded I was gripped, unable to stop reading until I had found out what happened. Great summer reads and not that expensive on kindle right now. Enjoy! 

Available from  Amazon (from £1.91 each)

By Claire Estelle

High Rack by Wollie Boehm

Rating:

 
Wollie Boehm's modern urban fable offers a quirky, beautiful look at love and the choices we have to make.

From their first meeting Issy, an orphaned chick and Freddie a fearless fox cub, feel a connection that transcends their backgrounds and upbringings that points to being soulmates.

Drawn together because they recognise a shared value within each other, and a desire to break free from their current situation, where they are outsiders because of their beliefs, will they be able to over come their naivity and innocence to prove to their families sometimes following true love is more important than conforming to what is expected.

Simply told, but conveying sophisticated ideas, this novella explores the debates that have rattled humans since the very beginning. By taking the concepts outside of human territory perhaps we have the chance to view the arguments from a different perspective, and change the way we act before it's too late? 

Available from Amazon

By Katie

Camellia (Book one) by Cari Z and Caitlin Ricci

Rating:

 

Danny is a model and about to go for an interview. All she knows is that the job involves tea and a kink convention. She thinks this will be an easy job: possibly wearing latex and getting spanked in front of an audience, she’s pretty sure she can handle that. 

That is until she meets Lucy, her interviewer, dressed in riding boots and a corset. At the end of the interview Danny realises this job isn’t going to be as easy as she first imagined.

The book mainly takes place over the two days of Danny’s new job with Lucy. The whole experience is nothing like she expected and she very quickly finds herself enjoying her introduction into the world of BDSM and it leaves her wanting more: more of the riding crop and more of Lucy.

Camellia is extremely well written. The characters of Danny and Lucy were very real and at times I felt like I was them, I could feel what they felt, hear what they heard and see what they saw. I have to admit I don’t know much about the BDSM scene but the way Cari & Caitlin put across the scenes in the story I feel I know a lot more now that I did before I started reading the book.

This is the first in a series of Camellia books and this one definitely left me wanting to read more. Whether you are, or aren’t, interested in BDSM, I would recommend reading Camellia. It is much more than whips & chains, it is a story of two very different women who come together through their work and how a business relationship can very quickly turn into a personal one. 

I didn’t want to, in fact I couldn’t, put this book down and I read it over two nights, I was sad to find I was at the end so quickly but will definitely be looking up the next in the series. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Available from Less Than 3 Press

By Amy

"That Certain Something" by Clare Ashton

The latest novel from Clare Ashton moves into rom-com with this London story of love vs luxury.

Rating:




With a contrasting London backdrop (from Kensington Gardens to Electric Avenue) creative free-spirit photographer Pia meets high flyer Cate whilst hanging from a tree trying to expose a hypocritical MP.

There is an instant spark that leads them to a night of unforgettable passion. But mysterious Cate leaves no contact details, the following morning, and Pia finally realises she will never see her again. 

Until she starts her new job as a photographer on a new magazine and is paired with the senior journalist, and the wealthy owner's new wife... Cate. 

It seems the pair can't escape being thrown together, as they navigate the twists and turns of working together as colleagues and an attraction neither can ignore. But, will Cate overcome her desires for a wealthy lifestyle and follow her heart instead?

With a highly likeable protagonist in Pia, plus a hot chemistry that comes across very well on the page, That Certain Something is an extremely readable love tale, with a hint of Pride and Prejudice channeled through the 'Bennet' magazine name.

Available from Amazon (£3.59 Kindle, £8.99 Paperback)
and Smashwords.

By Katie