ceLEStial books

When I first started reading my way through the world of "lesfic" about a year ago, one of the first novels recommended to me was Lise MacTague's Depths of Blue . I read it in one sitting, which is unheard of me these days because my young children make that very difficult to do.  As such, I was most pleased when Lise agreed to share some thoughts with me for the next author Q&A.  1.     What's the last novel you read? Was there something memorable about it? The most recent novel I’ve read was A Close and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers. It’s a fascinating sci-fi novel about an AI who gets taken from the ship she was used to running and put into a human body. The body is mechanical but indistinguishable from a human from the outside. She has to come to terms to inhabiting a different form. At the same time, we get another story told from the point of view of a girl who was genetically created and raised to be a factory worker. She escapes from her circums...

I'm always excited to host a fellow NineStar Press author! Casey has published a fantastic M/M novel and, as it turns out, we even share the same philosophy when it comes to the romance elements in books. Welcome, Casey! 1. What's one book you remember reading in high school? What stood out for you during or after reading it?  I loved the books by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, namely Hawksong, the start of her Kiesha’ra series.  I also fell in love with Darren Shan’s Cirque du Freak series.  I’ve just always loved paranormal books, and these two authors really captured my heart.  They had memorable characters and stories that have stuck with me to this day, and their books still have a place on my shelf.  2. What aspect of your book 'One Bullet' are you most proud of?  I’m proud that I stuck to my guns - so to speak - and kept it sex free.  It’s a problem I have, as a reader, to find romance books with little to no sex in them.  I’m of t...

It's been an amazing few months! I must say I feel incredibly blessed right now, and I plan to enjoy the euphoria for a moment. I've found a wonderful home for my recently completed writing projects, with NineStar Press having accepted three pieces of work, all with F/F story lines. For anyone who may be interested, here is where my writing projects currently sit: FINDING AURORA This is a 20,000 word fantasy novella. It will be published in the anthology Once Upon a Rainbow 2 in mid-January, 2018.  I really enjoyed writing this one! It's an appropriation of Sleeping Beauty, following the attempts of Talia (a caster of magic) and Amir (the prince of Grimvein) as they try to rescue Aurora from the curse that's trapped her and her entire village for almost a century. This is very much in the style of a classical fairy tale, but with a few differences - of course. BENEATH THE SURFACE (The Outsider Project, Book I) This is my debut novel, a sci-fi story of ...

If you haven't read E.J. Noyes's debut novel Ask, Tell then my message to you is...read it! I don't tend to gravitate toward romance novels, but I started this book and finished it in the same day because it wouldn't let me stop reading. E.J. is a fellow Australian like myself and so I was really pleased to be able to steal some of her time for this interview. 1. Let's start off with the important stuff. Beer or wine? Can I say gin? No? Okay… I live in Queensland where beer is mandatory, particularly in summer. I’d go for an ice-cold amber ale, like Ruby Tuesday.   2. If you could have a meal with one of the characters in Ask, Tell , who would it be and why?   I think Sabine’s sister, Jana would be seriously fun to spend time with. I imagine the (boozy) meal would start with deep discussions about movies and music and philosophy, segue to whispered observations about fellow diners and probably end with her chucking food at someone. Th...

For the second author Q&A on ceLEStial books, I am very grateful to welcome Kiki Archer. She "...is the UK-based author of eight best-selling, award-winning novels." Kiki is an amazing example of a successful, independent novelist. There are lots of fascinating interviews on her website that delve into her rising career. Her social media presence reflects her general awesomeness as a public figure in the LGBTI+ community. 1. What's one book you remember reading in high school? What stood out for you during or after reading it? I only remember reading Jane Eyre because it was our English literature text. I remember a section where Jane randomly hears Mr Rochester's voice echoing around her. That's as far as my love of the classics came and went. I was never a big reader in school, focusing instead on sports. All the sports. In fact I probably read more sport psychology than anything else.  2. If you were writing the screenplay for Disney...

I must say that I feel extremely blessed. About a month ago, I received an email that many writers hope to receive: Yes! We would like to publish your book .  At first, I didn't realise that was what the email from NineStar Press was telling me. In fact, I saw the subject line ( Submission: Beneath the Surface ) and actually rolled my eyes, because I instinctively assumed I was about to experience rejection. I opened the email on my phone with a cynical trepidation. The first few lines felt like a generic rejection (thank you for submitting etc etc.) Then, I got to the second paragraph. Suddenly, the editor was telling me what she liked about my novel and then she was offering me a contract for publication.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't release an audible yelp! in the middle of my staff room at work.  One of the reasons I was so surprised is because it was only the second publisher I had submitted to. I knew the first would reject the manuscript bec...

Ask, Tell by E.J. Noyes My rating: 5 of 5 stars "I live with constant noise and dirt. I live with the omnipresent smell of diesel, dust and aircraft fuel. I live with other people’s blood on my uniform." I started and finished this book in a day because it demanded my attention. The historical context, characters and wonderful writing refused to let me go. Noyes clearly undertook a mammoth amount of research. Her protagonist, a surgeon living and working in Afghanistan at the height of American intervention, is completely believable. I was totally engrossed. Sabine struggles with what so many people have struggled with: she's a person who is otherwise comfortable with being a lesbian, yet having to work within a system that forces her to repress her identity or face dire social, familial and financial consequences. The fact that she's a talented doctor who saves peoples lives every day is overlooked by an institution obsessed with rules, in thi...