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We love good books, just like you do
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Welcome to Bywater Books
Dear Readers,
The holidays are here, and for the first time the celebrated short story "O Captain, My Captain" by Katherine V. Forrest is available as an e-Book. Katherine takes the opportunity to explain who influenced the writing and how the story developed. To find out more, see An Author Explains and Hot Off The Press below.
Congratulations are due to Hilary Sloin, who has just been honored by Shelf Unbound, the e-zine that celebrates books from small and independent presses. For more details, see Bywater News below.
Next year, Bywater will be attending various festivals, including the Rainbow Book Fair and CAMP Rehoboth Women's Fest 2014. See below.
As always, we at Bywater strive to bring you the finest in lesbian romance, mystery, and literary fiction.
Till next time!
Michele Karlsberg
Kelly Smith
Marianne K. Martin
Val McDermid
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I'm very grateful to Bywater for making my short story collection Dreams and Swords, and especially "O Captain, My Captain," available to a wider audience via e-book. I rank this particular novella with my very best work and am happy to see it showcased in a format by itself, especially because some good history and good memories involving the legendary Barbara Grier of Naiad Press are associated with this story.
After Curious Wine was published by Naiad, I told Barbara I was putting together a short story collection. "That will be book five," she told me in her definitive, always decisive manner. "After you're well established." She was right about this, as she was right about much of the valuable career advice she dispensed during my years as a Naiad Press writer and editor.
In the meantime, I made a lot of appearances on behalf of my first four novels to work on becoming "well established," and one of them was at a bookstore in Indiannapolis.
"I love the name of your store," I told Harriet Clare, owner of Dreams and Swords.
"It's from an Amy Lowell poem," she explained "'All books are either dreams or swords.'"
"Would you be okay with my using the name of your store as the title for a short story collection?" I asked her.
She was delighted. So was I. So was Barbara Grier.
But when Barbara finally looked at the initial collection making up Dreams and Swords, she told me, "Go away and write me another science fiction story, Katherine. And for God's sake put some sex in it. You need some sex in this collection."
I went away and pursued an idea I'd already been considering for a while, and began work on "O Captain, My Captain." As Captain Drake took shape in all her many intriguing dimensions — including most definitely the sexual — in my head and on the page, I began to think: Drake is a really interesting character. This novella could be a novel. There could even be a whole series of novels – I could follow the Captain through time and space . . .
To this very day I still think so. She still holds a place among all the other story ideas in my head that at times make me wish I were at least two people. The acclaim and high status the story has achieved over the years have not only been gratifying but reaffirming of my original thought about her story potential.
Some day. Meanwhile the Captain sits in a corner of my mind drumming her fingernails. Waiting.
I hope readers enjoy her story. Barbara did, a lot. And I'm glad to finally share the story behind the story.
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by Katherine V. Forrest
"O Captain, My Captain" is an intelligent, enthralling, and sensuous science fiction vampire story. Harper is on a galactic salvage mission into a dangerous asteroid zone with Captain Drake. Alone with the captain for days, Harper falls into her thrall and, eventually, into her bed. But Drake has secrets she protects at all costs . . .
Lesbian Fiction
ISBN eBook 978-1-61294-052-6
Order online or directly from Bywater Books.
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by Katherine V. Forrest
Once upon a time, we were all children and short stories taught us how to read fiction. And in the hands of a true storyteller, they can still take us back to the very heart of why we love to read.
Katherine V. Forrest is one of those true storytellers. This collection of her short stories showcases the brilliance of her gift, displaying the scope of her imagination and the range of her voice. From the erotic speculation of "O Captain, My Captain" to the incisive investigation of homicide detective Kate Delafield; from moral dilemma to chilling horror; from peril to passion, Forrest takes us across the vivid landscapes of her remarkable mind.
A writer who has inspired both writers and readers, Forrest demonstrates her breathtaking versatility. Dreams and Swords is not only the perfect introduction to her work-it's also a delicious treat for her legions of fans.
So sit back and enjoy the ride.
Lesbian Fiction
ISBN print 978-1-932859-37-9 eBook 978-1-61294-048-9
At fine stores everywhere
or order directly from Bywater Books.
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Art on Fire is Hilary Sloin's first novel and it's been receiving praise ever since it was published. The latest honor comes from Shelf Unbound, the e-zine that highlights the best titles from small and independent presses and self-publishers. Hilary is one of five finalists in the 2013 Writing Competition for Best Indie Book, a competition that attracted more than 1,000 entries. Along with all the finalists, Hilary is interviewed in the December/January edition of the Shelf Unbound magazine. To read the interview, and find out more about this "brilliantly structured" book, click here.
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Calling all Book Groups:
Ever wanted to know what an author thinks about her own book?
Choose a Bywater title to discuss at your Book Group, and we'll arrange for the author to join the conversation — in person, by webcam, or over the phone.
Book Group Leaders, feel free to write us for a complimentary copy of any Bywater book for your review.
E-mail our Publicity Dept at KarlsbergM@aol.com.
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The Rainbow Book Fair brings together publishers, writers, and readers and celebrates LGBT books "from the serious to the wild, from the zany to the super hot." Bywater will be a sponsor of the Fair, and four Bywater authors are attending: Sally Bellerose, Lisa Gitlin, Hilary Sloin, and Mari SanGiovanni.
The sixth annual Rainbow Book Fair will be held on Saturday, March 29, 2014 from noon to 6 p.m. in New York:
Holiday Inn Midtown
440 W. 57th Street
NYC 10019 |
The 2014 Women's Fest will be held on April 11. This is fast becoming the premier women's event in the mid-Atlantic and this year Bywater Books is an official sponsor of the event. Already confirmed as attending are authors Ellen Hart, Paula Martinac, and Marianne K. Martin. They will be taking part in events on Friday and Saturday:
On the afternoon of Friday, April 11, at 3:30 p.m., Ellen, Paula, and Marianne will be signing books at Proud Bookstore: 149 Rehoboth Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971. For more details, call: (302) 227-6969.
The authors will be at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center all day Saturday, April 12, 8 a.m. to about 4:30 p.m. All the authors will each
take part in a reading, and Paula will also lead a panel on lesbian history between 4 and 5:30 p.m.
And when they're not taking part in an event, you'll be able to find Ellen, Paula, and Marianne at the Bywater table, so do drop by to say hello. Rehoboth Beach Convention Center: 229 Rehoboth Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971.
In the late afternoon of Saturday, April 12, between 4 and 5:30 p.m., Ellen and Marianne will be at CAMP Rehoboth: 37 Baltimore Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971. For more details, call: (302) 227-5620.
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Your favorite authors also write blogs, have their own websites, and can be found on social networking sites.
Val McDermid
Click for her website. Find her on Facebook.
Bett Norris
Click for her blog. Find her on Facebook.
Joan Opyr
Click for her website.
Mari San Giovanni
Click for her website. Find her on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter@MariSanGiovanni.
Hilary Sloin
Click for her blog.
Sally Bellerose
Click for her blog. Find her on Facebook.
Georgia Beers
Click for her website. Click for her blog. Find her on Facebook.
Jesse Blackadder
Click for her blog. Find her on Facebook.
Lindy Cameron
Click for her website, and for news of her press.
Kate Clinton
Click for her website.
Stella Duffy
Click for her blog. Find her on LibraryThing, MySpace, and Twitter
@stellduffy.
Elana Dykewomon
Click for her website. Find her on Facebook and Red Room.
Z Egloff
Click for her website. Find her on Facebook and Red Room.
Marcia Finical
Find her on Facebook.
Katherine V. Forrest
Click for her website.
Lisa Gitlin
Find her on Facebook.
You can also follow Bywater Books on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter @BywaterBooks. And tune in to our YouTube channel. Subscribe to it, and you'll be alerted each time a new video is posted.
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