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We love good books, just like you do
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Dear Readers,
Spring may at last be on its way (here's hoping!), so we're bringing you news of our forthcoming titles: novels by established authors Marianne K. Martin and Cynn Chadwick; and the first novel by our latest signing, Lisa Gitlin. For more details, see Coming Soon below.
Many congratulations are due to Val McDermid–see News from Bywater below!
We're also delighted by to tell you about the latest reviews–both very exciting–for Z Egloff and Jill Malone. And now you can listen again to the interview with Val and Kelly Smith, which aired on Woman-Stirred Radio on February 4. See Bywater Media below!
We first told you about Saints and Sinners in the last newsletter. If you've already planned to go or are still thinking of going, you'll be pleased to know that Jill Malone will now be attending too.
As always, we at Bywater strive to bring you the finest in
lesbian romance, mystery, and literary fiction.
Till next time!
Kelly Smith
Marianne K. Martin
Val McDermid
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Mirrors
by Marianne K. Martin
They both have dedication. Passion. Commitment. No wonder Jean and Shayna are best friends. Jean Carson is a teacher, striving to make a difference to her students. Shayna Bradley is an attorney, determined to help lesbian mothers keep their kids.
Shayna has her life under control, has things just how she likes it: her own law practice and a girlfriend and, always, her best friend Jean.
For Jean, it's different. There's always Shayna. There are her students too-but there's also a husband and he's anxious for kids. She's made excuses but she knows it isn't fair. She's short-changing him, and she's short-changing herself.
She must find the strength to leave.
And then she must find the courage to face facts: Shayna is more than a friend.
It's a new reality, and one that catches both women unawares. And when the school board learns of Jean's "situation," suddenly Jean and Shayna face greater risks to their happiness–and their dreams–than they ever anticipated.
Dedication. Passion. Commitment. They may not be enough.
Mirrors was shortlisted for a Lambda Literary Award when it was first published in 2001.
"Mirrors is a very fine novel, well worth your time and treasure."
–The Bay Area Reporter
"Marianne Martin is a wonderful story teller and a graceful writer …"
–Ann Bannon
$14.95
Lesbian fiction ISBN 978-1-932859-72-0
Publication Date: May 2010
At fine bookstores everywhere
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I Came Out For This?
by Lisa Gitlin
There's only one place Joanna Kane can tell it like it is. Her journal:
"I hate Terri Rubin, the woman I'm in love with. She called and told me she's dating a woman named Sonya. I hate this Sonya and I hate Terri and I hate myself because I was never like this in my life. Do you know what it's like to come out when you're in your forties, having menopausal symptoms, for God's sake, and then fall madly in love with someone? All of a sudden you're in adolescence for the first time. You don't even recognize yourself. My whole adult life I was this cool, collected writer, strutting around in jeans and leather jacket, advising friends and siblings about their relationships, being a devoted daughter and a responsible professional person and a good citizen, and then one day I woke up and realized I was gay, and then this sassy woman walked into my life and I fell in love at first sight, after spending my life thinking that never really happened and only watching West Side Story because of the gangs. And now I've become the kind of person I used to make fun of, who becomes hysterical because her beloved tells her she's dating some woman named Sonya who has an apothecary store in Bethesda, Maryland.
"I'm sick of being in this endless rut, I'm sick of Cleveland, and I'm thinking of moving to Washington, DC to be with Terri Rubin who I hate."
$14.95
Lesbian fiction ISBN
978-1-932859-73-7
Publication Date: June 2010
At fine stores everywhere
or order directly from Bywater Books.
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Angels and Manners
by Cynn Chadwick
It's not meant to be like this. Section 8 housing is for other people–not for Jen Manners, used to the suburbs and Junior League. But Jen's now divorced, she has her daughter Emily to support, and the only job she can secure is working as a checker in the local grocery store.
She's not the only one finding it difficult. Divorce has forced Carrie Angel into Section 8 housing
too. She's got two teenage sons, Tex and Casper, and for them she's trying to do her best: she's an apprentice carpenter in a state-supported program. But it's hard and she's angry and that temper of hers is not something she can easily control. And that's one reason why her ex-husband Dill is fighting for custody of their sons. He might just win it too; it seems like Tex is getting more and more unmanly, and that's just gotta be Carrie's fault.
Slowly the two women get to know each other, to trust each other, to be friends. Jen begins making sense of her new life. Then into the store walks Georgia, a woman recently bereaved, and the confusion Jen had last felt as a teenager comes to grab hold of her again.
Angels and Manners shows us three women who have been
tripped up by life but are determined to claw their way back. Not back to where they came from, though. These women have new lives to make.
$14.95
Lesbian fiction ISBN 978-1-932859-71-3
Publication Date: August 2010
At fine stores everywhere
or order directly from Bywater Books.
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Next year, we will be publishing Indelible, the long-awaited sequel to Love in the Balance by Marianne K. Martin. To give you some idea of what's to come, here's a sneak peek:
Sharon accepted the Aleve and Mountain Dew from Kasey as she slid behind the wheel of the truck. "Subway okay for lunch?" Kasey asked, looking away from Sharon.
"Yeah." The tone of Sharon's voice was unmistakable, and the profile–sternly rigid, unblinking–left no doubt. "I saw Laura go in the store, Kase."
Kasey backed out of the space and started toward the parking lot exit.
"It's all right, Kase. I'm okay." The quivering in my gut will go away. My heart will stop pounding. I will be okay. I will.
"I confronted her." Kasey's focus remained on the traffic. "But, I wouldn't have told you if you hadn't seen her."
Sharon nodded. "What did you say to her?"
"Just to stay out of your life."
"It's coming back to haunt me, isn't it?"
Finally Kasey's eyes met Sharon's. "What is?"
To read on, click here!
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Every month Bywater holds a prize draw. To enter, just answer a simple question–and this time round, it's about our new website.
All of the correct answers are thrown into a hat. The first one to be picked out wins!
This month's question is:
In the excerpt from Marianne K. Martin's Indelible, to be published next year, which plant does Sharon mistake for a weed?
The winner will receive a signed copy of Love in the Balance as soon as it's published!
Send answers to us by e-mail at trivia@bywaterbooks.com or by post to the address in the righthand column–see To Order Books.
Congratulations to our most recent winner, Ana from Missouri, who chose a Bywater Books title as her prize–Last Chance at the Lost and Found.
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The Los Angeles Times has announced the finalists for the 2009 Los Angeles Times Book Prize and Val McDermid has been nominated in the Mystery/Thriller category, for her book A Darker Domain. The winners will be announced on April 23, 2010.
Val grew up in a mining community in Scotland, and this book examines the hardships caused by the Miner's Strike of 1984/85. This was, says Val, a pivotal moment in British history, one that left many mining communities deeply divided. And one whose effects can still be felt today, a quarter of a century later.
The Los Angeles Times presents the Book Prize to promote literacy and education across Southern California. This is the 30th year of the Book Prize, and the responsibility for nominating authors lies exclusively with the Prize's judges. Many are themselves writers, and none are employees of the newspaper.
For a list of all the finalists, go to
www.latimes.com/about/mediagroup/events/.
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Congratulations to Jill Malone! Out in Print: Queer Book Reviews, the site that promises "to tell the truth as we see it," has given a rave to her latest novel, A Field Guide to Deception. To see why they describe the book as "so damn well-written" and "beautiful, essential reading," go to blog.outinprint.net.
And there's high praise too for Z Egloff, and her first novel Verge from Lesfic Underbelly. We love the animated reviews on this site, and the feeling's mutual: Several Bywater authors have now been featured. (This, you may remember, is the site that asked "Hillary Clinton" and "George W. Bush" to review Marcia Finical's Last Chance at the Lost and Found.) To see the review of Verge, go to www.lesficunderbelly.com.
On February 4, Val McDermid and Kelly Smith discussed Bywater Books and the state of publishing today with Merry Gengemi on Woman-Stirred Radio. To listen again, click here!
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Founded in 2001, the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival has been quick to establish an international reputation. It attracts the very best names in Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender publishing. Industry professionals–writers, editors, publishers, and reviewers–flock from around the world. Readers and fans are welcome too!
It's no wonder this event attracts so many: The organizers put together great panels and fun events, and New Orleans is a city that makes the perfect host.
This year, guests include Ann Bannon, the "Queen of Lesbian Pulp Fiction," and Lucy Jane Bledsoe.
From Bywater, Jill Malone, Marianne K. Martin, and Kelly Smith will definitely be attending, and more of our authors are planning to do so. Once the details are firmed up, we'll let you know.
This year's event takes place May 13-16, 2010.
For more details, visit: sasfest.org/category/festival
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The Golden Crown Literary Society Conference is a must for anyone interested in lesbian literature–readers and writers alike!
Across a fun-packed weekend, you'll be able to attend presentations and listen to panel discussions. Authors will be reading, as well as signing their books. Publishers will be exhibiting, and there'll be time for chats over coffee.
This year Georgia Beers, Z Egloff, Marcia Finical, Marianne K. Martin, Bett Norris, Joan Opyr, and Kelly Smith will definitely be attending. And we'll let you know which other Bywater authors are making plans.
The conference takes place June 3-6, 2010 in Orlando, FLA.
For more information, visit: www.gclscon.com
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Georgia Beers
will be talking to Laura Zielinsky on her radio blog Readings in Lesbian & Bisexual Women's Fiction.
They will be discussing Georgia's latest novel, Starting from Scratch — as well as the haze most authors end up in after the Golden Crown Literary Society Conference…!
The show will air on June 10 at 10:30-11:30 p.m., EST.
Elana Dykewomon will be reading and signing as part of Sappho's Salon at Women and Children First on Saturday, March 20 at 7.30 p.m.
5233 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60640 For more information: 773 769-9299, wcfbooks@aol.com
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Win! Win! Win!
With every newsletter, you have a chance
to win.
This month we're giving away an i-Tunes gift certficate — to the
value of $10.
Everyone who orders books from us during March — whether online, by mail order, or by phone — will be entered into a
prize drawer.
Congratulations to our most recent winners, Jan from Colorado and Patricia from Delaware.
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To Order Books
Order online:
www.bywaterbooks.com
Order by phone:
1-734-662-8815
Order by mail:
Bywater Books
PO Box 3671
Ann Arbor MI 48106
click here to print
order form
Shipping Costs:
Book Post — $2.00*
for as many books as you order
Priority Mail — $7 for first book, plus $2 for each additional book
Overnight — $22 for first book, plus $3 for each additional book
* free shipping with coupon below
Booksellers:
Bywater Books are distributed to
the trade by Consortium Books Sales and Distribution and are available
through major wholesalers.
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