2017 Goldie Awards

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GCLS

It was a wonderful evening for the Thirteenth Annual Golden Crown Literary Society Literary Awards. Thanks so much to the GCLS board and awards team for putting together another great conference and Goldie Awards.

Debut Author – Finalists

Title	Author	Publisher
A Quantum Convergence (Nexus Trilogy – Book 1)	C.A. Farlow	Desert Palm Press
Four Steps	Wendy Hudson	Ylva Publishing
Love On The Red Rocks	Lisa Moreau	Bold Strokes Books
Miss Match	Fiona Riley	Bold Strokes Books
One in the Hand	Caitlin Drake	Bella Books
Salvation on Mission Street	Cathy Arellano	Korima Press
The Big Sugarbush: Lesbian Romantic Comedy	Ana B Good	Hot Pants Press, LLC
The Urn Carrier	Chris Convissor	Bedazzled Ink Publishing, LLC

Winners – Wendy Hudson, Lisa Moreau, Cathy Arellano

Creative Non-Fiction – Finalists

Title	Author	Publisher
Indomitable: The Life of Barbara Grier	Joanne Passet	Bella Books
Out – A Courageous Woman’s Journey	Lou Anne Smoot	Sapphire Books Publishing
Sexy Liberal! Of Me I Sing	Stephanie Miller	Gival Press

Winner – Indomitable: The Life of Barbara Grier by Joanne Passet

Anthology/Collections (Creative Non-Fiction) – Finalists

Title	Author	Publisher
Active Voice The Comic Collection: The Real Life Adventures Of An Asian-American, Lesbian, Feminist, Activist And Her Friends!	Written by P. Kristen Enos with Heidi Ho; Illustrated by Derek Chua, Leesamarie Croal, Casandra Grullon, Beth Varni and Dan Parent	Furia Press
Lesbian Decadence: Representations in Art and Literature of Fin-de-Siècle France	Nicole G. Albert	Harrington Park Press

Winner – Lesbian Decadence by Nicole G. Albert

Romantic Suspense/Intrigue/Adventure – Finalists

Title	Author	Publisher
A Woman of Strong Purpose	S. M. Harding	Bella Books
Deception	VK Powell	Bold Strokes Books
Final Cut	Lynn Ames	Phoenix Rising Press
Starstruck	Lesley Davis	Bold Strokes Books
Swelter	D. Jackson Leigh	Bold Strokes Books
The Copper Egg	Catherine Friend	Bold Strokes Books
The Fifth Gospel	Michelle Grubb	Bold Strokes Books
Without Justice	Carsen Taite	Bold Strokes Books

Winners – Catherine Friend, Michelle Grubb, Lynn Ames

Poetry – Finalists

Title	Author	Publisher
Acquired Community	Jane Byers	Dagger Editions
In and Out of Love	Shelley Thrasher	Sapphire Books Publishing
Night Ringing	Laura Foley	Headmistress Press
Showtime at the Ministry of Lost Causes	Cheryl Dumesnil	University of Pittsburgh Press
SPLIT	Denise Benavides	Korima Press
The Body’s Alphabet	Ann Tweedy	Headmistress Press
The Off-Season	Jen Levitt	Four Way Books
Torn from the Ear of Night	Jimmie Margaret Gilliam	White Pine Press

Winners – Jane Byers, Jimmie Margaret Gilliam and Shelley Thrasher

Mystery/Thriller – Finalists

Title	Author	Publisher
Blood Money Murder	Jessie Chandler	Bella Books
Collide-O-Scope	Andrea Bramhall	Ylva Publishing
Going Coastal	Jane DiLucchio	Regal Crest Enterprises
If Looks Could Kill	Andi Marquette	Ylva Publishing
Requiem for Immortals	Lee Winter	Ylva Publishing
The Secret Unknown	Dillon Watson	Bella Books
Trigger	Jessica L. Webb	Bold Strokes Books
Walk-in	T.L. Hart	Bella Books

Winners – Jessica L Webb, Lee Winter, TL Hart

Young Adult – Finalists

Title	Author	Publisher
Blind Side of the Moon	Blayne Cooper	Bella Books
Gravity	Juliann Rich	Bold Strokes Books
Here’s the Thing	Emily O’Beirne	Ylva Publishing
My Year Zero	Rachel Gold	Bella Books
Shieldmaiden Book 1: Quest for the Jewel	GL Roberts	Bella Books
The Portal: The Chronicles of Caymin	Caren J. Werlinger	Corgyn Publishing, LLC
The Songbird Thief	Skye Allen	Harmony Ink Press
When Butches Cry	Genta Sebastian	Sapphire Books Publishing

Winners – Rachel Gold, Emily O’Beirne, Juliann Rich

Paranormal/Horror – Finalists

Title	Author	Publisher
1140 Rue Royale	Karen D. Badger	Badger Bliss Books
By the Dark of Her Eyes	Cameron MacElvee	Bold Strokes Books
Demons Shemons	K.B. Draper	K.B. Draper, LLC.
Driving Me Mad	L.T. Smith	Ylva Publishing
Heart Of The Pack	Jenny Frame	Bold Strokes Books
Meeting Ms. Roman	Karen F. Williams	Bella Books
The House at the End of the Street	Stephanie E. Kusiak	Sapphire Books Publishing
Twisted Screams	Sheri Lewis Wohl	Bold Strokes Books

Winners – Karen D. Badger, Cameron McElvee, Stephanie E. Kusiak

Erotica – Finalists

Title	Author	Publisher
A Touch of Temptation	Julie Blair	Bold Strokes Books
Best Lesbian Erotica 20th Anniversary Edition	Sacchi Green	Cleis Press
Best Lesbian Erotica of the Year, Volume 1	D. L. King	Cleis Press
Girls on Campus	Sandy Lowe and Stacia Seaman (eds)	Bold Strokes Books
Give Me Thorns, A Lesbian BDSM Romance	Elizabeth Andre	Tulabella Ruby Press
Heat	Rachel Windsor	Sapphire Books Publishing
Nights of Silk and Sapphire	Amber Jacobs	Ylva Publishing
The Club	A.L. Brooks	Ylva Publishing

Winners – DL King, Elizabeth Andre, AL Brooks

Dramatic/General Fiction – Finalists (9 finalists due to tie.)

Title	Author	Publisher
Along Came the Rain	Alison R. Solomon	Sapphire Books Publishing
Beyond the Silence	Aya Walksfar	Wild Haven Press
Heartwood	Catherine Lane	Ylva Publishing
It Pours	C.D. Cain	Bedazzled Ink Publishing, LLC
Life in Death	M. Ullrich	Bold Strokes Books
Rainbow Gap	Lee Lynch	Bold Strokes Books
The Big Sugarbush: Lesbian Romantic Comedy	Ana B Good	Hot Pants Press, LLC
The Urn Carrier	Chris Convissor	Bedazzled Ink Publishing, LLC
Trial by Fury	KG MacGregor	Bella Books

Winners – Ana B. Good, Chris Convissor, KG MacGregor

Anthology/Collections (Fiction) – Finalists

Title	Author	Publisher
Finding Ms. Write	Jae & Jove Belle	Ylva Publishing
Girls With Guns	Michelle Grubb, Carsen Taite, Ali Vali	Bold Strokes Books
Happily Ever After	Various Bella Authors	Bella Books
It’s Only Love: A Short Story Collection	Diane Marina	Aspen Palms Press
Lez Talk: A Collection of Black Lesbian Short Fiction	S. Andrea Allen and Lauren Cherelle (eds)	BLF Press, LLC
Tales from Sea Glass Inn	Karis Walsh	Bold Strokes Books
The One – Stories of Falling in Love Forever	Elizabeth M. Hodge (ed.)	Sapphire Books Publishing
Women of the Year	Karen Richard	Bedazzled Ink Publishing, LLC

Winners – Jae and Jove Belle (eds), Karis Walsh, Karen Richard

Historical Fiction – Finalists

Title	Author	Publisher
Alaskan Bride	D Jordan Redhawk	Bella Books
Alice & Jean	Lily Hammond	Sapphica Books
Dian’s Ghost	Justine Saracen	Bold Strokes Books
Loving Eleanor	Susan Wittig Albert	Persevero Press
Shaken to the Core	Jae	Ylva Publishing
Summer of Love	Susan X Meagher	Brisk Press
The Liberators of Willow Run	Marianne K. Martin	Bywater Books
Whiskey Sunrise	Missouri Vaun	Bold Strokes Books

Winners – Justine Saracen, Susan Wittig Albert, Jae

Traditional Contemporary Romance – Finalists

Title	Author	Publisher
By Mutual Consent	Tracey Richardson	Bella Books
Chef’s Special	Susan X Meagher	Brisk Press
Courageous Love	KC Richardson	Bold Strokes Books
Dare to Stay	Georgia Beers	Brisk Press
Embracing the Dawn	Jeannie Levig	Bold Strokes Books
Lights of the Heart	Nat Burns	Bella Books
Perfect Pairing	Rachel Spangler	Bywater Books
The Color of Love	Radclyffe	Bold Strokes Books

Winners – Susan X Meagher, Rachel Spangler, Radclyffe

Science Fiction/Fantasy – Finalists

Title	Author	Publisher
Catalyst	Fletcher DeLancey	Ylva Publishing
Dragon Horse War: Tracker and the Spy	D. Jackson Leigh	Bold Strokes Books
Hekolatis’ Promise	T.J. Mindancer	Bedazzled Ink Publishing, LLC
Paradox Valley	Gerri Hill	Bella Books
Tengoku	Rae D. Magdon	Desert Palm Press
The Beast That Never Was	Caren J. Werlinger	Corgyn Publishing, LLC
The Broken Coil (The Glass Pantheon – Book 1)	Sy Itha	Desert Palm Press
The Flaw in Logic	S.Y. Thompson	Sapphire Books Publishing

Winner – Caren J. Werlinger, Sy Itha, Gerri Hill

Ann Bannon Popular Choice – Finalists

Title	Author	Publisher
Captain of Industry	Karin Kallmaker	Bella Books
Final Cut	Lynn Ames	Phoenix Rising Press
First Position	Melissa Brayden	Bold Strokes Books
Perfect Pairing	Rachel Spangler	Bywater Books
Poppy Jenkins	Clare Ashton	Breezy Tree Press
Rainbow Gap	Lee Lynch	Bold Strokes Books
The Liberators of Willow Run	Marianne K. Martin	Bywater Books
Trial by Fury	KG MacGregor	Bella Books

Winner Lee Lynch for Rainbow Gap

Tee Corinne Outstanding Cover Design

Title	Artist	Publisher
After a Time	LS Designs	Bedazzled Ink Publishing
Alias Mrs. Jones	Ann McMan, Acorn Graphics	Regal Crest Enterprises
Bitter Root	Melody Pond	Bold Strokes Books
Final Cut	Ann McMan, TreeHouse Studio	Phoenix Rising Press
Heartscapes	Sheri	Bold Strokes Books
Perfect Pairing	Ann McMan, TreeHouse Studio	Bywater Books
Poppy Jenkins	Jayne Fereday	Breezy Tree Press
The Liberators of Willow Run	Ann McMan, TreeHouse Studio	Bywater Books

 

Directors’ Award – Ann McMan

Lee Lynch Classic Award Presented to Lesléa Newman, Heather Has Two Mommies

Trailblazer Award Presented to Lillian Faderman

In Memory of Our Lost Sisters – Polly Taylor, Karen Davidson Boatman, Marie J Kuda, Ruth Mountaingrove, Ana Iza Otis

 

 

 

 

 

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2017 GCLS Literary Conference in Chicago!

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GCLS, Mary Griggs, Publishing

This year’s Golden Crown Literary Society‘s Annual Conference will be in Chicago from July 5th to July 9th. I love the GCLS – the members are like my family – quirky but lovable. Going to the conference is like going to a family reunion with the added joy of discovering new family members every year.

There is so much to see and do that I bet your bottom dollar you’ll lose the blues in Chicago!*

I will be moderating The Magic Elixir for Creating Unique Characters I on Thursday at 10am with the wonderful authors Nat Burns, CL Cattano, Lori L. Lake, Aurora Rey and Laina Villeneuve. We will be talking about ways to create characters that last generations. Join us for a lively discussion about strategies for making characters unique, memorable and non-traditional.

I will be reading from my novel, Bitter Heart, at the Author Spotlight on Friday at 2:20pm. Some of the other authors at that spotlight are Marie Castle, Roselle Graskey, Karen Richard, Liz McMullen, Barbara Dennis, Isabella and Lila Bruce. It will be moderated by the very talented Cindy Rizzo.

Here is the video trailer for my book:

A little later on Friday (at 5:30pm) you can find me and all the other attending authors for an autograph session.

Check out the full schedule HERE. There are so many great classes, workshops and fun things to do that I can hardly wait to get there.

Looking forward to a wonderful, windy time!*

Lyrics from *Chicago by Judy Garland

GCLS 12th Annual Goldie Awards

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GCLS

It was a lovely evening in Washington, DC for the Golden Crown Literary Society 12th Annual Awards Ceremony. Here are this year’s winners:

Debut Author
Threads of the Heart – Jeannie Levig, Bold Strokes Books
The Diplomat – Sophia French, Bella Books
The Revelation of Beatrice Darby – Jean Copeland, Bold Strokes Books

Creative Non-Fiction
Girl Sex 101 – Allison Moon, Lunatic Ink
The Ghosts Who Travel with Me: A Literary Pilgrimage Through Brautigan’s America – Allison Green, Ooligan Press

Romantic Suspense/Intrigue/Adventure
One Last Thing – Kim Baldwin & Xenia Alexiou, Bold Strokes Books
T-Minus Two – KG MacGregor, Bella Books
Reasonable Doubt – Carsen Taite, Bold Strokes Books

Poetry
I Carry My Mother – Lesléa Newman, Headmistress Press
Furs Not Mine – Andrea Cohen, Four Way Books

Mystery/Thriller
Tarnished Gold – Ann Aptaker, Bold Strokes Books
The Red Files – Lee Winter, Ylva Publishing
Cold to the Touch – Cari Hunter, Bold Strokes Books

Young Adult
Missing Mary – Cricket Watson, Sapphire Books Publisher
The Coming of the Mojo – Barbara Treat Williams, Spinsters Ink
Finding Home – Shelia Powell and Liz McMullen, Sapphire Books Publisher

Anthology/Collections (Creative Non-Fiction)
Untangling the Knot: Queer Voices on Marriage, Relationships & Identity – Carter Sickels (ed), Ooligan Press

Paranormal/Horror
The Deadening: Book 3 of the Sisters of Spirits Triology – Yvonne Heidt, Bold Strokes Books
Good Enough to Eat – Alison Grey & Jae, Ylva Publishing
Twisted whispers – Sheri Lewis Wohl, Bold Strokes Books

Erotica
Don’t be Shy- Astrid Ohletz and Jae (eds), Ylva Publishing
The Muse – Meghan O’Brien, Bold Strokes Books
Summer Passion – MJ Williamsz, Bold Strokes Books

Dramatic General Fiction
A Small Country About to Vanish – Victoria Avilan, Shaggy Dog Stories
Wishbone – Elaine Burnes, Bedazzled Ink Publishing
Heyday – Marnie Woodrow, Tightrope Books

Anthology/Collections (Fiction)
Through the Hourglass: Lesbian Historical Romance – Sacchi Green and Patty G Henderson, The Liz McMullen Show Publications
Snake Memories and Other Stories – Diana Rivers, Hadra Books
Lesbians on the Loose: Crime Writers on the Lam – Lori Lake and Jessie Chandler (eds)

Historical Fiction
Golddigger – Hilary McCollum, Bella Books
The Witch of Stalingrad – Justine Saracen, Bold Strokes Books
In the Company of Women – Kate Christie, Bella Books

Traditional Contemporary Romance
The Right Time – Susan X Meager, Brisk Press
Locked Inside – Annette Mori, Affinity Ebook Press
Making a Comeback – Julie Blair, Bold Strokes Books

Science Fiction/Fantasy
Without a Front: The Warrior’s Challenge – Fletcher DeLancy, Ylva Publishing
Dragon War Horse – D. Jackson Leigh, Bold Strokes Books
Lady Dragon – D. Jordan Redhawk, Bella Books

Tee Corinne Award for Outstanding Cover Design
Cast Me Gently – artist Glendon Haddix, Ylva Publishing
All We Lack – artist Ann McMan, Treehouse Studio

Ann Bannon Popular Choice
All We Lack – Sandra Moran, Bedazzled Ink Publishing

Director’s Award – Mary Hettel

Lee Lynch Classic Award
Presented to Curious Wine by Katherine V. Forrest

Marie Castle, Katherine V Forrest and I

Trailblazer Award
Presented to Jewelle Gomez

Congratulations to all the finalists and winners! If you want to know more about the Golden Crown Literary Society or next year’s annual conference in Chicago, click HERE.

We also celebrated the lives of those from the lesbian literary community who have passed since our last conference:

Lost Sisters
Nikki Rashan
Sheila Connolly
Denise Marshall
Honey Lee Cottrell
Nene Adams
Sandra Moran
Inez Rieder
Jeanne Cordova
Jen Wright

Golden Crown Literary Conference in DC!

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GCLS, Mary Griggs, Publishing

I’m very excited that I will be hopping on a train at the end of next week to take me to Washington, DC and the 2016 Golden Crown Literary Society Annual Conference.

While there, I will be catching the 4th of July fireworks, seeing the White House and getting a tour of the Library of Congress. However, I’m most looking forward to the horde of literary lesbians who will be descending on our nation’s capital.

I’ve waxed lyrical before on what the GCLS means to me; suffice to say I can’t wait to catch up with all those readers and authors and publishers whom I’m honored to call friends. And buying books. Lots and lots of books!

If you want to catch me at the conference, I’ll be doing the following:

I will be moderating a panel discussion on Sci-fi and Social Justice on Thursday, July 7th from 9:30am to 10:20am. My panelists include: Jewelle Gomez, Elizabeth Hodge, Lise MacTague, MB Panichi, and Tiffany Shamaly. Since speculative fiction allows a reimagining of the universe, we’ll be looking at just what is the writer’s responsibility for creating diverse, inclusive, and just worlds as well as discussing how we as readers and writers use science fiction to organize for social change.

I will be moderating the Author Spotlight on Thursday from 4:40 to 5:30pm with the following authors: Julie Blair, Jessie Chandler, Bev Prescott, MJ Williamz, and Sheryl Wright

On Friday morning at 8:30am, I will on the panel titled Blood and Gore I. The moderator is Justine Saracen and my fellow panelists are Ann Aptaker, JD Glass, Elizabeth Parmer and Allison Solomon. This panel will focus on violence in the setting of the lesbian novel.

At 9:30am, I will be participating in the Author Spotlight alongside these great authors: Lynn Ames, Marie Castle, Fay Jacobs, Susan X Meagher and moderated by the marvelous Melissa Brayden. I will be reading from my latest novel, Bitter Heart.

I will be signing my books (and anything else a person could want signed) during the author autograph session at 4:30 on Friday afternoon. This session is open to the public so come on down!

Rise early and join me at 8:30 on Saturday morning for Blood and Gore II. Moderated by Alison Solomon, my fellow panelists are: J.L. Gaynor, Laydin Michaels and Justine Saracen. This panel will focus on violence with the protagonist or in the relationship of the lesbian novel.

 

I’m also looking forward to the always funny and insightful Fay Jacobs who will be delivering the Keynote Address at 10:40 on Saturday morning. Later that night, we’ll all get dressed in our finery for the GCLS Awards Ceremony.

I can’t wait to see y’all there!

 

 

#Katrina10 and how GCLS helped me recover

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GCLS, Katrina, Politics

Turning on the television or radio these past few days has meant an inundation of media coverage of the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. There are memorial services, art shows, documentaries, public speeches, political theater and lots and lots of pictures. Pictures of suffering and loss, of courage and quiet dignity, of humor and protest, of life and death. I don’t know about the rest of you but it is triggering my PTSD.

I’m not ungrateful that the world has not forgotten the result of the post-hurricane levee breaks that devastated New Orleans — 1,800 dead, 1 million people displaced, 1 million homes damaged, 250,000 homes destroyed, and a cost of over $150 billion. It is the almost pageantry of the events surrounding this anniversary that raises my hackles and sinks me further into depression.

I’m going to do my mourning in private and use this blog post to talk about books and how their loss (and what I gained) led to my recovery.

Just a couple of months before the storm, I attended the inaugural Golden Crown Literary Society conference, held at the Renaissance Hotel along Tchoupitoulas Street in the Warehouse District of New Orleans. It was amazing to sit in the same room as many of the authors who not only had entertained and enlightened me but whose books helped me come out.

That might have been all it was except then came the storm.

I evacuated ahead of landfall, expecting to be back in my house in a few days. As it was, it took a month before my neighborhood opened for me to make a trip over there to see for myself what the floodwaters had wrought.

My house is raised up three feet off the ground, so I only had a few feet of water inside. It was enough to wreak havoc on my books, though. You can see in the first picture the water level in this area of the house was recorded in the wood of the bookcase itself.

As the books soaked up the water, the pressure pushed on the sides of the case, dropping shelves of books that were above the waterline into the water (as seen on the left of this picture).

Mold covered the books that escaped the waters or the falling. Paperbacks were the hardest hit, with some of the mass market paperbacks almost melting away.

I couldn’t help the tears. And, let me tell you, crying in air mask is not recommended by the manufacturer or fun for the wearer.

There was a citywide curfew, so my Dad and I took only pictures and left only footprints before closing up my home and making the three-hour trip back to their house to regroup.

Sitting in what would be my temporary home for the next ten months, I saw that someone from GCLS had forwarded me an announcement from the board. It read in part:

In light of the truly devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, the board of the Golden Crown Literary Society (GCLS) has established a special GCLS Relief Fund. This fund, to be administered by the GCLS Advisory Board, will take donations from the public on behalf of all those authors, publishers, and supporters in our community who have been affected by the storm.

I found out later that in less than 48 hours of the relief fund being set up, they raised $7000. I don’t know the final numbers of monies dispersed but I was a grateful recipient. I want to thank all who donated because those funds were crucial to my rebuilding.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

I missed the next conference as I was across the country, in California. When I made it to the 2007 conference, many of the friends I made the first year remembered me and remembered New Orleans.

Some of those folks went beyond simple hugs (although those were nice, too). Lee Lynch and her then partner (now wife) Elaine Mulligan donated books from their private library to help me rebuild mine.

I cried when I opened the box and saw books that I hadn’t been able to find because they were out of print or the publisher no longer existed. Even in the San Francisco Bay Area, lesbian novels aren’t easily found in used bookstores. I had despaired finding many of the books which marked milestones in my life. I have always been a voracious reader and much of my development from questioning teenager, to baby dyke, to fully fledged lesbian activist can be attributed to the possibilities I first glimpsed between those pages.

Lee and Lainie weren’t the only ones who opened their hearts (and, sometimes, their libraries) for me. I received other boxes but, even more importantly, I gained the great gift of friendship from so many of the participants and attendees at that conference and every subsequent one since then.

I was so pleased to be able to be a part of bringing the 2015 conference back to New Orleans. I hope those who came caught a glimpse of the mystique of New Orleans which endures despite the tragedy of the post Katrina levee breaks.

It is the spirit of a city and its people that makes a city what it is. A disaster cannot kill the creative spirit, the zest for life, or the abundance of hospitality that makes me proud to call this city my home.

And it is that love and spirit that embodies so many of the members of the Golden Crown Literary Society. It is why I am proud to be a member and why I would encourage anyone who cares about lesbian literature to become a member and to attend the conference as you are able.

I hope to see you next year in Washington, DC from July 6 to July 10, 2016. Until then, don’t be a stranger!

Post GCLS Con Report

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GCLS

I really love the Golden Crown Literary Society‘s Annual Literary Conference. I attended my first one in 2005 (also their first one) and have only missed one since (the first Atlanta conference when I was still homeless after the post-Katrina levee flooding destroyed my city).

It was like finding my tribe when I first walked into one of the conferences and the feeling has just gotten stronger for each subsequent one. I do a lot of political work and I get to hang out with lots of passionate queer folk and that is amazing. It is something else, though, to be surrounded by these literary lesbians. To be able to talk for hours about lesbian fiction; to discuss reading and writing with other book lovers is like a balm to my thirsty soul. This year’s conference came back to New Orleans (the first one was also held here). I was on the ground committee and I worked with the GCLS Executive Director, Liz Gibson, and the event coordinator, Judy Comella, to make this one of the best conferences ever.

While I was still on the GCLS board, we were able to secure Dorothy Allison as the keynote speaker. I’m so very glad we did. She exceeded every possible expectation. She is irreverent, charming, poignant, funny, profane and I am in awe. I was in the room when she read from Bastard Out of Carolina and had chills. I was in tears during her speech and the standing ovation she received lasted for more than five minutes. I was also beyond lucky to get to have lunch with her and the recipient of the this year’s Lee Lynch Classic Award, Rita Mae Brown, the author of Rubyfruit Jungle.

I helped the Bella Books crew get the many boxes of books up from the loading dock to the conference. The hotel was trying to charge $2 per box, so we liberated a pallet jack and moved them ourselves. The freight elevator did smell like it had been transporting dead bodies but we made it up in one piece. At the vendor room, a number of folks then helped bring them the rest of the way. It was great to see so many people step up to do what needed doing but that is pretty typical for GCLS.

While I wasn’t able to attend every panel or reading I wanted, I enjoyed being on the Dystopian panel moderated by SY Thompson with fellow panelists Linda Kay Silva, Jane Fletcher and Liz Hodge (who later won a Goldie for her poetry). We talked about hope and fears and the importance of writing the books you want to read. The special speaker this year was Ali Vali and she gave a funny (and scary) talk on her writing process. She knows she’s on the right track when her wife walks away muttering, “What is wrong with you?” Not my process but funny to hear hers.

I was also honored to receive a volunteer recognition award at the annual membership meeting. The meeting is live streamed here, if you want to watch it. You will not see me, as I unfortunately had to run to Baton Rouge for work and missed it! The awards ceremony was hilariously MC’d by Lynn Ames and Ann McMan. I have already posted a list of the winners (here) but I want to congratulate all the finalists and winners. I also want to thank all those whose hard work made it possible – the awards committee, the judges, the presenters and the behind the scene tech folk that kept it all moving smoothly. The night was magical – many people were dressed to the nines and the energy was high and the enthusiasm that greeted each announced winner was gratifying to hear.

Marie Castle, winner for her paranormal novel, The Devil You Know and I at the Goldies. (Picture by RJ Layer)

Speaking of thanking folks – the GCLS board puts in many, many hours throughout the year for not only the conference but also to make the organization itself successful and sustainable. This is an all volunteer organization and they do it all for love not money. I’m very proud of the job they do.

I’m very much looking forward to next year’s conference in DC (actually Alexandria, VA) from July 6 to 10th, 2016. I can’t wait to reconnect with old friends, make some new ones and recharge amongst other readers and writers. Please consider joining us!

2015 Goldie Award Winners

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GCLS, Publishing

There may have been a 31 hour long boil water advisory, but the literary lesbians turned up the glam at the 2015 Goldie Awards at the 11th Annual Golden Literary Society Annual Conference here in New Orleans.

Here is a picture of most of the Bella Books authors and our publisher, Linda Hill:

Here are the award winners:

Debut author:
Just Intuition – Makenzi Fisk
Never Too Late – Julie Blair
Stick McLaughlin – CF Frizzell

Romantic Suspense/Intrigue/Adventure:
The One – JM Dragon
Sharpshooter- Leslie Murray
Switchblade- Carsen Taite

Poetry:
Undone – EM Hodge
Kissing keeps us afloat – Laurie McFayden

Mystery/Thriller:
The Acquittal- Anne Laughlin
Left Field – Elizabeth Sims
The Consequence of Murder – Nene Adams

Young Adult:
Double Exposure- Bridget Birdsall
Riding the Rainbow – Genta Sebastian
Just Girls – Rachel Gold

Anthology/Collection (Creative Non-Fiction):
Queerly Beloved A Love Story Across Genders – Diane Anderson-Minshall Jacob Anderson-Minshall
An American Queer – Lee Lynch

Paranormal/Horror:
The Magic Hunt – LL Rand
The Devil You Know – Marie Castle
Dogs of War – Geonn Cannon

Erotica:
Heart’s Surrender – Emma Weimann
Best Lesbian Erotica 2014 – Rachel Windsor
Escapades – MJ Williamz

Dramatic/General Fiction:
The War Within – Yolanda Wallace
Loved and Lost – Stephanie Kusiak
Everything – Carole Wolf

Anthology/Collection (Fiction):
Wicked Things – Jae and Astrid Ohletz
Unwrap These Presents – Astrid Ohletz and R.g. Emanuelle

Historical Fiction:
Tangled Roots – Marianne K. Martin
Waiting for the Violins – Justine Saracen
The Bright Lights of Summer – Lynn Ames

Traditional Contemporary Romance:
Kiss the Girl – Melissa Brayden
Nightingale- Andrea Bramhall
The Midnight Moon- Gerri Hill

Science Fiction/Fantasy:
FutureDyke – Lea Daley
Return of an Impetuous Pilot – Kate McLachlan
Rabbits of the Apocalypse- Benny Lawrence

The GCLS Directors’ Award is presented to a single GCLS member in recognition of contributions made to the Golden Crown Literary Society during the past year and/or to the ongoing mission of the organization over a longer period of time.

GCLS Directors Award: Watty Boss

Tee Corinne Award for Outstanding Cover Design provides recognition for artistic work that contributes to the promotion of a quality product in our marketplace. The award honors cover designs that create a beautiful representation of the story and put a professional face on the lesbian genre. Cover design goes beyond the art and includes the typography and layout of the printed words as well as how the visual elements are arranged.

Tee Corinne Outstanding Cover Design:
Everything – Ann McMan designer

Ann Bannon Popular Choice Award is voted on by members of the Golden Crown Literary Society.

Ann Bannon Popular Choice Award:
Olive Oil and White Bread – Georgia Beers

The GCLS aims to recognize books/titles that convey meaningful lesbian experiences with influential historical value to the lesbian community, recognizing that individual perceptions of classics will differ. The Classics Award differs from the Trailblazer Award in that the Classic Award is for a specific book/title that is timeless (e.g., Lee Lynch for The Swashbuckler).

Lee Lynch Classic Book Award:
Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown

GCLS Trailblazer Award is for lifetime achievement and is presented each year to a single author in recognition of the contributions made to the field of lesbian literature. To be eligible to win, the author must meet specific criteria. The author must have published a significant body of work over a period of at least 20 years and written lesbian-themed works that have had a positive impact upon the growth and visibility of the field of lesbian literature. This award can be given posthumously.

Trailblazer Award: 
Joan Nestle

Congratulations to all the winners!

Hope to see y’all next year at the 12th Annual Conference in Washington, DC from July 6, 2016 to July 10, 2016!

The 2015 Golden Crown Literary Society Annual Conference and I

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The schedule is out for the GCLS Annual Conference in New Orleans from July 22 to 26, 2015.

The special speaker this year is Ali Vali and the Keynote speaker is the incomparable, Dorothy Allison!

I will be on a panel at 9am on Thursday called Dystopian Novels – Who Writes Them, Who Loves Them, Why Are They So Popular?
The moderator is S.Y. Thompson and the other panelists include Linda Crist, Elizabeth Hodge and Linda Kay Silva. Here is the description: Dystopian novels are filling the shelves faster than ever before. Why are these dark thrillers so popular? Are they a precursor to a new genre or a flash in the plan? Hear some of the best discuss their approaches to writing the great dystopian novel!

On Friday at 10:40am, I will be reading from one of my books. Other authors in my time slot include Melissa Price, Elizabeth Hodge, Baxter Clare Trautman, Andi Marquette and Anastasia Vitsky

Come and see me at the Author Autograph session on Friday from 4:30 to 6. This is open to the public, so for all you fans of lesbian literature, even if you can’t come for the conference, come for the signings!

I will also be hanging out a lot in the vendor space and around the Bella Books and Distribution table (they are the official bookseller of the conference).

You can pre-order books for pickup at the conference. Here is my author page at Bella Books.

Can’t wait to see you there!

Oh, and keep up the Golden Crown Literary Society on Facebook by liking their page!

Engaging the Reader at GCLS Annual Conference

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The 2015 Golden Crown Literary Society Annual Conference will be held July 22 through the 26 at the Hilton Riverside Hotel in New Orleans.

The Keynote speaker will be Dorothy Allison – author of such noted works at Bastard Out of Caroline, Cavedweller and Trash.

The Special Speaker will be Ali Vali – author of numerous books including the Caine Casey Devil series and the new release, The Romance Vote.

Plan on meeting many of your other favorite lesbian fiction authors throughout the conference and at the Author Autograph session!

Also held at the event will be the 2015 Goldie Awards. Click to see the nominees here of some the best books written by, for, or about lesbians in the past year.

Register Now for the conference.

Contact me at marygriggs_AT_gmail.com if you’re interested in volunteering for the host committee. Some of the fun things volunteers can do:

1) Local Sponsors: Identify and approach local businesses to be sponsors of the event (we can provide brochures, offer to put their name/logo on our website, in our programs etc., whatever we all work out) or donors to the silent auction;

2) Local/Regional Marketing: Provide marketing in the region to get the word out to local Lesbian/LGBT organizations (e.g. deliver pamphlets for distribution to their members, ask them to put a link on their website/Facebook to our website/Facebook in exchange for us to put their logo and a link to their site on our website), contact local colleges and universities creative writing and LGBT student orgs to get the word out; and

3) NOLA Information: Information for the attendees – a map of the area immediately surrounding the hotel that shows any and all amenities – especially food options; sightseeing opportunities; areas to avoid; any safety precautions, driving tips, etc.; LGBT venues of interest; etc.

4) Conference Support: Receive and store boxes for the Con as they come in the last few months before the Con; deliver boxes to the Conference Hotel.

Pre-Orders for the Golden Crown Literary Conference

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The Golden Crown Literary Society’s Annual Literary Conference is one of my favorite conferences. Not only do I get to improve my craft at the workshops and hang with many of the authors I admire (and meet many more who are new to me), it is a major destination for readers of lesbian fiction, too.

This year, from July 9th to 13th in Portland, Oregon, readers will be able to find me at the Bella Books table – just drop by to see the schedule of when your favorite authors will be there. I’ll be hanging around at other times, too.

During the conference, I am participating in the Author Chat (with Bev Prescott, Marianne Banks, Jove Belle, Elizabeth Sims and MJ Williams) on Friday, July 11 at 4pm followed by the Author Autograph Session at 5:15pm (catch all your favorite authors there). I’m also on the the Eat Your Heart Out Panel (writing/reading about food) with Georgia Beers, RG Emmanuelle and Karin Kallmaker (moderated by Lynn Ames) on Saturday, July 12 at 10:15am. Of course, please feel free to stop me to chat most anytime. See the Conference schedule for more information.

I’ll mainly have copies of my newest book, In the Midst of Tribulation, but if folks are interested in buying the others (Unbroken Circle and Crash Stop) and getting them signed, I’ll be happy to bring them, too.

Because I need to know how many of which to bring, I’m going to start taking pre-orders for books to be delivered to the conference. Contact me via email, Facebook or Twitter with the title by Monday, June 9th and I’ll bring the books to Portland and sign them when you pick them up.

I look forward to seeing you there!

THE MISSION OF THE GOLDEN CROWN LITERARY SOCIETY    

The Golden Crown Literary Society (GCLS) is a non-profit, volunteer organization whose mission is for the education, promotion, and recognition of lesbian fiction and creative non-fiction. Our goals are to:

1. Provide learning opportunities, encouragement and assistance to new and established authors in developing their craft;
2. Support and strengthen quality lesbian writing by providing educational programs and creating opportunities for readers and writers to interact; and
3. To recognize and promote lesbian literary work.

In the Midst of Tribulation a Goldie Finalist!

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The nearly complete list of Golden Crown Literary Society Literary Award finalists are out and my novel, In the Midst of Tribulation, has been short listed in the category of Science Fiction/Fantasy.

Woot! Woot!

It is available in bookstores and directly from Bella Books – http://www.bellabooks.com/9781594933776-prod.html Look for Bella to have a sale on all the finalists (of the 40 books released by Bella Books and Spinsters Ink, 20 are finalists) coming soon.

There is still time to get tickets for the Portland Conference where the awards will be given. I’ll be there to sign copies and to give hugs!

 

Thanks so much to all my readers for your support! And a heartfelt congratulations to all the other finalists!

The Schedule for GCLS Lit Con is Up!

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The schedule is up for the Golden Crown Literary Society‘s Annual Literary Conference (Portland, OR from July 9 to 13). I will be there the entire time and you can catch me doing an Author Chat on Friday morning (along with Beth Burnett, KG MacGregor, Chris Paynter and maybe Katherine V. Forrest although she seems double booked that slot). Also, find me later that day at the author autograph session at 5:15pm on July 11, and on Saturday at the session called Eat Your Heart Out. That session is talking about role of food in our writing and will include panelists Karin Kallmaker, Georgia Beers and R.G. Emanuelle. It will be moderated by the fabulous Lynn Ames.

I will also be at the Bella Books table for at least an hour each day, maybe more.

I hope to see some of you there!

Regards,
Mary

ps My mom and I are traveling to Portland by train – so you’ll be able to say ‘hi’ to her, too!

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Mary Griggs is the author of lesbian romances Unbroken Circle and Crash Stop. Her newest novel, In the Midst of Tribulation, was released in August of 2013. Her books are published by Bella Books.

Website: http://www.marygriggs.com
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/145615452131684/
Authorgraph Page: http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/griggsme
Goodreads Page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5088902.Mary_Griggs