Fun times for an American author gearing up for the 2019 BSB UK Book Festival in Nottingham, England

I’m excited to be participating in the 2019 Bold Strokes Books UK Festival this June in Nottingham, England. Last year was a blast! I hadn’t been to England since I was in college, many moons ago, and England had certainly changed—to my liking!

First of all, it wasn’t raining cats and dogs, like it was in those days, when I’d lugged my heavy backpack toward cheap youth hostels tucked away in tiny towns on cobblestoned streets. At last year’s festival in Nottingham we had three solid days of fun and sunshine—the kind warranting sunglasses, floppy hats, and sun lotion. 

“Darn, I should’ve packed my parasol,” I told myself. Just kidding. I want to protect my skin, but I’m a lesbian author, and most lesbians I know would rather show off their half-hairy legs at an outdoor café rather than sit sweating under a frilly parasol. But all kinds of lesbians exist, and I certainly don’t want to generalize, especially since I’ve been moderating author panels on authentic representation of LGBTQIA+ characters in fiction. 

I was even punched in the nose after my last panel in California, but I’m sure it was an accident. I decided to consult a friend with psychic talents afterwards, just to be sure, and when she relived the scene in her head, with her eyes closed, and nodded, confirming that ‘yes,’ it was most certainly an accident, I was relieved.  

“Nowadays, young guys don’t know their strength,” I was told by some elderly ladies at my gym. When they hug another guy to say “Hey, dude!” they just might make a fist and accidentally punch an unsuspecting lesbian author in a library who had just wrapped up an LGBTQIA+ panel as she was exiting the elevator to sign her books. Instead of signing my books, however, I—the unsuspecting sapphic author—was desperately searching for an ice pack, because the punch came with a simultaneous ‘crack!’ and I instantly tasted blood. 

Luckily, I’d signed a waiver stating that all injuries and dismemberment were not the fault of the festival organizers, and my nose is still relatively straight—basically, the only straight thing about me. So, I didn’t end up signing many books, but I did feel fortunate that my nose wasn’t broken, and that it was all an accident, according to my psychic friend.

I’m all set to get on stage again at the 2019 BSB book festival in Nottingham this June—much more aware of my surroundings, however—to entertain our BSB fans from the UK and reveal my latest book, Broad Awakening, the sequel to Underwater Vibes. 

It’s funny, I’d planned to write about how English cuisine had significantly improved since I’d last visited England as a curious student backpacker from the USA. I’d planned to write about spicy, mushed peas, and how delicious they’d become, but I’ve run out of space.

Perhaps I’ll get to it in my next blog post for the 2020 BSB UK Book Festival, which I’m planning to attend. Looking forward to having fun with you all in Nottingham!