I just returned from ten days of sightseeing in Washington DC & Alexandria and from attending the GCLS conference–a conference for readers and writers of lesbian fiction.

This has been my third conference, and it’s always a highlight of my year.

It’s impossible to put into words how it feels to be surrounded by people who “get” lesbian fiction and what it means to me.

I attended a great class on Self-Care for Writers by Beth Burnett and panels on Women of Color in Lesbian Fiction and Differently Abled Characters. I was a panelist on the historical fiction panel, moderated by Patty Schramm, and I let myself be auctioned off for a lunch with two readers and Georgia Beers (not a sacrifice, really!).

It’s not just about the interesting classes, panels, and readings; it’s about seeing old friends and making new acquaintances. This year, I met one of my beta readers, who’s from Germany too, but we had never met face-to-face before, and some of my fellow Ylva Publishing authors and editors. We even had an Ylva dinner at a wonderful restaurant in Alexandria.

The GCLS is doing a great job of making everyone feel welcome. This year, they even paired up con virgins with buddies who introduced them around, and I was happy to volunteer to be a buddy for one of them.

The culmination of the conference is always the awards ceremony on Saturday night, and I was honored to take home two awards, one of them for Good Enough to Eat, my paranormal romance that I co-wrote with Alison Grey, the other for Don’t Be Shy, the erotica anthology that I co-edited with Astrid Ohletz.

Here’s a link to the full list of Goldie winners.

I’m already looking forward to the GCLS conference in Chicago next year!