The F/F Fiction Crossword Challenge

Welcome to the F/F Fiction Crossword Challenge!

After the success of Lesbian Book Bingo in 2018, I wanted to put together another fun reading challenge for readers of f/f fiction in 2020, but this time, I wanted to do something new—and name it in a way that is more inclusive of all kinds of books about women-loving women (WLW). After a lot of brainstorming with some avid readers, I came up with the idea for an F/F Fiction Crossword Challenge.

What is the F/F Fiction Crossword Challenge?

The F/F Fiction Crossword Challenge is a year-long event for readers of WLW and lesbian books. Each month, I’ll post three book-themed crossword puzzles on this blog. All of the crossword clues will be from books featuring female characters who identify as lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, trans, asexual, demisexual, queer, or questioning—so basically anything other than heterosexual.

The rules: How is F/F Fiction Crossword Challenge played?

• If you have ever solved a crossword puzzle, you know how it’s done: For each clue, you fill in the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases either horizontally or vertically. If a word is hyphenated, e.g., good-looking, the hyphen goes into a square of its own. Answers can be composed of multiple words, e.g., flight attendant. In that case, the black squares indicate spaces between words. The gray squares give you the letters for the solution word or phrase, which you’ll always find below the crossword grid. Here’s a super easy example:

Clues:

1. 1. What month comes after October?
   2. What day comes before Tuesday?
   3. Which state of the US lies south of North Dakota?

Here’s the solution:

• For a more challenging example, check out this Jae crossword puzzle.
• Once you solve a crossword puzzle, send me the solution word or phrase via email. In the easy-to-solve example above, the solution word would be “no.” You will find my email address on my contact page.
• The most important rule: please never share any of the answers or solution words publicly! If you post the solution online, you’ll take away the fun for the other players.
• You are allowed to collaborate with a buddy or even form a small team of up to four readers working together. Make sure you communicate via email, private messages, or offline so you’re not revealing answers to anyone outside of your team. If you are on Facebook, you might want to join my Reader Group to find a buddy or a team.
• If you prefer to work on the crossword puzzles alone, that’s also an option, of course.
• Pro tip #1: A lot of the answers will be hidden in the first few chapters of a book, which you can read online for free at the publishers websites or major online bookstores such as Amazon.
• Pro tip #2: Check the comments section of each post every now and then. I’ll invite authors to share hints that will help you solve some of the more difficult clues.

What will be the categories for the F/F Fiction Crossword Challenge?

I’ll post three crossword puzzles each month. If you’d like to know the categories of the crossword puzzles in advance, check out the schedule here.

What can you win and how?

You can win some great ebooks and signed paperbacks by participating in the F/F Fiction Crossword Challenge. More than 500 books from over 40 publishers such as Bold Strokes Books, Bella Books, Ylva Publishing, Bywater Books, Desert Palm Press, Regal Crest, Dirt Road Books, as well as many indie authors are participating.

There are three ways to win:

• You can win an ebook by solving the crossword puzzle of the week and sending me the solution word or phrase. The very first time you solve a crossword puzzle and send me the solution, you win an ebook. You don’t even need to be the first person to send me the solution. Anyone wins a book for the first crossword puzzle they solve. The deadline is December 31, 2020, 10 a.m. Central European Time.
• For each crossword puzzle, I’ll also draw two winners. One person will win an ebook, and one will win a paperback. Send me each crossword puzzle you solve to be entered into the drawing. The deadline for these drawings is one month after the crossword puzzle is first posted.
• For each crossword puzzle you solve, you’ll get one entry into the drawing for the grand prize at the end of the year. For example, if you send me the solution words for 20 crossword puzzles over the course of the year, you’ll have 20 entries. There’ll be 10 winners. Each one will win 10 signed paperbacks or 10 ebooks (winner’s choice). In addition, one reader will win this beautiful autograph book with autographs from some of the most popular authors in WLW & lesbian fiction. The drawing for the grand prize will be on December 31, 2020, 10 a.m. Central European Time.

Happy New Year! I hope it’ll be a year full of good books and crossword puzzle fun!

Jae