From the hand drawn 1989 Naiad Press cover of In Every Port, a silhouetted women in blue gazes out an airplane window at clouds.

In Every Port – History on a Flyleaf

Karin Kallmaker In Every Port, Readers and Libraries 6 Comments

I’ve seen hot debates in more than one group over that photo of really really long books that someone split in two to make them easier to carry. The reaction is often horror, and many people have strong feelings about dog ears, note taking, and other forms of “destruction” of the book.

This picture is why I don’t mind what people do with books they own. This is the flyleaf of my first book, In Every Port [Naiad Press, 1989], about 15 years after it had been passed hand to hand or was left in base libraries for others to find, and with enough information that maybe these women could find each other.

Had anyone split it into sections so it could be better hidden or shared, I’d be fine with that.
 

This copy of the book was gifted to me by a reader who came across it in the later 2000s – what a find, and how validating for me to see that my story of love was read by women surviving in dark places around the world at a time when it was unsafe to show anyone who you were.

Do I mind that they wrote it in? That it’s a bit water stained and pages are dogeared? No. No I do not. I do hope, however, that Arisha did get it when she got back, at least for a while.
 

book cover in every port lesbian romance classic

The original, classic Naiad Press cover, 1989.

 

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Image Read an Ebook Week. Smashwords. Your ebook, your way. Sapphic Stories on Sale. Cartoon image of young woman holding a paperback.

Read an Indie Ebook – Gigantic Smashwords Sale

Karin Kallmaker Book News, Events and Appearances 0 Comments

The short version: All of my indie works are 50% until the end of the week. You can see all nine titles here. In particular, Knight of Nights I don’t believe has ever been this discounted!

Curious for more? Here’s a handy click to all the sapphic/lesbian romance that’s on sale. You’ll see familiar names and new ones, series starters, and box sets. You can also roam through mainstream mysteries, LGBTQ horror, and all the other categories that Smashwords has that are designed around how readers actually search for books.

One reason I like Smashwords is that my dollars go into pockets that aren’t that giant near-monopoly. I also like that it’s an old school online shopping experience, and that is a good thing to me. In the last year, that big site and that big search engine have deliberately gotten worse at search results in the hope that you’ll buy something you weren’t looking for that makes them more profit.

I guess they’re crossing their fingers that I won’t forget the thing I was going to buy and don’t leave the site when I can’t find it with an exact title match search. /endrant

Still reading? I do have one quibble with the sale, and that’s the Smashwords graphic you saw above. It’s an ebook sale. What’s the reader holding in her hands?

Famous meme of little girl in pigtails with a pink jacket shrugging her shoulders, palms up, as if to say "I super don't know why this is happening."

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Pride weeks flags Progress, Rainbow, Dublin, California, United States flags photo by Karin Kallmaker

I Stand with The T – Public Thread

Karin Kallmaker LIFE + STYLE, Sisters of the Pen 6 Comments

Why This Post

The post below captures a thread I released on eXTwitter on May 2, 2022.* It’s been roughly 18 months since and I wouldn’t change a word – except the misuse of “whose” in the second paragraph. My account there is dormant.

There are so many lies and intellectually dishonest “What Ifs” being told directly to us, by some of us, about our trans family. It’s their goal to make us feel as if someone else’s rights come at the expense of ours. This is the antithesis of feminism and there is nothing radical about it. It’s the same old same old same old.

As I’ve said for years, rights must be universal or they’re not rights.

Sisters of the Pen who Shaped Me

My philosophy around these complicated issues comes from learning the words of Judy Grahn, Joan Nestle, Joanna Russ, Octavia Butler, and Dorothy Allison. And so many more. Their fortitude, brilliance, and ability to sit with complexity without being numbed or overwhelmed into inaction are beacons of unity and love in a fractured world.Read More

woman listening to headphones

Love Comes in through the Ears (Audio Giveaway)

Karin Kallmaker Above Temptation, Car Pool, Just Like That, Love by the Numbers, Making Up for Lost Time, My Lady Lipstick, One Degree of Separation, Roller Coaster, Simply the Best, Stepping Stone, Touchwood 30th Anniversary Edition, Warming Trend, Wild Things 84 Comments


Drawing and comment period is now closed. Winners announced in the comments and by email.


Thanks to the supportive people at Bella Books and Tantor Media, this year alone three of my stories became audiobooks, with at least two more in production!

Equally wonderful are the narration talents of Quinn Riley for all three of these stories. Quinn seems to get me and my characters all the way to our DNA. She even seems to understand my sense of humor. Which, I admit, is an acquired taste. Read More

A Jolly Wee Tune and One Big Tease

Karin Kallmaker Checked Out 0 Comments

Fresh off the reel, here’s the trailer for Checked Out.

 

It’s a light-hearted tale that recognizes the importance of this time of year when, after the longest of nights, the light comes back. (At least in the northern hemisphere!) If you like grumpy meets charming with a touch of magic, this one’s for you. Books in the Coin of Love Series can be read in any order.

For those waiting on a paperback – shipment is now “promised” to me by tomorrow, 12/5. Orders will be in the mail on 12/6.

For those waiting on borrow services like Scribd, you should be able to find Checked Out on most, including Overdrive which feeds to Libby. If your library isn’t showing it in Libby, why not ask them to? Most systems have a request form. All you need to say is that you want to read it.

Hoopla, however, is still pending.

Happy reading to everyone, and a happy, safe holiday season however, if-ever, you may observe it.


Caption: “Peri thought a small-town librarian would be awed by her badge. It doesn’t go well. (Who could have guessed?) The disarming Lisette bakes cookies like a demon, wears sexy boots, and has a spine of steel. Dash of Grumpy. Dollop of Charm. Magical Attraction. eBook available everywhere. Paperback from Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Signed from Kallmaker.com.”

decorative fir and ivy winter greenery with red bow over a blue ribbon