GCLSCON and Roller Coaster

Karin Kallmaker Awards and Reviews, Book News, Events and Appearances, Roller Coaster, Sisters of the Pen

Cover, Roller Coaster by Karin Kallmaker

The Golden Crown Literary Society annual conference is my favorite lesbian fiction event of the year. You know how there are cruises that take lesbians to exciting places? #GCLSCON is like that, except the exciting place is full of people who love books and love to hug, laugh, sing and celebrate.

For a lot of the women who go, it’s also that one guaranteed time during the year where they can hold hands, smooch and romp in the pool with their best girl in complete freedom and surrounded by sisters.

Katherine Forrest, Ellen Hart and Karin Kallmaker attempt acting

A treasured, pinch-me moment when I joined Katherine Forrest and Ellen Hart in a skit to launch a murder mystery game.

As an event it recharges my lesbian batteries. There is no better sound anywhere than that of women laughing together. To top it all off, sometimes they give me pretty things to put on my bookshelves along with resounding calls of “atta girl!” This year I’m pleased to announce that Roller Coaster is a Goldie 2012 finalist in the Traditional Contemporary Romance category.

I’m truly blown away by the company I’m keeping: Gerri Hill, Kenna White, Kate Christie, Lynn James, Georgia Beers, Kim Baldwin, Melissa Brayden and Mari SanGiovanni. Wow. That’s just…wow. (It must be pretty fantastic for me to be at nearly a loss for words…)

If you’re in the Midwest or having been meaning to get to one of the cons one of these years, make it this year in Minneapolis. The hotel looks great, it’s pretty inexpensive, near the Mall of America and it’ll be full of lesbians. It’s such a loving, fun-filled event, even for shy people. So think about it for a getaway to start your summer off with lesbigasmic fun.

If you decide to go because of this blog be sure to introduce yourself to me and tell me that and I will give you a great big hug. I truly hope to see you there!


If you’re curious about Roller Coaster you can read more about it here, as well as an excerpt, and there are links to buy at BellaBooks.com in paper and eBook formats that are compatible with almost all the reading devices out there, including iPad, Nook, Kindle, smart phones, etc. I have it on good authority that it will be on sale in a day or two in celebration of its being a Goldie 2012 finalist. Here’s the blurb:

Two very different reasons brought Laura Izmani and Helen Baynor to the Beach Boardwalk for a symbolic ride on the biggest wooden roller coaster on the west coast. They part strangers, but only after sharing an experience that shifted both of their lives onto new tracks.

Their paths cross again decades later when Laura interviews with Helen to become the private chef for the Baynor household. Given what Laura revealed during that fateful coaster ride, she’s relieved that Helen seems to have forgotten her.

Fiercely protective of her children, Helen—now a famous stage actress and widow with teenaged twins—divides her time between home in a sleepy California enclave and the bright lights of Broadway. Continuing her carefully managed life until her children leave for college is all she wants.

Their first roller coaster ride together may turn out to be only a prelude…

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