A.L. Lester's Blog, page 10

English Villages

Let’s talk about English villages today! Most of the action in The Fog of War and The Quid Pro Quo takes place in Bradfield…it’s a fictionalised version of a small village on the Quantock Hills. The dead body at the beginning of the story is found in the duck pond on the village green. When … Continue reading "English Villages"

#Amreading

This week a lovely debut mm novella set in Eastern Europe by K. C. Carmine, a sweet fantasy mm novella by R. Cooper and a mmf poly thriller by Layla Reyne. Whispers in the Woods by K. C. Carmine I loved this mm novella (and the paperback cover is gorgeous!) set in Eastern Europe in … Continue reading "#Amreading"

Holly Day: How to Soothe a Dragon

This week my friend Ofelia is here in her persona as Holly Day to talk about her new release How to Soothe a Dragon and explain that it’s actually about aliens...take it away, Holly! Hello! Thank you, Ally, for letting me crash the blog. (You’re most welcome!) I’ve written a story titled How to Soothe … Continue reading "Holly Day: How to Soothe a Dragon"

Trans people in history

This morning I want to talk a little bit about trans people in history. Transgender is a word that can only be traced back to 1974, but that didn’t mean trans people didn’t exist before that date! Walter, one of the main characters in The Quid Pro Quo is transgender—he’s caused me all sorts of … Continue reading "Trans people in history"

The Week that Was: Mattresses and activism

This week, we bought a new mattress. My back’s been increasingly creasing me and we’ve progressed through putting a board under the mattress, adding a memory foam mattress topper and then, finally, adding a big duck-feather thing on top of that. Making the bed is a bit like an out-take from The Princess and the … Continue reading "The Week that Was: Mattresses and activism"

Interview: Isabelle Adler

Let’s welcome Isabelle Adler to the blog today to talk about her recent release and answer some nosey questions! I’m very happy to be here today to talk about my newest release, The House on Druid Lake. It’s a Halloween-themed M/M romance, sweet and emotional with just a tiny bit of spooky thrown into the … Continue reading "Interview: Isabelle Adler"

Tea and Suffrage in early twentieth century England

This week, let’s once again talk about tea. If you’ve read any of my books, any at all, you know my characters seem to spend an inordinate amount of time drinking it. And in The Quid Pro Quo, Simon also spends a lot of time having sandwiches or steak and kidney pie at the ABC … Continue reading "Tea and Suffrage in early twentieth century England"

Am Reading

This week I’ve been reading two touch-of-sff romances with trans characters by J. R. Hart and Jem Zero and a short gay novella playing with memory by Nathan Burgoine. Miss Claus by J. R. Hart This is a wonderful, light, Christmassy book with brilliant world building and very good pacing. The North Pole is a … Continue reading "Am Reading"

Interview: Iyana Jenna

Today Iyana Jenna is visiting the blog to talk about her new seasonal short story. Welcome, Iyana! Why are you visiting today! Yeah, I released my short story, Santa’s Reindeer, on October 7. It is a YA MM Christmas romance about a young Reindeer shapeshifter. What started you writing? I began writing because I didn’t … Continue reading "Interview: Iyana Jenna"

Ouija Boards in the post-WW1 period

The plot of The Quid Pro Quo features a Ouija Board session that causes stuff to happen. I thought I knew all about them, but when I came to do a bit of research into what my 1920s characters would have known and thought about them, it turns out I didn’t know as much as … Continue reading "Ouija Boards in the post-WW1 period"