Lists Are Hot: 8 lesbian and bisexual authors you should know

By Natazzz on Saturday, March 12, 2011 - 16:28

Lists Are Hot is a monthly column for all those who love lists. This time I've put together a list of eight out authors I think you should know.

I've always been an avid reader, reading pretty much anything and everything in the fiction category. I prefer good books (well-written, with a good story) above anything else, but of course I appreciate if the novels are more relatable, especially if it involves a queer storyline or the novel is written by a queer author. Here are eight lesbian and bisexual authors you might like to check out.

These are by no means the best, although they are all great writers, but I tried to make a selection based on the kind of novels they write. I'm just a book lover, not an expert, so don't bite my head off if I might have gotten some of the genres wrong. It's just intended to give you a general idea of the sort of novels each author writes.

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1. Sarah Waters (England) – Historical Fiction

Years ago I was flipping the channels one night, when I stumbled upon the BBC's adaptation of Sarah Waters's novel Tipping the Velvet. I remember how much I loved the story and I couldn't believe they could just broadcast something like that without my knowledge. Since then I have read all of Waters's books, most of which I loved. I'm not normally a fan of historic fiction, but Waters made the era appeal to me. Must be all those lesBians.

2. Val McDermid (Scotland) – Crime/Suspense

I have always had a soft spot for crime novels, and probably half of my book collection consists of crime and suspense books. Scottish author Val McDermid has written many, many great crime novels, and some of those even inspired the awesome crime TV series Wire in the Blood. Her latest novel is Trick of the Dark, which you should definitely check out if crime is a genre you enjoy.

3. Emma Donoghue (Ireland/Canada) – General Fiction

Emma Donoghue's novels are widely known both in the queer and mainstream world. If you enjoy reading, chances are you have read one of her novels like Landing, Room or Slammerkin. I particularly enjoyed Landing, which is about a lesbian long distance love story.