Name: Clare Lydon.

Occupation: Sapphic Romance Author.

Age: Groan-When-I-Get-Up-Off-The-Sofa years old.

From: Essex & proud!

Want to know more about me? Your wish is my command …

1: I’ve always been a storyteller. When I was six, I was the weird kid walking around the playground making up stories in my head. When I got a Swing Ball at the age of 11, I spent hours in the garden smacking the tethered ball and concocting tales. But I never expected to become a full-time, honest-to-goodness author. I still wake up surprised most days.

2: It took me five years to write my first novel, London Calling. Another year to submit it to a publisher, get rejected, learn about self-publishing and finally have the guts to hit the publish button. But that one action propelled my life into a new and fabulous direction. Action drives change.

3: Of all the cities in the whole wide world, London is still my favourite. I have a soft spot for Auckland, Chicago, Paris and Berlin. But London is where I always wanted to live as a child, and it never disappoints. Wherever I go, my heart will always be here.

4: I first stumbled across lesbian fiction while staying in a hostel in Christchurch, New Zealand. They had a book in their communal library, and I was amazed – finally, stories I could actually relate to. Can I remember who it was by and what it was called? Nope.

5: In my previous life as a music journalist, I interviewed many pop stars including Bananarama, Bruno Mars, Kanye West, Keane, Steps and Nora Jones. When I interviewed Boy George, I told him how my mum accused me of “jumping on his bandwagon” when I came out. His reply? “I had a bandwagon?!”

 

6: If you visit my hometown of Southend, I suggest you walk down the pier because it’s the longest in the world at one mile and a third. You could take the train, but it only takes 30 minutes to walk it. Think of the steps. Plus, you might even see Jamie Oliver in his cafe. There’s a shop at the end and everything.

7: If I could go back and give my younger self some writing advice, it would be to do it now. Don’t wait for some day. The only thing holding me back was a lack of knowledge and self-doubt. But you can learn what you need to know, and self-doubt is on-going. It never goes away, you just learn to live with it. The key thing is to sit down and write the book that’s inside you. Then do it again. And again.

8: I’ve always been a pop tart and was utterly bereft when Take That split up in the 90s. I took the One Direction split way better, proving a certain maturity on my part. Still waiting for Justin Bieber to split up, mind.

9: I believe I was born gay gay gay. Yes that’s triple-gay, as opposed to just normal standard gay.

10: Writing stories of lesbian lives is a huge honour and privilege. I’m not going to get all gushy here, but when I was growing up, lesbian romance was hard to find. Now, it’s available at the touch of a button. Representation has never been more vital, and I’m proud to play a part. Keep reading, and I’ll keep writing.

Thanks for being here, supporting my work and buying my books. You make it possible for me to do my dream job. You really are the best.