A celebration of all things British

[reviews_and_ramblings]

July sees the release of two new anthologies, both connected by theme and organisation - both are a celebration of all things British, and were open for submission to all the attendees of this year's UK Meet.

The UK Meet started last year - because British authors felt that many GLBTQ events were taking place in the US but not all of them could travel there. This year, more than 30 authors will attend the event, and some from Europe. The event will take place on July 23 in Milton Keynes. It's open to anyone who loves the GLBTQ fiction genre: readers and authors and publishers alike. It'll be a mix of friendly chat, getting to know fellow authors, and a few panels on hopefully interesting and useful topics.

The website: http://ukmeet.weebly.com/

As a souvenir of the Meet this year, a small group of authors suggested they produce a fiction anthology. The UK MAT (UK Meet Acquisitions Team) is Josephine Myles, Alex Beecroft, Charlie Cochrane, Clare London and JL Merrow. They've pre-edited the stories and are distributing and promoting the finished product.

Why 2 anthos? British Flash was self-produced as a "teaser" book of flashfic, it's available free on Smashwords and a gift for our readers: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/65264

A revealing collection of short LGBT fiction. Enjoy this entertaining collection of flash fiction stories, each one a short but sweet expression of what it means to be queer in Britain, past and present.

Tea and Crumpet is a more substantial book of short fiction, and is produced professionally by JMS Books. The authors will not be taking royalties, they've all contributed for free, and the profits from its sale will be used to fund future years' Meets.

http://www.jms-books.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29&products_id=311

Raise your rainbow umbrellas high and celebrate!

Enjoy this enchanting, entertaining and thought-provoking collection, a heartfelt expression of what it means to be queer in Britain, past and present. All these stories reflect the iconic sights and national character of the British Isles: a taste of our idiosyncrasies and eccentricities, but also an unashamed representation of the love, loyalty and laughter of our people.

Including a wide range of style and subject, this is the perfect way to sample different authors and to find both existing and new favourites. Follow the British way of life from historic villages to modern cities, from the countryside to the sea, through history and with a fantasy twist, in gardens, churches, campus and the familiar, much-loved local pub.

The stories cover universal themes of romance, desire, remembrance and reconciliation. The authors range from multi-published to up-and-coming, and they all share a passion for their characters, whether through great drama, erotic excitement, humour -- or a combination of all three!

Comments

[josephine-myles.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the plug, Elisa! I just wanted to add that there are still a few places available for the Meet this July - anyone wanting to come along should get in there quickly, though!

[alex-beecroft.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for featuring the anthologies, Elisa! They've got some great stories in them, and I reckon that some of the new authors we've collected for this will go on to great things in the genre in future :)

[swquill.livejournal.com]

Great that you posted about the Meet and our Antho's on your site, Elisa, thanks so much:)

Stevie Woods

[drew2u.livejournal.com]

Wow, I totally read that sentence as, "Why 2 anthros?" (which would have been very awkward in this journal entry).
With that said, I'm a huge fan of anthologies and short story collections!

[jl_merrow]

Thanks for the feature, Elisa! Hope your readers will enjoy the anthologies - they've got some smashing stories from authors old and new! :D