Cheyenne Blue's Blog

Do you enjoy word puzzles? If so, you might enjoy the Switcheroo Word Search.

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Explore the real-world inspirations behind ‘Switcheroo’ as we delve into the contrasting lives of Hayley, a New Yorker, and Jenna, an outback dweller in Australia.

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I'm now offering signed bookplates. This is a large sticker, personalised and signed, that you can put in your already purchased book.

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Melbourne, Australia’s second largest city, sprawls around Port Philip bay, with the city at its apex, the suburbs rolling away to either side, and inland up to the Yarra Valley. Five million people live in Melbourne, a glorious, diverse mishmash of cultures in a city full of cafés, bars, laneways, art spaces, open spaces, nature, ... Read more

The post Cheyenne Blue’s Book Tour of Melbourne appeared first on Cheyenne Blue.

My new website is out! I’m excited to announce the launch of my new website!

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One of the clues for Jae’s latest F/F Fiction Crossword Puzzle relates to my story, Not-So-Straight Sue. Find out in this excerpt the answer to the question “what’s the name of the town that Sue grew up in?”

The post Not-So-Straight Sue – an excerpt appeared first on Cheyenne Blue.

[image error]Welcome!

Maybe you’re here hunting for a clue for Jae’s latest crossword. This time, her F/F Fiction Crossword Puzzle features WLW & lesbian books with characters who are lawyers, attorneys, or otherwise work in a legal profession.

One of the clues relates to my story, Not-So-Straight Sue, and the answer to “What’s the name of the town that Sue grew up in?” is somewhere in the following extract.

Maybe you’re just here because you want to read an extract from the book? Go ahead and be my guest. I hope you enjoy it.  The following extract is from the start of Chapter 5. Sue has just returned to Australia from London, ready to take up a new challenge as the only lawyer in a tiny outback town. Prior to that, she stops off to face her past demons and reconnect with her parents in her home town of Y—

Ha! You didn’t think I’d make it that easy, did you? I hope you enjoy the extract.  Not-So-Straight Sue is book 2 in my ‘Girl Meets Girl‘ series. These stories with interconnected characters read perfectly well as standalone novels. Enjoy!

Chapter 5

“…and your brother’s got this totally unsuitable girlfriend. She’s from Toowoomba.” Mum sniffed as she stirred sugar into her tea so hard that the teaspoon rattled against the cup like a truck going over a cattle grid. “That’s a city. She has modern ideas. Why, she told me that Jim has to iron his own shirts or they’ll stay creased.”

“That sounds reasonable to me.” I swirled the tea around in my mug. Since being back in Oz, I’d started drinking it black again. “She probably works as hard as Jim. Why should she iron his shirts?”

Mum nailed me with her gaze. “I should have guessed that you’d side with her. A woman’s job is to look after her man. Not that you’d know about that.”

I let that pass without comment, and the silence lengthened when I didn’t answer. Instead, I looked around the kitchen. It was over five years since I’d last sat here, nearly ten since I’d lived under the same roof, but little had changed. Same scrubbed Formica benchtop, scratched with a fine web of knife cuts. Same overhead cabinets with the same wooden doors—although they were now painted a more modern shade of maroon. Same walk-in pantry, and I was sure that if I ventured to the back, I’d find the same mason jars with the same preserved vegetables, and the same not-as-airtight-as-my-mother-thought containers full of weevilly flour. Picking the weevils out of our toast was a long game in our family. Is it a weevil? No… It’s a sunflower seed…

“How’s the veggie garden doing in the drought?” It was a polite, but desperate comment. When had it become so hard to talk to my mother? The answer, of course, was about ten years ago, but children and parents were always fabricating the perfect relationship in their minds. We were no different.

Mum smiled, and this time it was warm and genuine. “Oh, Sue, if only it would rain! My beans are dried up little sticks, and I’ll be lucky to get any more tomatoes. I put the grey water on the garden, but it’s never enough.”

I’d hit on the perfect topic. I slid from my stool. “Want to give me the tour? And tips? I’ve got a veggie garden to try and keep alive when I get to Mungabilly Creek, and I haven’t a clue where to begin.”

My mother’s smile made it worthwhile. She ushered me out of the door, and for the next hour, we stood in the baking heat, discussing beans and mulch and eggplant and aphids. It was almost interesting, and in that time, we managed to approach something resembling a rapport.

“Jim’s coming around later,” Mum said when we were back in the house.

“Great!” This time, my enthusiasm wasn’t feigned. “Is Alexis coming as well?”

“I’m not sure. She’s invited, of course…”

I nodded, positive that the unknown Alexis had doubtlessly decided that a night cutting her toenails was preferable to dinner in the critical mood of our house.

“Are you going to catch up with anyone while you’re here?” Mum moved to the fridge and pulled vegetables out of the crisper. My first night home and she was cooking a roast. No matter that it was over thirty degrees centigrade outside; the prodigal daughter had returned, and that meant the sacrificial lamb was going in the oven.

“I’m not sure who lives here still,” I replied. “I’ve lost contact with so many people. I know Liz moved to Brisbane, and Thommo is overseas somewhere. I’m not sure about anyone else.”

Mum took the paring knife from the drawer—no peeler for her—and starting peeling a potato with quick flicks of her thumb. “Janey still lives here—she married the young vet, and they’ve got four boys now. Keith is out on Wymaring Station.”

“He was more Jim’s friend than mine, although I knew his sister somewhat.”

“Jean? She moved north. I heard she was working at a resort on one of the islands on the Great Barrier Reef.” Mum flicked faster with the knife. “Denise is still here.”

I went to the fridge and took out some carrots. It meant my face was hidden. “I thought she might be still in Brisbane.” My voice was steady.

“She came back.” Satisfaction coloured Mum’s voice. Children returned to the nest. “She’s married to the publican at the Criterion. Two kids.”

“That’s nice.” I dropped the carrots on the counter. “Do you want these peeled?”

“Of course.” My mother’s voice was calm as she concentrated on the potatoes. “Are you going to look her up?”

I shot her a glance. “I’m sure I’ll be in the pub at some point. I’ll see her there.”

“Well, if you’re still here on Thursday, you can come along to bingo night. Denise is our caller.”

I focussed on the first part of her sentence. “I thought I’d stay a week, if that’s all right with you?”

“Of course. You can stay as long as you want, darl. You must know that. I know you’ve got a limited amount of time before you have to be at your new job, so I’m happy you’re able to stay a week.”

Clearly, I was getting old and sentimental. Hearing those words made my eyes blur with moisture,. My parents may have been cranky and old fashioned, but they loved me. And I loved them. “I’m happy to be back. I missed you.”

“Oh, Sue, we missed you too, darl. But you always sounded so happy in your emails. We knew you were having a wonderful time, not to mention it was a great career move. But I couldn’t be more pleased that you’re back.”

“I loved London. I made great friends, the work was challenging, and I learnt a lot. But it’s good to be back in Oz. Guess I’m a country girl at heart.”

This time the silence was a comfortable one.

Dinner was the same roast lamb as I remembered. Mum always overcooked it, so it was grey and tough, and then she smothered it in packet gravy. But the roast potatoes and parsnips were as crispy and good as they ever were, and there were the last of the beans and snow peas from the garden. My dad, now retired, had found a new interest teaching metalwork at the community centre. He spent most of his days in his shed in the backyard, pottering around with angle grinders or something. My younger brother, Jim, had matured somewhat in my absence. He was now funny whereas before he’d been annoying, and his string-bean shape had filled out enough that he’d scored himself a seriously gorgeous girlfriend. Alexis looked like a 1950s housewife, complete with beehive and gingham dress, but her looks were deceptive. She had Jim exactly where she wanted him, and where he was happy to be.

I spent the first couple of days around the house in the company of my parents. I told myself I wasn’t rushing out so that I could make up for lost time and reconnect with my parents, but there was also an element of fear. My last year living in Yeringup hadn’t been one long happy dance, and people around here had long memories.

Then Mum asked if I wanted to come with her to the next town to do the weekly grocery shop. I agreed, but of course the trip to the supermarket went via the hairdressers to organise her next week’s appointment—hadn’t Mum ever heard of the phone?—the doctor’s surgery to pick up a prescription, and even the aged care home to deliver something to a friend of hers. By the time we made it to the supermarket, I’d become reacquainted with several of Mum’s friends. I was nervous at first. These people and their silent disapproval had made my life miserable during my final year in Yeringup. Mum’s friends were of a generation where nothing was spoken out loud—that was the behaviour of their children—but the silent treatment was condemning in its own way.

Maybe it’s was Mum’s presence, but those same people who had treated me with such disdain ten years ago were now open and friendly. They asked me about life in London, how long I was back for, and what I was going to do. They expressed delight that I was going to be working in Mungabilly Creek, mainly for my parents that it would be nice for them to have me reasonably close. Gradually, the knowledge that people had genuinely forgotten the scandal surrounding me ten years ago, or they simply didn’t consider it a big deal any more, made me relax. I was able to slip back into my role as polite and friendly daughter.

In bed that night, I wondered what had changed. I also had to look inside myself and decide if I was going to confront anyone about their behaviour to me those years ago. The treatment I’d received had a profound effect on me. It had sent me scurrying away, first across the country and then across the world. More importantly, it had set me on my sorry-I’m-straight path, and along with it, a blanket denial of my sexuality that could never have led to happiness. It had led me to such an absolute rejection of who I was, that, ten years later, I’d still never said out loud the truth about my sexuality to another person. There had been a myriad of opportunities to do so, in the most supportive of environments. Even when others had assumed I was lesbian, I had contradicted that assumption so totally that even my closest friends thought I was straight.

In the small room that had been my childhood bedroom, I knew for truth that I could never move on unless I confronted those who had hurt me or forgave them and moved on myself. Maybe both. I moved my legs restlessly under the thin sheet. Those people in Yeringup fell into two camps. There was my family, most notably my mother, who deserved the truth. Then there was the wider pool of friends and more casual acquaintances.

Those people, I decided, could go to hell. They didn’t deserve an explanation. My sexuality was my own affair, and it did seem as if the past was either forgotten or no longer relevant to them. Confronting those people, putting myself and my life out in front of them, was not my style. Those people, I would not give another thought to.

And then there was Denise, my first—and only—girlfriend. Denise, who had betrayed me so totally and absolutely, who had hung me out to dry while she saved her skin from the small town gossip and disapproval. The same Denise who was now married to the publican at the Criterion. She, I could not ignore. She deserved to know how totally she had destroyed me.

I couldn’t avoid this any longer. I would go and see her tomorrow.

Got the answer to the clue for Jae’s latest crossword? Great! Now hustle back over to her page to enter. And if you enjoyed the excerpt, then I hope you check out Not-So-Straight Sue.

I went looking for other WLW & lesbian romance novels set on yachts–and I learned there weren’t many. Here you find some I found.

The post Look on the Water – WLW & lesbian books set on boats appeared first on Cheyenne Blue.

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I learned an interesting thing after the release of my latest contemporary lesbian romance All at Sea.

For the most part, All at Sea is set on a yacht in the ocean off the coast of Australia. Accidental stowaway Stevie wakes up to find herself miles from shore, stranded with only Kaz the captain and Sinbad the cat for company. Talk about opposites attract! Stevie not only has to navigate a path around prickly Kaz, but she also has to adapt to the unfamiliar environment of life on the ocean.

I went looking for other WLW & lesbian romance novels set on yachts–and I learned there weren’t many. Loveboatlesfic. Maybe it’s a new genre?  Lesbian books set on any sort of boat are few and far between. My fellow Ylva Publishing author, Jae, asked her reader group for suggestions. And I did some digging.

If you’re like me and would love to read more stories about women loving women loving life on the water, then here’s a list of suggestions. There are yachts, cruise ships, luxury liners, pirate ships, fishing boats, and small boats. Even kayaks.

I hope you’ll check them out. If you know of any WLW & lesbian books (whether romance or not) that should be included, then drop me a line  and I’ll add them.

WLW & lesbian books that sail into the sunset. Yachts and wind power!

All at Sea by Cheyenne Blue –   An accidental stowaway and an ecowarrior make for unlikely companions on a yacht in the Southern Ocean.

Veritas by MJ Duncan – A cruise in the Virgin Islands on a private yacht is a dream come true for executive chef Lauren. Unti she falls for the enigmatic captain.

Running with the Wind by Nell Stark – Love, like the wind, charts its own course. A sailing instructor, used to loving and leaving them, falls for her student and teammate in a high-stakes sailing regatta.

Tack and Jibe by Lilah Suzanne – Willa runs a hugely popular sailing Instagram, but she can’t sail. When she’s entered in a televised race, she tracks down the former winner and begs for help.

Heart’s Passage by Cate Swannell – Set in the splendor of Australia’s tropics, Heart’s Passage traces Jo and Cadie’s rocky path to an uncertain future.

I Love My Life by AJ Adaire – Betrayed by her former partner, a sailing class and vacation in Maine offers Chris Baxter the potential for new friends–and more.

Dreams of Bali by C.J. Harte  –  High-powered attorney reluctantly agrees to spend the weekend on her sister’s best friend’s yacht. Memories of their past encounters leave both women unprepared for the sparks that arise when they spend time together.

Felucca Dreams by Natalie Debrabandere – Professor Alex Casey is flat broke, and in trouble with her colleagues for speaking her mind a little too freely. Dragging a bunch of tourists around Egypt, and towing the line is not her style,

Kayaks – powered by female muscle. For the outdoors women

Some Kind of River by Andi Marquette – Friends to lovers romance between river guides. A summer on the river isn’t always a smooth ride.

White Water Rendevous by Kim Baldwin  – Danger, destiny, and romance on the river. A wilderness kayak adventure brings together two very different women.

Pirates! Who doesn’t love WLW & lesbian pirates!

The Pirate’s Booty by Alex Westmore – When Quinn Gallagher’s childhood friend is abducted she comes to the rescue, by dressing as a man and joining a notorious pirate captain.

Shell Game by Benny Lawrence – When an opportunity comes along for village girl Lynn to be kidnapped and enslaved by Darren, a ruthless pirate queen, she takes full advantage of it.

The Sublime and Spirited Voyage of Original Sin by Colette Moody – When pirates steal ashore to abduct a doctor to tend to their wounded, they end up settling for Celia Pierce, the town seamstress.

Escape to Pirate Island by Niamh Murphy – Pirates of the Caribbean, Treasure Island, and Mutiny on the Bounty rolled into one thrilling adventure with a pair of feisty, independent female characters at the helm!

Compass Rose by Anna Burke – In the year 2513, the only thing higher than the seas is what’s at stake for those who sail them.

Branded Ann by Merry Shannon – No pirate on the high seas is more bloodthirsty than the notorious Branded Ann, a woman a face marred by a mysterious cross-shaped scar.

The Sea Hawk by Brenda Adcock – A marine archaeologist, and her team of divers have spent eighteen months excavating the remains of a ship found a few miles off the coast of Georgia.

Luxury lesbians – cruise ships, sundecks, and champagne

Not Since You by Fiona Riley – Boarding her honeymoon cruise alone and decidedly unmarried wasn’t Charlotte’s intention. Neither was running into her high school love on board.

Meant to Be by Graysen Morgen – Brandt is about to walk down the aisle with her girlfriend, when an unexpected chain of events turns her world upside down.

Smooth Sailing by Susan X Meagher – Laurie Nielsen is so overworked and overstressed that she’s forced to take a vacation—on one of her company’s kid-centric cruise ships.

Lost at Sea by A.E. Radley – A stowaway. A perceptive captain. Both drawn together. An identity thief with a heart of gold meets the rule-abiding woman who could throw her in jail.

In Deep Waters by Radclyffe & Karin Kallmaker – From honeymooning couples to strangers with mutual desires, there are no secrets about what goes on between embarkation, midnight buffets and ports-of-call. Short stories.

The Cruise by Lise Gold – When Cara is unable to find another job in journalism, she takes on a seasonal position on a cruise ship with Billie, her best friend’s girlfriend.

Sea Legs by KG MacGregor – The Emerald Duchess sets sail for the serene Caribbean, but the passengers are headed for the chaos of romance.

Shipped by Amanda Kayhart – Leah finally saves enough for her dream cruise in the Bahamas. Except all her organizing doesn’t prepare Leah for Mallory Miller, her bitter ex-girlfriend who threatens to capsize her entire Caribbean vacation.

Dead in the Water by Kate Sweeney – A nice romantic weekend cruise on Lake Superior should do the trick for a marriage proposal. Until a murder gets in the way.

Pretend Girlfriend by Lily Craig – The only thing worse than being cheated on? Seeing your ex and the girl she cheated with get married. And as part of a two-week long Mediterranean cruise. The answer? Fake relationship.

Ride the Wave by Natasha West – Natalie Silver is painfully single. But that doesn’t mean she’s up for being sent on a lesbian singles cruise by her pushy sister. Damn non-refundable tickets.

Pleasure Cruise by Yolanda Wallace – When Spencer Collins is given a chance to spend a week surrounded by sun, sand, and hundreds of women on a lesbian cruise, she has the opportunity to venture outside her comfort zone.

Right Time for Love by Elizabeth Andre – When 65-year old Hannah goes on a Caribbean cruise  all she wants to do is win the euchre tournament. But it’s never too late for love.

Sapphic Holiday Cruise by Erzabet Bishop – Short stories of romance and sexy times on the high seas. Meet an alluring pirate vixen, a boudoir photographer, and more.

Waltzing on the Danube by Miranda MacLeod – They’re the only two single ladies on the Lesbian Love Boat. Can opposites attract? A European river cruise romance.

Lesbians in the workplace – fishing boats

Capsized by Julie Cannon – Commercial fisherman Roberta (Bert) Coughlin rescues Alissa Cooper from her burning yacht and has no choice but to take the pampered rich girl along.

South of Heaven by Ali Spooner – Kendra Drake has taken over as Captain of her father’s shrimp boat. As a favor to her father, Kendra has agreed to give fellow shrimper Lindsey Bowen a chance to work on the boat.

Love’s Bounty by Yolanda Wallace – Jake Myers is a lobster boat captain with a scarred psyche. Can an inexperienced greenhorn help her find the healing she so desperately needs?

More generally on the water, but hey, you need a boat to get there…

Natural Instincts by Graysen Morgen – Marine biologists in the Florida Keys are forced to work together.

Ladyfish by Andrea Bramhall  – Scuba diving instructor Olivia Zuckerman loves guiding tourists under the water almost as much as she loves guiding women to her bed.

 

 

[image error]Remember When

I barely remember my 20’s. It’s not because I was high or drunk all the time. Well, maybe a little drunk. But mainly because, for the most part, it was such a miserable time. Don’t get me wrong. I had some fun. I had friends and college was an…experience for lack of a better word.

Maybe saying I barely remember is misleading. How about I don’t look back at the time with much fondness? There that’s better, and for all intents and purposes, it’s the truth. My twenties were a time of confusion. I didn’t know who I was so a lot of times I just filled in the blank and wore a persona like a hat to see if it fit.

Was I the smart girl? The quiet girl? The angry one? The militant? The lover? It took me a while to realize that I was actually all those rolled into one. But at that time, it was easier to go with the flow and along with the crowd. Hell, I longed for someone to show me the right way, the safe way, a way.

I don’t know if that was anyone else’s experience but it sure was mine. That’s at least one hidden reason why I wrote my latest book, Big Girl Pill. That age, the 20’s, can be a hard time. The other reason was one of the main characters, Nina Sterling.

Creating and writing her was cathartic in a way that I didn’t realize until very recently. She’s a young woman who was searching. She found herself but didn’t recognize that person as who she was meant to be. As a result, she lost her and allowed herself to be led down a path that wasn’t the best by people who professed to care.

The other protagonist, Maya Davis is a little more settled in a sense because of a loss early in life and that wisdom helped her to see what Nina kept hidden. They made each other better. Surrounded by laughter and acceptance.

Imagine having all that and fucking it up.

Go on. I’ll wait.

Not good, huh?

Well, this book is about Nina trying to find her way back to the real her. The road is filled with hard truths but peppered with laughter, heart and a dose of heat to ease the way a bit. Now, imagine getting to the end of that road and seeing the world open up.

Take another moment.

Satisfying, isn’t it?

Yeah, it is.

You can win a copy of Big Girl Pill by entering the rafflecopter giveaway. Go on! What are you waiting for?

This post is one stop on KD’s blog tour to celebrate the release of Big Girl Pill. Want more KD? Check out the other stops on the tour below:

21 January – Dirt Road Books

22 January  – KD Williamson

23 January – Cheyenne Blue – you’re already here!

24 January – RG Emanuelle

27 January – Andi Marquette

28 January – Sacchi Green

29 January  – Women and Words

30 January – Dirt Road Books

 

Buy Links:

Amazon 

B and N

Kobo

Social Media Information

Website: https://kdwilliamson.org

Email: Williamson_kd@yahoo.com

Twitter: @Rizzleslovr72

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KDWauthor/

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/kdwilliamsonauthor/

Goodreads Profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4018005.K_D_Williamson