What Pride Means To Me As A Lesbian Romance Author

Happy pride from a grateful sapphic author 🏳️🌈

It's pride week in Belgium and I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to me—not just as a lesbian, but as someone who’s lucky enough to make a living telling stories about women loving women.

Being able to celebrate Pride as a lesbian romance author is a gift I will never take for granted.

To be honest (even after more than a decade) some days I still can’t believe I get to do this job. That I get to make up sapphic love stories. Be my gayest self on the page. Make people feel seen, sexy, and maybe a little less alone.

That’s not just a career, that is a huge privilege.

A reader recently sent me a message that summed it up better than I ever could. She told me that books like mine remind her that it’s all okay. That we’re not alone. That we deserve to be who we are. And every time she finishes a sapphic story, she walks away thinking: "Damn, we lesbians are actually pretty cool. And sexy. And funny. And loving. And powerful.”

I couldn’t agree more. ❤️

Coming out isn't always easy—even when you're famous. This story celebrates the courage it takes to live openly, and the joy that follows when you do.

 

Why telling queer love stories means everything to me

Being gay is one of the best things about me. If I weren’t a lesbian, I wouldn’t be writing sapphic romance. I wouldn’t have met so many amazing readers, fellow authors, and lifelong (fabulous) friends.

I wouldn’t have found this passionate little corner of the literary world where love between women is front and center—and celebrated with every slow burn, every steamy scene, every happily-ever-after.

There's no timeline for queer joy. This romance is for every “late bloomer” who finally says yes to herself—and maybe to a toaster oven too.

Being gay has also made me more empathetic and more attuned to what it means to feel different, to navigate the world just a little off the beaten path. That empathy seeps into my writing and my characters, who are often deeply thoughtful… maybe even a little too thoughtful sometimes (or maybe just complex, dramatic, full of feelings, and absolutely refusing to make things easy for themselves...) 😊

And I also happen to believe LGBTQIA+ people are the next step in evolution (but I'll save that for another blog post. 😎)

Set against the backdrop of a shelter for LGBTQ+ youth, this story is a love letter to chosen family, queer resilience, and the kind of pride that changes lives.

The times we live in

On a more serious note, we live in intense times. Queer joy is still radical. Representation still matters. LGBTQIA+ rights are under threat in so many parts of the world. Visibility can be risky. Being out is still a daily act of courage for so many.

In that context, stories aren’t just entertainment but a soft place to land. A lifeline. A reminder that you’re not alone, that you belong, and that your love is beautiful. That there’s nothing wrong with you. That your identity isn’t something to be questioned or tolerated, but something to be celebrated.

That’s why I’ll keep writing these stories for as long as I can. Because joy is powerful, and so is simply being seen.

So thank you, from the bottom of my very gay heart, for letting me do this. For reading my books. For being part of this wild sapphic ride.

Whether you’re out and proud or still figuring things out—there’s a place for you here. And I’m proud to write for you.

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜