Kallmaker brings her lesbian romances to JEWEL
SHE WILL READ YOU
Urban Dog Coffee, 2720 Oak Lawn Ave. Nov 11 at 6:30 p.m.
Borders, 3600 McKinney Ave. Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. RCDallas.org.
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| NOVEL IDEA | Kallmaker makes two Dallas appearances this week. |
When most people think of romance fiction, they probably conjure thin paperbacks with artistic renderings of Fabio on the cover with a breathtaken woman in his arms; usually a white horse is present somewhere.
But the genre takes a turn with writer Karin Kallmaker. She’s taken the light literary standard and twisted it for a lesbian audience.
"Ultimately, romance is about a feel good ending, but my readers have always been willing to take journeys through real downs and ups in my books. Readers are special people. Part of me doesn’t get people who can’t talk about books all day," Kallmaker says.
Her novels don’t involve castles and unicorns and the fantastical scenarios in many romances, but are rooted in realistic sensibilities. Kallmaker takes the reader on emotional roller coasters through battered women’s shelters or into the minds of suicidal musicians. But at the end, she brings it to a happy ending.
These aspects have made fans out of members of the JEWEL lesbian book club, which has invited Kallmaker to Dallas for its monthly session Wednesday. For every meeting, the clubs has an author speak either in person or via telecom. When the club began discussing The Kiss That Counted, Resource Center Dallas stepped in to bring Kallmaker in.
"We are really excited and she is a terrific personality," says club member Sandy Thornton.
Kallmaker shares the excitement, especially being that this is her introduction to Dallas — well, sort of.
"It’s my first visit to Dallas as an out lesbian, but I did visit when I was 8," she says. "I wasn’t sure then about the lesbian thing in spite of my crush on Batgirl.
I’m thrilled to be seeing more than an airport, and my hosts have promised a chocolate factory visit. I’ve heard Texans are proud of their barbecue, so bring it on."
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition November 06, 2009.
I loved your book 18th & Castro. Looking forward to meeting you at Borders Bookstore on Thursday evening.