Big Rom-Com Energy: Bethany Rutter, Lily Lindon, & Laura Kay

Are you here for the chaotic bisexuals, lustful lesbians, and enemy-to-lovers butches? Do you love a will-they, won't they? Do you have BIG, QUEER ROM-COM ENERGY?? If so, this event is for you!

An evening celebrating the publication of Big Date Energy by Bethany Rutter and the paperback publications of Wild Things by Laura Kay and My Own Worst Enemy by Lily Lindon, this will be a night to remember! Friends and authors, Lily, Laura, and Bethany will gather for the first time in London to chat all about queer love, romance novels, and writing in the intimate space of Gay's The Word bookshop.

All tickets include a free drink upon arrival and Laura, Lily, and Bethany will be available after the event to sign copies of their books.

To pre-order the books, just follow the links below – and we'll see you there on the night!

Big Date Energy by Bethany Rutter

Fran’s done with looking for long-term love. She’s got Big Date Energy…

Serial monogamist Fran has waited years for her chance to be single, and now’s her time to shine. She wants to date as much as she can. She’s got Big Date Energy. But her Mum has other ideas. She’s desperate for Fran to find real love and nominates her for a new TV dating show, The Meet-Cute, which promises to pair people with their perfect match.

And when Fran walks onto the set, hoping for a bit of a laugh and a story to tell, she’s confronted with Ivy. Her first love, her high school romance. And the one that got away…

Wild Things by Laura Kay

When the opportunity of a lifetime arrives, will El be ready to make the leap and embrace her wild side? Stuck in a dead-end job and hopelessly in unrequited love with her best friend, El needs a major life change. One New Year's resolution to 'Be More Wild' later, and she's committed to doing one wild thing every month for a year. Admittedly, so far it's amounted to one small tattoo, one bad hangover and one very disappointing threesome, but she's trying and surely it can only get better...

So when a plan is hatched for El, Ray and their two closest friends - newly heartbroken Will and Instagram darling Jamie - to ditch the big city and move out to a ramshackle house in the middle of the English countryside, El can hardly say no. This is her big chance for a fresh start, the perfect wild thing. But living in close proximity to the love of your life without letting on isn't as easy as El might think...

Can best friends ever really become lovers or could the truth ruin life at 'the commune' for ever?

My Own Worst Enemy by Lily Lindon

Emmy is her own worst enemy. So why does she fancy someone who looks like her? 

Overthinker and recent drama school graduate Emmy Clooney (no relation) will do anything to be successful, despite the lack of great roles for queer actors.But in the audition room for what could be her big break, Emmy meets rising star, Mae Jones. Mae is the same casting type as Emmy, so they'll always be fighting for the same parts ('Short-haired Lesbian'). Unfortunately, Mae is also charming, talented, and very, very hot – which means Mae is not just Emmy's casting type, she's also her romantic type...

When their opposite personalities clash, Emmy and Mae begin a fierce competition to win the best parts. But if they're cast in the same show, will they find a way to act nicely – or take their rivalry to the next stage?

Bethany Rutter, author of  Big Date Energy  and  Melt My Heart

Bethany Rutter is a journalist and blogger who writes about fat bodies, plus size fashion and body politics including the benefits and limitations of body positivity. She works in marketing at a plus-size fashion brand and is an occasional DJ. Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, Telegraph Magazine, Vogue, Dazed, RedOnline, The Debrief and others. She co-hosts the podcast What Page Are You On? and is the author of Plus+, a coffee table book offering style inspiration for everyone. Her novels include No Big Deal, Melt My Heart and Big Date Energy.

Laura Kay, author of  Wild Things, Tell Me Everything, and  The Split

Laura Kay is a writer living in East London. Her journalism and personal essays have been published in The Guardian, DIVA Magazine, Stylist, the Metro and The Bookseller, among others. In 2018 she was selected for the PRH WriteNow scheme where she developed her first novel The Split, which was longlisted for the Polari First Novel Prize. Her other novels included Tell Me Everything, Wild Things, and the forthcoming Making It.

Lily Lindon, author of  Double Booked  and  My Own Worst Enemy

Lily Lindon is a writer and editor living in London. She studied English at Cambridge, where she was part of the Footlights comedy group. She was a fiction editor at Penguin Random House, then at The Novelry. Her debut novel Double Booked  (‘the bisexual romcom of your wildest dreams,’ DIVA Magazine) was translated into multiple languages and optioned for screen. She won a Comedy Women in Print Prize for ‘Funniest Sex Scene.’  My Own Worst Enemy is her second novel.