1) Tell us about yourself in 100 words or fewer.

In real life I’m a shy, capable, slightly frazzled wife, Church administrator and Mother of four who spends far too much time printing out and folding leaflets; picking up stuff and putting it away; and dealing with the ginger terrors, two cats whose sole aim seems to be to try and prevent sleep by sitting on my head when I’m in bed.  In cyber life I’m a bossy, opinionated blogger and reviewer, with a weakness for pimping my favourite books and authors.  I have been known to be ‘refreshingly honest’.

2) Tell us something about you that might come as a surprise!

I hate shopping and would happily buy everything over the Internet if I could get away with it.

3) What do you like most about the LGBTQ genre?

Where to begin? It’s been a huge part of my reading life for 5 years now and my tastes and feelings about the genre have changed and developed as time has gone on.  Nowadays, it’s the knowledge that this genre attracts such a diverse set of people who are often funny, brilliant and write cracking good books. I’ve made so many new friends through a shared love of LGBTQ romance especially reviewers and bloggers who share my tastes. In terms of the stories themselves, I like the breadth and scale of the themes and sub-genres which means I always have something new and different to read in the genre.

4) What are you most looking forward to about UK Meet?

Meeting up with old friends, making new ones and having a good old chin wag about the books I love.

5) If you had one wish which would come true at UK Meet, what would that be?

I feel like I should say something risqué like I would like a hoard of half naked nubile young men to crash the event, but to be honest if that happened I’d probably either die of embarrassment or hastily leave the room! Instead my wish is probably rather mundane and therefore more likely to come true. I wish that I would come away from the event feeling like I’ve actually managed to talk to everyone I want to talk to. Boring but true!
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Well Read blog: http://jenre-wellread.blogspot.com

Brief Encounters Reviews:  http://briefencountersreviews.com

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1) Tell us about yourself in 100 words or fewer.

I’m bi, poly, depressed & easily irritated and I have far too many hobbies: reading, painting & drawing, listening to music (metal, jazz, classical), knitting, beading/making jewellery – most of them are competing for shelf & floor space – it’s amazing how many places can be used for yarn storage in a pinch!

Currently not working due to depression & anxiety – reading is my comfort blanket.

2) Tell us something about you that might come as a surprise!

I’m not vegetarian – I’m amazed by how many people have assumed I am vegetarian over the years – this has led to work colleagues being very surprised and confused when they’ve seen me eating meat. It wouldn’t be so bad if I actually liked most veg but I really am a committed carnivore whenever possible!

3) What do you like most about the LGBTQ genre?

I love reading books where both/all of the main protagonists are strong minded individuals in their own right.

4) What are you most looking forward to about UK Meet?

So many authors I admire are going to be there this year as well as people that I know from various groups but have never met before. I’m also looking forward to seeing the people I met last year.

5) If you had one wish which would come true at UK Meet, what would that be?

There are so many people I’d like to meet – I’m just hoping there will be time & opportunity !
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/pointycat69

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6988946-sarah

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I didn’t get to see much of Sandra last year, but I do remember chatting with her on her way out of the hotel, when she was wearing a lovely John Deere cap. You can tell us rural types by the way we celebrate all the main tractor manufacturers!

Tell us about yourself in 100 words or fewer.

I’m a line-dancing, chicken-mad, Marcher lass who lives in the mountains of Mid Wales. I’ve had two stories published – both in UK Meet anthologies – and I’ve been to every UK Meet so far. I’m the one from last year who read out a “novel opening” starring a male chicken.

Tell us something about you that might come as a surprise!

I’m not a fan of country & western music (the majority of line dancing in our area is done to past & present mainstream chart hits), but the surest way to make me look twice at your book cover is to feature a man in a cowboy hat…

What do you like most about the LGBTQ genre?

From what I’ve seen & read, people care more about getting things right, especially when it comes to pronouns. Also, I find the tales of adventure and derring-do to be less formulaic than in mainstream fiction.

What are you most looking forward to about UK Meet?

Digging through the goodies in the goody bag & the USB stick Putting faces (and voices!) to names is always good as well – and this year I might remember more people’s names, with having the Sunday as well.

If you had one wish which would come true at UK Meet, what would that be?

That I can develop a dazzling wit and demonstrate the art of scintillating conversation while I’m there

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Sandra’s blog: http://sandra-lindsey.livejournal.com

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1) Tell us about yourself in 100 words or fewer.

I’m Katharina, 27, German, a biologist and environmentalist at heart and getting my PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience which basically means that I look at other people’s brains while they’re thinking. Apart from the human brain, I like green tea, colours, roleplaying games, melodic death metal, films, computer games and wish for a quick-save and quick-load button in real life – ‘cause, damn, could I need that sometimes. I’m a total indoors person – not because I don’t like the outside, but because I have my nose in a book whenever I can. Fantasy, Science-Fiction, Humour, Mystery, Romance – I like them all!

2) Tell us something about you that might come as a surprise!

I guess most people wouldn’t figure me for a metalhead, but… well, what can I say? Long hair, long beards, screeching guitars, growling, awesome drums and sweet melodies get me going. …I should totally stop here, I’m at work after all

3) What do you like most about the LGBTQ genre?

Well, for one, I’m a bit of an oddball myself, even if I don’t seem to look like one, so I can somewhat relate to the feeling of not fitting in all that well. Then, the stories are often less conformist than het (especially het romance) literature which makes the whole thing more interesting to me. And, of course, I’m always in big favour of hot guys

4) What are you most looking forward to about UK Meet?

Meeting the people I’ve talked to so much these last months. I’ve never been to Manchester either and love the UK, so that’s quite a big plus, too!

5) If you had one wish which would come true at UK Meet, what would that be?

…I’ve just read the part about Jo Myles’ handmade corset in Jamie’s ‘meet the delegates’ text, so… yeah. That would be brilliant!

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1) Tell us about yourself in 100 words or fewer.

Twitter: @hanlie63

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It’s my pleasure to introduce Jessica Freely today–a UK Meet newbie, Spotlight Author and one of our increasing number of attendees from across the pond. Jessica is going to be fascinating to chat to as she teaches popular fiction at Seton Hill University, and has recently been given the go ahead to teach a class about LGBT Romance! Not sure whether we’ll be picking her brains in July, or whether she’ll be picking ours. Actually, I expect there’ll be a lot of mutual brain picking going on

1) Tell us about yourself in 100 words or fewer.

I’m a small person with a big voice. My sunny disposition conceals a dark core of realism about the world and both sides of that dual nature drive my writing. I love dogs, food, men, women, and putting my heroes through hell before taking them to heaven. I’m a Taurus and my chinese zodiac animal is the dragon.

2) Tell us something about you that might come as a surprise!

I’ve never seen Top Gun.

3) What do you like most about the LGBTQ genre?

Hot men being emotionally vulnerable with one another. What could be better?

4) What are you most looking forward to about UK Meet?

Hanging out with other gay romance fans and authors, many of whom I’ve met only online so far. There’s just nothing quite like being surrounded by other people who share your enthusiasm for something that not a lot of other people ‘get.’ After I attended GRL for the first time last year, I decided I wanted to attend every gay romance convention I could. And as an added bonus, some of my favorite historical gay romance authors are British so I’m hoping to meet quite a few.

5) If you had one wish which would come true at UK Meet, what would that be?

That the ghost of P.G. Wodehouse would appear in drag and whisk us all away to the English country manor home of afterlife lovers Cole Porter and Sir Elton John. We’d all dance and drink champagne until midnight and then, in the morning, the editor-in-chief of Mills and Boone would be waiting at breakfast with six-figure contracts for everyone.

See what you can do about that, would you?
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Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/jessicafreely
Website & Blog: http://jessicafreely.com
Newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jessicafreely
Facebook: http://facebook.com/jfreely
Twitter: @jessicafreely

Kat (left) and Agnes (right)

1) Tell us about yourself in 100 words or fewer.

K.A. Merikan is a joint project of Kat and Agnes Merikan who jokingly claim to share one mind. We enjoy writing various kinds of stories, from light-hearted romance to thrillers. We love creating characters that are not easy to classify as good or evil, and firmly believe that even some villains deserve their happy endings.

Our books are funny, dramatic, sexy, awkward and weird, but what we most want them to be is entertaining.

2) Tell us something about you that might come as a surprise!

We live together and have just decided to decorate our bathroom with a circus/clown theme.

3) What do you like most about the LGBTQ genre?

The fact that the partners are equal and work out their own power dynamics in their relationship, unaffected by gender roles. It shifts the conflict in the story to a different point.

And what can I say, I love writing about men!

4) What are you most looking forward to about UK Meet?

Meeting new people and reconnecting with others, met last year.  It’s amazing to talk to people with the same mindset, who instantly understand what you’re talking about.

5) If you had one wish which would come true at UK Meet, what would that be?

David Gandy as a guest speaker with photo opportunity time! What? A girl can dream
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K.A. Merikan’s author page: http://kamerikan.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KA_Merikan

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6150530.K_A_Merikan

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1)      Tell us about yourself in 100 words or fewer.

Hi my name is Larissa , an incredibly chaotic, sword wielding cowgirl from Holland who lives and breathes books of the supernatural & paranormal variety stirred with some romantic, erotic and mystery and or historic ingredients. I review some of the books I read for several blogs: Reviews by Jesse Wave, Rarely Dusty Books and Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

2)      Tell us something about you that might come as a surprise!

I work with a historic sword-fighting and reenactment group that does shows, workshop, movies and even book trailers (We made the trailer for Melissa Marr’s Carnival of Souls). I’m in organisation and reenactment.

3)      What do you like most about the LGBTQ genre?

Mmm apart from the absence of brainless airhead bimbo’s, the diversity of the genre. Oh hell who am I kidding! It’s the hot men of course.

4)      What are you most looking forward to about UK Meet?

Meeting the friends I made last year and spending a weekend talking books

5)      If you had one wish which would come true at UK Meet, what would that be?

Hmmm no wish really. I just hope it’s going to as good and maybe even better than last year!
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Website: www.bookwrangler.nl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReviewerLarissa
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReviewerLis
Reviews: www.RarelyDustyBooks.com & reviewsbyjessewave.com

And now, over to Elin…

1)      Tell us about yourself in 100 words or fewer.

I live in the Welsh Marches and work in a museum in a castle built on the edge of a Roman fort! I reckon it’s the coolest job ever apart from my other job of writing romantic historical mayhem with gay heroes who are tough as old boots but can be tender when circumstances allow.

2)      Tell us something about you that might come as a surprise!

I have slowly and sadly become allergic to alcohol, so I am much in demand as a designated driver.

3)      What do you like most about the LGBTQ genre?

I love the stories that fill the glaring omissions in history where whole groups of people are erased or edited to conform to society’s prejudices. Also the other writers. They are such a wonderfully civilised helpful and supportive bunch.

4)      What are you most looking forward to about UK Meet?

I get to talk about the types of books I adore with people I love for a whole weekend. What could be better than that? Oh and hugs!  I’m not what you’d call a ‘natural hugger’ but I have been practising *nods* and plan to hug anyone who’ll let me.

5)      If you had one wish which would come true at UK Meet, what would that be?

There are people I would love to see who won’t be able to come so a wand to wave to allow them to join in the fun would be nice.

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If you’re contemplating attending next year, please take part in our survey to help us avoid clashes with public holidays and other events!