As writers, we bring life to the page and through those experiences, others can live vicariously. We often write outside our own realm of personal experience, so it's fantastic to learn from Clare Lydon today about writing lesbian fiction and gain an insight into what some get wrong in the portrayal of gay characters. In the intro, I mention the It's a Mystery Podcast, as well as the Tim Ferriss Show episode with Kevin Kelly on AI, virtual reality and The Inevitable, Kevin's new book. In publishing news, Amazon expands its investment in India. Not specifically about publishing, but it indicates a growth of ecommerce in the region. This podcast is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life, which helps authors self-publish and reach readers in global markets through the Kobo eco-system. You can also subscribe to the Kobo Writing Life podcast for interviews with successful indie authors. Clare Lydon is a London-based writer of contemporary lesbian romance as well as the host of the Lesbian Book Club. You can listen above or on iTunes or Stitcher or watch the video here, read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and full transcript below. * Clare's start writing lesbian fiction. * The global reach of gay fiction for those in countries where being gay is illegal or dangerous. * On whether gay fiction tackles issues of the day. * What defines lesbian fiction and the varied readership of lesbian fiction. * Stereotypes to avoid when writing gay characters, and important story tropes of a romance, regardless of the orientation of the protagonists. * Tips on writing humor and marketing to the lesbian audience. * Clare's thoughts on covers and what images work. You can find Clare at www.clarelydon.co.uk and on twitter @ClareLydon Transcription of interview with Clare Lydon Joanna: Hi everyone. I'm Joanna Penn from thecreativepenn.com, and today I'm sure with Clare Lydon. Hi Clare. Clare: Hi Joanna, lovely to be here. Joanna: Oh, great to have you on the show. Just a little introduction, Clare is a London based writer of contemporary lesbian romance, as well as the host of the Lesbian Book Club. And today, we're talking about writing lesbian fiction. Clare, just before we get into it, tell us a bit more about you and your writing background. Clare: I worked for nearly eight years as a journalist and editor in magazines. I worked on design magazines, football magazines, food magazines, and gaming magazines. I know more about gaming than I ever really wanted to know, because I'm not a gamer.