Rebecca Podos & Taylor Grothe: An Evening of Sapphic Romance

• Each ticket will include a paperback copy of either Homeward for a Spell or Lethal Kiss or a $10 Gift Card to River Bend Bookshop.
• Additional copies of both books will be available for purchase at the event.
• An audience Q&A and signing will follow the talk.

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for accessibility inquiries, please reach out to [email protected]

Ticket holders who purchased a book with a ticket bundle and are unable to attend the event may pick up their book at River Bend Bookshop West Hartford up to 30 days following the event.

In this cozy queer romantic fantasy from the award-winning authors of Homegrown Magic, two members of a motley crew of adventurers must confront monsters, hostile landscapes—and their growing attraction to each other.

Sage has made her living as a ranger, moving constantly between adventuring parties, but she’s never had the chance to lead one. So when she’s offered the opportunity to hire a crew of her own in pursuit of a rare magical artifact, it seems a dream come true—until she learns that they’re headed into the most inhospitable part of the kingdom with winter looming. Still, it’s a way to finally put her name on the map . . . and how bad could it really be?

Araphi has always loved music, in defiance of her powerful family’s priorities. All she wants is one last occasion to perform before she marries a man she does not love for the good of the family. So when she sees a poster seeking a bard for a party, she eagerly sneaks away to audition, only to discover that the party in question is no festival but an adventuring party, led by a woman she’s been fascinated with since she first laid eyes on her. It’s an unexpected twist, but if she takes the job, she’ll still be back in time for her own wedding . . . and how bad could it really be?

What follows is a life-altering journey for them both, filled with danger and misfortune as their ragtag band of adventurers—most of whom have just met—must learn to work together to overcome the many obstacles before them, not least the explosive chemistry between the rugged party leader used to watching her own back and the pampered city-girl bard, who may be far out of her element but is beginning to feel at home for the very first time.

Rebecca Podos is the Lambda Literary Award-winning author of YA and Adult novels. What If…Kitty Pryde Stole the Phoenix Force? is her latest. By day, Rebecca is a Senior Agent at Neighborhood Literary. She serves as a co-director of the Communications and Fundraising Committee for Literary Agents of Change, and on the Board of Directors for QT Library, a nonprofit, queer and trans lending library based in Boston.

A blood-soaked love story of rage, revenge, and belonging, Taylor Grothe's adult debut is a sapphic horror/romance that's as grotesque as it is beautiful.

Preston University wasn’t Marcella’s first choice of employment, but there’s only so many deaths that can be chalked up to mysterious circumstances before people get suspicious, and her 300 years on Earth have taught her how to pack up and move quickly. She’s resolved to keep her head down and enjoy a couple semesters at Preston—and keep her feedings few and far between. That is, until a professor is found murdered on campus, and it’s not her doing.
When Lacie was hired as an assistant professor at Preston a year ago, she knew not everyone makes tenure. But when her only friend disappears without a word, she begins to suspect that her other missing coworkers didn’t just quit. Unfortunately, there’s only one person she can trust enough to ask for help—the beautiful, aloof, and tantalizingly secretive latecomer, Marcella.
Lacie and Marcella team up to make a chilling discovery: there’s something festering under the marble floors of Preston University, and it’s hungry. Marcella might be a monster, but the deeper into the mystery they dig, the more she’s attracted to Lacie’s immovable bravery and quiet intelligence. And the closer they grow, the more Lacie is drawn to Marcella’s vicious nature.
The weight of spilled blood and stolen opportunity might be too heavy to carry alone, so it’s a good thing they have each other. Marcella just has to get her fill, first.

Taylor Grothe is a writer of adult and young adult horror, horror romance, and dark fantasy. They hold a nonfiction MFA from Fairfield University, acted as the graduate Assistant Managing Editor of Brevity, and their short works can be found in esteemed publications such as Titan Book’s These Dreaming Spires, Brevity’s craft blog, Haven Speculative, and Shortwave Magazine. They are a scholar of medieval literature and Nordic Saga. Taylor lives with three cats, two kids, and their spouse, in New England, and are the author of Lethal Kiss and Hollow.