Author Archives: Gabriella West

About Gabriella West

Author of LGBT historical fiction and contemporary queer romance. Copyeditor/proofreader.

Ukraine in Crisis—Time’s Running Out

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Gabriella West

I have been riveted and appalled by the invasion of Ukraine by its neighbor Russia. What’s more, I actually know someone reporting on the ground over there, a reporter for the Christian Science Monitor… The bravery of the people and … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged crisis, Czechoslovakia, Eastern Europe, Iron Curtain, Kyiv, nightingale, Putin, refugees, solidarity, Ukraine | Leave a comment

A New Indie Juggernaut?

Posted on February 8, 2022 by Gabriella West

Just got the news today that Smashwords is being acquired by Draft 2 Digital. This is really earth-shaking news for anyone who has been a part of the “wide” independent author scene. For those people who don’t publish direct to … Continue reading →

Posted in News, Self-publishing | Tagged D2D, Distribution, indie publishing, Mark Coker, merger, once you are mine, Smashwords, Year of the Tiger | Leave a comment

Review: Putting the Rabbit in the Hat by Brian Cox

Posted on February 6, 2022 by Gabriella West

What a life Brian Cox has had. The weird zaniness of some of his memoir, Putting the Rabbit in the Hat (Grand Central Publishing, 2022, $14.99 on Kindle), is amplified by the fact that the “Editorial Reviews” section on the … Continue reading →

Posted in creativity and its discontents, Reviews | Tagged acting, brian cox, putting the rabbit in the hat | Leave a comment

Happy New Year!

Posted on January 8, 2022 by Gabriella West

It’s past time to say it! Dry and chilly here now, but it’s been a very wet winter in San Francisco. We are all playing the Omicron lottery at the moment. I managed somehow to get a home test, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged Omicron, Radish, Rejection, Submittable | Leave a comment

Smashwords End of Year Sale Expands!

Posted on December 16, 2021 by Gabriella West

The 5th Annual Smashwords End of Year Sale is longer this year: it runs December 17-January 1. I decided to keep it simple this time. The first two books in my medieval Knight’s Tale series will be on sale for … Continue reading →

Posted in LGBT, News, Self-publishing, Writing | Tagged A Knight's Tale: Kenilworth, ebooks, Happy Holidays, LGBT historical romance, medieval romance, once you are mine, pre-order, Smashwords, Smashwords End of Year Sale | Leave a comment

Fall Bargains and Musings

Posted on October 10, 2021 by Gabriella West

I wanted to let folks know that a couple of my books are on sale now at Smashwords. You can get Once You Are Mine for 25% off; The Pull of Yesterday, book 2 in the Elsie Street trilogy is … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, LGBT, News, Personal, Self-publishing, Writing | Tagged Bookbub, cancer, Colin Powell, Covid, death, Elsie Street, Free, hearts, mortality, once you are mine, Radish, Smashwords, The Pull of Yesterday | Leave a comment

The Letters of Shirley Jackson—a Preview!

Posted on August 23, 2021 by Gabriella West

I’ve been busy reading the delightful, yet somewhat vexing Letters of Shirley Jackson (Random House, 672 pp., $14.99 on Kindle) and writing a long review of it! Finding a home (irony alert, as Shirley was always focused on the physical … Continue reading →

Posted in creativity and its discontents, News, Reviews, Writing | Tagged 1950s, cruelty, dysfunctional relationships, female breadwinners, feminism, husbands, marriage, mental health, Morris Minors, Shirley Jackson, The Internet Review of Books, The Letters of Shirley Jackson, Vermont, women writers, women's lives | Leave a comment

A Tenuous Time (Two Unexpected Losses)

Posted on July 25, 2021 by Gabriella West

Seems like a weird time we’re in right now. The delta variant is upon us, and even in San Francisco, cases are rising robustly. I continue to wear my mask and am relieved that so many of my fellow SFers … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal, San Francisco, Writing | Tagged Autism, cancer, Chico, deaths, delta variant, Denise Minor, Facebook, feminist, friendship, loss, obituary, Patrick More, San Francisco State, women's lives, writing group | Leave a comment

Summer Odds n’ Ends

Posted on June 26, 2021 by Gabriella West

Summer’s a good time for bargains, and here are a few! First of all, the audiobook of Connecting the Dots: My Midlife Journey with Adult ADHD is on sale for just $1.99 thru the end of June over at BN‘s … Continue reading →

Posted in LGBT, News, Writing | Tagged ADHD, app, connecting the dots, LGBTQ, Own Voices, Radish, sale, Smashwords, summer, Summer/Winter sale, time of grace | Leave a comment

Belated Bloomsday Musings

Posted on June 16, 2021 by Gabriella West

Originally posted on Gabriella West:
Being interviewed is a scary thing. The folks at 1st Author Interviews made it totally easy for me to answer some questions about my writing process and my recently published novel The Leaving. I think…