Queer Vancouver Writer Launches Second Novel

Vancouver, BC, October 31 — If you’ve been waiting for a Vancouver-based modern lesbian pulp-fiction novel, today is your lucky day!

Don’t Bang the Barista! is the second novel from British-born, Vancouver-based writer, Leigh Matthews, an author whose first novel, The Old Arbutus Tree, was said to be beautifully written, if a tad harrowing.

For readers who like their novels a little fluffier and feel-good, Don’t Bang the Barista! is released today in paperback and as an ebook. If you’re a fan of Ann Bannon and Zoe Whitall, or just gung-ho about queer fiction with a dash of romance and sex, then you’re sure to enjoy this romp through Vancouver’s hipster-dyke triangle of Mount Pleasant.

Narrated by Kate, a freelance designer who is lusting after the barista at her local coffee-shop, Don’t Bang the Barista! asks those key questions to all late twenty-somethings, such as:

Is it ever a good idea to act on your barista crush?
What if it all goes terribly wrong and you, and your friends, are banished forever from your favourite hangout that makes those fantastic vegan brownies you love so much?

And,

What if an ill-fated barista hook-up scares off the person you really love? The one person who really gets you, but finds it impossible to open up…

Almost a year after her ex left, Kate’s friend are pretty sure it’s time for her to move on and make up her mind, before it’s too late.

In Don’t Bang the Barista!, Leigh Matthews has crafted a tongue-in-cheek queer romance which doffs its (plaid) hat to writers of 1950’s and 60’s lesbian pulp fiction. Don’t worry though, [Spoiler Alert!] there’s no surprise heteronormative marriage at the end of this novel!

Vancouverites will love Don’t Bang the Barista! as they can make this an interactive read by playing the “I’ve been there!” drinking game. Those unlucky enough not to live in Vancouver will want to move there forthwith after reading this fun, sexy novel.

Also, there are kittens, pooches, growlers (of all kinds), and a sprinkling of polyamory, unicorns, puns, and good old beards. Did we mention that this lesbian pulp novel is set in Vancouver?

Don’t Bang the Barista! is available to order at all good book stores, and online at Powell’s, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, CreateSpace and elsewhere.

Follow the discussion about the book on Facebook.

Leigh Matthews is available for interviews and requests for review copies of her novel. Contact leigh@theinkwell.org.