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Katherine V. Forrest

キャサリン・V・フォレスト

Katherine V. Forrest

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1939-01-01 （Windsor, Ontario, Canada）
Nationality
Canada, United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Windsor, Ontario (birthplace) → Los Angeles, California (residence) → San Francisco, California (residence) → Palm Springs, California (current residence)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Editor, Anthology editor, Book reviewer
Active Years
1983-
Affiliations
Naiad Press, Spinsters Ink, Bella Books, Lambda Literary Foundation (board member)
Memberships
Lambda Literary Foundation (board of trustees)
Influenced By
Jane Rule, Lee Lynch
Influenced
Contemporary lesbian mystery writers

Awards

Pioneer Award
1999
Organization: Lambda Literary Foundation
Result: Winner
Alice B Readers Award
2005
Organization: The Alice B Awards
Result: Winner
Trailblazer Award
2008
Organization: Golden Crown Literary Society
Result: Winner
Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement
Organization: Publishing Triangle
Result: Winner
Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Mystery
1990
Work: The Beverly Malibu
Category: Lesbian Mystery
Organization: Lambda Literary
Result: Winner
Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Mystery
1992
Work: Murder by Tradition
Category: Lesbian Mystery
Organization: Lambda Literary
Result: Winner
Lambda Literary Award for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror
2006
Work: Daughters of an Emerald Dusk
Category: SF/Fantasy/Horror
Organization: Lambda Literary
Result: Winner
Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Mystery
2005
Work: Hancock Park
Category: Lesbian Mystery
Organization: Lambda Literary
Result: Winner
Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Mystery
2014
Work: High Desert
Category: Lesbian Mystery
Organization: Lambda Literary
Result: Winner
Goldie Award for Mystery/Thriller
2018
Work: Lethal Care
Organization: Golden Crown Literary Society
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Curious Wine

1983 Romance

Considered a classic of American lesbian romance; explores relationships and choices against political and cultural backdrops.

IdentityLove and self-determination

The Beverly Malibu

1989 Mystery

A Kate Delafield mystery set in Los Angeles featuring crime and interpersonal dynamics.

CrimeUrban lifeLesbian perspective

Murder by Tradition

1991 Mystery

A Kate Delafield investigation where tradition and contemporary issues collide as a crime unfolds.

Tradition vs changeJustice

Daughters of an Emerald Dusk

2005 Fantasy / Science Fiction

A later work in the Coral Dawn sequence blending worldbuilding, character growth, and lesbian cultural elements in a speculative setting.

WorldbuildingCommunityFemale solidarity

Hancock Park

2004 Mystery

A Kate Delafield installment set in Los Angeles neighborhood involving a complex murder case.

Crime investigationLocal community

High Desert

2013 Mystery

A later series entry linking desert landscapes with crime, told from the perspective of a seasoned detective.

SolitudeEnvironment and people

Bibliography

  • Curious Wine (1983)
  • Daughters of A Coral Dawn (1984)
  • Amateur City (1984)
  • Murder at The Nightwood Bar (1987)
  • The Beverly Malibu (1989)
  • Murder by Tradition (1991)
  • An Emergence of Green (1986)
  • Flashpoint (1994)
  • Sleeping Bones (1999)
  • Hancock Park (2004)
  • Daughters of an Amber Noon (2002)
  • Daughters of an Emerald Dusk (2005)
  • High Desert (2013)
  • Delafield (2022)
  • Lethal Care (2017)

Adaptations

  • Murder at The Nightwood Bar (optioned for film, later shelved)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Blend of realism and romanceCandid depiction of characters' sexualityPlot-driven mystery style
Recurring Motifs
Lesbian identity and communityPolice and investigative professional worldUrban and local community depiction

Legacy

Regarded as a pioneer of lesbian fiction—particularly lesbian mystery. Winner of multiple Lambda Literary Awards and other honors; influential as an editor who supported many writers in LGBTQ literature.

Academic Societies

  • Golden Crown Literary Society
  • Lambda Literary Foundation

Archives

  • Naiad Press records (housed at Cornell University Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections)

In Popular Culture

  • Influence on the formation of the lesbian mystery genre

Quotes

  • I think it's political as hell... Here were two women who had a lot of choices in life, a lot of options, and out of all of those options they chose the hardest one, which was to love each other.
    Source: Interview (AfterEllen, 2004) (2004)
  • Sexuality is a part of life and it's something that readers are interested in as far as characters... Love scenes are unparalleled opportunities to characterize a major character.
    Source: Quoted in San Francisco Chronicle (1997)

Trivia

  • Served ten years as fiction editor at Naiad Press.
  • Founded Spinsters Ink and served as Supervising Editor.
  • Murder at The Nightwood Bar was optioned for film but ultimately shelved.
  • Curious Wine is considered a classic of American lesbian romance.