OUT NOW: The Santa Pageant, a second-chance Christmas romance between a lonely lesbian and a chilly non-binary bisexual . . .
OUT NOW: The Island Festival, a queer, high-heat romance about an anxious homebody and his non-binary music teacher . . .
© Lillian Barry. All rights reserved.
About
Lillian Barry (they/she/he) would write in short spells when the world stops spinning, which, when you have vertigo, isn’t all that often. Every word that makes it onto the page feels like a small miracle. But that’s the way they like it—progress in small miracles like the smell of the sea through an open window or putting a name to a feeling you’ve always felt or a small kiss that says more, later.They would write until the world spins again, only this time it’s a different type of spinning, the kind you get from creating love stories, a love you don’t want to ever end. Other things Lillian loved includes playing brass instruments, watching anime, and getting sucked into the microcosm of a niche video game.A Channel Islander by childhood, they lived in Ireland with their partner until their passing in late 2025. Find them @SoLillianBarry on all social media.
Content warnings:
This books contains mention and discussion of anxiety, autism, ADHD, and eating disorders, and brief descriptions of vomiting and nausea. Public embarrassment features in a major event in a main character's past.
The book contains sexual language and explicit sex acts between a pansexual agender person and a pansexual man, including anal sex (oral and penetrative including pegging), oral sex, masturbation, ejaculation, light dom/sub roleplay, and some outrageously horny flirting.
There is mention of some local history, including the Thatcher era in North East England and its impact on coal-mining communities, as well as the 1940–1945 Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands. If you are unfamiliar but interested in learning a little more, I recommend consulting Wikipedia as a first port of call.
Content warnings: This book contains discussion of emotional abuse within a past relationship, the aftermath of a broken engagement including the reappearance of the ex, and one flashback. It also features emotionally immature parents (of adult characters); mentions of polycystic ovarian syndrome, infertility, and postnatal depression; mentions of C-PTSD, RSD, anxiety, and undiagnosed ADHD; some lesbophobia and biphobia; misgendering; ableism; gaslighting; divorce; strong language; sex between consenting adult characters; consumption of alcohol; pipe smoking; and mentions of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is also ableist language used to hurt a main character.front cover illustrated by Annalise Jensen
THE ISLAND FESTIVAL IS OUT NOW!
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30% of all income from The Island Festival will be donated to three causes: 10% to homeless support in Dublin; 10% to domestic abuse victim support in Guernsey; 10% to Palestinian aid~~~Dair swore off all things brave and adventurous when his high-school promposal went embarrassingly, publicly wrong ten years ago. But when the invite to his school reunion lands in his inbox, he decides it’s time to get a life—to prove to his ex-classmates that he’s a new person.Ewing moved to the Island partly to create and conduct a brass band, but also to be closer to their grandma, the only person they’ve ever been able to rely on. To make their job a success, they need a euphonium player to take on the solo at the spring festival—and who better than their new student, Dair, a talented and hardworking beginner?Dair throws himself heart-first into the band, but as the performance (and the reunion) approach, his anxiety rises, and so does his attraction to his music teacher. While Ewing envies Dair’s courageous quest for a new life, they can’t shake the fear he’ll turn out to be unreliable like everyone else. If the performance goes wrong, it’ll be the end of Dair’s self-improvement plan, Ewing’s career, and the future they could explore together.
THE SANTA PAGEANT is out now!
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The Santa Pageant Audiobook narrated by Kaylynn Creighton out now!
30% of all income from The Santa Pageant will be donated to three causes: 10% to homeless support in Dublin; 10% to domestic abuse victim support in Guernsey; 10% to Palestinian aid~~~Effie is going to win the Santa of the Year Pageant.Her family are adamant that Santa isn’t a lesbian, but Effie has a pink Santa suit and a pocketful of festive puns. She’s definitely going to win. All that’s standing in her way is Tove, the grumpiest Santa in the grotto…who also happens to be Effie’s estranged best friend (who she scared off ten years ago with a really poorly timed kiss).Too bad Tove wants nothing to do with her. Or do they, considering they keep asking for Effie’s help in the week leading up to Christmas, as they confront all that’s happened in the years since they parted?