Stepping Out — Lori L. Lake

"Lake has a flawless ear for the witty twists of the English language and a fine grasp of popular culture. She fearlessly situates her characters in a range of places, times, and dilemmas that might daunt a less gifted and confident author. Readers can relax, knowing they will be carried along by a born story teller.”
~Ann Bannon, author of the ground-breaking Beebo Brinker Chronicles

In these fourteen short stories, Lori L. Lake captures how change and loss influence the course of lives: a mother and daughter having an age-old fight; a frightened woman attempting to deal with an abusive lover; a father trying to understand his lesbian daughter's retreat from him; an athlete who misses her chance -- or does she?

Lovingly crafted, the collection has been described as a series of mini-novels where themes of alienation and loss, particularly for characters who are gay or lesbian, are woven throughout. Lake is right on about the anguish and confusion of characters caught in the middle of circumstances, usually of someone else's making. Still, each character steps out with hope and determination.

“With best-selling novels like Gun Shy, Ricochet in Time, and Under the Gun, Lake is widely considered one of the best authors of modern lesbian fiction, but her work -- part action, part drama, and part romance -- gleefully defies categorization.” ~Lavender Magazine