The votes are in: marriage is between a man and a woman. What do two young people in love do, if those words don't work for them? Carys and Jami may be girls, but Carys has never willingly worn a dress and Jami, who has, is intersexed. Though being a teenager in love is never easy, for Carys and Jami falling in love with each other is a terrifying journey in self-discovery and, ultimately, trust.   (Art by Jade Gordon.) More information Buy on Lulu.com

In my reading I had noticed that most young adult coming of age / coming out novels feature only gay and lesbian characters, with very few trans and no intersex folks in sight. I decided to help change that situation.

The main characters in Fool for Love are two eighteen year old girls, in the final months of high school and home school. (Of course 'girls' is the label applied by the culture in which they live; it's not necessarily a label with which either of them is completely happy.)

Jami is intersexed. I am deliberately vague about the details in this book. Intersexuality is a complex topic, and I didn't want to make it difficult for readers to identify with Jami, nor did I want to bog the story down in esoteric medical details. Jami is into photography, computers and thinking. Her main conflict comes from feeling that she's actually something very different from what she appears to be (a charming and pretty young girl). To step out of that role is to step into danger, on many levels.

Carys falls somewhere between butch dyke and transgender in the genderqueer spectrum. She's a theater person, a clown (literally) and a big Sherlock Holmes fan. Carys has some problems with her parents and with school, where she's in the GSA. As the kind of person who is called "dyke" while she's walking down the street, Carys has a rather different set of issues than Jami.

There are a couple of what I consider to be very emotional scenes as Carys and Jami get to know each other. There is no graphic detail, but I try to at least hint at the emotional minefield that surrounds the question of sexual intimacy for some people, and what it can mean to be involved with such a person.

I hope my characters will be familiar to some of today's queer and questioning youth who aren't eager to select one of the usual labels. I know from experience how nice it is to finally find oneself in a book, after being disappointed so many times when characters who seem promising turn out to be something else.

This is of course a novel about two particular people, not a political treatise about queer and/or intersex identity in general. Neither of these people is me, though I certainly drew on my life experience in writing this book.

Finally, this is a "happy book" in the sense that no one dies deservedly, kills hirself, is beaten, raped, or even kicked out of their home. Some bad stuff happens, but things turn out okay in the long run.

I like the book and the characters very much, so I'm eager to find out how Carys and Jami develop once they are on their own. I'll be bringing in some other interesting and unusual people, too. – Lisa Lees

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