Celia Laskey

When a group of social activists arrive in a small town, the lives and beliefs of residents and outsiders alike are upended, in this wry, embracing novel.Big Burr, Kansas, is the kind of place where everyone seems to know everyone, and evrryone shares the same values-or keeps their opinions to themselves. But when a national nonprofit labels Big Burr "the most homophobic town in the US" and sends in a task force of queer volunteers as an experiment-they'll live and work in the community for two years in an attempt to broaden hearts and minds-no one is truly prepared for what will ensue. Furious at being uprooted from her life in Los Angeles and desperate to fit in at her new high school, Avery fears that it's only a matter of time before her "gay crusader" mom outs her. Still grieving the death of her son, Linda welcomes the arrivals, who know mercifully little about her past. And for Christine, the newcomers are not only a threat to the comforting rhythms of Big Burr life, but a call to action. As tensions roil the town, cratering relationships and forcing closely guarded secrets into the light, everyone must consider what it really means to belong. Told with warmth and wit, Under the Rainbow is a poignant, hopeful articulation of our complicated humanity that reminds us we are more alike than we'd like to admit.

A wedding weekend spirals out of control in this bold, electrifying, hilarious novel about the complexities of female friendship  Robin and Ellie have been best friends since childhood. When Robin came out, Ellie was there for her. When Ellie's father died, Robin had her back. But when Ellie asks Robin to be her maid of honor, she is reluctant. A queer academic, Robin is dubious of the elaborate wedding rituals now sweeping the nation, which go far beyond champagne toasts and a bouquet toss. But loyalty wins out, and Robin accepts.  Yet, as the wedding weekend approaches, a series of ominous occurrences lead Robin to second-guess her decision. It seems that everyone in the bridal party is out to get her. Perhaps even Ellie herself.  Manically entertaining, viciously funny and eerily campy, So Happy for You is the ultimate send-up to our collective obsession with the wedding industry complex and a riveting, unexpectedly poignant depiction of friendship in all its messy glory. 

From the author of Under the Rainbow, a hilarious, emotional love story about an anxious publicist who's tasked with keeping an extremely gay starlet in the closet—but ends up falling for her instead.​ It's 2005, and Ali is a publicist for Hollywood's biggest stars. Part of her job entails keeping gay celebrities in the closet—which is pretty ironic, since she's a lesbian. When Ali is assigned a new gay client, Cara Bisset, who's breaking onto the scene with a (hetero) romantic blockbuster, keeping Cara's sexuality under wraps becomes Ali's biggest challenge yet. Cara is unruly and unpredictable, and hates that she has to hide her identity. After a series of increasingly close calls, Ali is sent on the worldwide promotional tour for the movie to help keep Cara in line. Instead, she finds herself drawn to Cara's confidence and bravery. For the past year, Ali has been mired in grief after losing her partner in a freak accident. But with Cara, Ali's fears about the world subside, and she begins to question the Hollywood closeting system she’s helped perpetuate.  As Cara's fame continues to rise, both Ali and Cara have to decide which is more maintaining the status quo, or risking it all for another chance at love.

Chcieli żyć w strefie wolnej od LGBT, ale los spłatał im figla... Big Burr to miasteczko, gdzie wszyscy się znają - a przynajmniej tak im się wydaje. Kiedy jednak zdobywa niechlubny tytuł "najbardziej homofobicznej miejscowości w Ameryce", a przyznająca go organizacja na dwa lata przysyła tam queerową grupę zadaniową do pracy u podstaw i edukowania lokalsów, rezultaty są nie do przewidzenia. Pogrążona w żałobie po synu Linda przyjmuje aktywistów z otwartymi ramionami, bo tylko oni nie wiedzą o jej bolesnej przeszłości. Nastoletnia Avery, wściekła, że musiała zostawić Los Angeles, za wszelką cenę stara się nawiązać przyjaźnie w nowym liceum. Tyle że szkolni koledzy szybko odkrywają, że to jej mama kieruje grupą zadaniową. Gabe, lokalny myśliwy, który mieszka w Big Burr od urodzenia, nagle czuje, że znalazł się na celowniku. W miarę jak napięcie rośnie, związki się rozpadają, a bolesne prawdy wychodzą na jaw, zarówno starzy, jak i nowi mieszkańcy zaczynają się zastanawiać, czym jest poczucie przynależności. Pod tęczą to ciepła, pełna humoru, przejmująca opowieść o zawiłościach ludzkiej psychiki, związkach oraz tolerancji wobec siebie i innych.