Clare Lydon writes contemporary sapphic romance with all the feels, and always a happy ending. Her latest book Girlfriend Goals is about rival national team coaches with a complicated past who reunite before the Women's Euros, where a hidden secret and lingering attraction change everything.
Lydon is a #1 bestseller around the globe and has spoken at queer festivals and Prides throughout the UK. When not writing, she watches far too many cookery shows, drinks nuclear-strength coffee, and loves a Cadbury’s Wispa.
We spoke with the author about her sapphic soccer romances, the evolution of lesbian romance, and what it means to build a successful indie career on her own terms.
What do you love about being an indie author and the self-publishing process?
The freedom and control. When I started off, I never knew I wanted to be in charge of every aspect of my publishing journey. But it turns out, I do.
Getting to choose your covers, control your edits, choose your narrator, being in charge of marketing and publishing from start to finish. I control my deadlines, and if I need to pause or take a few days off for any reason, I don’t have to ask permission. That’s winning at life!
Your writing is often praised for its mastery of witty dialogue and banter. What do you think is the key to writing great romantic conversation?
Keeping it real. I sometimes read dialogue and think, nobody talks that way. I try to make my characters chat like normal people, then spark off each other. There has to be flirting with words and action. I think I’m pretty funny in real life, but writing funny is a skill. You have to use short, sharp, snappy prose. It can’t be verbose. Funny = fast.
How has the landscape for sapphic romance changed since you published your first novel? Are there any misconceptions people still have about lesbian romance as a genre?
When I first started, publishing wasn’t interested in a happy-ever-after story between two women. Romance was for straight couples and nobody else. I was told many times, “if one of your leads dies, maybe we’ll publish it.” That was in 2013. Now, it’s a whole different landscape.
Self-publishing cracked the industry wide open. Now, anyone can write and publish themselves, no permission needed. Which is exactly what I, and many others, did.
Now, publishers are tripping over themselves to publish queer writers. I’m happy there are more books, because there are always more readers. It’s not a zero sum game. If you read Taylor Jenkins Reid or Casey McQuiston, you might also read me, Harper Bliss, Haley Cass. There are tons of options, and readers don’t care how your book got there. They just care it’s a good story that keeps them engaged and gives them all the feels.
Misconceptions? Yes, everyone always thinks I’m publishing erotica when I tell them I write sapphic romance. It’s prejudice, and it’s exhausting.
Do you have a favorite lesbian love story of all time in books, TV, or film – and what makes it so great?
The best lesbian romance book is by KE Lane, called And Playing The Role of Herself. It’s the absolute pinnacle of lesbian romance brilliance and was written ages ago. Hat tip also to Taylor Jenkins Reid, but a HEA is not guaranteed. My fiction has to have a HEA, because so much of real life does not.
What themes or tropes do you love exploring in your own writing, and which ones do you gravitate toward as a reader?
I love second chance, fake dating (which is the festive novel I’m writing next), and also small town. I really don’t like ice queen or enemies to lovers. I write what I want to read. Since 2023, I’ve also written three sapphic soccer romances. I’m a huge football fan, and I’ve loved doing this. It’s kinda what I’m getting known for now, which is cool. I’m terrible at playing football, but I love writing about it.
How did you come up with the idea for your most recent book Girlfriend Goals? Did it start with the characters, the sports setting, or a certain theme you wanted to delve into?
It was purely an idea I got after watching the 2025 European Championship and seeing all the managers prowling up and down the touchline in suits, oozing pure sapphic energy. I immediately knew there was a story there. So yes, it started with the characters, and then I wanted to wrap a second-chance, rivals to lovers theme around it. I’m really pleased with the results, and I hope readers love it.
If you love sapphic romance with heart, heat, and high stakes,
Girlfriend Goals belongs on your TBR.
What do you want people to think, feel, or take away from your books?
That real love and happy ever afters are possible, and that sapphic romance is valid and has a true place in the world. In 2026, it’s depressing that writing sapphic romance is a political act, but it is. Representation is still vital, and I have no intention of stopping.
What advice do you have for aspiring romance authors in the indie space?
That trying to write the perfect book is a method of procrastination. Just get it to the best it can possibly be, then let it go.
You never feel ready to publish, you just have to do it, then figure everything else out along the way.
Tell us about your experience as a host of two podcasts – The Lesbian Book Club and Lesbians Who Write. What do you love about podcasting?
I loved getting to meet my peers, and I made a lot of friends by doing both podcasts. Also, the Lesbians Who Write podcast inspired a lot of people to do just that, which I love. Plus, it fulfilled that part of me that secretly wanted to be a DJ. Wherever I worked previously, I was always made to record the answerphone message. I have a voice for radio.
What does literary success mean to you?
That’s changed over the years. I used to want to sell a certain amount of books, or make a certain amount of money. Now, I value having the freedom to structure my time the way I want to. I love working for myself. I was described by the last person I worked for as “the most unemployable person he’d ever worked with.” I took it as a compliment.
What are you most excited about these days?
Beyond having my football books turned into a TV series (if anybody wants to, the rights are for sale!), I’m also very excited about my football team, Spurs Women, doing the business on the pitch next season. We’re having a great transfer window, which normally means it’s about to go sideways. But we live in hope, and maybe one day, we might even win something!
