Christina Miller of the www.everybodysgood.com team recently had theopportunity to interview Joy Argento, Operations Manager and Cover Artist at Ride the Rainbow Books, a publishing company that's mission is to "foster talented lesbian [and bi] authors and help get their books into the hands of eager readers." The interview highlights the goals of the company, the importance of LB fiction and tips for new writers.

1) How did you get into this line of work?

I have been a big fan of lesbian fiction for many years. Several years ago I thought I would try my hand at writing and penned two lesbian romances. I self-published both. They sold well but I was not personally satisfied with the writing. I took different writing courses at Writers and Books and learned a lot. I had great admiration for both of my teachers. Nina Alvarez is a wonderful editor and ghost writer amongst other things. Georgia Beers is an exceptional and very popular lesbian romance writer. They helped my writing tremendously. I believed together we could help other lesbian authors the way they helped me. We have teamed up in an effort to get more quality lesbian themed books into the hands of eager readers.

2) A summary of Ride the Rainbow Books

Ride the Rainbow Books consists of three woman working together to help produce lesbian books. We work closely with the author to bring their vision and story to the readers.

Joy Argento is the Operations Manager and Cover Artist. Joy is an award-winning artist and successful author. Her books have been on Amazon's best seller list for hot new releases in lesbian fiction for the Kindle. She has over twenty years of sales and business experience.

Georgia Beers is story editor. Georgia is an award-winning author and a fan favorite. She has been writing for as long as she can remember and editing for about four years.  She has more than 13 published books and short stories.

Our line editor is Nina Alvarez. Nina Alvarez is an editor, published writer, teacher, and consultant. She has an MA in English from the University of Albany and has taught college-level composition and literature. Nina has worked with writers from around the world to get their book ready for publishing.

3) Why do you think the availability of lesbian fiction is important for our community?

Anything that makes us more visible is important. It is important to the individual reader because people like to see themselves and their stories represented. It gives them a chance to escape the everyday realities of life into a world of the author's creation.

4. What do you think is the added value of being queer/lesbian owned company that is producing lesbian centered products?

Our books are about the lives of lesbians and having them written, edited and published by lesbians, bi women and lesbian supporters brings an understanding and clearer definition to our final product.

5) What tips or suggestions do you have for queer identified youth or adults hoping to get involved in this field?

If you have an interest in being a writer, you need to write and write often. Take classes and read books, both in the genre you plan on writing and instructional writing books. Learn as much as you can about the craft. If you submit to a publisher and are not accepted, figure out what changes you need to make and try again. Don't give up.

6) Do your works discuss any specific physical, mental or spiritual health-related topic? If so, what are the takeaway messages from those pieces?

We are open to submissions with any or all of those topics. My latest book, Holding On To Faith revolves around religion and the difficulties it causes when someone falls in love with someone of the same gender. The takeaway message is that you can have God and the girl too.