Karin Kallmaker (born 1960) is an American author of lesbian fiction whose works also include those originally written under the name Laura Adams.
[citation needed] Considered a master at characterization,[3] Kallmaker's work reflects the interior lives of her lesbian heroines, set primarily in romance novel situations.
"Credible and spirited"[4] protagonists also face contemporary social challenges, resulting in a body of work that reflects lesbian community history since her debut novel, In Every Port (1989), which included events surrounding the assassination of Harvey Milk in 1978.
Written initially under the pen name Laura Adams, Kallmaker dedicated the novel[11] to Jeannette Howard Foster for her examination of the lesbian subtext, moving her to retell the story with the women triumphant.
Her ability to push the boundaries of genre fiction while maintaining her popularity is epitomized by Maybe Next Time, "an engrossing, compelling story of redemption, healing and surviving,"[12] which won a Lambda Literary Award.
In 1993, she wrote "When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Lesbian" for Multicultural America: A Resource Book for Teachers of Humanities and American Studies, which explored the disconnect between different stages of coming out, when she first observed the community but did not yet feel a member of it.
"[17] As Laura Adams, Kallmaker has written lesbian science fiction and fantasy titles that include a "chilling brush with reality.
[19] Numerous novels have been translated for distribution in France (KTM Editions), Germany (Verlag Krug & Schadenberg), Spain (Egales) and the Czech Republic (LePress).