Paperback: 416pp
Published: Lightning (August 2025)
ISBN: 9781785634284
A comedy of manners set in a commune of lesbian witches
‘Funny and full of heart but also wise’ Polly Clark
It’s the early 1980s, and a household of lesbian feminists establish a women-only commune in an ancient Californian redwood forest.
It seems a perfect place to practise the ritual magic that helps them function harmoniously as a group – even if they aren’t all true believers. By getting back to the land, they can also live more as nature intended and give the finger to the Patriarchy.
That doesn’t stop jealousies arising, as Wren, an artist, nurses an unrequited crush on Robin, the land’s extraordinarily generous owner. Further conflict brews as Gloria, the manipulative leader of the group, disagrees with Robin about her own rule: no men on the land.
Warm, funny and harking unashamedly back to a less toxic era, A Circle Outside is a seductive vision of a utopian dream, where the only real magic is self-transformation.
‘An authentic book that leads us back to a more innocent and idealistic era’ Gaia Media
‘A stylish and entertaining debut in which a coven of lesbians use every means at their disposal to preserve their women-only paradise. Funny, full of heart but also wise in its resistance to easy conclusions’ Polly Clark, author of Larchfield
‘Rosewood has written a wild, witchy and whimsical book with engrossing and complex characters. This novel is nearly impossible to put down’ Irene Reti, author of Out in the Redwoods
‘With enthusiasm, good humour and fellowship, the women of A Circle Outside break new ground. The fresh growth on this farm is joyfully rampant, in so many ways’ Roger Swain, presenter of The Victory Garden
‘Witches, lesbians, psychedelic trips and political activism set among the redwood groves of 1980s California is a bubbling cauldron of interpersonal strife, love affairs and feminism—all dished up with a side order of wisdom and humor. A Circle Outside is a cracking read which is sure to appeal to anyone who ever had a misspent youth or an ideal or two.’ Sally North, Holythorn Press
Order at your favorite bookstore
Ask for A Circle Outside at your favorite bookstore. They are unlikely to shelve it, but can order it for you. Or Bookshop.org.
In the UK and Europe, buy A Circle Outside directly from the publisher, Eye and Lightening.
If you have a bookstore in the US, order it from IPG. If you have a book store in the UK/EU/Aus/NZ, order it from Booksource. ISBN 9781785634284.
Yes, it is on Amazon, please avoid buying it from them if you can.
Media
Interview: Radio Europe
Me, pitching A Circle Outside for 60 seconds
Events
I’ll be in California for most of March 2026 and the beginning of April.
March 8 interview on KSQD Pride Perspectives (public radio)
March 14 interview in Berkeley, to be confirmed
March 22 “Wonder and Awe in the Redwoods.” This is the Santa Cruz launch of A Circle Outside, an event with my friends Irene Reti and Coleen Douglas. 239 High St, Santa Cruz 2-4pm.
March 24 Fabuloso Bookstore, San Francisco
March 28 Felton Public Library. 3:00pm - 4:30pm, 6121 Gushee St
April 4 Alibi Bookshop, Vallejo
