Meet local debut novelist K. W. Jeppesen at the Marshall-Lyon County Library on Monday, April 29th at 6:30 pm.

K.W. Jeppesen lives on his family farm in rural Minnesota with his husband and life partner of thirty-seven years. After streaming many LGBTQA+ dramas from around the world during COVID lockdowns, he decided to try his hand at writing his own. The result is “Sweet, Lovely, Attentive,” his first novel. Outside of writing (and watching dramas), K. W. collects vintage tractors and other farm equipment, listens to audiobooks, and hopes to spend his retirement traveling with his husband.

About the book: Arm has just arrived in Minnesota from Thailand, excited for his first semester of university in America and to leave some painful parts of his past behind. Exhausted after his long flight (and almost having his bags stolen), he quickly passes out upon making it to his dorm room. Suddenly, he awakes to a gentle voice and aqua blue, angelic eyes he can’t break his gaze away from. They belong to Logan, aka Legs, a gorgeous, good-humored Minnesota farm boy who is to be Arm’s roommate. But before long, both boys can sense there’s more to their feelings than a shared bond as roommates.

From there blossoms a love story that leads Arm and Legs through being best friends to a romantic relationship full of lasting commitment, support . . . and flirtatious teasing, verbal sparring, and overthinking. As Arm works part-time translating the work of Tim, a gay author of boys’ love (BL) stories who helps the couple out more than once, he becomes convinced he has fallen into a dramatic BL plot. He’s not wrong—together Arm and Legs face drama around campus, family secrets, and past trauma as they build a relationship according to their own rules.

Blending elements of Thai BL dramas and North American LGBTQA+ romance into one passionate package, “Sweet, Lovely, Attentive” is a gay college romance perfect for older teen and adult readers.