Hi, I'm Lotte
I'm an author, an award-winning magazine writer, a podcaster, a commercial writer/ creative, and a parent
My first exciting magazine job, after cutting my teeth in contract publishing, was as a Features Editor on ES Magazine - the weekly free glossy magazine from The Evening Standard. This was in the early 2010s and London was buzzing. I was at every art opening, West End first night, fashion show and shop launch. Our ideas meetings were a hoot and we were forever coming up with madcap stunts that involved me dressing up in the new season's trends and going to Sainsbury's or something.
From there I got my dream job as Deputy Editor of ELLE. I worked with the best team in the business and we had such fun together, launching campaigns, commissioning incredible ideas and building the brand all while embracing online publishing for the first time. Highlights included numerous trips to LA to interview celebrities, our weekly ELLE run club, hosting the ELLE Style Awards and spending every day with the smartest, funniest women.
Sadly I ended up being made redundant from this dream job which was heartbreaking at the time, but set me off on a new direction and eventually led to me becoming the writer I am today.
I pivoted industry and became a Creative Director for the advertising agency Ogilvy. While there I worked with clients including Sipsmith Gin, British Airways and Boots. But I have to say, the culture, having come from magazines, just wasn't the same.
After being faced with redundancy again, I took a break to hang out with my daughter who was born in 2018 and write my first book How To Be A Gentlewoman: The Art of Soft Power in Hard Times. I then took another staff job as Head of Content for an agency but when Covid hit and I was made redundant for the third time, I figured the universe was trying to tell me something.
I now work for myself, and have written three further books: The Queer Parent: Everything You Need To Know From Gay-Ze (co-written with Stu Oakley), the children's picture book My Magic Family and most recently my debut novel THIS LOVE.
I have presented three podcasts, Some Families (which won a Great British Podcast Award), From Gay-Ze, and Grazia Life Advice.
I also continue to write celebrity profile interviews (mainly covers) for newspaper supplements and magazines and the occasional first-person piece or zeitgeisty social trend feature.
My time now is split between parenting, doing commercial work such as creating campaigns for the likes of Bumble, working on my next non-fiction book with Stu which is a romp through the full spectrum of the queer experience, writing a second novel and developing THIS LOVE for TV.
I live in London with my wife Jenny, our young daughter and two cats. Please do email me with any work requests or questions.
In the media
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January, 2024 , Diva MagazineInterview in Diva Magazine
Read article Download article (PDF)Author, journalist and podcaster Lotte Jeffs opens up about her new novel, This Love, the joy of queer friendship and her journey to creating a family
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March, 2024 , Diva Magazine
'This Love' reviewed in Diva Magazine
"Moving, engrossing and queer as hell, Lotte Jeffs' debut novel is agorgeous love letter to the extraordinary power of queer friendship and forging your own kind of family."
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March, 2024 , Prima
Nina Pottell's 'Books of the Month'
"I read this incredible book about friendship, identity and belonging really slowly because I wanted to savour the story. [...] Beautiful and full of emotion, it will stay with me for a long time."
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February, 2024 , Harpers Bazaar
'Seven debut novels by women for 2024'
"[A] touching, surprising and gloriously enjoyable debut, which charts the challenges and joys of unconventional families, of fluidity and friendship, and of love in every possible incarnation."
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February, 2024 , Women's Weekly
Zoe West's 'Great Reads'
"[T]his is a moving portrayal of platonic love and chosen family. It’s a reminder that a soulmate doesn’t need to be a romantic connection, and that love takes many equally crucial forms."
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February, 2024 , Evening Standard
'Best books to spark queer joy in 2024'
"Anchored by complicated real-world challenges, this novel explores the weight of secrets, toxic partnerings, grief and desire all whilst celebrating the greatest love in so many lives, friendship."
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January, 2024 , Cosmopolitan
'Best books to read in February'
My novel 'This Love' was featured in Cosmopolitan's shortlist of 'best books to read in February 2024'.
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January, 2024 , Daily Mail
'This Love' reviewed in The Daily Mail
"This Love has been dubbed One Day for Gen-Z and, as Mae and Ari’s friendship unfolds across a ten-year period, it charts its twists and turns with appeal- ingly breezy, emotionally attuned prose"
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June, 2023 , Gay Times
The Queer Parent: a groundbreaking book to help LGBTQ+ families
Read articleAfter starting their own queer families and founding their award-winning podcast series Some Families, Lotte Jeffs and Stu Oakley came together to write the first ever mainstream LGBTQ+ parenting book to publish in the UK.
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Read article
Grazia's contributing editor Lotte Jeffs on her new book, My Magic Family
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April, 2022 , The Bookseller
Dialogue swoops for debut novel on queer friendship from Jeffs
Read article Download article (PDF)“The world around me disappeared as I sped through Lotte’s gorgeous and accomplished story. I lived for Mae and Ari's friendship and quest for queer family and remain truly astonished that This Love is Lotte's debut
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August, 2019 , The Times
Lotte Jeffs interview: from Elle to how to be a gentlewoman
Read articleShe’s 37, gay and a former magazine editor who claims women have been encouraged to be aggressive in order to succeed. Now she’s written a self-help book – how to be nice and still get what you want. Stefanie Marsh meets Lotte Jeffs