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PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at Alexis Hall’s latest novel.
The author will publish a new edition of the romance Looking for Group, through publisher Sourcebooks Casablanca this summer. An LGBTQ+ romance set in the virtual gaming space, described as being “perfect” for fans of Heartstopper, the upcoming book features a shiny new cover and bonus material.
Looking for Group centers on Drew, a self-proclaimed “right” kind of nerd who spends his free time playing the MMORPG Heroes of Legend. While he swears it’s just a hobby, Drew can’t help falling for Kit, another player who has saved him multiple times in the game.
When Drew finds out that Kit is a boy in real life, he’s drawn to them, no matter their gender. But Kit’s real life is drastically different from Drew’s, and the two must confront whether they’re compatible off the screen.
Hall, the prolific author of romance novels like the London Calling and Spires series, notes that Looking For Group, which is partially set inside Heroes of Legend‘s virtual world, drew inspiration from Felicia Day’s web series The Guild.
“I’d been looking for a way to pitch a game set partially in a virtual world for quite some time,” Hall says. “I’ve always been fascinated by virtual spaces — especially shared virtual spaces — and LFG was an opportunity to play around with those ideas.”
Hall also knows that gamers haven’t traditionally been portrayed in the best light across pop culture, largely coming across as “inherently dysfunctional.”
“[They’re portrayed] as people who are into ‘weird’ stuff because they somehow can’t be into ‘normal’ things, rather than as regular human beings who just happen to have a hobby that the mainstream media pretends not to understand (and I do mean pretends; video games have been mainstream for a generation and the gaming industry is bigger than movies and music put together and it isn’t close),” the author explains.
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“A big part of what I wanted to do with the book was to confront and, to some extent, challenge that perception.”
Though gamers will be familiar with certain elements in the novel, like the woes of fighting game tournaments, Hall hopes Looking For Group will also be a story that readers unfamiliar with the virtual world can enjoy too.
“While I do think there’s a joy in reading a book that speaks personally and directly to something you care about — be that a hobby, a hometown or an identity — I think there’s also a joy in reading a book that lets you see why something matters to other people,” Hall explains.
“Shorn of the gamer trappings, LFG is a story about first love, about finding yourself, about friendship and community and sharing your passions with people you care about,” the author adds. “And yes, sometimes it’s about that in a way that also involves pretend elves and the internet, but that’s really just context.”
Read an excerpt from Looking For Group below.
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is Recruiting
Chapter One
SCDD is a tight-knit raiding guild (heroic and normal difficulty), currently looking for a main tank to join our mature, dedicated and frankly fabulous team. Founded in 2011 by a group of friends with no fecking clue how to run a Heroes of Legend guild, but definite ideas about the right way to treat people — fairly, without harassment and with equal opportunity to participate — SCDD roared past the traditional guild life expectancy of six months and has been getting awesomer ever since.
As a guild, we want…
to have fun ffs
to have a friendly community where everyone is treated with respect and fairness
to be d— good at what we do
to maintain our server-wide reputation for kindness, courtesy and good old-fashioned arse kicking.
We promise…
to organize and fill raids in an equitable and timely manner
to recruit people, not specs, while also being sensible about guild and raid balance
to have fair, transparent loot policies.
In return, we expect…
a team-based approach to the game: When you have to make a choice, think of how it benefits the team, not only when it comes to loot and items, but also when it comes to your actions and attitude.
a mature approach to the guild: Communicate, be honest and be excellent to one another.
your best d— behavior: We’re here to succeed and to have fun, not to put up with rudeness, bigotry or other a–hattery. This is not about political correctness gone mad. This is not about nobody having a sense of humor. This is not about censorship. This reflects the fact that our guild encompasses a diverse range of people, and being a dick isn’t big, cool or clever. And if you want to call me a carebear for that, then I don’t give a d—.
***
Application: Orcarella (Dread Knight tank)
Name (optional): Drew
Tell us a bit about yourself: Just an ordinary guy, 19 yo, currently doing game art design (lol) at uni. I like doing ordinary s—, hanging out with mates, playing games, whatever.
Character Name: Orcarella
Character Race / Class: Orc, Dread Knight
Primary Spec: Vengeance (Tanking)
Secondary Spec: Dishonour (DPS / PVP)
Which professions do you have: Metal Working & Gem Crafting
What was your previous guild (if relevant) and why did you leave: K, look, everybody knows I was the main tank for Annihilation (server first guild) for like three years, and last night we downed heroic Vilicus in Crown of Thorns, for about the hundredth time, and the axe finally dropped — the TANKING axe — which is the last piece of 345 gear I’ve been freakin waiting for, for like ever, and so I roll on it and so does the freakin healer. The freakin healer. For his freakin offspec. And I’m like dude wtf and the guild leader is all like, oh yeah, we’re trying to gear him up as a tank. And I’m not a loot whore but I think I should have been AT LEAST INFORMED, y’know.
Anyway, we both rolled, and he won the axe and I lost my s— and I quit. But it’s not about the axe. I mean it is about the axe, because that was my axe, but it was more than the axe. It’s not like I mind gearing up guildies, but I was the MT, and I’ve been with that guild, every single raid night, for three years. And it was like it meant nothing. They wouldn’t even give me a g—— axe to make me better at doing the thing they have me around to do.
And then I realized I was losing my s— over an axe. A pixel axe. But seriously the thing never drops. I’ve run heroic CoT since the patch hit, waiting and yearning for that axe, and that’s the first time I’ve ever seen it drop. The ranger bow drops every freakin time. It’s like every ranger in the guild has one to wield and one to stick up his arse. But is there a tanking axe for Ella, is there bollocks.
And that was when I realized I must have stopped having fun in this game a long time ago. Because why else would I be like completely BROKEN over an axe. Enough to throw away three years of raiding. But Annihilation threw me away too. Over the same nothingy axe.
Tell us a bit about your raiding experience: Just look me up on the armoury. Been raiding with Anni since the first expansion.
How did you hear about : I’ve seen you guys around and I checked the rankings and you seem to know what you’re doing.
Why do you want to be in this guild: Just looking to have fun in the game again. I guess I want to be more casual, but at the same time I don’t want to waste my time fannying around with a bunch of clueless noobs.
How would we benefit from recruiting you: Best tank on the server. Check my gearscore.
Do you know anyone in the guild: N
What aspects of the game are you most interested in: Raiding, PVP
Do you have a microphone, and are you able to connect to Mumble: Y
Have you read the guild rules and actually thought about them for more than two seconds: Y
Are you going to be racist, sexist, homophobic or otherwise bigoted, offensive or dickish in the name of lulz: N
Anything else you want to tell us? N
***
[Officer][Ialdir]: You know, if he had that axe, he’d be the best geared tank on the server 
[Officer][Heurodis]: I pugged w/ this guy once. he was an arrogant tosser like the rest of Anni
[Officer][Ialdir]: Yeah but you say that about everyone you pug with.
[Officer][Heurodis]: No I dont. sometimes I say they’re shite
[Officer][Morag]: Not worried about his skillz, just his attitude.
[Officer][Heurodis]: What do you expect??? Hes 19
[Officer][Solace]: Um, I’m 19
[Officer][Ialdir]: Omg, /gkick Solace
[Officer][Morag]: Guild policy is 16+ so let’s make this about his app not his age
[Officer][Ialdir]: I say we give him a chance. Unless he’s an epic dick, we’d be mad to turn down a good tank
[Officer][Morag]: He pretty much admitted he ragequit his last guild over loot drama. I’m not sure that’s a good sign
[Officer][Heurodis]: FWIW if I lost a good drop to someone’s offspec Id be pretty f—ing pissed. Specially if it was the healer.
[Officer][Solace]: Healers are people too.
[Officer][Ialdir]: Bjorn’s healerist.
[Officer][Heurodis]: Hey, some of my best friends are healers
[Officer][Ialdir]: I rolled a healer once. I was young. I was just playing around.
[Officer][Solace]: And it was just a phase you were going through
[Officer][Heurodis]: lol
[Officer][Ialdir]: lol
[Officer][Morag]: Can we actually make a decision? I’m getting my nails done in 20.
[Officer][Ialdir]: scroll up, already said yes
[Officer][Heurodis]: yeah go on then.
[Officer][Morag]: Sol?
[Officer][Solace]: His app was okay, he obviously knows what he’s doing, I say we take him.
[Officer][Morag]: You’ve talked me round. Let’s take him. We can always kick him again if he’s an arsewipe. Lemme whisper him.
To [Orcarella]: Hi Ella, got a moment to talk?
[Orcarella] whispers: sec
To [Orcarella]: kk
[Orcarella] whispers: Soz, was just pugging BL. Healer kept dying on Tolvus the Arachnomancer cos he kept standing on the webs
To [Orcarella]: If the healer dies, its the tanks fault 
[Orcarella] whispers: you can’t taunt fire
To [Orcarella]: lol anyhoo, still up for joining SCDD?
[Orcarella] whispers: y
/ginv Orcarella
Orcarella has joined the guild.
The Guild Message of the day is now: Welcome to our newest member, Orcarella. If you have questions, just axe.
Excerpted from LOOKING FOR GROUP by Alexis Hall. Copyright © 2025 by Alexis Hall. Reprinted by permission of Sourcebooks Casablanca. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Looking for Group will be published on July 29 and is now available for preorder, wherever books are sold.
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