Author Archive: Jessica Markwell
Self-publishing – What I’ve Learned
Eighteen months ago I self-published my novel Dappled Light, based on the life of James Stewart, a medical missionary whose reputation was tarnished by a liaison with Mary Livingstone, wife of the explorer. Stewart subsequently married my great great aunt Mina, the daughter of a wealthy Scottish shipbuilder who was himself the subject of a […]
Finding the Hero
Which was your favourite fairytale? I was asked this question by a Transactional Analyst when I was a training to be a relationship counsellor. His message was that these tales – made familiar to us as children – help to make us into the people we are. I’ve since realised that they also shape the […]
Why I Chose to Self-Publish
I’m sure there are some who write entirely for themselves, but most of us do so for other people. But how do you get your words turned into a book, so that your story can be shared? The traditional route was to attract an agent. He or she would then go on to find a […]
An MA in writing – is it worth it?
Last month, the novelist Hanif Kureishi declared creative writing courses ‘a waste of time.’ The statement seems counterintuitive – Kureishi himself is a teacher of creative writing at Kingston University. Nevertheless, his statement sparked an energetic discussion, with Jeanette Winterson defending her professorship at Manchester University, while the novelist Lucy Ellmann wrote ‘I can’t stand […]
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