Category: Contemporary Women Writers
A Show of Hands—Who Here Is a Genre Jumper?
The film, Jumper (2008), is a movie obsession of mine and I’ve watched it countless times. The main character, played by Hayden Christensen, discovers he has the power to jump to any place in the world, simply by thinking about it. There’s a villain (Samuel L Jackson), more than one chase scene, and a romantic […]
Rebirth as Authors – Retirees Reinventing Themselves
As a debut novelist after retirement at the age of 55, I’ve been intrigued by the increasing number of retirees reinventing themselves as authors. Perhaps some of us have been scribblers all our lives but had to wait until the day job allowed writing to happen. Others wrote all along, some professionally, and just wanted […]
Boekenweek in The UK: Interview with Esther Gerritsen
In the countdown to the forthcoming Boekenweek – a week-long celebration of books and literary culture held in the Netherlands each March – the independent publisher World Editions is celebrating the best of Dutch literature in translation by way of a blog tour profiling three of their authors. Today, on the very first day of the tour, Books By Women is […]
An American Marriage: Interview with Tayari Jones
Real. Real is the best word to describe Tayari Jones’ novel, An American Marriage, which was just named Oprah’s latest book club pick. Roy and Celestial know love, and they struggled to be love amidst the swirling chaos that unfolded on fateful even in their new marriage. This novel captivates readers with the depths Jones explores […]
Writing Next Year in Havana
When I first came up with the idea for Next Year in Havana, a dual timeline novel set against the backdrop of the Cuban Revolution and the modern country that emerged in its wake, inspiration came from a family story of a night before my father and grandparents left Cuba in 1967. That evening, family […]
Uncovering the Heart of a Story
It’s easy to think that writers sit down at a computer, words flying from their fingertips, and knock out their next novel without a moment’s pause. There are definitely some authors who can do that. But for the majority of us, it’s more like a million self-inflicted papercuts to our hearts trying to get the […]
Penguin Women Writers
Penguin Women Writers is a new series of forgotten classics by women writers to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women getting the vote in Britain. In honour of the anniversary, Kamila Shamsie and Penelope Lively have selected and introduced four books by female authors which they felt deserve to be better known. Kamila Shamie, a […]
Are Writing Contests Worth It?
Writing contests are everywhere these days. A quick browse pulls up dozens of reference lists, blogs of encouragement and articles offering cautions. The rewards of contests range from cash to publication to feedback, and we all know that a few kind words from an impartial stranger can send the heart soaring. On the other hand, […]
Writing In The Dark
It is rare that an author decides to remain anonymous. This probably attracts speculation as to why an author would hide behind a pen name and not reveal biographical details about herself. In two famous cases of anonymous women writers, Belle de Jour and Elena Ferrante, their identities were finally revealed. So far, the people […]
Between the Lines By Nancy G. Shapiro
The persevering spirit that compelled me to write The Book of Calm flows from a daily awareness of awakening to both beauty and turmoil. When the contradictions clashed, I kept hearing the question, “How do I embrace these two realities?” Amazingly, my connection to this paradox has been strong, resilient enough that the book stayed […]
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