Category: Contemporary Women Writers
Necessary Fiction: Writing My Debut Novel
Necessary Fiction: Writing My Debut Novel Janet Kelley My book, Taint: A Novel, was published by Atmosphere Press in December, 2021. My first handwritten drafts were produced for a novel writing class with Ben Brooks at Emerson College in Boston. In the year 2006. You do the calculus. A wedding, a move from Indiana to […]
When an Idea “Cuts in Line”
When an Idea “Cuts in Line” By Dallas Woodburn In 2017, my goal was to finish a novel manuscript. At the time, the Word document on my computer contained nothing more than a title, a handful of scenes, and a burgeoning sense of great possibility. The idea for my young adult novel The Best Week That […]
From Indie book to TV Movie: The Three Questions I’m Asked the Most
In late 2018, as I wandered lost and alone on the streets of Uruguay during a temporary hiatus from my life in Alaska, my cell phone pinged. Someone had contacted me on my author website, wanting to know if my memoir’s dramatic rights had been optioned for film.“Probably just another scammer,” I told myself. Still, […]
On “Significant Authorship:” Writing as a Team
“We should write a book.” My husband, Jon, said it casually, five or six years ago. I adjusted our baby son on my lap and laughed a little. “Write a book.” My voice was deadpan as I repeated it, as if I thought he were joking. Hell, half of me hoped he was joking. Write […]
A Christmas Perspective
A Christmas Perspective “Snowd all night & snows yet rapidly. Great difficulty in getting wood. Offerd our prayers to God this Cherimass morning. The prospect is appalling but hope in God.” —Patrick Breen, December 25, 1846 So wrote Donner Party survivor Patrick Breen as he and his family of nine holed up in a windowless […]
I’m not good at this yet
I’m not good at this yet is the very last line of a long list in my daughter’s notebook. She has underlined yet in her precise and even handwriting. Her penmanship is just one mark of her signature care and attention. Today, seeing the word, yet, makes me second guess my own work. Last summer, […]
EVA SHAW: My Favorite Bookstores
EVA SHAW: My Favorite Bookstores As an addicted bibliophile, I refuse to pick one. That said, the one I frequent most every day for a browse is a block from my house. It’s a Little Free Library, littlefreelibrary.org. If you don’t have one in your area, why not start a trend? Especially during the long […]
An Author’s Fantasy, Kerry Chaput
An Author’s Fantasy, Kerry Chaput Ever have the fantasy of discovering a long-lost family secret and jumping back in time to discover the truth? That was a little what it felt like to research and write Daughter of the King. My one goal was to research my husband’s French-Canadian ancestry as a Christmas gift, to […]
The Joys of Anticipation
The Joys of Anticipation Diane Byington I discovered “The Great British Baking Show” last year and delighted in watching an episode every evening. I grew attached to the characters and the competition, and my evenings weren’t complete without the show. But then it ended. I’d watched all the seasons. Oh yes, there were other things […]
My Favorite Bookstore: KRISTINE OCHU
By KRISTINE OCHU My Favorite Bookstore: Story and Song Bookstore Bistro Amelia Island, FL Imagine driving over 1,500 miles to create a new life, not knowing a soul, excited and nervous. Then stepping into a real-life fairy tale, without the antagonist, at Story and Song Bookstore Bistro in Amelia Island, Florida. I entered a courtyard […]
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