Category: Contemporary Women Writers
MY ZEST FOR LIFE By Sylvia Broady
What keeps me young at heart? My handsome grandsons and my zest for life. And there is more. The secret ingredients are: my passion for writing, power of words, eternal youth, and affairs. These are just for starters. They make a delicious mixture, giving me the ability to transform into anyone I wish, and the […]
BOOK PROMOTION: REINVENTION TIPS
When I found a publisher for my memoir in 2017, I knew that I would need to expand my online social media presence and find the courage to dive into ‘in person’ promotion. But how? While I consider myself a friendly enough sort of gal, I am not one to boast or talk about my […]
When a Mystery is More Than a Mystery By Saralyn Richard
I’ve read several articles lately about genre-blending. In fact, genre-blending seems to be the new trend in literature. I use the word “new” in its broadest sense, though, because genre-blending has actually been going on for a long time. I remember when Erik Larson’s Isaac’s Storm came out in 1999, everyone from my hometown, Galveston, […]
Inspiration and Options
The inspiration for my upcoming novel, SWEET JANE, came from two main sources. One Saturday morning at a writing group held at a café in Austin, Texas, the first seed was planted. That morning’s writing prompt—she didn’t get that far—sparked an idea. I closed my eyes and pictured a heartbroken teenage girl standing on the […]
Publishing With Audible: Birdie & Jay
For my third novel, Birdie & Jay, I chose Audible as my publisher. So, how is that different from other methods of “traditional” publication? What it means is that my book will be available exclusively (and only) as an audio book on Audible for nine months. Like Netflix (and other premium services) Audible wants to […]
If Not Now, When?
By Diane Byington Maybe you’ve longed to write a novel since you were ten, but you have no idea what to write. Or you’ve started several novels but given up after thirty or fifty pages, and you’re close to telling yourself that maybe this dream just wasn’t fated to be. That was my situation the […]
Climbing Many Mountains: An essay by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai‘s THE MOUNTAINS SING—starred, recommended, and celebrated in virtually all of the big book reviews and magazines, from Kirkus to O to the NY Times—is out today! With the epic sweep of Min Jin Lee’s PACHINKO or Yaa Gyasi’s HOMEGOING and the lyrical beauty of Vaddey Ratner’s IN THE SHADOW OF THE […]
Why Do Some Characters Live On Beyond The Book?
Why is it that some characters just don’t disappear? The book is finished, the edits have been completed, the next work is in progress and yet… a particular character is still refusing to rest or retire or whatever it is that characters do when the writer has finished the book. I’ve been reflecting on this, […]
On Writing into Danger
My second novel, Pigs, came out this past October, sixteen and a half years after my first novel, City of Ghosts, was published. It follows the lives of four parentless children who live on an island that serves as the repository for the entire world’s trash. Ships pass by and drop garbage in the water. […]
Going to the Writing Gym: On Writing Between Modes
When we go to the gym, we do a variety of exercise routines to strengthen different muscles. Likewise, writing in different modes can stretch a range of writer muscles. Fiction (particularly genre fiction) prioritizes reader engagement through plot, movement and voice. Ideas tend to be embodied through plot movements, dialogue and character arcs. Because fiction […]
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