Category: What Inspired Your Book
Kickstarting “Vuto” with AJ Walkley: An Interview
We are pleased to bring you this interview with A.J. Walkley, author and self-proclaimed fighter for social justice, discussing her book Vuto, which is currently on Kickstarter, her experiences in East Africa in the Peace Corps; and her writing journey. Pleased too that this is her second contribution on our site. – The Editors, Rachel and Anora. AJ, [...]
Writing a Gay Private Investigator
How did a hospital secretary and single mom of four end up writing a series about a gay private investigator? My wonderfully intrepid and at times hot-headed character David Lloyd came about through a fusion of my love of crime novels, my undying support for GLBT rights and acceptance, and the brutal attack of a [...]
Why I Write about Violence Against Women
As part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we are featuring blog posts by women writers on the topic. “Just as the body goes into shock after a physical trauma, so does the human psyche go into shock after the impact of a major loss.” Anne Grant As a domestic violence advocate, I find myself changed by [...]
A Turning Point in My Life
I had a wonderful childhood, and leading up to the present, well, like everyone, I have had my share of ups and downs. But as I will tell anyone and everyone who’ll listen, I feel that I experienced a turning point in my life only a few years ago. I awoke one morning, on a birthday, with [...]
Finding My Voice Again: A DV Story
The air in my upstairs bedroom was cold. In the rooms below me, my daughters and husband slept soundly beneath quilts and blankets. As I sat at my desk in an empty room, dark October branches brushed against the window, letting me know I was not alone. Comforted, I wrapped my hands around my mug of tea, [...]
Musings about Magic
Maybe it’s because I grew up too fast. A bespectacled avoider of physical education, I became too serious too soon and now long to recapture my childhood. Or maybe this is my way of protesting. On the other hand, at this mid-stage point in my life, I’m hungry for adventure. Whatever the reason, my writing [...]
Inspiration for Mystery: The Dark Side of Oxford
Oxford. The name invokes classic images: ancient, golden, stone buildings such as the Bodleian Library, which alter dramatically in color according to the light, nestled beside bookstores, pubs and cathedral spires; the site of the discovery of penicillin and the founding of automobile manufacturer Morris Garages; the home in various centuries of Donne, Shelley, Browning, [...]
Journey of a Lifetime: Becoming a Writer
When did I decide to become a writer in this world of many? Am I a writer, or a teacher, or both? Looking back, it was meant to be. Born in a small town in Austria, I always felt displaced. From early childhood, I remember being the “different kid” that stood out. Not in a [...]
Challenging Typecasting as an Author
“You’ve co-written a YA novel about transitioning gender! But I thought you only wrote nice children’s picture books like ‘There’s a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Cake’?” I’m seen as a mainstream, Australian children’s author, especially as I’m now a grandmother. I have been typecast as a children’s picture book writer, and my regular readers [...]
Childbirth: The Inspiration to Write
Even as a child, I wanted to be a writer. I wrote an endless amount of poems and stories about wolves and horses. I also read a lot, and if I liked a particular author, I would hunt down every book, every item they had ever written. But to me personally, the writing game is [...]
