The Novelistas – A Great Group of Writing Friends

The NW Novelistas (also known as Novelistas Ink) are a group of friends, who also happen to be writers, and meet each month for lunch, writerly gossip and mutual support. The group was founded over fifteen years ago by Sunday Times bestselling author Trisha Ashley, and as you can see from our latest books , we are all at different stages in our careers.

We are not a conventional writers’ group, in that we don’t critique each other’s work (although we have been known to ooh and ahh over new book covers) and we don’t review the books of other writers on our blog – however much we love them. And, regretfully are also not looking for any more members – we can hardly all fit round the table as it is!

I think the strength of the group, and the way it works for all of us, is that we have all be through so much together over the past decade or so, it has formed a very strong bond of mutual support. We’ve all been through the highs and lows of the writing life, and come out the other side and (with copious amounts of cake and the odd bottle of champagne) we shall all continue to do so until we are in our dotage (and beyond).

Writing is an isolated activity, and there are always times it seems like a constant uphill struggle, so it feels a real privilege to have a group of friends who descend once a month (many driving several hours) to let off steam, commiserate – and of course eat cake and celebrate!

A blog post about Novelistas Ink wouldn’t be the same without hearing from the rest of the Novelistas. So take it away ladies:

Trisha Ashley: @trishaashley

‘When I moved to North Wales over fifteen years ago I didn’t know any other novelists here and so I began a group that met every month at a local pub. Eventually this evolved into the Novelistas, the supportive baker’s dozen of close friends that it is today.’

Valerie Anne Baglietto: @VABaglietto

‘I call myself the Bossy Novelista, but it’s not a dictatorship. I try to co-ordinate our strengths and talents for the benefit of the group; for instance, Louise is great at publicity; Erika at organising our lunches; Annie writes wonderful regular blog posts. Just examples, because each person is a valuable member of the team. I tend to do those messy jobs that no one else wants. And a large group – even if they’re all friends – still needs someone to be diplomatic at times. I try to be that person (to the best of my ability)!

Our genres range from witty romantic comedies to moving wartime sagas. From atmospheric historical novels to sparkling Regency romances. From plot-twisting, cliff-hanging romantic suspense to modern, grown-up fairy tales. And all that wonderful stuff in between, such as contemporary YA or straightforward novels about relationships and marriage. I’m not sure anyone’s written a spy thriller yet, but give us time and we just might.’

Anne Bennett @annebennett20

‘What does being a Novelista mean to me? A great deal. I love belonging to such a great supportive group of women.  As fellow writers, they know only too well the frustrations caused by perhaps unreasonable demands from publishers or copy editors from Hell and they will understand, as no one outside the business can, and sympathise, for most have been there too at some time and may make suggestions to try and ease the pressure.  And when things are going well and sales are good they celebrate with you. We we have no divas in our group and as friends we are happy for one another’s success.

A writer by necessity spends a lot of time alone and meeting up with other writers is essential.  A monthly meet of North Wales Novelistas fulfills this need for me.’

Annie Burrows: @NovelistaAnnie

‘I really look forward to the monthly lunch meetings with fellow Novelistas.  It’s great to meet up with a group of such supportive and knowledgeable fellow writers.  We’re all at various stages in our writing careers, and write in different genres, for different publishers. I write Regency romance for Harlequin.’

Ruth France (writing as Beth Francis)

‘For me the joy of the group is being able to chat with friends who understand the hard work involved in every project, and who are ready to commiserate with rejections as well as celebrate successes. Plus everyone’s readiness to give knowledgeable advice about writing problems’.

Johanna Grassick (writing as Sophie Claire): @SClairewriter @JohannaGrassick

‘Over the years, the Novelistas have given me invaluable advice and support. Whether it be regarding the craft of writing, the publishing industry, or a technology-related problem, there’s always somebody in the group who can help.’

Louise Marley @louisemarley

‘My husband’s work has meant we have often had to move. When I moved to Wales the first thing I did was find out where my local group of writers met. As luck would have it, there was one just a five-minute drive down the road, which is how I met the Novelistas. Between us, we know what it is like to be rejected, traditionally published, dropped, self-published and hit the bestseller lists. We give each other advice, commiserate with bad news and celebrate our successes. Because that is what friends are for.’

We love to hear from you!

You can connect with the Novelistas individually and on the Novelistas’ sites:

Blog: http://novelistasink.blogspot.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NovelistasInk?fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NovelistasInk

 

Tags: featured, novelistas ink, RNA, women writers, writing groups

Category: Contemporary Women Writers, On Writing