Author Archive: Women Writers Women Books
Dutch by birth and serial emigrant, Barbara currently lives with her husband and daughter in a tiny village in Galicia, Spain, as basic and simple as can be. W Barbara's website.
Why Writing Can Save Lives
Inspired by the many teachers who mentored and encouraged me during my own school years, I became an educator and enjoyed a rewarding fifty-year career, teaching upper elementary school students as well as preparing future teachers in my role as a college professor. Fifty years sped by, as I was propelled by a mission: to […]
Why I wrote Unbuttoned by Grace Vanderzande
In 2007, my father Jim was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. They estimated that he had four months and told him to get his affairs in order. This was a devastating diagnosis for many reasons. My father was only 77. He still had so much more to do and to share. Dad sheepishly confessed to […]
My Writing Craft by Ellie Wood, author of The Wildwater Women
My Writing Craft by Ellie Wood, author of The Wildwater Women (HarperNorth, 28 April 2022) At its heart, The Wildwater Women is a love song to the Lake District, and I set about crafting it with a love-letter level of care. The writing process was an intense, nine-month relationship, with the book ever-present in my […]
Interview with Shizuka Otake, Winner of the annual Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award
Shizuka Otake is a writer, translator, and interpreter born in New York City. In her twenties, she lived in Tokyo for four years, and now wishes she had a magic door so she could commute between the two cities. She loves mystery novels; Japanese TV; and traveling – a.k.a. prowling bookstores and eating. Otake writes […]
Authorial Brutality and Sugar-Coating Readers’ Experiences
A few years ago, I had the privilege of being guided in my writing by Robin Wall Kimmerer, the author of Braiding Grass, among other books she has written. She taught us about the connection between writing and plant life, how to embed elements of nature into our narratives, and commented on our personal essays. […]
When Did You Know You Were a Writer?
When Did You Know You Were a Writer? by Michele Herman The publication of my first novel, Save the Village (Regal House), earlier this year has led to my doing several online q&a’s. Usually there’s a question like “Q: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?” or the similar and yet entirely […]
Making It Up: A Vassar Alum’s take on Feminism’s Revival in the ‘60s
Making It Up: A Vassar Alum’s take on Feminism’s Revival in the ‘60s When I was a little girl, a war baby growing up in the retrogressive decade of the 1950s, my ambition was to be a wife and mother, settled and secure, my life defined in traditional terms, as were the lives of most […]
Romance Novels Can Be Healing
Romance Novels Can Be Healing I’ve never been a big romance reader, and I certainly never expected to be a romance novelist. Sure, my novels have always featured female protagonists, usually stumbling their way through life and relationships, but romance, not so much. This all changed a couple years ago. In a burst, a story […]
Writing A Book About Sleep, Grief and Dreams: Answers in the Dark
I’m going to start by keeping it real. Upfront, my first book took me 10 years to write. Not because I’m lazy, or because I wasn’t motivated. I explain at the beginning of Answers in the Dark that it was mainly because, well…science. Key message #1: Know your audience I felt a huge (albeit unrealistic) […]
CELEBRATING STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS
Celebrating Strong Female Characters. In light of the recent events in the USA concerning women’s rights, it seems more important than ever to recognise and celebrate female strength. I’ve always loved novels with strong female characters, whether they’re physically strong, mentally strong or both. Whether they’re smart, resilient, determined, have high-powered jobs, high morals, or […]
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