Category: On Writing
How TV and Film Influence My Writing
‘How do we begin to covet, Clarice? Do we seek out things to covet? No, we begin by coveting what we see every day. Don’t you feel eyes moving over you, Clarice? And don’t your eyes seek out the thing you want?’ For a generation of film lovers those words were etched into our brains […]
Displacement And Writing
Displacement is a central theme of my novel ‘Le Chateau’. The heroine, Charlotte is an Australian, living as an expatriate in France. But Charlotte is no ordinary expat, she has suffered an accident and cannot remember the past five years of her life. The life she returns to post hospital is very different to her […]
Dreams: Not Only For The Young
Well, I’ve done it. I fulfilled a lifelong dream. My first novel, Hostile Takeover: A Love Story just published. It took me a number of decades to get around to doing it as life and work got in the way. In fact, it took so many decades that the book comes out the same year I […]
The Creativity Trinity – Truth|Empathy|Hope
The most beneficial thing for me about living in an all-women’s residence hall in college was the sharing: I’ve never done that either! / Yeah, I did that too. Facepalm. / That happened to me too! I’d thought I was the only one. I’ve witnessed the same experiences at writers’ conferences and retreats and in […]
From Nurse to Novelist
I wanted to be a nurse since I was a little girl. I never wavered on that. But writing…that didn’t come until much later. Now, well into my forties, my articles have been featured in many national magazines and my debut novel, Found, has taken flight. Many people ask me what or who has influenced […]
4 Truths That Will Change Your Perspective on the Writer/Editor Relationship, by Writer’s Digest Editorial Director Jessica Strawser
“You know how they say, ‘Those who can’t do, teach’? Is it also true, then, that ‘Those who can’t write, edit”?” A collective gasp sounded in the conference room reserved for our staff meeting. One of my editorial colleagues—a thoughtful, soft-spoken soul—was relaying the question that had all but sent her running red-faced from the […]
My Ode To Failure
I’m working today on the last chapters of my third book and, for some reason, this one’s like pulling teeth. I think it’s going to be my best yet – more intimate, better character development – but the path with this one has been uniquely excruciating. The good news is that my threshold for pain […]
In Praise of Bookclubs
One of the many unexpected pleasures publishing a book has wrought has been the opportunity to meet book clubs who have read THE LOST GIRLS. I’ve done this both locally and long-distance (via Skype) more than two dozen times in the six months since my book came out. I’ve visited book clubs down the street and […]
Crime Fiction: Why I Love The Golden Age
I have always loved crime. I love reading about it. Fiction or non-fiction. Classic Golden Age mysteries to the intricacies of cyber-crime, polite tea with the vicar to the goriest thrillers. I love a crime story. I love the puzzles. I like the characters. I’m intrigued by the unusual methods. I’m excited by the chase. […]
Oh Mostly Male.. What No Wait A Minute…. The Best Is Last
Helen Lederer is best known for her role as dippy Catriona in Absolutely Fabulous as well as creating the ‘Girl at the Bar’ in Naked Video. Her debut comedy novel Losing It (Sunday Express best new novels for women) was shortlisted for the PG Woodhouse Comedy Literary Prize as well as The Edinburgh First Book Award 2015. ‘Desperately funny, desperately engaging, […]
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