Category: On Writing
The Ballroom
The seed of The Ballroom was a tiny, almost crossed-out note in the corner of the 1911 census; ‘all are there,’ it read, ‘except the father, who is in Menston Asylum.’ The father in question was my great-great-grandfather, an Irishman who had settled in Bradford, married and had a child. Immediately intrigued and knowing nothing […]
Literary Love
In honor of Valentine’s day, we asked 5 authors about Love in Books! First literary love? Amy E. Reichert (Author of The Coincidence of Coconut Cake and Luck, Love & Lemon Pie): My first book boyfriend was probably Laurie in Little Women —the quintessential boy next door. Amy Impellizzeri (President of the Women’s Fiction Writers […]
The Invisible Days
I read somewhere recently that writing a book is like telling a joke and having to wait two years to find out if it is funny. It’s a painfully accurate analogy that made me laugh and wince with recognition at the same time. Writing, you see, is a curious profession. A single day can bring […]
Card Shops and Inspiration
Like all authors of fiction, I’ve often been asked where I get my ideas and inspiration from. And, like so many others, I reply that I am never short of ideas from the worlds around and within me but there is never enough time for them all to come to fruition. The beauty of writing […]
Why The Term Misery Memoir Offends Me
I may as well start off bluntly. I simply hate the words ‘misery memoir’. I can recall the first time I heard it. I was speaking to a sales account manager at a well known publishing house in London and she used those words in reference to my book. They were one of three publishers […]
Miracles DO Happen
Let me preface this by saying I believe in divine intervention. And for me that is God, for you it may be something else…but without that intervention…The Secret to Hummingbird Cake would have never happened. During the course of this story I don’t want anyone to construe anything I say as ungrateful, arrogant or pretentious. […]
Writing Retreats – what can they do for us?
Writers all work in different ways. I started writing when my children were young so I was soon expert at grabbing small pieces of time whenever I could. I was forever scribbling ideas and scraps of dialogue or thoughts in a notebook – whether I was in a doctor’s surgery waiting room with the children […]
A Room of One’s Own – it’s the Place in One’s Head
You’re a woman and you write, so no doubt you have a dedicated writing space and a private income? No, me neither. It’s quite a while since Virginia Woolf stated that “a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction”. When Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own […]
Writing About Life With Epilepsy
Like many of us, I have long thought I had a story worth sharing. As a physician with epilepsy, I felt that my own illness gave me a unique perspective on caring for those with chronic illness. As a mom and doctor with seizures, I hoped that sharing my story may help others also dealing […]
Dear Writers of All of the Stories I Read in 2015
Dear Writers of All of the Stories I Read in 2015 (An Open Letter From a Fan.) Dear You, I am a HUGE fan. Maybe your biggest fan. No really. (Ok, maybe your Mom ranks slightly higher than me. But only just slightly.) I’ve seen the way you make magic. Real magic. Not the sleight […]
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