Category: On Writing
Interview with Rowan Coleman
Rowan Coleman is the internationally bestselling author of an astounding twelve novels, most recently WE ARE ALL MADE OF STARS and THE MEMORY BOOK (released in the US as THE DAY WE MET). She’s been compared to Jo Jo Moyes and Nora Ephron. She lives with her husband and five children in a very full […]
Writing About War
While researching for my novel, Someone Else’s Conflict, I found myself asking a number of interesting, sometimes disturbing, questions about my decision to set the backstory in the 1990s Croatian conflict. During the conflicts following the break-up of Yugoslavia, the war in Croatia was gradually overshadowed by the shocking events in neighbouring Bosnia-Hercegovina. While I […]
Women, Know Your Place!
A man writes some books. They’re not brilliant examples of literary prowess but are obviously entertaining because millions of people buy them, and after all, who are we to decide what someone else should read, right? His books all follow a certain formula and you know how they’ll end but that’s fine. People obviously like […]
Tips On Getting Feedback
Writers hear it all the time – connect with your reader. Give the reader what he wants. Manager her expectations. Don’t confuse them. Surprise them. Keep them interested. These are all worthy goals, but they’re after the fact. First, you write, then you get feedback. Feedback lets you gauge how well you’re getting your message […]
Leave E.L. James Alone Already
Recently I was part of a group discussion with some fellow authors on the topic of whether we – as women authors – should publish a bad (or even mediocre) review of another woman author if we don’t like or appreciate her book. If your 3, or 2, or 1-star review will lower the overall […]
How Expressive Writing Can Improve Your Emotional and Physical Health
Human beings have been expressing themselves through the written word as far back as B.C. 5500. Today, people of all cultures write for many different reasons; they send texts and emails, write novels, research and write theses, jot down notes, record life stories and send postcards. But how many people have learned to use writing […]
Learning From The Greats: Edith Wharton
I’m all over Edith Wharton these days. I can’t get enough of her. Back to Edith in a moment. A few years ago it was Balzac who held a headlock on my heart. I went to Paris, meandered down crooked streets and labyrinths of alleyways in order to find his house. Just as I was […]
Song of the Sea Maid and Prehistoric Women
My second novel, SONG OF THE SEA MAID, tells the tale of Dawnay Price, an orphaned girl in London in the 1730s who stumbles upon the good fortune to find a benefactor and be educated. It is clear from her earliest days – lying on a hard bed and counting windowpanes, multiplying them in her […]
Magpies and Well Filling
I believe writers are magpies. We collect shiny objects (interesting tidbits of conversation, mannerisms, images, snippets of research – whatever catches our roving eyes) without consciously being aware. Some of the time we note them down, but other times they drift to the back of our minds – seemingly forgotten. There they wait for the […]
You’re A Bestselling Author? Prove It!
When can you use ‘Bestselling Author’ on your book covers and in press? I recently posed this question to one of the writer’s groups of which I am a member. I was not expecting the amount of discussion this question ignited. Many authors feel that you should not consider yourself a bestselling author until The […]
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