Tag: featured
Why I Wrote Les Parisiennes
In an early – and discarded – draft of the prologue to my book I wrote how one of the most common questions every author is asked when publishing a book is: ‘How long did it take you to write?’ If it did not sound so arrogant, I might this time be tempted to reply […]
Science and Writing
The spot I chose for my first ever experience of wild camping was on a Scottish cliff top overlooking the North Sea. It was the third day of my camping holiday and, although the previous two campsites had provided running water and toilet facilities, I’d had very little sleep for 62 hours. There was a […]
Deciding What To Write
The feeling a writer has when deciding what to write about is extremely exhilarating, but also very nerve-bending. At least it was for me. I knew I wanted to write something that would be especially appealing to women in midlife – my own age group. But what story? I love to brainstorm, sometimes throwing the […]
The Kindness of Strangers
Three years ago the opportunity came my way to interview Fay Weldon for the Historical Novel Society. To say I seized on the chance would be an understatement. Weldon is a household name, a woman whose writing career spans 5 decades, who has written 34 novels and many short story collections, TV dramas and plays […]
Q&A with Ella Joy Olsen
Ella Joy Olsen is the debut author of ROOT, PETAL, THORN (Kensington, 2016) and two-time contributor to WWWB. Do not send your manuscript anywhere until you’ve read this piece: “Look Away. You Don’t Want To See This.” As I read it, I cringed, hung my head, and then thanked her. I might have related just […]
Q&A with Melanie Gideon
Celebrated New York Times best-selling writer Melanie Gideon’s talent seems to translate to every genre. (Not jealous, not jealous…J) Her work includes young adult fantasy, memoire, adult contemporary, and with her latest, VALLEY OF THE MOON, she dips her toe into the pools of time-travel, magical realism, and historical fiction. Her “Modern Love” column for […]
I Can’t Believe You Said That- Using Dialogue to Build Conflict
Dialogue is a critical component of your novel. It shows character, provides an opportunity to move the plot forward, and increases your pacing by breaking up large narrative blocks. This article focuses on how dialogue can also help build the conflict in your novel. All novels require conflict. Agents, editors, and readers rarely feel that […]
Dealing With Serous Issues with Humor and Wit
A couple of years ago, I was pitching my first novel, WOLF (KAOS press June 2016), in New York City, and when I told a group of young women authors about the subplot and themes of date rape, party rape, and rape drugs, and I said it was a humorous mystery, some of them were […]
Cover Girls — Behind the Mask
“44 Sex Tips From Around the World — Prepare for Global Warming” . . . “Unexpected Sex Advice—How to Turn Yourself On” shouts the September 2016 cover of Cosmopolitan, one of America’s top twenty magazines by circulation. (Digital circulation 14.6 million unique visitors and growing.) The magazine’s mission: to empower young women “to own who […]
When the Words Come Naturally: How Nature Influences One Author’s Writing
When I set out to write my first novel, I knew the setting before I had fully mapped out my storyline. It was a given that FAMILY TREES would take place in Bayfield, Wis., a picturesque town on the shore of Lake Superior. My family had fallen in love with the area long before I […]
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