Tag: women writers
What Makes A Brilliant Book?
What makes a brilliant read? That is a very good question. What makes you pick up a book up in a bookstore or hit click on your e-book store? I have to be honest; I’m a bit of book buying addict. I’m sure even by reading at least two books a week (which is about […]
How Stories Begin: I Was a Coward and Became a Writer
Stories, including those that develop into novels, begin in all kinds of ways. A real-life person you wonder about, a situation you read about in the paper, an intriguing name you feel would make a great character, something that keeps gnawing at your imagination—there are as many ways as there are plots. In my case, […]
Writing Under Contract
My second book was the first I had to write under contract. Having a publisher was something I had been working towards for the best part of a decade, and I felt sure that it would take the pressure off. All that stress about where to publish my work would be a thing of the […]
Asking for Trouble
Asking for Trouble Like many women, I hate asking for help. Perhaps because I have been reared as part of a generation of independent women, perhaps because I have been taught that I am a capable individual, perhaps because I am a people-pleaser by nature, I cringe every time I ask anyone to do me […]
The Post-Publication Blues
Launch Day for my debut novel BABY TEETH was amazing. My agent Sarah was in town and we spent the day together, and then we joined dozens of friends and family members at the bookstore that was hosting my launch. I’ve never had a proper graduation, or a prom, or a wedding, or any other […]
Writing with Cattitude by Cat Lavoie
It only takes a quick glance at my Instagram feed to know I’m not kidding around when I call myself a crazy cat lady. In my latest novel, Messing with Matilda, leading lady Matilda Hart is not a cat person. But things get a bit interesting when she’s forced to share her childhood bedroom with […]
Living and Writing in Two Countries
All writers ruthlessly exploit their own knowledge and experiences, adapting, reimagining. In my first novel Ignoring Gravity this meant using my years working as a journalist and living in Wimbledon. The choice of Málaga as one of the settings in Connectedness, my second book, was a pragmatic choice based on two things; proximity to our […]
Penguin European Writers: The Lady and the Little Fox Fur by Violette Leduc
Penguin European Writers is a new series of forgotten classics by European writers, with introductions by acclaimed contemporary authors. As a former student of French and Italian, I felt compelled by the current political climate to begin a new initiative to promote European literature to British readers. Translated fiction offers a unique insight into another […]
Changing Gears In Writing
When novelists change genres, it’s a bit like shifting gears. At least that was my experience. I couldn’t put the pedal to the metal and ram straight from first into fourth. I’m a lifelong reader and remember the first time an author changed lanes on me. I have always turned to romance novels when I […]
Writing and Research: Tips
Eleanor’s Secret is my second novel inspired by real events from the Second World War and it required thorough research for background, for inspiration, and to help create an authentic setting for the story. The idea evolved after reading about the War Artists’ Advisory Committee that was set up to produce an artistic and documentary […]
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