I first heard about THE HEROINE'S BOOKSHELF and met Erin Blakemore on Backspace and was fascinated by the idea of an entire book about important female literary heroines and their creators. So while Erin wrote a book of non-fiction essays, I thought her insights into women's fiction authors and characters were a perfect fit for the blog. (I hope you agree!) Many thanks to Erin for her time and … [Read more...] about Interview with The Heroine's Bookshelf author Erin Blakemore
How Reading Literary Fiction Helps Me Write Women's Fiction
Meandering tomes. Weighty descriptions. Subtle subtext. Sweeping themes. A thesaurus by my side. Ah, the joys of reading literary fiction. I'm a fast reader and I love literary fiction because it forces me to slow down. I love lit fic because it is the beauty of words on the page as much as it's the story those words tell. Sometimes, it seems that the author has actually painted the scenes … [Read more...] about How Reading Literary Fiction Helps Me Write Women's Fiction
Women's Fiction Author Meg Waite Clayton Talks About Ensemble Novels, Being Organized and Writing What No One Expects
When I interviewed Meg Waite Clayton I feigned composure (I hope) but was as nervous and excited as a twelve-year-old girl at a Justin Bieber concert. When I'm inspired by an author, I sometimes wish I could climb inside his or her brain for just a few minutes to get the real scoop on how they do what they do. I don't want to be anyone else but myself. I don't want to write like anyone else but … [Read more...] about Women's Fiction Author Meg Waite Clayton Talks About Ensemble Novels, Being Organized and Writing What No One Expects
Everything Matters in Women's Fiction
Every day at six o'clock a meek beep emanates from my son's room for about ten seconds. It used to happen at five o'clock until we sprung forward. Five or six, doesn't matter. I hear it. I accept it. I ignore it, lock, stock and buzzer. It means nothing. And therein lies the beauty of real life! Some things are meaningless. But in fiction - even and most especially realistic fiction like … [Read more...] about Everything Matters in Women's Fiction