Interview With Teresa Thorne
~ Interview by Chris Bailey Before [RWA Chapter] Southern’s Magic’s 2011 Reader’s Luncheon, I asked Birmingham author Teresa Thorne to tell blog readers more about her award-winning novel, Noah’s Wife, named the 2009 Historical Fiction Book of the Year by ForeWord Reviews Magazine. Our correspondence fell into an unpredictable cyberspace wormhole, but I’m delighted to report that […]
[Repost] Five Memorable Novel Elements
~ By Chris Bailey Critique partners say I write chick lit, and I hope they’re right, because I love romantic comedy. But I read across a wide range of genres, even delving into literature now and then, and it’s through reading promiscuously that I’ve identified favorite elements that cross the boundaries of genre to make […]
The Chick Lit Voice
~ By Lois Winston Having recently judged the Louboutin Award for the Stiletto contest, I was asked by Chris Bailey if I’d blog about “voice.” Chris posed the following three questions. 1. What constitutes a chick lit voice? For me, a chick lit voice is about attitude. The chick lit voice is when an author […]
Bring on the Holidays!
~ By Chris Bailey Because writing is the method that orders my thoughts—my form of quiet meditation—I’m thankful for this opportunity to post. Because back-to-back major holidays demand a little time apart. A little reflection. A little time to ponder the big questions. A little list of reasons to be thankful for all this, despite […]
Thank you, Jimmy Buffett
~ By Chris Bailey I like my writing lessons suited to my attention span. Short. Creating a memorable character whose heartache a reader can share is a real challenge. While on my porch near one version of Margaritaville, drinking same, I realized Jimmy Buffett offers us a clear pattern. In the first refrain of his […]
Allison Winn Scotch, High-flying author tells all
~ Interview by Chris Bailey Days before the June 28 release of the paperback edition of New York Times bestseller The One That I Want, author Allison Winn Scotch is traveling cross country–and making time to answer questions about her novels and her writing process for Chick Lit writers and fans. Before turning her talents […]
Homonyms for Adults
~ By Chris Bailey During the school year, I tutor one afternoon a week with a program called Start the Adventure in Reading (STAIR) that targets at-risk second graders. It’s totally selfish. We must teach children to read so that one day, they will buy our books. As is always the case with trying to […]
Don’t Bury Your Lead
~ By Chris Bailey The first feedback I received in a novel writing course was, “clearly publishable,” but “too reportorial.”After years of attempting to eliminate all traces of the objective style drilled into me by journalism professors, I’ve finally discovered that I don’t have to discard all the old rules to pursue of creative writing. […]
Emily Giffin’s Heart of the Matter
A Writerly Review ~ By Chris Bailey I am now officially an Emily Giffin fan. Not like Giffin needs me, a contrarian who willfully bypassed her early New York Times bestsellers: Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Baby Proof and Love the One You’re With. I started with Heart of the Matter, released in May, 2010. The […]
Booksellers Sell (Chick Lit) Books
~ By Chris Bailey In our last post, Karin Wilson, president of Page and Palette, a three-generation independent bookstore in Fairhope, Ala., reassured us that Chick Lit is not dead in her market. She also shared some excellent ideas about how authors and booksellers can work together for mutual benefit. Q. We’ve heard reports of […]
NaNoWriMo Day #18
Welcome to NaNoWriMo, Day 18! How’s week three treating you? Is your plot kind of, sort of gelling? Are your characters more able to stand on their own two feet? If yes, yay! If not, trust us, just give it a bit more time. Today, we’re back with another overheard conversation. You know how we, and […]
NaNoWriMo Day #16
Welcome to NaNoWriMo, Day 16! How’s week three going? As you know, we at the blog highly recommend eavesdropping to get your muses going. And since we strive to be helpful, we’ve done some listening in for you: Friday morning before work, two guys in shirts and ties in a breakfast café reveal their plans: “My […]
