We had an eye-of-the-COVID-hurricane moment in November 2021, post-booster, and pre-Omicron (and doesn’t “The Omicron Variant” sound like a Tom Clancy novel?). In that privileged interval I visited New York, spent Thanksgiving with three of my grandchildren and saw the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade for the first time ever.
Just before Thanksgiving I attended an in-person writers’ conference for the first time in two years. North Carolina bills itself as “the writingest state,” which may or may not be true (and is clearly ungrammatical). But it does seem that half the people you meet here are writing a book, and many of them turned out for the North Carolina Writers Network conference in Raleigh. Everyone was masked and vaccinated, and the presentations were especially inspiring. If you have a chance to attend an in-person writing conference, there really is no better way to get your brain cells buzzing. At this conference I learned that right now, New York publishers are especially looking for narrators and characters with unique voices. I learned about The Black List, a forum for screenwriters to share and evaluate one another’s scripts. I heard from a pair of older women interviewers about their perspectives after a lifetime of interviewing subjects.
And in between the formal sessions, there were great conversations with other Women Writers of a Certain Age. One of them told me about Solarpunk, an artistic movement that focuses on using technology to save the Earth rather than ruin it. Of particular interest to us writers, there are Solarpunk novels and stories, mostly in the science fiction genre. This got me thinking about my newly published novel, Brilliant Charming Bastard, in which three women scientists use genetic engineering to augment photosynthesis and invent a new kind of solar panel. Light bulb moment: Perhaps I write Solarpunk without realizing it.
The Bastard book launched October 29th. When I was a teen I planned to publish my first novel at 25; I was 68 when this debut novel published, but who’s counting? As everyone says, launching a book during the pandemic is a completely different experience. My wonderful publicist and I have focused on getting the word out through social media, and through fun experiences like interviewing the characters in my own book for Women Writers, Women’s Books. (Spoiler: When my characters realize I might write a sequel, they instantly consult an attorney).
The print version is available from your local bookseller in the USA and worldwide from Amazon. Ppaperbacks are $12.95 or the local equivalent. Who do you know who needs a book as a present? If you want to support your local bookstore (pleaseDO!) you can order online at Bookshop.org and they will deliver via your recipient's local store.
My characters’ concerns are timely: I’ve been hard at work on the Bastard sequel, The Palace of Wisdom, during National Novel Writing Month. The three women scientists we met in Bastard will have their hands full, just as they feared. In Palace, the genetically engineered plants begin reproducing and threaten to overrun the planet. I did the elevator pitch about Palace
for someone at the writers’ conference, and she dubbed it “Jurassic Park
for botanists.” There will of course be a sunny (Solarpunk) ending. And in case you’re wondering, there will be plenty of sex along the way (And I don’t just mean flowers, which of course are the sex organs of plants).
That writing conference was a terrific way to network with other seasoned women. And I am finding that social media is too, in some venues I did not expect. Have you been on Instagram lately? There are so many older women on there: writers and artists sharing their voices and experiences. LinkedIn is a great platform too—many advocates for older empowerment post there. I also just received an email from a seasoned woman erotica writer looking for community, which I hope many women find through the Stella Fosse website. I must make a resolution to organize a workshop in the New Year, and please ping me with your suggested topics. And in the meantime, consider writing a story for an upcoming Silver Anthology from Delilah Devlin.
And for those who have already read Brilliant Charming Bastard, please consider posting an honest review on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, or wherever you review books. Reader reviews are so essential for writers these days, to help potential readers know whether a certain book will be a good fit with their tastes. Writing your review is so very helpful to authors.
As we approach this holiday season, I’m wishing for you the time and freedom to create, to express yourself, to enjoy the life we have now with all its plot twists and unexpected grace. There is no time but now, so let’s make the very best of what we have.
Until next time, keep the pen moving and the keys clicking.
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