Recently on RIASS:
An interview with rural lit author Margareta Osborn
A list of books about floating cities
A review of'Bunheads'by Sophie Flack'(a look into the highly competitive world of professional ballet)
Im also over on Australian Women Online talking about the Australian Women Writers Challenge and with a feature on Twelfth Planet Presss Twelve Planets series
Coming up: a review of The Belgian Twins, a'guest post from Nicola Moriarty, and an interview with Joel from'Momentum Books, Pan Macmillan's new digital-only imprint.
Just a note that I'll be tango dancing my way through Argentina in April, and would love to receive some guest posts to feature during that time. Feel free to drop me a line at readinasinglesitting@gmail.com.
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Other bookish stuff (an all female edition in honour of International Womens Day)
Rachel Robertson on her memoir about raising a son with autism:
I once read that Annie Dillard said that it takes about four years to write a book.' I find it reassuring that such an accomplished writer said this, and I think it is worth remembering when you start out.' The work is half-hidden from you for a long time and only gradually emerges and grows into its final form after much thought, rewriting, heart ache and many blank days.' Reading books that inspire you is good, even if they are nothing like your own project.
Laura Miller ponders how relevant an authors private life is to our appreciation of their work:
It is, indeed, aggravating that for many male writers, as for most men, looks have had relatively little influence on their fates or reputations while the opposite is true for women. For women, prettiness or the lack thereof has long been treated as the most important measure of feminine worth: Accusing a woman of being unattractive is the fallback weapon for anyone trying to inflict a particular brand of shame, one designed to invalidate her'as a woman.'That's why it's seen as the lowest blow of all (apart, maybe, from calling someone a bad mother), an ad feminem tactic of last resort used by those who can't win by fighting fair. Edith Wharton, a brilliant and successful novelist, could well have been the target of that sort of insult from her male contemporaries.
Few Female Bylines in Major Magazines:
The infographics reveal an ugly, unchanging truth: in 2011, the number of articles published by women in top thought-leader magazines was significantly less than the number of articles published by men.
Tania McCartney, author and founder of Kids Book Review on reading:
When it comes to books, feeling middle-aged certainly peels away. Reading keeps us youthful ' not only when revisiting the tomes of more retro years, but whilst enjoying the spoils of today. Picture books, junior fiction, YA, adult novels, non-fiction ' it doesn't matter which genre you choose ' reading is not ageist. I can enjoy a new release picture book as much as I can enjoy a brick-like biography on the life and times of Julius Caesar.
An interview with author Charlotte Hubbard:
I would have to say resilience and adaptability are two qualities that have seen me through so many years as a published writer. Had I tucked my tail when my first editor stopped buying my Western historical romances, and allowed myself to become discouraged those six years I spent wandering in a literary wilderness trying to find my next gig, I would be doing something totally different today. Perseverance pays off. That dry spell taught me, however, that it's OK not to be a writer'that there are other lives to live, and I would be good at them!
My first attempts at getting published were actually in the romance genre but the feedback I got was that my characters weren't romantic enough and they tended to get caught up in dramatic, adrenaline-charged events. After two manuscripts that didn't sell, I figured maybe romance wasn't my thing.
Secret Style Icon: Scout Finch: Tree-climbing, marble-shooting clothes for the discerning tomboy
A feature on Melbournes Spinifex Press, whose Fish-Hair Woman'Im presently reading and loving.
Winners of the Romantic Novelists Association awards announced
Galactic Chat interview with Claire Corbett, author of When We Have Wings
Entangled Romance introduces a new paranormal category line
Try this International Womens Day quiz'
Australian IWD events
Books by female Nobel Prize for Literature Laureates:
Having read several of the Twelve Planets books I am very pleased to see them being featured!
TPP do some great stuff, and I love the fact that theyre so supportive of unusual, genre-bending work.