The wild bunch: Kate Mosse on why we love out-of-control women

From The Girl on the Train to Gone Girl, badass women rule in today’s blockbusters. Author Kate Mosse picks her favourite justified sinnersThis year has been, in fiction at least, the year of the wild woman. Novels driven by vengeful, unreliable female narrators and psychopathically flawed protagonists have topped the bestseller charts – Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train, Renée Knight’s Disclaimer, Lisbeth Salander in The Girl in the Spider’s Web, following in the footsteps of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. Complicated, flawed, delusional, violent, transgressive and out of control, these are women seeking retribution and taking matters into their own hands. Mad, bad or misunderstood, they are satisfying to read about and satisfying to write. So where do such characters come from? One of the most commonly asked questions at any literary event is how a character comes to life. Is character the keystone, the first component of a novel? Or is it an idea that first whets the author’s appetite? A period or an object? Or imagination, pure and simple? We give different answers, of course, because we each have our own technique. Besides, the various inspirations for a new book often happen near-as-dammit simultaneously and unconsciously, with lots of conflicting ideas rushing forward at the same time. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #bestseller charts #paula hawkins #lisbeth salander #gillian flynn #literary event

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Bruno Munari Will Make You Fall In Love With Books All Over Again

A Kindle is no match for the Italian artist and graphic designer's mixed-media tomes.With some books, reading on a screen is virtually the same as on paper. Swipe or turn a page and you'll see words organized into sentences organized into paragraphs organized into chapters. Not so with the work... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2015-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors on the Air June 15, 2015: Kate Atkinson

Kate Atkinson, author of 'A God in Ruins' (Little, Brown; 9780316176538) will appear on NPR's 'Morning Edition' on Tuesday, May 16. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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ALA 2015: Summer of Love

If you’re going to San Francisco for the 2015 American Library Association Annual Conference, June 25–30 at the Moscone Center (MC), you may want to wear some flowers in your hair—it should be quite a party. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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YouTube star PewDiePie strikes publishing deal for This Book Loves You

With 37m YouTube subscribers, Swedish gamer teams up with Penguin Random House for 250-page collection of ‘advice and inspirational quotes’With more than 37m subscribers, Felix ‘PewDiePie’ Kjellberg is one of the biggest stars on YouTube. Now he’s hoping to take bookshelves by storm too.The... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #biggest stars #publishing deal #video game


No men allowed: publisher accepts novelist's 'year of women' challenge

Small press And Other Stories will produce no books by men in 2018 in answer to Kamila Shamsie’s call for direct action to beat gender bias in publishingSmall press And Other Stories has answered author Kamila Shamsie’s provocative call for a year of publishing women to redress “gender bias” in... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #male authors #small press #kamila shamsie #direct action #literary world #novelist made #booker prize #prize-winning novels


Trade has mixed views on Shamsie's Year of Publishing Women

Author Kamila Shamsie is “right to draw attention” to gender inequality in publishing, but her suggestion of a year in which only books by women are published has been greeted with mixed views by the trade. Writing in the latest issue of The Bookseller, Shamsie [pictured] said 2018 – the 100th... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #draw attention #gender inequality #latest issue #100th anniversary


Pushkin signs The Wildings

Pushkin has bought The Wildings, a children’s adventure story about wild cats in Delhi, by Nilanjana Roy. Commissioning editor Daniel Seton acquired the UK and Commonwealth rights from Lisette Verhagen at David Godwin Associates and will publish on the Pushkin Children’s list. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pushkin children #pushkin signs #adventure story #lisette verhagen


Kamila Shamsie: let’s have a year of publishing only women – a provocation

It is clear that there is a gender bias in publishing houses and the world of books. Well, enough. Why not try something radical? Make 2018 the Year of Publishing Women, in which no new titles should be by menSeveral years ago, Martin Amis chaired a literary festival panel on “The Crisis of... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #anne tyler #donna tartt #jhumpa lahiri #gender imbalance #top positions #literary prizes #effective system #win prizes


Ali Smith wins Baileys Women's Prize

Ali Smith has won the 2015 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction with How to be Both (Hamish Hamilton).  Smith was announced as the 20th winner of the £30,000 prize this evening (3rd June) at a ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall, London, hosted by broadcaster, author and DJ Lauren Laverne. Shami... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ali smith #hamish hamilton #20th winner #shami chakrabarti #judging panel


BEA 2015: Wild at Heart: Animal Fantasy in Children's Books

Lev Grossman, 'Time' magazine's book critic, was an informed and enthusiastic moderator for the May 29th BEA panel on animal fantasy in children's books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books About Women Rarely Win Top Prizes

After analyzing 15 years' worth of top literary prize winners, Nicola Griffith notes that books about women rarely win. The post Books About Women Rarely Win Top Prizes appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books about women less likely to win prizes, study finds

Study of six major awards in the last 15 years shows male subjects the predominant focus of winning novels• How well do you know fiction’s female protagonists - quizAnalysis of the last 15 years of winners of six major literary awards by the critically acclaimed author Nicola Griffith has found... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: Love Birds

Here at the Javits, love and romance are in the air—and at the Penguin Truck, which is parked outside the show floor and will be staffed today, 10 a.m.–12 p.m., by purveyors of passion on the page. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA: women execs explore female leadership

Penguin president Madeline McIntosh, Harper s.v.p. and director of creative development Lisa Sharkey, and Pearson Learning Services president Bethlam Forsa contemplated how they got to where they are and prospects for other women’s rise to the top in a Book Expo America panel on Thursday (28th)... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: Talking Truth, Love, Diversity, and Writing at ‘Reality Bites’ Panel

On a Saturday BookCon panel, Ellen Hopkins, Patrick Ness, Lauren Oliver, and Jason Reynolds discussed the relationships, characters, themes, and settings of their latest YA novels. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ellen hopkins #patrick ness #lauren oliver


The Women Behind Canada's Favorite Cookbooks Pass On the Brand

Best of Bridge cookbooks, founded 40 years ago by a group of women who played bridge together, is now one of Canada's most popular line of cookbooks, with four million copies sold. To keep the tradition going, the ladies are passing their aprons to three women who are also friends that love to cook. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2015: Love Is In the Air at Young Adult Editors' Buzz Panel

The books featured at the Young Adult Editors' Buzz Panel had love as a common theme: first love, forbidden love, love from beyond the grave, and, not to be outdone, deadly love. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Top Women in Media: Director-Level Doers

Folio:'s annual Top Women in Media Awards were created to celebrate, inspire and bring together the women who make magazine media such a dynamic industry. The post Top Women in Media: Director-Level Doers appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2015-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Folio: Top Women in Media – Industry Leadership

Folio:'s annual Top Women in Media Awards were created to celebrate, inspire and bring together the women who make magazine media such a dynamic industry. The post Folio: Top Women in Media – Industry Leadership appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2015-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post folio #top women #dynamic industry


Folio: Top Women in Media – Mentors

Folio:'s annual Top Women in Media Awards were created to celebrate, inspire and bring together the women who make magazine media such a dynamic industry. The post Folio: Top Women in Media – Mentors appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2015-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post folio #top women #dynamic industry