Women's Fiction? What is it?

What is Women's Fiction? Is it Chick-Lit? Is it Romance? As a writer of this particular genre, I've been asked that question many times and answer with a resounding NO!! 

Women's Fiction can be Romance. It can be Historical or Contemporary. It might even be Dystopian. The one specific aspect that places a novel in the Women's Fiction category is the focus on the main character's emotional journey. It is a layered story, which makes it great for book club discussion, where, as stated on the Women's Fiction Writers Association website: "the plot is driven by the main character's emotional journey."

My novel, The Disharmony of Silence, for which I'm actively seeking representation (and dream of seeing on bookshelves in stores and libraries, and in your homes one day- in the not too distant future, please!) fits that definition, as does my WIP (work in progress) Flourish. Many of The Literary Leotard's readers have seen bits about Flourish on my website www.linda-rosen.com and have assumed it's a published novel. Sorry. And I can't say I wish it was, because it was in need of a complete re-write, which I'm now tackling. Kind of like when The Sands Casino, back in 1996, was demolished in Las Vegas and a new, bigger, better building was constructed on its footprint.  All writers go through this. Your favorite novel, even Pulitzer Prize winners, have been through many rewrites and some, like the Sands, don't look anything like the original when it comes to you whether in a hardbound book with a gorgeous cover or digitally on your Kindle or iPad (or whatever…)

I'd love to know how the novel I just gobbled up, Almost Missed You, actually began - if Violet and Finn, Caitlin and George and their children look anything like they did when Jessica Strawser, its debut author, first put pen to paper. Almost Missed You, published by St. Martin's Press, will be in book stores on March 28th. Look for it! Ms. Strawser takes you on an emotional ride starting on page one when you'll think Violet and Finn were "meant to be" as everyone said. You won't want to put it down. The compelling story filled with elements of danger and mystery explores "the price we pay for our secrets and just how easy it is to make the wrong choices". 

 

I love stories that revolve around secrets, the fall-out from them, and the emotional journey the characters travel deciding whether or not to reveal what they've uncovered, or what they're hiding themselves.