Michelle Athy's Blog, page 6

Potential Period Drama Fodder: Sophia Duleep Singh

It’s England, rainy, misty England. We are at Hampton Court Palace outside of London, one of Henry VIII’s favorite palaces–but it is clear that we are well past the Tudor Era. In fact, everyone looks like they’re in Edwardian garb. There’s a brown-skinned woman standing outside Hampton Court Palace, wearing a large hat, next to … Continue reading Potential Period Drama Fodder: Sophia DuleepSingh

Guesting on Fuckbois of Lit!

I am the guest this week on Fuckbois of Literature, talking with Emily about The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan, romance novels, and RWA. You can listen to the podcast at Apple or go to FBoL’s anchor.fm page for links to other podcatchers.

2020 Reading Challenge: 10 Books!

I did not think I would be writing this post now, not even two full months into 2020. But I read 6 books in January and the more you read–even with two graduate classes, which are still admittedly in the “getting into the groove” phase–the more you want to read. I’ll guess we’ll see when … Continue reading 2020 Reading Challenge: 10Books!

Hey, Whatcha Reading? with Sa'iyda Shabazz

Hey everyone! This month, I asked my friend Sa’iyda Shabazz what she’s been reading this month. Sa’iyda is a writer with Scary Mommy, Romper, and has had bylines in The New York Times, among other places! Check out her Facebook page here or give her a follow on Twitter @xoxSai. 1). What are you currently … Continue reading Hey, Whatcha Reading? with Sa'iydaShabazz

Happy 11th Birthday, Blog!

THIS BLOG IS 11!!! This blog is now in the sixth grade, might have its own phone, and is growing increasingly sassy. You may have noticed that this site is…a bit different. I switched to WordPress, importing everything, and here I am! I dithered and hemmed and hawed about moving to WordPress for YEARS, but … Continue reading Happy 11th Birthday,Blog!

Potential Period Film Fodder: Mary Bowser

When I first read Alyssa Cole's An Extraordinary Union, which is a historical romance about a free black woman spy named Ellen Burns who is sent to a Confederate household in Virginia during the Civil War to work undercover as a slave, I noticed that in the author's note that Cole took much of her inspiration for Elle from the story of Mary Bowser. There was a movie about her once upon a time,

Potential Period Drama Fodder: Umeko Tsuda

For at least a few weeks, with some exceptions, I will be blogging about awesome historical figures who would make EXCELLENT subjects for period films or dramas. Their life stories are not the typical type we are used to seeing in the Western world, but let's be honest: we need to see different types of stories on screen and different types of stories in books. C'mon, period film makers. Admit

5 Random Things I Learned From Historical Romance

This past weekend, I recorded an episode of Fuckbois of Literature, my friend Emily's podcast. It'll be out in about a month. We discussed Courtney Milan's The Countess Conspiracy. I had so much fun doing it (ahem, there may have been a rant or two) Because we read a historical romance book--and since historical romance is practically the default genre I read--I was thinking about the random

Hey, Whatcha Reading?

This month, I asked my sometime editor, Jess d'Arbonne, to answer the question, Hey, Whatcha Reading? 1. What books are you currently reading? I just finished Chuck Wendig’s magnum opus,Wanderers(Del Ray, 2019) and it blew my mind all over my face. Now I’m reading the English translation ofQualitylandby Marc-Uwe Kling, which is like Kurt Vonnegut writing George Orwell with a dash of

As RWA Implodes

Over the holidays and New Year's, I was keeping my eyes peeled on Twitter because on December 23rd, Alyssa Cole tweeted a thread with documents about her friend Courtney Milan and a kerfuffle with the Romance Writers of America. Basically, what happened--as far as anyone knew on December 23rd--was that there had been a complaint lodged with the Romance Writers of America's Ethics Commitee