 |
| Photo credit: Girl Well Read. Do not use without written permission. |
Girly Book Club presented #StrongWomenRead featuring Pam Jenoff (The Lost Girls of Paris), Molly Fader (The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets), and Hannah Mary McKinnon (Her Secret Son) at the Bay Adelaide Centre in downtown Toronto. The proceeds of the event went to the Canadian Women's Foundation.
Besides the fabulous food, beverages, and spectacular view, there was a chat with the authors followed by a Q&A and book signing.
The theme of evening was #StrongWomenRead and the ladies spoke about what that means to them
Hannah Mary McKinnon said that it was her maternal grandmother that inspired her reading, as well as credits her parents.
Molly Fader mentioned Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew series) as well as her mother who read her fairy tales.
Pam Jenoff has always been a reader—as a child, it was Judy Blume that inspired her. She told a story about how twenty years ago she wrote to Blume asking her for writing advice to which Blume responded. Twenty years to the day, she happen to meet Judy Blume at her book store!
How has your life influenced your books?
Molly Fader says "Romance, how you are telling a woman's story," and that "love and sex are an important part."
Hannah Mary McKinnon is a plotter, not a pantser (a plotter is someone who plans/plots out their novel before writing, and a pantser is someone who flies by the seat of their pants) and that her business side has also helped with being more of a structured writer.
Pam Jenoff credits her legal background—she brings the revision skills she learned as a lawyer to her writing.
#StrongWomenRead - What would you say to a young girl about this?
Pam Jenoff said that it is like #metoo, empowering women.
Molly Fader thinks that young girls should show each other compassion and ultimately show yourself compassion—compassion won’t fail you.
Hannah Mary McKinnon said that you can "be quietly strong, and that’s okay."
Do you write every day?
Pam is part of the 5 am club—she's up and writing in short, 45 minute sprints.
Hannah structures herself by using her deadline and working backwards. She "chunks draft manuscript and expands."
How did you become a writer?
Pam Jenoff had an epiphany and that was 9/11. She had just became a lawyer and had begun practicing law only one week earlier and knew that she didn't want to die a lawyer. Jenoff took a night course and started writing. She bootstrapped her first two books together and went from there.
Molly Fader used support networks and writing groups.
Hannah Mary McKinnon took a course. She published her first book with a great premise, but bad structure. From there, she invested in an Editor and spoke about how invaluable their advice is. She too joined writing groups and took courses. McKinnon said that it is "scary to share your work, but you need the critical feedback and that without it, you are missing opportunities to learn" and also, "your first draft is meant to suck."
The Lost Girls of Paris
An emotional story of friendship and betrayal during the second world war, inspired by true events.
With the world at war, Eleanor Trigg leads a mysterious ring of female secret agents in London. Twelve of these women are sent to aid the resistance. They never return home.
1946 Manhattan. Passing through Grand Central Station, New York, Grace Healey finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. The case is filled with a dozen photographs, each of a different woman. Setting out to find the women behind the pictures, Grace is drawn into the mystery of the lost girls of Paris. And as she delves deeper into the secrets of the past, she uncovers a story of fierce friendship, unthinkable bravery - and, ultimately, the worst kind of betrayal.
BUY NOW
PAM JENOFF is a New York Times bestselling author of several novels including The Kommandant's Girl, which received widespread acclaim, earned her a nomination for the Quill Awards and became an international bestseller.
She previously served as a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. State Department in Europe, as the Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army at the Pentagon and as a practicing attorney.
Jenoff received her juris doctor from the University of Pennsylvania, her masters degree in history from Cambridge University and her bachelors degree in international affairs from The George Washington University.
Pam lives with her husband and three children near Philadelphia where, in addition to writing, she teaches law school at Rutgers.
The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets
It’s been seventeen years since the tragic summer the McAvoy sisters fell apart. Lindy, the wild one, left home, carved out a new life in the city and never looked back. Delia, the sister who stayed, became a mother herself, raising her daughters and running the family shop in their small Ohio hometown on the shores of Lake Erie.
But now, with their mother’s ailing health and a rebellious teenager to rein in, Delia has no choice but to welcome Lindy home. As the two sisters try to put their family back in order, they finally have the chance to reclaim what’s been lost over the years: for Delia, professional dreams and a happy marriage, and for Lindy, a sense of home and an old flame—and best of all, each other. But when one turbulent night leads to a shocking revelation, the women must face the past they’ve avoided for a decade. And there’s nothing like an old secret to bring the McAvoy women back together and stronger than ever.
BUY NOW
She grew up outside of Chicago and now lives in Toronto.
Her Secret Son
Josh’s partner Grace suffers a fatal fall. He can't wallow in his grief because he is now responsible for her seven-year-old son. Even though he is not Logan's biological father, Josh is the only father he has known.
For whatever reason, Grace resisted both marrying Josh, as well as having Josh become Logan's legal guardian. She always dismissed the idea with the excuse that it was just a formality. Given that Josh can't locate any paperwork surrounding Logan's birth, he begins to wonder if Grace was hiding something and that's why she resisted making their family official.
As Josh digs deeper, it is apparent that there are many secrets Grace was hiding, each more troubling than the next.
BUY NOW
HANNAH MARY MCKINNON was born in the UK, grew up in Switzerland, and moved to Canada in 2010. After a successful career in recruitment, she quit the corporate world in favour of writing.
She now lives in Oakville, Ontario, with her husband and three sons.
