Feb
28

How Sweet It is…

to be a writer! Got to love it when you get to make old-fashioned toffee in the name of research. This batch is a tad bitter because I was trying to make it as if I couldn’t adjust the heat on the gas, since the toffee in my story is … Read More

Dec
20

The BIG Question in your Novel?

The first time I was asked: “What is the big question in your novel?” I responded with a blank look. BIG question??? Hmm! Hadn’t really thought about a BIG question. I was just writing what I hoped was a cracker of a story and following my main character’s journey through … Read More

Jun
08

Talk to me, I’m a writer!

And people do. Incredibly generously. No matter where I go, if I ask a question and say I’m writing a book, mouths and doors open. Even when we barely speak the same language. My recent research revealed that the location of French farmhouses, at least in the Somme area of … Read More

Jan
10

Return to the Coal-face

One-hundred years ago, my great-grandfather trekked down the pit road six and a half days a week, sometimes a mile into the gloom, to reach the current coal face of the Hamilton Palace Colliery in Lanarkshire, Scotland. (Those who lived in the colliery’s tiny pit village of Bothwellhaugh affectionately knew it … Read More

Dec
20

Viva La France

Parlez-vous français? Mais oui! Gotta love a research trip. Mine is set to go. With flights to France booked for next year and a preliminary itinerary planned, it’s been made real. This week my French language course books arrived. Tres excitement! Flipping through the pages I’m already recalling my high … Read More

Nov
16

No. 510

Or what should be titled “The best conversation starter ever”. What began as a trip in 2008 to explore my ancestral roots, grew into a niggle that refused to be stilled. Perhaps weeks of researching my family tree and their migration from Ireland to Scotland and on to Australia placed … Read More

Nov
09

What I am Reading

Words to transport me across generations, centuries, continents and viewpoints – such is the mastery of writer Arnold Zable in his acclaimed memoir Jewels and Ashes. What began as a “case study” for my Master’s exegesis – too dry a term by far for this riveting narrative and beautifully told story … Read More

Praise for No Small Shame

Christine Bell’s No Small Shame is impossible to put down. Her writing is wonderful, wise and empathetic. No Small Shame is a masterful debut novel, and an excellent addition to Australia’s historical fiction genre. Full review.

- Better Reading

Bell’s evocation of setting is an outstanding feature of the novel. Her social and physical landscapes of the years 1909 to 1919 are vivid with sensory and historical colour. Full Review.

- Westerly Magazine

Once I started reading No Small Shame, I could not stop. I was utterly swept up by Mary’s story and her refusal to settle for the life she is expected to lead.

- Kate Mildenhall, Author (The Mother Fault, Skylarking)

This is a novel of darkness and hope, full of insight, and written beautifully, with intelligence and sensitivity. A wonderful debut … Full review.

- Robyn Cadwallader, Author (The Anchoress, The Book of Colours)

Be prepared to be transported into the past, to be caught up in a slice of Aussie history but, mostly, swept away in a completely relatable and beautifully told tale that will move and, in the end, fill you. Outstanding. Full review.

- Karen Brooks - Author (The Chocolate Maker's Daughter, The Darkest Shore ...)

An absorbing, convincing and heartbreaking picture of a woman trapped in an impossible marriage. I ached for Mary and grew to love the defiant spirit shining through her doubts and fears.

- Jane Sullivan, Literary Critic and Author (Storytime, Little People)

Mary O’Donnell’s journey to self-awareness will have you turning the pages until the heartbreaking climax.

- Lauren Chater, Author (The Lace Weaver, Gulliver's Wife)

Mary’s compelling journey and her indomitable spirit are heartbreaking, moving and inspirational. This novel is a well-researched examination of the roles and rights of women at that time, the struggles and discrimination they faced, the hardships they were expected to endure and the small victories they celebrated, often silently.  Full review.

- Cass Moriaty, Author (The Promise Seed, Parting Words)

No Small Shame is a beautiful and inspiring story about female power. Christine Bell gives us a brilliant story of female heroism and shows us that women are capable of much more than we could ever really know. Full review.

- Courtney Dyer, TheBookSlut.com

Compelling and addictive. … a rich and absorbing experience. Full Review.

- Angela Wauchop: Backstory History Journal

What distinguishes the novel is its rich characterization. Each character in this carefully drawn work lifts off the page, evoking our enduring interest and empathy.

- Nadine Davidoff, Freelance Book Editor

An epic tale of a woman who finds her voice and ultimately, her agency. Meticulously researched, ambitious in scope and compelling in realisation.

- Christine Balint, Author (Salt Letters, Ophelia's Fan)

My heart hurt, my heart soared, and I was left thinking about the amazing women who paved the way for women today. Full review.

- BJs Reviews

No Small Shame is an important reminder of how far we have come in Australia … and how much we need to protect. It is a story crafted with great empathy – and immense believability. Full Review.

- Dr Wendy Dunn, author/poet (Dear Heart, How Like You This? Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters)

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