Nov
14
No Small Shame – The Dreaded Edit

No Small Shame – The Dreaded Edit

The dreaded round one edit for my novel wasn’t so bad! After all! I wasn’t sure what to expect for my first novel-length edit. My previously published work has either been short fiction for children that I can truthfully say had very few changes made to the words, or short … Read More

Jul
02

Standing in Elite Company

Standing up to work is a growing trend, though it seems Ernest Hemingway always wrote standing up due to a WW1 war injury. Only he stood at a typewriter balanced on a bookcase according to a 1954 interview with George Plimpton in The Paris Review. “He stands in a pair of … Read More

Aug
10

A Bakers Dozen Writing Tips

When one of my blog commenters, a new writer, asked me a couple of posts ago what tips did I have for new writers, I thought why not share them in a blog post too. Write every day Read widely – the masters, classics, short stories, poetry and contemporary fiction. … Read More

May
01

Step by step to publication

  After lots of emails crossing paths in the ether all week from various writing buddies… I’m putting it out there. How can we writers inspire, buoy, encourage and fool ourselves into keeping steadfast on our journey to publication? More often than not, it’s a long, long haul from Point … Read More

Apr
05

Writing can be a pain in the butt

Literally! And if a writer doesn’t stretch and move and shake those lower back muscles, boy, can they scream at you – just as my sciatic nerve has been screeching at me all week. “Do you have to write?” asked my physio. Well, it is my income, my passion and … Read More

Mar
15

Don’t Write What You Know

“Are you French? No, then set your novel in Australia. Write what you know!”  Words to spark a blogpost and debate. The jury is out on my Google search into who first spoke the words Write what you know, though Mark Twain and William Faulkner seem to be the main-listed … Read More

Feb
27

Never poke a writer (or a Mama Bird)

This time last year I made a vow – after discovering a tiny baby bird alive but flopped on our back deck with a bleeding cut on its back – that if Mrs Pigeon showed any sign of setting up house this year, I would wave her off sans hésitation. … 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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