Daily Archives for: January 23rd, 2017

Self-Acceptance: A Hard-Fought Battle for Writers

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It’s a tough task to attain the kind of self-acceptance that allows a writer to feel she deserves to own her talent and reap the rewards of hard work.

There’s a cartoon on my bulletin board of two caterpillars creeping along, with a butterfly hovering above them. One caterpillar eyes the butterfly suspiciously, and says, “You’ll never catch me going up in one of those things!” Maybe it isn’t what the cartoonist intended, but I see it as a metaphor for the sad state of women’s self-esteem.

We’re destined to become glorious butterflies, yet we persist in perceiving ourselves as caterpillars, opting for crawling the safer but less exciting ground, instead of allowing ourselves to take flight. Read More→

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Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne du Maurier (1941)

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Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne du Maurier (1941) is a historical novel set in Cornwall, England, during the reign of King Charles II. The story centers on a love affair between Dona, Lady St. Columb, and Jean-Benoit Aubéry, a French pirate.

A tale rich in love, adventure, and historic detail, it’s among du Maurier’s most iconic novels. Read a detailed plot summary here. The novel was reissued in a new edition in 2020. From the publisher (Sourcebooks):

“A classic from the master of gothic romance and suspense, Daphne du Maurier, Frenchman’s Creek is an electrifying tale of love and scandal on the high seas.

Jaded by the numbing politeness of London in the late 1600s, Lady Dona St. Columb revolts against high society. She rides into the countryside, guided only by her restlessness and her longing to escape. Read More→

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