Shay Galloway

I was actually an au pair in France, but I traveled with the family on vacation to Greece.

I picked it up in a hotel in Greece of all places, back when I was an au pair!

It was down to the wire in the decision!

I haven't seen it but I'll add it to my list!

I did get a short story out of it, but I know her story must be rich enough for a novel!

I haven't heard of that one, I'll have to look it up!

I feel like it came from the same place as "women only care about fancy jewelry" like they were vapid, but in reality jewels were the only thing of value women could own!

I asked this and immediately forgot every book I've ever read.
One that I always call back to is Vida from The Thirteenth Tale. She's a mysterious aged author with a Brontë-esque backstory!

While researching for a book I came upon a mixed-race woman who attempted to start an African American settlement in Eastern Wyoming in 1908. She married @ 16 and had 17 children. I just can't help but wonder all she was thinking during that time.

Awe shucks! That would have been cool, even if just as an essay!

I honestly started to think that maybe all these "women are so competitive" was just patriarchally created stereotypes to keep women from collecting!

Halfway through reading a hist fic once I realized how toxic the "I'm not like other girls" trope was, and I decided I would no longer perpetuate that. No women scoffing at other women's domesticity, even if they lack their own. Esp in hist fic!

Sounds fun! Welcome!

My MC was taken from her family at 12 and put in a facility with a bunch of other girls in the same situation and so formed a new sort of family with them. When one of them dies, it starts her on her journey of rebellion

Q5: if you could write one woman's story, living or dead, who would it be?

Q4: speaking of the literary canon, what female characters from other books have stuck with you the most and why?
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Q: The literary canon is full of (sometimes misrepresented) tropes when it comes to how women interact with each other.
What things do you try to stay away from in those interactions, what do you try to highlight?

Hi! Coming at you from WA with my (almost) 6yo and 15mo while making dinner!

Currently working on a dystopian novel centered around forced sterilization and forced birth.

In honor of Women's History Month, we're talking about female relationships and characters!

Q1: How integral are your MCs female friendships in their journey?

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Welcome to #MomsWritersClub night, parent writers of BlueSky!

First tell us a bit about yourself!

Remember our chat goes on 24 hours to accommodate for schedules and time zones!

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Most of them didn't really think about it. So far I've had one that did.

-how they ended up in their current situation
-Where they're going to be at the end of the story.

Hmm...my stories usually have the characters ending up in places they didn't expect they'd ever be so they don't really know whY their ideal life would be bc everything they've known or worked for has crumbled.

I love when secondary characters come in just as a fully formed being!

No, not really. I usually have a pretty solid sense of who the characters are psychologically so I know how they'd react to most situations.

Up to now I've been writing novels that span over a decade, so the backstory is all there chronologically. But in short stories, bit by bit. Right now I'm trying to work on stories with shorter timelines so need to do more bit by bit.

In historical fiction, I think it's a challenge to make an M.C. relatable to readers while not being too out of the place in their world. Esp with female characters, they so easily become a "I'm not like other girls" trope.

I often struggle with coming up with motivations and getting into the deep wants of the characters.

Hi! I'm working on an adult dystopian novel and just started a women's fiction about an archeologist healing after a loss.

See you here in two weeks #momswritersclub!

@tracygrant.bsky.social will be hosting on February 18th