I secretly enjoy reading . . .
oh, I can’t say . . .
Well, I’ve got to admit it . . .
I refuse to be ashamed of the fact that of all the genres I read, of all the authors I respect and sometimes try to emulate, of all the literary, historical, suspense and contemporary fiction I read, what I most enjoy is . . .
Women’s Fiction.
I fought this knowledge for a long time.
Even when I, myself, published two books that can be categorized as “women’s fiction.”
Instead, I call the genre of my novels “romantic suspense,” both words being true.
But basically, I write women’s fiction.
Why should that be embarrassing or shameful? How horrible, that I have been sucked into the male-dominated literary power structure of believing that books written for, by, and about women are somehow… LESS.
A close friend recently attended a luncheon for the celebrated author Kristen Hannah, author of the bestselling book The Nightingale. I’d read several of Hannah’s books over the years, fun easy reads like Comfort and Joy, Home Again, Between Sisters. Even though she attracted a tremendous amount of readers and several of her books became bestsellers, I never treated her books, or her writing, seriously.
After all, she “just” wrote women’s fiction.
The first book I read by Hannah, Firefly Lane, sold over 1.2 million copies. Yet a Publishers Weekly review noted: “Hannah goes a little too far into Lifetime movie territory in her latest, an epic exploration of the complicated terrain between best friends. . . . Hannah takes the easy way out with an over-the-top tear-jerker ending, though her upbeat message of the power of friendship and family will, for some readers, trump even the most contrived plot twists.”
Ouch. Not a lot of praise for this writer of “women’s fiction.”
I read these types of reviews in the past, and my distain for the genre heightened (even though I enjoyed reading the genre!).
Then, Hannah published The Nightingale in 2015, which immediately shot off the book charts. Men, women, reviewers (kind of) loved this book. Amazon made the book a “Spotlight Pick for February, 2015.” Amazon’s reviewer noted that the book is a “weeper and a thriller,” a “melodrama that combines historical accuracy . . . and social/political activism,” and is “fast-paced, detailed, and full of romance.”
Many, many literary classics can be described the same way, but with much more gravitas.
But after all, Hannah is “just” a writer of women’s fiction.
My friend reported back to me after he attended the luncheon for Hannah at a well-renowned California indie bookstore . After the chicken and rice, the author spoke to the crowd, proclaiming proudly, “I am an author of women’s fiction.”
Her vibrant fan base applauded enthusiastically.
Many of her readers call her a feminist, and now I understand why.
In a published interview, Hannah notes that “Interestingly enough, (The Nightingale) is both part and parcel of what I do . . . women’s stories are so often overlooked, forgotten or overshadowed by men’s stories, and we as women have just as many heroic, courageous stories to tell. Sometimes it’s more courageous to stay at home and try to keep your children safe, and to make the choices that need to be made in pursuit of that. It’s important that we remember the contributions that women make.”
I get it now.
Women’s fiction is a genre to be proud of.
So, I break my own ground here by announcing: I write Women’s Fiction.
There.
Phew!
Pamela S. Wight is the author of two romantic suspense novels. Her first book, The Right Wrong Man, has rave reviews for taking readers “on an exciting adventure with lots of intrigue, unexpected plot twists, and romance.” A year later, Wight published her second novel, Twin Desires. A reviewer notes: “Another page-turner by Pamela Wight! She has a knack for creating fleshed-out characters the reader develops a true affection for, nice people with vulnerabilities that not-so-nice people exploit. While, this definitely falls into the category of romance, it is much more than that. It is also a murder mystery. The characters we most care for are in real peril, and the action never stops. I lost myself in an engaging story and sighed when I flipped the final page. Read it!”
Pamela earned her Master’s in English and continued with postgraduate work at UC Berkeley in publishing. She teaches creative writing classes in the Boston and San Francisco Bay areas.
Many readers enjoy her “weekly blog on daily living” called Roughwighting
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Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog 
Good on you. Women’s fiction is really everyone’s fiction. Who among us–man or woman–hasn’t dealt with the issues it explores? Wonderful article!
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Thank you so much, Carrie. I’ve always said to men who say they “don’t understand women” – well, read some women’s fiction – you’ll figure it out then. That’s what women’s fiction is all about (which is why it should just be called FICTION) – exploring how to make it through life with ‘issues’ – that’s what all good literature does!
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Agreed!
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Well said. Not that it really makes sense to have that division or distinction in the first place! But you say it so well…as always!
Peta
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Many thanks for your comments, Peta. No, it doesn’t make sense to have a division or distinction in novels. Hopefully if more of us ‘revolt,’ the divisions will melt into just plain good fiction. xo
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Great post, Pam. Women’s authors, in general, don’t seem to get the proclaim that male authors do, but I think that’s changing. Being proud of what we do and our contributions is an important step. It we don’t value our own work, who else will, right? Stand tall and write and read what you love. 😀
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I’ve always been amazed at how little recognition successful women authors receive. Look at Nora Roberts – many many people love her books of romance and suspense. She has sold many millions, yet she’s rarely interviewed in literary mags or mainstream newspapers. Then she began writing more gritty novels under the name J.D. Robb. My guy would never read “women’s fiction,” yet I gave him a J.D. Robb novel and he loved it … and was shocked when I told him that Nora Roberts, famed women’s fiction novelist, wrote the book. Ha – perhaps pen names are the way to go. Either way, the way for writing success is as you say: read and write what you love.
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That’s happened with a number of fantasy writers too. Years of anonymity as a female writer and then they chose a genderless name and zoom to the top. 🙂 Times are changing though and I make a point of reading novels by authors of both genders.
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I wrote 2 unpublished novels of “women’s fiction.” They taught me how to write. Soon I’ll publish a hybrid family history. The reason it will be published is because the launch will feature 2 Seattle museum speakers about the famous father who died when I was a month old. Since I couldn’t find out much about him, a few tell me “the rest is just a personal woman’s story.” So maybe both women and men will read it
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I forgot to add that I am a huge fan of Pamela Wight
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What a wonderful thing to add! 🙂 ❤
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I know I’ll certainly be reading your book when you publish it – the bits you’ve included in your blog are wonderful. Yes, in the end, aren’t the best of our stories (those written by women) a “personal woman’s story”? And isn’t that what makes them fascinating (for women AND men)?
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Well said, Pam. We should be proud of what we write, regardless of what genre it is. And we shouldn’t be ashamed to admit what we read, either 🙂
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I know, Mary. I was ashamed that I was ashamed about enjoying women’s fiction. But I received my M.A. in English Literature from a university in which women’s fiction was distained. I think many professors put up their noses about literature that is accessible and about ‘real life’ issues, as opposed to eloquent, metaphorically written novels.
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I love women’s fiction! Especially Kristin Hannah’s novels, which I’ve been reading for over 20 years and have watched her writing mature. I love how she writes about female relationships. My favorite of her books are WINTER GARDEN and NIGHTINGALE, which will become a movie. I even love her early historical fiction/romance books. And, Kristin is such a lovely person. Had dinner with her when she was on tour for her book Night Road. She loves to connect with people.
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Thanks for recommending Winter Garden, Patricia. I haven’t read that one by Hannah. How very special that you had dinner with this author!! My friend who attended the (large, bookstore) lunch with Kristen Hannah found her accessible and delightful. And well-spoken about the honor of writing women’s fiction.
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Say it loudly; say it proudly! 🙂 Good for you, Pam!
I don’t think the genre matters as much as the ability to tell a good story. Keep on!
By the way, I think many women were discouraged from writing “women’s history” for a long time.
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Yes, so true about women’s history (which, by the way, is still not taught in many high schools. I know, because I tutored in high school for 10 years, and nary a word about Susan B. Anthony, etc. ) But I digress. Yes, let’s just read/write a good story and not label it. 🙂
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Exactly, Pam!
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Great post, Pam! You write women’s fiction, and you do it so well! For me, God puts the stories into my heart, I’m only the messenger. If people want to criticize, I guess they’ve got to take it up with Him. Yay you! xo
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And that’s the thing, Jill. When we write, we watch the words curve out into fascinating stories of women. Isn’t that the coolest thing? Waiting on tiptoes for the publication of your book.
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Thank you for introducing me to a new website and new authors. I am happy to see several authors I know followed you here. And I agree, nothing to be ashamed whatever our pedigree as writers. I am proud of my own tag “Mennonite with a writing habit.” Brava, Pamela!
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🙂 I love your tag “Mennonite with a Writing Habit” – unique and perfect, just like your blog. Glad you found “Chris the Reading Ape” through me, Marian. A great site.
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Reblogged this on roughwighting and commented:
I am honored to be a guest author on Chris the Reading Ape’s Blog this week. My Secret is OUT.
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