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Stephanie Cowell

Historical novels about painters, musicians, writers, and actors
How can the struggle to create art and love combine? 

Writing historical fiction: sometime journal of a New York City novelist

waiting for snow in New York City and finishing a draft of my new novel

January 20, 2012
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Oh snow will come! I remember climbing over the great heaps of it last year!

I have finished my novel THE BROWNINGS and have just sent it to my agent...and after much discussion, praise, and thoughts, it's felt I should revise some more. So you can't pre-order yet on Amazon or reserve it at your favorite bookshop. Back to the computer!

To let you know, THE BROWNINGS is the story of the lovely, extraordinarily gifted poet Elizabeth Barrett who in 1845 had not left her father's London house for five years after much serious illness and family tragedy. Into her life came the handsome rising poet Robert Browning, several years younger than she, who fell madly in love with her.  Read More 
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On the road with still more readings

December 2, 2011
I wonder if I should subtitle this "HAVE LAPTOP, WILL TRAVEL." This week I had a chance to read from Claude & Camille with my power point presentation at two more wonderful libraries. Tuesday I was at Commack in Long Island; I pulled my suitcase through many puddles and waited for connecting trains under my red umbrella, but in spite of the weather we had a lovely audience. Thursday I was at the Warren Township Library New Jersey where the congenial program director drove me back and forth to the train. The near-half moon  Read More 
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<b>Guest Post: a novel in poetry about Shakespeare's theater days </b>

November 7, 2011
Michelle Cameron’s book In the Shadow of the Globe is exquisite and unusual – a historical novel told in poems centering around the real man Shakespeare in his journey from a struggling sensual playwright in London 1593 to a writer growing old. The poems, which are immediate and highly accessible, tell the story of Shakespeare’s acting fellows as well in this little theater world of the Globe which is now beyond famous. The main thread of the story are the poems from the point of view of Mary Burbage, a member of the great Burbage acting family, who watches and loves Shakespeare but can never tell him.

Michelle, what was the inspiration for this novel?

First of all, thanks, Stephanie, for letting me revisit my “labor of love!”  Read More 
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On tour for CLAUDE & CAMILLE

October 1, 2011
me (the smallest one) with part of the audience
The West Hampton Long Island Library was my latest stop on my continuing little tour of my novel with the marvelous PowerPoint presentation created by my husband. The screen was large and lovely; the pictures are of Claude at 25 and a thoughtful portrait of Camille by their friend Auguste Renoir. My grateful thanks to  Read More 
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Autumn is slowly coming to New York City!

September 24, 2011
Central Park will look like this towards the end of October or early November. Imagine walking through those leaves!
Oh joy! autumn and spring are my favorite times here. I will get a chance to see autumn outside the city too with my several readings in Long Island, New Jersey and one in the gorgeous Berkshires at the Clark Museum! The other day, my older son and I walked over the Brooklyn  Read More 
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Hurricanes and revisions!

August 28, 2011
pre-hurricane clouds hover over lower Manhattan
I have been rushing forward with great inspiration on revisions for the new novel over the past several days but I am afraid the hurricane coming towards NYC somewhat diverted my attention this weekend! It was the tremendous feeling of not knowing what would come. Last night I went out briefly hoping to get  Read More 
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back from an extraordinary trip to Italy!

July 4, 2011
Giotto's Kiss of Judas from the Scrovegni Chapel in Padova
I have been away at an extraordinary trip to Italy, traveling with the West Village Chorale who joined forces with a 60-voice children's choir and an orchestra to sing Mozart's REQUIEM in churches in Venice, Verona and at a villa created by Palladio in Vicenza. I made notes and notes for novels and in  Read More 
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a few thoughts about how I write

June 2, 2011
I don't write on an old typewriter but I DID when I was an adolescent, though not as old as this one!
A dear friend, the writer Susan Dormady Eisenberg, was asking me about my particular techniques of novel writing and I hadn't thought about it much so decided to post it here.

I never pre-plot. I start with a character or two I can love and a place and time which interests me.  Read More 
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a book club appearance and a walk in the park

May 27, 2011
I am the one in Monet blue surrounded by the book club members!
I have had several readings of CLAUDE & CAMILLE with my powerpoint presentation lately, and last night I met with a book club in a French cafe in Pleasantville. What a lovely group of people!

Others news from the book front is that people tell me they see the novel in bookstores everywhere, including airports,  Read More 
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A guest blog from my friend Laurel Corona about FINDING EMILIE.

April 26, 2011
Tags: Finding Emilie, Laurel Corona
Normally novelists struggle to find people to write blurbs for the back covers of their books but when I heard through the grapevine about Laurel's first novel, I e-mailed her agent and said, "I must read this novel and blurb it!" And so here we are a few years later and Laurel is my  Read More 
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