Stephanie Cowell

A number of years ago, I won a scholarship through the English Speaking Union to live at Jesus College in Oxford for twelve magical days which became rather an ideal for the rest of my life. I lived in a room on the Quad of this 16th century college and was served kippers and (more…)

I just went out for a breath of air, and there isn't much. It's still 82 degrees at 11:00 pm. I love my neighborhood at night! Lights shimmer from the old brownstones on side streets and the trees before them are heavy and still. The young, bearded Greek orthodox priest in his cassock was standing outside (more…)

It's been so long since I wrote here! It's hard to believe that I was in Glen Ellyn outside Chicago just four weeks ago! I am intensely working on my new novel and have been wonderfully surprised by the many e-mails from readers and book clubs about CLAUDE & CAMILLE. Our writers' group which formed (more…)

I am back from a very quick two day trip to Glen Ellyn where I talked about CLAUDE & CAMILLE at a booksigning/lunch at the charming Bistro Monet. What better place? The walls were filled with reproductions of Claude's work. It was one of the loveliest book events of my writing life. Go to (more…)

It's official. I have to spend my time taking care of the outer me. My author reading clothes are lovely, but when I finally went to get new sandals again today (I had to admit that mine were incredibly worn down), I noticed the pathetic holes in my socks.If someone took a picture (more…)

And how wonderful to meet ten lovely bloggers who all reviewed CLAUDE & CAMILLE and hosted my guest posts! I also met the congenial Margie from JustBooks in Glen Ellyn outside Chicago who is hosting me in a reading at the BistroMonet there on June 19th.

The gathering of perhaps 75-100 people was held in (more…)

I had a lovely dinner at a local French restaurant with my historical novelist friend Susanne Dunlap and then a few days ago had dinner with writer Pam Leggett and Madeleine L'Engle's granddaughter Lena Roy who has her first book coming out. I don't know what I would do without all my writer friends, (more…)

I walked down to the park and the wind was tossing the trees and snapping the flags; there was a huge sound of wind. Behind the Memorial at 89th street the Hudson Guild Shakespeare players were practicing again with a very intense, compelling actress with spiked hair shouting against the wind. Now that the (more…)

It is STILL strange to get so many comments (almost all of them perfectly wonderful) to this novel which was a story inside me for so long. I have had several strong press reviews and online reviews, topped by the rave in the Boston Globe and People magazine's choice of the book as a (more…)

I spent two days at the Albany Empire State Book Festival where five thousand writers, librarians and book lovers gathered. Amazingly, they had a panel on historical fiction in which I was able to participate, struggling through a rather heavy head cold which descended on me as I arrived by train in Albany and (more…)