Author Archives: Belle Brett

About Belle Brett

Belle Brett (www.bellebrett.com) is a proud graduate of GrubStreet’s Novel Incubator program. As a child, she produced what would now be called graphic novels, but alas, only the drawings remain as the words were strictly in the oral tradition. Now, several degrees and careers later (teacher, career counselor, researcher), she writes fiction (no pictures, but with a cinematic flavor) about coming-of-age across the life span. Her debut novel, Gina in the Floating World, was published in September 2018 by She Writes Press. She is also an artist (www.bellebrett.studio), blogs on “slow downsizing” (https://slow-downsizing.site123.me/), and enjoys traveling and dancing with her husband and aging contemporaries to live music in the dive bars of Somerville and Cambridge. All of it is grist for her writing mill.

The Cure for Failure Deprivation Syndrome

For a few seasons, I watched “American Idol.” I marveled at the resilience of the young people who, in front of millions, listened to some pretty raw criticism—“That was horrible!” was a frequent Simon Cowell comment. Of course, the ones…

Six Months until Publication: Tentative Tips from a Debut Novelist

I just passed my six months to publication date for my debut novel, Gina in the Floating World (She Writes Press). I sent in my last review of my galleys, and my baby is about to be sent to the printer for my ARCs (Advanced Review Copies), the ones sent out to reviewers. It’s really happening. I’d love to be able to sit back and enjoy the ride until my book launch on October 2, but that’s not the way it works in this do-it-yourself day and age.

The Sound of One Hand Clapping

I am not a Buddhist (although I have researched Buddhism in the service of one of my novels), but I’ve spent time pondering in relation to my writing a variant of the famous Buddhist kōan*: You can hear the sound…