by Tahseen Béa “This is where I feel it.” Layla said to her husband of two years. “Place your foot on my knee.” He said. Layla placed her bare foot on his knee. He held his foot and touched her ankle, examining the skin and bones of her thin ankle….
Featured Writing
The Penmen Profile: New York Times Bestseller Emma Chase
by Rebecca LeBoeuf Emma Chase, a New York Times Bestseller for two series, “Tangled” and “Legal Briefs,” is a writer of “sexy swagger,” with a focus on contemporary romance and romantic comedy. “Royally Endowed,” the third and latest installment of “The Royally” series, centers on the forbidden relationship between a…
The Penmen Profile: YA and Adult Literary Fiction Author Natalie Haney Tilghman
By Rebecca LeBoeuf Natalie Haney Tilghman co-wrote “A 52-Hertz Whale,” a young adult novel, with author Bill Sommer. When a juvenile humpback whale separates from its pod, a high school freshman calls upon a young filmmaker who volunteered in his special education program to help him locate it. The plot…
The Penmen Profile: Award-Winning Author and Columnist Vanessa Hua
By Rebecca LeBoeuf Much of Vanessa Hua’s factual and fictional writing focuses on Asia and the diaspora. Her debut novel, “A River of Stars,” which follows a pregnant Chinese immigrant, is due out in August and available for preorder now. The novel already appears in multiple booklists for 2018, including…
The Penmen Profile: New York Times Best Seller Elinor Lipman
By Rebecca LeBoeuf Satirist Elinor Lipman, who grew up in Lowell, Mass., is approaching the one-year anniversary of her latest romantic comedy, “On Turpentine Lane.” Reviews written by Oprah.com and the Washington Post praise the novel and compare Lipman’s stories with those of Jane Austen. “Then She Found Me,” one…
The Penmen Profile: New Novelist Siobhan Fallon
by Kristin Duckworth Siobhan Fallon’s debut novel, “The Confusion of Languages,” takes place in the American embassy community in Jordan during the Arab Spring – a setting Fallon knows well, having been stationed there with her husband. Fallon drew on her own experiences and observations to tell the story of…
The Penmen Profile: YA Fiction Author Ryan Graudin
by Rebecca LeBoeuf Ryan Graudin, a young adult fiction author, just wrapped up her weeklong tour celebrating the Sept. 26 publication of her latest novel, “Invictus.” The tale, which garnered a starred review from Publishers Weekly, follows Far, the son of a time-traveler. Far fails his time-traveling exam, crushing his…
The Penmen Profile: Graphic Artist and Novelist Mira Jacob
Rebecca LeBoeuf When a young woman returns home to find her father talking to dead relatives, she realizes there are secrets that have been haunting her family, stemming from a trip to India that was cut short 20 years prior. Mira Jacob’s debut novel, “The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing,” was…
The Penmen Profile: New York Times Best Seller Anton DiSclafani
by Rebecca LeBoeuf Anton DiSclafani has continued to grow her roots in the historical fiction genre after her debut novel, “The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls,” hit the New York Times Best Seller List in 2013. Her latest novel, “The After Party” (2016), takes place in Texas during the 1950s,…
The Penmen Profile: Literary Fiction Writer Marcy Dermansky
by Rebecca LeBoeuf The paperback edition of “The Red Car,” a New York Times Editor’s Choice Pick written by author Marcy Dermansky, was released on Sept. 12. After the sudden death of a friend, Leah, the novel’s main character, inherits a red sports car. Getting away from her unhappy life…
The Penmen Profile: Higher Education Writer Julie Schumacher
by Rebecca LeBoeuf Author Julie Schumacher draws from her own experiences as a professor to produce hilarious pieces about working in higher education. Schumacher’s most recent contribution was “Doodling for Academics,” where she joined illustrator Lauren Nassef to create a coloring and activity book. The 96 pages are “designed to…