Join Carrie Callaghan, author of A Light of Her Own, and Jenni Walsh, author of Side By Side, for a discussion of their books—historical fiction about ambitious women.
About A Light of Her Own:
Callaghan’s debut novel vividly recreates the life of Judith Leyster (1609-1660), a Dutch Golden Age painter whose work, until 1893, was attributed to Franz Hals or to her husband. Focusing on Leyster’s early life, Callaghan follows her efforts to become the first woman admitted to the Haarlem painters guild. As she struggles with opposition from such imposing figures as Rembrandt, Leyster also has to contend with a stolen painting, the murder of one of her subjects, and a conspiracy that threatens to entangle her, her brother, and her friend, which could spell the end of her dreams.
About Side by Side
The story of America’s most infamous crime spree told in the raw and honest voice of the woman who lived it, Bonnie Parker.
Texas: 1931. Bonnie Parker’s dreams of the limelight and a white picket fence are on hold. She’s a waitress in Dallas, endlessly writing letters to the governor pleading for the release of the man she loves: a reckless, quick-smiling boy named Clyde Barrow, sentenced to fourteen years at the notorious Eastham prison farm.
When Clyde is paroled early, Bonnie thinks their life is about to really begin. But Clyde has changed in prison. Distant, damaged, and dogged by the cops, he knows it’s only a matter of time before the law tries to lock him up again. That’s not something he or Bonnie can bear. When he’s fired from his job—and now breaking parole—he decides to make a run for it. Leave Texas. Get enough cash to make a fresh start in a new state. And, of course, he wants his beloved Bonnie to come with him.
It’s just one stolen car. One robbed bank. Then, they can have the life they always wanted. Or so they think, as they set out.
Unflinching and yet deeply empathetic, Jenni L. Walsh’s Side by Side tells the story of America's most iconic outlaws.
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Carrie Callaghan is a writer living in Maryland with her spouse, two young children, and two ridiculous cats. Her short fiction has appeared in Weave Magazine, The MacGuffin, Silk Road, Floodwall, and elsewhere. Carrie is also an editor and contributor with the Washington Independent Review of Books. She has a Master's of Arts in International Affairs from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Jenni L. Walsh has spent the past decade enticing readers as an award-winning advertising copywriter. Her passion lies in transporting readers to another world, be it in historical or contemporary settings. She is a proud graduate of Villanova University, and lives in the Philly 'burbs with her husband, daughter, son, and goldendoodle.