Author Archives: Gabriella West

About Gabriella West

Indie writer/editor and author of The Leaving.

Review: Mrs. Woolf and the Servants

Posted on May 4, 2013

When I read Virginia Woolf‘s Diaries (an experience I recommend to any writer) back in 2011 I remember thinking what horrible bosses she and Leonard were to their hapless, underpaid employees at the Hogarth Press, which they ran out of … Continue reading →

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That Lonely, Sinking Feeling

Posted on March 23, 2013

When I look back on my life here in San Francisco I am amazed at all the changes the city has been through and that I have been through in the city. Somehow it seems hard to separate my emotional … Continue reading →

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Marking St. Patrick’s

Posted on March 17, 2013

As I mentioned in a previous post on this blog, I don’t ever do much for St. Patrick’s, but I usually find myself in a celebratory mood anyway because of the coming of spring. The fruit trees are blossoming madly … Continue reading →

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2012 in review

Posted on December 30, 2012

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog. As a bit of a giggle, I’m posting it for all to see. For a blog that I didn’t tend as often as I should this year, … Continue reading →

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Book Review: After Mrs Hamilton

Posted on December 27, 2012

It’s almost the end of December, and it’s time to squeeze out one last book review for the year. After Mrs Hamilton (Kindle, $4.99) is the second novel by British writer Clare Ashton. I loved her first book, Pennance, which … Continue reading →

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Rowling’s ‘Casual Vacancy’ Strikes a Nerve

Posted on October 7, 2012

‘The Casual Vacancy’ by J.K. Rowling, Little, Brown ($35 hardcover); Kindle ($14.99) Joanne Rowling is a woman with a ton of baggage. As her own writer bio on Amazon states, she’s the author of the “bestselling Harry Potter series of … Continue reading →

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Fifty Shades of Grey – A Quick Take

Posted on August 30, 2012

My friend Shannon Yarbrough has been recapping each chapter of Fifty Shades of Grey on his blog, accompanied by hilarious visuals. Confession: I sent him my copy after finishing with it, wondering what he would get out of it, as … Continue reading →

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July Book Review: Building Character by Kate Genet

Posted on July 16, 2012

‘Building Character’ by Kate Genet, 2012, Kindle/Smashwords ($6.99)  The summer months are difficult ones for indie authors, who tend to see sales of their full-length ebooks diminish. A book that came out last month without much fanfare is Kate Genet’s … Continue reading →

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May Book Review: Pennance by Clare Ashton

Posted on May 18, 2012

‘Pennance’ by Clare Ashton, 2012, Createspace pbk (8.99)/Kindle ($2.99) When I first came across Clare Ashton’s debut novel on Kindle, I confess I frowned slightly at the title and thought that it was possibly a typo for “Penance.” It’s not, … Continue reading →

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St. Paddy’s, Green Beer, and a free ebook today

Posted on March 17, 2012

I want to make a confession: I’ve never sampled green beer! You see, I grew up in Dublin, where in the 1980s, the St. Patrick’s Day parade, held in still-freezing March temperatures, was a fairly sombre, pallid march down central … Continue reading →

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