Starting From Here – A Novel
Write what you know, they say, and sometimes that’s good advice. In this case, award-winning author Paula Saunders leveraged her own experiences in the predatory world of dance to write Starting From Here.
A sequel to The Distance Home, the Starting From Here is set in the 1970s competitive world of ballet, where protagonist René faces everything from cults to sexual exploitation, industry predators, and the worst kind of betrayal. As much as she wants success, at heart she longs for someone to love and accept her just the way she is – dancer or not, successful or not, perfect or imperfect.
Paula shares her own experiences as an aspiring ballet dancer, and what led her to become a writer and author. We look at how writing Starting From Here helped Paula see her own mother differently. And grab a sneak peek at what it’s like writing a book when you’re married to another author.
Paula reveals how she developed her unique characters, how she defines creativity. And with 50+ years of progress since the ’70s, how times have changed for today’s young women. Or have they?
Meet Paula Saunders
Paula Saunders is a graduate of the Syracuse University creative writing program, and was awarded a postgraduate Albert Schweitzer Fellowship at the State University of New York at Albany, under Schweitzer chair Toni Morrison. Her first book, The Distance Home, was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and named one of the best books of the year by Real Simple. Her novel Starting From Here begins in Rapid City, South Dakota, which is also where Paula Saunders grew up.