A friend asked recently if I’d written a screenplay to submit to the Anchorage International Film Festival. And did I know the deadline was a week away? “No,” I said, “It’s a month away.” “Uh-uh,” she said, “One week.” After I screamed no-o-o-o-o-o, I thought long and hard. Do I want to wait yet another year to submit? No, a … Read More
Lois Paige Simenson | Can We Really Go Home—And Write About It—Again?
Determined to finish a story I began a few years ago, set in my hometown of Butte, Montana, I had no idea where it would lead. What began as memoir has morphed into a historical fiction novel, with fictitious characters based on real people and events. I’ve always wanted to write a story with Butte as the setting, because of … Read More
49 Writers: Lois Paige Simenson | Write It Funny
A while back someone told me my writing sometimes reminded her of Nora Ephron. I was shocked at hearing this, and while I took it as a tremendous compliment, I duck-paddled like a wild woman, realizing I didn’t know much about Ephron. I knew her work as a screenwriter and director from her hit movies, Silkwood, Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve … Read More
Lois Paige Simenson | You Want Me To Write A What?!
When I visited Ireland six years ago, I felt a pull for something I couldn’t explain. It wasn’t until recently that I understood the reason. I became an orphan and a close friend advised me to research my family. I learned I’m only a second-generation American on my father’s side. His mother grew up in Avoca, Wicklow, Ireland, and her … Read More
