The staff here at Fresh Fiction are excited to wish The Page Girls a happy
first birthday week!
The Page Girls is
a new online mag with an emphasis on books, cocktails, and female friendships.
Each week, they publish a themed issue containing short stories, book reviews,
personal and funny essays, videos, cocktail recipes, and more. Some sample
issues include The Craziest Thing I Did For Love and LYLAS (Love You
Like a Sister).
From July 21-25, The
Page Girls is celebrating its first official “birthday week,” which means a
giveaway every day plus other goodies. As part of the birthday festivities, the
brilliant ladies behind The Page Girls have joined us for an exclusive interview.
What’s the story on how you ladies met and started your fabulous online
magazine?
Emily: I know April and Cecily through India, who I lived with in a small
mice-infested apartment outside of Washington Square Park. Nothing bonds people
like living in squalor. I met Jasmine in South Africa. We shared a bottle of red
on a beach side boulder and watched the sun set. The stuff of great romances.
Regardless of how we met...these ladies are my people. I love them. We all come
from different backgrounds and bring different skills to the table. What we
share is an ardent passion for writing...along with mild addictions to coffee,
alcohol, and saturated fats.
India: Since the five of us are writers and writing tends to be a very
solitary activity, it's nice to know that the others are in the same boat. The
Page Girls formed as both a support system and a place to air out the thoughts
that pop up while researching and writing whatever it is we're working on.
The topics in issues of The Page Girls vary from books and relationships to
cocktails and social media. Would you tell us a bit about the mission behind The Page Girls?
Emily: When I read this Maya Angelou quote, I thought it described The Page Girls perfectly:
"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with
some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style." We are all about
the female narrative -- the stages, the romances, the relationships...the
moments that make us. We hope to create content that speaks to our readers and
in turn, builds a positive, open community for us to coexist and connect.
Jasmine: Great quote Emily! I think our individual personalities really
helped us to create an environment that makes everyone feel welcome and able to
relate to one another on some level. One of our first goals was to create a
lounge-style environment where readers could feel like they were sitting on our
couch and could create a dialogue with us. I hope we continue to achieve that
with our site.
India: Dude, Emily - that's perfect. I can't add to that because that's
exactly what I would have said but probably less eloquently!
Everyone on the Fresh Fiction staff agrees: We LOVE your logo and name. How
did you decide on “The
Page Girls” as a name?
Cecily: Aw shucks! I remember the five of us brainstorming a massive list
of names, some of which were hilarious, and others hilariously bad. I think it
was India and April who first came up with the name, right?
April: The name came from India's adaptation of one of Jasmine's
suggestions, and a final change I made to India's version became our name, The Page Girls!
India: I love it because it's to the point! Stories unravel on pages and
page boys/pages were servants that often delivered messages. We like to think
that we deliver stories so The Page Girls were born! And my mom thought it sounded a
bit salacious which we're fine with too.
I think April came up with the name, but she thinks I did. We can't remember.
That tends to be the case with all of us in general. Just about every piece on
the site is collaborative to some degree so it's become hard to tell where one
of us ends and another begins. The logo was kind of the same deal, thrown back
and forth between me and Cecily.
In addition to writing for The Page Girls, you are also authors. What is it like to
balance writing for the site and working on your novel projects?
Cecily: We're busy bees! I juggle a full-time job in media along with The Page Girls and my
novels, so I pretty much drink more coffee than the human body can handle.
Emily: Cecily is legitimately insane. I'm pretty sure she could run a
country. The Page
Girls has been great for my writing because it forces me to produce work
weekly and allows me space away from my personal work.
Jasmine: Our best technique is discussing future themes and topics well
in advance, giving everyone the opportunity to work at our own pace. I work
freelance in media, and with those long grueling hours, it's extremely hard to
focus on anything else. The Page Girls and my personal writing give me a reason to
keep waking up early when I'm on hiatus.
India: I feel like I'm never more focused than when I have too much going
on in my life. Not sure if that makes sense, but it's been working for me!
April: Writing for the site is so different than writing the books - it's
a really nice break sometimes. There are definitely days when I, for the sake
of my sanity, need to step away from writing or outlining my book for a bit.
But I'm still in writing mode so it's nice to use that energy on something
different, like a short story or a fun list. It's like a little writing vacation!
Fresh Fiction readers want to know: What do you ladies love to read?
Cecily: This is my favorite question. I have so many books that I
absolutely adore, but if I had to pick just one for this interview, it would be
THE RED TENT by Anita Diamant (people who follow The Page Girls on Twitter have
probably heard me mention this book before). It's a historical, fictional
adaptation of the story of Jacob, told from his only daughter's point of view.
It's all about female strength and the bonds of sisterhood.
Emily: I truly love anything Junot Diaz. He has such a specific voice and
THE BRIEF AND WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO is the perfect combination of comedy
and tragedy. He has such an incredible cadence to his work...it's lyrical,
powerful, hilarious, and completely makes my heart stop. I love strong
characters and well-constructed themes.
Jasmine: I am a sucker for a great romantic comedy…and smart young adult
novels…and paranormal thrillers…and practically anything good. Admittedly, the
TBR list is on the edge of being out of control. Some may call this a book
addiction. I call it love. Basically, I devour a wide range of books. Some of my
favorites usually feature a strong, witty heroine.
India: I love a good thriller or anything with a good dose of suspense.
I also love character-driven pieces. I love seeing into the heads of those I
don't have the chance to know in real life and seeing how they grow and develop.
Those are usually the most satisfying reads for me.
April: I've loved books from every genre. I can't figure myself out and
it's been like this in high school. I loved Crime and Punishment back in
the day but that was the same time that Gossip Girl was my favorite
series. I haven't changed since - I'm all over the place. As long as there's
some aspect of the book that makes me desperately want, I'm into it.
***
Thanks for chatting with us, ladies, and have a happy birthday week! Readers,
sign up for The Page
Girls’ weekly
newsletter to get notified about new issues, and be sure to follow them on
Twitter and Facebook.
Want to be part of the birthday celebration? Comment below to be entered to win
a set of The Page
Girls coasters and a copy of AN IMAGINARY
HOUSE BY THE SEA by Cecily Gates, and check out all the birthday prizes below!
19 comments posted.
I didn't even know about The Page Girls - so I've used the link to your page and saved it as a favorite. I plan to get better acquainted ASAP. Happy First Birthday week!!!
(Nancy Reynolds 9:10am July 22, 2014)
It's my birthday month as well. Happy first birthday! Here's to many many more.
Now off to go sign up at your site.
(Val Pearson 1:39pm July 22, 2014)
Congrats! I can't imagine it's easy to keep a blog up and running for a year...but, it's great that you did it. Many happy returns of day.
(Vennie Martinisi 2:51pm July 22, 2014)