In the wake of comments re JKR being the 1st successful female author let's be clear she was not even the 1st successful SCOTTISH female author. A THREAD Hugely popular Mary Brunton's second novel, Self Discipline inspired Jane Austen's Emma. She sold TONS of books. I her /1

D E Stevenson, 2nd cousin of Robert Louis Stevenson sold 7 million copies of her 40 novels in her lifetime.Yes, more than he sold in his. Her father disapproved of her writing so she hid in the attic of their house in Edinburgh's West End to bash out her stories. Legend./2

Helen MacInnes wrote 21 espionage thrillers, so accurate that at least 1 of them was used to train Allied personnel to work with the French Resistance during WWII. She was v famous! There are no monuments to any of these women btw which is a TRAVESTY obvs. /3

1920s Hollywood screenwriter, Lorna Moon was hugely talented and successful. I love her short stories. Lorna wrote about the village she came from. She laid it so bare, her book was banned in Strichen library for decades! Also had an affair with Cecile B Demille's brother. /4

Susan Ferrier's 1st novel (published anonymously) was so good it was rumoured to have been written by Sir Walter Scott. After 3 books, she retired cos she couldn't stand the limelight. Oh & Burns wrote a poem to her & her sisters. We Have Loads Of Successful Female Writers
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Muriel Spark, a childhood pal of my grandmother, was ranked 8th most successful British writer since 1945 by The Times in 2008. I mean, I think she's generally misunderstood, but hey, she was HUGELY successful. /6

I'm not even starting on poets/dramatists & I have to go now cos duties. Pls feel free to add more women to this thread - we're definitely not short of successful writers... and yes, I wrote a book. Google Where are the Women by Sara Sheridan. Gaun. xx