About
Closet writer turned passive-aggressive editor/publisher turned journalist turned educationalist turned Miss Moneypenny impersonator at a rural University. I love this life: you can do so many things in it.
I’m devoted to musing about the universe, blogging about it – not just here – and trying to become a proper, real-life novelist. Subjects I’m obsessed with include, but aren’t limited to, gender ambiguities and the gender divide, childlessness, singledom, fashion and the older woman. And I’m finally beginning to get somewhere with all these ruminations in print and on the ether. It’s only taken me nearly six decades. Ah, well, early days.
As well as Mumsnet and The Huffington Post, I also blog on Gateway Women, and for Life Without Baby, TheNotMom and BlogHer. My latest fledgling life is as a (very amateur) broadcaster, doing the odd podcast for Radio Gorgeous (http://radiogorgeous.com/) and a weekly Sunday show, repeated, for my local online radio station, FiveValleysRadio (http://fivevalleysradio.co.uk/).
As for my novel, the central protagonist is an older, single, childless woman: surprise surprise. It’s available on Amazon as a paperback or e-book (publication date was 27 June 2014).
Here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/Far-Side-Theres-Boy/dp/178279574X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397667816&sr=1-1&keywords=on+the+far+side+there%27s+a+boy or http://www.amazon.com/author/paulacoston
Look up more details under Paula Coston by signing in, for free, to Goodreads – and go to my author page on Facebook.
If you read the book, I’d love to see your review of it on Amazon.com and/or Amazon.co.uk.
And as for this blog, please keep those comments coming….
BoyWoman 
I’m enjoying your blog so much, Paula. Like you, I’m in my late 50s, post-menopausal, happily celibate, childless and single (although I did try marriage long ago), and will definitely seek out your novel. I’ve been thinking of writing something similar myself – we need many more female protagonists who are older, single and childless. I so wish I could have joined you on your mid-summer walkabout in London. I used to live there, and I wrote about contemporary Pagans for my doctorate at Nottingham – so that sounded right up my alley. Alas, I live across the pond, so couldn’t make it. Are you familiar with Liz Hodgkinson? She was my earliest influence when it came to my own awakening about my natural single/solitary state (her book ‘Happy to be Single’). She’s also written about celibacy. You British women rock, and I truly miss ‘Ye Olde Sod’ more than I can say, especially wonderful women like you. Thank heavens for Bella on this side of the ocean.
How great to have some glowing feedback from across the water, Amy! Who knows? Maybe we’ll meet some day! I’d like that very much. We sound like soul sisters. I haven’t come across Liz Hodgkinson, so will seek her out.
You say you miss the UK. Did you live here at one time?
Bella’s brilliant, isn’t she?
If you do get to read my novel, I’d love to know what you think; and a transAtlantic review on Amazon.com (and/or Goodreads), if you can stretch to one?!
Keep on reading… and responding.
Hi Paula and thank you for your comment on my blog. I have read quite a few of your posts and found them and the comments they attract very interesting and thought provoking. I’m always interested in nature’s purpose and being a natural optimist often try to imagine a purpose behind the ways in which we all differ, whether or not it is something to do with our more primitive roles, as opposed to what we have constructed of ourselves. However, it is a very superficial thinking, not backed up by any kind of education or research, just a writers observations and a thinkers way of trying to find meaning in different behaviours and inclinations.
No matter what our circumstances, there is great purpose when we pursue it.
Lovely to hear from you, Claire. I empathise with your attempts to find anthropological/evolutionary meaning from our different statuses in the world. I also muse in a more sci-fi/spiritual (?!!!) way about the paths never taken, and whether they somehow, none the less, ‘exist’ in some sense, as you may have seen. Not original, but appealing to me. I tried to pursue these ideas a bit in my novel, ‘On the Far Side, There’s a Boy’. I wonder if you might like to read it/review it? Anyway, I so appreciate your reaching out. We writers/dreamers must stick together.
I’ve nominated you for the Liebster Award! To learn more, you can check out this post:
I honestly think that your blog is amazing and deserves recognition. Keep Going!
How very kind of you, Apollore! I’m so glad you love it! I sometimes feel like a bit of a lone voice, but love writing it and can’t seem to stop. More to come!
Hi Paula
I have recently discovered your writing and I really like your musings on singledom. Though the numbers of single people, and people living alone – whether through choice or circumstances – are rising exponentially I think it is still the case that some singles can still feel a bit intimidated and more vulnerable about their status than they really need to be. I think that your work, as well as writers like Bella De Paulo and Kate Bolick and so on, is really important in building the singledom narrative. As more and more people are single then we need a stronger narrative about ‘how to be single.’
Love & Light!
Simon
Dear Simon
It’s so great to have received your support for my writing. Thanks so much, Simon! Do you write yourself?
Love and light back!
Hi Paula
No I don’t write myself (apart from writing, recording and performing songs) but I find a lot of the current writing that is reflecting on the single female experience quite compelling and thought provoking with regard to the 40 something heterosexual single male experience as well.
I like feminist literature – i.e. Edith Wharton, Jean Rhys and Virginia Woolf etc – and I think much of the current cultural narrative about the single female experience is within that broad framework and quite inspiring and encouraging for men too in thinking creatively about life, love, relationships, solitude etc.
Your writing is brave and honest and you’re putting out some good and valuable stuff.
Keep firing up those flares!