A Sydney-based author of ten bestselling works of historical fiction, Belinda Alexandra has set her books in numerous countries and periods. Aside from superlative research, what they have in common is a strong female protagonist who has managed to overcome adversity and somehow come out the other side. They forge ahead with life against the odds, showing independence and admirable spunk.
Fans have often asked her about the inspiration behind these feisty characters. In a nonfiction departure from form, Belinda has now written Emboldened, a compelling melange of memoir and history that delves into the real-life women who’ve both inspired her in her writing and also helped make her into the confidant, ever-curious woman she is today.
Suffering her own trauma some years ago, Belinda found herself terrified, fleeing from her home in the middle of the night with just her phone, wallet and latest novel on a USB stick. “How do you begin your life again when you’ve lost everything you’ve worked for and your dreams have been shattered?”
The question is addressed through chapters entitled Reliance, Purpose, Passion and Connection. She shares many lessons she has applied to her own life from the fortitude and resilience demonstrated by a number of women. Firstly, there is her White Russian grandmother Alexandra who miraculously lived through the Russian Revolution, emigrating to China before enduring the Japanese Occupation and the post-War fall to the Communists, fleeing ultimately as a refugee to Australia via the Philippines. Alongside her was Belinda’s feisty mother Tania, who witnessed horrors and deprivations which should not be in the experience of a young girl.
The book’s next heroine is American Virginia Hall who, despite having lost a leg in a pre-War accident, became one of the Allies’ most successful and celebrated WWII spies in Vichy France. Despite coming from abject poverty in Barcelona, Romany dancer and singer Carmen Amaya became, arguably, one of the greatest ever flamenco dancers. Then there is the story of our own Edna Walling, one of Australia’s most influential landscape designers and environmentalists.
These women would be proud of Belinda Alexandra. Through their stories and her own, she provides a wonderful framework for overcoming any challenge that life may throw. Her non-formulaic advice and wisdom coupled with her well-honed talent for storytelling dispenses practical guidance and applicable life philosophy whilst all the while simply providing readers with a gripping and uplifting tale. Bravo.
Check our Emboldened by Belinda Alexandra here.
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Emboldened
On finding the fire to keep going when all seems lost
How do you begin your life again when you’ve lost everything you’ve worked for and your dreams have been shattered?
That was the question beloved Australian author Belinda Alexandra faced one freezing winter night when she ran from her home in terror, clutching only her wallet, her phone and her latest manuscript on a USB stick.
To pull herself up from rock bottom, Belinda drew strength from the real life women who had inspired her bestselling historical fiction: her mother, Tatiana Morosoff, a White Russian who had fled a home more than once due to wars and revolutions; Virginia Hall, an American who lost her leg in an accident but went on to become one of the most revered Allied agents in World War II France; Carmen Amaya, who despite being born into abject poverty in Barcelona rose to become the greatest Flamenco dancer of all time; Edna Walling, who lost her own dream home in a freak fire but created garden designs that made her one of Australia’s most celebrated landscape designers.
They were women who had faced seemingly insurmountable challenges and found ways to forge ahead on their own terms. In a compelling and exquisite blend of memoir and history, Belinda shows readers that, no matter what challenge they might be facing, there is always the possibility of building a bold life full of meaning again from the ashes.
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