Her debut novel is set during the dying days of Imperial China.
Best of Red Room
Elizabeth Stark shows why it's important for writers to break out of their comfort zones.
Barry Lynn and Wendy Northcutt giggle over the too-stupid-to-live.
The Kansas City Star says Maria Semple's debut "is marked by whip-smart dialogue, skillful plot twists and gimlet-eyed observations."
Literary Landscape
Red Room Editor Huntington Sharp's take on the best of times.
It's time once again for the writerly gloves to come off.
The hero of Brenda Webster's new novel explores her historical connection to the development of Freudian theory and the early beginnings of psychoanalysis.