For the second year, Helen is judge for the Best Short Script Prize, sponsored by Shedunnit Productions, at the Women Over Fifty Film Festival which is dedicated to celebrating the older woman in front of and behind the camera! This year the Festival is online on 26th and 27th September Please visit www.wo50ff.com for more information about films and events. Facebook LinkedIn
The women represented in the stories we tell, no matter how small their role, are indispensable and deserve to be well-rounded, wholesome, and genuine. How does the screenwriter approach the feat of creating a three-dimensional character that stays true to form in their story? How can she be transitioned from the background to the fore and remain relatable to audiences outside of her gender, culture, or value structure? It begins with an internal look at… Read More »The Write or Die Chicks: Woman in the Story Review
I took Helen Jacey’s latest murder mystery starring Elvira Slate (the world’s first 1940s feminist sleuth) on holiday and couldn’t put it down. The story is a gripper to start with: a jazz songstress has been framed for murder and Elvira, convinced of her innocence, is determined to save her from the death penalty. Equally absorbing is the vintage world that Jacey so vividly paints as Elvira races against time, potentially detrimental revelations by past… Read More »A review in Hastings Independent of Chipped Pearls: Elvira Slate Investigations Book 2
Feminist Noir: Helen Jacey Smashes Stereotypes with a new Type of Heroine By Katrina Simpson Jailbird Detective is the novel that we’ve been waiting for. In 1940s Hollywood Elvira Slade is an ex-con from London with a shady past… We talk to her creator, Helen Jacey. I’ve always been a huge Forties Noir fan – the fashion, the style, the movies. But for a long time I’ve been so aware of the stereotypes that were rife in… Read More »Marjorie Magazine talks to Helen Jacey about Feminist Noir