Meg Waite Clayton

Author of the international bestsellers The Postmistress of Paris, The Last Train to London, and 6 other novels

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Downton Abbey: An Inspirational Writing Story

Downton Abbey is one of my three television weaknesses (along with The News Hour and the Daily Show). And I’m not one to read about what I watch. But I found this piece in the New York Times this morning about Julian Fellowes, the writer who created Downton Abbey, inspiring in the way that so many posts by 1st Books guest authors are.
Two choice bits:

  • He toiled as a midlevel character actor for 30 years with 12 rejected screenplays to his name until, incredibly, at age 52, he won an Academy Award for his first produced screenplay, Robert Altman’s “Gosford Park,” in 2002.

and

  • “It’s part of the key to his current success, his work ethic. He doesn’t procrastinate. He doesn’t hide. He works like a demon.”

With that, I’m off to work like a demon! – Meg

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Meg Waite Clayton


Meg Waite Clayton is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of nine novels, including the forthcoming TYPEWRITER BEACH (Harper, July 1, 2025), the Good Morning America Buzz pick and New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice THE POSTMISTRESS OF PARIS, the National Jewish Book Award finalist THE LAST TRAIN TO LONDON, the Langum-Prize honored THE RACE FOR PARIS, and THE WEDNESDAY SISTERS, one of Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Essential Best Friend Novels of all time. Her novels have been published in 23 languages. She has also written more than 100 pieces for major newspapers, magazines, and public radio, mentors in the OpEd Project, and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and the California bar. megwaiteclayton.com