Amelia Kallman
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Hi!
I'm Amelia, an American writer based in London. I have recently written my first novel, The Last Chelsea Girl. Upmarket fiction, it combines the bohemian setting and coming-of-age characters of Just Kids with the theatrics, female friendships, and fight of City of Girls. In New York City’s legendary Chelsea Hotel, the home of American counterculture, a shy aspiring writer - Jules Thomas (22) - is hiding out from her abusive ex. As Jules tries to put her life back together, she befriends her fellow residents: the real-life rock stars, artists, bohemians, and misfits from the hotel’s notorious history. Famous Chelsea girls (e.g. Janis Joplin, Edie Sedgwick, and Nancy Spungen) take her under their wing, and soon a whole new world opens up to Jules. She parties with superstars, assists a dominatrix, pens a gossip column, and even starts a burlesque speakeasy on the roof with Ruben Wells, a charismatic, pot-dealing showman. Then her ex moves into the Chelsea. His father's company is attempting to take over the landmark hotel, gentrify it, remove the residents, and turn it into a generic chain hotel. Challenged to step up to her new-found power, Jules leads the fight to save her adopted home, community, and blossoming relationship before it is too late. Inspired by real-life experience, I was fortunate to live in the penthouse of the Chelsea Hotel during its final three years before it closed in 2007. The new owners hope to reopen in 2022. I have won two international writing awards in nonfiction, and I write for publications including WIRED, Forbes, IBC, and The Huffington Post. |
