126 ratings | 63 reviews | avg rating:4.42

Thelma Adams’s Followers (189)

Thelma’s Bookshelves

to-read (21)
currently-reading (3)
read (125)
didn-t-finish (0)

Thelma’s Friends (1,044)

Lara Maynard

12,432 books | 2,310 friends

Jen Lawrence

1,060 books | 151 friends

John Horn

212 books | 200 friends

Courtney Tisch

11,023 books | 432 friends

Jordan

617 books | 3,150 friends

Nancy Utley

487 books | 135 friends

Peter Keough

1,712 books | 357 friends

Chad Gayle

1,901 books | 134 friends

More friends…

Thelma Adams

Goodreads Author

Born

in Los Angeles, The United States

Website

http://thelmadams.com/wordpress/

Twitter

@thelmadams

Genre

Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery

Member Since

April 2010

edit data

Thelma Adams is the author of the best selling historical novel The Last Woman Standing and Playdate, which Oprah magazine described as "a witty debut novel." In addition to her fiction work, Adams is a prominent American film critic and an outspoken voice in the Hollywood community. She has been the in-house film critic for Us Weekly and The New York Post, and has written essays, celebrity profiles and reviews for Yahoo! Movies,The New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Parade, Marie Claire and The Huffington Post. Adams studied history at the University of California, Berkeley, where she was valedictorian, and received her MFA from Columbia University. She lives in upstate New York with her family.
...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Thelma Adams questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Thelma Adams There are a lot of different types of writer's block. My first defense is to write in my comfort zone as much as possible -- in the morning after a cu…moreThere are a lot of different types of writer's block. My first defense is to write in my comfort zone as much as possible -- in the morning after a cup of coffee with my lovely husband dropping my daughter off at school. That way I can try to preserve something in my brain that is refreshed from dreams and sleep. I find just getting started the biggest hurdle and lately I've been setting my stopwatch for five minutes when I start so that I realize, when the alarm goes off, I'm already fully engaged. All I need is that five minutes. On days when I just cannot get a sentence, or a chapter, to move forward, I allow myself to stop. I try not to feel guilty. Because I know that when I hit that kind of wall, it's a fourth or fifth day after a lot of good work. And I try to be gentle with myself. Try: it's not easy. The best thing for me is to walk away. I often work on the weekends and I find that sometimes I grind myself down. So then I take a weekend off and the writing tap flows when I sit down again to write on Monday. So the first thing is to know how your writing flows for you -- and the second is to develop mechanisms that make you comfortable when it doesn't. (less)

flag

2 likes · like
Comment

What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Thelma Adams The absolute best thing is that being a writer (like being a marathon runner) exercises a muscle that I need exercised. Writing is the way I understan…moreThe absolute best thing is that being a writer (like being a marathon runner) exercises a muscle that I need exercised. Writing is the way I understand and filter the world. It's the way I get in touch with my feelings, and one of the things that cracks me up. I don't feel like I'm someone that can hold the whole world in my head so that writing a novel allows me to connect the dots, piece the big ideas together and understand the bigger picture by going deeply into specific characters, scenes, settings, themes and situations, completely fictional or based on my own experience. (less)

flag

like
Comment

See all 4 answers from Thelma Adams…

Combine Editions
Thelma Adams’s books

Average rating: 3.64 · 12,966 ratings · 1,154 reviews · 5 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Last Woman Standing 3.67 avg rating — 10,999 ratings — published 2011 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	O's Little Book of Happiness (O’s Little Books/Guides) by O, The Oprah Magazine, Thelma Adams (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 3.61 avg rating — 1,230 ratings — 23 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Bittersweet Brooklyn 3.72 avg rating — 527 ratings — published 2018 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Playdate 2.57 avg rating — 321 ratings — published 2011 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Playdate by Adams Thelma, Thelma Adams (Goodreads Author), Huber Hillary (Narrator) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Thelma Adams…

0 posts
Thelma Adams's Blog

Thelma Adams hasn't written any blog posts yet.

Thelma is Currently Reading

Thelma Adams is currently reading

This Could Hurt

by Jillian Medoff (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Mar 11, 2019 09:22AM

Thelma Adams is currently reading

History of Woman Suffrage, Volume I

by Susan B. Anthony

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Jan 28, 2019 06:04AM

Thelma Adams is currently reading

You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth

by Jen Sincero (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Jan 24, 2019 05:25PM

rss
Thelma’s Recent Updates

Thelma Adams is now friends with Wayne Goss
Nov 12, 2025 08:19AM · like
Thelma Adams rated a book it was amazing The French Effect by Patricia Sands (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 12, 2025 08:19AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The French Effect by Patricia Sands. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The French Effect by Patricia Sands <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Thelma's books…

Quotes by Thelma Adams (?)

“One always needs an alternate plan, a back door, a saddled pony waiting in the alley for a quick escape, perhaps a friend to hold it, perhaps not.” The”
― Thelma Adams, The Last Woman Standing

3 likes

“What were free elections if one crazy individual could veto the rule of democracy? And”
― Thelma Adams, The Last Woman Standing

1 likes

“My first husband dismissed my passion for cameras over cooking, and that’s why I have a second one.” Mollie”
― Thelma Adams, The Last Woman Standing

1 likes

See all Thelma Adams's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Seasonal Read...: Spring Challenge 2012 Reading Plans	49	318	Apr 14, 2012 03:24PM
Bookworm Bitches : 2016: Fall Reading Challenge	34	171	Dec 25, 2016 08:07AM
NetGalley Readers: Books read in 2016 - Target 50,000	1059	431	Jan 12, 2017 01:11PM
NetGalley Readers: top 5 favorite Netgalley books for this year	40	120	Jan 22, 2017 08:21PM
AMERICAN HISTORIC...: ASK THE AUTHORS	21	9	Oct 12, 2018 04:29PM
Ultimate Popsugar...: Post Your 2019 Reading Lists!	1035	6008	Jan 04, 2020 05:54PM
You'll love this ...: Pat's Trail of Trivial Tomes	133	35	Apr 21, 2020 05:17PM