The Literary Sofa
Books
Summer Reads 2016
Welcome to the 10th Literary Sofa selection of new and forthcoming fiction, and what a incredible year for books 2016 is proving to be! I began the search earlier than usual, making so many excellent discoveries that I soon had a ‘knockout’ situation on my hands. That tells you something about the 13 that made the … Continue reading
Paris Mon Amour – Cover Reveal and First Page
With only five weeks until publication of my novel on 13 June I am very excited to unveil the beautiful cover today. It’s been fun to hear early readers guess how it was going to look but I bet nobody expected this! It’s nothing like I imagined and yet it conveys the feel of the novel brilliantly. Like … Continue reading
Conversation with Joanna Walsh
My latest guest Joanna Walsh (@badaude) has been on my radar since she founded the high-profile #readwomen campaign in 2014, but it was only on reading her recent article on ‘self-writing’ in The Irish Times that I realised how many interests we share as writers and humans who happen to be women. The impression was confirmed … Continue reading
#parismonamour favourite Paris places
Everything’s really hotting up in the countdown to release of my debut novel Paris Mon Amour on 13 June. In fact, I’m in Paris now, on a five-day trip combining work and pleasure (hard distinction), seeing old friends and new. Today (Thursday 21 April) and tomorrow I’ll be tweeting about locations from the novel under the hashtag #parismonamour. Get into the spirit by … Continue reading
Guest Author – Carol Lovekin on being published in later life
As someone who took up writing over forty, I am often impressed by much younger writers who possess a maturity and ability to see beyond themselves that I didn’t have at the same stage. But I also believe that an author’s age isn’t – and never should be – a consideration one way or the other. Surely … Continue reading
Guest Author – Amanda Saint on Choices
I have clear memories of meeting today’s guest Amanda Saint for the first time at a book launch several years ago. I remember saying that I liked the title of the novel she was working on, As If I Were A River, and that the premise sounded good. Since then, Amanda and I have kept each … Continue reading
Writers on Location – Annemarie Neary on Roaringwater Bay, West Cork, Ireland
By coincidence, my Hot Picks 2016 included three Irish writers. If I were to analyse my selections to date, it’s a fair bet that American authors would come out on top but recently I’ve been particularly impressed with the new talent from Ireland’s ever-vibrant literary scene: Louise O’Neill, Rob Doyle, Lisa McInerney (now longlisted for … Continue reading
Writers on Location – Laura Powell on St. Ives, Cornwall
When I started the Literary Sofa I would never have imagined how attached I’d become to the books I feature here; spreading the word, hearing what others think and celebrating their success once they are ‘out there.’ But there’s an unusual backstory to today’s Writers on Location – Laura Powell’s debut novel The Unforgotten is the only title … Continue reading
Book Review – Maestra by L S Hilton
Wondering what to read on holiday? Check out my Summer Reads 2016. This time I didn’t wait for a hundred people to ask if I’d read the latest publishing sensation, Maestra, by L S Hilton. The level of hype surrounding this book, the first in a trilogy, is something I generally find extremely off-putting. Due … Continue reading
Writers on Location – Lisa McInerney on Cork City
Following my ‘gratifyingly juicy’ (he said, and it really was) conversation with Rob Doyle last week I’m delighted to welcome Lisa McInerney, another bold and brilliant Irish writer, to the Literary Sofa today. Lisa’s debut novel The Glorious Heresies took the final spot on my Hot Picks 2016 and, as so often the case, I knew … Continue reading
My new novel SCENT – out in paperback on 19 May 2022
The Literary Sofa 