This is not only the first guest post of the autumn season, it’s also the first time flash fiction has appeared on the Literary Sofa. This wasn’t a gap I was actively looking to fill, although it’s certainly long overdue – the vitality of the flash scene and the increasing popularity of the ultimate short … Continue reading
You’ve seen the mountains, now let’s talk about the books! After last week’s travel post on Canada, here’s the one I promised on my month of reading exclusively Canadian fiction (an action-packed two week trip didn’t give me much time to read, so I kept going). When I asked my Twitter followers for recommendations of … Continue reading
This is the first time a post has appeared on the blog when I’m not officially ‘here’ (on the Sofa or on Twitter). Normal service will resume next week but for anyone who needs a late summer away-from-it-all trip, today I’m hosting a Writers on Location on the Outer Hebrides, a setting I was keen … Continue reading
How’s your summer going? Mine’s been great and incredibly busy so far – definitely time to wind down with my last post before taking a nice long break*. I’m glad to hear that many of you are enjoying books you discovered on my Summer Reads selection and/or the guest author series which ended last week … Continue reading
Five years ago, a friend asked if I’d be willing to meet up with a Greek-Australian writer who was new to London and the UK publishing scene and share a few tips. That writer is today’s Sofa guest Pete Papathanasiou, who joins me with the final post in my Summer Reads line-up just ahead of … Continue reading
This is the penultimate guest post about a title from my Summer Reads selection and I’m delighted to welcome back Alison Layland, who wrote about her work as a literary translator on her first visit to the Sofa some time ago. Her new novel Riverflow could be described as an ‘eco-thriller’ (if that’s not already … Continue reading
As you are about to discover, this week’s guest post by Louisa Treger is many things. Like her new novel The Dragon Lady it’s a beautiful and vibrant piece of writing. It could have held its own in my Writers on Location series except that it has a wider geographical focus than the novel’s principal … Continue reading
The summer programme is now in full swing and it’s wonderful to be receiving positive feedback both on the books people have discovered via my latest selection and the guest posts from Bev Thomas and Judith Heneghan. No doubt that will continue following today’s visit from Ros Franey, whose debut novel leapt out from my … Continue reading
The summer guest author programme got off to a fascinating start last week with Bev Thomas’s post on what it means to be a ‘good enough’ mother. Coincidentally, motherhood is also a theme in today’s featured debut Snegurochka by Judith Heneghan but it’s not the focus of today’s post – that is firmly on the … Continue reading
Once again my Summer Reads selection was greeted with huge enthusiasm and I’d like to say a big thank you for all the interest, appreciation of the blog and help getting the word out about these wonderful books. This last bit matters because I don’t often choose titles which are getting a big marketing push … Continue reading