The Literary Sofa
Guest Authors
My Books of 2022
Hello and happy new year! After a four-year tsunami of personal crap no novelist would get away with in a book, 2022 was a really eventful and positive year for me and I’m grateful and relieved to have made it to the next chapter. Among the highlights were a fantastic in-person launch party I didn’t … Continue reading
Guest Author – Lynn Bushell on being an artist writing about artists
We all have subjects we’re particuarly drawn to and in the almost 11 years I’ve been running this blog, novels about art and artists, real or fictional, are consistently among those I’ve enthused about the most. Sure, I love galleries and exhibitions and the beauty, stimulation and inspiration art gives me but I’ll also admit … Continue reading
Guest Author – Julie Owen Moylan on Women and Shame
A big thank you for the enthusiastic response to the first part of my Summer Reads selection last week. I’ve been doing this for over ten years and it’s fantastic to see people adding books I’ve raved about to their TBRs, especially ones they’d never heard of. That’s unlikely to be the case with the … Continue reading
Writers on Location – Melissa Fu on Western China
It’s suddenly gone a bit ‘London buses’ here – less than a week after Ethan Joella’s beautiful piece on how personal grief inspired his debut novel A Little Hope, I’m hosting Melissa Fu whose post takes us to Western China, home to several of the settings in her own first novel Peach Blossom Spring. It’s … Continue reading
Guest Author – Ethan Joella: How personal grief inspired a debut novel
Now it feels like spring is here to stay and I hope you’ve enjoyed some sunshine and time off over the holidays. Today I’m joined by fellow Muswell Press author Ethan Joella whose debut novel A Little Hope is about to be published in the UK following its success in the States. I hope we’ll … Continue reading
Writers on Location – Sophie Haydock on Vienna
It’s such a joy to be hosting Sophie Haydock on the day her stunning debut novel The Flames is published. The buzz surrounding this book about the four muses of renowned artist Egon Schiele has been building for months but I can honestly claim to have spent years in anticipation, ever since Sophie told me … Continue reading
Guest Author – Jon Ransom on Three Unspoken Words
Today I’m hosting the first guest post of 2022 and it’s a huge pleasure to welcome fellow Muswell Press author Jon Ransom whose debut novel The Whale Tattoo joins their superb LGBTQ list this week. I discovered Jon’s writing last autumn when we both had work included in the Queer Life, Queer Love anthology. His … Continue reading
Writers on Location – Peter Papathanasiou on the Australian Outback
The last couple of months seem to have raced by. As usual I’m juggling several projects including a new mentoring role on the Retreat West novel course, which I am really enjoying, and gearing up to start writing my own. Today’s guest post by Pete Papathanasiou may be the first in a long time but … Continue reading
Writers on Location – Anne Goodwin on the long-stay psychiatric hospital
Welcome to the final post of the Summer Reads guest programme – if you missed it (or have already read all the books on the original selection – some people do!), Summer Reads Extras was released earlier this week with another five novels that really impressed me. There seem to be even more great books … Continue reading
Guest Author – Rosie Wilby on Love (and Creativity) in London
We’re on a roll with this year’s Summer Reads guest line-up. Last week’s post on Older Love by Catherine McNamara has been resonating loudly with readers for its rare affirmation of what later life can hold for women. Today I’m excited to welcome comedian and author Rosie Wilby to share her unique perspective on matters … Continue reading
My new novel SCENT – out in paperback on 19 May 2022
The Literary Sofa 