The Literary Sofa
Guest Authors
Writers on Location – James Terry on the ghost town of Shakespeare, New Mexico
If you’re a keen reader of fiction it’s inevitable to find that certain themes crop up again and again and we all have our favourites. I can’t get enough of dysfunctional families, relationships on the rocks and New York novels (though I try not to read similar titles back to back); there are some themes and trends I … Continue reading
Guest Author – Jane Lythell on Creating a character who feels like a real person
As some of you will know, especially if you’ve read the pieces I’ve written since my novel Paris Mon Amour came out this summer, I have a passionate interest in the portrayal of female protagonists in contemporary fiction and strong views to match. Although there are all kinds of ways to approach characterisation, every successful … Continue reading
Writers on Location – Rod Reynolds on Hot Springs, Arkansas
Considering that crime fiction isn’t my area, it holds a lot of positive associations. It was five years ago in London, on a Faber Crime Writing weekend (don’t ask), that I met my good friend and critique partner Kristin Celms – who lives in Minnesota. I’ve been invited to talk about book blogging at the … Continue reading
Guest Author – Anna Mazzola on Writing Prisons
Today’s post by Anna Mazzola, author of The Unseeing, concludes the coverage of titles on my Summer Reads 2016 selection. My picks have been going down well – it’s great to hear that many of you are enjoying them as much as I did. Some of these books are rightly getting a lot of attention, … Continue reading
Writers on Location – Catherine Dunne on Extremadura, Spain
With scorching weather and the start of the school holidays here in the UK, this is the time many of us relish losing ourselves in a good book, whether we’re staying put or getting away. The term Summer Reads means different things to different people and although I use it for one of my two … Continue reading
Writers on Location – Leila Segal on the Pinar del Río province, Cuba
On a glorious day in early May – it’s been the kind of summer where those stick in my mind – I crossed London to attend an event featuring local writers at the Clapham Literary Festival. I’d made the trip to see Roz Morris, who’d invited me to take part in her fabulous Undercover Soundtrack … Continue reading
Guest Author – Kit de Waal on Judgement
The Literary Sofa is a place to share love of stories and ideas and appreciation for the people who write them. Every author who has joined me as a guest has contributed a piece as impressive as their book, giving eloquent and fascinating insights into their themes, settings and creative process, and never more so than today’s … Continue reading
Guest Author – Helen MacKinven: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Today it’s a huge pleasure to welcome Scottish author Helen MacKinven back to the Literary Sofa on publication of her second novel Buy Buy Baby. It’s only eight months since her previous visit with Talk of the Toun, but I’ll leave Helen to tell you that story, which mirrors my own in various uncanny ways. Helen … Continue reading
Guest Author – Avril Joy on setting her novel in a place she’s never been
UPDATE: Sometimes a River Song was one of my Books of 2016. Following last week’s Writers on Location about Chicago from Douglas Cowie, coverage of my Summer Reads 2016 selection continues today. I’m already receiving great feedback on books people have discovered there. As my latest guest Avril Joy explains, the conversation proceeded in a somewhat … Continue reading
Writers on Location – Douglas Cowie on Chicago
Last week there was a very enthusiastic response to my latest selection, Summer Reads 2016 – thank you for reading and sharing it far and wide, something I know is also greatly appreciated by the authors. Now for the next fun bit – hosting some of them here on the Literary Sofa. No book makes that … Continue reading
My new novel SCENT – out in paperback on 19 May 2022
The Literary Sofa 