The Literary Sofa
Guest Authors
Guest Author – Janet O’Kane on Self-Publishing her Crime Debut
In a difficult market more and more writers are deciding to self-publish their fiction and one of the challenges they face is attracting a readership when many people have an unfavourable perception of books which don’t carry the endorsement of a publishing house. Whilst some of the common concerns about quality are undoubtedly justified, it seems unfair … Continue reading
How To Run a Successful Book Blog – Guest Post on For Books’ Sake
This week I am delighted to be appearing as a guest on the fabulous and dynamic webzine For Books’ Sake. The editors invited me to contribute some thoughts and tips on running a book blog, and for the benefit of my own blog followers who aren’t on Twitter, here’s a link to the post. If … Continue reading
Guest Author – Sanjida O’Connell on Editing her Novels
I’m very grateful to this week’s guest, the multi-talented Sanjida O’Connell, for offering to step in and keep the Literary Sofa warm. It’s fitting that she has chosen to share her extensive and varied experience of editing novels since that’s precisely what’s keeping me so busy as crunch time approaches for my own manuscript. Sanjida … Continue reading
Guest Author – Wendy Wallace on Setting a historical novel in a foreign country
When Wendy Wallace appeared on the Literary Sofa in June 2012 as my first ever Guest Author, it was a great start to what has since become one of the most popular regular features on the blog. Wendy and I now know each other in real life too, so I am doubly pleased to welcome … Continue reading
Guest Author – Lydia Netzer – Writing about Being Different
* UK GIVEAWAY WINNERS ANNOUNCED – SEE END OF POST * One of the greatest challenges faced by any writer of fiction is to create characters the reader will find relatable and recognisable but, at the same time, to make them unique individuals and not stereotypes. Lydia Netzer’s quirky and original debut features protagonists who aren’t remotely like … Continue reading
Guest Author – Barry Walsh on Writing fiction from your own life
This morning I had the pleasure of catching up with Wendy Wallace who was my first ever Guest Author on the Literary Sofa just over a year ago. I’m delighted at how popular this regular slot has become; the ‘one-question interview’ formula produces thought-provoking pieces every time. I read the novel and ask the author … Continue reading
Guest Author – David Rain on The Butterfly Effect: Retold Stories
Some stories have such a strong hold on the popular imagination that they refuse to fade away. The desire to reconnect with the familiar in a new way has a history of crossing different media: the written word, opera, drama, the movies. Sometimes it’s the original storyline relocated in time or place, sometimes a sequel or … Continue reading
Guest Author – Mary Beth Keane on Fictionalising a Historical Figure
Most writers say they learn from every book they read and I’d agree with that. Whilst it’s very valuable to observe how others handle a similar theme, style or genre, for me there’s a particular fascination, often mixed with admiration, to reading something I wouldn’t attempt myself, and that includes the fictional portrayal of a historical … Continue reading
Guest Author – Karl Taro Greenfeld on his 10 Favourite Novels-in-Stories
Any novel set in New York City, whether historical or contemporary, stands a good chance of catching my eye but two things in particular attracted me to Karl Taro Greenfeld’s first novel Triburbia: the chance to discover Tribeca, a neighbourhood I know only very superficially, and an interest in novels which tell the same events … Continue reading
Guest Author – Karen Campbell on writing beyond her own experience
Many people say they read fiction because a book gives them the chance to step into lives other than their own. Sometimes this comes in the form of escapism, sometimes anything but. In fact, novels are often judged on the author’s ability to draw the reader into a world which is believable and that can only happen … Continue reading
My new novel SCENT – out in paperback on 19 May 2022
The Literary Sofa 