Welcome to the first guest post of the new season, a special one in several ways. It’s the first time Japan has featured in my Writers on Location series, and also the first time I’ve had the pleasure of hosting an award-winning travel writer. Amanda Huggins’ fiction and travel writing have been published in a … Continue reading
This week’s post concludes the coverage of my Summer Reads selection; a record number of authors (7/12) have joined me on the Literary Sofa and I’m very grateful to all of them for their fantastic pieces and all of you for your interest and positive feedback. One of the best things about running the blog … Continue reading
[NOTE: This post discusses the portrayal of child sexual abuse in fiction.] When I was organising Sofa visits from authors featured in this year’s Summer Reads selection, I thought what an exceptional line-up it was going to be and it’s great that it’s met with so much interest and enthusiasm – thank you to everyone … Continue reading
It’s always exciting when a guest post hits my inbox. The writers are here because I love their work, and the pieces invariably give a telling and enticing flavour of the writing and the book. How they choose to go about that is entirely their call; although the Writers on Location posts often do inspire … Continue reading
A record number of Summer Reads authors are joining me on the Sofa this year and most are welcome additions to the popular Writers on Location series. This is especially true of today’s guest Kerry Hadley-Pryce, whose second novel Gamble is set in the Black Country, a part of the UK I have not encountered … Continue reading
After a wonderful reception for last week’s piece on the Veneto by Elise Valmorbida, I’m delighted to welcome Emily Critchley, the second author from my Summer Reads 2018 line-up, to discuss a subject of particular interest to me and I’m sure to many of you. Over the years I have enjoyed and featured many novels … Continue reading
Of the many selections I’ve put together, I don’t think any have received such an enthusiastic response as my Summer Reads 2018 – many thanks for your interest, appreciation and especially for sharing it. At a time when the role and motivation of book bloggers is (yet again) under discussion, the joy of spreading the … Continue reading
This week is a first and a third! I’m really delighted to welcome Louise Walters as the first author ever to appear on the Literary Sofa three times (links to her previous posts are included below). Louise has been a loyal supporter of the blog since it started over six years ago, we have got … Continue reading
As readers most of us have fictional themes or settings we especially enjoy. The art world is undoubtedly one of mine, just as visiting exhibitions and galleries is one of my favourite pastimes, both here in London and on my travels. Often I find the stories behind the works and the lives of the artists … Continue reading
I’ve recently returned from a glorious week in Marseille staying with my lifelong friend G, the younger daughter of my French godmother (my own French story is here, and it’s a long one…) This isn’t a full-on travel post as it wasn’t a holiday as such, although you could be forgiven for thinking so – … Continue reading