The Literary Sofa
Writers on Location
Writers on Location – Sarah Day on the island of San Domino, Italy
Last week’s spring Sofa Spotlight met with a great deal of interest and enthusiasm, so a big thank you for your support and appreciation. It is a pleasure to welcome the first of my Spotlight guest authors today – the talented and lovely Sarah Day, who I can’t help noticing has a large and committed … Continue reading
Writers on Location – Claire Fuller on the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset
Today’s guest Claire Fuller has visited me before on the Literary Sofa and it’s lovely to have her back. When I read her debut novel Our Endless Numbered Days before publication, little did any of us know that it would go to take the 2015 Desmond Elliott Prize for a first novel – and yet … Continue reading
Writers on Location – Fiona Melrose on Suffolk
Thanks to everyone for the enthusiastic response to my first quarterly Sofa Spotlight last week. It’s always gratifying to hear my selections described as ‘intriguing’ and ‘unpredictable’ – that’s the aim – and that readers have discovered books they’d never heard of. As mentioned, I’ll be hosting at least four of my Spotlight authors on … Continue reading
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
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
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
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
Writers on Location – Annemarie Neary on Roaringwater Bay, West Cork, Ireland
By coincidence, my Hot Picks 2016 included three Irish writers. If I were to analyse my selections to date, it’s a fair bet that American authors would come out on top but recently I’ve been particularly impressed with the new talent from Ireland’s ever-vibrant literary scene: Louise O’Neill, Rob Doyle, Lisa McInerney (now longlisted for … Continue reading
Writers on Location – Laura Powell on St. Ives, Cornwall
When I started the Literary Sofa I would never have imagined how attached I’d become to the books I feature here; spreading the word, hearing what others think and celebrating their success once they are ‘out there.’ But there’s an unusual backstory to today’s Writers on Location – Laura Powell’s debut novel The Unforgotten is the only title … Continue reading
My new novel SCENT – out in paperback on 19 May 2022
The Literary Sofa 