The Literary Sofa
Writing
Reading in the interest of writing
When I set out to write this as a regular round-up and it felt really flat I put it down to being out of practice – followers of the blog may have noticed that I haven’t been showing up much lately. Then it occurred to me that these aren’t just any books and I needed … Continue reading
September – first drafts and fresh starts
Hello and happy September! Thought it was about time I showed my face after a long break from the blog. I hope you’ve had a good summer. Thanks to the incredible generosity of friends, mine has been bookended by trips to Spain in June and now Provence, where I’m enjoying some downtime with my French … Continue reading
Scent Paperback Publication Day
You’re joining me on a very happy day as the paperback edition of my second novel Scent is released. It’s had a gorgeous summery makeover by designer Jamie Keenan that evokes the Provence thread of the story, and the pink colour wash reminds me of the stunning Lubéron skies around sunset (and possibly sunrise, I’m … Continue reading
Scent – paperback cover reveal
As promised a few weeks ago, today I’m very excited to share the cover for the paperback of my second novel Scent, which will be published on 19 May. I’ve been very lucky with covers, not least because I’ve always been involved. This is the first time I’ve had a second cover for the same … Continue reading
A New Year on the Sofa
Happy new year! This one has to be easier, right? I know it doesn’t work like that but I’m feeling optimistic. Last year showed me that positive things do happen against all odds and expectations. I doubt many of us got through the holidays completely unscathed but I hope they did you some good. I … Continue reading
Sunburnt Saints – An Anthology of Climate Fiction
Q & A with Andy Leach and Hannah Persaud, Founders of Seventy2One November has flashed by since my Reading Round-up early on. I’ve made a decent start on my new novel (by my standards – who cares how long it takes) and so thrilled to be writing again that my loathing of first drafts may … Continue reading
Queer Life, Queer Love: an anthology
This week’s unashamedly subjective post is all about a fantastic queer book which includes my first published poem as one tiny part (there’s a sentence I never thought I’d write). It’s a project that means a lot to me and I know that’s a common feeling among those involved. Queer Life, Queer Love is an … Continue reading
Book Pitch Spotlight 2021
Following last week’s Ten of my favourite novels of the last ten years, it’s exciting to be doing something new today: hosting my first spotlight on pitches for not-yet-published books by unagented writers. I’m also delighted that industry expert Andrew Wille accepted my invitation to share a few thoughts on what makes a good book … Continue reading
10 Years of the Literary Sofa
This week is the 10th anniversary of the Literary Sofa and this is my third attempt to write something coherent about running the blog. It’s brought on an attack of the feels that I wasn’t expecting. The reason? Because it turns out to be impossible to separate my blogging life from my writing life from … Continue reading
Book Pitch Spotlight – Call for Entries
As part of the Literary Sofa’s fast approaching 10th anniversary celebrations, in early October I’m hoping to dedicate a post to 50-word book pitches* from unagented writers, featuring the 10 best ones in my opinion – and it is only my opinion! They will be chosen on the strength of the pitch, not my personal … Continue reading
My new novel SCENT – out in paperback on 19 May 2022
The Literary Sofa 