The Literary Sofa
Debut authors
Guest Author – Paul McVeigh on Writing a Difficult Setting
It is a huge personal thrill to have Paul McVeigh visit the Literary Sofa. There’s a reason I’ll never forget the night Paul first crossed my radar in 2012. We were both in the line-up for one of Rattle Tales’ fantastic spoken word events in Brighton. It was my first public reading and it went much … Continue reading
Book Review – The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
I am writing fewer reviews these days so only pick the books which really stand out for me. That is true of The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton, a debut which is now being released or eagerly anticipated all over the world. It was acquired by Picador in the UK for a six figure sum and went … Continue reading
Coping with Rejection
I recently wrote this article about rejection for a competition and rather fittingly, it didn’t get anywhere. When I was telling some writer friends about this over lunch a few days ago (I had to see the funny side), they said I should post it on the blog so I’m doing it before I can … Continue reading
Guest Author – Carys Bray on Writing about Mormonism
The reasons we read fiction and what we get out of it are numerous and complex. Two things which crop up over and over when discussing books are a need to try to make sense of our own lives, especially the difficult parts, and the opportunity fiction gives to experience other lives which may be … Continue reading
Guest Author – Rachael Dunlop: An Unpublished Novelist faces Reality
Firstly I want to say thank you for the phenomenal interest in Summer Reads 2014 which has already had over 2,000 hits and made May the busiest month ever on the blog. Welcome to many new followers here and on Twitter and extra thanks to everyone who’s been sharing the list far and wide. I love putting … Continue reading
Summer Reads 2014
*SEE END OF POST FOR COMPETITION WINNERS* I’m very excited to unveil the Literary Sofa SUMMER READS 2014. From a field of over 50 titles considered, the twelve books I selected reflect the breadth of my taste and hopefully also yours. You’ll find crime and mystery, a memoir, comic and tragic family sagas, intriguing tales … Continue reading
Guest Author – Juliet West on Narrative Voice
In the year marking the centenary of the start of World War One I was expecting a flood of historical fiction set during that period but that doesn’t seem to have happened and I’ve only read a couple of titles so far. Before The Fall, the debut from today’s guest author Juliet West impressed me … Continue reading
Fiction Hot Picks 2014
No matter what happens, I never stop reading so despite an exceptionally busy few months I am very excited to unveil my Fiction Hot Picks 2014. As always, I considered dozens of titles, reading far more than the final twelve in full, to come up with a selection of well written new novels to appeal to … Continue reading
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
Book Review – Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
Being in the very final stages of my re-write, I wasn’t planning to post any more book reviews until I finish the manuscript, but sometimes with resolutions you just have to make an exception. Hannah Kent’s debut novel Burial Rites is without question one of the best novels I’ve read this year and is justly … Continue reading
My new novel SCENT – out in paperback on 19 May 2022
The Literary Sofa 