The Literary Sofa
Literary Agents
Guest Author – Alex Christofi on Writing the Shard
Since starting the Literary Sofa blog in 2011, I read far more new fiction than I used to. And despite the endless stream of fantastic novels which find their way to me, I often get the feeling there are established notions of ‘what works’ in fiction or ‘what the reader wants/expects’ – notions I personally like … Continue reading
My First Year as an Agented Writer
A year ago, after a radical re-write of my first novel, I found myself in the midst of something I never thought would happen – having previously failed to get anywhere, my book and I had finally succeeded in attracting the interest of several literary agents. I’ve been thinking back to that fevered, exhilarating time … Continue reading
6⅔ Things I Learnt from Rewriting my Book
Last week it was a real pleasure to be asked to write a guest post for Writers’ Workshop on the much hoped-for outcome of my rewriting mission – getting an agent. Literary Sofa regulars have followed the process, given me invaluable support and shared their own experiences here (see Writing section), but the WW post … Continue reading
Guest Author – Lloyd Shepherd on The Difference between Writing a First and Second Novel
It’s always fun when writers I know in the real world join me on the Literary Sofa. Enter today’s guest Lloyd Shepherd, author of The English Monster, the novel that made me rethink my attitude to historical fiction when I reviewed it on publication. UPDATE: Lloyd’s second novel The Poisoned Island is now out (February 2013) … Continue reading
Not About Rejection
I’m writing this post on impulse, before I have a chance to change my mind. Please note the title, because I put some thought into that: it’s not a post about rejection, it’s about what it can do to you if you let it. Many other writers and bloggers have shared their experience, including Guest … Continue reading
My new novel SCENT – out in paperback on 19 May 2022
The Literary Sofa 