The Literary Sofa
Top 10 Summer Reads
Guest Author – Lydia Netzer – Writing about Being Different
* UK GIVEAWAY WINNERS ANNOUNCED – SEE END OF POST * One of the greatest challenges faced by any writer of fiction is to create characters the reader will find relatable and recognisable but, at the same time, to make them unique individuals and not stereotypes. Lydia Netzer’s quirky and original debut features protagonists who aren’t remotely like … Continue reading
Sex Scenes in Fiction
2021 UPDATE: Since writing this post many years ago I have had two novels published which include plenty of sex scenes, including same-sex in my new novel Scent. This is the 100th post on the Literary Sofa and the subject of sex hasn’t come up much beyond the occasional mention in a review. Last week’s piece on … Continue reading
My Poolside TBR List 2012
I’ve been amazed at the interest in my Top 10 Summer Reads 2012 – 3,000 hits and counting! The thing is, I’ve already read them, so for my long-anticipated two weeks in the south of France, I needed to cast the net wider. Some of the titles below will be familiar, some new, and you … Continue reading
Guest Author – Susanna Quinn on The Secrets of Plotting a Novel
I’m very pleased to welcome to my Literary Sofa Glass Geishas author Susanna Quinn, who has generously decided to reveal the plot secrets that helped her get published. I follow on with a few thoughts on plot and a mini-review of her book, which is one of my Top 10 Summer Reads 2012. Over to Susanna… … Continue reading
Guest Author – Suzanne Joinson on the Challenges facing New Writers
I’m very pleased that Suzanne Joinson is visiting me On The Literary Sofa as part of her blog tour to mark the release of A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar. This is another of those titles which attracted a huge pre-publication buzz, but as Suzy explains, getting a book deal is just the beginning. Here’s the inside story… Publishing often … Continue reading
Guest Author – Wendy Wallace on Being a Debut Novelist
Many thanks to Wendy Wallace, author of one of my Top 10 Summer Reads 2012 The Painted Bridge, for writing the first in a new series of Guest Author posts for my blog On the Literary Sofa. Wendy’s article gives a fascinating insight into what so many of us dream of – becoming a published debut … Continue reading
My new novel SCENT – out in paperback on 19 May 2022
The Literary Sofa 