The focus of this week’s exploration of art in fiction is finding your inspiration. We kick off with a contribution from Michael Jarvie. Michael is a working-class writer from the North East of England. He is the author of the composite novel The Prison and the thriller Black Art. With a BA Honours degree in…
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This week’s Art in Fiction focuses on novels that are set in the mecca of modern art, Tate Modern.  One of my favourite reads in recent months was Harriet P Paige’s Man With A Seagull on his Head, which was nominated for Not The Booker 2017.  Paige perfectly pitches a portrait of outsider artist Ray…
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To give this week’s guest post a rambling introduction would be to do it a disservice. It is more than capable of standing on its own two feet. Suffice to say that, when I read it, I felt as if I’d been given a gift.  Vivienne Tuffnell is a writer, poet, explorer and mystic. She says…
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The week’s exploration of the use of art in fiction (part 2) focuses on novels that tell fictionalised accounts of the lives of real artists.  One of my favourite examples is contained in How to be Both, by Ali Smith. Francesco del Cossa was a 15th Century painter. Although few known examples of his works…
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For the next few weeks, Virtual Book Club will be taking a break. Instead, I’m going to bring you an exploration of the use of art in fiction. Fictionalised stories behind real painting; novels based on the lives of real artists; fictional artists, fictional works of art; fictional members of real art movements; fictional muses…
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I’m a walker who writes. In my childhood years, as one of five children, ‘I’m a walker’ wasn’t something you needed to explain. It was a given. We even had our own chant. ‘I left (start with left foot) my wife with forty-four children and don’t you think I was (skip) right, right, right. I…
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Dear friends, I realise that you have all been absolutely bombarded with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) madness in the past month or so. With tomorrow’s deadline looming, you will no doubt be bombarded with ‘No, this really is your very last chance to stay in touch’  emails. You may have received an email from…
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Today, I’m delighted to welcome Kendra Olson to Virtual Book Club, my interview series which gives authors the opportunity to pitch their novels to your book club. Kendra is the author of the coming-of-age, historical, folk novel The Forest King’s Daughter. She enjoys writing historical and literary fiction as well as creative non-fiction. She also…
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Today, I’m delighted to welcome Cynthia Adina Kirkwood to Virtual Book Club, my interview series which gives authors the opportunity to pitch their novels to your book club. Cynthia, born and raised in New York City, often acted as cultural translator for her parents, who had met there after emigrating from Belize, formerly British Honduras. …
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You write a book about something you’re passionate about and hope it will resonate with others, but you never really know how readers will react. But now the first reviews are trickling in…  ‘This book was simply stunning – a portrait of grief and loss with immense emotional depth.’ ~ Anne Williams, Being Anne ‘Jane…
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