Recent headlines have suggested that 60% of independent publishers in the UK may be out of business by autumn as a result of the pandemic. I believe that these publishers, who put their love of literature before commercial considerations, are critical to the health of the UK publishing industry, nurturing talent and producing novels that…
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I’m reading a lot of interviews with Emily St John Mandel about Station Eleven and whether or not she actually has a crystal ball, so i asked a few writer friends to tell me about the time they wrote about a fictional event, only to have it, or something very similar, come true. Linda Gillard:…
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Two independently published novels and a substantial work of non-fiction. Here’s what I read last month… The Empty Vessel by Vaughan Mason What drew you to it? This book, written under a pseudonym, was a complete departure for crime writer JJ Marsh, whose Beatrice Stubbs series I have greatly enjoyed. Genre/Themes: Post-war era, Capital punishment,…
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It’s not every day that one of your favourite authors agrees to an interview, so I was more than a little giddy when John Ironmonger said yes!    For those of you who have yet to discover John’s fiction, let me introduce you. John is the author of The Notable Brain of Maximilian Ponder, The…
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Yes, I know it is 9 April but, in my defence, The Mirror and the Light is very, very long, and I could hardly review half a book. So without further delay, here are my March reads.   A Perfect Explanation by Eleanor Anstruther What drew you to it? This book is a fictionalised account of…
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The books I’ve enjoyed this month, in order of reading.     The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner What drew me to it? Numerous nominations for major awards, and for a second novel? (The author’s 2018 novel, The Mars Room was nominated for the Booker.) Of course I wanted to see what all the fuss was about!…
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Well, it’s been a while. It’s February already (how did that happen?) and this really is my first post of the year… I thought I’d kick off by taking part in a fun challenge to give you an idea about some of the books I enjoyed in 2019. Davida Chazan, aka, The Chocolate Lady kindly…
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It’s been a while (working for real money, caring for Dementia Dad, trying to carve out some writing time) but today I’m delighted to welcome Caroline Miley to Virtual Book Club, my author interview series which gives authors the opportunity to pitch their books to your book club, be it virtual or real.   Caroline Miley…
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I’m delighted to welcome Emma Baird to Virtual Book Club, my author interview series which gives authors the opportunity to pitch their books to your book club, be it virtual or real.   Emma Baird is a freelance writer and the author of The Girl Who Swapped, Artists Town, Highland Fling and Ten Little Stars, as…
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I’m delighted to welcome Scott Semegran to Virtual Book Club, my author interview series which gives authors the opportunity to pitch their books to your book club, be it virtual or real.   Scott is an award-winning writer of humorous fiction with a dose of heart. BlueInk Review described him best as “a gifted writer, with…
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