Tag Archives: behind the book

I see so few novels about political activism and protest that I was excited to learn about the upcoming release of Laura Katz Olson’s novel, Wrinkled Rebels (published by Vine Leaves Press, 23 July 2024). Laura is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Lehigh University. She received her bachelor’s degree from the City College of…
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It may be Robert Cooke’s story I tell in Small Eden, but his mother Hettie undergoes a transformation of her own. Hettie’s parents were mountaineers, who named her after the ridge route in the Scottish highlands where they first met. After her father meets his end traversing that very same route, this proves too much…
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Today I’m delighted to welcome Alan Fisk to my Virtual Book Club, my author interview series in which authors have the opportunity to pitch their book to your book club. Alan has had many occupations, including economist, Air Force officer, technical writer, fruit picker, editor, and unemployment benefit claimant (not in that order). He has…
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In my tenth novel, Small Eden, I tell the story of how Robert Cooke creates a pleasure garden in memory of his infant sons. What exactly is a pleasure garden? The short answer is that it’s an outdoor space dedicated to pleasure. Before the eighteenth century, London had few places that fitted this description. Perhaps…
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This week saw the launch of my tenth novel, Small Eden, which tells the story of Robert Cooke, who created a pleasure garden the the memory of his two infant sons. In keeping with the theme of nature and of gardens in particular, I’m delighted to welcome Hannah Powell, author of The Cactus Surgeon, to…
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I’m delighted to welcome Ivan Wainewright to Virtual Book Club, my occasional interview series in which authors have the opportunity to pitch their novels to your book club. Ivan lives in Kent with his partner, Sarah, and their neurotic rescue Staffie, Remi. Before moving to Kent, he lived in North London, Leeds and Singapore. He…
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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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This week I’m delighted to welcome Alison Morton back to Virtual Book Club, my interview series that gives authors the opportunity to pitch their novels to your book club.   Alison Morton writes the award-winning Roma Nova thriller series featuring modern Praetorian heroines. She blends her deep love of Roman history with six years’ military service…
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Today, I’m delighted to welcome Christine Webber to Virtual Book Club, my interview series which gives authors the opportunity to pitch their novels to your book club. Christine originally trained as an opera singer but had to re-think her career plans when her voice professor told her: ‘Your voice is OK, but your legs are…
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Today, I’m delighted to welcome Kat Michels to Virtual Book Club, my interview series which gives authors the opportunity to pitch their novels to your book club. Kat lives in Los Angeles, CA, with her two puggles. She is the author of a historical fiction novel, three children’s book, and a series of mini-biographies about extraordinary…
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