I just got back from the most amazing trip to the Beijing Bookworm Festival. Thanks so much to the Bookworm and to the British Council for taking me over there, along with awesome short story writers Zoe Gilbert and Rachel Tresize. What a treat. Here's my report of the week's highlights, in bullet points. Meet Zoe and Rachel at Heathrow. Mutual … [Read more...]
A research trip and baby turtles
I just got home from a research trip to Turkey. I was at a little town I've visited three or four times before, but always with my holiday head on. This was my first trip there with my writing head on. I've used the town as a starting point for the setting of my current writing project, and there were a few places I'd written about that didn't feel … [Read more...]
Joan Wilder vs Palpatine, and a weekend of London lit fests
It was so exciting last night to see two huge characters from my childhood on stage together: Kathleen Turner, who I will always think of first as romance novelist Joan Wilder from Romancing the Stone, and Ian McDiarmid, the dreaded evil emperor Palpatine from the Star Wars movies. The play was Bakersfield Mist. Joan Wilder plays a boozy trailer … [Read more...]
The Mount Etna hat club
Earlier this week, I was stood on the edge of a volcano watching my publisher run down into it. This is not a metaphor. I was near the summit of Mount Etna with Ra Page from Comma Press and writers Robin Yassin-Kassab and Julian Gough. The walk up had been tough - a 45-degree slope of black volcanic marbles that rolled away beneath our feet. … [Read more...]
My Edinburgh Book Festival experience in seven souvenirs
I just got back from three days at the Edinburgh International Book Festival where I was talking about The Stone Thrower at an event with Rodge Glass. It was my first time there and I was overwhelmed by the size of it. The EIBF camp on Charlotte Square is a mini-village with a market square in the middle filled with deckchairs bearing quotes by … [Read more...]
Loving the Zagrebians: a photo-caption blog
I just got back from a spectacular week at the Festival of the European Short Story in Croatia. A whole week of literary mayhem. So much fun. Here's my report, in photo captions: … [Read more...]
A week tutoring at Arvon Totleigh Barton
I've just got back from a brilliant week tutoring a short story course and stuffing my face with Tania Hershman at Arvon's Totleigh Barton centre in Devon. What a treat! Here's my report, in bullet points: Monday • Totleigh Barton is REMOTE. It's an hour's drive from the nearest train station - Exeter St David's. When I arrive, my phone … [Read more...]
The London launch at What’s the story?: a photo-caption blog
Last night I launched The Stone Thrower in London at Cathy Galvin's new lit night: What's the story? Chris Paling, David Vann, Zoe Lambert and I read to a sell-out audience of beautiful people at The Society Club in Soho. Here's my picture caption report of the night. Click on any pic to open up the full size gallery. … [Read more...]