Author Guest Post

K. J. Maitland on where she writes and how it plays into her work

When I moved to a little cottage in Devon a few years ago, I adopted…

Future Perfect author Felicia Yap on how fashion inspires her

I’m a sucker for fine fashion. I have roamed endless designer boutiques in London, New…

Jennifer Anton on Mussolini’s Impact on Women and the Danger of History Repeating Itself

In 2006, when I started researching my grandmother’s life in Italy, I knew almost nothing…

The real Bond Girls – was the character of James Bond inspired by a real female spy?

I was brought up on the idea that there was an alpha male spy, James…

Damien Lewis on the inspiration behind SAS Band of Brothers

Sometimes, a book subject comes to you serendipitously, out of the blue. The wartime story…

James Wilson on the inspiration and research behind his thriller Coyote Fork

Hands up if you’ve heard of Ray Kurzweil. If you haven’t heard of him, you’re…

Clare Whitfield on the idea behind her dark historical crime novel People of Abandoned Character

The idea for the story, a woman who thinks she might be married to the…

Francine Toon on the Halloween traditions that inspired her debut novel Pine

For many people, especially in England, where I now live, Halloween is just another commercial…

Stacey Halls on the Bloomsbury children’s hospital that inspired The Foundling

In March 2016 I’d just finished writing the first draft of The Familiars. With an…

Victoria Hislop on Makronisos – the Greek island that inspired Those Who Are Loved

For me inspiration for a story always arrives at a very specific moment when I…

Sophie Cousens’ Top Ten Rom Coms

There’s something timeless about a good romantic comedy – they cheer us when we’re down,…

Alison Weir: Ramping up the proclamations – how Henry VIII dealt with epidemics

Forget one metre. Henry VIII’s idea of social distancing was seven miles. When he married…