Author Guest Post

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…

Silvia Moreno-Garcia on the real life town that inspired Mexican Gothic

One time I was asked during an interview whether it really rained in Mexico City…

Three cards from The Deck of Omens that didn’t make it into the book

From the beginning, I knew I wanted there to be a deck of tarot-esque cards…

Rosanne Hodin on the “tales from the good life” that inspired her memoir Growing Goats and Girls

We are leaving the farm, leaving two daughters behind, to volunteer in Africa. For three…

Martin Edwards’ top ten thrillers

A good thriller makes a reader feel tense, anxious, and perhaps afraid. The thrills may…

Menna van Praag on the real-world fairytales that inspired The Sisters Grimm and why we’re so enchanted by them

The Sisters Grimm was born with my daughter. I’d never directly approached writing or re-writing…

Fiona Collins on the nostalgia of classic movies

It can all get a bit much, can’t it, modern life – technology, politicians, the…

Liz Hyder on the inspiration behind her debut novel Bearmouth

Writing is a strangely solitary affair, sitting for hours at a desk tapping out words…