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Find a book club
Find a Book Club, a club that does what it says on the tin, asked me to recommend 10 books for book clubs (including two of my own).
Author Archives: Angela
Nine months later …
… and exactly the right amount of time since my last post, because I have just delivered the manuscript of my second novel to my agent. The process hasn’t been painless, but what birth is? But the most important thing … Continue reading
And now for a complete rewrite
When George Plimpton of The Paris Review [pages 6-7] asked Hemingway why he rewrote so many times, he said: I do it to get the words right He was right. Of course he was right. He always is. (He also … Continue reading
Thursday last …
… on Thursday last I gave my second novel, whose working title is Hope Remains, to my agent. And now I feel oddly bereft. I have become so used to spending my days immersed in the sadnesses and joys of … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Hope Remains, MATing, second novel, Thursday's child, Titanic
14 Comments
Not posting, but writing
I’m working on my second novel so I won’t be posting for a while (not even to MAT). I don’t know how long a while is, and I won’t know until I get there, but the SOED says: A period … Continue reading
Tagged second novel, while, whiling
6 Comments
The Troubadour Cafe
The Troubadour is, as they say on their website, a proper cafe. It’s been around for years but it just gets better and better. It’s in London, find out where here, and it’s in Speaking of Love because, in the … Continue reading
SW11 Literary Festival
I know I said I wasn’t going to post for a while because I’m writing … but I thought you might like to know that the SW11 (London) Literary Festival begins on Monday 8 September and ends on Monday 29 … Continue reading
Posted in Speaking of Love
Tagged Jan Blake, Ruth Rendell, SW11 Literary Festival, Victoria Hislop, Will Self
5 Comments
Writing, not Posting
I am writing or, more to the point, doing this before I write. I have laid the foundations and now I’m building the trellises and the supports around which the plants of my story will grow. (image found here) I … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
Tagged arbours, John Fowles, MATs, not posting, pergolas, planning, The French Lieutenant's Woman, trellises
3 Comments
The Booker Longlist
I’m a bit late … it was announced on 29 July, here, but here they are: Aravind Adiga The White TigerGaynor Arnold Girl in a Blue DressSebastian Barry The Secret ScriptureJohn Berger From A to XMichelle de Kretser The Lost … Continue reading
Tagged Booker prize longlist, Cerny, Charles Bridge, Kafka, Prague
2 Comments
Boldness
Sheri at One of the Best Things posted this (two quotes about writing and ideas). Which inspired me to post, in a comment, Goethe’s wonderful words: Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power … Continue reading
Six Random Things …
… I was tagged by A Work in Progress at the beginning of May (yes, that’s the beginning of May) to do this meme which I’ve only just seen. My excuse is (and it’s a good one) that I’ve been … Continue reading
BBC National Short Story Award: the winner
Congratulations to Clare Wigfall who’s just won the BBC National Short Story Award 2008 for her story The Numbers from her collection The Loudest Sound and Nothing. The shortlist is here; a couple of blogs about Clare Wigfall are here … Continue reading
The BBC National Short Story Award
The shortlist is: Richard Beard Guidelines for Measures to Cope with Disgraceful and Other EventsJane Gardam The People on Privilege HillErin Soros SurgeAdam Thorpe The NamesClare Wigfall The Numbers The stories are being read on Radio Four all this week, … Continue reading
Storytellers … on the road
Two storytellers, Peter Chand and Giles Abbott, have begun a storytelling journey from Avebury to London. Like itinerant monks, they will depend on the charity (or love as it has long been translated) of others for their welfare along the … Continue reading
The Reader: Philip Pullman and The Storyteller’s Responsibility
The Summer issue of The Reader is, as usual, full of wonderful things (I discovered The Reader over on dovegreyreader’s blog a while ago, thank you dovegrey). But the reason this issue (No. 30) is particularly wonderful to me is … Continue reading
Literary fathers
Simon at Stuck-in-a-Book has prompted this post, with his post today. He asks who our favourite literary fathers are. I commented on his post, here, but I feel so strongly that Mr Bennet is the best literary father in my … Continue reading
South East London reading
I’ll be talking about and reading from Speaking of Love tonight at Penge Library in south east London. It’s part of The Blurb, Bromley’s June festival of Books and Reading and it’s free, but if you’d like to come you … Continue reading
Rose Tremain wins Orange … HURRAH!
One hundred years ago a great friend told me about Rose Tremain’s short stories, and since then I haven’t stopped reading her work. She’s written at least two collections of short stories and ten novels and today, wonderful writer that … Continue reading
Favourite authors, at a moment’s notice …
Simon at Stuck-in-a-Book tagged me for this meme, which began on Heather’s site, Errant Thoughts. Thank you , Simon … . 1. Who’s your all-time favourite author, and why? John Fowles because his use of language is astonishing, glorious, erudite … Continue reading
