Inspiration Journal
As a reader, I’m constantly reading new novels and non-fiction, and as a writer, I love to attend author events and talks. But as a magazine journalist - schooled in the art of the visual - I’m also attracted to atmospheric images and inspirations, so …
Here’s my round-up of book reviews, author talks, literary events, visits to bookish places of interest and yes - a dash of visual and sensory inspiration, too.
Sixty minutes with … Rebecca Perry, author of MAY WE FEED THE KING (Granta, £14.99) Winner of The Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2026!
In the run-up to The Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2026 prize giving, I spoke to Rebecca Perry, author of MAY WE FEED THE KING, about her inspirations for the novel, her writing process and where she likes to write.
Book review: John of John by Douglas Stuart (Picador, £20)
JOHN OF JOHN by Douglas Stuart is the tender, heartbreaking and yet also life-affirming tale of young Cal, who, having completed art school, returns to his childhood home on the island of Harris. He is gradually drawn back into the tight-knit Presbyterian community, with its undercurrent of secret relationships, past and present, all set against the windswept, wild backdrop of a remote Scottish island.