Isabel Costello
Writer represented by Diana Beaumont of the Rupert Heath Literary Agency in London. Visit my Literary Sofa blog at www.isabelcostelloliterarysofa.com for listings and in-depth reviews of the best new titles in literary and upmarket commercial fiction and features on both reading and writing.
MY BLOGS
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Isabel Costello: On the Literary Sofa
http://isabelcostelloliterarysofa.com/
Listings and in-depth reviews of the best new titles in literary and commercial fiction and features on choosing books, reading groups and lots more.
LATEST ARTICLES ( 428 )
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Writers on Location – Oscar De Muriel on Victorian Edinburgh
It’s not every day that you bump into a violin-playing Mexican chemist who’s written a historical crime novel set in Scotland, in English! Read more
Posted on 12 February 2015 BOOKS, CULTURE -
Dark Days Back Home
I am touched to know that it only takes a week or so of unexplained online silence to get people wondering what’s up with me and I am very thankful to have so... Read more
Posted on 07 February 2015 BOOKS, CULTURE -
Writers on Location – Peter Nichols on Mallorca
I launched the Writers on Location series almost a year ago to showcase novels which have interesting settings and a particularly strong sense of place. Read more
Posted on 29 January 2015 BOOKS, CULTURE -
Guest Author – Shelley Harris on Writing a Hero from the Inside
I am really thrilled to welcome Shelley Harris to the Literary Sofa following the recent release of her second novel Vigilante. Read more
Posted on 22 January 2015 BOOKS, CULTURE -
Writers on Location – Philip Teir on Helsinki
Over the next few months I’ll be featuring some of the titles from my Hot Picks 2015 selection on the Literary Sofa, starting with a Writers on Location post... Read more
Posted on 15 January 2015 BOOKS, CULTURE -
Malaysia – Two Weeks in the Tropics
Travelling is a passion I share with my family. My husband and I started planning a big trip almost as soon as we met. Our sons, 16 and 12, have seen a lot of... Read more
Posted on 11 January 2015 BOOKS, CULTURE -
Fiction Hot Picks 2015
This is my seventh Literary Sofa selection of new/forthcoming releases and I am as excited as ever to share my choices with you. Read more
Posted on 12 December 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE -
2014 – My Year in Books
It’s that time again! Now I’ve finalised Hot Picks 2015, which will be published here on Friday 12 December, I’ve finally had a chance to look back on my... Read more
Posted on 07 December 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE -
Guest Post – Ben Blackman on the Christmassy Sofa
I am not a Christmas person but now December is here I am a willing participant in the bit I do like – the social gatherings. My ideal Christmas consists of... Read more
Posted on 03 December 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE -
First Draft – Hitting the Target
On 26 May I began the first draft of a new novel, aiming to complete it by Christmas. Coincidentally, exactly six months later, I’ll reach my target of 80,000... Read more
Posted on 26 November 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE -
Book Review – Let Me Be Frank with You by Richard Ford
First of all, I really want to thank everyone who read, shared and discussed my last blog post My first year as an agented writer and to welcome all new... Read more
Posted on 18 November 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE -
My First Year as an Agented Writer
A year ago, after a radical re-write of my first novel, I found myself in the midst of something I never thought would happen – having previously failed to get... Read more
Posted on 05 November 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE -
Guest Author – Charles Lambert on Writing a Novel in Fragments
Today’s featured title With a Zero at its Heart was released in May 2014 but I only read it recently, on the recommendation of several friends who predicted I... Read more
Posted on 22 October 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE -
Guest Author – Alice Jolly on Crowdfunding – How to Make New Friends (and Lose...
As with many other areas of contemporary life, the ways in which readers access the written word are changing all the time. The theme of today’s post –... Read more
Posted on 14 October 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE -
Literary Inspiration
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about inspiration and where it comes from, and going in search of it. Once I decided to write this post I had one of my regular... Read more
Posted on 06 October 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE -
Endless Distractions
I’m winging it this week. The planned guest post hasn’t materialised – nobody’s fault, just one of those things. And right now life is full of ‘those things’. Read more
Posted on 30 September 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE -
Author Events – with a Guest Appearance from Francis Plug
Apologies to anyone wanting to read a serious article about author events. This isn’t one.But it is a historic event, or if you want to get all literary, an... Read more
Posted on 24 September 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE -
The Literary Lunch Third Blog Anniversary Competition
It’s hard to believe that this week sees the third anniversary of the Literary Sofa and it feels like something to celebrate. The blog continues to grow in... Read more
Posted on 15 September 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE -
Guest Author – Emily St John Mandel on Setting a Novel in the Future
By happy coincidence, the autumn season on the Literary Sofa has started with two truly outstanding books. When Kate Mayfield joined me last week, I mentioned m... Read more
Posted on 10 September 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE -
Guest Author – Kate Mayfield on Writing About Life and Death
In this week’s holiday reading round-up I mentioned my new love of reading memoirs, but my enthusiasm for Kate Mayfield’s The Undertaker’s Daughter dates back... Read more
Posted on 04 September 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE