Isabel Costello

LATEST ARTICLES ( 428 )

• Bradford Literature Festival – July 2017

  

  This is a daunting task. I was only at the Bradford Literature Festival for a day and a half and attended just two sessions in addition to the panel I was on,... Read more

  Posted on 02 July 2017 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Guest Author – Kate Brown on Writing About Adolescence

  

  After being acquainted on Twitter for some time, today’s guest Kate Brown and I first met last summer at the launch of our mutual friend Claire King’s novel... Read more

  Posted on 29 June 2017 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Writers on Location – Terry Stiastny on Provence

  

  I always enjoy my guests’ Writers on Location pieces whether I know the place or not – my love of certain books has actually inspired trips. Read more

  Posted on 21 June 2017 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Guest Author – Juliet West on Social Class in Fiction

  

  As I mentioned in the introduction to my Summer Reads 2017, unintended patterns often appear when I am putting the selection together, even if the individual... Read more

  Posted on 14 June 2017 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Guest Author – Stephen May on Manhood

  

  It’s a pleasure to welcome today’s guest Stephen May back to the Literary Sofa. I’m a big fan of his writing – Stronger than Skin is the third of his (four)... Read more

  Posted on 07 June 2017 BOOKS, CULTURE

• News from Paris (Mon Amour)

  

  How’s it all going? I keep being asked. It’s been a very busy and exciting first two weeks for the paperback edition of Paris Mon Amour, so I thought I’d share ... Read more

  Posted on 05 June 2017 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Paris Mon Amour – Paperback Publication Week

  

  This is publication week for the paperback edition of my debut novel Paris Mon Amour, and this is a difficult post to write. You’re probably thinking, ‘What?... Read more

  Posted on 24 May 2017 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Summer 2017 – Sofa Spotlight (Summer Reads)

  

  Welcome to my Sofa Spotlight for Summer 2017 – despite my switch to a shorter quarterly format, this is the full dozen as with my previous Summer Reads... Read more

  Posted on 17 May 2017 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Writers on Location – Elizabeth Hay on the Lake of Many Bays, Ontario

  

  After a burst of activity I have finalized the guest line-up for June and July and next week it’s the Summer 2017 Sofa Spotlight – a full dozen titles as in... Read more

  Posted on 12 May 2017 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Guest Author – Rachel Rhys on Writing a Community of Strangers

  

  It was back in 2011 that I first met today’s guest Rachel Rhys/Tammy Cohen, a fellow north London writer, just as she was about to branch out from journalism... Read more

  Posted on 03 May 2017 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Writers on Location – Rose McGinty on the Arabian Gulf

  

  I’ve said this many times, but one of the greatest things about taking up writing and running this blog has undoubtedly been getting to know lots of fantastic... Read more

  Posted on 27 April 2017 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Favourite French Things and Paris Mon Amour Competition Winners

  

  MERCI BEAUCOUP to everyone who entered the ‘favourite French things’ competition over the last couple of days, to the many who didn’t but shared it anyway, and... Read more

  Posted on 22 April 2017 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Paris Mon Amour Competition – Win Signed Advance Copies

  

  On Monday I returned from a week staying in the 5th arrondissement in Paris, a very enjoyable mix of long walks (totalling 99km, no less), art exhibitions,... Read more

  Posted on 20 April 2017 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Guest Author – Addison Jones on Setting Her Novel in Post-war California

  

  I guess most writers have a couple of soapbox issues which are just as relevant in their capacity as readers. One of mine is the trivialisation of writing... Read more

  Posted on 04 April 2017 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Guest Author – Louise Walters on Handling Multiple Timelines and Points of View...

  

  I’m delighted to welcome back Louise Walters as today’s guest author, for some quite personal reasons. Louise has been a supporter of the Literary Sofa from... Read more

  Posted on 30 March 2017 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Guest Author – Laura Kaye on Portraying England from a Foreigner’s Perspective

  

  Last week was boom time on the blog with reports from the London Book Fair and a George Saunders event – now it’s back to featuring authors from my Spring Sofa... Read more

  Posted on 22 March 2017 BOOKS, CULTURE

• George Saunders in Conversation with Erica Wagner at Goldsmiths College

  

  Yesterday’s post was a combined report on my first visit to London Book Fair and my ongoing book project; today’s is a write-up of last night’s interview betwee... Read more

  Posted on 16 March 2017 BOOKS, CULTURE

• First Time at the London Book Fair

  

  As you may have noticed, this is a pretty noisy and packed week in the book world, which completely mirrors my own schedule of late. Read more

  Posted on 15 March 2017 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Writers on Location – Laura McVeigh In the Shadow of the Hindu Kush

  

  The first guest post by one of my Spring Sofa Spotlight authors, last week’s Writers on Location by Sarah Day on the island of San Domino, proved very popular... Read more

  Posted on 09 March 2017 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Writers on Location – Sarah Day on the Island of San Domino, Italy

  

  Last week’s spring Sofa Spotlight met with a great deal of interest and enthusiasm, so a big thank you for your support and appreciation. Read more

  Posted on 01 March 2017 BOOKS, CULTURE