Celebrity Interviews

Gavin Collinson, An Accident in Paris
7 July 2022

Gavin Collinson, author of An Accident in Paris writes an open letter to Agatha Christie
Agatha! Darling! How are you? You must tell me everything! But first of all, tea. You always loved tea. Couldn’t bear coffee. The author Felix Francis recently told me a ...

Victoria Scott, Grace
7 July 2022

Victoria Scott, author of Grace shares seven things she'd like her readers to know about her
I spend so much time making characters up in my head that I sometimes forget that they are the product of all of the people I’ve ever met, the things ...

Emma Bamford, Deep Water
7 July 2022

Emma Bamford, author of Deep Water shares seven things she'd like her readers to know about her
When I was 31, I had my first mid-life crisis. I felt stuck in a rut, both in my job as a newspaper journalist, and in my perpetually single life ...

Bea Setton, Berlin
7 July 2022

Bea Setton, author of Berlin writes an open letter to her favourite author Sylvia Plath
Dear Sylvia Plath, I have longed to write you a fan letter or to reach into the past to tell you the good news. You have been an immense, triumphant ...

Daryl R. Van Tongeren, Humble
7 July 2022

Seven reasons to be humble by Daryl R. Van Tongeren, author of Humble
What is humility? According to researcher and college professor, Dr. Daryl Van Tongeren, humility is about knowing yourself, checking yourself, and going beyond yourself. It’s an honest awareness of your ...

Ruth Druart, The Last Hours in Paris
7 July 2022

Author Ruth Druart shares seven things she'd like her readers to know about her
- ...

Jean Hanff Korelitz by Michael Avedon, The Latecomer
6 July 2022

An open letter to Molly Keane, 1904-1996 by Jean Hanff Korelitz, author of The Latecomer
Dear Molly, I was thinking of you the other day, when I was appearing at the Festival of Writing and Ideas at Borris House in County Carlow. The festival took ...

Kate Wills, A Trip of One's Own
5 July 2022

Top tips for solo travel later in life by Kate Wills, author of A Trip of One's Own
As a veteran solo traveller I’m often asked when the best time in life to take a trip by yourself is, and my answer is always now. I’m constantly meeting ...

Elle van Rijn, The Orphans of Amsterdam
5 July 2022

Elle van Rijn, author of We Had To Save Them shares seven things she'd like her readers to know
-  ...

Sophie Leone, The Book of Revelations
4 July 2022

Seven tips for reclaiming yourself by Sophie Leone, author of The Book of Revelations
Why is it we find concepts like ‘self-care’ or ‘being unapologetic for being ourselves’ so challenging to implement? The long and short of it is: we live our lives overstretched. ...

Elisabeth Krauel, Forgive or Forget
4 July 2022

Honest and practical tips for young writers by debut novelist Elisabeth Krauel
When people ask me what I was just thinking about, I usually just say “Oh, nothing”. It would be a little too complicated to explain the truth. Most people don‘t ...

Rebecca Stott, Dark Earth
4 July 2022

Author Rebecca Stott discusses which films inspired her new book Dark Earth
Five years ago I made a trip through the deserts of Jordan with a group of friends in a hire car. Two days in, while we were in the desert, the ...

Tufayel Ahmed, This Way Out
1 July 2022

How journalism gave me the tools to write my first book by Tufayel Ahmed
I didn’t necessarily set out to be an author. From the youngest age, flicking through the local free community newspaper, I knew I wanted to be a journalist. I loved ...

Steph Houghton opens up in an exclusive interview with Female First
30 June 2022

Steph Houghton on getting through her injury recovery plan and female equality in sport [EXCLUSIVE]
The LEGO Group has partnered with the WEURO this summer to celebrate the ladies who are inspiring the next generation and, as part of that campaign, we got the opportunity ...

Emma Dobson
30 June 2022

Woman inspired to support young children into swimming after loss of her child
Swim teacher Emma Dobson, who left her career as an architectural technologist to put her family first after her daughter Zoe was diagnosed with the rare children’s cancer Neuroblastoma.  Zoe ...

Deborah Jenkins, Braver
30 June 2022

Seven things I'd like my readers to know about me by Deborah Jenkins, author of Braver
1. I am severely deaf and partially sighted due to long-term conditions. This has made me aware of the need for better accessibility and has, I hope, made me an ...

GD Harper, The Biddenden Mais
29 June 2022

How I found out about the Biddenden Maids and why I wanted to write a story about them by GD Harper
Every Easter Monday, in the village of Biddenden in Kent, a queue of elderly residents forms outside the old village workhouse, which has now been converted into residential property. At ...

Shawn Rocher, The Precious Jules
28 June 2022

Six ways to break into publishing by Shawn Nocher, author of The Precious Jules
I sold my first novel, A Hand to Hold in Deep Water, on the crest of sixty. Now sixty-three, I’m looking forward to the release of my next novel, The Precious Jules. ...

Rebecca Barrow, Bad Things Happen Here
28 June 2022

Rebecca Barrow, author of Bad Things Happen Here shares seven things about her
- The island of Parris: paradise or poison? Luca Laine Thomas lives in Parris, the beautiful island plagued by the unsolved deaths of young women - most significantly, Luca's best ...

Samantha Hayes, The Ex Husband
28 June 2022

Samantha Hayes, author of The Ex Husband shares the things she'd like her readers to know about her
1) I left school at 16 with only a handful of O Levels and unwittingly enrolled in the cliched ‘University of Life’. Over the next few years, I fell in ...

Emily McGovern, Twelve Percent Dread
23 June 2022

Five tips for writing graphic novels by Emily McGovern author of Twelve Percent Dread
Play to your strengths: If you’re good at drawing horses, write a graphic novel about a horse. If you like drawing cars or machinery, write a story involving those. I like ...

Lauren Ho, Lucie Yi Is Not A Romantic
23 June 2022

Modern day parenting and how it's changing by Lauren Ho, author of Lucie Yi Is Not A Romantic
As we walked in the shadow of the Parthenon some years back, my best friend cleared her throat and said, in the tone of one confessing to a murder, "I ...

Phillipa Ashley, A Golden Cornish Summer
23 June 2022

Things that make my summer complete by Phillipa Ashley, author of A Golden Cornish Summer
I have a confession to share. One day in June, I spent an hour on deadline day deciding whether I needed a teapot-shaped handbag instead of finishing my novel. To ...

Cressida McLaughlin, The Cornish Cream Tea Holiday
23 June 2022

An open letter to Jane Casey by Cressida McLaughlin, author of The Cornish Cream Tea Holiday
-  Hi Jane, It’s me again! I feel like I’m constantly Twittering at you, trying to moderate my admiration for you and your books and play it cool, and always ...