Events: Balham Literary Festival 2019
It’s almost time for the Balham Literary Festival 2019.
Starting on 13th June and continuing until 25th June, there are many wonderful speakers and events lined up during the festival.
On 13th June, Yara Rodrigues Fowler will be at Balham Oxfam talking about her debut novel, Stubborn Archivist.
On 14th June, Andrew Grumbridge and Vincent Raison will be at the Ballroom at the Balham Bowls Club where they will be chatting about Today South London, Tomorrow South London.
Alex Wheatle, Rachel Reeves and Rachel Ama will all be at the Balham Bowls Club at various times on 15th June whilst over at the Balham Library, Lily Murray will be joined by illustrator Richard Merritt as they lead a fun dinosaur filled interactive storytime session inspired by their book, The Dinosaur Department Store.
by 
My Favourites For May
Goodbye May and hello June.
I know I say this every month but it is hard to believe that we are almost to the longest day of the year when it doesn’t seem long ago we were celebrating new year.
I will admit, I am a Christmas girl but I am loving these longer summer evenings although does anyone feel they seem to have ages in the evening, get into something and then look up and it’s nearly midnight? Just me?
As it’s still the first week of June, I reckon I have just enough time to squeeze in a May favourites.
There were many things I loved in May. It was a little hard to pick a handful but, yep, I managed it. Haha.
The book I loved in May was Tick Tock by Mel Sherratt. I have already done a review of this book and if you want to read it along with an extract, click here.
It was great to be back with DS Grace Allendale and each book in this series just keeps getting better and better.
Grace and her team are investigating the murder of a young girl. The killer is out there and it all suddenly becomes very personal for Grace.
Tick Tock was full of suspense. I wanted to know what was going on but at the same time, I didn’t want it to end. It’s brilliant. An honourable mention to The Last Time I Saw You by Liv Constantine which came a close second.
BBC
My favourite TV show in May was …. Line of Duty.
I was really late to this show having only finished watching the previous series days before the new one began. My husband and I were just gripped and it is so incredibly addictive. We saw the ‘are you still watching Line of Duty?’ a few times on Netflix which may as well say ‘are you still up watching this? Go to bed you idiot.’
This show is thrilling, brilliant and utterly frustrating. My favourite character is Ted Hastings. Go find those bent coppers, Ted.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Free Writing
Today, I thought we could keep it nice and simple and do some free writing.
I like this kind of exercise as you never know what is going to come out of it.
Set the alarm for ten minutes. Start writing and don’t stop. See if you can get to five hundred words in that ten minutes.
Just in case you need a little inspiration, I have posted some prompts below.
Enjoy.
Prompt 1:
With a deep breath, she opens the box.
Prompt 2:
The music started and he knew he couldn’t do it.
by NK Chats To… Claire Wingfield
Hi Claire, thank you so much for joining me today. Can you tell me a little about your book, Saving Francesca Maier and what inspired it?
Saving Francesca Maier takes place over a summer in Berlin, when a family arrive to visit old friends in the city, disturbing secrets that have long lain dormant.
Having grown up in the UK, my first job as a young graduate was in Berlin and the book was inspired by those two transformative years in my life, during which I felt an exhilarating – and at times terrifying – sense of freedom. It seemed natural to put those intense emotions into the character of Francesca, an adolescent girl on the cusp of change when she’s brought to her father’s home country for the first time.
What’s your typical writing day like? Is there somewhere specific you like to write?
With two young children and a busy editorial business, my writing is often squeezed in at the edges of the day. I like to write before the rest of my family is awake but also find many of my ideas come when I’m not at my desk. Writing Saving Francesca Maier, quite a few plot ideas came to me whilst swimming and at least one of the scenes is inspired by a yoga pose!
What’s your favourite word and why?
Change.
In writing and in life I am always reminding myself to appreciate that people can make quite incredible transformations. It’s those transformations that can provide a lift and new momentum to a narrative and a sense of hope in life. Some of us are too often told that people can’t change and that’s when we get stuck in our place in life and our emotions. Reading novels can remind us that other paths are possible, and part of my writing has been inspired by the personal transformations of people I’ve known – especially those that come after many years of one way of being. There’s an important shift in mindset for one of the characters in Saving Francesca Maier which needed a catalyst but also required incredible bravery to stick to, once my character glimpsed that change was possible.
Which books have inspired you?
by Novel Kicks Book Club: The Man I Think I Know by Mike Gayle
Hodder, 2018
Well hello June. It’s nice to see you.
A new month means a new book club title.
This month, I am reading The Man I Think I Know by Mike Gayle. I love this man’s novels and am pleased to be reading this one. It’s been on my TBR for a while.
Fancy coming and joining me? Anyone can take part in this book club (in your pj’s on your sofa if you like.)
I have posted a question below to kick off the conversation.
About the book:
Ever since The Incident, James DeWitt has stayed on the safe side.
He likes to know what happens next.
Danny Allen is not on the safe side. He is more past the point of no return.
The past is about to catch up with both of them in a way that which will change their lives forever, unexpectedly.
But redemption can come in the most unlikely ways.
by Book Club
