Get your ears around today’s release with some bonus content of Deepa Anappara’s object of influence And you’ll also get a glimpse of the Rippling Pages Patreon Podcast For those who want to go deeper into the ideas behind books podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/r...

At the core of Deepa Anappara’s book is a really personal experience that shaped it Which might be slightly surprising considering it’s set in the mountains of Tibet 150 years ago Also I’m so grateful when writers open up to me and so glad they feel comfortable to do so.

Whats a day in the life of a Rippling Pages Coffee Conversation look like? Well it looks a little like this…

Slightly ashamed my, Jon Fosse is a bit of a blot on my reading horizons and have not read him…what are your thoughts?

☕️I had coffee with Deepa Anappara and we recorded our conversation for the Rippling Pages We’re talking about Deepa’s novel, THE LAST OF EARTH @oneworldbooks.bsky.social It’s a truly beautiful novel set in the mountains of Tibet podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/r...

A couple of the Booker Prize books I’ve read (I’ve started M John Harrison and picked it as a summer read in my latest Ask the Host!) I’ve read Makenna’s book a couple of times now. I really like it. It’s ethereal, spectral, dry…there’s a riff on the ego as a container in there which I love

⛰️These are the kinds of the summer reads that I love… A book has a bit of everything, but, most importantly, a ton of really good writing that makes you think deep and long about writing, travel and life… Deepa Anappara joined me to discuss THE LAST OF EARTH @oneworldbooks.bsky.social

🎾A convincing and compelling narrative voice is crucial to any novel – so how did Ashton find Ned’s? How how @ashtonpolitanoff.bsky.social discovered Ned’s voice in the latest episode as we spoke about DAD HAD A BAD DAY @dauntbookspub.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/r...

DAD HAD A BAD DAY @dauntbookspub.bsky.social is out now and is published by Daunt Books

@ashtonpolitanoff.bsky.social shared with me the challenges of writing about something he is very passionate about – and very good at! A former tennis player himself, his artful taut novel set in a local tennis club is about when passion becomes obsession podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/r...

🎾How does this novel about tennis lead to a descent into obsession and addiction? @ashtonpolitanoff.bsky.social joined me on the Rippling Pages to discuss his tight and taut novel DAD HAD A BAD DAY @dauntbookspub.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/r...

Writing about feelings is hard But Alice Hattrick happens to be very good at it And it’s essentially to the work they are writing Listen more as we discuss FANCY WORK @fitzcarraldoeds.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/r...

A slightly late 4th of July post…reading this retelling of an American epic by Xiaolu Guo

📸Here’s some crowd shots from Alice Hattrick in conversation @leedslitfest.bsky.social for the Rippling Pages live. The conversation I had with Alice is now available for you to hear and listen to as well! You can hear Alice and me talking about

I was really grateful for Alice Hattrick sharing such a range of feelings and emotions with me in our conversation about their new book Alice shares hope in pain, especially for those groups underserved, neglected and rejected by the systems that are supposed to be there to help and support people

Well, Sunday was a lot of fun @leedslitfest.bsky.social Congratulations to Alice Hattrick on publishing their second book FANCY WORK, which is out today from @fitzcarraldoeds.bsky.social My conversation with Alice will be out soon 😊

😊Some sights and sounds from a literary week in Leeds @leedslitfest.bsky.social included @stuhennigan.bsky.social at @smalldistractions.bsky.social Jake Morris-Campbell and @rickardsisters.com 🐇And a rabbit on Leeds Uni campus!

🤔Fellow Leeds-based writer @stuhennigan.bsky.social is here talking about how and why he turned to reading, and how books and literature were fundamental to him in developing empathy compassion and perspective. We were talking about his novel KESHED @ortacpress.bsky.social

📗 I was asked to curate a selection of some of my favourite narrative non-fiction and personal essays for you to read and buy at The Hyde Park Book Club. (I was asked to pick five but I couldn’t help picking an extra – read why below!)

It’s a chilled saturday morning and I’ve just done an archive re-release to set the tone for the day It’s with writer,editor, critic, publisher and all round bookish good guy @nicholasroyle.bsky.social WHITE SPINES:CONFESSIONS OF A BOOK COLLECTOR @saltpublishing.com

😱How do we create an emotional response in a reader? And what’s it like when we do? @stuhennigan.bsky.social knows how, and perhaps it’s something to do with the way he writes his characters. We were talking about KESHED @ortacpress.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/r...

Some pics from Kent, and the South East My wife was working down there so I had a couple of days of wandering some of Dickens haunts in his youth Wandered down the Medway into Rochester Restoration House (thought to be Satis House in Great Expectations) was a particular highlight.

🌞Are you going to be in Leeds and want to meet and listen to one of the most exciting emerging non-fiction writers working today? Join us for a special live recording of the Rippling Pages podcast at @leedslitfest.bsky.social - there are still some tickets left so grab them while you can!

It feels like, for too long, the North has been relegated to stereotypes. Trust me, I’m a northerner too! How do we write honest portrayals of the North? @stuhennigan.bsky.social and in his novel KESHED @ortacpress.bsky.social he wanted to write something both real and sympathetic

☕️ How many coffees do I have in a day? Well, it’s festival season in Leeds! So we need a few to keep us going. It usually starts with the first one after getting out early doors to get the steps in first! Another after some book post arrives!

Re-reading Alice Hattrick’s first book, ILL FEELINGS Genuinely one of my favourite non-fiction books and essays Love these references to (un)ravelling: perhaps ideas for FANCY WORK in here? Can’t wait to dig into it more at @leedslitfest.bsky.social www.leedslitfest.co.uk/events/alice...

Are you looking for the magic to bring your stories together? Or should you really be looking into the mechanics of your writing? That’s a what the title of an anthology from @scratchbooks.bsky.social asks, and I’m speaking to Amber Medland about what she thinks

Loving this Peirene stack

I also got a sense of that we need to try and determine what feedback is useful and important to understand what is going to help improve your writing. Which can, definitely, come in many different forms and ways

So be kind to yourself and take the wins. We all start somewhere (And no, podcasts weren’t a thing then if you’re wondering my age!) ✌️