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One Puzzling Afternoon – published in the USA on October 3rd
One Puzzling Afternoon will be published in the U.S. on October 3rd. “Critchley’s U.S. debut is a clever, keep-‘em-guessing murder mystery, an empathetic yet realistic portrayal of the toll dementia…
One Puzzling Afternoon is Indie Book of the Month!
Delighted to learn One Puzzling Afternoon is the fiction Indie Book of the Month! Chosen by independent booksellers and in association with Books are my Bag.
One Puzzling Afternoon is published in the UK
This week, One Puzzling Afternoon is published in the UK. I am feeling incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make this happen. And especially to anyone who has read or…
What I read in 2022
I read 62 books in 2022 (including new reads and re-reads) which was a very good year for me. Pictured here are just a selection. I have made an attempt…
One Puzzling Afternoon
‘I’ve kept your secret, Lucy. I’ve kept it for more than sixty years. I just wish I knew what it was.’ So excited to be able to share my book…
The Korean cover of The Bear Who Sailed the Ocean on an Iceberg
I absolutely love the Korean cover of The Bear who Sailed the Ocean on an Iceberg. Published in Korea today!
The Bear audiobook
The Bear who Sailed the Ocean on an Iceberg is now available as an audiobook! Narrated by the fantastic Peter Kenny who has done such an excellent job of capturing…
The Bear Who Sailed the Ocean on an Iceberg
I am so thrilled ‘The Bear Who Sailed the Ocean on an Iceberg’ is out in the world. I can’t wait for readers to meet Monty!
Same same but different, an anthology of short stories
Same Same but Different is an anthology of short stories with the theme of solitude. Contributors include Helen Simpson, A.L. Kennedy, Amanda Craig and Stephen S. Thomson, to name a…
The Taiwanese cover of Notes on My Family is here!
I am so thrilled with the Taiwanese cover of Notes on My Family. If you look closely you can even see Hammy the escaped hamster!
The Bear Who Sailed the Ocean on an Iceberg
I’m very excited to announce that my new novel for 9-12s will be published in October 2021, illustrated by the very talented Holly Ovenden. ‘A brilliantly funny and touching story…
The Tiny Gestures of Small Flowers
Excerpt: Brighton. She doesn’t know it at all. She sits in the café in Waterstones drinking a latte. The café is on the top floor and, out of the…
Spring/Summer Reading 2020
From bottom to top. Actress is the first Anne Enright novel I’ve read and I’ve got no idea why I haven’t read any others. She is such a skilful writer….
My top three isolation/lockdown reads
The Skylark’s War by Hilary McKay. Written for children, and set in the Edwardian era, The Skylark’s War provides cosy escapism into a very different time, but also offers parallels…
West London Writing Workshop January 2020
I’m delighted to share an opportunity with you that I hope you’re going to enjoy. This January, I’ll be running the Write Mentor West London weekend writing workshop. Join me…
Bleaching tea spoons and other distractions
I once heard a story about a friend of the crime writer Val McDermid. This friend wished to call up her pal Val and find out how she was, only…
Fifteen quotes about writing from women writers
‘I think I may boast myself to be, with all possible vanity, the most unlearned and uninformed female who ever dared to be an authoress.’ Jane Austen ‘Perhaps I…
How to get to the end of a first draft
As I approach the end of the first draft of of my new novel, I have been thinking about how and also exactly what it takes to get to an…
Mentoring and Manuscript Assessment
Ever feel like you’re out in the wilds, not sure which direction to take? Writing groups and workshops are great, as is showing your writing to your best friend, mum,…
Spring 2019 News
The sun is shining and there are daffodils on my mantelpiece. It must be spring! In February I attended the Bristol Teen Book Award reading party. I’d never been to…
The Riff Riff Podcast
A few weeks ago I set off for Battersea studios to record a podcast interview with The Riff Raff. The Riff Riff are a writing community founded by Amy Baker…
Writing Crossover Fiction
Writing crossover fiction first appeared on The Literary Sofa. When I began writing Notes on My Family I wasn’t thinking about whether I was writing a book for adults,…
Bristol Teen Book Award 2018
Notes on My Family has been shortlisted for the Bristol Teen Book Award and I’m so thrilled. It’s hugely important and significant for me to have been shortlisted for an award…
World Book Day 2018
World book day this year landed on a snowy Thursday. Many schools were closed but not Coombe Boy’s school in New Malden where I had the pleasure of teaching two…
How to start writing creatively today (with three prompts)
I often meet people who would like to write creatively but who are unsure how to begin. Most of us are afraid to explore new creative pursuits. Even after making…
Photographs from the book launch of Notes on My Family
The book launch for Notes on My Family took place on the Thursday 23rd November at West End Lane Bookshop in West Hampstead. It was a cold and windy evening…
Writing Notes on my Family
I began writing Notes on My Family during the final year of my undergraduate degree. I studied Creative Writing at London Metropolitan University. I knew I wanted to write something…
On Ideas
I was thinking this morning about ideas. A question that every author is asked at some stage in their writing career is: Where do you get your ideas from? It’s…
Notes on my family
‘Louise Coulson is a person aged thirteen and a half. She likes to be left to her own devices. She has a dog called Renzo but it should be noted…
