I’m absolutely delighted to let you know that Hunger and Thirst has been selected for the BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime slot. It will be broadcast on Radio 4 starting on 11th May at 22.45. It has been abridged into ten 14 minute parts and I’m curious to know what Sian Preece has kept in and what has been discarded.
It is read by actor, Juliet Aubrey, and produced by Eilidh McCreadie. I hope you manage to have a listen, but do keep in mind that apparently Book at Bedtime books lose 80%! So if you’d like to buy the full version, have a look here.
Do you love books where the house is almost as important as the human characters? Me too.
I’ve just finished Small Bomb at Dimperley by Lissa Evans and I loved the mismatched, ugly Dimperley Manor full of taxidermied animals. (I’ll be speaking to Lissa about it at Winchester Books Festival on 19th April 2026 – join us!)
And it got me thinking about other novels where the houses are full of presence, including, ahem, one of mine.
There are a few stately homes amongst this lot but not all of them are grand. You’ll also find houses full of sand, houses and land passed down through time, and one I almost forgot, the graphic novel, The Wreck by Lizzy Stewart which was published this week. (Thanks to my Librarian Husband for the finger.)
Tell me what I’ve missed! There are already others that I’ve been thinking of as I type, including North Woods, and Brideshead Revisited. But let me know which other novels you love where the house is (almost) centre stage.
Click on the pictures to be taken to Bookshop.org (UK) where you can buy most of them.
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I’ll be shortly going on a UK tour for my next novel, Hunger and Thirst. I’d love it if you could join me on one of my visits, or online – including a US online event. More details here.
I’m going on a UK book tour for Hunger and Thirst!
I’ll be travelling from North to South and East to West. And I hope that you can join me at one of my stops. If none of them are near you, then you might be able to join me on one of my two online events.
The tour kicks off with a launch in Winchester on 8th May. This two-hour event includes a glass of wine and a piece of cake, and the chance to win some bookish goodies. I’ll be interviewed by author and journalist, Rebecca Fletcher followed by a Q&A and book signing. If you’re local, please do join me.
I’ll be doing two events that include music from Henry Ayling who has written some creepy piano music as featured in the book. My events with him are in Bristol, and later in the year, Southampton.
My two online events are on 12th May hosted by the Bridport Prize when my literary agent, Jane Finigan from Lutyens and Rubinstein will be in conversation; and on 20th May with Bard Books and Blue Pencil. If you can’t make it to an in-person event, I hope you’ll be able to make it to one of these. Booking will be available soon.
And, if you aren’t in the UK, but would like to come to a US-based online event, then I’ll be online on June 4 6pm EDT.
I’m delighted that The Bookseller – the trade magazine for booksellers in the UK – has interviewed me about Hunger and Thirst, and unexpectedly I’m on the cover. Can you spot the extra little fly they’ve added?
I was interviewed by Alice O’Keeffe, who starts with:
Picture a haunted house. What do you see in your mind’s eye? Perhaps a Gothic pile, a ruined tower, some bats? Probably not a suburban bungalow in Hampshire, but that may change once you read Claire Fuller’s genuinely disturbing literary horror, Hunger & Thirst.
You probably need a subscription to The Bookseller to read the rest of it, but you can read it here.
And if it sounds like your kind of thing you can pre-order it here from Bookshop.org, and it will pop through your letterbox on 7th May or thereabouts.
I recently finished reading (listening to) The Correspondent by Virginia Evans and I loved it. It’s a novel of letters sent and received. Sybil Van Antwerp is in her 70s and has spent a lifetime writing to her best friend, her brother who lives in France, the son of a friend, several famous writers, a customer service agent and various others. We learn about her and her life in what she reveals or hides from others. She’s prickly but compassionate and gradually her own pain is exposed.
Letters in novels, are hard to do, I know because I did it a little in my second novel, Swimming Lessons, and in my fifth, The Memory of Animals. Usually the recipient of the letter knows so much about what the writer is explaining that in real life they would use a sort of shorthand, and yet the reader still needs to know what’s going on. Luckily for us Evans does it brilliantly, so brilliantly it made me cry.
So, I thought I’d do a list of six other books which contain letters and notes. Including Swimming Lessons.
Have you read any of the others, or do you have any to recommend? Let me know.
My local independent book shop, P&G Wells is offering signed and dedicated copies on pre-orders of Hunger and Thirst. Order it now via their website and just add what you’d like me to write in the book in the orders notes before you check out. Whether that’s simply your name, and my signature, or something more elaborate, I’ll pop into the shop when they have your book in and personalise it with your request. P&G Wells will then contact you let you know it’s ready to be collected, or they can put it in the post. (If you don’t live in the UK, contact them for postage costs.)
So, it’s your turn to choose the next book for book club, and you don’t don’t know what to choose. Here are five that we read in my book group and which generated really interesting discussions. They weren’t the best liked and didn’t receive the highest scores, but these were the ones where we talked the most.
Don’t you think that book groups where people disagree about the book or discover something new are the best?
Let me know the books that have had the best discussions in your book group.
And if you ever choose one of mine, drop me a line and let me know which one you’re reading and I can email you some book group questions.
Have you started writing a novel but now you’re confused? Unsure? Bogged down? Or just want to finish?
Join two bestselling authors for an expert-led one-day Novel Writing Masterclass in Winchester, Hampshire.
Following their successful, sold-out masterclass in 2025, Oxford University Creative Writing tutor and author, Lucy Atkins, and Costa Prize Winning author and creative writing teacher, Claire Fuller are once again teaching one-day novel writing masterclass.
What makes this Novel Writing Masterclass so unique?
Creative writing courses can be, at best, underwhelming – at worst, downright misleading. This one-day masterclass is different. Lucy and Claire not only have extensive experience teaching Creative Writing at the very highest level, they have a proven track record as published authors of bestselling, critically-acclaimed, award-winning novels.
In short, they know what makes a good book – and they know how to teach you!
With ten published novels between them, they also understand how complex and difficult writing can be. This masterclass, which takes place in central Winchester, Hampshire, offers a unique opportunity to learn from and ask questions of two experienced writers and Creative Writing tutors. For this reason, places are strictly limited to 14.
Who is this Masterclass for?
This day is aimed specifically at writers who have started writing a novel but not yet finished.
You will learn to:
Understand how a plot that builds can move your writing forward
Create compelling characters
Analyse your first 30 pages and see what is and isn’t working
Master the all-important skill of self-editing
Prepare your novel so that is is ready to send out to literary agents
You’ll leave inspired and energised with a toolbox of practical tips, strategies and ideas that you can apply to your own work. And perhaps most importantly, you’ll gain renewed enthusiasm, energy and a sense of creative direction.
About Lucy Lucy teaches on the Creative Writing Masters degree at the University of Oxford. She is the author of five novels, including the bestselling Magpie Lane, and most recently Windmill Hill, a summer book pick for both the Guardian and the Observer. Find Lucy’s ‘Talking About Writing’ sessions with Claire and other well-known authors on Instagram @lucyatkinswriter.
About Claire Claire is the author of five novels including the Costa Novel Prize-winning and Women’s Prize-shortlisted novel, Unsettled Ground. Her sixth novel, Hunger and Thirst, will be published in May 2026. She has taught creative writing for many years for various organisations including The Women’s Prize, Arvon, literary festivals and creative writing academies. Her teaching is said to be fun but also very practical, so that students leave with concrete methods for improving their own writing. Follow Claire on Instagram.
What previous Novel Writing Masterclass students said about the day
“I was particularly interested in the Plotting and Character modules and seeing these elements really being broken down. It was great to see the plot/shape of a novel being explained visually on the flipchart. It made me aware of how I should be approaching these areas in my own writing.“
“I just wanted to say a huge thank you for yesterday’s brilliant and inspiring workshop. You both put so much thought and energy and generosity (sharing your knowledge) into it.“
“Such a privilege to be able to learn so much from two authors I admire immensely, especially as I’m just setting out on this journey. You should both be very proud of how the day went and I really appreciate all the thought and work you put into creating the content. I thought you both worked really well together and split up the modules well so we weren’t listening to one voice for too long at a time.“
“A big thank you to you both for your time and the inspiration from the course.“
Further information
This intensive day is structured around mini workshops taught by both Claire and Lucy, each including writing exercises and time for discussion. There will be opportunities to put your questions to both tutors, and meet your fellow writers.
The price includes sustaining snacks, delicious cakes, hot drinks and a tasty lunch.
The Arc is located in central Winchester only 10 minutes walk from the nearest large carpark (Tower Street), and also only 10 minutes walk from Winchester station.
We look forward to welcoming you to our Masterclass!
In 1969 Frances Jellico arrives at Lyntons, a dilapidated English country house, to survey the follies in the garden. There, she meets Cara and Peter, and when she is in her bathroom in the attics of the house she finds a hole in her bathroom floor and she cannot resist spying on her new friends in their bathroom below. Frances has a story to tell, as does Cara, but you can’t believe everything either woman says.
Over on Instagram, I’m running a Giveaway for a signed UK proof of my next novel, Hunger and Thirst, which will be published in May.
Hunger and Thirst is about Ursula, a reclusive sculptor, who in 1987 when she is 16 meets wild-child, Sue. Sue dares Ursula to kill someone and when she actually does, Ursula is haunted for the rest of her life.
The Giveaway closes at midnight 17th January 2026.
