I feel something of a personal connection to The Bayeux Tapestry as it has been a source of inspiration for me and was an important research tool for my book 'The Evening and The Morning'. Barbara and I are looking forward to seeing it on display tonight at The British Museum.
The Bayeux Tapestry was an important research tool for me when I was writing The Evening and the Morning. So, I’m thrilled it’s in the UK and on display at the British Museum. I spoke to BBC Radio 4's 'Today' programme about what the tapestry means to me.
I'm honoured to be a judge for the 2026 Entente Littéraire Prize which celebrates UK and French literature. The prize will be announced in November, but I met with my fellow UK judges – Elif Shafak and Hollie McNish – this week to discuss our choices. Watch this space for more.
Institut français du Royaume-Uni@frenchinstituteuk.bsky.social · 3mo agoMeet the jury of the Entente Littéraire Prize The 🇫🇷 panel is chaired by Philippe Claudel, alongside Leïla Slimani & @atrapenard.bsky.social The 🇬🇧 is panel chaired by Elif Safak, alongside @kenfollettauthor.bsky.social & @holliemcnish.bsky.social 👉 www.institut-francais.org.uk/culture/book...
I’m delighted to be joining Lee Child, Kate Mosse and Jojo Moyes in September for an event as part of the Queen’s Reading Room Festival. Back in 2019, we embarked on a literary tour of Europe to prove that books have no borders. I'm looking forward to catching up.
As it’s #NationalBookLoversDay, here are some of my favourite books from my shelves at home. Do we have any in common?
The book that started my reading journey was ‘Noddy Goes to Toyland’. I read it and then I read it to my children and grandchildren and now I have a family of voracious readers. #raisingreaders #ReadingIsGolden
This week I have been reading ‘Cécé’ by Emmelie Prophète: harrowing but wonderful
Sur le plateau de tournage de « Reseau Corneille « On the film set for the miniseries of “Jackdaws”
Barbara and I are off to Paris to visit the set of TF1’s adaptation of ‘Jackdaws’. Looking forward to meeting the cast and crew.
As 2026 is the National Year Of Reading, I thought I’d share some of my tips for reading more. If you have any tips of your own, why not share them in the comments?
It’s #NationalWritingDay. If you’re a budding author, you might be interested to know that my BBC Maestro writing course is 40% off today with code WRITERSDAY40.
One of the most fascinating things about Stonehenge is that there is always more to discover. Just last week, Phil Harding and Wessex Archelogy uncovered a wooden structure which they think may have been a ‘prototype’ for the monument www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
Solstice-aligned 5,000-year-old monument ‘once in a lifetime find’, say archaeologists
Wessex Archaeology suspect they have uncovered a prototype for world-famous Stonehenge site in Wiltshire
theguardian.com
Stonehenge is aligned with sunrise on Midsummer Day and sunset on Midwinter Day. Why? That question inspired Circle of Days, my latest book. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlrW...
Summer Solstice 2026: Sunset Live from Stonehenge
YouTube video by English Heritage
youtube.com
Why I don’t mind plot problems — in fact I like them.
I’m looking forward to hearing Professor Jay Parini discussing the poetry of Robert Frost tonight. My favourite of his poems is “Mending Wall”.
Holidays are great, but it’s always nice to come back home.
The UK paperback of Circle of Days was published on 21st May – just in time for summer holidays. If you’ve taken the book away with you, I’d love to know where to.
It doesn’t matter how good or exciting your story is, your readers won’t care unless you can also make them care about your characters. That’s why character work is so important. bbcm.co/43sz2qz
This bank holiday weekend, I’m reading “The Adversary” by Emmanuel Carrère. It’s a stunning true crime mystery.
Circle of Days is out now in paperback in the UK geni.us/CircleofDaysPB
Today is #InternationalMusueumDay One of my favourite museums to visit is the South Wales Miners Museum.
For my UK readers, there's just one week left until you can get your hands on a paperback copy of Circle of Days geni.us/CircleofDaysPB
I have a routine for writing. I don’t know a single writer who doesn’t. bbcm.co/43sz2qz
Looking forward to seeing Down to Chance at the Pleasance Theatre this afternoon.
There’s just under two weeks to go until Circle of Days is available in paperback in the UK but you can pre-order your copy now. geni.us/CircleofDaysPB
For #WorldBookNight I’m reading Mr Bowling Buys a Newspaper. The #ReadingHour will take place tonight from 19:00. So, why not make time for a good book?
For #WorldArtDay, I wanted to celebrate some of my recent book covers from around the world. I think they all look great. What about you? Do you have a favourite?
I’ve finished the re-write of my next book, The Deep and Secret Things. The next step is to send it to my editors and researchers for their comments.
