We’ve got an exclusive first read from her latest book, where you can dive in and get a chilling preview, only on Silver Magazine. Step into a country house dressed for Christmas, cosy on the surface but with secrets underneath…

Nick, an investigative journalist, has taken shelter at remote Yorkshire hotel Mistletoe Manor during a blizzard. To pass the time, he and his fellow guests have agreed to a game of Secret Santa, wrapping items they’ve found in the hotel, and gifting them to one another. And twenty-something PR woman Violet has just unwrapped the Christmas tree star…

* * * * *

One of the star’s points isn’t gold. It’s a dull crimson, as though it’s been dipped in paint. But as they stare, it becomes clear that it’s not paint at all.

‘That’s . . . is it . . .?’ Lorraine manages, and Violet turns the star round to examine, immediately dropping it as it smears her hand.

‘Oh my God!’ She holds her hand away from her body in horror. ‘Is this a joke? Does someone here think this is funny?’

David is on his feet, shepherding Emily from the room. ‘What? What is it, Daddy?’ she asks, craning her neck to see.

‘I think I heard mewing. We need to find Jingle. Come on . . .’ David urges her away.

Nick wonders if he’ll be the same kind of dad to Cara – alert, kind, protective. He hopes so.

In the drawing room, there’s uproar. Branson is shouting, ‘What the hell kind of gift is that?’

Violet looks as though she’s about to pass out, and Alan has his arm around a shuddering Lorraine. ‘Can’t stand the sight of blood,’ he mouths.

‘My goodness,’ says Matilda to Nick. ‘Someone’s got a peculiar sense of humour.’

Alan reaches to pick up the fallen star.

‘Don’t,’ says Nick. ‘Fingerprints.’

The others stare at him, aghast, and Violet gives a strange, high giggle.

‘You think this is a crime?’ she demands. ‘Come on! It’s just a horrible joke.’

But Nick is looking at Branson. The handsome older man is pale, his forehead is clammy, and he’s gazing fixedly at the stairs.

‘If none of us is injured . . .’ he says. ‘Penny.’

Donal extends a hand to Branson. ‘Give me your room key.’

‘I don’t . . .’ Branson pats his pockets. ‘I musta left it up there.’

‘I’ve got mine,’ says Donal, patting his pocket. He runs to the hall then takes the stairs two at a time. Nick follows, with Branson and Alan. The others gather in the hall.

‘Would you like a hug?’ Destiny asks Lorraine, and she nods tearfully. The two women cling together as Matilda and Violet stand rigid and fearful by the drooping Christmas tree.

There was no star on its top branch yesterday, Nick realises, but there’s no time to think about what that means. Donal has drawn to a halt by a panelled door in the corridor on the other side of the stairs from Nick’s room. He knocks, tentatively.

‘Hello? Mrs Mitchell?’ There is silence behind the door.

‘Could be she’s put her earplugs in and gone back to sleep,’ says Branson. ‘She sleeps like the dead with those things.’

Nick glances at him, and the older man’s bravado drains away. Branson closes his eyes, bracing himself.

‘Go on,’ Nick tells Donal. ‘Or do you want me to do it?’

He pictures Penelope sitting up, still half asleep, shocked at the intrusion. Donal shakes his head. He fits the key into the lock and turns it, pushing the door open. The room is dark, the shutters closed, but the vanity light shining from the bathroom illuminates a human shape in the double bed.

‘Penny!’ Branson shouts. ‘Wake up, honey!’

She doesn’t stir.

Nick moves towards the bed. ‘Let me check,’ he says. He’s thinking about the time he did a first aid course, that if Penelope’s really hurt, he knows how to make a tourniquet, he can staunch the blood, he can . . .

Donal folds back the shutters and grey light spills into the room. Now, the men can see that Penny is lying on her back. Her left arm is flung out as if in greeting, her right hand a claw on the pillow. Her eyes are open, her mouth a rictus of fear – and in her neck there’s a wound so deep, Nick involuntarily turns away, but not before he sees the blood soaking into the pillow, the spatters across the bedspread. She has clearly been dead for several hours.

‘Branson, Alan, out of the room,’ he says urgently. ‘Don’t come any closer, go and find David right now. We need a doctor.’

‘She’s my wife!’ storms Branson. ‘I need to see what’s . . .’

He steps nearer and sees the damp red pillow, the spray of arterial blood.

‘Oh God, no,’ he whispers. He collapses against the wall. ‘Penny, no.’

‘Come on, mate,’ Alan half lifts him and pulls him from the room.

A woman’s voice floats from below. ‘What’s happening? Is she OK?’

Nick takes charge. ‘Donal, could you go and break the news to the others, please? Alan, can you ask someone to look after Branson downstairs, then find David, and I’ll stay with the bo—with Penelope.’

Donal nods as he heads for the door, and Nick feels profoundly grateful for the young man’s swift grasp of the situation.

‘We need to try and find a way to call the police,’ Nick adds. The scene is surreal: the old-fashioned bedroom, the red blood, the falling snow. He should be at the office near Blackfriars Bridge right now, eating a festive Tesco meal deal, typing up his notes, thinking about last-minute presents for Harriet.

‘I’ll ask everyone to try their phones again,’ says Donal. ‘The landline’s dead, and the Wi-Fi seems to be out.’

‘Yes, it wasn’t working last night when I arrived,’ says Nick. ‘Could you maybe have a look at the box, just to make sure a wire hasn’t come loose?’

‘Sure,’ says Donal, already on his way out. ‘But I think it’s the snow. There’s a mast up on the moors, it’s probably been damaged in the blizzard.’

Nick knows he’s right. He’s just finding it hard to believe that in a world where basically everything runs on Wi-Fi, AI and tech, they can’t get an urgent message to the police.

Somebody is wailing downstairs. Nick can hear gasps of horror, the sound of a woman sobbing. Donal has done his duty, then. Perhaps Nick should have taken on that horrible task, but the truth is, he doesn’t know who to trust and someone needs to stay with the body and ensure it’s not moved.

Clues, he thinks. Forensics. Nick scans the room. The shutters were closed when they came in, but the curtains were open – that may mean nothing, of course. On Branson’s side of the bed, there’s a mobile phone, clearly out of battery, and a half-empty glass of water. Nick bends to sniff it, and inhales that ferric tang he recognises from his own bathroom tap. He straightens up, feeling foolish. It’s not as if she was poisoned – it’s perfectly clear how she died.

On Penelope’s bedside table, there’s a lamp, switched off, and a book – The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. She doesn’t seem to have got far with it, judging by the bookmark placement. Nick feels a sharp pang of sorrow that now she’ll never finish it. Beside it is a lavender-silk eye-mask – why wasn’t she wearing it? Did she rip it off when she heard a noise?

Nick looks more closely at the polished surface. There’s an almost invisible trail of fine, white dust. Surely not drugs. Neither Penelope nor Branson seems the type. Some kind of vitamin powder? It suddenly strikes him why it looks familiar – it’s the dust that comes from ripping open a thick envelope. He sees their sunny kitchen last summer, Harriet tearing open a thick cream envelope, scanning a wedding invitation. His heart sinking, knowing he’d need a new suit, they’d need to buy a present . . . the ripped envelope made just that kind of fine dust on the worktop.

Nick crosses to the metal waste bin, under the desk. He shouldn’t touch anything . . . he creates a makeshift mitten from the bottom of his T-shirt and gently pulls it out. There’s the envelope – thick, white, torn open, a single P in black ink on the front. And beside it, next to an apple core and a crumpled information leaflet about Castle Howard, there’s a leaf of plain white paper, screwed into a ball. Nick pinches it by the corner, holding it through his T-shirt, and pulls it out, unfolding the creases. These five words, too, are in black pen, printed in neat capitals:

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID.

Get the book

Four days before Christmas, twelve stranded strangers gather round a crackling fire, sheltering from the raging storm outside. . .

But their relief is short-lived: as the snow deepens, the tree-lined avenue winding through the hotel’s parkland becomes impassable. Their isolation is complete. The next morning, a body is found in one of the luxurious four-poster beds. As twelve strangers become eleven suspects, who among them has checked in with murder in mind? And will any of them live to see another Christmas. . .?

Murder at Mistletoe Manor by F. L. Everett is the perfect festive read. Get it here.

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The post Murder at Mistletoe Manor – read excerpt appeared first on Silver Magazine.

Autobiographies often straddle the line between memoir and storytelling. And many beloved memoirs include inaccuracies, intentional or not. A Guardian review recently noted that “scandal has stalked memoir since the genre was invented”. So not something particularly unusual. Yet when The Salt Path by Raynor Winn came under scrutiny, the fallout felt pretty catastrophic.

So why does The Salt Path drama feel different? And does it really even matter, if stories still move you? Is the point of a book simply to entertain?

I asked a couple of people to give me their thoughts on this…

Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs in The Salt Path

I believe it does matter – Fiona, 56

I picked up The Salt Path because I felt seen. A couple my age, forced to rebuild from ruin, walking the coast to heal – that resonated with me. But now the Observer alleges serious omissions: Winn allegedly embezzled about £64,000, owned property in France, and her husband’s condition may differ from what’s in the book.

I ask myself: does that change my experience? Yes it does. Emotional truth is not enough if the facts are false. Plenty of memoirs stretch the truth; James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces claimed he spent 87 days in jail, but he only spent hours. Oprah confronted him. Publishers inserted disclaimers and even offered refunds. Margaret Seltzer’s Love and Consequences and Binjamin Wilkomirski’s wartime memoir were also debunked.

But those were cases of outright falsehood in critical events – abuse, war crimes, addiction. Those fabrications misled readers and harmed real communities.

With The Salt Path, the stakes feel different. This is a story of resilience and walking, on the face of it. Yet the central pivot – homelessness after loss of their home – may apparently be untrue. That matters! If the foundation is faulty, the emotional journey feels hollow.

We trust memoir writers. We expect honesty. The moment that trust is broken, the emotional impact diminishes. We start questioning every tender moment, every revelation. The message – hope through hardship – turns hollow.

And yes, there’s a mild ageism in the backlash. Many suggest older authors shouldn’t pretend. But honesty should matter at every age.

Map of The Salt Path travelled by the Winns in the book (right)

I don’t think it matters – Mark, 53

I still love the book. It moved me. It made me walk more, worry less, feel more capable. The heart of the story doesn’t change if Raynor’s steps or missteps happened differently.

Memoirs aren’t biographies. They’re memories. They’re stories. They’re shaped by emotion. They’re selective. Every writer chooses what to include. When [James] Frey’s book came out and he was busted making things up, he defended himself, saying his book was 85 percent true and that it offered ‘emotional authenticity’ over literal fact. Readers accepted that. The book survived.

Why pick on The Salt Path now? Maybe it’s because it was so successful? Two million copies sold, a film adaptation with Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs… The higher the success, the harder the fall. It feels like schadenfreude to me. We don’t want people to succeed.

Win half a million in royalties and film deals, and suddenly their journey seems less authentic? Bit unfair. Success doesn’t erase struggle.

What if Raynor was less than accurate – surely she still felt emotionally homeless? What matters is the story she tells. The landscapes, the healing, the bond with her husband: that remains.

The drama signals something else: we’re uncomfortable with imperfect memoirs. We want truth – real truth. But perhaps we should learn to accept a messy form of truth, one lived on the page, not proven in a court.

Why the uproar?

The Salt Path hit a nerve perhaps because published ‘truth’ is under increasing scrutiny. Publishing has little fact‑checking – Penguin itself admits so. Penguin has no dedicated fact-checking department for books, and relies on author warranties for veracity in its autobiographies. We trust and expect honest stories. So when the cracks appear, the trust collapses.

It’s probably also true to say that in a world where almost everything you read online increasingly seems to have been created with AI, it would be lovely if you could actually trust book publishers to exercise some due diligence.

But it also feels a bit personal for older readers. Winn and her husband were in their 60s. Their message – that it’s never too late to start – is powerful for readers in the same age group. And so their experiences felt close to home. We’re wrestling with our own stability, our own stories of resilience. We wanted to believe theirs.

* Interviews have been edited for clarity.

Sam Harrington-Lowe

Sam is Silver’s founder and editor-in-chief. She’s largely responsible for organising all the things, but still finds time to do the odd bit of writing. Not enough though. Send help.

The post The Salt Path – is the fallout drama really justified? appeared first on Silver Magazine.

Susanna Hoffs hasn’t really ever stopped producing music. But this new launch is different; this is a treasure trove of old songs from the ‘90s that didn’t get released. Hoffs recorded the tracks for The Lost Record in 1999. The songs were co-written with friends, including Bill Bottrell and Go-Go’s members Charlotte Caffey and Jane Wiedlin, with Dan Schwartz joining her to produce the album. And the tracks were recorded in her garage, a setting that holds special significance for her. “I love garage rock. Many of my favourite songs were written in garages, and I even lived in them during the ’80s.”

Susanna Hoffs is Zooming from — for reasons that sound like they should be more interesting, but actually aren’t — the spare bedroom of Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding’s house in California. She is dressed in pink and black; she’s always dressed in pink and black when we talk. She very much likes pink and black.

Susanna Hoffs, photo: Shervin Lainez

“Are you going to get my age right this time?” she teases. “You’re not going to make me any older than I actually am, again?”

Early last year I conducted a flurry of interviews with Hoffs, best known as one of the co-founders of The Bangles (where I got some dates wrong, hence the teasing). She’s often described as the lead singer of the band that, from the early ‘80s onwards, tore up the charts with singles such as Manic Monday, Walk Like an Egyptian, Eternal Flame, and their cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s Hazy Shade of Winter. Which (whisper it) I always thought was better than the original. But The Bangles — Hoffs, Vicki Peterson, Debbie Peterson, Michael Steele (the latter replaced founding bassist Annette Zilinskas, who later rejoined the band) — was always a four-vocals group.

Last year she realised a long-held ambition and saw her debut novel, This Bird Has Flown, published. And now comes the release of The Lost Record.

I tell Hoffs that it’s 40 years since the release of the Bangles’ debut album, All Over The Place, which would produce the singles Hero Takes a Fall and Going Down to Liverpool. “Are you sure?” says Hoffs. “You know what you’re like with dates.”

And yet, impossibly, it is. The band had previously released a five-track EP in 1982, but this was their first proper studio album. And it would bring them to the attention of not only the music industry, but artists such as Cyndi Lauper and Huey Lewis, who would get the band to open for them. And, most crucially, Prince.

The Bangles 1984. Photo: Aurelio Jose Barrera, Los Angeles

By the time the Bangles released Manic Monday in 1986 and Eternal Flame in 1989, their superstardom was assured — the latter single hit number one in nine countries. But the Bangles of five years earlier in 1984, when Hoffs was 25, was a less polished, more raucous affair.

“It was a very thrilling and exciting time to be in a band,” says Hoffs. “I mean, those pre-internet days. We advertised shows mostly by flyers, ads in free magazines like Recycler,” It was a real punk ethos, crystallised when she went to see what would turn out to be the last Sex Pistols live concert, at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco in 1978, when Hoffs was a student at the University of California, Berkeley.

She began studying theatre, then switched to dance, and finally settled on art, which was what she graduated with. “I jumped around a little, but by the end that all kind of coalesced into one big love of art in all its forms. And when I put that ad in for band members I think it was because at that point the idea of being in a band just seemed like the ultimate art project to me.”

Hoffs turned 65 in January. It seems a significant age.

I tell her that in the UK it was always a long-standing joke that when you hit that point you get your bus pass, though I have no idea if that’s still true. She laughs. “I know! Over here, we’d say I’m now eligible for Medicare!”

In the ‘80s especially, Hoffs was considered one of the most beautiful women on the planet. Before our interview she had posted on her social media a cover from Spin magazine, for which she was the cover girl for their “first annual swimsuit issue”. Given that the Bangles started off as a punky guitar band, how did she handle being called a sex symbol?

Hoffs laughs a little awkwardly. “I think part of that came from the rise of MTV in the 1980s,” she says. “Suddenly it wasn’t enough to just put out a record, there had to be a video with it. There were so many iconic videos at that time, and artists like Madonna were really pushing the sexuality. I used to handle that by creating a persona, really, for when I was performing.” She breaks out into a broad grin. “It’s like Nigel Tufnel in Spinal Tap. This dial goes up to 11. And that’s what it was like for me. I dialled it up to 11.”

Hoffs is a huge movie fan. Last year she did a feature for the Criterion film collection, highlighting her favourite movies. She included Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, La Piscine and Klute among her eclectic selections. One night she emails me out of the blue to ask if I’ve ever seen The Servant, the 1963 psychological thriller starring Dirk Bogarde.

It’s no surprise Hoffs loves film. She was born in LA in 1959, and her mother Tamar was then a film-maker, her father Joshua a psychoanalyst. Celebrities regularly visited the house (especially for her father’s expertise in a field that was in its relative infancy). One family friend was Star Trek legend Leonard Nimoy, who appeared in the video for Going Down to Liverpool. She is married to Jay Roach, the film director with the Austin Powers movies on his CV, among many others, with who she has two sons. She is currently writing the screenplay for the movie adaptation of her novel This Bird Has Flown, which was published a year ago.

Hoffs has appeared in movies. Notably as the delightfully-named Gillian Shagwell in the Austin Powers movies, part of the band Ming Tea. And in the 1987 movie The Allnighter, directed by her mother. The cover of The Allnighter very much leans into Hoffs’ sex symbol status, featuring her in pink underwear.

I wonder if Hoffs still considers herself a sex symbol. She is very active on social media, especially Instagram. Her Facebook account has comments turned off on posts, but within minutes of her putting up a video on Insta, there are thousands of likes and hundreds of comments, many of them from men declaring they are in love with her, in lust with her, and worse.

Last summer, when she was over in the UK to promote her book, we met for lunch in London, and I mused that her direct message inbox must be an absolute bin-fire. She winced a little, and said that she has someone to filter out the worst of it before she sees it. So, I ask her. Does she still feel like a sex symbol today?

“I don’t think of myself as a sex symbol. I don’t think of myself that way. Or are we talking about sex? I mean, I’m 65 now, I’m not going to retire from it, that makes zero sense. A lot of my friends are my age and older and, you know, we talk about it and we’re not going to retire from that, ever.”

I don’t think of myself as a sex symbol. I don’t think of myself that way

I find myself blushing. That said, there’s a fair bit of sex in her novel, This Bird Has Flown. It’s the story of Jane Start, an ever-so slightly faded pop star who goes to London to recharge her batteries, and ends up in a swoonsome relationship with a slightly uptight but good-looking Oxford professor. Jane is pretty much a one-hit wonder, now resorting to doing private shows for bachelor parties in nightclubs, her big success a song gifted to her by international superstar Jonesy. There has been speculation that Jonesy is a Prince analog; the purple one gifted the Bangles the song Manic Monday, and acted as something of a mentor for Hoffs. There was endless speculation about whether they were in a relationship, which Hoffs keeps her own counsel on.

She does call him a “supernatural talent” though, saying his live performances were just incredible to watch. In the 1990s Prince would help her indirectly, as well… when she was about to go on stage, when she was ramping up that public Susanna Hoffs performance to 11, she would listen to Let’s Go Crazy on her Walkman to get into the zone.

“It enabled me to make that transition from me to the other me” she says. “Things got giddy and crazy. And sometimes it took a while to come down from that, to get back to me.”

Susanna Hoffs Self Portrait in Garage 1994

Hoffs still performs and writes music. Around the same time her novel came out last year, she released a new album, The Deep End, her fifth solo album, before The Lost Record this year. For her, ageing is not something to be necessarily worried about.

“I think ageing is about learning to love yourself,” she says thoughtfully. “Acceptance is very important. We have to accept changes in our lives and bodies, because anything other than accepting who you are is going to drive you crazy.”

Hoffs often posts videos and photos of herself on her social media without make-up, just dossing around her house. “I think that’s important, too,” she says. “At least to me. Being comfortable in who you are, and who you’ve become. I think the trick is to stay positive, if you can, to find the joy in life, to keep active, to seek inspiration everywhere. One thing is guaranteed, we all get older, and I think life is better if you follow the direction of that river than fighting against it. We just need to embrace ageing and get on with life.”

“…You’re going to get older. The only thing about that which makes sense to me is just embrace it. I mean, what’s the alternative?”

It being 40 years since the first Bangles album came out, would Hoffs swap being 65 for being 25 again, if that magic of the movies could work? She laughs, “Oh, no chance. I think the wisdom and experience that comes with living is far more valuable.”

If we were going to employ that movie magic so Hoffs could meet her 25-year-old self, what would she tell her?

She thinks about it. “My job at that time was really stressful. Don’t get me wrong, it was very enjoyable, and I feel so lucky that I got to do it. There was so much travelling, and it was very difficult to stay grounded and to carry on relationships.

“I think I’d tell 25-year-old Susanna not to be so hard on herself. To not judge herself so harshly. To worry less. I’d tell her not to question herself so much and to be less afraid, to be more fearless.

“I think being in your 20s can be very anxiety-inducing, and I suppose that goes the same for young women today. You’re trying to figure out your place in the world. One thing is certain, and it’s probably not what young women want to hear or think about but it’s unavoidable. You’re going to get older. The only thing about that which makes sense to me is just embrace it. I mean, what’s the alternative?”

We wrap things up. Susanna Hoffs has a screenplay to write, and a new book to think about, and a new record to promote. The bus pass will just have to wait, it seems.

Buy Susanna Hoffs The Lost Record here, released 18 October 2024

Buy This Bird has Flown, novel by Susanna Hoffs here

David Barnett

David Barnett is an author and journalist, originally from Wigan and now living in West Yorkshire. His latest novel is the folk horror WITHERED HILL, from Canelo, and forthcoming, a magical Christmas rom-com, THE LITTLE CHRISTMAS LIBRARY (Orion). He is married to Claire, a journalist, and they have two children, Charlie and Alice.

The post Susanna Hoffs: The Lost Record… and the good life appeared first on Silver Magazine.

I’ve wanted to use this photo of Jilly Cooper for yonks, so I’ve dug it out shamelessly for this piece. Just look at her! How gorgeous? I suspect that Jilly’s life has probably been, in parts, as exciting and racy as many of her novels. When I think of Jilly Cooper’s Rivals, or Riders, or any of them, I sort of picture her like this, writing them.

I grew up loving Cooper. As a child, I can remember my dad guffawing to her columns in the heady days of Harold Evans’ Sunday Times, over a full English and untipped Gitanes. I was too young to read her then, but endlessly devoured collections of her works a few years later. And as I hit my teens, I fell head over heels in love with her romantic heroines. Prudence, Octavia, Emily, Bella, Imogen et al – I read them cover to cover, repeatedly. I loved Octavia best, because who doesn’t love a broken bad girl? And Octavia was very naughty indeed.

Tame stuff by today’s standards really, despite the wildness of the ‘70s. But my love for Jilly was set for life. The delicious Britishness of it all was a big part of the attraction. I devoured the wicked filth of Jackie Collins, but it was so American to me, settings I could barely relate to. Whereas Cooper wrote very much about life from my own frame of reference. Country living, London, dogs, ponies… ridiculous 11am drinks parties. As a child, one of my first ever jobs was as a pheasant plucker – I kid you not. So to find someone writing about sex, drama, and intrigue in English country villages…

Read more: Are you common? A class guide…

But I digress

When the big ‘bonkbusters’ (god, I hate that term) started coming out, I was in fits of ecstasy. From Riders onwards I was hooked, reading voraciously and pining until another one came out. I have no idea how one even starts to write novels like that, holding all that information about so many characters together. I can barely remember why I went into the kitchen. But reading the books, sinking into that heady world of treachery, and money, and sex, and absolutely appalling behaviour was a wild pleasure I can still feel today.

So when I saw that Rivals was to be made into a TV series – by Disney no less, a weird marriage, I thought – I was wary. There have been a few adaptations of Cooper’s work before, and they’ve largely been rather awful. Would this be any different? As luck would have it, I was invited to a premiere screening of the first two episodes, followed by a panel sesh with some of the actors – so I would get to find out sooner rather than later.

The launch event was huge fun

The invite had specified there would be ’80s-themed drinks and canapes, and on the way up to town, my plus-one Kath and I necked G&Ts and wondered what they might be. Vol au vents, for sure. Possibly smoked salmon. Prawns? It turned out to be a take, rather than a religious revisit, which is probably better. But there were vol au vents, you’ll be pleased to know (creamy chicken and mushroom). Also prawn cocktails, and teenie Black Forest gateaux, amongst other delights.

…you could have been forgiven for thinking it really was 1985. We circulated a bit, rubbing shoulders with celebs and quaffing bubbles and tequila sunrises…

We did however arrive to a glittering event with Duran Duran blaring, hot and cold running cocktails and champagne, and stars galore. For one moment you could have been forgiven for thinking it really was 1985. We circulated a bit, rubbing shoulders with celebs and quaffing bubbles and tequila sunrises, before taking seats in the sumptuous screening room.

Kath and I tried not to squeal with excitement when Aidan Turner sat right in front of us (WHAT a handsome man). But sadly he was moved to the front, ready for the Q&A at the end. My friend Amanda was messaging me, telling me to sniff him so she could know what he smelled like. I was four drinks deep by then and might just have had a go, but thank god the poor man was moved before I could work out how to do this. And I probably avoided an arrest for public harassment into the bargain. So sorry, I can’t tell you what Aidan Turner smells like, but he looks very clean. And did I say how handsome he is?

(L to R) Aidan Turner, Katherine Parkinson, Emily Atack, David Tennant, Dame Jilly Cooper, Danny Dyer, Alex Hassell, Nafessa Williams, Bella Maclean, Claire Rushbrook and Victoria Smurfit (Photo: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Disney+)

Tell us about the show

I’m not allowed to write about the show itself yet properly. It’s embargoed until whatever date was on the piece of paper they made me sign. So I can’t actually review it properly. But I think I can tell you a few things without getting strung up.

Alex Hassell and Aidan Turner (Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images for Disney+)

David Tennant (Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images for Disney+)

Katherine Parkinson (Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images for Disney+)

The lineup was always going to make this enjoyable viewing, even it was shit, let’s face it. Some of my faves are in this – David Tennant, Katherine Parkinson, Danny Dyer, Aidan Turner, Emily Atack… and many more, as they say. It’s a great bunch, and dare I say it, very well cast. Tennant is sneering and chippy as Lord Tony Baddingham, Danny Dyer a perfect Freddie Jones. Bella Maclean is meltingly beautiful as Taggie, and Victoria Smurfit is a brilliant, fragile Maud O’Hara. And if you tell me that there’s a better actor to play hot-headed, principled Irish TV star Declan than Aidan Turner, well I don’t believe you.

The lineup was always going to make this enjoyable viewing, even it was shit, let’s face it

If you’ve been looking at the photos and thinking that Alex Hassell isn’t right for Rupert Campbell-Black, well, you’re not alone. Even Alex admits to being really worried about stepping into his shoes and not exactly looking like everyone expects him to. He’s not blond, for a start. But – and there are no real spoilers here Disney, if you’re reading this – after literally every part of Alex is revealed in the very first episode, as he points out, there’s nowhere really left to hide. So he just got on with it. And honestly, he makes a pretty good fist of it. He’s handsome, dastardly, and has a good bash at Rupert’s hidden depths, such as they are.

The challenge of taking on well-known characters

Many of the actors channelled older family members or situations. As readers of the book will know, Declan is fiercely protective of his family. Aidan said he was able to get into Declan mode by looking back at his own family. “He’s a dad, I’m a dad,” says Aidan. “I sort of related to him. And he’s like my dad, he’s Irish, there’s the hair…”

Nafessa Williams, who plays the gloriously feisty TV exec Cameron Cook, said she couldn’t wait to immerse herself in the ’80s, pointing out that she had family back then who looked exactly like she did in the show, big hair and all. She’d been able to use her own experience as the only American actor in the show, not really having insight into the wonders of the English countryside.

“It’s a lot like life imitating art, right?” she says. “Like, she [Cameron] came from New York to come here, I came from LA. So I understood her coming here and being new and not understanding this world.”

I’m not sure how many slow-burn relationships are allowed to happen in a world of Tinder and so on, so it was extremely enjoyable to play

Katherine Parker plays gentle Lizzie Vereker, and I suspect talking about the situation between her character and that of Danny Dyer’s is off limits, although obviously you can read what happens in the book. But she confesses to being thrilled to be working with him, and their chemistry is lovely.

“I was so pleased that Danny was playing that part. It’s so beautifully drawn throughout the series, their dynamic. And it unfolds over eight episodes, which is a kind of slow-burn relationship. Which feels very ‘80s. I’m not sure how many slow-burn relationships are allowed to happen in a world of Tinder and so on, so it was extremely enjoyable to play.”

And another great team

David Tennant is Lord Baddingham, massively hung up on class and wanting to fit in. He’s anchored by his wife, Lady Monica, played by the excellent Claire Rushbrook, who is very much old school posh, and who gives him the only real class clout he has. David says he loved playing Tony.

“It’s all there, it’s all there in the writing. And it’s very potent, it’s very British. But it’s very human too, you know? Like, [as Tony] I can never quite be where I want to be, to always be disappointed, because no matter how hard you try, there’s a club you’re not allowed to be in. And for someone like Tony, that’s devastating. He can only try harder. And he will never be satisfied because he’s always one peg down from the exclusive club, and it kills him.”

…he will never be satisfied because he’s always one peg down from the exclusive club, and it kills him…

Tony’s a grammar school boy, as opposed to, say, Rupert’s start in life at Harrow. And the chip on his shoulder is enormous. The most important thing to Tony?

“Winning!!” shouts Tennant, quite literally, channelling Tony alarmingly right there in the screening room. “Whatever that means, and whatever the situation… because he can never have the ultimate prize, he must have ALL the other prizes.” Tennant laughs. “He’s very balanced. There’s no daddy issues here, AT ALL!”

On scenes with Claire Rushbrook as his wife, Lady Baddingham. “I love those scenes, because it’s where all his armour falls away, and you get to see the little boy again. And he’s sort of got his mum there, that comfort. He’s very at home with her, and absolutely needs her. And he kind of runs this extraordinary lifestyle of treachery and debauchery, but he always has to have Monica.”

Best part of the night was seeing Jilly Cooper

Dame Jilly Cooper attends a special UK screening of “Rivals” (Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images for Disney+)

It’s not often I fangirl massively, but honestly. It’s DAME JILLY COOPER! After a lifetime of reading her books and words, I actually found it quite emotional to see her in the flesh. She was utterly divine, just so happy with the production and telling all the girls how beautiful they were and all the men how handsome. Plus ca change, Jilly! She’s a rather marvellous 87 now, and looking good on it. Plenty of the old Cooper sparkle, and clearly having a whale of a time at the do. I didn’t get to corner her, and probably would have been too shy really. But it was enough to have been there for this whole event.

As for the show – well, I could have sat there and binged the whole lot in one go. Which is, I suspect, what will happen when it finally airs. It’s one hundred per cent a ‘romp’ and not to be taken massively seriously. I absolutely loved it, and really hope they make the entire Rutshire Chronicles into telly shows, if they’re going to be like this.

Jilly Cooper’s Rivals launches on 18 October on Disney+ in the UK

Don’t say: “I’ll have a soya matcha latte with a gluten-free protein bar.”
Do say: “More champagne and keep it coming, and pass the Dunhills.”

Sam Harrington-Lowe

Sam is Silver’s founder and editor-in-chief. She’s largely responsible for organising all the things, but still finds time to do the odd bit of writing. Not enough though. Send help.

The post First look: Jilly Cooper’s Rivals is a wild ride appeared first on Silver Magazine.

Are you school-ready!? Brain back in gear after the summer holidays? Let’s find out how brainy you are with our ‘back-to-school’ general knowledge quiz.

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Adam Jacot de Boinod

Adam Jacot de Boinod was a researcher for the first BBC series QI, compered by Stephen Fry, and is an author of three books including ‘The Meaning of Tingo.’

The post Back to school! General knowledge quiz appeared first on Silver Magazine.

In the summer sun, there’s two things you need. An ice-cold beverage of choice, and a little something to read. Here are some of our top summer book recommendations. Whether you’re into romance, drama, horror, thrillers, science fiction… we’ve got something on this list for you. 

 Crime – A Cyclist’s Guide to Crime and Croissants by Ann Claire

Cosy mystery. Set against the backdrop of the stunning French countryside, crime and murder build up, hitting close to home for recently migrated Sadie, who is left grappling for clues as her bicycling tour company comes under scrutiny when her old boss ends up dead. 

Drama –  Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

A tense family drama. When a successful family begin to crumble and crack, questions arise. But do the Delaney family want to solve these mysteries, when the now-grown children realise that the most obvious suspect in their mother’s disappearance is their own father? 

Historical – Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon

Set in 412 BC after the failed invasion of Sicily. Two local potters begin to visit prisoners, enticing them to recite lines from Euripides in exchange for food. With little real work to do, Lempo and Geldon decide to perform a play with the help of the prisoners. But as the show date creeps closer, it becomes difficult to distinguish between enemies and friends. This historical tale will have you hooked. 

Romance – Beach Read by Emily Henry

Two writers. One holiday. A romcom waiting to happen… Both broke writers suffer from crippling writers block, amongst other things.  Despite their different writing styles, the pair place a bet to swap genres and see who gets published first. You could say this is the perfect ‘Beach Read’.

Horror – Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

A transformation begins. Motherhood is hard, tiring, and exhausting. At home full time with a two-year-old, this protagonist’s loneliness is suffocating, but her hobbies are changing. Instead, when her child won’t rest, she begins to gain new things… New senses, new appetites, new instincts. And from deep within herself, a new voice begins to howl. This hilarious and brilliantly unique horror tale will have you at the edge of your seat. 

Mystery- The Wrong Daughter by Dandy Smith

What would you do if you came home to find your daughter missing from her bed? When Caitlin and Olivia’s parents leave them to go to a dinner party, they return to find one bed empty. Their eldest daughter is gone. Until a now grown Olivia steps forward. But is she all that she seems? And is Caitlin telling the truth about what happened that night? Dark, and chilling, this page turner is not one to be missed this summer. 

Thriller – Yellowface by R.F Kuang

How far would you go to have commercial success? When failed writer June Hayward witnesses her rival Athena Liu die in a freak accident, she sees her opportunity to get what she wants, and takes it. Stealing Athenas final manuscript and publishing it as her own, she also begins to steal Athenas identity. An identity that is not hers to claim. This best seller will certainly keep you entertained, and shocked at the extent some will go to for success. 

Murder Mystery:Murder on Stage by F.L Everett  Set in 1940’s England, detective Edie York focuses on solving a suspicious murder in the midst of the Blitz. Warm, cozy and compelling, this page turner will have you on the edge of your seat as you dive into a world of crime. Do you have what it takes to solve a murder? This is the third book in the Edie York mystery series, and they just keep getting better.

Dystopian – The Blueprint by Rae Giana Rashad

Maybe dark dystopian futures are your thing? Set in a dystopian Texas where choice no longer exists, Solenne Bonet has an algorithm determine her occupation, spouse, and residence. She finds peace in penning the biography of an enslaved ancestor from 1800s Louisiana. But when paths weave with high-ranking government officials, she must decide whether and how to leave behind all she knows.  

Science fiction- I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream and Other Greatest Hits,  by Harlan Ellison

 Now this book is for anyone who wants to have an existential crisis pool-side. Filled with five stories, each unique and slightly terrifying, these science-fiction futures are certain to entertain. But most importantly you won’t want to look at technology for the rest of your holiday duration. 

Fantasy- The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

A magical library filled with secrets. How would you look back at your life? And what would you regret? On her last day on earth Nora finds herself teleported to a magical library. Where she is given the chance to undo mistakes and look at all the other lives she could have lived. But is it too late, things have already gone from bad to worse? And with unlimited choices and possibilities what is the best way to live? 

 Another article you may like: Getting your car ready for a summer roadtrip

 Comedy – I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue 

After an unfortunate IT error allows Jolene access to all her coworkers emails and private messages, initially she is horrified. The less she knows about them the better.  However, once she realises the power she now holds, Jolene uncovers a lot more than she bargained for. Filled with humour and a little romance, this is one for the pool-side.

 Fiction- Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

Not all journeys’ have to be to outer space. Cyrus has always been lost. He’s grown up haunted by the mysteries of his past, losing his mother whose plane was shot down. This tale explores how revelations and new people can change your life, whether it be for the good or the bad. 

Non-fiction –It’s Not Hysteria (Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health) by Karen Tang

Women’s health often flies under the radar. Many of us know what it is like to go to the doctors with a feminine issue, and feel unheard. It’s Not Hysteria explains crucial information about abnormal periods, PCOS, endometriosis, and fibroids, to more complex aspects of gynaecological care like fertility, sexual health, and hysterectomies. This book empowers readers to act and advocate for themselves with healthcare professionals, and get talking about reproductive health.  

Isabella Poderico

Overly enthusiastic and obsessed with everything a little nerdy, Isabella has written about everything from movie premieres to politics. She can often be found, as many writers often are, sitting in front of her laptop typing away obsessively in an extortionately priced independent coffee shop.

The post Summer book recommendations 2024 appeared first on Silver Magazine.

Finally, we have a first glimpse of the avidly-awaited eight-part series made for television, Rivals, based on the celebrated novel by Dame Jilly Cooper. And yes, we are VERY excited.

For those of you who don’t know (where have you been?!) Rivals delves headfirst into the ruthless world of independent television in 1986. It’s part of Cooper’s bestselling ‘Rutshire Chronicles’, the iconic literary series packed full of wit, romantic entanglements, sex and unforgettable characters. It’s like Dynasty with Barbours.

What’s the story?

Alex Hassell as Rupert Campbell-Black

In the fictional county of Rutshire, a long-standing rivalry between two powerful men is about to boil over. Alex Hassell plays dashing ex-Olympian, Tory MP and incorrigible rake, the dangerously charismatic Rupert Campbell-Black.

David Tennant plays Rupert’s single-mindedly ambitious and egotistical Rutshire neighbour Lord Tony Baddingham, controller of Corinium Television. A long-simmering power struggle between the two men threatens to boil over when they lock horns over the future of Corinium.

Caught in the crossfire is TV presenter Declan O’Hara, played by Aidan Turner. Fiercely intellectual, with an even fiercer temper, he is wooed to Corinium TV from the BBC by Baddingham himself. But feels he’s been swindled when Tony refuses to deliver on his promises. Furious with Tony, Declan vows to get his revenge.

Aidan Turner as Declan O’Hara

David Tennant as Lord Tony Baddingham

The rest of the cast includes Victoria Smurfit who plays Maud O’Hara, a former actress and Declan’s bohemian, fickle wife. And Bella Maclean, who plays Declan and Maud’s tender-hearted yet strong-willed elder daughter, Taggie. She holds the O’Hara family together and keeps an eye on her younger and wilder sister Caitlin, played by Catriona Chandler.

Read more: One Day, set in the 1980s – why do we enjoy nostalgia?

And yet more talent

Nafessa Williams as Cameron Cook

Roguish Danny Dyer stars as Freddie Jones: honourable, loyal and lovable, he’s a self-made electronics millionaire. Freddie’s got the money, but finds himself, along with his social-climbing wife Valerie, an outsider to Rutshire’s cliques. But when Rupert and Tony come to him with a business proposition, all that could change.

Nafessa Williams is Cameron Cook, a ferociously talented American TV executive who is brought to Corinium by Tony to produce Declan’s new prime-time talk show. She soon finds herself caught between the two powerful men who deeply underestimate her – at their peril. Katherine Parkinson stars as Lizzie Vereker, a romantic novelist consistently overlooked by her preening and self-centred TV presenter husband, James Vereker, played by Oliver Chris.

The series includes a whole hotbed of other acting talents. Such as Claire Rushbrook, who plays Lady Monica Baddingham, Tony’s dependable, upper-crust wife who has absolutely no interest in the dramatic goings-on within her husband’s empire. And Luke Pasqualino plays the charming Basil ‘Bas’ Baddingham, Tony’s younger brother and the proprietor of Cotchester’s hot spot, ‘Bar Sinister’. While Emily Atack plays Sarah Stratton, the new wife to Deputy Prime Minister, Paul Stratton, played by Rufus Jones. Sarah is ambitious, and not afraid to use her looks to get to the top. Paul, on the other hand, is in the throes of a midlife crisis – and everyone knows it.

Jilly is thrilled to see Rivals come alive on television

Executive producer and Rivals author, Jilly Cooper said, “I’m utterly enchanted to be able to announce our all-star line-up for Rivals. Featuring some of the best acting talent that the British Isles has to offer, I couldn’t have dreamed of a better ensemble cast.

“I cannot wait to be on set, and see them bring the characters I love so much to life. The minute we met with Alex we knew he’d perfectly embody my all-time hero. The iconic, racy, ruthless, and devastatingly handsome, Rupert Campbell-Black. Viewers are in for a treat!”

The television series Rivals, based on the novel by Jilly Cooper, is set to debut on Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+ in other countries later this year.

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The post A first look at the lineup for Jilly Cooper’s Rivals appeared first on Silver Magazine.

Here are five tips on how to communicate with your cat, from leading cat expert Claire Bessant

Nurturing a relationship with an animal is one of the best feelings. The patter of their paws as they come up to you for attention, nuzzling up against you. But do you ever wonder what they’re thinking?! 

Claire is the chief executive of the Feline Advisory Bureau, and has recently released an updated edition of her book How to Talk to Your Cat. In her book, she shares tips on building a stronger relationship between you and your moggie. As well as analysing problems that can arise between cat and owner, and how best to resolve them.

Here are Claire’s top five tips on how to communicate, and keep your cats happy.

Cat lover? Take our cat quiz

1. Treat cats as cats 

Cats are sensitive creatures, tuned into their environment, and to the people and other animals within it. They’re not like people, or dogs, who have an inbuilt need to collaborate and compromise in exchange for the benefits of being within a group. 

Cats (except lions) have evolved as solitary predators. And as such don’t have the genetic make-up which drives them to compromise. Therefore, some of their behaviours may seem ‘selfish’ to us, but that is a human point of view. The word ‘pet’ implies certain behaviour on both sides. But we are dealing with an animal with strongly inbuilt needs, not a teddy bear or a robot. The fact that we can live successfully together is actually a huge credit to the adaptability of the cat. 

Many of us call our pets ‘fur babies’ or ourselves ‘pet parents’, which shows our love for them and the responsibility we take for them. However, this also allows us to consider them as children and interpret their behaviour and needs as such. This can do the cat a disservice, removing the need to understand the species, and can lead to miscommunication. 

2. Let the cat take lead

When a cat comes for interaction, react and stroke or talk, being sensitive to how long the cat wants this interaction to occur. Go slowly and don’t push the physical interaction – the cat may not want to be grabbed, or cuddled or kissed.  

Watch out for signs that the cat has had enough. If it dips away from your hand, turns to look at the hand which is stroking it, that’s a sign. So is it if its skin ripples, its ears move lower or turn around, or it tries to move away. 

Cats usually like short interactions which do not confine them – longer and closer is not usually the cat way. React to positive signs from the cat – approaching with its tail up, rubbing around your legs, purring, or moving towards your hand for interaction. It’s about trust and gentle, respectful interaction; few cats want intense handling or tummy tickling. If you ignore negative signs, then the cat is less likely to initiate interaction, and vice versa.

3. Get to know your cat

Just like people, there are bold and confident cats who take life and its challenges in their stride. There are others which are nervous, and for whom change may cause stress. Being stressed means that cats may behave by hiding, or by pushing people away, which may be interpreted as aggression. 

How the cat reacts can be a result of its genes and its experiences in the first couple of months of life, when it can learn to be comfortable with people, or to be fearful of them.

4. Listen to your cat

Between themselves, cats do make sounds such as small chirrups, purring, and of course hissing or growling if they are not getting on. However, cats have learned, very cleverly, to develop interactions with their people using different miaows.  

If a certain miaow is interpreted by us as them wanting food or attention, they may encourage us by making some parts of the sound higher pitched or drawn out. The more you allow yourself to be ‘trained’, the more likely the cat is to interact in this way.  

Listen to your cat’s purr. You will start to notice that there are two ‘modes’; one that is rather sleepy and contented, when for example they are sitting quietly on our laps; the other more demanding, with an underlying pitch which stirs us into action! If you react positively to their encouragement, communication is being built up.

5. Be respectful of your cat

Be respectful, and don’t try to control the cat. All of its instincts will interpret this as a threat to survival, not that you are doing something you feel is for its own good. Enjoy the contented moments and read the signals the cat is giving. They may be subtle but if you tune in you will notice more and more. Encourage and reward with whatever your cats likes; stroking, food, or play. But identify when the cat has had enough.  

Enjoy the small things. It’s not all about cuddling the cat. The cat may want to be with you when you are working at the computer or in the garden, it may begin to communicate more if you react in the right way and that is rewarding too. Even small things can make you happy, as well as the cat. Each relationship is different.

How to Talk to Your Cat, by Claire Bessant, is out now

Lana Hall

Lana can usually be found spinning her collection of records, or writing odd poems in her phone notes. Her mixer of choice is a ginger beer, and you’ll never find her away from the sea for more than a few weeks.

The post Five tips on how to communicate with your cat appeared first on Silver Magazine.

In our Meet the Novelist series Flic Everett, writing as F.L Everett, has just debuted her Edie York cosy crime series with A Report of Murder. And her second novel, Murder in a Country Village, is now on sale.

How would you describe yourself?

I am small, extremely determined, highly anxious, and a very loving – some might say smothering – mother to my wonderful grown-up son. I’m very bad at staying tidy but like to have huge, sweeping blitzes of the house every few weeks, so everything is perfect for 10 minutes, before it all atrophies again.

I love cooking. I’m vegetarian/pescetarian, while my husband basically has the diet of a Paleolithic tiger, so I often cook complex and fancy meals for myself. Although Ottolenghi’s recipes make my brain hurt. I love baking and eating out, but have been on a rolling low-key diet for months, so I’m not doing much of either at the moment – and eating out is increasingly too expensive. And I like crap reality TV and really good TV dramas, and my favourite films are mostly pre-1950.

Can you tell us more about your unique sense of style?

I love clothes. I used to own a vintage shop in Manchester and I still miss it. My greatest treat is a proper rummage in an old-fashioned charity shop and a pile of bargains. I’m quite lazy about beauty though – I’ve just had my first haircut in two years, and I can’t do Botox because I’m too scared of it.

How important are friends and family?

I have a lot of friends who I value hugely, on and offline. As an only child, I have a very small but wonderful family – I go back to Manchester a great deal to see them. I’m married to Andy, my third and last husband, who is very clever and understands me.

Aside from the people I love, what makes me happiest is animals and reading. We’ve got two spaniels and a little black cat. When I’m away, I miss them so much it’s almost physical. Every childhood photo shows me clutching some small animal or other, or cuddling a pony – not mine, I’m not very posh – or holding up a reluctant cat. I wanted to be a vet, but I’m rubbish at science.

Apart from writing, what are you good at – and what are you not so good at?

I’m good at buying presents, finding bargains, listening, decorating, drawing, and arguing in print. I’m bad at parking, concentrating on anything but reading or writing, maths, science and arguing in person because it makes me panic.

Where do you like to write?

I hate writing in cafes. I feel constantly on edge, aware of crying babies and beset by the whacking sound of that little coffee thing they’re always bashing. I feel like I need to keep ordering stuff I don’t want so they don’t chuck me out and I honestly can’t understand why people enjoy it.

Equally, I don’t write outdoors. “Ooh, lovely day, look at me, working in the garden!” Yes, with your pink, peeling nose and the sun glaring off the screen. No, thank you. I work in my house, in silence – I can’t focus any other way. You may not believe I’m fun at parties, but I am.

Any particular spot in the house?

I have a sort-of office in the spare bedroom of our two-bedroom cottage, but the dogs either whine outside the door, or bash their way in and jump about, plus Andy likes to have the news on in the living room so I get distracted by reporters shouting about politics. I prefer to work in the kitchen on a really un-ergonomic bentwood chair piled with cushions, so I can reach the table, as I’m 5’1”. That way, I’m near the kettle, the radiator, the fridge and the dogs. Plus the cat has a box on the table, so I can reach out to stroke her if she’s lying in it. At the moment she prefers our bed, but cats are very changeable.

Are you a handwriting merchant?

Good grief, no. I used to read books by Americans that often mentioned writing in yellow legal pads and they always sounded quite exotic, but I’ve never found one. I have terrible handwriting. If I write Andy a shopping list he has to go through it, translating worries into cherries. I work on a MacBook Air. Occasionally, I make notes in my phone if something strikes me, but notepads really are just for notes. For actual book, it has to be typing in Word. I am that Mac person who the PC people despise.

Do you have any writing rituals?

I have to be dressed properly, I have to be sitting upright and, while I will allow Andy to come in and make bread, and I can cope with the tumble drier being on, any more noise than that is unacceptable to me and my jangling nerves.

So, you’re a creature of habit?

Yes, I must have a boiling hot bath every day, or I feel uneasy. I don’t drink much, after years of drinking quite a lot – or a normal amount for a journalist. I stopped for four years and now I have the odd one, but I’m a Virgo and a health hypochondriac. I don’t want to be responsible for my own death, so I try to be reasonably healthy. I go for long walks where we live in the country in Scotland. It’s my dream to see an otter.

Do you eat and drink while you write?

A great deal of tea with skimmed milk. I don’t really drink much else. I can’t write while I eat, so I have to have a little break. I’ll read the sidebar of shame or a bit of whatever book I’m reading – currently the new Lisa Jewell. I try to have a proper lunch break to give my brain a rest, so I eat leftovers or soup or whatever’s in the fridge.

Do you write to music or do you prefer quiet?

Silence and solitude. Although I was writing a short story for a mag the other day and struggling to get in the mood, so I did play a bit of French accordion music to help me write about Paris.

What’s the strangest thing you do to inspire yourself?

I don’t think I do anything strange, I’m quite boring. Perhaps as a freelance journalist for 30 years, you get over the idea of inspiration very quickly. I’m still a journalist, as well as a novelist. If I’ve got a deadline, I just do it, and the same goes for writing novels. Sit down, bash it out. Some days it’s easier than others, but I don’t drift about by ponds, waiting for my muse to strike.

What if you’re exhausted?

If I’m tired, I favour a very hot bath with a good thriller, and a cuddle with the dogs. And in times of exhaustion it’s nice to have a change of scene – even a visit to the cinema – to immerse yourself in something else for a bit. And I go for a walk nearly every day, so if things just aren’t working, I take the dogs out and go up a hill. See? Boring.

How do you overcome distractions and procrastination?

I don’t even think about them. I started as a journalist when I was 21, working from home. By 22, I had a baby, and by 24 I was divorced. I had to make a living, so that’s what I did – it’s no different from sitting in an office. If I dick about, I’m not earning money and I’m annoying my editors, and they probably won’t use me again. That’s enough to keep me at it. Having said that, I spend a lot of time on social media – it has made life much less lonely for writers.

Are many of your characters based on real people?

None of them. I always find it odd when people ask who they’re based on, as if the whole point of being a writer isn’t making things up. I invent all of them – it’s my favourite part of the entire process. I think all plot should spring from character, even in crime novels. It’s very important to me to make my cast of people believable. Of course, we’re all influenced by who we are, and who we’ve met over the years, and I’m sure there’s a bit of me in Edie – but really, they’re people I’d like to meet, rather than people I know. Although I did borrow one tiny trait of my mum’s in my second book to describe a character and she did recognise it, but nobody else would!

Read more: meet another novelist; Mhairi McFarlane on romcoms and real people…

Are there other genres you’d like to explore with your writing?

I constantly have ideas for books in other genres – the only kind that doesn’t remotely interest me is fantasy. Books about elves and kingdoms are in my Room 101. They always seem utterly devoid of humour – “Sire, we shall feast well this night!” – and I find them horrifically dull.

I’m not keen on horror, space, goddesses, futuristic dystopias or books about everyone on Earth suddenly waking up with a new power. I do enjoy witches, time travel and pure science-y sci-fi, though. Blake Crouch does this well. I like thrillers, spy novels, good rom coms, gripping literary fiction – books about real people in real situations. I would happily write any kind, as long as it’s character-led.

I do love cosy crime as it ticks many of my enjoyment boxes, but perhaps one day I’ll try other types too. I did write a psychological thriller during lockdown, but looking back, it was a bit bleak, and a bit too informed by my last, very traumatic, divorce. Best left, I think!

Are there any hard and fast rules you set yourself for your stories or characters?

I try to avoid cliché. Other than that, there are certain unspoken rules about cosy crime. You wouldn’t make your lovable protagonist the killer, for instance – and the ending has to be satisfactory. You can’t just leave all the threads dangling. But beyond that, no.

I’m very careful about dialogue. My books are set during the war, so I spend a lot of time on etymology websites, checking on slang and whether certain expressions were in use. I wish TV scriptwriters would do the same. I’m still not over Downton Abbey describing Lady Edith as ‘feisty.’

Will the internet and people’s shortened attention spans ever mean the end of the novel?

This is an Oxford entrance exam question. I know, because I did the exam, then screwed up the interview by getting drunk the night before with a Goth undergraduate I’d just met.
I can’t answer it, which is probably why I didn’t get in. I can only say, I hope not.

What do you wish you’d known before starting this novel-writing malarkey?

That I’d be extremely skint for a very long time – you get paid after publication with my publisher. Other than that, nothing has surprised me. I love it and it’s everything I hoped.

What would you advise eager new writers?

I’d say don’t get too bogged down in support groups and writing circles, and don’t worry too much about feedback early on. Too much opinion can kill a book stone dead. Write what you want to write, make it as good as you can. Then show the world.

Writing is fetishised and people get overwrought about it, but you’re just putting words down on paper. You don’t need rituals and hashtags and retreats, you just need to have a story you want to tell. Crack on! Nobody will tell your story for you – unless you’re a celeb with a ghostwriter – so you might as well do it yourself.

• To order Flic’s books on Amazon in all their various forms hit this link
• National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) takes place every November. It began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days.

Sam Harrington-Lowe

Sam is Silver’s founder and editor-in-chief. She’s largely responsible for organising all the things, but still finds time to do the odd bit of writing. Not enough though. Send help.

The post Meet the novelist: Flic Everett on cats, clichés, and the horror of fantasy appeared first on Silver Magazine.

Our next meet the novelist is Mhairi McFarlane. McFarlane needs little introduction – her catalogue is prolific. Her romantic comedy novels have been critically acclaimed and book, If I Never Met You, is being adapted for screen.

How would you describe yourself?

I would describe myself as a romantic comedy novelist. But if you call me chick lit, I wouldn’t melt down. I quite like the chance then to exceed expectations.

Where do you write?

At home on my pink MacBook Air! Such a cliché… I’m not great with distractions – and there are so many post-internet – so first draft pressure needs quiet and solitude. I can edit in Caffe Nero if I need a change of scene, but I’m 95% own sofa. Boring, I know. I am short of a fabulous nook, and weird baroque routine: “First I must eat two kiwis from my grandmother’s china…”

Read more: Meet the novelist, Pam Howes

Do you take longhand notes or use a keyboard?

Keyboard. Didn’t Quentin Tarantino say he does longhand drafts because “you can’t write poetry on a computer”? It’s a lovely sentiment, but given the job involves deadlines and endless rewriting, you need your work-in-progress to have a delete key.

If you weren’t a romantic comedy novelist, is there another genre you’d like to explore?

Ooh, crime. Detective novels. I love a returning world like Rebus in Edinburgh. I’d definitely end up throwing in a Robin-and-Strike-style slow burn romance though. You can take a girl out of her genre, but you can’t take the genre out of the girl.

Is there anything strange you do to inspire yourself when you’re running on empty?

I’m not sure it qualifies as strange, but I accept social invites, so it looks like the exact opposite of working. I see strangers who become visual blueprints for characters, I have conversations that spark ideas, and if I’m seeing a film or a show, then at some point my mind wanders to my own project. Sometimes what seems to be occupying yourself is freeing you up to roam, mentally. This is my excuse for why you’ll find me in the pub a week before deadline, anyway.

How do you even make yourself sit and finish your work?

Hmm, I am not sure there’s a single answer to this. I swill black coffee and chat online a lot to warm up for writing, but I don’t accept those who’d say it’s a scandalous waste of time. When it comes to something creative, you might only have a few productive hours in you in a day, so it’s about making space for them to happen. My most common tactic when I’m simply not feeling it – for my money this is worse than fooling about – the times when your manuscript seems flat and worthless, and you’re drained of inspiration or belief in it – is to go edit a section that already exists and improve that by increments. My editing brain is way less of a sensitive, mutable diva than my production brain. This, however, depends on having written enough there’s material to edit. You can see why my first drafts crank out pitifully slowly.

How many of your characters are based on real people?

Lots. None. All of them. This is not a contradictory answer. It’s pretty hard to offend me, but the one question that makes my hackles rise is when people think a novel is a Guess Who? game of personalities you’ve encountered in real life. Not only does this imply I can’t do my job and no actual fiction has gone on, but who’s surrounded by a real world cast colourful enough to populate a romantic comedy anyway? Or for any novel for that matter? Sounds improbable and exhausting. It’s up there with “Are all your plots things that have happened to you?” BRIAN, I’VE DONE NINE BOOKS, THINK THAT QUESTION THROUGH!

Tell us more about the myth of simply lifting plots from life…

This mistaken belief that it’s a game of plagiarising reality is why slush piles are full of books of the dreaded “so many funny things happened in my office and all I have to do is write them down” variety. If you try to directly port over people you know or anecdotes you tell to paper, you’ll find they fall flat. Building a story has different needs, so try memoir instead. You draw from life around you constantly, obviously, but for me, every character is a composite. I might rob handy elements here and there, but the whole of them is a fiction. Sometimes they’re pure fantasy.

Can you give an example of a fantasy character?

There’s a boss in my book Who’s That Girl? called Richard. He was simply me trying to write my platonic ideal of a dream boss, and sadly he’s wholly invented! He might have a bit of the Barack Obamas about him, but that’s it.

Do your friends and enemies ever recognise themselves in your books?

Friends, sometimes, enemies, never. Though would they tell me if they did? It’d be what the young people call a self-own, wouldn’t it? “That shocking two faced bitch is clearly ME!” Top tip: you can either hide it from people, or alert anyone you know that it’s them by your choice of the most superficial characteristics. For example, if you want to write about your terrible brother, make him a sister and he won’t see it, no matter how pitiless and accurate the portrait. If you write a doctor and your pal’s a doctor, she will think it’s her, no matter how wildly dissimilar they are. It’s quite comforting and useful, as we novelists need to be able to do distraction thefts and misdirects.

Do you eat and drink while you’re writing?

Ha! I’ve never been asked this! Nothing. I chug pints of black coffee. If I am eating lunch, the screen’s on something else for the duration.

Do you play music when you work or do you prefer silence?

I am absolutely a silence person. My little rat brain cannot cope with multiple channels of information flow at once.

Are there any absolute hard and fast rules you set yourself about your stories or characters?

I once read: “Lie about everything except emotions.” I try to keep that with me. Someone behaving in an unnatural way purely to push the plot forward is a huge no. Never make your characters puppets of the plot. And never shortchange the difficulty of something you’re tackling because it was a device, and you want to get back to the other lighter thing that’s happening. I’ve written about some serious topics in my books and I think readers have always come with me because they can see they’re not there to provide a narrative wrinkle or a topical issue. For example, one of my books features a death and I was adamant to my editor that the loss is there until the very last page, not simply tidied away and moved on from.

Will the internet and people’s shortened attention spans ever mean the end of the novel?

Well, if cinema and television weren’t the end of the novel, why would TikTok be?

What do you wish you’d known before starting this novel-writing malarkey?

Ooh, good question. Do you know, I’m not sure any advice to Younger Me me works, because all I’d do is fret. I could tell her that coming up with the ideas every year is a bastard, but what’s she going to do with that knowledge? I wish I’d enjoyed my debut more. You only get to be new once and I had this vast blank canvas and no risk of repeating myself, but all that was swallowed by the terror and uncertainty.

Any advice for eager new writers?

Write the story that grips your stomach, that keeps you awake at night, that you become obsessed with. Write the book that isn’t there on the bookshop shelves that you want to read. Enthusiasm is a communicable disease.

• To find out more about Mhairi McFarlane’s work, go to mhairimcfarlane.com
• National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) takes place every November. It began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words in thirty days.

Sam Harrington-Lowe

Sam is Silver’s founder and editor-in-chief. She’s largely responsible for organising all the things, but still finds time to do the odd bit of writing. Not enough though. Send help.

The post Meet the novelist: Mhairi McFarlane on romcoms, real people, and ridiculous questions appeared first on Silver Magazine.