I talked to Eilis Phillips about her synaesthesia and her multiple creative roles, which include academic historian, musician, blogger and author. Eilis says of her writing: “I’m inspired by all writers of the fantastic, in particular by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Italo Calvino, Jorge Luis Borges, Peter Beagle, J. R. R. Tolkien, Isaac Asimov, a veritable bevy of nineteenth-century Gothic authors, and the fabulous ghost stories of M.R. James.”

I began by asking Eilis questions about synaesthesia, moving onto her other activities afterwards. Continue reading EILIS PHILLIPS AND THE JOYS OF SYNAESTHESIA, Part One →

This is the final diary entry written by Beth, the protagonist of my novel ‘Violet’. It was influenced by accounts of near-death experiences. Rather than dwelling on the physical trials of dying it focuses on recapitulating life – the marvellous, sad, varied, inspiring social experience. Continue reading VIOLET – LAST ENTRY →

I interviewed international poet Kinga Fabó whose work has been translated into 17 different languages. Kinga has been published in journals such as Modern Poetry in Translation; Numéro Cinq, Ink Sweat & Tears, Deep Water Literary Journal and anthologies like The Significant Anthology, Women in War and World Poetry Yearbook 2015. Her latest book, a bilingual Indonesian-English poetry collection Racun/Poison was published in 2015. She lives in Budapest, Hungary.

I handle strong, unusual themes in a casual, matter-of-fact manner, in an everyday style, simply and detached – Kinga Fabó. Continue reading KINGA FABÓ – SHAPING THE FREE SPIRIT OF POETRY →

This blog tells the story of an award-winning film on tour and the LGBTQ book that inspired it. I originally wrote it for the expressive arts organisation, Lapidus International – Leslie Tate. Continue reading TOURING ‘HEAVEN’S RAGE’ →

I interviewed Nadia Nadif, actor and theatre activist. Appearing with innovative theatre companies in a wide range of roles, Nadia has taken part in family shows (including learning how to stilt walk!), plays about domestic violence, and performed a Sudanese trance dance as part of a production at the Edinburgh Festival. She has also toured the Middle East with a comedy-farce show.

I began by asking Nadia about the pivotal role she played in creating The Scar Test, a challenging exposé of the UK’s inhumane treatment of refugees in detention.

Leslie: You acted in ‘The Scar Test’. Can you explain the title and the content of the play, please? Continue reading NADIA NADIF: ACTING TO LIVE →

Part two of my interview with Jane Davis, the winner of the Daily Mail First Novel Award, covers her relationship with the book industry, how and why she writes, and her more recent work.

Jane, who has been acclaimed by The Bookseller, is the author of eight novels. Her 2015 novel, An Unknown Woman, was Writing Magazine’s Self-published Book of the Year 2016 and has been shortlisted for two further awards.

Leslie: Why did you move back to self-publishing after being adopted by a significant publishing house and sought after by agents? What conclusions do you draw from your experiences? Continue reading JANE DAVIS: WRITING NOVELS OUTSIDE THE BOX, Part Two →