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Exclusive extract from Listen by Kate Veitch (published by Viking/Penguin). They were plump, meaty birds, Rosemarie admitted grudgingly as she shoved in handfuls of stuffing. The rich creamy-yellow colour of the plucked skin was testament to their short but happy lives, in a generous yard with good food and plenty of it, and they would […]

An exclusive extract from Three Bags Full(Doubleday) by Leonie Swann. ‘He was healthy yesterday,’ said Maude. Her ears twitched nervously. ‘That doesn’t mean anything,’ pointed out Sir Ritchfield, the oldest ram in the flock. ‘He didn’t die of an illness. Spades are not an illness.’ The shepherd was lying in the green Irish grass beside […]

Exclusive extract from The Shifting Fog (Allen & Unwin) by Kate Morton. The week passed quickly. With so many extra people in the house I was kept busy making up rooms, carrying tea trays, laying out luncheons. This pleased me well as I was not shy of hard work — Mother had made sure of […]

Exclusive extract from Once upon a day (Allen & Unwin) by Lisa Tucker, the Great Read in the June issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly. Stephen Spaulding was very happy, and you can’t say that about most people. He hadn’t sought happiness, but he recognized it. This was his gift: to know what he had. […]

Exclusive extract from Sparkles (Headline/Review) by Louise Bagshawe. ‘So,’ the lady said. ‘You have come at last.’ ‘Just so, madame,’ said Sophie, nervously. Her mother in law shook her head and made a little moue of annoyance with her thin lips. ‘Speak English, girl, for heaven’s sake,’ she snapped. ‘You were never any good at […]

1. Go on a reading course. Nobody wants to hear this, everybody ignores it. It’s not sexy advice. But it matters. To write in a given style you must steep yourself in that style. Say you want to write a chick lit book. Before you start, pop down to your bookstore. Get the Shopaholic books, […]

Exclusive extract from The Stone Angel (Macmillan) by Katherine Scloles. Stella’s hand looked large and pale in the undersea light. Strands of hair drifted in front of her mask. She held onto a rock as a swell came through, swirling the weeds. When the sea became still again she pulled her knife from the sheath […]

Exclusive extract from Anybody out there? By Marian Keyes. I used to dream of a white wedding. The kind of dream where you jerk awake in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, your head pounding. A dream in the worst nightmare kind of way. I could see it all. The months of bickering […]

Exclusive extract from Left Bank by Kate Muir. Olivier was in Barthélémy’s cheese shop on the Rue de Grenelle, his nostrils flaring on delight at the loamy, buttery smell. You could leave the cooking up to the maid, but not the selection of cheeses for a dinner party. Was it not Olivier’s favourite foodie, Anthelme […]

Here are author Sue Williams’ top four writing tips: 1. Start The hardest thing is getting started. I’m a great believer in just picking up a pen, or firing up the computer, and making a start. Get yourself going, and write a couple of thousand words quickly to warm up. You can always go back […]