Back to Svalbard

Posted by on

Every author knows that there are many, many literary festivals out there. All the authors I know love being invited to them, but we have to choose the ones we do with care. You can’t do everything (joyous as they often are) or you would never get to write your books/ see your family / etc. Earlier this year, though, an invitation came along and I know I couldn’t turn it down.

It was to the first Longyearbyen literary festival. Longyearbyen is the main town on the island of Spitsbergen, in Svalbard. My book, The One Memory of Flora Banks, is set there, and it’s my favourite place in the world. It feels like a place away from everything else. It’s utterly magical.

This festival was in conjunction with Swedish and Norwegian television, and featured a small number of authors, including the brilliant David Grossman who won the Man Booker prize last year, and Maja Lunde, whose book The History of Bees is a huge bestseller. My partner Craig came with me: we were there from Monday to Friday, and every moment of it was wonderful. Here is a link to the programme, Babel, on Swedish television (my bit is from about 31 minutes), and here, too, are some photos.

Latest book

Ghosted

Ariel's accidental meeting with a handsome stranger called Joe is completely perfect; they have a connection like she's never known before. They exchange numbers and agree to meet when he is back from a trip to France. But when Ariel messages him, the number Joe gave her is disconnected. He's ghosted her. She assumes she will never see him again. Except she does. Again and again. Ariel returns to the place she and Joe met, and is stunned to find him there, not in France as he said he'd be, and behaving as if he has no idea who she…