Susie, Author at Allison & Busby

My favourite authors – A guest blog post by Jacqueline Winspear

12 October, 2023

To celebrate the launch of The White Lady in paperback last month, we asked Jacqueline Winspear who her favourite authors are. It’s an interesting question – which authors have inspired you? I have been an avid reader since early childhood, though I know every writer says pretty much the same thing . However, I have […]

Writing the ‘Blind Detective’ series – A guest blog post from Christina Koning

3 October, 2023

Our Author of the Month for October is Christina Koning, author of the Blind Detective series. This month, we publish two more books in the ongoing interwar series – Murder in Cambridge and Murder in Barcelona. In this blog post, Christina reflects upon writing the series. When, in 2014, I started writing the first book […]

Crimes of the past – A guest blog post from Jim Kelly

18 July, 2023

As Jim Kelly is our Author of the Month for July, we asked him to write a blog post on writing crime fiction. I am – apparently – an author of historical crime. I am not sure how this happened, or why, but I’m enjoying it a lot. The Eden Brooke series is set in […]

Morðor heo writ / Murder She Writes – A guest blog post from Sarah Hawkswood as part of National Crime Reading Month

20 June, 2023

To celebrate National Crime Reading Month (June 2023) we will be showcasing our finest crime series from the Allison & Busby bookshelves. Each week, we will be spotlighting a different crime series and bringing you exclusive content from the authors themselves. National Crime Reading Month aims to bring crime writing, old and new, to the […]

A guest blog post from Stephanie Austin as part of National Crime Reading Month

13 June, 2023

A guest blog post from Graham Bartlett as part of National Crime Reading Month

31 May, 2023

Unexpected Detectives in Fiction – A guest blog post from Christina Koning as part of National Crime Reading Month

26 May, 2023

Buried Treasure – A guest blog post from Mike Hollow

2 May, 2023

To celebrate the publication of The Camden Murder in paperback this month, we asked Mike Hollow to share a guest blog post on his writing process. Back in the days when I was teetering on the brink of parenthood, it used to be said that the average British family had 2.4 children. I never met […]

Edward Marston’s Railway Detective series welcomes its 21st addition, Death at the Terminus – A guest blog post from Edward Marston

5 April, 2023

Our Author of the Month for April is Edward Marston, author of the Railway Detective series. This month, we celebrate the publication of the 21st book in the series, Death at the Terminus. In this blog post, he reflects on the origins of the series and his love for steam engineering. Death at the Terminus […]

The Children of War – A guest post from Jacqueline Winspear

3 March, 2023

Jacqueline Winspear is our Author of the Month for March 2023. To coincide with the publication of her stand-alone mystery, The White Lady, we are pleased to share a guest blog post from Jacqueline Winspear on the children of war. “Every war is a war against the child.” Eglantyne Jebb, 1876-1828, founder of the Save […]

My Writing Process: The Little Voice Inside Me – A guest blog post from Natalie Jenner

3 February, 2023

Natalie Jenner is our author of the month for February 2023. To celebrate the publication of Bloomsbury Girls in paperback this month, we are pleased to share a guest blog post from Natalie Jenner on her writing process. Listening to an excerpt from the audiobook of my novel Bloomsbury Girls, my editor asked me whose […]

Taking it on the chin – A guest blog post from Liz Webb

18 January, 2023

To celebrate the publication of Liz Webb’s The Daughter in paperback this week, we asked Liz to reflect on her experience as a debut author. Taking it on the chin: even in a sea of 5-star reviews, a 1-star review still stings! If you look up any book you love, there will be 5-star reviews, […]

Across the Open Moor or Down a Twisty Lane -A guest blog post from Stephanie Austin

5 January, 2023

Stephanie Austin is our author of the month for January 2023. To celebrate the publication of Death Comes to Dartmoor this month, we are pleased to share a guest post from Stephanie on the significance of the idyllic countryside in her work. The big event of January for me is undoubtedly the publication of my […]

The ‘Gift’ of Regency Romance – A guest blog post from Sophia Holloway

12 December, 2022

To celebrate the publication of Isabelle this week, we asked Sophia Holloway to reflect on the spirit of Christmas in her novels. Not only does Sophia vividly represent the spirit of the festive period, but her regency romances are intrinsically linked to the act of giving associated with Christmas celebrations. Isabelle is the third of […]

From Screen, to Page, to Stage: Mr Dickens and His Carol – A Guest Post from Samantha Silva

10 November, 2022

To coincide with our November E-Book of the Month, Mr Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva, we asked the author to share her experiences of channelling the centrality of Christmas across different mediums … Most people who read Mr. Dickens and His Carol don’t know that it began life as a screenplay – one […]

Books that inspired Bloomsbury Girls – a guest post by Natalie Jenner

17 May, 2022

To celebrate the publication of Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner, we are pleased to share a list of books that inspired Natalie with her writing of her novel…. Let’s have a look at what books inspired Natalie, in her own words… 84, Charing Cross Road a book by Helene Hanff. (bookshop.org): Hanff’s classic epistolary work […]

How I first became a published author – A guest post from Anna Jacobs

21 April, 2022

Anna Jacobs is our Author of the Month for February 2022. To celebrate the publication of Sarah’s Gift we are pleased to share a guest blog from Anna herself, describing how she became the prolific author that she is. I came away from my Grammar School in 1959 secure in my understanding of English grammar, […]

The background to The Fire Portrait – A guest post from Barbara Mutch to celebrate the paperback publication of her latest novel

13 January, 2022

Barbara Mutch, author of The Fire Portrait and The Girl from Simon’s Bay, is our Author of the Month for January 2022. To celebrate the paperback publication of The Fire Portrait this month we invited Barbara to share the background to her latest novel. I began to write soon after my family are I were […]

Why the ‘bond’ of marriage meant freedom for Regency ladies – a guest post from Sophia Holloway to celebrate the publication of Kingscastle

29 November, 2021

To celebrate the recent publication of Kingscastle by Sophia Holloway, and the end of the Kingscastle blog tour, we invited Sophia to share some thoughts on how marriage liberated women in the Regency era… Human nature does not change, but social attitudes do. The Regency romance in the twenty first century sits less easily than […]

A Walk in the Woods – a guest post from Kevin Sullivan

2 August, 2021

Kevin Sullivan, author of The Figure in the Photograph and The Art of the Assassin, is our Author of the Month for August 2021. To celebrate the paperback publication of The Art of the Assassin in August we invited Kevin to reflect about his experience walking the West Highland Way and from Sarjevo to Visegrad. […]

My Writing Routine – a guest post by Beryl Matthews

11 November, 2019

November can be a busy time as we find ourselves hurtling towards Christmas, but even more so for aspiring writers who may have set themselves a #nanowrimo writing challenge. We’re delighted to have author Beryl Matthews on the blog today to share the process that works for her. Beryl’s latest novel Friends and Enemies is […]