This week sees the start of the new academic year. That means the end of summer, children back at school and, this year, a call for the grown-ups to get back to the office.
The people who have made that leap in the publishing world have been proving the point by posting pictures of their desks on Twitter. In the way of social media, this has meant that all the images have recorded enviable scenes of spectacular views from huge windows, high ceilings and spacious rooms, tidy bookshelves and remarkably resilient plants which have flourished despite having no human care over the past six months.
I do enjoy seeing people's workstations, whether in their home or at the office. But Anthony Horowitz, in his latest novel 'Moonfllower Murders' (which, incidentally, is set in Woodbridge and is very much addictive reading), has his central character telling us that we shouldn't be interested in writer's lives. We should "learn about authors from the work they produce rather than the other way round". I can see his point, but it doesn't stop me being intrigued by the creative process. Hence my new series of Zoom interviews 'at the writer's desk', which you can see here.
This week I am 'at the writer's desk' of Saskia Sarginson ahead of the launch of her latest novel 'The Bench' on Thursday. Saskia has many interesting things to say about the writing process, not least how she finds that whatever she might be reading while she has a work in progress, there wlll always be something that proves relevant to the subject she is exploring. You can see the interview here.
Thank you for reading.