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When I meet or listen to authors I'm always interested to find out about the mechanics of how they write - not just the inspiration, but the process, motivation and discipline.

The biography of the hugely successful thriller writer, Lee Child, published this month, is therefore an astonishing and fascinating read, detailing as it does his meticulous and almost scientific approach.

He started writing when he lost his fulfilling and lucrative job in television in his early 40s. Recognising novels as 'the purest form of entertainment' he resolved to become not just a writer, but a bestselling writer.

Approaching that first book, he listed his calculations on the ideal number of words per line, lines per page, pages per chapter and chapters in the book to achieve the best storytelling momentum to gather and appeal to the most readers. Sentences would be sparse and clipped and the narrative would read as if there was a voice in your head telling you the story.

He had his audience in mind throughout, and worked hard to appeal to a mosaic of different types of readers.

"If you write for a large audience, it's perceived as being easier than writing for a small audience," he says. But avid readers are forgiving and will try anything. People who hardly read at all might never pick up a book again if they have a bad experience. He says the greatest compliment he can receive in a booksigning is when someone tells him they loved his book, because they finished it.

The biography is called 'The Reacher Guy', after Jack Reacher, the hero of Child's 25 books (each of which he began to write on the anniversary of losing his tv job). It has been released as Lee Child has declared his retirement from writing any further novels, having sold 100 million copies worldwide, achieving a personal wealth believed to be $50m. You can read more about the book below.

For a quick fix of author insight, though, why not take a look at what some of our favourite writers are reading at the moment. Each week, the Browsers newsletter is including a message from a well known writer with their recommended new release. If you aren't yet receiving the newsletter, you can sign up here.

And we'll be holding our own recommendations evening in a few weeks - in good time for some Christmas purchases perhaps!

Do you remember all the talk in the early days of lockdown when we were being urged to make good use of the time by achieving some long-held ambition or task? It became a pressure in itself, didn't it. Learn a language! Paint with watercolours! Play a musical instrument!

But perhaps you stepped up to the plate and embarked on that novel you've always been meaning to write?

So now you need an agent.

Suffolk's first literary agency has been launched in Laxfield by Emily Shercliff to help East Anglian authors get their big break.

After 20 years' experience of publishing in Iran, Nigeria, the United States and Australia, Emily is now working in Suffolk, and she is inviting entries for an inaugural New Anglia Manuscript Prize.

Sponsored by the National Centre for Writing in Norwich, the competition will look for the best new writer from Suffolk and Norfolk in the form of a debut novel from an unpublished writer. The winner will receive a cash prize of £500, and an offer of representation from Laxfield Literary Associates.

This is a marvellous opportunity. You never know where it might lead.

On a slightly different tack, take Susie Dent's experience. She was in the right place at the right time when, as a young graduate, just a few weeks into her first job in publishing, she was invited to step into the role of presenter of Dictionary Corner on TV's 'Countdown'. She's now a household name, having been on our screens for 28 years!

We met Susie last week when she joined me online to talk about her new book 'Word Perfect'. We all had a wonderful time learning new words, giggling about her exploits on the TV programmes, and commiserating with her about the issues surrounding the publication of her book last week.

Thank you to everyone who's given me such fabulous feedback about the event: "it was such a fun evening" - "it may have been Zoom but it felt like a night out" - "excellent, please do more!" - "really enjoyable" - "fascinating"

I hope to announce more events like this one, soon.

We've all got an opinion on what leadership has been displayed in this global crisis. Some have said that the countries which have coped best with the pandemic have been those led by women. Read my review on 'Women and Leadership' below to form your own opinion.

But I was intrigued to read recently that the crime writer, Val McDermid believes the strongest, most empathetic leaders are those who read fiction.

Speaking at the Edinburgh Book Festival, she said novels enable you see a life outside your own bubble. They help you to understand the world and imagine a better future. She named Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister of New Zealand and Sanna Marin, prime minister of Finland as all enjoying reading fiction.

Former President of the United States, Barack Obama was well known for his broad and intelligent reading of novels and non-fiction, and he had a huge following for his reading lists.

His latest memoir 'A Promised Land' is due out next month on 17 November, the same day the winner of this year's Booker Prize was to be revealed. Such is the level of excitement for Obama's book, though, the Booker team has opted to delay their announcement so that the two events don't clash. "We have decided to give readers a couple of days' breathing space," they said.

We're all becoming familiar with plans changing this year. Sometimes this is hugely disappointing, other times it can feel strangely liberating. But writer and TV presenter, Susie Dent had a rather horrible experience when she picked up a newly published copy of her new book 'Word Perfect' last week. The wrong text had been printed! 

"I opened it up and saw there was something wrong in the acknowledgements," she told The Times. "And then I had to close it because I felt a bit sick. There are quite a few errors."

The publisher acted quickly in recalling all the copies that had been sent to bookshops, and ordered another print run using the correct text. Meanwhile Susie was able to introduce us to a word appropriate for the occasion: "Today I can testify to the effectiveness of 'lalochezia," she said. "The use of swearing to alleviate stress and frustration."

We'll have the correct version of the book available to ticketholders attending our event with Susie on Thursday, of course.

It's the end of another month and the wet and blustery weather this weekend has meant we can no longer ignore the changing season. An open fire and lots of tea and toast is my remedy!

The days are flying by and, with the former punctuations to our week no longer possible - no theatre trips or meals with friends, no holidays to look forward to or meetings to attend - one day seems to merge into the next, I find. Even Christmas celebrations may look rather different this year, and with restrictions, they say, likely to last until March, once again we need to find new ways of getting through.

Books will continue to be my greatest resource, of course, and I'll be sharing more recommendations for escapist, inspiring and uplifting titles in the coming weeks. But the crime writer, Ann Cleeves has sponsored an initiative in the north-east which goes a step further.

Acknowledging how reading helped her cope when her husband was ill, she is supporting a scheme where reading coaches suggest works of poetry, novels or non-fiction ttles to patients suffering from chronic conditions, mental health issues or loneliness. Bibliotherapy projects are run in a number of areas but generally focus on self-help books. This initiative supports the idea that fiction helps reduce depression and aids empathy, as well as providing an escape from the challenges of our daily life.

Nature is also a comfort and delight, even in inclement weather. Researchers say that just "10 minutes of wind brushing across our cheek, or the sun on our skin" can lower stress levels.

This week sees the publication of 'The Lost Spells', a beautiful new book celebrating our natural environment. It's written by Robert Macfarlane and illustrated by Jackie Morris and their first work together 'The Lost Words' was a huge success. If you remember, that was a beautiful oversize book, whereas this 'sequel' is tiny in comparison. They hope to encourage us to keep it in our pockets as a 'talisman', a companion to enjoy and reference while out walking. Read more about it below, and my feature on Robert for 'Suffolk' magazine, published earlier this year, is here.

We'll all be indoors much more in the coming months and we have a tremendous resource through our televisions, radios and computers, of course. Screen time can be very draining, but if we draw up a comfortable chair, snuggle up with a blanket and dim the lights, then we might like to attend this week's virtual launch party for 'The Lost Spells' here, see children's writers talk about their work for an Ipswich Arts Festival initiative here, watch the dramatisation of David Nicholls' melancholy novel 'Us' on the BBC here, listen to last year's Booker Prize winner Bernadine Evaristo on Desert Island Discs here, or attend this year's Cheltenham Literature Festival here.

There's a lot on offer and many of these and other activities are 'on demand', so we can fit them into our day as we wish. But for some live interaction, why not join in with our Zoom book group meeting tomorrow evening - just reply to this email to receive the log in details.

Or join me in meeting Susie Dent, the presenter of Dictionary Corner on Channel 4's 'Countdown', and its comedy cousin '8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'.

She'll be speaking on Thursday 8 October, so I'm "counting down" the days...(!)

I know it's not the same as meeting her in real life, or sharing comments and observations while sitting alongside others in an audience. We won't see how tall she is, can't ponder on her choice of shoes, nor catch her eye, but she has put aside the time especially for us and will answer our particular questions.

Every ticket purchased includes a signed copy of Susie's book 'Word Perfect', a 'linguistic almanac full of unforgettable true stories tied to every day of the year. You'll never be lost for words again!' It provides great talking points (for those awkward silences meeting the family on Zoom?) and a lovely Christmas gift.

Please do support events like this, if you can. It will give great encouragement to the organisers, booksellers and authors and your purchases will also help ensure that when things return to life as we remember it, events will be able to continue just like they used to.

What books do you read to cheer yourself up?

Do you go to Alexander McCall Smith for the wry take on human nature, or do you prefer the essays of David Sedaris? Perhaps you enjoy the mishaps and misunderstandings of Jeeves and Wooster or do you opt instead for the nostalgia of polite society with Barbara Pym, Nancy Mitford or Stella Gibbon?

When I've worked in the bookshop, there's hardly a day goes by when someone hasn't asked for a book which might lift the spirit, bring comfort and escape, or raise a smile.

While I always take pleasure in recommending the right title to suit the person and the mood, finding something which will help someone forget their hospital bed, their recent disappointment or bad news has always seemed a particular responsibility.

And finding a funny book is so very difficult because humour seems such a personal, subjective matter.

So I was particularly interested in reading about the Comedy Women in Print prize this week, not least because I'd read a number of the shortlisted writers - Beth Leary's 'Flatshare' (clever idea and brilliantly executed), 'Queenie' from Candice Carty-Williams (a Bridget Jones style account of the struggles of a young, professional black woman seeking love, friendship and fulfilment), and the remarkable and always outstanding Jeanette Winterson. The winner was Nina Stibbe for her recent book 'Reasons to be Cheerful' which I devoured a few months ago for the title alone (the descriptions of working in a dental surgery are very funny in my opinion but Jenni Murray revealed on Woman's Hour that she hates going to the dentist so couldn't enjoy that element of the book!).

We will all find different things amusing, at different times, for different reasons, I'm sure, but this is certainly a good list to work through. (And for another amusing read, I'd also recommend 'Anyone for Edmund?' which I'm reading for the BBC Radio Suffolk book club this month - scroll down for details.)

But it was a differentr literature prize which stole the headlines this week, and there wasn't much to smile about.

While it had seemed that Hilary Mantel was a shoo-in to win this year's Booker Prize, and break records as the only person to triumph three times, instead the judges decided she shouldn't even make the shortlist. American debut novelists dominated and with their work widely being described as 'bleak', 'depressing' and 'violent', it will be interesting to see how these books fare in sales with readers. Perhaps we need some time and distance from our current circumstances to be able to appreciate these titles fully?

The Browsers Booker Book Group agreed with the judges on just two of the titles in the shortlist so it will be interesting to find out who is declared the winner, in November. But in the meantime, we're approaching the end of the month for our regular book discussion...