Litfest! Litfest! Litfest!
The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature kicks off on Feb 3 at a new venue this year: Al Habtoor City on Sheikh Zayed Road. I’ll be taking part in three events and would love to see you there, whether you’d like to hear more about my own writing journey and the inspiration for my latest novel, want to ‘level up’ your own writing at the workshop I’m hosting with Jessica Jarlvi (no, you won’t need to read any of your work out loud!), or listen to a letter of thanks I’ll be writing to someone who’s affected my life. See you there!
The House of Whispers
I’ll be talking about my writing life and the dark psychology that underpins my novels, as illustrated by my “spine-chilling” fifth novel, The House of Whispers. Come along to hear how I got the inspiration for this story about toxic female friendship, guilt and obsession set in a creepy Victorian house. Book-signing with me after the event.
Friday 11 February 2022 17:30-18:30
Venue: Chia, Hilton, Al Habtoor City
AED 65
10 Ways to Level Up Your Writing – workshop with Annabel Kantaria and Jessica Jarlvi
You can write – but how do you make your words come alive on the page? In this creative workshop, we’ll look at how you can use elements such as character, dialogue, setting, tense, voice, language and emotion to paint pictures in your readers’ minds, then we’ll focus on mastering the subtle art of showing not telling: an essential skill that’s guaranteed to make your work stand out to agents and publishers.
Sunday 13 February 2022 12:00-13:30
Venue: Arfaj, Hilton, Al Habtoor City
AED 200
The strongly worded letter
Ben Miller, Marina Wheeler, Mira Sethi and I have each been asked to write a ‘strongly worded letter’ of thanks to someone who left a lasting impression in our lives. Come along to hear these letters, followed by a wider conversation on the story behind our words. I think it’ll be emotional.
Saturday 5 February 2022 20:00-21:00
Venue: Al Joud Ballroom 2, Hilton, Al Habtoor City
AED 65
Tickets to all events available here.