C. P. Lesley, Novelist

Inventory of everything I have been doing to clear the decks, much of it associated with writing, so that I can return to my current novel

A look at long-term historical attitudes that contribute to Russian imperialism, including in modern-day Ukraine

New Books Network interview with Andrea Penrose about The Diamond of London, a novel about Lady Hester Stanhope

On how what was supposed to be a writing vacation turned into a vacation from writing, and why that may not be a bad thing

My bookshelf, Winter 2024: Stephanie Dray, Laurie R. King, Clare McHugh, Andrea Penrose, Kate Quinn and Janie Chang, Deanna Raybourn

A look at my writing plans for 2024, as well as other book and editing news

The why of writing fiction, and thoughts about whether it is best to focus on the story or the sales

An update on the evolving relationship among the author's cats as they prepare to spend their second Christmas together.

New Books Network interview with Isa Arsén, whose debut novel Shoot the Moon looks at the Apollo Space Program

Thoughts on the pluses and minuses of co-writing and what it adds to a novel project

New Books Network interview with Alice Sherman Simpson, author of The Winthrop Agreement, about a young woman in early 20th century NYC

Deeper look at The Merchant's Tale, a historical novel co-written by P.K. Adams and C.P. Lesley and released in mid-November 2023

The latest Uhtred book by Bernard Cornwell: a study of daily life in Saxon England, with recipes

Survey of cats, mysterious and contemplative, in fiction—especially cozy mysteries

Holiday roundup of 2023 books by Rhys Bowen, Bernard Cornwell, Clara McKenna, Erica Neubauer, Anne Perry and Karen Swan

Interview with the writer Clara McKenna, author of the Stella and Lyndy historical mysteries and other novels

New Books Network interview with author Stephanie Cowell about her latest historical novel, The Boy in the Rain

Interview with Karen Swan, author of The Wild Isle series and many other novels, most recently "Christmas by Candlelight"

List of novels on my Fall 2023 Bookshelf, all recent historical fiction or historical mystery, set in the 19th and 20th centuries

Interview with Heather Redmond, author of numerous mystery novels, most recently "Death of the Sisters"