Lives from the 7th century to today, connected by St. Cuthbert.

Full of deep sympathy, nuance and unexpected humour, Shy is the new novel from the acclaimed author of Grief Is the Thing with Feathers and the Waterstones Book of the Year-winning Lanny. Set in the mid-nineties, it follows a few hours in the life and mind of a drum and bass-obsessed teenage boy staying at the Last Chance – a home and school for ‘extremely disturbed young men’. In this exclusive interview, Max Porter talks to Anna Orhanen about Shy, the crisis of empathy, education, mental health, music and mortality.

One of the world's most popular authors of fantasy fiction, Samantha Shannon returns to the world of her bestselling The Priory of the Orange Tree with A Day of Fallen Night, a mesmerising prequel that enriches the mythology and atmosphere of the original novel. In this exclusive piece, Samantha reveals her favourite fantasy stories of the past few years.   

Congratulations to Kim Hillyard whose uplifting picture book Gretel the Wonder Mammoth has been crowned winner of the Illustrated Books category in this year's Waterstones Children's Book Prize. In this exclusive piece, Kim discusses the book that inspired her writing and illustrating journey.

Sisterly love battles evil in Ohio.

Congratulations to M.T. Khan whose bewitching novel Nura and the Immortal Palace has been crowned winner of the Younger Readers category in this year's Waterstones Children's Book Prize. In this exclusive piece, M.T. Khan discusses the book that inspired her writing journey.

Congratulations to Nadia Mikail whose enchanting novel The Cats We Meet Along the Way has been crowned both winner of the Older Readers category and Overall Winner of this year's Waterstones Children's Book Prize. In this exclusive piece, Nadia discusses the book that inspired her writing journey.

Congratulations to Tom Benn, whose immensely powerful, playful and compelling novel Oxblood - about three generations of women from the same Manchester family living with a legacy of male violence - has scooped him the coveted Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award. In this Q&A with last year's winner Cal Flyn - who triumphed for Islands of Abandonment - Benn describes the process of writing the book and the importance of its message.   

Reawakening wonder in an exhausted age.

Deftly contrasting the purity of love with the horrors of military conflict, Alice Winn's breathtaking novel of connection and compassion in the trenches of the First World War In Memoriam is shaping up to be one of the debuts of the year. In this exclusive piece, Alice highlights the astonishing real-life In Memoriams that she discovered during her research for the novel. 

One of the most erudite and enlightening gardening writers around, Alice Vincent - author of the acclaimed Rootbound - has turned to the stories of hitherto neglected female gardeners for her latest volume Why Women Grow. As we enjoy the manifold natural delights that spring has to offer, Alice reveals why she felt compelled to write about such a topic and what she learned about both herself and others along the way.     

Critically acclaimed and longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2023, Cecile's Pin's transcendent debut novel Wandering Souls sheds light on the Vietnamese and Southeast Asian Diaspora in Thatcherite Britain through the profoundly moving story of a family of refugees guided by the voice of their deceased younger brother. In this exclusive piece, Cecile reflects on the disparate elements that all contributed to the writing of such a remarkable novel.