The first ever North London Book Fest comes to the Palace from 21-24 March.
The literary festival will connect readers with established, up-and-coming and much-loved authors, creating a feast of readings, panel discussions, Q&As, workshops and book-signings for readers of all genres and ages.
Ahead of her appearance on Saturday 23 March, we spoke to author Huma Qureshi about all things books!
How does it feel to be one of the participating authors at the first ever North London Book Fest? As a writer who lives in North London, it was really so lovely to be asked to be a part of this festival. Being part of any event or festival is always an honour, but it rings differently when you are in your own neck of the woods!
Tell us a little bit about your event – what can the audience expect? I’m delighted to be in conversation with Sara Nisha Adams to discuss my latest book, Playing Games, and can think of no better host. Sara and I are writing friends, she’s a brilliant writer and we can chat for hours about writing – so our audience can definitely expect an honest, warm and intimate discussion about our books and writing process. I can’t wait to share Playing Games with our audience – it’s a novel about two sisters, Hana and Mira, who care about each other in begrudging but devoted ways. We’ll no doubt also very much talk about Sara’s books, The Reading List and The Twilight Garden, both incredibly moving novels, and her writing process – she’s so productive. I am always wanting to know how she does it!
What is your favourite thing about book festivals? It’s always so special to be invited to speak about my books, but my favourite part is actually the bit that comes after the event – when I get to meet my readers and sign books and have a chat with them. Writing books can be such a lonely experience and so meeting readers, who care about your characters as much as you do, is just amazing.
What is your favourite thing about being an author? It’s finding that special connection with readers, as I mentioned above, like when someone comes up to me at a book event or emails to tell me how much my book meant to them, that it moved or helped or inspired them, or made them think differently in some way. That level of connection, of feeling like my words have lingered with readers off the page – that’s just magical to me. A lot of people have written to me to tell me that Playing Games made them think a lot about their own siblings and family relationships, and that feels meaningful.
And your least favourite?! My least favourite thing about being an author is the drafting process. I’m currently knee deep in thousands of words that don’t yet make much sense, and I have to convince myself not to give up and fight every instinct to stop and edit and make it make sense! It’s all too easy in that first-drafting process to walk away from your work in progress, and to absolutely hate what you’re writing, but it’s also a very necessary process. I know I have to stick with it, and that at some point, I will start to love the process of writing again as the story becomes clearer on the page, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy this messy bit.
Part of the inspiration for North London Book Fest came from Biblio-Buzz our Children’s Book Award – what were your favourite books growing up and what made you want to become an author? My favourite book when I was little was The Borrowers by Mary Norton. As a girl, I read a lot of Enid Blyton; my children are big readers now and I love that they have so much more choice – some of my favourite contemporary children’s books are those by MG Leonard, Sam Sedgman and Robin Stevens. As a teenager, I fell in love with Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye and read a lot of Sylvia Plath, Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen, again and again. In my early twenties, I became a journalist, but really I wanted to tell my own stories, stories I had made up and I’d always wanted to do that since I was little, when I used to put together my own picture books. I’ve always just wanted to write stories about characters who feel real, whom readers might care about.
Have you been to Alexandra Palace before, and if so, what for? Absolutely! I walk through Alexandra Park and up to the top past Alexandra Palace every morning after I’ve dropped my children off at school for a brisk two and a half miles – it clears my head before a day of writing and the views of the London skyline from the Palace never get old. My children love to skate at the ice rink, and I was so excited to visit the Alexandra Palace theatre for a brilliant evening with Lucy Worsely discussing Agatha Christie. I used to live at the very foot of the park and the Palace, with a rather wonderful view of it from the bottom of my then-road. Even though I no longer live on its immediate doorstep, it’s still a big part of my everyday life.
Discover more about Huma Qureshi and Playing Games The full line up of North London Book Fest is available here