Tag Archives: Alison Langley

An Interview with Yael van der Wouden, author of The Safekeep

Last week, the Women’s Prize Winner and Booker nominee very generously took time out of moving and working on her next book to talk to Alison Langley (Ilona Gets A Phone) and me about her extraordinary debut, The Safekeep. Alison and I were especially lucky because, in just two weeks’ time, we’ll be hosting a discussion and workshop at the European Writers’ Salon here in Madrid all about The Safekeep, from the novel’s themes of complicity, desire, and historical memory to the nuts and bolts of how exactly its author created one of the most propulsive books of the past decade. Having the chance to pick Yael’s brain gave us some invaluable insights, which we obviously can’t wait to share with the workshop participants.

In fact, we’re so excited about what Yael had to say that you can head over to Alison’s Substack to check out our full interview with her right now. Yes. Do it. Click it!

Find out more about The Safekeep here.

Find out more about Alison Langley’s debut novel, Ilona Gets A Phone, here.

(Featured photo by Alison Langley.)

Dublin Event: “From Novel Fair to Novel Debut,” 25 Sept

Quick update to announce that on 25 September at 6:30PM I’ll be participating in an evening of readings at the Irish Writers Centre along with three of my fellow Novel Fair winners from 2022. This will be my first experience reading my own work in [mumbles indistinctly] years, so naturally I’m quite nervous, though there is a theatre-kid in me who is definitely treating this like an opening night on the West End.

It’s damn near impossible to overstate how much I owe the IWC’s legendary Novel Fair. When I applied to the Novel Fair in September 2021 it was truly a last-ditch effort to make the past 20 years I’d spent writing, revising, and unsuccessfully querying my novel Lightborne all worthwhile. I honestly felt I had little hope of being selected, and so had no sooner sent in my application but forgotten about it. So, you can imagine my surprise when an email from Ireland landed in my inbox a month or so later, with very good news. It’s hard to believe now just how close I’d been to giving up – even harder to imagine where I might be today had I not decided to give Lightborne one final push.

Being a debut author is hardly all glitz and glam. Mostly you just bite your nails and pray you’ll make back your advance eventually. But publishing a book is absolutely worth celebrating. I can’t think of a more perfect place than the IWC, the place where my struggling little book got a second chance at life, nor better company than my fellow Novel Fair alums.

So, here are the details for any Dublin friends who might like to attend:

Join Novel Fair winners Alison Langley (Ilona Gets A Phone), Phyllida Taylor (Across the Ford), Brian Kelly (Murph) and Hesse Phillips (Lightborne) as they read from their debut novels and talk about their publishing journeys, all of which began at the Irish Writers Centre. With Q&A hosted by Cauvery Madhavan, book signing, and a wine reception to follow.

25 September 2024, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
19 Parnell Sq. Dublin 1

Reserve Your Free Spot