Today, we hear from Alison Langley, whose debut novel, ILONA GETS A PHONE, was released in the UK in April. We’re talking to Alison about the use of specific language, when to use scene vs summary, and what to do when readers misread your book.
Watch a recording here. This audio/video version is available for one week. Missed it? Check out the podcast version above or on your favorite podcast platform.
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As a foreign correspondent, Alison Langley's stories appeared in The New York Times, Financial Times, Guardian and Deutsche Welle. She freelanced for The Wall Street Journal Europe in Budapest from 1990-94. That experience forms the backdrop of her first novel, Budapest Noir: Ilona Gets A Phone, now published by Dedalus Books, UK. It was a finalist of the Irish Writer’s Centre Novel Prize 2022. Alison Langley is an avid gardener, mushroom hunter, and proud mother of three amazing adults. Langley lives in the Swiss Alps with her husband and dog.
Photo by David Travis on Unsplash
BONUS! Alison Langley Has Some Questions for Us: On Specificity, Summary, and Surviving Your Readers' Assumptions