Novelists need ideas, but are they all from imagination, or are characters inspired by thousands of people we meet, fragments overheard and memories almost forgotten?
Angela Lamont will read brief passages from her first novel, Parallel Lives, which draws on her experiences as a teacher, counsellor and lifelong enjoyer of people and their everyday lives. The novel explores friendship, chance, the different paths life takes, and how our own decisions blend with circumstance. She will share how unexpected moments contribute to the development of fictional characters, why rewriting is such an important part of the process, and how a novel often surprises its own writer.
Angela grew up on the edge of Sheffield, a landscape that gave her a lifelong love of the Peak District. Since retiring to Gloucestershire, she writes fiction, gardens and enjoys friendships. She is currently writing her second novel.
There will be 10–15 minutes at the end for questions and discussion.
