February 6, 2019 - 10:06am by Anonymous

As a freelance journalist, writer, editor and presenter, I have enjoyed many years meeting and interviewing fascinating people, and visiting wonderful locations worldwide.

I regularly conduct on-stage interviews with authors and personalities at festivals and events, and co-host a monthly on air book club with Lesley Dolphin at BBC Radio Suffolk.

Details of my events, book reviews and recommendations can be found on my website moreaboutbooks.com and all the latest information is available in my weekly e-newsletter. Sign up here.

Or follow me on Twitter @catherinelarner

In the press

Magazine cover pagesAs a journalist I contribute lifestyle features and profiles for regional and national newspapers and magazines. As the former editor of the leading business journal for the fitness industry in Europe, I continue to write about the market for a US publication.

published articles

On the radio

Each month I co-host an on-air book club on BBC Radio Suffolk with Lesley Dolphin, and am regularly invited to contribute comments and features about books, reading and authors across the station. Listen to past book club discussions with Lesley here.

In addition, my print articles and author interviews often feature as podcasts. You can listen to the latest, an interview with former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams for Premier Radio here.

view archive on moreaboutbooks.com

At events

Hosting book launches and talks for festivals and events throughout Suffolk, I regularly interview authors on stage with audiences from 30 to 300. In the past year I have been in conversation with Victoria Hislop, Simon Mayo, Diane Setterfield, Julia Blackburn, Elly Griffiths and Nicola Upson at events throughout Suffolk.

view event listings on moreaboutbooks.com

Recent articles

Wrekin Rowers: from indoor rowing to the Atlantic
in 'British Rowing website ', March 2021
Four rowers from Shropshire are training for the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge later this year.
Keeping it in the family
in 'Suffolk', March 2021
Helen Oxenbury's book illustrations have charmed young readers for decades and inspired her own children's creative careers.
Forgiveness is just the start
in 'Church Times', February 2021
Frank Cottrell-Boyce finds modern lessons in the stories of scripture. Interview by Catherine Larner.
Anyone for Edmund?
in 'Suffolk', February 2021
Author Simon Edge loves imagining history in his own humorous, slightly irreverent, fictional style. Now he's digging up the past on our county's patron saint.
Bookshelf
in 'Suffolk', February 2021
The latest titles, awards and news - including children's writers AM Howell and Astra Taylor-Todd and histories of Waldringfield and Ramsholt.
Family, faith and duck
in 'Woman Alive', December 2020
As Gressingham Foods looks forward to celebrating its 50th birthday, Catherine Larner spoke to its founders.

Online Event: December 2nd

In a recent online event, the nature writer Melissa Harrison talked to me about her new book The Stubborn Light of Things.

This was a special fundraising event organised by The Cut in Halesworth, Suffolk, on Wednesday 2 December.

You can read more about Melissa in my article here.

 

Looking foolish

Happy Easter! Among the chocolate, spring sunshine and boat race, it's a weekend to consider belief, faith and trust. But it's followed hard on the heels of April Fool's Day this year.

The news is regularly challenging our perception of what is true and false at the moment so it was interesting to see how media outlets, entertainment programmes and big brands approached the annual custom of practical jokes and hoaxes, particularly in these difficult and precarious times.

As my mind has been on dogs - with my reading of Simon Garfield's new book (details below) - there was a cute and heartwarming tale of the police engaging the help of our four-legged friends. The South Australian force has launched the Small Area Urban Search And Guided Evacuation dogs here.

We may have been buying more new books in this past year, so a product has been released to remind us of well loved and familiar volumes. Called Papier, the new scent is 'sweet with just a hint of the musty smell of aged paper,' and 'conjures memories of old-school reading with a sprinkling of violets and a dash of tasteful potpourri'. Find out more here.

But I did my first double-take while reading news from the publishing sector. An imprint of HarperCollins announced that it is no longer using punctuation in any of its books or communications, quoting the respected novelist Cormac McCarthy as saying "If you write properly, you shouldn't have to punctuate". The publishing team was led in their decision by researcher Dr Lucas Matthews, whom you can see explaining more here.  

Among all these wry tales, though, was a wonderfully amusing and rather lovely enterprise which isn't a one day wonder. Micky the rescue pony has been delivering books to readers in Wiltshire, inspired by the story from Jojo Moyes, 'The Giver of Stars' which featured as my BBC Radio Suffolk read last month. You can find out more about Micky's story here.

Thank you for reading. Happy Easter!

More about books

Catherine LarnerFor my book reviews, event information and blog, please visit moreaboutbooks.com