I’m in Faversham in Kent at 1pm Saturday, talking to Abir and Vas. Don’t make me go it alone. @favlit.org @radiomukhers.bsky.social @vaseemkhanuk.bsky.social Tickets: www.favershamliteraryfestival.org/2026/events/...

Anyone fancy helping me name the protagonist in my new book? She's an American jewel historian, early thirties. Smart, determined, low self esteem. Looks a bit like Winona Ryder. If I pick your name, you get a mention in the acknowledgements (if the book is ever published, that is!)

Found the Penge Pussy! By @whoamirony.bsky.social Westbury Road, SE20. 🐈‍⬛

Not saying it's been raining a lot but local animals might want to pair up and find an arc.

Funny that that Americans say 'on accident' instead of 'by accident'. Anyway, I just ran over a Californian on accident.

Notes on A Drowning is INCREDIBLE, Andrew. You will not be disappointed.

I am writing a new novel which reminded me people like to know how to write novels. This is my formula: 1 Come up with a good idea. 2 Work out a plot, what your character wants and their arc. 3 Research enough to write the 1st draft. 4 Start sketchy draft 5 Get to 30k. Realise there’s no point. Cry.

My favourite scam email so far. 75-year recluse Patrick Süskind, author of modern gothic classic Perfume - a man who rarely grants interviews and allows no photos - has contacted me to tell me he loves my book and wants to connect as a ‘fellow author’. I should tell him he’s misspelling his own name

I wish people would stop referring to their own novels as their ‘babies’. We don’t generally try to sell babies in supermarkets, rate them two stars on Amazon, or pulp them into hamster bedding if not enough people like them.

Journalists/podcasters: the central premise of my Anna Sharpe novel, out last week, is that (spoiler) an Epstein-like figure corrupts a British politician in order to conceal criminal acts. So suddenly rather relevant. I'm a criminal justice solicitor as well as a writer so happy to chat.

The finale of the Night Manager certainly gave us the cheery boost we all needed right now.

My first Anna Sharpe thriller is out in paperback today so here’s the obligatory photograph of me looking awkward while holding a copy of my own book. Please for godssakes buy it. It got great reviews. People like it. And if you hate it, you can always use it to swat flies. geni.us/NotesOnADrow...

We’ve nearly made it through January - well done everyone. February’s gonna be wild.

If you're having bad day, know that you at least didn't do what my son's schoolfriend did and write the answer to a chemistry question as SCROTUM rather than Strontium.

Booksellers! I’m sending out signed book plates and popping into London and South-East stores to sign copies of the paperback of NOTES ON A DROWNING (Orion, 29 Jan). Let me know if you’d like book plates, signings, biscuits or a reading copy. Many thanks. annamazzola.com/notes-on-a-d...

Victorian advice on the menopause (‘ The Climactic’). No alcohol, no sex, only weak coffee and ‘beware of cold feet’. Thanks, Victorian doctor dudes. (from A Textbook of the Diseases of Women, 1894)

Book clubs! My legal/political Anna Sharpe thriller NOTES ON A DROWNING is out in paperback next week and I’ve made you a Reading Group Guide including suggested London/Tokyo snacks🍷 🇯🇵 Sign up to my newsletter or click on my website to get the full thing. geni.us/NotesOnADrow... annamazzola.com

The Book of Secrets is now out in Slovakia! Tell your Slovakian friends, aunts, enemies, etc. Sorcery, sisterhood and survival in 17th century Rome. Winner of the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of 2025. www.martinus.sk/3624441-knih...

Did you know that when you borrow a book (print/audio/ebook) from a UK library, the author gets a few pence plus a warm feeling in their heart? Just found out people borrowed my books 1000s of times in 2025 and it's cheered me up. Please ask your library to order my books, and keep using libraries!

Lovely to see Notes on a Drowning chosen as one of the best paperbacks of the month. ‘Tense and fast-moving, this is an absorbing conspiracy-tinged thriller with clear small-screen potential.’ Out in paperback 29 Jan. Audio and ebook available now. Order now! www.waterstones.com/book/notes-o...

Bibliomania, or Book-Madness was a satirical book by Thomas Frognall Dibdin published in 1809 which popularised the term ‘bibliomania’ and described the craze for book collecting, detailing serious ‘symptoms’ like obsession with first editions, and prescribing ‘cures’ such as human contact.

Pure truth from @annamazz.bsky.social

Interspersing my tough New Year’s resolutions with ones I might actually achieve. #NewYearSameMe

Happy New Year! I’m starting as I mean to continue. X

In case anyone else is feeling chaotic at this time of year, I just had to rummage through my own bins with a torch looking for the Christmas present I bought for my sister and which I think I must have trashed

It’s a fairytale town, isn’t it? How’s a fairytale town not somebody’s fucking thing?

Merry Christmas.

Announcing my favourite books of 2025! It’s been a hard year for most writers and seeing all the ‘books of the year’ lists can be a bit depressing if you’re not on them. But you are all my books of the year, regardless of whether you’ve got an agent or got published. It’s a random business.

If you were wondering how small I am, this is me with a normal sized bottle of wine.

Is this not how you do it?

If they did end of year wrap-ups for writers: You wrote 100,000 words in 2025! You deleted 75,000 of them! You cried 49 times! Your #1 phrase was: ‘She raised her eyebrows’ Your Year was defined by average sales, alcohol and mild desperation!

New cover! My first Anna Sharpe thriller, NOTES ON A DROWNING, is out in paperback in Jan. Two determined women, a deadly-up. ‘A brilliantly-pacy page-turner with a deeply compassionate centre.’ - The Express. Pre-order here and secure my endless devotion plus a book: geni.us/NotesOnADrow...

Inspired by @annamazz.bsky.social at WhitbyLitfest I have just finished this and it is*so* good.

PLEASE DO NOT ASK STAFF WHERE DRACULA’S GRAVE IS THERE ISN’T ONE. Iconic sign from St Mary’s Church next to Whitby Abbey. I love that people think Bram Stoker’s Dracula was a real person/vampire who lived and died in Whitby.

The Book of Secrets, winner of the Gold Dagger for best crime novel of 2025, is 99p on kindle for a limited time. Sorcery, mystery, sisterhood. Based on a real poisoning case from 17th century Rome. www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Secrets...

Happy Halloween, witches! Remember to hold tight to your horse or goat when riding to the meet tonight. Frenzy of Exultations, 1893, by Władysław Podkowiński, and Witches Going to Their Sabbath, 1878, by Luis Ricardo Falero. #happyhalloween

Thrills, chills, possibly spills (of wine) this Thursday. Join us at Waterstones Greenwich for a drink and a chat. @nadinematheson.com @holly.bsky.social Tickets: www.waterstones.com/events/thril...

Didn’t do it again though, did he?

NEW Award-winning novelist Anna Mazzola recommends five fabulous works of fiction that bring to life the impact of crimes in historical settings, from Victorian Britain to 18th-century Jamaica. @annamazz.bsky.social @margaretatwood.bsky.social fivebooks.com/best-books/t...

Unsolicited writing advice from someone who's just regained their writing mojo: Stop worrying about the market. Just write something you think is fascinating. If you can, distance yourself from people who sap your confidence about your writing and yourself. Celebrate every achievement.

BEST ONE YET GUYS

Me at the beginning of the school holidays: We are going to clear out the house and learn new languages! Me at the end of the holidays: [crying] if you stop screaming and hitting each other I’ll give you your third packet of haribo gummy bears

I love how Jellycat have run out of things do make cute toy versions of so are going ever more off piste: an egg with a wedding veil. Vampire frog. An exploded eye ball. A tongue. Toilet duck. Pat Sharp’s hair.

Brains of BlueSky: can you think of stories about lost or stolen treasures or artefacts? Book, film, TV, whatever. The gems. Thank you kindly.

This is barmy. Lindsey Fitzharris is an incredible historian and UK citizen and the Home Office won’t let her back in despite having the correct docs. She has also been battling cancer. Pls email [email protected] and spread the word.

Burglar Bill. The Jolly Postman. Each Peach. I can still recite it off my heart. What a legacy Allan Ahlberg and Janet Ahlberg have left. Janet died in 1994. Allan has just died, aged 87. Clever, funny, wise books that both I and my kids loved. Which was your favourite? I think Burglar Bill was mine

A vivid and compelling historical thriller set in 1659 Rome. Men are dying; an inquisitor investigates, suspecting poison. Women, abused, powerless and in danger, turn to Girolama and her knowledge of herbs and potions. Based on true events; detailed, descriptive and atmospheric. #books 💙📚⏳📚⚡️

My bestselling novel The Clockwork Girl is 99p on Kindle this month if you fancy some mystery, glamour, squalor and moving dolls. 18th century Versailles. Real copies from bookshops also available! (I always feel conflicted sharing these deals, but there we are). amzn.eu/d/1W9aX3q

UK to recognise state of Palestine in September unless Israel holds to ceasefire