THE INSPIRATION BEHIND SHORT WAR BY LILY MEYER
What inspired you to write Short War? When I was 16, I did a student exchange program in Quillota, Chile. The year before I went, I took advanced US history at my high school – and yet I arrived in Chile without any idea that the United States had helped orchestrate a...
Message from the editors of Queerphoria
Queerphoria is out in paperback and eBook, and we cannot stress enough how much of a pleasure it has been putting it together for you all. To see the incredible stories, essays, poems and reflections that have stemmed from such a broad brief all collated into one...
Most anticipated queer reads of 2026
Happy Pride Month! From the team and some of our queer VERVE authors, we're bringing you our most anticipated LGBTQIA reads for 2026. Buckle up and find the next book to add to your TBR. Ellie's pick: I'm a huge fan of 'books about books' and often turn to my...
What to read based on your holiday vibes
The holidays are just around the corner, so the VERVE team and some of our incredible authors have put together a list of books to take with you on your travels. Be they staycation or a trip across the globe, these books will keep you entertained no matter where you...
How a book group shaped my novel
The ephemeral nature of an Instagram story means I can't recall the exact wording of what lured me in to my book group. All I remember is that an online friend was looking to start a book group in Glasgow that would meet once a month, in a different restaurant each...
Who doesn’t love a ‘difficult’ woman?
Happy International Women's Day! Today, we're bringing you fiction that features 'difficult' women. What does this mean? It means we're shouting out books that feature women who are deemed - either by characters in the novel itself or by our society - as hard to...
Inspiration behind The End of Romance
The End of Romance is very loosely based on Isaac Bashevis Singer’s novel Enemies, A Love Story, which came out in Yiddish in 1966 and English in 1972. I read it in 2019, at which point I had been immersing myself in American Jewish literature for a decade, but it was...
Historical fiction – but make it queer
Happy LGBTQ+ History Month! We're bringing you queer historical fiction recs that you simply must five into! Knowing your queer history is important, so try to pick up a book with great queer representation to enjoy throughout the year! Ellie's pick: Atmosphere by...
HOPING IS COOL BUT HAVE YOU TRIED SCREAMING?
In December 2016, roughly a month after Trump snatched power for the first time, I traveled to London to visit one of my very best friends. While there, almost every UK resident I met asked me a version of the question: How could you let this happen? At the time, I...
A cosy Christmas guide
We've got a list of book recs and films that will be keeping us company during the long winter break! Ellie's guide: At the top of my Christmas wishlist this year are Malala Yousafzai's new memoir, Finding My Way - which promises to blend the complex...