I'm thrilled to be back for a fourth series, and to be kicking it off with such an interesting guest. Elif Shafak is a British-Turkish novelist who has published 19 books including 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, The Forty Rules of Love and Three Daughters of Eve. Her most recent book is The Island of Missing Trees, which is a twisty tale of love and war, told in part from the perspective of a fig tree.

Elif spoke to me in August from her home in London, and we discussed the important work of literary translators, the experience of being sued for 'insulting Turkishness' in her fiction, and how she navigates anxiety and self-doubt as a writer.

You can buy The Island of Missing Trees and browse books by Elif and other guests of the podcast here: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/in-writing 10% of your money goes to support independent bookshops, and another 10% to support the making of this podcast, so thank you.

This episode of In Writing is sponsored by Curtis Brown Creative. Use code INWRITING20 for £20 off one of their four, six, or ten-week online writing courses. Go to http://www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk to
find out more.