James Bailey

book described

9. Like a Cat Loves a Bird by @drjamesbailey.bsky.social. A vivid and variegated portrait of Muriel’s many lives which is as elusive as her numinous fictions.

Ah thank you for this - means a lot!

Reread three Muriel Spark favorites (Far Cry from Kensington, Ballad of Peckham Rye, Loitering with Intent) and one new one (Mandelbaum Gate) over last two weeks so was happy to see this new biography coming out.

I can’t take credit! (Other than insisting “THIS is the photo!!!” in a manner that probably became quite wearying)

Cover of Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark. Cover is orange, and features a photograph of Spark cradling a black cat.

A big thank you to the kind folk whose blurbs made it into the interview, including @poetclare.bsky.social, @luketurner.bsky.social and @francescawade.bsky.social

The book’s out on 9th April! The link to pre-order (and buy tickets to live events) is in my bio. Please do!

🐈‍⬛

🐈‍⬛💘🐦‍⬛

I didn’t think I could be looking forward to this more than I already am but…

📚💙

Text from my interview: I'm working on a novel at the moment, and have a photo of Jill Tyrell, Julia Davis's character from the sitcom, Nighty Night, on my desktop. That tells you a lot about where the next book is heading! Beneath it is the photo of Jill Tyrell from Night Night, who is saying: “Sue, we’d appreciate you not creeping up on us like a dog at a disco”

I also had a little bit to say about the book that might right this minute be growing in the darker recesses of my imagination…

Text exceeds the character count on Bluesky. If you’d like to read the interview, please get in touch and I’ll send a copy.

My book, Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark, comes out a month today!

I had a chat with Booktime magazine all about it, as well as my love of independent bookshops like @urmstonbooks.bsky.social, @chorltonbookshop.bsky.social and @serenitybookshop.bsky.social 🐈‍⬛

A selfie of me, wearing a beige beanie hat and a red jumper, in front of an Edinburgh sunset

LIKE A CAT LOVES A BIRD: THE NINE LIVES OF MURIEL SPARK is out on 9 April (and 9 June, if you’re in the US). Please pre-order a copy if you like the sound of it, or book a ticket to see me in a city (possibly!) near you.

Details here: lnk.to/LikeaCatLove...

🐈‍⬛

A picture taken from Robin Ince’s Instagram stories. Picture is of my book, Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark, and is accompanied by the text ‘utterly wonderful biography of Spark’

The very brilliant @robinince.bsky.social has been saying some kind things about Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark 🐈‍⬛

Go on, treat yourself to a copy: lnk.to/LikeaCatLove...
(glass of red not included, alas)

Ah thank you, I’m glad you are!

Thanks! 🐈‍⬛

Article entitled EDINBURGH THROUGH THE EYES OF MURIEL SPARK. Text exceeds limit of character count for Bluesky. Please get in touch if you’d like to read the article and I’ll share it!

And to top it all off, a couple of minutes before my train home arrived, I spotted a copy of the most recent issue of Edinburgh Life magazine, which features a piece I wrote about Muriel Spark’s childhood in the city. A perfect day!

And here I am at the gorgeous @goldenharebooks.bsky.social 💙

Here I am at @portybooks.bsky.social! A very, very gorgeous bookshop, to which I hope to return soon.

Ha!

Me, standing outside Toppings bookshop. I’m holding a proof of my book.

Here I am at Toppings! There’ll be a book launch at this very shop on 23rd April. Tickets available here: www.toppingbooks.co.uk/events/edinb...

Me, standing in front of the Blackwell’s Edinburgh sign.

Here I am at Blackwell’s on South Bridge. This was once James Thin, where Spark purchased the notebooks in which she wrote all her novels. She remained loyal to the brand even when living in London, New York, Rome and Tuscany. She was rather superstitious, where stationery was concerned…

Me outside Lighthouse Books, with Pao. We’re holding a copy of my book and smiling.

Here I am at @lighthousebks.bsky.social, where I also picked up copies of A Beast Slinks Toward Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang and Yr Dead by Sam Sax 💚

Me, standing outside The Edinburgh Bookshop, joined by the lovely team.

Marie from The Edinburgh Bookshop, holding a proof of the book next to a sign which it reads: The Bruntsfield area of Edinburgh has a rich literary history. Muriel Spark, author of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, was born a few doors away from here at 160 Bruntsfield Place. Other famous residents of the area include: Kate Atkinson, Morag Hood, Norman* MacCaig, Maggie O'Farrell, Catherine Rayner, lan Rankin, J.K.Rewling and Alexander McCall Smith

Here I am at @edinburghbookshop.bsky.social 💜

Photograph of me, standing next to a sign which reads ‘Muriel Spark Walk’. I’m wearing dark corduroys, a red jumper, brown jacket and a brown beanie hat.

My book, LIKE A CAT LOVES A BIRD: THE NINE LIVES OF MURIEL SPARK, comes out in just over a month!

In the run-up, I went to Spark’s birthplace to drop off proofs in lots of brilliant bookshops. Here are some photos of me gallivanting about like a big smiley tea cosy.

A very tall daffodil inside a tiny glass boot

Pre-snip:

A daffodil in a small glass boot

Needed cheering up, so I’ve just put a daffodil in a small glass boot.

Willow trees against the light in a fairly large pastel painting

Willows at Newnham mill pond, Cambridge, pastel.

A female northern flicker sits on a bird feeder hanger above a half eaten suet.

A flighty Northern Flicker deciding whether my presence will prevent her from eating.

📷 Olympus C-740 Ultra-Zoom
#birds #shittycamerachallenge

Massively envious (cannot hear or see for jealousy, you might even say)

Sinéad O'Connor in a black wig, at an anti-Sinéad O'Connor demonstration

Sinéad O'Connor in a black wig, at an anti-Sinéad O'Connor demonstration

Once again thinking about the time Sinéad O'Connor attended an anti-Sinéad O'Connor demonstration in disguise 💛

Let me know what you think! And if you like it, there might be a new book on the way… 🐈‍⬛

(I feel she’d incorporate the vocoder)