By putting one of our authors on the 'Hotspot' we hope to give you and your reading group the chance to have all those burning questions you might have, answered by the authors themselves - we can't imagine a more direct way of uncovering an author's motivations and intentions!

Bo Caldwell author of The Distant Land of My Father is our current 'hotspot' author; she has stepped into the spotlight to answer your questions about her accomplished, vibrant and moving first novel. Born in 1955 and educated at Stanford where she majored in English with a concentration in creative writing before going on to become a lecturer, Bo has written both fiction and non-fiction essays for the Washington Post ghost-written two investing books and edited a business book. The Distant Land of my Father is her first novel.

Read her Q&A session for a remarkable insight into her motivations for writing the story and a greater understanding of her sources of inspiration.

View the brand new Reading Guide out now...

Thank you for all the interesting and thought provoking questions which you sent in to our hotspot author, we have selected some of the most inspiring and frequently asked questions.

"My father was a millionaire in Shanghai in the 1930s."

The moment I read the first sentence of Bo Caldwell's beautiful and evocative first novel, I was transported to a distant land and time that Bo brought alive in a way that made it real and very present. I knew I was going to like this novel. But what made me love it was the way she tells the intensely moving story of Anna Schoene and her parents, particularly the love that Anna and her father have for each other - across the years, across an ocean and through many difficulties.

The Distant Land of My Father is a wonderful novel about love, betrayal and reconciliation that sings out with truthfulness and longing. I was moved to tears, and know you will be, too.

Andy McKillop
Publishing Director, William Heinemann

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