‘Readers loved the fisting’: Why novels need good sex scenes

Published in The i on May 8, 2024

When I published my first novel two years ago, I was naturally nervous about how people would react. What Time Is Love? imagines what happens when one couple meets at three different points in the 20^th century, and I worried whether I’d got the different time periods right, or if my readers would care about my characters equally… I worried if anyone would even read it at all.

My novel The Start of Something is published!

On 11 April 2024, my second novel came out in hardback, published by Orion… I managed to to celebrate it twice, with a launch party at The Devereux in London and in Sheffield, upstairs at The Rutland and organised by the wonderful Juno Books. Plus a cheery bookshop tour, meaning there are signed copies available in Burley Fisher, Foyles, The LRB Bookshop, and Waterstones in Islington, Tottenham Court Road and Sheffield!

And I was lucky enough to get some very generous press…

Announcing my next book… The Start of Something, arriving April 2024

I’m excited to reveal that my second novel is coming out in hardback, e-book and audio-book in April 2024, published by Orion. And here’s the blurb…

‘Bold, playful, generous and lush, it’s a story that feels both timeless and urgent – I loved it. Gorgeously and relentlessly queer.’ DAISY BUCHANAN

“I had never hung out with people with wealth like that”: why social class still matters in relationships

Published in Stylist on January 26, 2023

In her new novel What Time is Love?, writer Holly Williams explores how class can divide romantic partnerships. Here, she explains why it’s as big an issue as ever in 2023.

What Time is Love? is out in paperback

What Time is Love? is published today in paperback by Orion, as well as being available as an audiobook, eBook and in hardback.

It is being published in 13 countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Estonia, Norway, Turkey and Ukraine.

And the reviews are in…

Money matters – financial inequality in straight relationships

Published in Cosmopolitan on June 1, 2022

Jasmine’s sitting across from David* in the pub. It’s their first date and he’s living up to his Tinder profile – charming, good-looking, and seemingly the perfect mix of ambitious and kind. He paid for dinner, and she was keen to continue the evening in the pub.

Why real love stories aren’t about fate or destiny

Published in The Independent on May 26, 2022

Have you ever wondered if you would have fallen in love with the same people if you’d lived in a different time? Would you even have met them, in an era with different social mobility – and if you had, would the relationships have worked out?

What Time is Love is published!

My debut novel is now out in the world… available in hardback, as an eBook and as an audiobook. For links to online retailers, click here, or The LRB Bookshop and Waterstones in Sheffield have some signed copies!

How to research a novel

‘Write what you know’ is classic advice – for good reason. We all want our work to have a tang of authenticity, and staying within familiar territory can make things more truthful, and certainly a heck of a lot quicker. And as I wrote in my last blog, no matter how well-intentioned, endless research can easily become a procrastination tool.

What Time is Love? update…

Publication day approaches… and has been brought forward to 26 May 2022. What Time is Love? is available for pre-order now, from your favourite independent bookstore, or this link takes you to a range of online retailers. Final copies are imminent, but we have a cover design!

Holly Williams

Journalist and writer

Category: Writing a novel