Novelists Dave Housley and Joanna Cannon discuss their latest works and the role of humour in writing.

Cannon is the bestselling author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep, which established her as a novelist with a unique blend of funny yet poignant prose.  Her latest novel, A Tidy Ending, is a sinister novel about a married woman living a suburban life, where things are not quite what they seem. Linda’s husband starts keeping odd hours at the same time some local women go missing. Meanwhile, Linda is trying to track down and befriend the previous occupant of her house, Rebecca, in the hope that she will enjoy some of her glamorous lifestyle. Cannon trained as a psychiatrist and is author of three novels.

Housley’s The Other Ones tracks the actions of an office lottery pool after they win the jackpot. Some dig in, some leave, some go crazy, and one commits suicide by jumping off the office roof and returns to haunt the rest. Funny, tragic, and real, The Other Ones shines a light on our contemporary relationships to money, work, and one another. Housley is also author of two other novels and four collections of stories.