"Corduroy Mansions is a newspaper serial novel which will run on the Daily Telegraph website. I started writing serial novels some years ago, following upon a meeting in San Francisco with Armistead Maupin, the author of Tales of the City.

It is important to distinguish between novels written in advance and then published in instalments, and those written for publication a few days or weeks later. Corduroy Mansions is a serial in that latter sense, as was my Edinburgh serial novel, 44 Scotland Street, which ran for five years in The Scotsman. I enjoyed writing it, but wanted a change. London beckoned. Pimlico struck me as being an interesting place.

This is the result.

Readers are invited to participate in the development of the plot. I shall be delighted to receive suggestions as to what might happen, and I am sure that I shall act on a good number of these. So please write in! The following link will take you there:

I intend to have fun with Corduroy Mansions. Please join me."

Corduroy Mansions goes live on the Telegraph website on 15 September 2008.

www.telegraph.co.uk/onlinenovel

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Readers' Comments . . .

"What a fantastic start to what promises to be a totally absorbing novel. This is my first 'online read' and I have to say that being able to have the chapters read by such a well modulated voice as Andrew's is just an added bonus. Well done Mr. McCall Smith!!!" - Kate Lennox

"Greetings from Liberia. What a fantastic idea. I am so isolated where I am at present--only me and my satellite. And so I am extremely grateful to my favorite author." - Posted by Betsy Brotman

"What a treat! To be able to read the serial daily, here in California, along with the rest of the world. I remember when "Tales of the City" came out in San Francisco in the 1970's. Everyone would sit at their desk and read the story before starting to work. Thank you!" - Posted by Gregg Cook

"This is a wonderful treat which will transport me from the stark bleached out streets of Riyadh back to London for some minutes every day. Thank you." - Posted by ABB

"The colonic irrigation exchange is brilliant. "It was such a generous offer?" Priceless. Corduroy Mansions is the perfect way to ease into the day. I can walk those streets and hear those voices." - Stella Cameron

"Having read the daily instalments, I have now read them all again in one great chunk. Waiting for my next dose." - Joan

"It gives you a cosy, autumnal feeling! Just the ticket for this winter! Fantastic!" - Posted by Sue Robinson

"Being a real fan of Scotland Street, my husband & I visited Edinburgh & did a tour to find the Canny Man etc. Looking forward to touring Pimlico now! Just taken early retirement from Primary Headship & needed something to get my teeth into! Many thanks Mr.Mc!" - Posted by Julia

"The chapters are linking people from all over the planet...I am sitting here in Bangladesh and loving AMS's works!" - Posted by samia on September 17, 2008 12:04 PM

"I'm hooked and am already very fond of William." - Ho Ho Ho

"Pimlico life is just like this - my best man began his life in Pimlico and the ambience that Sandy McCall Smith paints in this ongoing story is just right (or at least what I recall Pimlico to have been like when I knew it). As the other readers say, this is going to make winter a pleasure... And how amazing we are getting to feel things about these characters already! The age of Dickens is over, that of McCall Smith has begun!" - Posted by Christopher Catherwood