Writer's Routine

Writer's Routine

Dan Simpson

How do the best writers get to work?In every episode, we'll chat to an author about what they do through a day. Where do they work? What time do they start? How do they plan their time and maximise their creativity, in order to plot and publish a bestseller? Some are frantic night-owls, others roll out of bed into their desks, and a few lock themselves away in the woods - but none have a regular 9 to 5, and we'll find out how they've managed it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nick Newman, author of 'The Garden' - Award-nominated writer discusses changing audiences, feeling guilty, and balancing plot and porse

Nick Newman, author of 'The Garden' - Award-nominated writer discusses changing audiences, feeling guilty, and balancing plot and porse

Nick Newman is an award-nominated author, who as Nicholas Bowling has published 4 genre-defying books for children. Now, he's written his debut adult novel, called 'The Garden'. It's an other-worldly retelling of 'The Secret Garden', inspired by Cormac McCarthy. It tells the story of Lily, Evelyn and a nameless boy who wanders into their vast and flourishing garden.We discuss the balance of getting the plot down, whilst also writing some lovely words. Also, why he tells himself one thing about w

Feb 21, • 1:08:00

A.F. Steadman, author of the 'Skandar series' - Bestselling children's author discusses why experience makes things tough, a frantic five years, and trying to find your voice

A.F. Steadman, author of the 'Skandar series' - Bestselling children's author discusses why experience makes things tough, a frantic five years, and trying to find your voice

This week we chat to A.F Steadman, the bestselling author behind the phenomenal 'Skandar series'. The fantasy saga has taken the literary world by storm, was reported to have sold for a seven-figure deal, and was believed to be the biggest advance ever given to a debut childrens author. The series is praised as the biggest children's fantasy since Harry Potter.In this episode, we dive into her journey from practicing law to becoming a celebrated writer, explore the inspirations behind her imagin

Feb 14, • 43:37

Laurie L. Dove, author of 'Mask of the Deer Woman' -  Mystery Thriller writer discusses keeping busy, magical realism, and sneaking up on the story.

Laurie L. Dove, author of 'Mask of the Deer Woman' - Mystery Thriller writer discusses keeping busy, magical realism, and sneaking up on the story.

Laurie Dove is a do-er. She likes to keep busy. Alongside writing for numerous places like CNN, Animal Planet, the LA Business Journal, and many more, Laurie was elected local Mayor back in 2015, has a Masters Degree from Harvard, and has just published 'Mask of the Deer Woman'.It tells the story of Carrie Starr. Once a detective in Chicago, Carrie has hit rock-bottom after a personal tragedy and returned to the reservation in which she grew up to be their local Marshal. When a college student g

Feb 7, • 47:24

Peyton Corinne, author of 'Unloved' - Romance author discusses becoming a BookTok bestseller, marketing yourself, and happy endings

Peyton Corinne, author of 'Unloved' - Romance author discusses becoming a BookTok bestseller, marketing yourself, and happy endings

Peyton Corinne is a love story enthusiast. As a teenager, she would write fan-fiction about her favourite series, then she self-published her own writing whilst working as a teacher, because she hit it big on TikTok.The episode is a full break-down on why if you market yourself smartly and keep up with social trends, your book will find an audience, and traditional publishers will find you. Her new novel is 'Unloved', it tells the story of star hockey player Matt 'Freddy' Fredderic, who can do e

Jan 31, • 1:02:32

Eowyn Ivey, author of 'Black Woods, Blue Sky' - Pulitzer Prize finalist discusses magical realism, why success isn't relevant, and being tempted to write again

Eowyn Ivey, author of 'Black Woods, Blue Sky' - Pulitzer Prize finalist discusses magical realism, why success isn't relevant, and being tempted to write again

This week we chat with Eowyn Ivey, the acclaimed author of The Snow Child and To the Bright Edge of the World, ahead of her new novel Black Woods, Blue Sky. We explore the inspiration behind her vivid Alaskan settings, her journey from bookseller to bestselling novelist, and the themes of resilience and wonder that thread through her work. Black Woods, Blue Sky, tells the story of Birdie and Emaleen, mother and daughter travelling through the Alaskan wilderness, until they meet the timid Arthur.

Jan 24, • 48:54

Stephen Spotswood, author of 'Dead in the Frame' - New York Times award winner reveals what he learned from writing plays, solving mysteries like a reader, and physical fitness helping mental creativity

Stephen Spotswood, author of 'Dead in the Frame' - New York Times award winner reveals what he learned from writing plays, solving mysteries like a reader, and physical fitness helping mental creativity

This week, we're chatting to Stephen Spotswood. Stephen is an acclaimed author and playwright celebrated for his mastery of mystery and suspense. Best known for his 'Pentecost and Parker' series, Spotswood reimagines the noir genre with sharp wit, dynamic characters, and intricate storytelling. He's a Nero Award Winner, a New Blood Dagger Award finalist, an Edgar Award Nominee, wrote the NYT Book Review Best Crime and Mystery of the Year. His new novel is 'Dead in the Frame', it's the 5th in the

Jan 17, • 57:52

Grady Hendrix, author of 'Witchcraft for Wayward Girls' - Horror writer discusses what readers actually want, making every word count, and why questions make horror scary

Grady Hendrix, author of 'Witchcraft for Wayward Girls' - Horror writer discusses what readers actually want, making every word count, and why questions make horror scary

On this week's episode of 'Writer's Routine', the show that takes a look inside an author's working day, we're chatting to horror writer, Grady Hendrix. Grady is the bestselling author of "The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires", "Horrorstör", and "My Best Friend’s Exorcism". He blends horror and humour with incredibly inventive plots and creative ways of creating terror.His new novel is 'Witchcraft for Wayward Girls'. It tells the story of a home for unwed expecting mothers, who can

Jan 10, • 1:08:13

Cathy Hayward, author of 'The Secret of the Brighton House' - Multitasker discusses dual timelines, mining trauma, and the 5 AM Club

Cathy Hayward, author of 'The Secret of the Brighton House' - Multitasker discusses dual timelines, mining trauma, and the 5 AM Club

This week, we're chatting to Cathy Hayward. Cathy is busy. She runs an award-winning PR agency, bought a bookshop in Brighton on a whim, runs a 5 AM writing club, and manages a creative writing programme. Amongst all that she's just re-released her debut novel, 'The Girl in the Midnight Maze', and has just published her new novel, 'The Secret of the Brighton House'. The novel is all about Jackie, who always thought her mother died in childbirth. However, when she's preparing for her own, much lo

Dec 20, 2024 • 46:32

Daniel Sellers, author of 'Murder on Skye' - Crime writer discusses a through schedule, writing 3 books a year, and the change that FINALLY got him published

Daniel Sellers, author of 'Murder on Skye' - Crime writer discusses a through schedule, writing 3 books a year, and the change that FINALLY got him published

Daniel Sellers is the bestselling author behind the 'Detective Lola Harris' series. Each involves a mysterious crime set across Scotland. The new one is 'Murder on Skye', which sees Lola track a potential murderous reality TV star out to the remote, windswept island. It starts as Lola discovers the body of a woman pulled from the river. Instantly, she knows it's Kathryn Main, who has been missing for a while, and was on the juror which convicted reality star Carter Craig of a double murder. When

Dec 13, 2024 • 1:04:34

Nayantara Roy, author of 'The Magnificent Ruins' - TV Executive and writer discusses comfortable sanctuaries, learning from your debut, and being influenced by culture

Nayantara Roy, author of 'The Magnificent Ruins' - TV Executive and writer discusses comfortable sanctuaries, learning from your debut, and being influenced by culture

Nayantara Roy is a TV executive for the channel Starz over in Los Angeles, and now a published author. Her debut is 'The Magnificent Ruins'. It tells the story of Lila, on the verge of a massive career breakthrough, only to inherit her grandfather's home in Kolkata. She returns to face a resentful family and an unresolved childhood. We discuss learning from many sources and how she's grown from her debut. You can hear why with an office, she chooses to write in the sanctuary of the comfortable s

Dec 6, 2024 • 56:51

Niall Williams, author of 'Time of the Child' - Star of Irish Literature discusses what makes a good day, the perfect opening sentence, and why he keeps writing

Niall Williams, author of 'Time of the Child' - Star of Irish Literature discusses what makes a good day, the perfect opening sentence, and why he keeps writing

This week, we're looking inside the writing routine of Niall Williams. He is an acclaimed Irish author whose evocative storytelling has captivated readers and audiences around the world. He loves to capture a sense of placeBorn in Dublin in 1958, his writing is rooted in the rich cultural and literary traditions of Ireland. Niall studied English and French at University College Dublin before moving to New York City, where he worked in publishing and honed his craft. He moved back home to 'see if

Nov 29, 2024 • 42:58

Steven Veerapen, author of the 'Anthony Blanke' series - Historical fiction author and academic discusses mordib curiosity, sparse writing environments, and Tudor love

Steven Veerapen, author of the 'Anthony Blanke' series - Historical fiction author and academic discusses mordib curiosity, sparse writing environments, and Tudor love

This week, we chat to the historical fiction author and academic, Steven Veerapen. He's best known for his Anthony Blanke series, set in the Tudor period, about the son of a black trumpeter, John Blanke, who was a real figure in the court of King Henry VIII. There's 'Of Blood Descended' and 'Of Judgement Fallen', which are out in print and just released as audiobooks. He's also written 3 in the 'Simon Danforth' series, and a few about the playwright Christopher Marlowe as a spy.We talk about the

Nov 22, 2024 • 50:48

Alex Pavesi, author of 'Ink Ribbon Red' - Thriller writer discusses why his characters will do what he wants, the routine that finally got him published, and murder mysteries

Alex Pavesi, author of 'Ink Ribbon Red' - Thriller writer discusses why his characters will do what he wants, the routine that finally got him published, and murder mysteries

Alex Pavesi spent a long time writing many debut novels. He would write a few thousands words, get struck by a brilliant new idea, get bored, stop writing and the cycle would continue. Finally, he landed upon a way of storytelling that allowed him to write a finished book. That became 'Eight Detectives', which was a Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year and a smash-hit.He's followed it up with 'Ink Ribbon Red'. It tells the story of a group of old friends who meet for an annual birthday weekend aw

Nov 8, 2024 • 59:27

Sarah Easter Collins, author of 'Things Don't Break on their Own' - Author and painter discusses showing and not telling, poetry focusing prose, and bringing themes together

Sarah Easter Collins, author of 'Things Don't Break on their Own' - Author and painter discusses showing and not telling, poetry focusing prose, and bringing themes together

Sarah Easter Collins is an all-round creative. Alongside being a painter, she's just published her debut, 'Things Don't Break on their Own'. It tells the story of Willa, whose life shattered into tiny pieces when her sister disappeared on the way to school, and she has never been able to put them back together again. Willa sees Laika everywhere: on buses, at parties, in busy streets. It’s been twenty-five years, and the only thing that has kept her going is her belief that her sister is alive, s

Nov 1, 2024 • 47:51

Louise Swanson, author of 'Lights Out' - Award-winning author discusses pseudonyms, being strict, and improving through rejections

Louise Swanson, author of 'Lights Out' - Award-winning author discusses pseudonyms, being strict, and improving through rejections

Louise Swanson is the pen-name of bestselling and award-winning author, Louise Beech. Louise has 8 novels out, a memoir, and has picked up all sorts of prizes for her work. She has written the play based on her debut novel, 'How to be Brave', which is currently touring the UK, and has written columns for local newspapers.She's back with a Louise Swanson novel, called 'Light's Out'. Set in a strange version of the UK, where a state of emergency is declared and all electricity cuts out at 8pm ever

Oct 24, 2024 • 49:54

Gareth Rubin, author of 'Holmes and Moriarty' - Mystery thriller writer discusses getting Sherlock Holmes right, playing with timelines, and getting bored of the craft

Gareth Rubin, author of 'Holmes and Moriarty' - Mystery thriller writer discusses getting Sherlock Holmes right, playing with timelines, and getting bored of the craft

Gareth Rubin is back with one of the few Sherlock Holmes books officially authorised and certified by the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle estate. It's called 'Holmes and Moriarty', and tells the story of two of fiction's greatest adversaries being forced to form an alliance, to face a threat bigger than anything that's gone before.It's Gareth's 4th published novel, coming after 'Liberation Square', 'The Winter Agent', and 'The Turnglass'. They're high-concept historical thrillers that twist the way stori

Oct 17, 2024 • 58:03

Molly Green, author of 'Courage for the Cabinet Girl' - Wartime novelist discusses starting early, honouring women, and building a train carriage

Molly Green, author of 'Courage for the Cabinet Girl' - Wartime novelist discusses starting early, honouring women, and building a train carriage

Molly Green writes wartime novels that celebrate the women who stayed home and served their country. Her new novel is 'Courage for the Cabinet Girl'. Set in 19412, with Britain in the throes of the Second World War, it's about Katharina Valentine who feels sidelined. Employed as a shorthand-typist in the War Office, she is transferred to the basement below – home of the top-secret Cabinet War Rooms. Unexpected staff shortages present an opportunity to work directly for Winston Churchill himself,

Oct 10, 2024 • 41:18

Jodi Picoult, author of 'By Any Other Name' - Forty Million Bestseller discusses writing for therapy, forgetting your readers, and learning through each book

Jodi Picoult, author of 'By Any Other Name' - Forty Million Bestseller discusses writing for therapy, forgetting your readers, and learning through each book

Jodi Picoult is one of the world's most successful authors. She's written over 30 books, been translated into 34 languages, and has sold more than 40 MILLION books. Her novel, 'My Sister's Keeper', was turned into a huge film starring Cameron Diaz, and she's written as a librettist, with pieces performed across the world.Her new novel is 'By Any Other Name', which tells the story of Emilia Bassano, who back in 1581, like most women of the day, isn't allowed a voice of her own. When she starts wr

Oct 3, 2024 • 50:17

Ciar Byrne, author of 'A Deadly Discovery' - Gardening journalist and author discusses balancing work, starting early, and a strange path to publication

Ciar Byrne, author of 'A Deadly Discovery' - Gardening journalist and author discusses balancing work, starting early, and a strange path to publication

Ciar Byrne has worked as a journalist for 25 years, usually as a gardening journalist, she's written for The Independent, The Guardian, Private Eye and many more. It turns out that all that experience, didn't make it easier to get published.Ciar wrote 6 books before she got a deal. When it eventually arrived, it came through the strange route of a random email after a Twitter Submission Window she'd entered half-heartedely. After waiting so long to get a contract, when she was finally offered on

Sep 26, 2024 • 51:55

Jack Strange, author of 'Look Up, Handsome' - Rom-com author discusses finding the right genre, representation, and being inspired by Hallmark movies

Jack Strange, author of 'Look Up, Handsome' - Rom-com author discusses finding the right genre, representation, and being inspired by Hallmark movies

Jack Strange's debut is 'Look Up, Handsome'. It's a festive rom-com about bookshop owner Quinn, who is trying to save his business, only when romantic novelist Noah comes to town, he might provide an unwanted distraction.It's far from the first book he's written, having tried his hand at mysteries, crime, thrillers, but it's rom-com that's landed him a publishing deal, and we try to unpack why.We discuss why representation across sexualities and nationalities is very important to him, also why h

Sep 20, 2024 • 50:51

Catherine Gray, author of 'Versions of a Girl' - Award-winning journalist talks switching to fiction, giving characters flexibility, and why taking a break from alcohol boosts creativity

Catherine Gray, author of 'Versions of a Girl' - Award-winning journalist talks switching to fiction, giving characters flexibility, and why taking a break from alcohol boosts creativity

Catherine Gray is an award-winning journalist who has written for The Guardian, Stylist, The Telegraph, Grazia, and many more. She's published 4 non-fiction books, which have sold over a million copies and been translated into 9 languages. She's best known for her book, 'The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober', which takes you through the benefits of going alcohol-free, and how it can positively impact your creativity. Her debut novel is 'Versions of a Girl'. It's a classic sliding doors story, which

Sep 12, 2024 • 54:11

J.M. Hall, author of 'A Clock Stopped Dead' - Cosy Crime writer discusses working in long-hand, retirement changing things, and how working as a teacher helps tell stories

J.M. Hall, author of 'A Clock Stopped Dead' - Cosy Crime writer discusses working in long-hand, retirement changing things, and how working as a teacher helps tell stories

This week's guest is J.M. Hall, who has worked as a playwright, a primary school teacher, and is now a published novelist. Through lockdown he wrote 'A Spoonful of Murder', as a way to deal with a traumatic family situation, that was published in 2021. He's gone on to publish, 'A Brush with Death', and his most recent book 'A Clock Stopped Dead'. They tell the story of Pat, Liz and Thelma, retired teachers who turn to sleuthing.We talk about how, after recently retiring, Jonathan's routine has c

Sep 5, 2024 • 59:50

Santa Montefiore, author of 'The Deverill Chronicles' - World-renowned bestseller discusses finally finding success at home, getting it written before getting it right, and why she needs spirituality

Santa Montefiore, author of 'The Deverill Chronicles' - World-renowned bestseller discusses finally finding success at home, getting it written before getting it right, and why she needs spirituality

This week, we're joined by Santa Montefiore. A bestselling author, published across the world, who has sold millions of copies of her 31 novels. She's known for her richly drawn characters, intricate plots, and a deep sense of place, often set in the countrysides of England, Ireland, and Argentina.Her books, including The Deverill Chronicles series and The Beekeeper’s Daughter, have been translated into more than 25 languages, captivating audiences worldwide. Beyond her novels, Santa is a passio

Aug 29, 2024 • 53:30

Alan Rhode, author of 'The Eagle and the Cockerel' - Journalist, Lawyer and Author discusses political thrillers, writing in a second language and why concentration is subjective

Alan Rhode, author of 'The Eagle and the Cockerel' - Journalist, Lawyer and Author discusses political thrillers, writing in a second language and why concentration is subjective

Alan Rhode is a busy man. Working as a lawyer, with a full family, he's recently self-published his first novel. It's called 'The Eagle and the Cockerel', and was shortlisted for a 2024 Selfie Award.We discuss why Alan was so keen to become a published author, and he is very open about his reasons for wanting to be a novel, and what his ambitions are in the next few years. You can hear why concentration is subjective, why nature helps his writing, and why writing in a second language can make th

Aug 22, 2024 • 49:28

Catherine Steadman, author of 'Look in the Mirror' - Actor turned bestselling thriller writer discusses career pivots,  character nuances, and why word count doesn't matter

Catherine Steadman, author of 'Look in the Mirror' - Actor turned bestselling thriller writer discusses career pivots, character nuances, and why word count doesn't matter

Catherine Steadman had a very successful acting career, starring in 'Downton Abbey', 'Salmon Fishing in the Yemen', 'Fearless' and many more. In her early 30s, she started to think about how her future as an actor might pan out. It's been well documented that roles for older women are depressingly stark, and often frustratingly uninspired. Giving that some thought, Catherine decide to switch things around, and trusting that her story-telling and improvisational abilities learned from acting woul

Aug 13, 2024 • 46:20

Milly Johnson, author of 'The Happiest Ever After' - Bestselling Romance Writer discusses keeping the concentration up, why greeting cards help novels, and how to keep the plates spinning

Milly Johnson, author of 'The Happiest Ever After' - Bestselling Romance Writer discusses keeping the concentration up, why greeting cards help novels, and how to keep the plates spinning

Milly Johnson is one of the top 10 Female Fiction authors in the UK, with over 3 million sales in the country alone, and many more across the world as she's been published in more than 20 different countries. She's been honoured with the Romantic Novelists' Association's Outstanding Achievement Award, and has just published her 21st novel in 20 years.It took her a long time to finally get published, and we discuss her desperate quest to become a novellist, and how it, at last, happened. Also, yo

Aug 8, 2024 • 54:27

B.P. Walter, author of 'The Garden Party' - Crime writer discusses escaping and being distracted, publishing horror, and making characters nuanced

B.P. Walter, author of 'The Garden Party' - Crime writer discusses escaping and being distracted, publishing horror, and making characters nuanced

Crime writer B.P. Walter has always been around books. From beng submerged in reading growing up, to studying storytelling, to working in bookshops, it makes perfect sense that he's now a full-time author. His newest novel is 'The Garden Party', which tells the story of a wealthy family celebrating the engagement of son, Raphael. Only, his adopted brother chooses this day of celebration to expose what he really thinks of the family that has taken him in... and soon the bodies begin to drop. It's

Aug 1, 2024 • 1:06:12

Amy Neff, author of 'The Days I Loved You Most' - Debut writer discusses spending 10 years with characters, getting over rejection, and why editing needs help

Amy Neff, author of 'The Days I Loved You Most' - Debut writer discusses spending 10 years with characters, getting over rejection, and why editing needs help

Amy Neff's new novel is 'The Days I Loved You Most'. It's taken 10 years to get to shelves. Amy has spent 10 years refining the story, sending it to publishers, even hiring her own editor to help get it into shape. We discuss how she stayed positive through that time and learned to deal with rejection. It tells the story of Joseph and Evelyn, once childhood friends now, 60 years later, married with children. One summer, they reveal the staggering news that Evelyn has received a life-ending diagn

Jul 25, 2024 • 49:34

Julietta Henderson, author of 'How to Get a Life' - Richard and Judy Book Club pick talks scattered scenes, finding the story thread, and why writing doesn't get any easier

Julietta Henderson, author of 'How to Get a Life' - Richard and Judy Book Club pick talks scattered scenes, finding the story thread, and why writing doesn't get any easier

Julietta Henderson's debut novel, 'The Funny Thing about Norman Foreman', was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick and sold around the world. Her second is, 'How to Get a Life'. It tells the story of Danny Mulberry, a man who could do better... better at life, better at being an adult... generally better than everything. When a photo of him accidentally ends up in the papers, people across the country start to think he is actually a man with all the answers... and suddenly Danny becomes the guru wh

Jul 12, 2024 • 49:13

Shaun Bythell, author of 'The Diary of a Bookseller' - Scotland's most famous bookseller discusses editing diaries, why everyone loves a bookshop, and style guides

Shaun Bythell, author of 'The Diary of a Bookseller' - Scotland's most famous bookseller discusses editing diaries, why everyone loves a bookshop, and style guides

Shaun Bythell runs 'The Bookshop' in Wigtown, it's Scotland's largest second-hand bookshop, and is now incredibly popular. Back in 2017, Shaun published, 'The Diary of a Bookseller', a book filled with his daily experiences running the store. People fell in love with his wry musings, the life of a bookseller, and it became a Sunday Times bestseller. He's followed it up with 'Confessions of a Bookseller', and 'Remainders of the Day', in the 'Bookseller Series'.We talk about why everyone finds the

Jun 13, 2024 • 47:24

Jonny Sweet, author of 'The Kellerby Code' - Screenwriter and Author discusses jokes influencing novels, why guilt is useless, and dealing with praise

Jonny Sweet, author of 'The Kellerby Code' - Screenwriter and Author discusses jokes influencing novels, why guilt is useless, and dealing with praise

Jonny Sweet won the 'Best Newcomer' Prize at the 2009 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, created a sketch group with 'The Inbetweeners' Simon Bird and Joe Thomas, and appeared in many TV Comedies, including 'Chickens' and 'Him and Her'. He wrote the movie 'Wicked Little Letters' starring Olivia Colman, which was released this year. He has also just published one of the most acclaimed novels of the year. 'The Kellerby Code' tells the story of Edward, living in a world he can't afford and to which he does

May 30, 2024 • 45:34

Kate Storey, author of 'The Memory Library' - Book Club author discusses why a change of genre means a change of name, whether outlining curbs creativity, and why she watches for jokes

Kate Storey, author of 'The Memory Library' - Book Club author discusses why a change of genre means a change of name, whether outlining curbs creativity, and why she watches for jokes

Our special guest this week is Kate Storey. Under the name Lisa Timoney, she's published 3 books, 'Her Daughter's Secret', 'Her Mother's Lies' and 'His Secret Wife'... but a change of genre means a change of name.Kate's back with book club fiction now, and has published, 'The Memory Library'. It's all about Sally Harrison, who has been building a library for 43 years. Every year she adds a new book to it, dedicated to her estranged daughter Ella who has fled to Australia... however, when disaste

May 23, 2024 • 45:45

Alina Khawaja, author of 'Maya's Laws of Love' - How to avoid tangents which block your ideas, dealing with rejections, and trying to get better

Alina Khawaja, author of 'Maya's Laws of Love' - How to avoid tangents which block your ideas, dealing with rejections, and trying to get better

After writing around 7 books and getting many rejections or near-misses, Alina Khawaja finally has a published novel. It's called 'Maya's Laws of Love', and tells the story of Maya on her way to Pakistan for an arranged marriage she hopes will end with love. Only, after a disastrous journey, she begins to wonder if Mr. Right might actually be someone else she meets along the way.Alina is well read and decorated, with a degree in English, History and Creative Writing, and a Masters in Literatures

May 16, 2024 • 48:14

Samuel Burr, author of 'The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers' - Mystery writer talks about learning from making TV, spying for inspiration, and how the business actually works

Samuel Burr, author of 'The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers' - Mystery writer talks about learning from making TV, spying for inspiration, and how the business actually works

Samuel Burr has worked as a TV executive, creating shows like 'The Secret Life of 4 Year Olds', 'Eight Go Rallying', and 'The Secret Life of Cleaners'. Many years ago he worked on a documentary in a retirement home, now it's given him the basis for his debut novel.'The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers' looks at Clayton Sumper, an enigma who was abandoned at birth on the steps of the puzzlemakers, ending up being raised by some of the sharpest minds in the country. The hope is that he's learned from th

May 9, 2024 • 1:01:34

Caz Frear, author of 'Five Bad Deeds' - Thriller writer discusses the pressures of doing everything, getting into the right mindset, and making your day better

Caz Frear, author of 'Five Bad Deeds' - Thriller writer discusses the pressures of doing everything, getting into the right mindset, and making your day better

Caz Frear was launched to debut success after winning the 'Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller' competition. Her novel, 'Sweet Little Lies', won the prize and found the bestselling status they searched for. What happens next? How do you follow up on debut success? Caz discusses how she dealt with that writing her 2nd and 3rd novels, and why she's constantly looking to make her day better and improve how she works. We talk about the tech problems she attempts to deal with, how the process ha

May 2, 2024 • 1:00:06

Chioma Okereke, author of 'Water Baby' - Poet and Author discusses writing without genre, changing how you plot, and performing poetry

Chioma Okereke, author of 'Water Baby' - Poet and Author discusses writing without genre, changing how you plot, and performing poetry

Chioma Okereke's writing career started as a performance poet, even though she was terrified of performing poetry. From there she wrote short fiction, and was a highly placed runner up in the Costa Short Story Award, for 'Trompette de la Mort'. Her move into long-form began with her debut 'Bitter Leaf', which was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writer's Prize. Her new novel is 'Water Baby', which looks at a 19 year old woman trying to escape her community in Makoko in Lagos, Nigeria. It explore

Apr 25, 2024 • 54:16

Paul Carlucci, author of 'The Voyageur' - Acclaimed author discusses moving from short stories to novels, by inspired by fact, and learning grammar

Paul Carlucci, author of 'The Voyageur' - Acclaimed author discusses moving from short stories to novels, by inspired by fact, and learning grammar

Paul Carlucci has published 3 short story collections and works as a copywriter, making other peoples work read better. He's just released one of the most hotly anticipated debuts of the year, it's called 'The Voyageur'.It tells the story of Alex, a motherless stockboy in 19th century Montreal, who is taken in by Serge, a drunken fur trader. After heading out on an expedition into the wilderness which goes awry, Alex must fend for himself at the mercy of stranger men, and a seemingly brilliant s

Apr 18, 2024 • 57:23

Kerry Andrew, author of 'We Are Together Because' - Award winning composer and writer discusses the search for the perfect word, imagining the worst, and finding what you really want

Kerry Andrew, author of 'We Are Together Because' - Award winning composer and writer discusses the search for the perfect word, imagining the worst, and finding what you really want

Kerry Andrew is an all-round creative. As a composer, they've won 4 British Composer Awards, as a writer they've been nominated twice for the BBC National Short Story Award. Kerry has published 2 novels, 'Swansong', 'Skin', and is back with a third, 'We Are Together Because'.It's all about siblings Luke, Connor, Thea and Violet, spending their first summer in their estranged father's house. Truth is, they don't even know each other too well, and when the worst happens, they discover if they can

Apr 11, 2024 • 54:21

Daisy Goodwin, author of 'Diva' - TV producer and screenwriter discusses thorough research, historical fiction, and creating legendary TV shows

Daisy Goodwin, author of 'Diva' - TV producer and screenwriter discusses thorough research, historical fiction, and creating legendary TV shows

Daisy Goodwin has created some legendary television shows. She's the brains behind 'Grand Designs', 'Escape to the Country', and the historical drama, 'Victoria', based on Queen Victoria, which was sold in 146 countries.She's published poetry, had 3 bestselling novels, 'My Last Duchess', 'The Fortune Hunter', and 'Victoria, which together have been translated into 17 countries.Her newest novel is 'Diva'. It tells the story of Maria Callas, one of the world's greatest opera singers, who falls in

Apr 4, 2024 • 52:10

Max Moyer, author of 'Zodak - The Last Shielder' - Fantasy author talks world-building, stopping for 18 years, and why you don't need to be completely original

Max Moyer, author of 'Zodak - The Last Shielder' - Fantasy author talks world-building, stopping for 18 years, and why you don't need to be completely original

One of the most frequent requests to writersroutine.com is for fantasy authors. World builders. Authors with the ability to take you on an adventure across times, dimensions and brand new maps.This week's guest, Max Moyer, has figured a way to do that. His new book 'Zodak - The Last Shielder', is the first in a new series, 'Tempest Rising'. There is a prequel novella already out, 'Throne Born', and this properly sets up a new world that's been in Max's head for 30 years. It started as an idea fo

Mar 29, 2024 • 51:24

Mari Hannah, author of 'The Longest Goodbye' - Crime award-winner discusses planning across a series, her Murder Wall, and the book she never wanted to write

Mari Hannah, author of 'The Longest Goodbye' - Crime award-winner discusses planning across a series, her Murder Wall, and the book she never wanted to write

Mari Hannah is a prolific writer. Over the last 12 years she's won the Northern Writer's Award, the Polari First Book Prize, the CWA Dagger in the Library Award, and Capital Crime's Crime Book of the Year. She's a series authors, publishing books in the 'Stone and Oliver' series, the 'Ryan and O'Neil' novels, and the 'Kate Daniels' thrillers.Her newest novel is 'The Longest Goodbye', and it sees Kate Daniels involved in a case incredibly close to her. It's the story Mari never wanted to write. I

Mar 21, 2024 • 43:43

Triona Campbell, author of 'The Traitor in the Game' - Young Adult writer talks moving countries to write, moving from TV to novels, and moving obstacles

Triona Campbell, author of 'The Traitor in the Game' - Young Adult writer talks moving countries to write, moving from TV to novels, and moving obstacles

Triona Campbell worked as a TV producer and writer, creating many dramas and comedies for teens, and picking up 3 Emmy nominations. Through Lockdown (capital L?) she started writing a novel for teens... thus, a whole career change.Her debut, 'A Game of Life and Death' went down very well, and she's followed it up with 'The Traitor in the Game'. It's about Asha, who enters an eSports tournament in New York, when it becomes harder to keep the game under control.Triona has written radio plays too,

Mar 15, 2024 • 1:05:16

Yangsze Choo, author of 'The Fox Wife' - New York Times bestseller talks about streaming pressure, debut success, and how we think differently

Yangsze Choo, author of 'The Fox Wife' - New York Times bestseller talks about streaming pressure, debut success, and how we think differently

Yangsze Choo's debut novel 'The Ghost Bride', was released 10 years ago, and has been adapted by Netflix. Her follow-up 'The Night Tiger', was a BBC 2 'Between the Covers' pick, a Reese Witherspoon Book Pick, and was selected for the UK's Big Jubilee Read. She's a New York Times bestseller.Her 3rd novel in the last 10 years is 'The Fox Wife'. Set in 1908 Manchuria, it weaves in folklore and myth, it's a quest for love, and a murder mystery. We discuss changes in her routine over the last 10 year

Mar 8, 2024 • 49:32

Mandy Robotham, author of 'The Hidden Storyteller' - Historical Fiction writer discusses the rules of genre, needing a deadline, and stopping when it gets good

Mandy Robotham, author of 'The Hidden Storyteller' - Historical Fiction writer discusses the rules of genre, needing a deadline, and stopping when it gets good

Mandy Robotham has had many careers, and is busy. She's worked as a midwife, a journalist, and now is an author across genres. Her newest novel is 'The Hidden Storyteller', tells the story of reporter Georgie Young who, in 1946 returns to Germany and finds it unrecognisable post-war, she then teams up with detective Harri Schroder to catch a killer.We talk about historical fiction, how she knows the rules of the genre, and how much she thinks about the style of the writing. You can hear about th

Mar 1, 2024 • 51:20

Caroline Dunford, author of 'The Augmentors' - Prolific writer discusses plotting over a series, switching genres, and reaching for the perfect novel

Caroline Dunford, author of 'The Augmentors' - Prolific writer discusses plotting over a series, switching genres, and reaching for the perfect novel

Caroline Dunford has published over 30 books across many genres. Her best loved is the 'Euphemia Martins' Mysteries', which solves crimes set one hundred years ago. Her latest release is 'The Augmentors', a Young Adult novel published under the name Gemini Gibson. We get quite philosophical, talking about the big picture of writing, and why she feels the need to carry on. She has a story-telling infection, and has published many books, even though she's never got down that 'perfect' novel which

Feb 23, 2024 • 58:09

Orlando Murrin, author of 'Knife Skills for Beginners' - Chef, writer and all-round doer discusses the perfect keyboard, going on tangents, and why kitchens make the perfect place for murder

Orlando Murrin, author of 'Knife Skills for Beginners' - Chef, writer and all-round doer discusses the perfect keyboard, going on tangents, and why kitchens make the perfect place for murder

Orlando Murrin has had many careers. In the early 90's he appeared on 'Masterchef', reaching the semi-final on a show watched by 12 million people. From then, he's worked as a chef and hotelier, written cookbooks, edited magazines, made podcasts, and now has a novel out. 'Knife Skills for Beginners' sees Paul Delamare investigating murders at a high-end cookery school in Belgravia, London. We talk about why the kitchen has the perfect recipe for crime. You can hear why his protagonist very rarel

Feb 16, 2024 • 52:14

Maura Cheeks, author of 'Acts of Forgiveness' - Debut writer discusses free-writing, how journalism affects novel-writing, and important stories

Maura Cheeks, author of 'Acts of Forgiveness' - Debut writer discusses free-writing, how journalism affects novel-writing, and important stories

This week we chat to Maura Cheeks, who has written pieces and columns all over the place, being featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic and the Harvard Business Review. Her debut novel is called 'Acts of Forgiveness', and is out on the 13th February.It tells the story of Willie Revel who gives up a career as journalist in New York to help run her family's struggling company in Philadelphia. When the President prepares to pass a bill allowing black families to claim reparations if they can p

Feb 9, 2024 • 47:28

Sarah Marsh, author of 'A Sign of Her Own' - Debut writer discusses finding the truth in history, taking 12 years to write a debut, and thorough research

Sarah Marsh, author of 'A Sign of Her Own' - Debut writer discusses finding the truth in history, taking 12 years to write a debut, and thorough research

This week, we're joined by Sarah Marsh. Her debut is 'A Sign of Her Own'. It tells the story of Ellen Lark, who discovers a side to Alexander Graham Bell, one of history's most famous figures, that few other people know. Sarah was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavenish Prize in 2019, selected for the London Library Emerging Writer's Programme, and has a Masters in Creative Writing. She is also deaf, as is her protagonist Ellen, and we discuss why this story was so important to write. You can hear why

Feb 2, 2024 • 29:41

Rebecca Thorne, author of 'The Grief House' - Writing without a genre, how pseudonyms help switch between tasks, and a strictly-planned day

Rebecca Thorne, author of 'The Grief House' - Writing without a genre, how pseudonyms help switch between tasks, and a strictly-planned day

Rebecca Thorne's new novel is 'The Grief House', it's about the ex-tarot reader Blue, who escapes to a grief retreat on a beautiful country estate. Only, when the weather closes in, and someone disappears in the night, Blue wonders whose grief might hide a deeper secret.Rebecca published 2 psychological thriller books under the name Rebecca Tinnelly, and we discuss why she swapped names and how it helped her break up her day, and switch between tasks.You can hear why her date is structured prett

Jan 26, 2024 • 58:20

Helen Fisher, author of 'Joe Nuthin's Guide to Life' - Writer discusses the rocky road to publication, writing when you're not writing, and the plot road map

Helen Fisher, author of 'Joe Nuthin's Guide to Life' - Writer discusses the rocky road to publication, writing when you're not writing, and the plot road map

Helen Fisher's debut, 'Space Hopper' was acclaimed as one of the most unique debuts of 2021, recommended by Cosmopolitan, Woman's Weekly', Marian Keyes, and many more, it looked set to launch her to a glittering career.Things weren't that simple for Helen. In the following 2 years, she wrote 3 novels which were all turned down and rejected. At an incredibly low point, she almost gave up. It was only the story of Joe, along with her editor, that gave her enough strength to carry on for one last g

Jan 19, 2024 • 55:22

 Professor Emma Smith, author of 'Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers' - Academic discusses commercial non-fiction, who Shakespeare really was, and why we can't throw books away

Professor Emma Smith, author of 'Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers' - Academic discusses commercial non-fiction, who Shakespeare really was, and why we can't throw books away

Professor Emma Smith teaches Shakespeare Studies at the University of Oxford. She has published some academic non-fiction works before, but this is her first work of real commercial non-fiction. 'Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers', looks at why books are so importantly culturally - why can't we throw them away? What is it about a physical copy that means more than a digital file? What is the history of this phenomenon?We discuss the idea for the book, how she began to research

Jan 12, 2024 • 57:14

D.V. Bishop, author of 'Ritual of Fire' - Historical fiction author talks his rules of writing, planning in the past, and tie-in novels

D.V. Bishop, author of 'Ritual of Fire' - Historical fiction author talks his rules of writing, planning in the past, and tie-in novels

Happy New Year! Let's start 2024 with a bumper episode from a fantastic historical fiction author. D.V Bishop has published 3 'Cesare Aldo' novels, and the 4th is on the way. He's won the CWA Historical Dagger Award, and his novels are highly commended across the board.His newest novel is 'Ritual of Fire'. It takes you to 1538 Florence, where a rich merchant is found hanged and set ablaze in the centre of the city, as a warning to put the fear of God into Florence... only Cesare Aldo can discove

Jan 5, 2024 • 1:16:20

Jane L. Rosen, author of 'On Fire Island' - Turning screenplays into novels, the balance of writing and promoting, and how to capture a sense of place

Jane L. Rosen, author of 'On Fire Island' - Turning screenplays into novels, the balance of writing and promoting, and how to capture a sense of place

In our last episode of 2023, we chat to Jane L. Rosen, whose new boook 'On Fire Island' is out now. It’s all about Julia, a book lover that lives on Fire Island in New York, who… dies, and then we follow the different lives of those she loves, and how her life affects theirs.Julia is also a screenplay and columnist, and we chat through how she turned a screenplay which didn't quite make it, into a novel. Also, you can hear how Jane captures a perfect sense of place in her writing, and how she ba

Dec 22, 2023 • 38:04

 Amanda Prowse, author of 'All Good Things' - Prolific bestseller discusses creating a universe of characters, completely pantsing and why creativity helps trauma

Amanda Prowse, author of 'All Good Things' - Prolific bestseller discusses creating a universe of characters, completely pantsing and why creativity helps trauma

Amanda Prowse has written over 30 books. Her newest is 'All Good Things', which tells the story of life-long neighbours, the Kelleways and the Harrops, who couldn’t be further apart. However, when they celebrate a big anniversary, huge secrets are revealed and change everything.She has written fiction, non-fiction, novellas, short stories, and memoir. Her novel 'A Mother's Story' was Sainsbury's eBook of the Year. Her work, 'The Boy Between' is a compelling memoir written with her son, detailing

Dec 15, 2023 • 47:04

Femi Kayode, author of 'Gaslight' - CWA nominated writer discusses writing through a Nigerian lens, chapter titles giving control, and being in the perfect place

Femi Kayode, author of 'Gaslight' - CWA nominated writer discusses writing through a Nigerian lens, chapter titles giving control, and being in the perfect place

Femi Kayode's debut 'Lightseekers' was a book of the month in many national newspapers, it was longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award, and was a commercial success.His follow up is 'Gaslight', it's the second in the Phillip Taiwo 'Whydunnit' series. Following the investigative psychologist who has been urgently called in to investigate the disappearance of the 'First Lady' of a Nigerian mega-church. We discuss why he's interested in the why, rather than the who or what, also what he's learned

Dec 8, 2023 • 40:54

Katie Marsh, author of 'How Not To Murder Your Ex' - Crime writer talks about switching from romance, trying to clear distractions, and taking 2 months before starting

Katie Marsh, author of 'How Not To Murder Your Ex' - Crime writer talks about switching from romance, trying to clear distractions, and taking 2 months before starting

This week, we're chatting to Katie Marsh. Katie has published 5 romantic fiction novels, ‘Unbreak your Heart’, ‘The Rest of Me’, ‘The Beautiful Life’, ‘A Life Without You’ and ‘My Everything’, and has now completely switched genre. You can find out why in the podcast.Her new novel is 'How Not To Murder Your Ex', and tells the story of Clio, who opens the door to find her hated ex Gary dead on the lawn in front of her. It's no accident, and the eyes of blame quickly fall on her.We discuss why she

Dec 1, 2023 • 50:20

Terry Hayes, author of 'The Year of the Locust' - Acclaimed bestseller talks about using song lyrics, cutting hundreds of thousands of words, and the pressure of the second novel

Terry Hayes, author of 'The Year of the Locust' - Acclaimed bestseller talks about using song lyrics, cutting hundreds of thousands of words, and the pressure of the second novel

Terry Hayes started his career as a journalist before heading to Hollywood. He found real success there, writing on 'Flight Plan', 'Payback', and penning, 'Mad Max II'. In 2013, he published 'I Am Pilgrim' to international acclaim and success.10 years later, he's written his second novel, 'The Year of the Locust'. It tells the story of Kane, a CIA spy who can go where other's can't. We discuss the pressure of following huge success, why he's taken 10 years to publish a new book, and why that com

Nov 24, 2023 • 49:29

Freya Berry, author of 'The Birdcage Library' - Bestseller discusses writing hard and often, leaving space in the story, and giving yourself a year to write

Freya Berry, author of 'The Birdcage Library' - Bestseller discusses writing hard and often, leaving space in the story, and giving yourself a year to write

Freya Berry's debut, 'The Dictator's Wife', was a bestselling, critically acclaimed hit, and was a BBC 2 'Between the Covers' pick. She's back with 'The Birdcage Library'.It tells the story of Emily Blackwood, a young adventuress tasked by an exotic animal hunter to track down a lost treasure hidden in a castle... it becomes a deeper, darker hunt into secrets best left untold.We talk about the article that gave her the inspiration for the novel, also the research around Scottish Castles she call

Nov 17, 2023 • 40:20

Denzil Meyrick, author of 'Murder at Holly House' - Bestselling writer discusses the baggy middle, avoiding distractions, and not being limited by genre

Denzil Meyrick, author of 'Murder at Holly House' - Bestselling writer discusses the baggy middle, avoiding distractions, and not being limited by genre

Denzil Meyrick has published 11 bestselling DCI Daley books, many standalones, and is back with, 'Murder at Holly House'.Set in 1952, it takes Inspector Frank Grasby despatched to investigate a strange body discovered at historic Holly House. When snow strands him there, and another body is found, we find ourselves in a locked room mystery.We talk about why Denzil doesn't like being limited by genre... he is a writer of all sorts, as that's what writers should be. Also, you can hear how working

Nov 10, 2023 • 1:00:16

Dann McDorman, author of 'West Heart Kill' - Novelist and Emmy-nominated News Producer discusses twisting the genre, putting the reader in the mystery, and how news affects stories

Dann McDorman, author of 'West Heart Kill' - Novelist and Emmy-nominated News Producer discusses twisting the genre, putting the reader in the mystery, and how news affects stories

Dann McDorman is an Emmy-nominated news producer, working for MSNBC in New York. His debut novel is 'West Heart Kill', which is something particularly unique. It places the reader at the heart of the mystery. Dann invites you in to an exclusive country club to be an active guest over a holiday weekend... when the bodies start dropping.We discuss the decision to put a singular twist on the crime mystery genre, and how it wasn't supposed to end up that way at all. You can hear how he began writing

Nov 3, 2023 • 51:14

D.L. Douglas, author of 'Dr. Spilsbury and the Camden Town Killer' - Historical crime writer discusses switching genres and names, structuring challenges, and a busy year

D.L. Douglas, author of 'Dr. Spilsbury and the Camden Town Killer' - Historical crime writer discusses switching genres and names, structuring challenges, and a busy year

This week, we're chatting to D.L. Douglas and Donna Hay at the same time. For D.L. see Donna, and Donna see D.L. Donna Hay has published many saga novels, and worked as a journalist across magazines. She's now dipping her ink into historical crime mystery, as D.L. Douglas and her novel, 'Dr. Spilsbury and the Camden Town Killer'. It features the real life 1920's forensic pathologist Sir Bernard Spilsbury. It's a golden age mystery that meets CSI. We discuss how structuring crime stories and saga

Oct 26, 2023 • 48:05

Claire Daverley, author of 'Talking at Night' - Debut writer discusses forgetting genre, dealing with rejection, and preparing the mood

Claire Daverley, author of 'Talking at Night' - Debut writer discusses forgetting genre, dealing with rejection, and preparing the mood

This week we're chatting to Claire Daverley. Her new novel is 'Talking at Night', which tells the story of Will and Rosie, two polar opposites who fall in love and are destined to be together forever, until a tragedy shatters their future.We discuss how much Claire thought about genre, and how she learned from working in the industry. Also, you can hear how she dealt with rejections and went to a writing course which helped her move into a new frame of writing mind. We run through why she takes

Oct 19, 2023 • 53:41

Sarah Moorhead, author of 'The Treatment' - Speculative fiction writer discusses keeping busy, thinking of genre, and the classic What If?

Sarah Moorhead, author of 'The Treatment' - Speculative fiction writer discusses keeping busy, thinking of genre, and the classic What If?

Sarah Moorhead is busy. She's a doer who wants to achieve. She's been a teacher, a Chaplain, started youth-groups, has a black-belt in kickboxing, and writes novels. She published 'Witness X' in 2020, and is back with 'The Treatment'.The novel is all about the future of law enforcement. It looks at how ground-breaking technology could alter what we think of criminals... only psychiatrist Grace Gunnarsson discovers it could let people get away with murder.We chat through the 'what if?' that start

Oct 12, 2023 • 41:45

Nick Hunt, author of 'Red Smoking Mirror' - Travel writer discusses blending experience into fiction, debut novels, and how to travel and write for a living

Nick Hunt, author of 'Red Smoking Mirror' - Travel writer discusses blending experience into fiction, debut novels, and how to travel and write for a living

This week, we're joined by Nick Hunt. He's worked as a journalist and travel writer, publishing 'Outlandish', 'Where the Wild Winds Are', and 'Walking the Woods and the Water'. We discuss how he fell into becoming a travel writer, and how in reality it got in the way of his novel writing.He's published 'Red Smoking Mirror', an alternate history set in 1521, in the Mexican City of Tenochtitlan, in which 29 years earlier, Islamic Spain never fell to the Christians, and Andalus launched a voyage of

Oct 6, 2023 • 49:07

Diana Janney, author of 'A Man of Understanding' - How poetry influences novels, exploring trauma, and whether your story needs a skeleton

Diana Janney, author of 'A Man of Understanding' - How poetry influences novels, exploring trauma, and whether your story needs a skeleton

Diana Janney is busy. She is a doer. She's worked as a barrister, a model, published two successful novels through the last 20 years, and has a new one out. 'A Man of Understanding' was named runner up for The People's Book Prize 2023. It tells the story of Horatio Hennessy, his orphaned grandson, and their journey together. It explores trauma which Diana has experienced, and she's used it as a way of understanding what it all means.We discuss her love of philosophy and poetry, and how that seep

Sep 28, 2023 • 35:00

Alex Hay, author of 'The Housekeepers' - Historical fiction author discusses shifting gears through the day, a work-space battle, and changing your routine

Alex Hay, author of 'The Housekeepers' - Historical fiction author discusses shifting gears through the day, a work-space battle, and changing your routine

Alex Hay's new novel is 'The Housekeepers'. It won the Caledonia Novel Award 2022. It's all about Mrs King, a housekeeper from a world of con artists and thieves. She's dismissed from her position running the grandest home in Mayfair, and gets her revenge by recruiting an eclectic group of women to try and rob the house of its every position, right under the owner's nose.We discuss how he organises his writing around his day job, and how he manages to shift gears through different work. Also how

Sep 21, 2023 • 1:00:26

Susan Wiggs, author of 'Welcome to Beach Town' - Multi-million bestseller discusses the joys of research, how to find your voice, and the sweet-spot that makes a classic

Susan Wiggs, author of 'Welcome to Beach Town' - Multi-million bestseller discusses the joys of research, how to find your voice, and the sweet-spot that makes a classic

Susan Wiggs has written more than 50 books and sold more than 25 million copies in more than 20 languages.Her new one is 'Welcome to Beach Town'. It's a warm, summer read, about the idyllic beach town of Alara Cove. On graduation day, class valedictorian Nikki Graziola veers off script to reveal secrets that will break down the whole community, and have repercussions which never leave Nikki's life.We talk about the sweet spot of classics, how they blend literary language and an unputdownable plo

Sep 14, 2023 • 51:39

Sara Ochs, author of 'The Dive' - Thriller author discusses the path to publication, how impatience affects drafting, and making characters authentic

Sara Ochs, author of 'The Dive' - Thriller author discusses the path to publication, how impatience affects drafting, and making characters authentic

Sara Ochs is an attorney, law professor, and now author. Her debut is 'The Dive'. It's inspired by her own time travelling through Thailand, and hearing about a grisly murder near her hotel.We discuss why being an impatient person affects her drafting, also why getting an agent doesn't mean everything suddenly falls into place, and how she made characters feel genuine when they could so easily become stereotype.You can hear how splitting her time between the US and Sweden helped her write a nove

Sep 1, 2023 • 50:53

Robert Thorogood, author of 'Death Comes to Marlow' - Mystery writer talks about making stories fun, cosy crime, and stopping the excuses

Robert Thorogood, author of 'Death Comes to Marlow' - Mystery writer talks about making stories fun, cosy crime, and stopping the excuses

Robert Thorogood's newest novel is 'Death Comes to Marlow'. It's the 2nd in the 'Marlow Murder Club Mysteries', about a group of amateur sleuths who solve crimes in a quintessentially British town. We talk about his love of cosy crime, why he is inspired by Agatha Christie's need to keep things fun, and why he wanted to write a mystery about where he lives.Robert created 'Death in Paradise', a tv series that has become a BBC institution, and is just wrapping it's 13th series. You can hear the st

Aug 29, 2023 • 53:46

Jack Jordan, author of 'Conviction' - Thriller writer discusses getting lost in the work, the business side of it, and making the most of success

Jack Jordan, author of 'Conviction' - Thriller writer discusses getting lost in the work, the business side of it, and making the most of success

Jack Jordan's 7th novel is 'Conviction'. It tells the story of Neve Harper, a barrister who must make a terrifyingly tough choice: betray every principle she has and put an innocent man in prison, or put those she loves in mortal danger.Last summer, his novel, 'Do No Harm', was a runaway success and became a Waterstones 'Thriller of the Month'. We discuss the moment he knew that was becoming big, and how he dealt with the pressure of that when writing new stuff.You can hear how much he has chang

Aug 10, 2023 • 50:51

Fiona Valpy, author of 'The Cypress Maze' - Historical fiction author chats mixing fact with fiction, challenging yourself, and looking through the compost bin

Fiona Valpy, author of 'The Cypress Maze' - Historical fiction author chats mixing fact with fiction, challenging yourself, and looking through the compost bin

Fiona Valpy is a historical fiction author who has sold millions of books, her work has been translated into more than 30 languages, and she's always up for a challenge.Her new novel, 'The Cypress Maze', is inspired by the true story of Iris Origo. An English-born woman in Italy, she sheltered refugee children and helped prisoners of war escape during World War II. It's a dual timeline novel, set across 1943 and 2015. We chat about the extensive research that goes into historical fiction, how sh

Aug 3, 2023 • 49:30

 Nick Bradley, author of 'Four Seasons in Japan' - Writer discusses going easy on himself, living in Japan, and intricate plot structure

Nick Bradley, author of 'Four Seasons in Japan' - Writer discusses going easy on himself, living in Japan, and intricate plot structure

This week, we're chatting to Nick Bradley. He's an author, a creative writing teacher, a translator, and his new novel is, 'Four Seasons in Japan'. It's about about Flo, a translator in Tokyo. She finds a book on the subway and tries to track down the author and translate it.We discuss his previous novel, 'The Cat and the City', which was a BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick. Also, how his time living in Japan transformed how he thought of novels, and how he spoke to his characters. You can hear how he'

Jul 21, 2023 • 51:07

Jenna Clake, author of 'Disturbance' - Poet and novelist discusses writing spaces, keeping it tight, and how poetry helps novels

Jenna Clake, author of 'Disturbance' - Poet and novelist discusses writing spaces, keeping it tight, and how poetry helps novels

This week, we're chatting to Jenna Clake. Her new novel is 'Disturbance', it tells the story of a young woman who, with the help of her strange, witchy neighbour, seems to bring her boyfriends presence back to haunt her. It's eery, creepy, razor sharp and beautifully written.Jenna began writing with poetry. Her first collection 'Fortune Cookie' won many awards, and she teaches creative writing. We discuss how writing poetry influenced her storytelling, and how much it affects the way she writes

Jul 17, 2023 • 49:54

Kerry Chaput, author of 'Chasing Eleanor' - Historical fiction writer discusses dealing with anxiety, returning to writing, and ditching 80,000 words

Kerry Chaput, author of 'Chasing Eleanor' - Historical fiction writer discusses dealing with anxiety, returning to writing, and ditching 80,000 words

Kerry Chaput is an award-winning historical fiction author. Her 'Defying the Crown' series has had much success, and her new book is 'Chasing Eleanor'. Set in 1935, it's all about Magnolia Parker, who must protect her sick brothers who get put in an Orphanage. She sets out to find Eleanor Roosevelt, the most famous woman in America, to help bring them home.We discuss how she researches novels set hundreds of years ago. Also, why she started writing again after putting her pen down, suffering fro

Jul 6, 2023 • 50:57

JP Reiger, author of 'Clonk!' - How to make detective fiction funny, mixing creativity, and writing out of order

JP Reiger, author of 'Clonk!' - How to make detective fiction funny, mixing creativity, and writing out of order

This week, we're joined by JP Reiger, whose brand new novel, 'Clonk!' is out now.Paul worked as an attorney, and now spends his time as an amateur musician, and writing novels. We talk about how his work as an attorney has affected how much he plans out novels, and why he's quite casual about where and when he writes.'Clonk!' is about the Baltimore City Police Detective Kev Dixit, seeking the murder of a local artist, and the unique characters that he meets along the way. We run through how he m

Jun 29, 2023 • 45:43

Rebecca McKanna, author of 'Don't Forget the Girl' - Debut writer discusses fictional true-crime, getting sucked into the story, and what being published feels like

Rebecca McKanna, author of 'Don't Forget the Girl' - Debut writer discusses fictional true-crime, getting sucked into the story, and what being published feels like

Rebecca McKanna has published short stories in anthologies and quarterlies. Something about one idea made her want to write a full novel. 'Don't Forget the Girl' is about Bree and Chelsea, trying to discover what really happened to their best friend Abby Hartmann. Her presumed murderer, the serial killer Jon Allan Blue, is about to be executed when a flurry of interest in the case makes them turn to a true-crime podcaster to tell Abby's story before it's too late.We discuss the balance of why pe

Jun 22, 2023 • 48:07

Tim Lott, author of 'Yes! No! But Wait! - The One Thing You Need to Know to Write a Novel' - Award-winner discusses why spaces don't matter, why plot is everything and dealing with guilt

Tim Lott, author of 'Yes! No! But Wait! - The One Thing You Need to Know to Write a Novel' - Award-winner discusses why spaces don't matter, why plot is everything and dealing with guilt

Over Tim Lott's 10 novels, he's won the Whitbread First Novel Award, been shortlisted for The Guardian Kids Book Award and the Costa Award. He's been published in 16 countries, works as a screenwriter, and has taught creative writing for over 10 years. He's got a brilliant Substack page, filled with tips and advice at timlott.substack.com.His new book is a writing guide, 'Yes! No! But Wait! - The One Thing You Need to Know to Write a Novel'. It takes you through much of the process in getting a

Jun 16, 2023 • 51:01

Corie Adjmi, author of 'The Marriage Box' - Award-winning writer discusses writing by hand, short stories, and should you always write what you know?

Corie Adjmi, author of 'The Marriage Box' - Award-winning writer discusses writing by hand, short stories, and should you always write what you know?

Corie Adjmi's debut novel, 'Life and Other Shortcomings' won a whole bunch of prizes, and has steamrollered her towards the new novel, 'The Marriage Box'.It's all about Casey Cohen, a 16 year old in New Orleans, and in the 70s, her parents decide to return to their roots and move to the orthodox Syrian jewish community in Brooklyn. In time, Casey meets Michael and marries him at 18 thinking she can adjust to his Syrian ways, but starts to question things when Michael says he doesn’t want her to

Jun 8, 2023 • 43:29

John Wray, author of 'Gone to the Wolves' - Award-winning writer talks about working to hide,  switching genre, and taking your time

John Wray, author of 'Gone to the Wolves' - Award-winning writer talks about working to hide, switching genre, and taking your time

John Wray is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Whiting Award, he was named as one of the Best Young American Novelists in 2007. He's just published his 6th novel, 'Gone to the Wolves'. It’s the story of high school outcasts, making their pilgrimage from their small town in Florida, to the famed Hollywood Strip, and off to Norway (enter blackened death metal). Along their vision quest, these teens experience mystery, loss and love, all in the name of music, littered with feelings that f

Jun 1, 2023 • 55:53

J.D. Kirk, author of 'The One That Got Away' - Prolific writer discusses self-publishing, staying healthy, and his very busy year

J.D. Kirk, author of 'The One That Got Away' - Prolific writer discusses self-publishing, staying healthy, and his very busy year

J.D. Kirk is a prolific writer. He's written comics and screenplays, under the name Barry Hutchison he's published over 170 children's books, and is back with a new crime novel, 'The One That Got Away'.It's the first in the DI Heather Filson series, about a 15 year old girl who doesn’t make it home so is suspected as another teenage runaway. However, when her grandfather, a notorious Glasgow gangster, disagrees, it takes Heather Filson into a battle of underworld enemies, and her own past.We tal

May 25, 2023 • 57:46

Senta Rich, author of 'Hotel 21' - Screenwriter and author discusses creative collaboration, character arcs, and how to keep believing

Senta Rich, author of 'Hotel 21' - Screenwriter and author discusses creative collaboration, character arcs, and how to keep believing

Senta Rich is busy. She has the energy to keep up with everything. She has worked in philosophy, psychology, written radio plays, has a film and TV series in the works, and her new novel, 'Hotel 21' is out now.It tells the story of Noelle, a kleptomaniac hotel cleaner, and the stories she uncovers. We talk about why, when she had the idea on holiday, she had to drop everything and get it down immediately.You can hear why she still writes in notebooks, how she spreads energy and time between paid

May 18, 2023 • 54:20

Jude Yawson, author of 'Rise Up - The #Merky Story So Far' - First LIVE Podcast with Stormzy's co-author about inspiration, commitment and creative spaces

Jude Yawson, author of 'Rise Up - The #Merky Story So Far' - First LIVE Podcast with Stormzy's co-author about inspiration, commitment and creative spaces

Jude Yawson edits '14 Magazine', writes film and music reviews, and has co-authored 'Rise Up - The #Merky Story So Far' with Stormzy. It looks behind the scenes at Stormzy's life, the story of his team, and details everything that led to the release of 'Gang Signs and Prayer', Stormzy's debut album that sold millions of copies and won many awards.We talk about inspiration that comes from working with a team, how important it was to capture the truth of where they grew up and why it's vital to su

May 4, 2023 • 58:08

Becky Hunter, author of 'One Moment' - A look inside the world of publishing, why thinking about what sells doesn't always work, and dealing with rejection

Becky Hunter, author of 'One Moment' - A look inside the world of publishing, why thinking about what sells doesn't always work, and dealing with rejection

Becky Hunter's debut novel is 'One Moment'. It looks at best friends Scarlet and Evie, incredibly close until a tragic accident changes everything. It talks about why just one moment makes a huge difference. It's already been sold across the world, and we talk about how this has finally happened. It took Becky a while to get published, and it was only when she stopped thinking about what was on trend and what might sell, that she found the space to write something personal that got her published

Apr 20, 2023 • 53:25

Tim Weaver, author of 'The Blackbird' - Thriller writer talks about learning from your second book, welcoming the worry, and making people disappear

Tim Weaver, author of 'The Blackbird' - Thriller writer talks about learning from your second book, welcoming the worry, and making people disappear

Tim Weaver is a Sunday Times million copy bestseller, he's been nominated for a National Book Award, is a Richard and Judy Book Club Pick, and has been shortlisted for a CWA Dagger Award.He's just published his 12th David Raker book, 'The Blackbird'. It follows the story of Cate and Aidan Gascoigne, whose car plunges into a ravine, but the couple vanish. We talk about the challenges writing disappearing persons thrillers, how do you have new ideas about what's happening, and who might be next. W

Apr 13, 2023 • 1:02:49

Danya Kukafka, author of 'Notes on an Execution' - Writer talks about the pressure of the second book, the process journal and how to feel the plot

Danya Kukafka, author of 'Notes on an Execution' - Writer talks about the pressure of the second book, the process journal and how to feel the plot

This week, we chat to Danya Kukafka. Her first debut, 'Girl in the Snow', was released in 2017 and was extremely successful. It was a national bestseller, translated in many languages, and then the pressure came. The pressure of that difficult second book... how do you follow up on success?Danya started to write furiously, and along came 'Notes on an Execution'. It tells the story of Ansel Packer, who is scheduled to die in twelve hours. He knows what he's done, and now awaits execution, the sam

Apr 6, 2023 • 42:39

LC North, author of 'The Ugly Truth' - Psychological thriller writer talks about the calmer part of the process, commercial hooks, and celebrity fascination

LC North, author of 'The Ugly Truth' - Psychological thriller writer talks about the calmer part of the process, commercial hooks, and celebrity fascination

LC North's new book is 'The Ugly Truth'. It tells the story of Melanie, trapped and convinced she's kidnapped... meanwhile her father says she is in danger and thinking of her own safety. It's inspired by documentaries about similar real-life cases, featuring members of Royalty and even the most famous of celebrities.We talk about why her writing life is organised, but the other stuff in regular life isn't, also hear why her planning process is like colour by numbers, and how much she analyses t

Mar 30, 2023 • 50:20

Abdulrazak Gurnah, author of 'Afterlives' - 2021 Nobel Prize winner discusses distractions, why reading is as important as writing, and needing blank walls

Abdulrazak Gurnah, author of 'Afterlives' - 2021 Nobel Prize winner discusses distractions, why reading is as important as writing, and needing blank walls

Abdulrazak Gurnah was forced to flee Zanzibar when he was 18. He draws on that experience to write stories that address colonialism from different angles. His book 'Paradise' was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. His book 'By The Sea' was longlisted for the Booker Prize. He's Professor Emeritus of English and Postcolonial Literatures at the University of Kent, and was awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize for Literature. He only had 9 minutes warning about that, by the way!The new book tells the story of

Mar 24, 2023 • 42:08

Eva Rice, author of 'This Could Be Everything' - Why noise helps work, how characters decide when to appear, and how energy ebbs and flows

Eva Rice, author of 'This Could Be Everything' - Why noise helps work, how characters decide when to appear, and how energy ebbs and flows

Eva Rice has returned with a new novel, 'This Could Be Everything', after a little while away. Her book, 'The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets', was a runner up in the Richard and Judy Book of the Year Prize 2006.The new one is about February, who has lost everyone and is rudderless, but when a small yellow bird flies into her life, it seems to offer a glimmer of hope.We talk about the frustration of writing words you know will be cut. Also, why she doesn't like the first bits of plotting, how the ch

Mar 17, 2023 • 48:20

Sally Page, author of 'The Keeper of Stories' - Hugely successful debut writer on detailed research, the 'book club' genre, and how old work helps the future

Sally Page, author of 'The Keeper of Stories' - Hugely successful debut writer on detailed research, the 'book club' genre, and how old work helps the future

Sally Page's debut is 'The Keeper of Stories'. It's been extremely successful, tapping into book clubs across the country. It's about Janice, who is used to hearing other people's stories, until the elusive, mysterious Mrs B wants her to tell her own.Sally has done a lot, worked in a flower shop, started a fountain pen business, and hopes that a successful debut will let her write full-time forever. We talk about how prepared she is to write in this genre for a while, and how old manuscripts hav

Mar 9, 2023 • 51:57

Ava Glass, author of 'The Chase' - Thriller writer discusses unknown London, switching up timelines, and finding character through flashback

Ava Glass, author of 'The Chase' - Thriller writer discusses unknown London, switching up timelines, and finding character through flashback

Ava Glass has worked with spies and understands the mechanics of their job. She has taken all that experience and written 'The Chase'. It's the first in the 'Alias Emma' series, and tells the story of a brand new spy, tasked with transporting a wanted Russian target across London in less than a day. The book has already been Amazon's Book of the Month, and is optioned for TV.We talk about how the logistics of travelling quickly through a big city without being noticed became much clearer as she

Mar 3, 2023 • 51:47

Gregg Hurwitz, author of 'The Last Orphan' - New York Times bestseller discusses diving into research, fixing the small things, and advice from James Patterson

Gregg Hurwitz, author of 'The Last Orphan' - New York Times bestseller discusses diving into research, fixing the small things, and advice from James Patterson

This week, we chat to multi-million New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, Gregg Hurwitz. He's written many screenplays, comic books, took charge of Batman, and is known for the 'Orphan X' series. The newest one, 'The Last Orphan', sees Evan Smoak, the Nowhere Man, on one last mission after he was taken from a group home as an orphan and trained as an assassin.We discuss how he made a plan at the start of his career, in order to make writing a regular job so it could last as long as possibl

Feb 24, 2023 • 51:58

Georgina Moore, author of 'The Garnett Girls' - Making characters similar but different, how the plot sorts itself out, and why characters do their own thing

Georgina Moore, author of 'The Garnett Girls' - Making characters similar but different, how the plot sorts itself out, and why characters do their own thing

Georgina Moore has worked in PR and publishing throughout her career. She understands how books are sold, where they are place and what makes them commercial. She has just published her first novel, 'The Garnett Girls'. It tells the story of Rachel, Imogen and Sasha, struggling to escape their alienated family. It's set across the wild beaches of the Isle of Wight and the glamour of luxurious London. It asks whether children can ever escape the mistakes of their family.We discuss how to make sis

Feb 17, 2023 • 49:49

Tom Hindle, author of 'The Murder Game' - Murder mystery writer talks switching between work, learning from the best, and childhood heroes

Tom Hindle, author of 'The Murder Game' - Murder mystery writer talks switching between work, learning from the best, and childhood heroes

Tom Hindle published his successful debut, 'A Fatal Crossing', in 2022. It drew comparisons to Agatha Christie and propelled him to the list of mystery writers to watch. He's back with a second whodunnit, 'The Murder Game'. It tells the story of nine guests trapped in one house, when a murder mystery night goes wrong. We talk about how his writing life has changed since he packed in the full time job, and how he switches between writing for work and for pleasure. You can hear how he tries to be

Feb 10, 2023 • 49:18

Alison Stockham, author of 'The Cuckoo Sister' - Thriller writer talks about overcoming doubt, reading aloud and finding the right word

Alison Stockham, author of 'The Cuckoo Sister' - Thriller writer talks about overcoming doubt, reading aloud and finding the right word

Alison Stockham's new book is 'The Cuckoo Sister'. It tells the story of Maggie, who has a seemingly perfect life, only... she's cracking under the strain of it all. One day, when Maggie walks out on everything, her sister Rose is all too willing to step into her life.We talk about why she's half and half between planning and pantsing, also how she overcomes the doubt of good it is, and why every book is brilliant and awful at the same time.Alison works for the Cambridge Literary Festival, and h

Feb 1, 2023 • 57:27

Writer's Routine Revisited: Hugh Montgomery, author of 'Control' - Professor talks making time to write, what makes you creative, and the joy of trying something new.

Writer's Routine Revisited: Hugh Montgomery, author of 'Control' - Professor talks making time to write, what makes you creative, and the joy of trying something new.

Hugh Montgomery is a someone who, if he wasn't so darned lovely, you'd probably have to envy quite a lot. He's a practicing clinician, a UK lead on climate change, he's written screen-plays, runs ultramarathons, learns a new skill a year, holds a world-record, and is now releasing his first full-novel.It's called 'Control' - a thriller set in the medical-world (write what you know) all about a bullying, over-bearing Doctor, and the way he treats colleagues, which comes back to haunt him. We talk

Jan 27, 2023 • 49:50

Eleanor Shearer, author of 'River Sing Me Home' - Why plotting is emotional, parking downhill, and post-memory

Eleanor Shearer, author of 'River Sing Me Home' - Why plotting is emotional, parking downhill, and post-memory

Eleanor Shearer's debut is the acclaimed, 'River Sing Me Home'. It follows Rachel, a slave set free in 1834, and now searching the Caribbean to find her children, stolen from her and sold to other plantations.We talk about why her ancestors look over her writing, also about the exhibition she attended which reminded her of the stories that she'd wanted to write about, and how post-memory affected her storytelling.You can hear why plotting for her is a very emotional thing, also why she likes to

Jan 20, 2023 • 48:53

Cailean Steed, author of 'Home' - Thriller writer talks about grand teenage ideas, why writing is discovery not creation, and swapping around an entire story

Cailean Steed, author of 'Home' - Thriller writer talks about grand teenage ideas, why writing is discovery not creation, and swapping around an entire story

Cailean Steed began writing short stories and audio dramas. She won the 2020 Pen to Print Audio Play Award, and decided to go back to school to learn how to tackle a full novel. They ended up taking an idea that had been brewing for years, moving it from a grand teenage story of assassins and conspiracy, and turning it into a thrilling tale of sisterly love. Their novel, 'Home', tells the story of Zoe, trying to rescue her sister from a cult they grew up in, and she managed to escape from.We tal

Jan 13, 2023 • 44:39

Rosie Andrews, author of 'The Leviathan' - Genre-bending writer talks historical fiction, flexible routines, and how to build your own space

Rosie Andrews, author of 'The Leviathan' - Genre-bending writer talks historical fiction, flexible routines, and how to build your own space

Rosie Andrews' debut novel, 'The Leviathan' was first published last year to much acclaim. It has just come out in paperback. It tells the story of Thomas Treadwater, a soldier who holds a very deep, dark secret that is about to be let loose. It's set in 1643, and is a beguiling tale of murder, myth and mystery. It combines two of Rosie's loves: history and fantastical fiction.We talk about building her own writing space, but how really all she needs to work is alone time and quiet. You can hear

Jan 6, 2023 • 49:21

Richard Armitage, author of 'Geneva' - Actor talks writing audiobooks, creative exhaustion and what TV taught him about storytelling

Richard Armitage, author of 'Geneva' - Actor talks writing audiobooks, creative exhaustion and what TV taught him about storytelling

Richard Armitage is a very successful actor, appearing in 'The Hobbit' movies, the Harlan Coben Netflix thrillers, and many more besides. He's also one of the most popular narrators for Audible audiobooks. So successful, they invited him to work on his own project for the platform. The finished story is 'Geneva', a psychological thriller which follows scientist Sarah Collier and her husband Daniel at a global conference, when they realise they're in a high stakes game with hidden players and wor

Dec 22, 2022 • 27:15

Jonathan Whitelaw, author of 'The Bingo Hall Detectives' - Cosy crime writer talks about getting things done early, being less picky with writing, the 2 page synopsis

Jonathan Whitelaw, author of 'The Bingo Hall Detectives' - Cosy crime writer talks about getting things done early, being less picky with writing, the 2 page synopsis

Jonathan Whitelaw worked as a journalist in Scotland, covering sport, politics, and everything in between. He's recently moved to the wilderness of Canada, and we talk about the move, and keeping in touch with colleagues and editors half the world away.His newest novel is 'The Bingo Hall Detectives', which tells the story of Jason Brazel, an out of work journalist who tries to solve a local murder with his mother-in-law. We talk about the rise of cosy crime and why he wanted to write in the genr

Dec 16, 2022 • 1:06:51

Lucy Hooft, author of 'The King's Pawn' - Why writing flash fiction really helps, thinking about your genre, and plotting like a mini-series

Lucy Hooft, author of 'The King's Pawn' - Why writing flash fiction really helps, thinking about your genre, and plotting like a mini-series

This week we chat to Lucy Hooft. She's had an incredible, interesting career travelling the world. She worked in the UK's Foreign Office and for the Department of International Development, going to work for HRH Queen Rania of Jordan. Lucy has taken her experience in geopolitics and written her first spy thriller. It's called 'The King's Pawn' and is the first of the Sarah Black series, that looks at a young, female spy. Lucy has planned 5. We talk about planning so much before you even have a c

Dec 2, 2022 • 46:53

Mark Pawlosky, author of 'Hack' - Journalist talks using experience for thrillers, why good writing is re-writing, and keeping a style guide handy

Mark Pawlosky, author of 'Hack' - Journalist talks using experience for thrillers, why good writing is re-writing, and keeping a style guide handy

Mark Pawlosky worked as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was an editor for CNBC.com, and is now using that experience of sourcing scoops to write the Nik Byron Investigation series.The first is 'Hack', it looks at Nik Byron getting the story of how top secret US surveillance technology was stolen. He needs to expose the plot and get the story before he, and it, is silenced.We talk about brevity, why it's important to keep things tight and not waste everyone's time. Also you can hear why h

Nov 25, 2022 • 49:43

Melvin Burgess, author of 'Loki' - Carnegie Medal winner discusses returning after a break, writing about teenagers, and enjoying yourself

Melvin Burgess, author of 'Loki' - Carnegie Medal winner discusses returning after a break, writing about teenagers, and enjoying yourself

Melvin Burgess had critical acclaim with his novel, 'Junk'. It looks at heroin use among teens in Bristol. It's a hard-hitting novel for teenagers, and won the Carnegie Medal, a prestigious award for Children's and YA writing. We talk about why he chose such a divisive subject, and what he thinks is the secret to writing for teens.His new novel is 'Loki', it tells the story of the politics of ancient Asgard, and is a heartfelt plea to overthrow the gods of authority. We discuss the idea for the

Nov 18, 2022 • 50:43

S.K. Tremayne, author of 'The Drowning Hour' - Travel writer and author discusses working anywhere, escaping to write, and why discipline is key

S.K. Tremayne, author of 'The Drowning Hour' - Travel writer and author discusses working anywhere, escaping to write, and why discipline is key

This week, we're chatting to S.K. Tremayne. He's a travel writer and novelist, whose new novel is 'The Drowning Hour'.Sean has written many books, under many different names. He had success during the Da Vinci Code book of the mid 2000's, under the name Tom Knox, with his book, 'The Genesis Secret' and its sequels.His new novel follows Hannah, a publicist for The Stanhope, a once grand hotel in Essex. On it's re-opening, some drunken guests disappear into the ocean, and Hannah has to figure out

Nov 11, 2022 • 36:30

Philip Wilding, author of 'The Death and Life of Red Henley' - Ghostwriting, changing how you write, and different parts of your brain

Philip Wilding, author of 'The Death and Life of Red Henley' - Ghostwriting, changing how you write, and different parts of your brain

Philip Wilding is a fantastic storyteller, and a brilliant talker of storytelling. He's worked as a radio producer for many national stations, written as a journalist following bands across the world, and has ghostwritten memoirs, including Carl Barat of The Libertines.His newest novel is 'The Death and Life of Red Henley'. It's a noir novel about 1980's New York, a religious commune in Tennessee, and the myriad characters entwined in the death of Red Henley. We talk about how it was written bec

Nov 4, 2022 • 39:18

Cristina Bendek, author of 'Salt Crystals' - Caribbean writer talks about needing the rain, writing to discover identity, and how poetry reminds her of what's important

Cristina Bendek, author of 'Salt Crystals' - Caribbean writer talks about needing the rain, writing to discover identity, and how poetry reminds her of what's important

This week, we chat to Cristina Bendek. Her novel 'Salt Crystals' was published in 2018, and won the Elisa Mujica National Novel Prize. It's about the island of San Andres, and Victoria trying to make sense of everything. It's just been translated and published in the UK.We talk about how it's a slightly autobiographical novel, reflecting on Cristina's own time in an island trying to figure out its place in the world. We talk about the geopolitical situation of it, and how that influenced why she

Oct 28, 2022 • 49:16

Felix Francis, author of 'Hands Down' - Bestselling writer talks about learning at the fiction factory, taking over from his dad, and challenging himself

Felix Francis, author of 'Hands Down' - Bestselling writer talks about learning at the fiction factory, taking over from his dad, and challenging himself

This week, we chat to Felix Francis. His new book is the next in the 'Dick Francis Series', it's called 'Hands Down' and features Sid Halley looking into a conspiracy that threatens the heart of horse-racing.Felix is carrying on the prolific work of his dad, Dick Francis. Dick was an RAF pilot, a champion race jockey, and then a phenomenally bestselling author. Between them they've publish 50 books and sold over 80 million copies. We talk about the transition of him taking the reins (!) of the w

Oct 20, 2022 • 1:00:18

Pascal Engman, author of 'Femicide' - Bestselling Swedish writer discusses planning pressure, the international audience, and the perfect first draft

Pascal Engman, author of 'Femicide' - Bestselling Swedish writer discusses planning pressure, the international audience, and the perfect first draft

Pascal Engman is the bestselling Swedish novelist of his generation, called 'the next Steig Larsson'. He has sold plenty of books around the world, and they're now being published in the UK. His new one is 'Femicide, it looks at 'incel' culture. Involuntary celebates who hate women, and what happens when they switch off their laptops and do something about it in real life. We chat about completely different parts of the world he writes in, and how much pressure he puts on 9 months of his year to

Oct 13, 2022 • 46:52

Marthe Jocelyn, author of 'The Seaside Corpse' - Children's writer discusses getting 50 books done, plotting mystery, and writing exercises

Marthe Jocelyn, author of 'The Seaside Corpse' - Children's writer discusses getting 50 books done, plotting mystery, and writing exercises

Marthe Jocelyn is about to publish her 50th book. It's called 'The Seaside Corpse', and is the 4th in the Aggie Morton Mystery Queen series. It's based on a young Agatha Christie, who solves crimes with her best friend Hector Poirot. The new one takes place in 1903 Lyme Regis, when searching for dinosaurs, Aggie comes across a dead body.We talk about how much she plots mysteries, and why this story has made her mix that up a bit. Also, you can hear how accurate she wants to get her story to real

Oct 6, 2022 • 53:43

David Bell, author of 'The Finalists' - Author and lecturer discusses whether deadlines help, making locked-room stories engaging, and why he loves a routine

David Bell, author of 'The Finalists' - Author and lecturer discusses whether deadlines help, making locked-room stories engaging, and why he loves a routine

This week, we chat to author and lecturer David Bell. He's just published his 12th book, 'The Finalists'. It looks at a group of prospective college students, and the lengths they might go to gain a prestigious fellowship. Think 'The Breakfast Club' with murder.His novel, 'Kill All Your Darlings', was nominated for an Edgar Award, and he's written his books whilst lecturing English and writing at University. We talk about how he balances his time teaching writing, and actually writing. You can a

Sep 29, 2022 • 49:22

Gordon J. Brown, author of 'Six Wounds' - Crime writer discusses pseudonyms, writing anywhere, and words you know will be cut

Gordon J. Brown, author of 'Six Wounds' - Crime writer discusses pseudonyms, writing anywhere, and words you know will be cut

Gordon J. Brown has just published his 9th novel, it's called 'Six Wounds' and is published under the name Morgan Cry. We talk about why he's started writing under a different name, and how a certain ex-Prime Minister played a part in that.The book was inspired by a conversation in a Spanish pub, investigating how an ex-pat can be in two places at once. You can hear the process of moving that idea into a full book. It's about Daniella Coulstoun, the prime suspect in the murder of a notorious gan

Sep 15, 2022 • 57:45

Emily Houghton, author of 'Last Time We Met' - Re-drafting, making rom-com unique, and how to write an entire book on your phone

Emily Houghton, author of 'Last Time We Met' - Re-drafting, making rom-com unique, and how to write an entire book on your phone

Emily Houghton managed to write the entire draft of her very first novel on her phone, whilst travelling around the world. That novel, 'Before I Saw You', was a huge success and she's followed it up with 'Last Time We Met'.It's about Eleanor and Finn, who make a pact to marry each other if they're single at 35. Then, 15 years later, they bump into each other... what do you think happens?We talk about how writing her new book has been completely different than getting her first down on her phone.

Sep 8, 2022 • 40:11

Robert Murphy, author of 'To Hunt a Killer ' - News reporter talks about co-writing, telling stories from real-crime, and hitting deadlines

Robert Murphy, author of 'To Hunt a Killer ' - News reporter talks about co-writing, telling stories from real-crime, and hitting deadlines

Robert Murphy has worked as a news reporter for many years. Over the last decade or so, Robert followed the tragic story of Melanie Road. Melanie was murdered in Bath in 1984, after a year long enquiry with 94 arrests being made, no-one was charged. Then in 2009, Detective Superintendent Julie MacKay found something that changed everything.Julie has co-written the story with Robert. We talk about how that worked, how he discovered every facet of the story, and moved that into a plot. You can hea

Sep 1, 2022 • 50:01

Lexie Elliott, author of 'How to Kill Your Best Friend' - When the title comes before the plot, how lockdown changes writing spaces, and finding the story's voice

Lexie Elliott, author of 'How to Kill Your Best Friend' - When the title comes before the plot, how lockdown changes writing spaces, and finding the story's voice

Lexie Elliott accomplishes things. She graduated from the University of Oxford with a degree in theoretical physics (?!) became a championship-winning swimmer, and even swam the English Channel. She's just published her third novel, 'How to Kill Your Best Friend'. It tells the story of 3 friends who met on the college swim team. Years later, one is found dead in the ocean near a remote island. Can an elite swimmer really have drowned, or is something else going on?We talk about why she wanted to

Aug 25, 2022 • 44:01

Barnaby Jameson, author of 'Codename: Madeleine' - Counter-terrorist lawyer and writer discusses curated consciousness, political turmoil and telling stories in court

Barnaby Jameson, author of 'Codename: Madeleine' - Counter-terrorist lawyer and writer discusses curated consciousness, political turmoil and telling stories in court

Barnaby Jameson Q.C is one of the country's top counter-terrorist lawyers, involved in notorious cases involved bomb-threats and plans to assassinate MPs. In his time between cases, he's worked on a new thriller, 'Codename: Madeleine'.It's inspired by the story of Poor Inayat Khan, an agent behind enemy lines. We talk about the idea, how he researched it and plotted out a story inspired by fact. Also you can hear how his writing is a curated stream of consciousness, where he escapes to write, an

Aug 18, 2022 • 58:43

Ruth Ware, author of 'The It Girl' - International bestseller talks about changing characters, going full time and the difficult middle

Ruth Ware, author of 'The It Girl' - International bestseller talks about changing characters, going full time and the difficult middle

Ruth Ware is an international bestseller, who has just published her 7th crime thriller, 'The It Girl'.It tells the story of April, a vivacious, bright girl at the University of Oxford, who quickly draws a group of friends into her dazzling orbit. Until, one morning she is found dead. 10 years later, new information surfaces about the crime, and changes Hannah's life... her testimony was key to sending a man to prison. It means, one of her friends might have done killed 'The It Girl'.Ruth's book

Aug 11, 2022 • 1:00:33

Sarah Pearse, author of 'The Retreat' - Reese Witherspoon Book Club writer discusses moving to long-form fiction, changing scenes, and moving locations

Sarah Pearse, author of 'The Retreat' - Reese Witherspoon Book Club writer discusses moving to long-form fiction, changing scenes, and moving locations

This week, we chat to Sarah Pearse. Her debut novel, 'The Sanatorium', was the best selling debut fiction book of 2021. It was a New York Tiimes and Sunday Times bestseller, a Waterstones Thriller of the Month, and a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick.Her new one is called, 'The Retreat'. Set on an eco-wellness retreat on an island near Devon, it promises rest and relaxation, yet the locals believe it to have a cursed past. When a young woman is found murdered nearby, DS Elin Warner is called in t

Jul 28, 2022 • 41:57

Andrew White, author of 'The Walker Mysteries' - Finding places for your creativity, doing rather than thinking, and writing what you know

Andrew White, author of 'The Walker Mysteries' - Finding places for your creativity, doing rather than thinking, and writing what you know

Andrew White is a do-er. He's written factual pieces for BBC Countryfile magazine, Rail Britain, written AA Guidebooks, and runs the Walks Around Britain YouTube channel and presents its TV shows.During lockdown, Andrew found that there wasn't much call for long-form walks around the country, when everyone was told to stay inside, so found a new outlet for his creativity. He started coming up with plot-lines for his first novel. He came up with over 30 of them, and 'The Walker Mysteries' were bo

Jul 21, 2022 • 45:00

Emma Bamford, author of 'Deep Water' - Writer and memoirist discusses scene breakdowns, moving to full time writing, and switching from real life to fiction

Emma Bamford, author of 'Deep Water' - Writer and memoirist discusses scene breakdowns, moving to full time writing, and switching from real life to fiction

Emma Bamford is a journalist and memoirist whose debut novel, 'Deep Water' is out right now. About a decade ago, Emma quit her job and escaped to Borneo with a complete stranger. She told this story in her memoirs, 'Casting Off' and 'Untie the Lines'. We talk about writing memoir: why other people want to read about your life, and how you keep records of adventures to write them later on.'Deep Water' tells the story of Jake and Virginie, who after a traumatising experience at sea, find sanctuary

Jul 14, 2022 • 42:46

Benjamin Wood, author of 'The Young Accomplice' - Why routines are helpful, separating work and creativity, and learning creative writing

Benjamin Wood, author of 'The Young Accomplice' - Why routines are helpful, separating work and creativity, and learning creative writing

Benjamin Wood has been shortlisted for the Costa First Novel award and the Commonwealth Book Prize, he's a CWA Gold Dagger nominee and a finalist for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year. He also lectures creative writing at King's College.His 4th novel is 'The Young Apprentice'. It looks at Charlie and Joyce, recently released from borstal and starting a new life as an architecture apprentice. Until a figure from Joyce's past creeps back into her world, trying to drag them back to their ol

Jul 7, 2022 • 50:55

Mary Adkins, author of 'Palm Beach' - Writing coach talks about playing for work, selling rights, and switching to editing mode

Mary Adkins, author of 'Palm Beach' - Writing coach talks about playing for work, selling rights, and switching to editing mode

Mary Adkins is the author of critically acclaimed novels, 'Palm Beach', 'When You Read This', and 'Privilege'. She has used her experience of writing, publishing and also teaching, to become a writing coach. Her 'Book Incubator' programme looks to help you on the difficult journey to publishing. It uses how creative you are, how outgoing you are, and what your day is like, to plan the perfect method for your writing, and helps you write, revise and pitch your novel.We talk about why she sets up

Jul 1, 2022 • 45:10

Colette Dartford, author of 'The Mortification of Grace Wheeler' - Kindle bestseller talks about quiet spaces, character summaries, and self-publishing

Colette Dartford, author of 'The Mortification of Grace Wheeler' - Kindle bestseller talks about quiet spaces, character summaries, and self-publishing

Colette Dartford's debut, 'Learning to Speak American', was shortlisted for an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. She followed up this success with her second, 'An Unsuitable Marriage', was a Kindle bestseller for 18 months. For her new novel she's made an interesting decision. In August, she'll self-publish, 'The Mortification of Grace Wheeler'. She's done this to have more creative control over publishing, marketing and pricing, and is almost doing it as a one-book experiment. She gets deep into

Jun 16, 2022 • 46:26

Janice Hallett, author of 'The Appeal' - Sunday Times Bestseller discusses unique story structure, figuring out the murderer, and the moment of success

Janice Hallett, author of 'The Appeal' - Sunday Times Bestseller discusses unique story structure, figuring out the murderer, and the moment of success

Janice Hallett career started as a magazine editor, journalist and speech writer. Her first feature film, Retreat, starred Cillian Murphy, Thandiwe Newton and Jamie Bell. She's written speeches for the Home Office, the Cabinet Office and many others. Her frustration at getting screenplays adapted for TV and film prompted her to start writing novels. What a decision.Her debut, 'The Appeal', has achieved phenomenal success. It's been shared widely online by book communities, sold lots of copies an

Jun 9, 2022 • 49:36

Mark Ellis, author of 'Dead in the Water' - Crime writer discusses huge first drafts, long-term character planning, and crime during the war

Mark Ellis, author of 'Dead in the Water' - Crime writer discusses huge first drafts, long-term character planning, and crime during the war

Mark Ellis started work as a lawyer, then ran his own business, and is now 5 books into his own crime series. It's all about Detective Frank Merlin, who investigates crimes during World War 2, a time in which committing crimes was relatively easy. His new book is 'Dead in the Water', which looks at how a mangled body found in the Thames and a missing piece of art are connected. We talk about how much he plans long-term for his characters, why he overwrites his first draft and how he goes about c

Jun 2, 2022 • 46:14

Jessica Payne, author of 'Make Me Disappear' - Psychological thriller writer discusses switching genre, balancing a busy work-life, and her determination to get published

Jessica Payne, author of 'Make Me Disappear' - Psychological thriller writer discusses switching genre, balancing a busy work-life, and her determination to get published

Jessica Payne had 3 failed attempts at getting published. It took a genre switch to finally get her book out there and on the shelves. Her debut is 'Make Me Disappear', about a woman so desperate to escape her sociopathic boyfriend, she's prepared to go to extreme lengths to get away.We talk about why she was so determined to get published, also how she balances a hectic work-life where her husband works 90 hour weeks, while she looks after her toddler and manages to write novels. You can hear h

May 27, 2022 • 41:53

Scott Kershaw, author of 'The Game' - Debut writer discusses his journey to being published, writing anywhere, and how agents help

Scott Kershaw, author of 'The Game' - Debut writer discusses his journey to being published, writing anywhere, and how agents help

Scott Kershaw has had an interesting route to being published. Leaving school with few qualifications, he signed up as a mature student in college. Whilst there, his work was spotted by the Head of Writing at Hull University, and despite having no A Levels or even filling in a UCAS application, he was offered a place and graduated with a First Class Degree in Creative Writing.It's all led to his debut, 'The Game'. It follows five strangers from across the globe who receive a warning that their m

May 19, 2022 • 46:40

Dervla McTiernan, author of 'The Murder Rule' - Lawyer turned bestseller talks about thorough planning, growing as a writer, and editing tricks

Dervla McTiernan, author of 'The Murder Rule' - Lawyer turned bestseller talks about thorough planning, growing as a writer, and editing tricks

Dervla McTiernan was an Irish lawyer for 12 years. After the global financial crash, she moved to Australia and became a crime-writer. After a short-story was nominated for a prestigious prize, her debut 'The Ruin' achieved great success, and she's become a runaway bestseller.Her new novel, 'The Murder Rule', looks at The Innocence Project, which looks to exonerate wrongly convicted criminals. Only this book turns it on its head when a woman doesn't want to save a man on death row... but bury hi

May 13, 2022 • 47:21

Joanna Cannon, author of 'A Tidy Ending' - Sunday Times Bestseller discusses very early mornings, writing on the move and why myths hold you back

Joanna Cannon, author of 'A Tidy Ending' - Sunday Times Bestseller discusses very early mornings, writing on the move and why myths hold you back

Joanna Cannon's debut novel, 'The Trouble with Goats and Sheep' was an instant hit and became a Sunday Times Bestseller. She wrote it in very early mornings and in her lunch break, working in her car in an NHS car park, in between shifts as a Doctor. Becoming a writer is the third act of a busy life, Joanna left school at fifteen, worked as a barmaid, kennel maid and pizza delivery girl before qualifying as a Doctor in her forties. Now, she's a full-time author. Her new book, 'A Tidy Ending', ab

Apr 28, 2022 • 48:57

Gracie Hart, author of 'The Baker's Girl' - Saga novelist talks about being a proud Northerner, perfect drafts and writing fiction in history

Gracie Hart, author of 'The Baker's Girl' - Saga novelist talks about being a proud Northerner, perfect drafts and writing fiction in history

Gracie Hart is a saga novelist, her stories focus on a family's troubles through history. She loves writing of the late-Victorian era, and immerses herself in the place and time that she's looking at.Her new novel, out in paperback, is 'The Baker's Girl'. It tells the story of Meg who needs to keep her family together. Her mum is ill, her sister in school, and she is the breadwinner... and indeed, the breadmaker. She finds a job with Ted Lund in the local bakery, and in the face of his mismanage

Apr 21, 2022 • 32:25

 Laure Van Rensburg, author of 'Nothing But Us' - Thriller writer discusses learning to plot, writing around work, and writing what you don't know

Laure Van Rensburg, author of 'Nothing But Us' - Thriller writer discusses learning to plot, writing around work, and writing what you don't know

Laure Van Rensburg has been highly acclaimed with short stories, been published in magazines, and her debut, 'Nothing But Us', is out now.It tells the story of Steven and Ellie, a professor and a student, on a romantic getaway to an isolated New York cabin. It's meant to be the perfect getaway, but he's not who he says he is... and neither is she. We talk about why she's set it in a part of America she's never been to, confounding most debut practice by writing what she doesn't know. Also y

Apr 14, 2022 • 40:40

Sara Blaedel, author of 'A Harmless Lie' - Denmark's 'Queen of Crime' talks about having an organised day, selling internationally, and killing for a living

Sara Blaedel, author of 'A Harmless Lie' - Denmark's 'Queen of Crime' talks about having an organised day, selling internationally, and killing for a living

Sara Blaedel is Denmark's 'Queen of Crime'. 3 million copies have been sold in Denmark alone. The country has under 6 million people living in it. She's published 25 books, and is best known for her Detective Louise Rick stories. The new one is 'A Harmless Lie', in which Louise has to rush back from holiday in Thailand, after a panicked phone call from her father. Her brother has attempted suicide, and everything is entangled in his estranged wife, and a girl who went missing a decade before.We

Apr 7, 2022 • 37:57

Philippa East, author of 'Safe and Sound' - CWA New Blood Dagger nominee talks about being inspired by work, learning the craft, and the doubt demon

Philippa East, author of 'Safe and Sound' - CWA New Blood Dagger nominee talks about being inspired by work, learning the craft, and the doubt demon

Philippa East's debut, 'Little White Lies', was nominated for a CWA New Blood Dagger Award in 2020, one of the highest prizes in crime fiction. She works as a clinical psychologist, using inspiration from her work to write thrillers. Her new one, 'Safe and Sound', was inspired by a documentary she saw. It tells the story of Sarah Jones - pretty, charismatic, and full of life, who is found dead in her home. The strange thing is... she's been lying there for 10 months. We talk about what she did

Mar 31, 2022 • 51:58

Danny Wallace, author of 'The Luckiest Kid in the World' - Storyteller talks about where ideas go, the guilt of not working, and saying yes

Danny Wallace, author of 'The Luckiest Kid in the World' - Storyteller talks about where ideas go, the guilt of not working, and saying yes

Danny Wallace is an ideas-man and a doer. He's started his own kindness cult, tracked down all his long-lost friends, and spent a whole year saying yes to everything. Danny has published adult books, kids books, and has a new one out, 'The Luckiest Kid in the World'.It's all about a boy who is determined to be the most average child ever, and that very fact makes him extremely unusual. We talk about the having the idea and what he needs to know before he starts writing, also where he sometimes e

Mar 25, 2022 • 50:20

Luca Veste, author of 'You Never Said Goodbye' - The pressure of full-time writing, sitting on an idea, and a year in the life of a writer

Luca Veste, author of 'You Never Said Goodbye' - The pressure of full-time writing, sitting on an idea, and a year in the life of a writer

Luca Veste is fully immersed in the fantastic writing community. He's blogged, he podcasts with 'Two Crime Writers and a Microphone', plays in the 'Fun Lovin' Crime Writers', co-founded the 'Locked In Festival' and has published many books. He's most known for the 'Murphy and Rossi' novels, and for writing across many genres.His new one, 'You Never Said Goodbye', is about Sam Cooper who lost his Mum early in life, and then years later learns a secret from his Dad that changes everything. We talk

Mar 18, 2022 • 52:51

Claire Frost, author of 'The One' - Dedicating a day to write, learning from reviewing and when do you feel like a writer?

Claire Frost, author of 'The One' - Dedicating a day to write, learning from reviewing and when do you feel like a writer?

Until very recently, Claire Frost worked full-time as a book reviewer for 'Fabulous'. After years reading and chatting to authors, she chose to work 4 days a week, and dedicate a whole day to writing.She has published 3 books, 'Married at First Swipe', 'Living My Best Life', and her new book is, 'The One'. It's about Lottie Brown, who has finally found The One. Leo is everything she’s ever wanted – he’s handsome, kind, funny and totally gets her. Three months into their relationship, Lottie is i

Mar 11, 2022 • 40:13

Stacy Willingham, author of 'A Flicker in the Dark' - Crime writer talks about switching spaces, learning from work, and being optioned for TV

Stacy Willingham, author of 'A Flicker in the Dark' - Crime writer talks about switching spaces, learning from work, and being optioned for TV

Stacy Willingham has just published her debut novel, 'A Flicker in the Dark'. The novel follows Chloe Davis, whose world was torn apart at 12 years old when her father confessed to the murder of six teenage girls in their small Louisiana town. 20 years later, Chloe is a successful psychologist in Baton Rouge. But when a local girl disappears, she starts to unravel. The rights have been optioned by the actress Emma Stone, and it's currently being developed for HBO Max. We talk about how it feels

Mar 4, 2022 • 36:35

Nadine Matheson, author of 'The Jigsaw Man' - Balancing work and writing, writing about your home town, and accidentally going back to school

Nadine Matheson, author of 'The Jigsaw Man' - Balancing work and writing, writing about your home town, and accidentally going back to school

Nadine Matheson is busy. Busy, busy, busy. She works as a criminal lawyer, has found time to go back to school, and publish her debut novel, 'The Jigsaw Man'.The book is a police procedural about Inspector Henley, tasked with finding the killer of bodies found along the River Thames in London. It's set in the area she grew up and we talk about why she wanted, and how she managed, to accurately portray her ends of the City.We talk about how she gets inspiration from her work as a criminal lawyer,

Feb 25, 2022 • 41:41

Rudy Ruiz, author of 'The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez' - Social activism, language and structure, and classic Mexican songs

Rudy Ruiz, author of 'The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez' - Social activism, language and structure, and classic Mexican songs

This week we chat to Rudy Ruiz, about his new novel, 'The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez'. Rudy has been a finalist for the International Latino Book Awards, and has written extensively about the Mexican/ US border. The new book weaves that social activism into a novel, telling the story of a man seeking redemption and the American Dream in the face of a mystical family curse. We talk about where the idea came from, how Mexican songs helped shaped the story, and why culture and heritage plays

Feb 18, 2022 • 37:30

Ellen Alpsten, author of 'The Tsarina's Daughter' - Blending fact with fiction, what to research next, and writing extravagantly

Ellen Alpsten, author of 'The Tsarina's Daughter' - Blending fact with fiction, what to research next, and writing extravagantly

Ellen Alpsten has worked in TV, as a producer and presenter, she's won short story competitions, teaches creative writing, and has just published her second book, 'The Tsarina's Daughter'. It's based on Catherine the 1st of Russia's daughter, Elizabeth.We talk about research, how she knows want to look into next, and how she blends historical fact with fiction. Also you can hear how getting published completely changed the way she writes, and get inspired by her publication story.You can support

Feb 11, 2022 • 43:37

Harriet Kline, author of 'This Shining Life' - Using work as inspiration, the monster that gets her started and the meaning of life

Harriet Kline, author of 'This Shining Life' - Using work as inspiration, the monster that gets her started and the meaning of life

Harriet Kline is an award-winning short story writer. 'Ghost' won the Hissac short story competition, 'Chest of Drawers', the London Magazine short story competition. Her work has been published online, in magazines and played out on BBC Radio.Her debut novel is 'This Shining Life'. It's all about Ruth, who loses her husband Rich, and sets out on a mission with her son Ollie to solve puzzles he left for them, in a bid to discover the meaning of life. It's funny, beautiful and about love and loss

Feb 4, 2022 • 42:51

Paul Bradley Carr, author of '1414 Degrees' - Journalist, novelist and memoir writer discusses debut novels, leaving things late, and the dark side of Silicon Valley

Paul Bradley Carr, author of '1414 Degrees' - Journalist, novelist and memoir writer discusses debut novels, leaving things late, and the dark side of Silicon Valley

Paul Bradley Carr has spent his career as a journalist uncovering the dark side of Silicon Valley. He's reported on it for The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, Private Eye, and many more. He founded NSFWCorp in Las Vegas, and hosted the nightly NSFWLive radio show. Now he's taken that experience to pen his first work of fiction, '1414 Degrees'.It's not Paul's first published book. He's written memoirs 'The Upgrade', 'Bringing Nothing to the Party', Sober is my New Drunk', and 'We'll Always Have th

Jan 26, 2022 • 48:37

Anna Kent, author of 'The House of Whispers' - Domestic Noir writer talks about the 3 act structure, pseudonyms, and learning to write genre

Anna Kent, author of 'The House of Whispers' - Domestic Noir writer talks about the 3 act structure, pseudonyms, and learning to write genre

This week, we're joined by Anna Kent, with her sort-of-debut novel, 'The House of Whispers'.See Anna Kent, is also Annabel Kantaria, who has already published 4 books. This is her first as Anna Kent. It's domestic noir, so treads the line between eerie psychological thriller, and chilling whodunnits at home. We talk about how she learned to write genre, and what she pays attention to when structuring the novel, also how she knows when to carry on writing.'The House of Whispers' tells the story o

Jan 21, 2022 • 32:36

Sarah Alderson, writer of 'The Stalker' - Author and screenwriter talks about writing for TV, strategic thinking, and the 10-day drafts

Sarah Alderson, writer of 'The Stalker' - Author and screenwriter talks about writing for TV, strategic thinking, and the 10-day drafts

Sarah Alderson is busy. Busy, busy, busy. So busy, she takes a break from her writing job to write the novels she loves. Sarah works as a screenwriter in LA for S.W.A.T on CBS, and finds tiny slithers of time to get books down. In the past, this has led her to getting a draft done in 10 days. She's written YA, psychological thrillers, her novel 'The Weekend Away' has been adapted for Netflix, published romance stories under a pseudonym, and her new novel 'The Stalker', is out now. It's about new

Jan 14, 2022 • 39:13

Rosanna Amaka, author of 'The Book of Echoes' - Debut writer talks creative places, plotting, and a novel 2 decades in the making

Rosanna Amaka, author of 'The Book of Echoes' - Debut writer talks creative places, plotting, and a novel 2 decades in the making

Our first guest of 2022 is Rosanna Amaka. Her debut novel is 'The Book of Echoes', which tells the story of 16 year old Michael, always in trouble, who falls in love with Ngozi, a young Nigerian immigrant. It was shortlisted for The Author's Club First Novel award, also the RSL Christopher Bland Prize, and the HWA Debut Crown Award. It's a story Rosanna has tried to get published for 20 years, and she reveals the secrets to how it finally happened.We talk about the creative buzz of the area she

Jan 7, 2022 • 35:50

Alice Hunter, author of 'The Serial Killer's Wife' - Psychological Thriller writer talks about working in a prison,  genre tricks, and a chaotic work space.

Alice Hunter, author of 'The Serial Killer's Wife' - Psychological Thriller writer talks about working in a prison, genre tricks, and a chaotic work space.

For our last episode of the year, we chat to psychological thriller debutant Alice Hunter. Her book is 'The Serial Killer's Wife', and tells the story of Beth Hardcastle, whose perfect marriage is obliterated when the police show up and report her husband Tom is missing.Alice worked in prisons, part of a team offering rehabilitation courses to in-mates, often those who'd committed violent crimes. That, and her psychology degree, offered her vast experience to write the book. We talk about how co

Dec 10, 2021 • 37:05

Joanne Harris MBE, author of 'A Narrow Door' - Hugely successful author discusses genre, rebooting your brain, and the pressure of success

Joanne Harris MBE, author of 'A Narrow Door' - Hugely successful author discusses genre, rebooting your brain, and the pressure of success

This week, we're joined by Joanne Harris MBE. She became phenomenally successful over 20 years ago for her novel 'Chocolat', which became an Oscar nominated movie starring Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche.Her new one is called 'A Narrow Door', it tells the story of the first headmistress at a traditional school who discovers a body in the grounds. It's billed as 'magical realism', we discuss how much she considers genre while she's writing.She's best known for her novel, 'Chocolat', which change

Dec 3, 2021 • 49:23

Ken Follett, author of 'Never' - Multi-million selling writer talks about the pressure of success, keeping things simple, and the important outline

Ken Follett, author of 'Never' - Multi-million selling writer talks about the pressure of success, keeping things simple, and the important outline

This week, Ken Follett shares his writer's routine. He's one of the UK's most successful authors, selling over 170 million books across 80 countries. He has a staff of over 20 working on all aspects of book selling, so he can concentrate on book writing. We talk about whether that puts pressure on his writing, knowing he has staff relying on him for a salary. Also, what his writing routine of a year looks like, and why his outline is the most important thing he works on.Ken's made a career publi

Nov 26, 2021 • 38:47

Helen Paris, author of 'The Lost Property' - Debut author discusses book club fiction, memories and escaping the routine

Helen Paris, author of 'The Lost Property' - Debut author discusses book club fiction, memories and escaping the routine

This week's guest is Helen Paris. She's worked in performing arts, writing, performing and directing, for 2 decades, and has just published her debut novel, 'The Lost Property'. It's all about Dot, who strives to reunite lost property with their owners.It all came from a spell of unusual research she undertook at the London Transport Lost Property Office, the characters she met there, and their poetic conversations.We discuss memories, how the characters drove the story, and why she had to escap

Nov 19, 2021 • 49:35

Steve Cavanagh, author of 'The Devil's Advocate' - Award-winning author discusses ideal routines,  writing America, and why he's always learning

Steve Cavanagh, author of 'The Devil's Advocate' - Award-winning author discusses ideal routines, writing America, and why he's always learning

This week we're chatting to Steve Cavanagh. He's won the CWA Gold Dagger Award, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, has published many Sunday Times Top 10 Bestsellers, and his new book has just been named as one of the Best Crime and Thriller Books of the Year by Waterstones.It's called 'The Devil's Advocate', and is the newest Eddie Flynn book. Telling the story of Andy Dubois, sent up for a killing Alabama, and the lawyer who tries to get him free. He talks about the jaw-droppi

Nov 12, 2021 • 48:33

Random Routine - Thriller author Lucy Foley discusses decadent writing days

Random Routine - Thriller author Lucy Foley discusses decadent writing days

Lucy Foley joined us back at the start of 2020... pre-pandemic!She spoke about her 2nd mystery thriller, 'The Guest List'. It's set at a dream wedding, on a remote island, where someone gets killed and everyone has a motive. We talk about the fundamentals you need to include in writing whodunnits, and how to flip the tradition on its head.It comes after the huge success of her first whodunnit, 'The Hunting Party'. It was also set on an island, and we chat about where she got that idea from, why

Nov 9, 2021 • 8:14

Xanthi Barker, author of 'Will This House Last Forever' - Memoir writer talks about poetry, art as a world view, and her father, Sebastian.

Xanthi Barker, author of 'Will This House Last Forever' - Memoir writer talks about poetry, art as a world view, and her father, Sebastian.

Xanthi Barker has published novelettes and short stories, penned columns and articles, and has just released her debut book, 'Will This House Last Forever'.It's a memoir of her time with her dying father, the poet Sebastian Barker. She is also the granddaughter of George Barker and the cult novelist, Elizabeth Smart. We discuss whether because of her highly and successfully creative family, she was destined to be a writer.Her relationship with her father was troubled, and we talk about whether h

Nov 5, 2021 • 35:31

Random Routine - Dystopian Thriller writer Rob Hart runs us through months of work

Random Routine - Dystopian Thriller writer Rob Hart runs us through months of work

For this week's Random Routine, we chat to Rob Hart, who came on back in 2019 to talk about 'The Warehouse'.'The Warehouse' is in the mold of 'Farenheit 451' and '1984', and focuses on one big business that suffocates all others, and the stories of 3 people who work there. Because of this, his characterisation needs to be truly believable and authentic, we talk about this struggle and how he became his characters in writing. It's also his first proper foray into standalone novels, having made hi

Nov 3, 2021 • 8:12

Joe Thomas, author of 'Brazilian Psycho' - Award-winning writer talks about routine changes, escaping to write, and social awareness.

Joe Thomas, author of 'Brazilian Psycho' - Award-winning writer talks about routine changes, escaping to write, and social awareness.

This week we're joined by Joe Thomas. He's just released the 4th in his 'Sao Paulo Quartet', with 'Paradise City', 'Gringa', 'Playboy' and the new one 'Brazilian Psycho'.He grew up in Hackney, before spending 10 years in Sao Paulo, and being inspired to tell its story. It mixes fiction, true crime, historical fact, and high literature, in an utterly compelling style.We talk about how his routine has changed since having a child, where he likes to escape to write, how perfect his first draft is,

Oct 28, 2021 • 43:16

Random Routine - Award-winning Trent Dalton runs through a day as a journalist and a novelist

Random Routine - Award-winning Trent Dalton runs through a day as a journalist and a novelist

This week's random routine, our bitesize chunk of inspiration, comes from Trent Dalton who came on the show back in 2019.Not many authors have debut success like Trent Dalton. His book 'Boy Swallows Universe' won the 'Debut Fiction Prize' and 'Book of the Year' at the Australian Indie Awards, and went straight into the top 10, selling over 100,000 copies. It's a semi-autobiographical story about all Eli, in Brisbane in 1983, muddling through family life, trying to not be coaxed into drug-dealing

Oct 27, 2021 • 7:57

Zen Cho, author of 'Black Water Sister' - Ghost storyteller talks about switching genre, playing with language, and words spawning ideas

Zen Cho, author of 'Black Water Sister' - Ghost storyteller talks about switching genre, playing with language, and words spawning ideas

Zen Cho is a multi-award nominated and winning author. She's published 3 novels and many short stories, and is back with her first ghost story... although that's not what she thought it'd be at the start.It's called 'Black Water Sister', and all came from one word she read in the dictionary. It's based on ancient Malaysian folklore, and Zen has taken great joy in playing with old language, and presenting it in a ghostly manner.We talk about switching genre, and how having a baby helped with that

Oct 21, 2021 • 45:21

Random Routine - Screenwriter Tom MacRae runs through a day in the life of writing a movie

Random Routine - Screenwriter Tom MacRae runs through a day in the life of writing a movie

Along with Dan Gillespie-Sells, from The Feeling, Tom MacRae wrote the hit musical 'Everybody's Talking About Jamie'. It follows Jamie New who is determined to wear a dress to his school prom night. It's based on a a real story, explored in a BBC documentary. The musical is now a film, also written by Tom, which you can watch on Amazon Prime now. In this bitesize chunk, you can hear about his writing routine in the sun, how exercise gives him space to think, and why weekends are sacred.You can l

Oct 19, 2021 • 7:12

Claire Allan, author of 'Ask No Questions' - USA Today Bestseller talks genre-switching, 10k word starts, and planning a year of writing

Claire Allan, author of 'Ask No Questions' - USA Today Bestseller talks genre-switching, 10k word starts, and planning a year of writing

This week, we chat to Claire Allan. Her new book is 'Ask No Questions', a psychological thriller about Ingrid Devlin, on the search to find the truth of her best friend's disappearance 25 years ago.Claire started her career as a journalist, has written women's fiction under the name Freya Kennedy', and is back with a brand new psych thriller. She's written almost 20 books across different genres.We talk about how switching genre changes style and method of plotting and planning, also about her r

Oct 15, 2021 • 44:08

Piers Torday, author of 'The Wild Before' - Children's author talks about bookshops, prequels, and being a magpie.

Piers Torday, author of 'The Wild Before' - Children's author talks about bookshops, prequels, and being a magpie.

It's a BOOKSHOP DAY SPECIAL. Bookshop Day is on Saturday 9th October, and Books Are My Bag are encouraging you to spend time in your local bookshop, be it big or small.This week, we're chatting to children's author Piers Torday. He's published 7 books, they've been translated into 14 languages, he's won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, and been nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal.His new book is 'The Wild Before'. It's a prequel to 'The Last Wild' trilogy, and tells the story of Little

Oct 7, 2021 • 51:50

Bella Obsorne, author of 'The Promise of Summer' - Romantic writer talks about how characters meet genre, about busy years, and NaNoWriMo

Bella Obsorne, author of 'The Promise of Summer' - Romantic writer talks about how characters meet genre, about busy years, and NaNoWriMo

Bella Osborne has had a busy year. In the last 3 months, she's had 2 different books out with 2 different publishers. 'The Promise of Summer' is a romance novel with Avon. 'The Library' is a bookclub read with Aria. We try to talk about both of those, but it's mainly about the former.All in, Bella has published 9 books. 'The Promise of Summer' is about Ruby and Curtis, trying to reunite a engagement ring with its owner, and find love along the way. We talk about how these two characters wouldn't

Sep 30, 2021 • 47:28

Alex Michaelides, author of 'The Maidens' - Critically acclaimed writer discusses following up on success, pushing through at a low point, and discovering he wasn't a screenwriter.

Alex Michaelides, author of 'The Maidens' - Critically acclaimed writer discusses following up on success, pushing through at a low point, and discovering he wasn't a screenwriter.

Alex Michaelides is the only ever UK debut writer to go straight in at number 1 on the New York Times Bestseller list. His novel, 'The Silent Patient', was the 2nd bestselling novel on Amazon in 2019, they named it their 'thriller of the year'.He's followed it up with 'The Maidens', about an exclusive set of students at a University under the influence of a sinister Professor, and a murder he knows more about than he lets on.We discuss his screenwriting career in Hollywood, why that didn't work,

Sep 10, 2021 • 46:53

Paul Rudnick, author of 'Playing the Palace' - Screenwriter discusses changing the script on set, writing for your heroes, and the precious writing space.

Paul Rudnick, author of 'Playing the Palace' - Screenwriter discusses changing the script on set, writing for your heroes, and the precious writing space.

Paul Rudnick is an acclaimed Hollywood scriptwriter. He's worked on 'Addams Family Values', 'The Stepford Wives' and the 'Sister Act' movies. Now, he's just published his 3rd novel, 'Playing the Palace'. It's about a New York event planner who falls in love with England's gay Crown Prince, Edgar. It's a satirical look at romance stories and Royal life. We talk about writing for movies, working with improvising actors, changing things on set and coming up with at least 10 jokes for every line.Als

Sep 3, 2021 • 31:17

Random Routine - Critically-acclaimed author Bridget Collins runs us through her space and day

Random Routine - Critically-acclaimed author Bridget Collins runs us through her space and day

A few years ago, Bridget Collins came on the show to talk us through her novel, 'The Binding'. It was a huge, genre-defying success, and she's gone on to publish 'The Betrayals' to equal acclaim. Before then, Bridget published 7 Young Adult books, a few plays, and she's beavering away on her 3rd book right now. Here's a little snippet from our chat, as Bridget runs us through her writing space and working day. Scan back in your podcast feed to hear the full episode.You can support the show at pa

Sep 1, 2021 • 8:23

Christina Sweeney-Baird, author of 'The End of Men' - Debut writer talks about speculative fiction, editing pandemics, and writing sprints.

Christina Sweeney-Baird, author of 'The End of Men' - Debut writer talks about speculative fiction, editing pandemics, and writing sprints.

Christina Sweeney-Baird works as a lawyer. It's a busy full-on job, working all hours under the sun, and she had barely any time to write. Until a life-changing moment changed everything, and forced to her sit up, to sit down and write.'The End of Men' is her debut novel. It tells the story of a pandemic that wipes out 90% of the male population. We talk about the idea, how she developed it, planned it, and at one point had to cut 30 characters from it. We also chat what it was like writing and

Aug 26, 2021 • 47:01

Random Routine - Crime and historical thriller author Helen Fields takes us through a day writing around her family

Random Routine - Crime and historical thriller author Helen Fields takes us through a day writing around her family

Helen Fields first came on the show back in 2018.Starting with 6 DI Callanach thrillers, Helen has written standalones, and her newest novel introduces a new cahracter, Dr Connie Woolwine, an American Psycological Profiler who arrives in Edinburgh to pursue the Shadow Man.After working in Law with police, social services and Doctors for many years, Helen has a peculiarly accurate insight into the crimes she writes. She's also told stories using every method available to her, running a film produ

Aug 24, 2021 • 5:55

Jamie O'Connell, author of 'Diving for Pearls' -  Debutant talks places as characters, refining structure, and the 500 word limit

Jamie O'Connell, author of 'Diving for Pearls' - Debutant talks places as characters, refining structure, and the 500 word limit

This week's guest taking us inside their working day is Jamie O'Connell. He's published short stories before, runs an editing and mentoring site called 'Blackwater Writing', and his debut novel, 'Diving for Pearls', is out now.It's a story set in Dubai, a mystical, alluring, divisive and controversial place. It's about a woman's death which influences a whole cast of strange and inter-connected characters. The most important character is Dubai itself, we talk about how he brought the place to li

Aug 20, 2021 • 56:10

Random Routine - Crime supremo Mark Billingham likes to get things done whenever he can

Random Routine - Crime supremo Mark Billingham likes to get things done whenever he can

This week's Random Routine comes from Mark Billingham.His new book is 'Rabbit Hole', his 4th standalone thriller, which comes after his 15th Tom Thorne novel, the series he's best known for.Mark joined us back in 2018 to take us through his writing day. Where we chatted about how Mark's writing style and method has changed in the 17-or-so years since he published his first novel 'Sleepyhead', which was later made into a TV show starring David Morrissey. Also, we found out if seeing his hero on t

Aug 16, 2021 • 10:08

Claire McGowan, author of 'The Vanishing Triangle' - Crime writer talks about planning the twists, switching genres, and stepping into true crime.

Claire McGowan, author of 'The Vanishing Triangle' - Crime writer talks about planning the twists, switching genres, and stepping into true crime.

Claire McGowan goes by two names. Claire for crime thrillers, Eva Woods for women's fiction. We talk about how she switches between the two, and how thoroughly she thinks through style and different readerships when she writes different genre.Her new work is an audiobook series exclusive to Audible, called 'The Vanishing Triangle'. It shines a light on the unsolved disappearance of at least eight women from mid-nineties Dublin; their bodies were never found, and no suspect was ever charged. To u

Aug 12, 2021 • 35:41

Random Routine - Bestselling geopolitical genius Tim Marshall on starting the day luxuriously

Random Routine - Bestselling geopolitical genius Tim Marshall on starting the day luxuriously

This week's Random Routine comes from bestselling Tim Marshall. He came on the show back in November 2018.Tim Marshall worked for some years as the Diplomatic Editor for Sky News, travelling and living all over the world to get the stories. His book 'Shadowplay: The Overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic' is widely regarded as one of the best accounts of life in the former Yugoslavia. Tim reported in the field from Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia during the Balkan Wars of the 1990s, and has since found huge

Aug 9, 2021 • 11:08

Michael Arditti, author of 'The Anointed' - Award-winning author talks about being a morning person, unpacking religion, and being told what he can't write.

Michael Arditti, author of 'The Anointed' - Award-winning author talks about being a morning person, unpacking religion, and being told what he can't write.

Michael Arditti is an award-winning author of 11 novels, he's written short stories, and worked as a theatre critic and book reviewer for national newspapers.His new novel is 'The Anointed'. It's a retelling of the biblical King David, as told through his 3 wives, Michal, Abigail and Bathsheba. We talk about how he put his own spin on history, and why he chose to write about such a specific time, and retell a famous story.His novel, 'Easter', won the first Waterstones Mardi Gras Award, he's also

Aug 5, 2021 • 58:50

Random Routine - Irish Book Award Winner Liz Nugent takes us through her writing day

Random Routine - Irish Book Award Winner Liz Nugent takes us through her writing day

Liz Nugent is an Irish Book Award Winner, whose 4th Novel is 'Our Little Cruelties', which is out right now.She came on the show back in 2018 to take us through a day writing her 3rd novel 'Skin Deep'.After working as a stage manager, running all over the place in a theatre, then being shackled to the desk writing for soap operas, Liz Nugent became bored with dull, desk-driven office work, and became an author. Well... became an author over 6 years of writing her first book 'Unravelling Oliver'.

Aug 2, 2021 • 8:57

Joy Ellis, author of 'The Patient Man' - Crime bestseller talks about starting new series, checking in with characters, and how she finally got published.

Joy Ellis, author of 'The Patient Man' - Crime bestseller talks about starting new series, checking in with characters, and how she finally got published.

There was a time when Joy Ellis couldn't get her books anywhere near a shelf, one sale, anywhere. She was living in her car, she managed a bookshop, she had many almosts with publishers. She carried on, kept writing, self-published, and was finally tracked down by a publisher who stumbled across her in a newspaper.Now, she's sold over 2 million books, is an Amazon bestseller, and was nominated for 'Crime/ Thriller Book of the Year' at the Nibbies a few months ago.She's published over 20 books ac

Jul 30, 2021 • 41:25

Random Routine - Carnegie Medal Winner Frank Cottrell-Boyce talks about hating writing... but loving re-writing.

Random Routine - Carnegie Medal Winner Frank Cottrell-Boyce talks about hating writing... but loving re-writing.

This week's Random Routine is with Frank Cottrell-Boyce.Frank Cottrell-Boyce is a Carnegie Medal Award winning author - his 2004 novel 'Millions' is incredibly successful, and was turned into a film by Danny Boyle, for which Frank wrote the script. It was even Danny's idea that Frank should write the novel in the first place. He's published 10 novels, brought back 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang', and wrote the Opening Ceremony to the 2012 Olympic Games. We chat quite a bit about scriptwriting - along

Jul 27, 2021 • 7:05

Hayley Doyle, author of 'Love, Almost' - West End actress turned writer talks about juggling life and work, overwriting, and playing with genre.

Hayley Doyle, author of 'Love, Almost' - West End actress turned writer talks about juggling life and work, overwriting, and playing with genre.

This week we're chatting to Hayley Doyle! She's an actor who has starred in the West End, appearing in Mamma Mia and others. Recently, she's turned her hand to writing, publishing two novels, 'Never Saw You Coming' and her newest one, 'Love, Almost'.It tells the story of Chloe, whose boyfriend of just 5 months dies, so to come to terms with things, she does all the many things they had planned to do together, alone. We talk about when she first had the idea for the story, how it came to her quic

Jul 22, 2021 • 46:33

Random Routine - Why worldwide bestseller Jeffery Deaver plans for 8 months

Random Routine - Why worldwide bestseller Jeffery Deaver plans for 8 months

This week's bonus bite comes from crime writing behemoth Jeffery Deaver!Jeffery Deaver has published over 40 novels. He's a globally renowned author, writing crime and thrillers. To him, they're not lauded works of art, they're intricate puzzles, fun and games for the reader - and we talk about how he builds these. Jeffery works anywhere he can - any chance he gets to type away, if that's at home, on the plane, perhaps at a dog show, he will. We chat about how he finds time and space to wor

Jul 20, 2021 • 9:29

Alexis Landau, author of 'Those Who Are Saved' - Historical writer talks about mother/daughter stories, research and the opening flurry.

Alexis Landau, author of 'Those Who Are Saved' - Historical writer talks about mother/daughter stories, research and the opening flurry.

Alexis Landau's new book 'Those Who Are Saved' builds on the true story of Los Angeles during World War II. It was a safe haven for artists, and was home to many exiled Europeans. It tells the tale of Vera, who is forced to leave her daughter and flee, and explores her path to find the girl she left behind.We discuss how Alexis writes around family time, how it all starts in a flurry of ideas and research, and how she blends factual history with her own creativity. We also chat about why moving

Jul 18, 2021 • 33:46

Random Routine - 'Queen of Crime' Val McDermid talks about how writing life has changed over more than 30 books.

Random Routine - 'Queen of Crime' Val McDermid talks about how writing life has changed over more than 30 books.

This week's Random Routine comes from the 'Queen of Crime' Val McDermid. She appeared on the show back in April 2019 to run us through her working day.Val McDermid is one of the most successful crime authors in the world. Her novels have been translated into 40 languages, they've sold over 15 million copies and show no sign of letting up. She has written procedural crime, cold-case crime, and even penned the first ever 'cynical, socialist, lesbian, feminist journalist'.We talk about how her meth

Jul 13, 2021 • 14:14

Nigel Farndale, author of 'The Dictator's Muse' - Award-winning journalist and author discusses getting on with it, finding the balance between work and fun, and writing real life.

Nigel Farndale, author of 'The Dictator's Muse' - Award-winning journalist and author discusses getting on with it, finding the balance between work and fun, and writing real life.

Nigel Farndale is an award-winning journalist whose interviewing prowess has seen him chat to the Dalai Lama, Prince Charles, Henry Kissenger, Hilary Clinton, and many more. He's written for The Observer, the FT, The Sunday Times and many more. His last book, 'The Blasphemer' was nominated for a Costa Book Award back in 2010, and he's just released 'The Dictator's Muse'.It tells the story of 1930's Europe, as Hitler's grip tightens and his power grows. We follow a film-maker, an athlete and a We

Jul 9, 2021 • 42:40

Random Routine - Ian Rankin talks a day in the life of a crime writing phenomenon.

Random Routine - Ian Rankin talks a day in the life of a crime writing phenomenon.

Ian Rankin came on the show in 2018 to discuss his 22nd Detective John Rebus book, 'In a House of Lies'. Since then he's published the 23rd, 'A Song for the Dark Times'.Here is just his routine, it's full of procrastination and puzzles. You can hear why he doesn't know what the story is until he's finished it, also why a good writing day can start at 8pm, and why he's writing all over the place.Support the show on patreon.com/writersroutine.@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acas

Jul 5, 2021 • 8:07

Janet Skeslien-Charles, author of 'The Paris Library' - Writer discusses dual time-frames, research and why thorough plotting doesn't mean complete understanding.

Janet Skeslien-Charles, author of 'The Paris Library' - Writer discusses dual time-frames, research and why thorough plotting doesn't mean complete understanding.

Janet Skeslien-Charles new novel is 'The Paris Library', inspired by the true stories of the librarians who risked their lives during the Nazi's war on words. We talk about when she heard that tale, how she knew there was a book in it, and she'd be the one to write it.It comes off the back of her stunning debut, 'Moonlight in Odessa', which took 10 years to write. We discuss why she brooded over the idea for such a time, and how place and environment have given her the inspiration for her storie

Jul 1, 2021 • 37:47

Random Routine - Bestselling thriller writer Shari Lapena discusses writing years, quiet houses and 1500 words.

Random Routine - Bestselling thriller writer Shari Lapena discusses writing years, quiet houses and 1500 words.

Shari Lapena shared her writer's routine with us back in 2019, when she came on to chat about her 4th novel 'Someone We Know'.Shari's first book, 'The Couple Next Door', was the number 1 adult fiction title for the UK back in 2017. 'Someone We Know', a twisting tale of a teenager so desperate for wi-fi he breaks into homes, and then strange things start happening all over the neighbourhood. She has published two more since then, her newest is 'Not A Happy Family' which is out in August.In this b

Jun 29, 2021 • 11:40

Greg Buchanan, author of 'Sixteen Horses' - Debut crime author discusses bending genre, plot functions, and being kind to yourself.

Greg Buchanan, author of 'Sixteen Horses' - Debut crime author discusses bending genre, plot functions, and being kind to yourself.

Greg Buchanan's debut 'Sixteen Horses' has been lauded as one of the best books of the year, and there's already a major TV series of it in the works. However, the stunning hook of the plot only came to him as a device to explore the characters.Here's the blurb - 'Near the dying English seaside town of Ilmarsh, local police detective Alec Nichols discovers sixteen horses' heads on a farm, each buried with a single eye facing the low winter sun. After forensic veterinarian Cooper Allen travels to

Jun 24, 2021 • 54:15

Random Routine - Louise Candlish takes us through a year in the life of an award-winning author.

Random Routine - Louise Candlish takes us through a year in the life of an award-winning author.

Louise Candlish shared her writer's routine with us in 2019.Louise Candlish's 'Our House' was one of the biggest books of 2018, it's sold more than 200,000 copies, been read all over the world and won 'Best Crime and Thriller Fiction' at the 'British Book Awards'. It so nearly wasn't the case though. A few years ago, disappointed with her success and publisher, Louise almost gave up - until the kernel of a story came to her, something that had never been done before, a thriller centred around pr

Jun 21, 2021 • 10:18

Niamh Campbell, author of 'This Happy' - Award-winning writer discusses literary fiction, being purposeful with language, and extroverted work.

Niamh Campbell, author of 'This Happy' - Award-winning writer discusses literary fiction, being purposeful with language, and extroverted work.

Niamh Campbell has always been around words, studying them, teaching them, constantly writing them. Her short story 'Love Many' won an Irish Times writing prize, and from that success she's published her debut novel, 'This Happy'.It tells the story of Allanah, who falls in love with an older man, and it unpacks the way that impacts her life. It's a novel of exploration, of description and words. We discuss how she worked through the plot from that, and how she works around her focus on language.

Jun 18, 2021 • 55:14

Random Routine - Anthony Horowitz discusses why he wants to make every day different.

Random Routine - Anthony Horowitz discusses why he wants to make every day different.

BONUS EPISODE!Here's something new I'm trying, hopefully every week. Taking a look back at some fantastic authors from our archive, and remembering just the routine, hopefully injecting a bitesize chunk of inspiration that might help you plan your day.Anthony Horowitz joined us back in 2018, as he was in the process of writing some Alex Rider short-stories. The teenage spy launched him to national attention in the early 00s, with school kids across the world being transfixed by the reluctant age

Jun 15, 2021 • 9:41

Lesley Kara, author of 'The Dare' - Crime writer talks about the process of discovery, themes, and TV adaptations

Lesley Kara, author of 'The Dare' - Crime writer talks about the process of discovery, themes, and TV adaptations

Lesley Kara's debut, 'The Rumour', was the bestselling crime thriller debut of 2019. She's back with her third novel, 'The Dare', it tells the story of Lizzie, who is suspected of being involved in the death of a friend years earlier, and someone is out to get revenge.We discuss her writing routine, and how it's a waiting game, and a process of discovery. Also you can hear why she likes to read aloud, what she likes to know before starting, and how precise she is with her words. We chat about wh

Jun 10, 2021 • 43:23

Tim Adler, author of 'Dead Already' - Thriller writer talks about thorough plotting, irony, and always being a student.

Tim Adler, author of 'Dead Already' - Thriller writer talks about thorough plotting, irony, and always being a student.

Tim Adler has always been around words. He's a journalist who has written for The Times and the FT, been a commissioning editor at The Daily Telegraph, and edited magazines. His fourth novel is 'Dead Already', it's a psychological thriller that crosses both the gangster and ghost-story genres.'Dead Already' is the story of an East End Gangster who becomes haunted by the ghost of his dead daughter. We talk about where the idea came from, how he got on crossing genres, and why writing for him... i

Jun 3, 2021 • 37:10

Rosie Wilby, author of 'The Breakup Monologues' - Comic talks about pets, podcasting and peripatetic writing.

Rosie Wilby, author of 'The Breakup Monologues' - Comic talks about pets, podcasting and peripatetic writing.

Rosie Wilby is a comedian, writer and podcaster. Her new book, 'The Breakup Monologues', is based on the podcast of the same name. It's non-fiction and looks at sexuality, stories, dating....breaking up.We talk about why the idea for the story changed as she worked on it, why she used ideas from fiction to plot and plan it, and how it's now affected her podcasting.You can hear why pets keep her going, how exercise helped her ideas, and as a comic, why lockdown was actually sweet relief to get wo

May 27, 2021 • 39:18

Bryan Christy, author of 'In the Company of Killers' - Thriller writer talks masterplans and diagrams, writing dreams, and discovering your characters.

Bryan Christy, author of 'In the Company of Killers' - Thriller writer talks masterplans and diagrams, writing dreams, and discovering your characters.

Bryan Christy was the Head of Special Operations for National Geographic. He'd travel around the world uncovering crimes and reporting on the underworld. He's now an author.They say write what you know. Bryan's debut fiction is called 'In the Company of Killers', and it tells the story of Tom Klay, a spy undercover as a wildlife reporter. We talk about Bryan re-inventing real life into stories, and how he got to know Tom enough to tell his tale. Also, the criminal investigation style mindmaps th

May 20, 2021 • 32:13

Bethany Clift, author of 'Last One at the Party' - Dystopian debut author talks stealing time to write, learning from films, why editing saves the day.

Bethany Clift, author of 'Last One at the Party' - Dystopian debut author talks stealing time to write, learning from films, why editing saves the day.

Bethany Clift's debut has come out at JUST the write time. 'Last One at the Party' tells the story of a woman alone on Earth, after humanity has been wiped out by a virus. We talk about how the idea came on a long, lonely journey, and how she got to know the character that readers would be spending so much time with.It's one of the publisher's lead titles this year, and the film rights have already been sold, so it's set for success. We discuss how her background in film production helped her vi

May 13, 2021 • 55:14

Lisa Gardner, author of 'Before She Disappeared' - New York Times bestseller discusses the perils of pantsing, getting it done early, and her first standalone in 20 years.

Lisa Gardner, author of 'Before She Disappeared' - New York Times bestseller discusses the perils of pantsing, getting it done early, and her first standalone in 20 years.

Lisa Gardner is a prolific author. She's published 11 'DD Warren' novels, 2 'Tessa Leoni' books, and is back with her first standalone in 20 years. 'Before She Disappeared' tells the story of Frankie Elkin who spends her life doing what no one else will, searching for missing people the world has forgotten about.We talking about why she likes to get things done in the morning, and how she figured out how she works best. Also, how the characters figure themselves out in her down time which drives

May 6, 2021 • 31:19

Ericka Waller, author of 'Dog Days' - Debut author discusses the balance between light and shade, learning from loss, and keeping family time.

Ericka Waller, author of 'Dog Days' - Debut author discusses the balance between light and shade, learning from loss, and keeping family time.

Ericka Waller's published debut is 'Dog Days', which tells the story of George, Dan, Lizzie and the dogs that bind their lives and emotions together. The word-play in the title gets to the heart of the book. It's a joyous and uplifting story about the heartbreak of mental illness, and it's about the small changing moments that occur when we let the light in.We talk about the times of tragedy that prompted Ericka to write the book, and how her favourite band helped her with the initial idea. You

Apr 29, 2021 • 41:19

Abigail Mann, author of 'The Sister Surprise' - Uplit and comedy writer talks about accountability, switching softwares, and writing funny.

Abigail Mann, author of 'The Sister Surprise' - Uplit and comedy writer talks about accountability, switching softwares, and writing funny.

Abigail Mann has just released her second novel, very quickly after publishing her first. 'The Sister Surprise' tells us the story of Ava who discovers she has an unknown sister, and decides to pay her a secret visit.We talk about how she remembers how to write a book, when she between projects. We chat about public accountability with work, and how she's managed that through lockdown. Also, you can hear why she switches between writing softwares and word processors between drafts to keep on her

Apr 22, 2021 • 56:27

Chloe James, author of 'Love in Lockdown' - Debut uplit author discusses working to time, pseudonyms and making writing a priority.

Chloe James, author of 'Love in Lockdown' - Debut uplit author discusses working to time, pseudonyms and making writing a priority.

Chloe James debut novel is so perfectly timed it must have been expertly planned. It was. Chloe James is also Fiona Woodifield, author of 'The Jane Austen Dating Agency' which received critical acclaim recently. Due to the success of that, she was asked by a publisher to write a book based on an idea they'd heard on the radio... what if two neighbours found love in lockdown?Chloe talks about the pressure of getting this done quickly, and being the first to get such an idea out. We chat about how

Apr 15, 2021 • 46:26

Naomi Ishiguro, author of 'Common Ground' - Debut novelist talks about ideas from chaos, impersonal writing spaces, and pushing through to the end.

Naomi Ishiguro, author of 'Common Ground' - Debut novelist talks about ideas from chaos, impersonal writing spaces, and pushing through to the end.

Naomi Ishiguro's debut novel is something quite special. 'Common Ground' tells the story of Stan and Charlie, unlikely friends who meet during a turbulent time and change each others lives. Naomi had the idea during 2016, after the Brexit referendum changed how she saw the world, and the people in it.We discuss how she moved the idea along, how she gets through the difficult final third of the book, and why she likes her writing space to be completely neutral and lack any personality.Writing is

Apr 8, 2021 • 39:26

Nick Petrie, author of 'The Breaker' - Thriller writer talks about getting the first draft right, perfecting the space, and the inner drill sergeant.

Nick Petrie, author of 'The Breaker' - Thriller writer talks about getting the first draft right, perfecting the space, and the inner drill sergeant.

Nick Petrie has just released the 6th Peter Ash novel, 'The Breaker'. It's all about the war vet with PTSD, trying to live a quiet life on the run, who cannot stand by when he sees an armed man walk into a crowd of people, and no-one knows what might happen next.His debut, 'The Drifter', won many thriller awards, he's award-winning for his short stories too, having gained MFA in fiction from the University of Washington and won a Hopwood Award while he was there.We talk about perfecting the writ

Apr 1, 2021 • 33:53

Sarah Leipciger, author of 'Coming Up For Air' - Writer discusses teaching creativity, thorough research, and unexplored mysteries.

Sarah Leipciger, author of 'Coming Up For Air' - Writer discusses teaching creativity, thorough research, and unexplored mysteries.

Sarah Leipciger's second novel features a strange, poetic mystery than spans 3 time-frames across different parts of the world. Her critically-acclaimed debut 'The Mountain Can Wait' came out in 2015, and she has been short-listed for many awards for her short stories. Sarah also teaches creative writing to prisoners.We discuss how lockdown has affected creativity, also how she gets things done early to be there for her family, and how she doesn't understand the word-count fascination. You can h

Mar 26, 2021 • 39:33

Lucy Clarke, author of 'The Castaways' - Thriller writer talks writing spaces, getting it done early, and travelling to research.

Lucy Clarke, author of 'The Castaways' - Thriller writer talks writing spaces, getting it done early, and travelling to research.

Lucy Clarke is the bestselling author of six psychological thrillers, which have been sold in over 20 territories. Her new novel is 'The Castaways', which tells the story of two sisters on holiday who have a fight at the airport right before boarding. One gets on the plane, the other doesn't, and when the airplane seemingly crashes, the sister left behind determines to get to the bottom of the mystery. We talk about mulling over the idea, and how she researched the story, facts and events of pla

Mar 19, 2021 • 1:01:13

Shane Dunphy, author of 'Stories from the Margins' - Inspirational Memoir and Crime author talks the perfect place to write, walking to work, and the responsibility of stories.

Shane Dunphy, author of 'Stories from the Margins' - Inspirational Memoir and Crime author talks the perfect place to write, walking to work, and the responsibility of stories.

This week's guest is the inspirational memoir and crime writer Shane Dunphy. Shane worked as a child protection worker for 15 years, the things he experienced gave him the ideas to begin life as an author, something he'd always wanted. His first nine titles dealt with his time on the frontline of social care work, and include the number one bestseller 'Wednesday’s Child'. Under the name SA Dunphy, he's published a series of crime novels about the emotionally damaged criminologist David Dunn

Mar 12, 2021 • 53:33

Abigail Dean, author of 'Girl A' - Instant Sunday Times Bestseller talks writing around full-time work, starting the day, and debut dreams.

Abigail Dean, author of 'Girl A' - Instant Sunday Times Bestseller talks writing around full-time work, starting the day, and debut dreams.

Abigail Dean's 'Girl A' is the talk of the book world at the moment. It's been one of the biggest releases of 2021, and shot her straight onto the Sunday Times Bestseller list. It tells the story of Lex and her sister Evie, trying to fix their lives and future after growing up in a house of horrors.You can hear how she plans her day to get the words down, how she figured out writing as a passion around full-time work, and how that might all have to change after its instant success. We also talk

Mar 5, 2021 • 44:21

Cherie Jones, author of 'How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House' - Debut novelist talks about waking up early, fitting everything in, and asking her characters questions.

Cherie Jones, author of 'How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House' - Debut novelist talks about waking up early, fitting everything in, and asking her characters questions.

Cherie Jones is a busy lady. She is a full time lawyer, a single mother of 4 children, is currently finishing a PhD, and has found the time to publish her first novel, 'How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House'.It's about four people the legacy of violence in the Bahamas, a place so many look on as paradise.Here's the blurb: In Baxter Beach, Barbados, moneyed ex-pats clash with the locals who often end up serving them: braiding their hair, minding their children, and selling them drugs. Lala li

Feb 26, 2021 • 44:06

Susie Donkin, author of 'Zeus is a Dick' - Comedy writer on reimagining ancient myths, learning from screenplays, and keeping keen to be lean.

Susie Donkin, author of 'Zeus is a Dick' - Comedy writer on reimagining ancient myths, learning from screenplays, and keeping keen to be lean.

Susie Donkin has been a writer on the award-winning show, 'Horrible Histories', since it debuted on TV in 2009. She has now used that experience of hilariously retelling history for her new book, 'Zeus is a Dick'. It uses influences from Comedy Central's 'Drunk History' and Stephen Fry's 'Mythos' to reimagine ancient myths in a modern, edgy and fantastic way.Susie has also written on Channel 4's award-winning, 'Smack the Donkey', and plenty of radio. As Artistic Director of Spitz & Co she ha

Feb 19, 2021 • 36:57

Will Dean, author of 'The Last Thing to Burn' - Thriller writer talks about frantically thrashing out the words, paying justice to characters, and writing in the wilderness.

Will Dean, author of 'The Last Thing to Burn' - Thriller writer talks about frantically thrashing out the words, paying justice to characters, and writing in the wilderness.

Will Dean appears to have a glorious writing life. Hidden away in the Swedish wilderness, in a house that he built, he dreams up stories and thrashes them out in a few weeks. In reality, it's the product of years of sitting on ideas, mulling them over, and a zombie-like fuge state when he finally knows enough to tell it.After the success of his Tuva Moodyson series, he's released a tense standalone thriller called 'The Last Thing to Burn'. It focuses on 'Jane', a mystery woman locked up in the U

Feb 12, 2021 • 40:09

C.K. McDonnell, author of 'The Stranger Times' - Comedian and writer talks about how stand-up comedy made writing easier, about jokes getting in the way of the story, and why he annoys his characters.

C.K. McDonnell, author of 'The Stranger Times' - Comedian and writer talks about how stand-up comedy made writing easier, about jokes getting in the way of the story, and why he annoys his characters.

Caimh McDonnell used to be a stand-up comedian, gigging all over the country and writing for television. Now, he's a full-time storyteller working out of his own office in his garden. His new novel, 'The Stranger Times', investigates life in a newspaper which reports on the weirdest stories... which sometimes turn out to be true. It's the start of a brand new comic supernatural thriller series from C.K.We talk about the post-it notes all over the office that let him know when he's taken a wrong

Feb 5, 2021 • 47:41

Kate Mosse, author of 'The City of Tears' - Multi-million selling author talks thorough research, learning to write anywhere and building on the success of 'Labyrinth'

Kate Mosse, author of 'The City of Tears' - Multi-million selling author talks thorough research, learning to write anywhere and building on the success of 'Labyrinth'

Kate Mosse is the author of nine novels & short story collections, including the No 1 multimillion selling 'Languedoc Trilogy'. Her historical thriller 'Labyrinth' was one of the biggest selling novel of the 2000s and propelled her to success, she followed it with 'Sepulchre' and 'Citadel'. She's written bestselling Gothic fiction, non-fiction, plays, plus contributed essays and introductions to classic novels and collections. Her books have been translated into 38 languages and published in

Jan 29, 2021 • 54:59

Jeff Lindsay, author of 'Fool Me Twice' - 'Dexter' creator talks intricate plotting, finding your vocation, and starting again after a huge series.

Jeff Lindsay, author of 'Fool Me Twice' - 'Dexter' creator talks intricate plotting, finding your vocation, and starting again after a huge series.

Jeff Lindsay's new book is 'Fool Me Twice', the second 'Riley Wolfe' thriller about the master thief that targets the world's wealthiest. Jeff is best known for his 8 'Dexter Morgan' novels, which became the hit Showtime series 'Dexter', about everyone's favourite neighbourhood serial killer.We discuss the pressure on his new series after the success of 'Dexter', and how he found starting all over again. Also, you can hear why his 'Riley Wolfe' thrillers are so much harder to plot and research,

Jan 22, 2021 • 34:11

Emily Schultz, author of 'Little Threats' - Thriller writer talks creating a work space, thrashing ideas about, and switching genre.

Emily Schultz, author of 'Little Threats' - Thriller writer talks creating a work space, thrashing ideas about, and switching genre.

Emily Schultz new novel, 'Little Threats', follows twin sisters in the 1990s, in an age of rebellion, when a night of partying goes very wrong, and one of them ends up under suspicion for murder... and she can't remember whether she did it or not.We talk about how she got into the 90s mindset with music, how she tackles the first draft, and whether she's fine with being it sloppy at the start. Initially, the book started as a work of literary fiction, but when Emily figured if she brought the my

Jan 15, 2021 • 58:48

Rosie Nixon, author of 'Just Between Friends' - Magazine editor talks escaping to write, getting to know characters, and beating deadlines.

Rosie Nixon, author of 'Just Between Friends' - Magazine editor talks escaping to write, getting to know characters, and beating deadlines.

Rosie Nixon is busy. She is the Editor-in-Chief of HELLO! Magazine, she's worked as a journalist for many years, she's a mum of two, and has just published her third novel, 'Just Between Friends'. We discuss how she splits up her time wearing many different work hats, and why she loves to escape to tell stories.You can hear what editing a national media brand has taught her about novel-writing, and how working as a journalist has made her determined to beat the deadlines.'Just Between Friends' i

Jan 8, 2021 • 48:42

Ross Sutherland, creator of 'The Golden House' - Poet, writer and podcaster explains how rules help creativity, why he loves the editing, and putting puzzles in podcasts.

Ross Sutherland, creator of 'The Golden House' - Poet, writer and podcaster explains how rules help creativity, why he loves the editing, and putting puzzles in podcasts.

Ross Sutherland is a jack of all writing trades. He is a poet, a playwright, has written for radio, TV and film, and is now an award-winning podcaster. His experimental storytelling podcast 'Imaginary Advice' won gold at the British Podcast Awards in 2018, and his new series is 'The Golden House'. It's a 6 part puzzle of a podcast, presented as a corporate show for a fictional tech company, in which the presenter is trying to reveal some of the firm's darkest secrets without them realising.We ch

Dec 18, 2020 • 59:22

Sibéal Pounder, author of 'Tinsel: The Girls Who Invented Christmas' - Children's author talks writing courses, finding the tone and writing a sense of magic.

Sibéal Pounder, author of 'Tinsel: The Girls Who Invented Christmas' - Children's author talks writing courses, finding the tone and writing a sense of magic.

Sibéal Pounder's debut 'Witch Wars' was shortlisted for the Sainsbury's Children's Book Award and the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. She then wrote 'The Bad Mermaids' series which was a World Book Day 2019 title and a Sunday Times Bestseller and has been optioned by Sony Animation.Her newest novel is 'Tinsel: The Girls Who Invented Christmas', which figures out if Santa might be a bit different to the person everyone thinks they are. We talk about writing for kids and capturing the magic of

Dec 11, 2020 • 42:52

CJ Cooke, author of 'The Nesting' - Gothic suspense author talks about getting the atmosphere right, stopping the editing knot, and writing to frighten.

CJ Cooke, author of 'The Nesting' - Gothic suspense author talks about getting the atmosphere right, stopping the editing knot, and writing to frighten.

CJ Cooke is a poet, a successful horror and suspense author, and a senior lecturer in creative writing at the University of Glasgow. She's been published in 23 countries, and her new novel is 'The Nesting'.It's set in the fjords and forests of Norway, where down on her luck Lexi becomes a nanny in a strange, high-concept house, and peculiar things start happening. We talk about why it's set there, and how CJ worked on getting the chilling atmosphere right.You can hear how the tone and pacing of

Dec 4, 2020 • 41:36

Sareeta Domingo, author of 'If I Don't Have You' - Romantic fiction writer talks tricks of the genre, juggling full-time work with part-time passion, and getting ideas from dreams.

Sareeta Domingo, author of 'If I Don't Have You' - Romantic fiction writer talks tricks of the genre, juggling full-time work with part-time passion, and getting ideas from dreams.

Sareeta Domingo has an incredibly busy working. She works as an editor for Mills and Boon, helping other writers construct and improve their work. In order to do that and tell her own stories, she wakes up early and goes to bed late, sandwiching writing-time around work and family life.She has published 5 books, a story-story collection, a series of erotic short stories, and her novel, 'If I Don't Have You', is now an audio-book from Audible.Through 3 acts it tells the story of Ren and Kayla who

Nov 27, 2020 • 44:57

Mark Watson, author of 'Contacts' - Comedian talks about changing voices, writing on the road, and why he loves the bustle.

Mark Watson, author of 'Contacts' - Comedian talks about changing voices, writing on the road, and why he loves the bustle.

Mark Watson is a hugely successful comedian, known for his marathon shows in which he'll perform for over 24 hours at a time. He's just published his 6th novel, 'Contacts', all about how technology and social media could perhaps save a life. It's almost in direct contrast to a lot of the tech narrative you hear the moment, the story is about the joys and wonder of the possibilities of the internet.We talk about why Mark loves getting fully absorbed in writing, taking time anywhere to get to his

Nov 20, 2020 • 41:03

Sally Gardner, author of 'The Snow Song' - Multi award-winning bestseller talks about having a visual mind, knowing everything about your characters, and reluctant readers.

Sally Gardner, author of 'The Snow Song' - Multi award-winning bestseller talks about having a visual mind, knowing everything about your characters, and reluctant readers.

Sally Gardner has sold over 2 MILLION books. She is a Costa Kids Book Award winner, a Carnegie Medal winner, and she's back with her 3rd adult novel, 'The Snow Song'.We talk about why stories are the most important thing to everyone's life, and how she keeps that at the front of her mind always. You can hear about why her visual imagination lets her know when she's off-track with her plotting, and why she's the patron saint of reluctant readers.'The Snow Song' is about Edith, who lives alone wit

Nov 13, 2020 • 44:47

Gillian McAllister, author of 'How to Disappear' - Psychological thriller writer talks researching the unresearchable, mixing plotting and pantsing, and getting the first draft done quickly.

Gillian McAllister, author of 'How to Disappear' - Psychological thriller writer talks researching the unresearchable, mixing plotting and pantsing, and getting the first draft done quickly.

Gillian McAllister is a Sunday Times Top 10 bestselling author, who has just published her 5th novel, 'How to Disappear'. It's a romantic psychological thriller set in witness protection. It's about Lauren whose daughter Zara sees a terrible crime, and together they must disappear and leave everything behind... including the man Lauren loves.It comes off the back of phenomenal success for her other novels, 'Everything But The Truth', 'Anything You Do Say', 'No Further Questions' and 'The Evidenc

Nov 6, 2020 • 41:29

Alastair Humphreys, author of 'My Midsummer Morning' - Adventurer, Author and Podcaster talks about journalling, strange editing, and the freedom of storytelling.

Alastair Humphreys, author of 'My Midsummer Morning' - Adventurer, Author and Podcaster talks about journalling, strange editing, and the freedom of storytelling.

Alastair Humphreys is one of the country's greatest adventurers. As well as expeditions like cycling around the world, walking across India and rowing the Atlantic, Alastair was named as a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year for his pioneering work on the concept of 'microadventures', encouraging people to get outside and out of their comfort-zone.He has written ten books about his adventures. During this episode, we talk about 'My Midsummer Morning', his journey busking across Spain

Oct 30, 2020 • 41:44

Jennie Fields, author of 'Atomic Love' - Spy drama writer talks about bending genre, keeping track of tenses, and getting started late.

Jennie Fields, author of 'Atomic Love' - Spy drama writer talks about bending genre, keeping track of tenses, and getting started late.

Jennie Fields' 5th novel is 'Atomic Love', it's a twisting spy drama with a side of romance set in 1950's Chicago. It tells the story of Rosalind, a worker on the Manhattan Project, who is recruited to the CIA. We chat about how she brought such an evocative era to life, bending the rules of the spy genre. You can hear how the idea came from her family history, and things she discovered about her mum and the Manhattan Project.We talk about the luxurious writing room she has, why she gets started

Oct 22, 2020 • 40:47

Isabelle Broom, author of 'Hello, Again' - Escapist romance writer talks about how ideas change, travelling for research, and why character is everything.

Isabelle Broom, author of 'Hello, Again' - Escapist romance writer talks about how ideas change, travelling for research, and why character is everything.

Isabelle Broom has just published her seventh novel. 'Hello, Again' follows mosaic artist Pepper, who accompanies her elderly friend Josephine on the trail of a long-lost love affair through Europe. It has been described as “a dreamy, romantic, irresistible treat”, and promises whisk you off overseas for a fabulous adventure. We talk about how she delivers on that promise with words on a page, how she uses them to make idealistic adventure filled with emotion come to life.She writes escapist rom

Oct 16, 2020 • 42:43

Matt Haig, author of 'The Midnight Library' - Bestselling writing talks searching for humanity, trusting the process, and getting the first draft done.

Matt Haig, author of 'The Midnight Library' - Bestselling writing talks searching for humanity, trusting the process, and getting the first draft done.

This week our guest is the phenomenally successful Matt Haig. Since huge bestseller 'Reasons to Stay Alive', Matt has shot to the nation's consciousness. He's written kids books, christmas books, a follow up called, 'Notes on a Nervous Planet', and six highly acclaimed novels for adults. Three of his books are currently being made into films, he has sold more than a million books in the UK and his work has been translated into over forty languages.His new novel is 'The Midnight Library'. It's ab

Oct 9, 2020 • 52:39

Trevor Wood, author of 'The Man on the Street' - Debut crime writer talks going back to school, playwriting, and perfect timing.

Trevor Wood, author of 'The Man on the Street' - Debut crime writer talks going back to school, playwriting, and perfect timing.

Trevor Wood's debut novel 'The Man on the Street' tells the story of Jimmy, a homeless veteran with PTSD who sees a murder, but no-one believes him. We talk about writing crime, about getting into the voice of Jimmy, and trying to stop the demonisation of the homeless.Trevor has been a busy man, working as a former naval officer, a journalist, becoming a successful playwright, and then choosing his time to write his debut crime novel. To do it, he went to study at University, where he got fantas

Oct 2, 2020 • 45:00

Jane Fallon, author of 'Queen Bee' - Bestselling writer talks about getting an early start, learning from television, and publishing her 10th novel.

Jane Fallon, author of 'Queen Bee' - Bestselling writer talks about getting an early start, learning from television, and publishing her 10th novel.

Jane Fallon's 10th novel, 'Queen Bee', is out now. It's all about Stella who is the ruler of a posh, snobbish street, and how her life is thrown upside down when a new girl moves into the neighbourhood. We talk about her research for the novel, and why she didn't have to look to far away to be inspired. You can hear how she finds it tough to inhabit the heads and find the voices for her characters at first, and how she works around that. Plus, we talk about what she's learned from writing 10 nov

Sep 25, 2020 • 35:28

Mara Timon, author of 'City of Spies' - Espionage thriller writer talks about putting the reader in your characters shoes, finding free time to write, and wartime secrets.

Mara Timon, author of 'City of Spies' - Espionage thriller writer talks about putting the reader in your characters shoes, finding free time to write, and wartime secrets.

Mara Timon's new novel is 'City of Spies', it's set in Lisbon during World War Two. It's a part and place of the war that warrants a story being told, as it's endlessly fascinating, but not many people know of it. We follow agent Elizabeth, whose cover is blown while discovering a huge wartime secret, and she must evade capture by the Gestapo while discovering more of the truth.Raised in New York, Mara moved to the UK almost 20 years ago; and fell in love with London and the way it mel

Sep 17, 2020 • 34:47

Calum McSwiggan, author of 'Eat, Gay, Love' - Memoir writer talks turning experience into plot, focused writing days, and pushing past the blank page

Calum McSwiggan, author of 'Eat, Gay, Love' - Memoir writer talks turning experience into plot, focused writing days, and pushing past the blank page

This week we're chatting to YouTuber, radio presenter, film maker and now writer, Calum McSwiggan. His debut is a memoir, 'Eat, Gay, Love', which tells the story of his journey around the world, meeting different members of the LGBTQ+ community.He hosted a popular radio show for FUBAR Radio and has also created several short films, including the award-winning Love Happens Here, which was named 'Best LGBT+ Short Film' at the Buffer Festival in Toronto. In 2019 he started a book club to encourage

Sep 10, 2020 • 39:25

Erin Kinsley, author of 'Innocent' - Word targets, diagrams, charts and that book that needs to be told PLUS Ed Needham, editor of 'Strong Words' Magazine

Erin Kinsley, author of 'Innocent' - Word targets, diagrams, charts and that book that needs to be told PLUS Ed Needham, editor of 'Strong Words' Magazine

Erin Kinsley's second book 'Innocent' tells of a close-knit community devastated when a local celebrity is found dead. It follows on from her immensely successful debut 'Found, published last year to great acclaim. You can hear why that book was a story she needed to tell, and to get it down she completely changed her writing routine and process.We talk about the diagrams and charts she works through to write, why she switches between a fountain pen and laptop depending, and how he writing diffe

Sep 3, 2020 • 49:10

Menna van Praag, author of 'The Sisters Grimm' - Magical realism author talks self-publishing, finding your voice, and why books are better shorter.

Menna van Praag, author of 'The Sisters Grimm' - Magical realism author talks self-publishing, finding your voice, and why books are better shorter.

Menna van Praag is the author of 6 magical realism novels, her new one is 'The Sisters Grimm'. It's a story of four girls born on the same day with their fate twisted together, they must find each other to save their lives, but one is destined to die. It's a twist on classic fairytales, and we discuss the first moment the idea for the story came into her mind.We talk about the deal that she made with her husband to become a writer before she was 30, why she self-published and how she managed to

Aug 27, 2020 • 49:02

Amanda Jennings, writer of 'The Storm' - Bestselling author talks haunting thrillers, loneliness and isolation, and having all the notebooks

Amanda Jennings, writer of 'The Storm' - Bestselling author talks haunting thrillers, loneliness and isolation, and having all the notebooks

Amanda Jennings has just published her 5th novel, 'The Storm', which is set in a lonely, isolated Cornish fishing village. It's about Hannah who seems to have the perfect marriage, but is desperately controlled by her husband, Nathan, behind closed doors, and how its linked to a tragic storm of years before.Since her debut, 'Sworn Secret', she regularly tops the Kindle bestselling chart. Her novels all focus on a haunting aspect of loneliness, of being withdrawn, and of secrets which affect fami

Aug 22, 2020 • 53:34

Jo Thomas, author of 'Escape to the French Farmhouse' - Romance writer talks food and family, retreats and incredible research trips.

Jo Thomas, author of 'Escape to the French Farmhouse' - Romance writer talks food and family, retreats and incredible research trips.

Jo Thomas has carved out a fantastic niche in fiction. She writes escapist romance set in idyllic locations across the world. To accurately tell these stories, she takes amazing research trips all over the globe, diving straight into it, getting a feel of the food and drink, before dreaming up a love story that fits everything.She's told stories about Galway, Puglia, Sicily, and her new book is set in Provence. 'Escape to the French Farmhouse' is about Del starting a new life in France, happy an

Aug 16, 2020 • 43:16

Christopher Fowler, author of 'Oranges and Lemons' - Prolific writer talks crime novels, unplanned plotting and the bare bones draft.

Christopher Fowler, author of 'Oranges and Lemons' - Prolific writer talks crime novels, unplanned plotting and the bare bones draft.

Christopher Fowler writes everything - novels, screenplays, video games, graphic novels, and he's back with his 19th 'Bryant and May' book. It's called 'Oranges and Lemons' and sees the Peculiar Crimes Unit investigate a bizarre accident involving the Speaker of the House of Commons, and a truck full of citrus fruit. We talk about how he got the idea from a strangely gruesome nursery rhyme.He is the author of more than forty novels and many short story collections. A multiple award-winner, inclu

Aug 7, 2020 • 47:57

Sophia Money-Coutts, writer of 'The Wish List' - Journalist and author talks escaping to write, rom-coms and getting to work early.

Sophia Money-Coutts, writer of 'The Wish List' - Journalist and author talks escaping to write, rom-coms and getting to work early.

Sophia Money-Coutts is a journalist and author who writes for 'The Sunday Telegraph' and the 'Evening Standard'. Her 3rd novel is 'The Wish List', about Florence who writes down her ideal man, and is then shocked when he wanders into her bookshop.You can hear how she got the idea at an...adult party, and how her family then influenced how she wrote the story. We talk about genre, about the conventions of rom-com and whether she's bothered about sticking to them, and when ideas tend to pop into h

Jul 31, 2020 • 41:30

Sabine Durrant, author of 'Finders, Keepers' - Psychological thriller writer talks about pre-work rituals, when writing gets tough, and planning the day.

Sabine Durrant, author of 'Finders, Keepers' - Psychological thriller writer talks about pre-work rituals, when writing gets tough, and planning the day.

Sabine Durrant has just published a brand new psychological thriller, it's called 'Finders, Keepers' and it tells the story of Verity who becomes obsessed with her new neighbour. You can find out how the story was inspired by a mission Sabine and her kids undertook to rescue a lost rabbit.We talk about the convention of genre and how much Sabine plays with it, how much she needs to know before she starts a story, and how her routine has changed over time. As this show is a show about process, th

Jul 23, 2020 • 45:10

Roundtable - 'Uplit' authors Laura Jane Williams, Nicola Gill, Hannah Sunderland and Charlene Allcott talk about writing to answer questions, finding your reader, and playing with genre.

Roundtable - 'Uplit' authors Laura Jane Williams, Nicola Gill, Hannah Sunderland and Charlene Allcott talk about writing to answer questions, finding your reader, and playing with genre.

Welcome to the second Writer's Routine Roundtable! We're back with 4 of the best uplit/ rom-com authors around to talk us through how they do it.Laura Jane Williams - She took us through her writer's routine last year, ahead of 'Our Stop'. She talks about how writing that book made her a believer, as her second 'The Love Square' has just been published - https://amzn.to/39bd4M6Nicola Gill - Joined us earlier in 2020, to talk us through a day writing her debut, 'The Neighbours'. She's been busy a

Jul 20, 2020 • 43:36

Melanie Blake, author of 'The Thunder Girls' - Entrepreneur talks ghost-writing, channeling characters and escaping to write.

Melanie Blake, author of 'The Thunder Girls' - Entrepreneur talks ghost-writing, channeling characters and escaping to write.

Melanie Blake is one of the UK's most successful entrepreneurs, running a global talent agency, she's been a music manager, worked behind the scenes in TV, and has published a new book! 'The Thunder Girls' is the story of an 80s girl group reunion show, mixed with a hint of murder.We talk about what drives her as a creative and in business, and why she feels the need to tell stories in between all her other work. To do this she needs to get away to make sure she can't be bothered, we talk about

Jul 16, 2020 • 34:37

Jasper Fforde, author of 'The Constant Rabbit' - Surrealist satire writer talks about narrative dares, the creative sandbox and finding the right words.

Jasper Fforde, author of 'The Constant Rabbit' - Surrealist satire writer talks about narrative dares, the creative sandbox and finding the right words.

Jasper Fforde is a sublime storyteller, who has the rare gift of using words in a sequence many people would never think of. He's known for the 'Thursday Next' series, 'The Last Dragonslayer' YA books, and many other unique looks at the world. His new novel is 'The Constant Rabbit' which sees a group of anthropomorphised rabbits being kicked out of Britain by the United Kingdom Anti-Rabbit Party. It's a bizarre but brilliant take on the politics of the last 5 years. We talk about how he had the

Jul 10, 2020 • 54:44

Peter James, author of 'Find Them Dead' - Prolific bestseller talks creating the perfect writing day, narrative charts and ruthless editing.

Peter James, author of 'Find Them Dead' - Prolific bestseller talks creating the perfect writing day, narrative charts and ruthless editing.

Peter James has sold over 20 million books, publishing across 37 languages. Many of them star DS Roy Grace, who is back in the new one 'Find Them Dead'. We talk about how Peter's writing routine and style has changed through the years, and what he now needs to know before he starts work.You can hear how he charts the flow and beats of the story before he starts writing, and how ruthless editing helps him keep things tight, and keep the listener wanting more. 'Find Them Dead' sees Roy Grace on se

Jul 2, 2020 • 44:02

Chris Whitaker, author of 'We Begin at the End' - Crime writer talks American Noir, finding the plot through characters, and winning the 'New Blood Dagger Award'

Chris Whitaker, author of 'We Begin at the End' - Crime writer talks American Noir, finding the plot through characters, and winning the 'New Blood Dagger Award'

Chris Whittaker seems like one of the busiest people in the world. He works as a City Trader, volunteers at his local library, is renovating a house, looking after his family, and has had the time to write his 3rd crime thriller. 'We Begin at the End' is Duchess Radley, out for revenge against the murderer who killed her Aunt. It's American Noir. We talk about what that is, and how he does justice to such an evocative genre with words on a page.We also chat about why he devotes such attention to

Jun 25, 2020 • 36:38

Round Table - Crime writers Merilyn Davies, Rebecca Bradley and Neil Lancaster talk about the joy of editing, planning for a series, and creativity during lockdown.

Round Table - Crime writers Merilyn Davies, Rebecca Bradley and Neil Lancaster talk about the joy of editing, planning for a series, and creativity during lockdown.

Here's something brand new! A kind of bonus, hopefully semi-regular thing!This is the first Writer's Routine Roundtable, where we get authors together to chat about how they do what they do. How they plan, plot and then publish.In this episode, we have 3 fantastic crime authors, who all used to work for the Police... they say write what you know.Merilyn Davies published her first 'Carla Brown and Nell Jackson' thriller last year, called 'When I Lost You'. The sequel 'If I Fall' is out next year.

Jun 22, 2020 • 44:32

Rachel Abbott, writer of 'The Murder Game' - Mega Kindle Bestseller talks about knowing her characters visually, the joys of editing, and making a business plan.

Rachel Abbott, writer of 'The Murder Game' - Mega Kindle Bestseller talks about knowing her characters visually, the joys of editing, and making a business plan.

Rachel Abbott is one of the best-selling Kindle novelists in history. Her debut 'Only the Innocent' became a number 1 bestseller on Kindle, since then she's published 11 books, sold over 4 million copies and been translated into 21 languages.We talk about what changed when she got 'properly' published after that, and how an editor made her see her work in a different way. We chat about why she focuses mainly on writing psychological thrillers, and how her storytelling process has changed through

Jun 19, 2020 • 47:47

Anthony McGowan, author of 'Lark' - Carnegie Medal Winning writer discusses picking the next project, working in two spaces, and writing place over plot.

Anthony McGowan, author of 'Lark' - Carnegie Medal Winning writer discusses picking the next project, working in two spaces, and writing place over plot.

Anthony McGowan is a highly acclaimed, multi-award winning author of novels and children's stories. He's written across almost everything, adult thrillers, YA books, children's fiction, even philosophy books for dogs.His new novel is 'Lark', it's part of 'The Truth of Things' series, which is a trilogy that has ended up being four books. They're all short novellas, written for reluctant readers, telling the story of hardship and love growing up in a forgotten town in northern England. We talk ab

Jun 11, 2020 • 47:06

David Baldacci, author of 'Walk the Wire' - Prolific bestseller talks about being on the lookout for ideas, publishing two books a year, and picking characters for stories.

David Baldacci, author of 'Walk the Wire' - Prolific bestseller talks about being on the lookout for ideas, publishing two books a year, and picking characters for stories.

David Baldacci has storytelling in his bones. He's published books across all types of genre, thriller, mystery, fantasy, crime, even kids books too. He's written well over 40 novels, and plans his year of writing fairly thoroughly in order to publish 2 new books a year. He has a huge array of characters to choose between, and we learn about how he decides which one he'll write about next.His new one is 'Walk the Wire', about Amos Decker, 'The Memory Man', who is sent to the North Dakotan badlan

Jun 5, 2020 • 51:21

James Swallow, author of 'Rogue' - Thriller writer talks telling stories across genre, the ideal writing day, and writing for video games.

James Swallow, author of 'Rogue' - Thriller writer talks telling stories across genre, the ideal writing day, and writing for video games.

James Swallow is one of those writers who has stories burning inside him, itching to get out. He has written anything and everything. James writes sci-fi, fantasy, TV tie-ins, video games, audio dramas, and his new one is a spy thriller, 'Rogue'. It's about Marc Dane, an MI6 worker who usually spends time behind a desk and screen, but is thrown out into the field. We talk about how it's a pay-off for many readers who have stuck by the series from the start. Also we chat about how he first had th

May 29, 2020 • 49:01

Adele Parks, author of 'Just My Luck' - Prolific writer talks having a strict routine, why she's always asking questions, and about her 20th book in 20 years.

Adele Parks, author of 'Just My Luck' - Prolific writer talks having a strict routine, why she's always asking questions, and about her 20th book in 20 years.

Adele Parks has just published her 20th book in 20 years! 'Just My Luck' is about a group of friends who always pool in to buy a lottery ticket with the same numbers every week, only one week after a big fall-out, one couple buys the ticket alone... and wins. How do they cope with the fall out, betrayal and fights that come with that?We talk about how Adele had the idea whilst asking a stranger questions at a dinner party, and in fact... why she gets quite a lot of her story ideas like that.We a

May 22, 2020 • 46:50

Nicola Gill, author of 'The Neighbours' - Debut writer talks genre, crafting a plot around characters, and getting started early.

Nicola Gill, author of 'The Neighbours' - Debut writer talks genre, crafting a plot around characters, and getting started early.

Nicola Gill's debut novel is 'The Neighbours'. It tells the story of Ginny and Cassie, two unlikely friends who are thrown together when they both reach rock-bottom. It's a funny story of friendship, love and adventure. We talk about how Nicola got that first idea, how she crafted her day to make sure she got it down properly, and why she got to work incredibly early to make that happen.Also, we chat about what her day-job taught her about writing, in creativity and efficiency. We talk about gen

May 15, 2020 • 34:31

Neil Lancaster, author of 'Going Rogue' - Ex-cop talks about trusting the process, getting police stuff right, and making it thrilling.

Neil Lancaster, author of 'Going Rogue' - Ex-cop talks about trusting the process, getting police stuff right, and making it thrilling.

Neil Lancaster has published 2 'Tom Novak' books. His most recent is 'Going Rogue', which sees Tom up against a wave of far-right terrorism.Neil has an advantage in writing crime thrillers - he was in the Army, then worked in the Met Police for 25 years. We talk about how he took all the knowledge from his career, and made them into thrilling, page-turning stories, that are accurate... but also allow for the fantasy of fiction. We also chat about the stuff every book and TV show gets wrong about

May 8, 2020 • 49:16

Lorna Cook, author of 'The Forbidden Promise' - Historical mystery author talks dual-narrative, crammed work days, and writing what you want to read.

Lorna Cook, author of 'The Forbidden Promise' - Historical mystery author talks dual-narrative, crammed work days, and writing what you want to read.

Lorna Cook's new novel is 'The Forbidden Promise'. It's a dual-narrative, set in two timelines. In 1940, Constance finds a crashed Spitfire in the Scottish Highlands and must keep the pilot safe, against her families wishes. In 2020, Kate arrives in a Scottish B&B, and discovers a house with a dark history that has some connection to Constance.We talk about why she writes dual-narrative, and why it's taken her a while to learn the tricks of writing it. Also, we chat about why she loves the e

May 1, 2020 • 39:05

Russ Thomas, author of 'Firewatching' - Debut writer talks changing viewpoints, short stories, and selling books to write them.

Russ Thomas, author of 'Firewatching' - Debut writer talks changing viewpoints, short stories, and selling books to write them.

Russ Thomas has just published his debut, 'Firewatching'. It's a police procedural. It stars DS Adam Tyler, on the hunt for a serial arsonist around Sheffield. It grew from a short-story Russ had been writing over 20 years, changing and turning along the way. We talk about the key moments in that process, what advice he was given from teachers, and how different characters would suddenly snap the story to life, and take it in a different direction.We chat about his time working in a bookshop, le

Apr 24, 2020 • 52:16

Lucienne Boyce, author of 'Death Makes No Distinction' - Historical fiction writer talks thorough plotting, making the past authentic, and writing biography.

Lucienne Boyce, author of 'Death Makes No Distinction' - Historical fiction writer talks thorough plotting, making the past authentic, and writing biography.

Lucienne Boyce is a jack of all writing trades. She's published non-fiction, historical fiction, and is mid-way through writing a biography. She's just published the 3rd 'Dan Foster Mystery Book', called 'Death Makes No Distinction', a novel set in 18th century London all about the Bow Street Runners. We talk about why she loves writing in the past, how she makes it authentic, and how thoroughly she plots a story before she'll tell it.We also talk about the non-fiction books she writes, mostly o

Apr 17, 2020 • 48:40

Nell Pattison, author of 'The Silent House' - Psychological thriller writer talks about editorial feedback, mixing up the day, and being inspired by real life.

Nell Pattison, author of 'The Silent House' - Psychological thriller writer talks about editorial feedback, mixing up the day, and being inspired by real life.

Nell Pattison's debut thriller is 'The Silent House', which tells the story of a crime happening in a full house, and no-one has a clue how. It stars Paige Northwood, as a British Sign Language interpreter called in to help the police. Nell herself is a BSL interpreter - they say write what you know - and we talk about how she had the initial story idea, why it took a while to brew in her mind, and how it's inspired by real life.We also chat about the novels she's finished but never published, w

Apr 10, 2020 • 42:50

Sam Lloyd, author of 'The Memory Wood' - Thriller writer talks about characters that won't go away, trying to force twists, and improving productivity.

Sam Lloyd, author of 'The Memory Wood' - Thriller writer talks about characters that won't go away, trying to force twists, and improving productivity.

Sam Lloyd has written sci-fi and fantasy before, but when he got the idea for 'The Memory Wood' he knew it had to be a thriller. It tells the story of Elissa, who is kidnapped from school and locked away in the woods, and Elijah who finds her, but won't tell a soul. It's a blend of two ideas - one he had while killing time at his son's school, the other was of Elijah... a character that wouldn't go away, and whose story he had to tell.We talk about how much he plans every day, why he has such a

Apr 2, 2020 • 44:53

Eleni Kyriacou, writer of 'She Came to Stay' - Debut author talks about planning and plotting, changing the main character, and overwriting.

Eleni Kyriacou, writer of 'She Came to Stay' - Debut author talks about planning and plotting, changing the main character, and overwriting.

Eleni Kyriacou is a journalist and editor, and has worked on stories for national newspapers and magazines. Her debut novel 'She Came to Stay' tells the story of Dina who leaves Cyprus for London in search of a better life. They're taken around by Bebba, a strange character with a secret past, and is absorbed by grimy 1950's Soho. It's a murder-mystery with an edge.She was selected as part of the 'Future Bookshelf' open submissions programme which helps find unpublished authors from under-repres

Mar 27, 2020 • 45:26

Louise Hare, author of 'This Lovely City' - Being inspired by short stories, making the leap to full-time writing, and secret adventures in London.

Louise Hare, author of 'This Lovely City' - Being inspired by short stories, making the leap to full-time writing, and secret adventures in London.

Louise Hare's debut novel, 'This Lovely City', tells the story of Lawrie Matthews. A jazz musician fresh of the Empire Windrush, takes rooms in a tiny South London house, and immediately discovers a tragedy which threatens to tear the city apart.We talk about why this idea grew from a short-story, which she couldn't quite put down, also why she took on a Masters in Creative Writing, and what was special about this story that got her published, when some books before had failed.Also, Louise recen

Mar 20, 2020 • 44:25

Rory Clements, author of 'Hitler's Secret' - Historical mystery writer talks the responsibility to tell the truth, keeping readers going, and writing at night.

Rory Clements, author of 'Hitler's Secret' - Historical mystery writer talks the responsibility to tell the truth, keeping readers going, and writing at night.

Rory Clements has just released the 4th book in his 'Tom Wilde' series. It's a historical mystery called 'Hitler's Secret', in which Tom is enlisted to carry a valuable document out of Germany. If it is uncovered, it threatens to destabilise the Nazi party - and Tom must decide whether it's his duty to find out more. He's also written the 'John Shakespeare' stories too - more historical fiction set further back in time.We talk about how he accurately writes about life in World War 2, and what re

Mar 13, 2020 • 35:22

SD Sykes, author of 'The Bone Fire' - Historical Fiction author talks thorough plotting, the hero's journey and getting submerged in the past.

SD Sykes, author of 'The Bone Fire' - Historical Fiction author talks thorough plotting, the hero's journey and getting submerged in the past.

This week our guest is SD Sykes. She's just released the 4th in her 'Oswald de Lacy' thriller series,'The Bone Fire'. It's set in the 14th century, in the murky Kent countryside, and it's a locked-room mystery. We talk about why she locked Oswald in a castle to tell the story, and how she manages to blend crime and mystery whilst bringing the 1300's to life.Sarah is a big believer of the 'Hero's Story' method of storytelling - perfectly arching a character's journey through challenges, adventure

Mar 6, 2020 • 34:32

Pete Brown, author of 'Pie Fidelity' - 3 time British Beer Writer of the Year talks writing the book you want to read, analysing to improve, and the joy of narrative.

Pete Brown, author of 'Pie Fidelity' - 3 time British Beer Writer of the Year talks writing the book you want to read, analysing to improve, and the joy of narrative.

Pete Brown has one of the best jobs in the world. He's a food and drink writer. He is the chair of the British Guild of Beer Writers, been British Beer Writer of the Year 3 times and also won 3 Fortnum and Mason food and drink awards. Yet, all that seems to do him a disservice. Pete is a fantastic cultural commentator, drawing on history to talk passionately about society.His first book, 'Man Walks into a Pub', is a pub-crawl through the history of beer, and Pete began working on it after discov

Feb 28, 2020 • 51:29

An Yu, writer of 'Braised Pork' - Hyped debut author on discovering characters, trying to tame creativity, and nocturnal Beijing.

An Yu, writer of 'Braised Pork' - Hyped debut author on discovering characters, trying to tame creativity, and nocturnal Beijing.

An Yu has just released her debut, 'Braised Pork'. It's tipped to be one of the literary debuts of the year, was acquired in a 7 way auction, and tells the story of nocturnal Beijing. It focuses on Jia Jia, who returns home to find her husband dead in the bathtub. Next to him is an image that she won't ever forget. It's an exploration of myth-making, loss and her journey to find herself.We talk about why she writes in her second language, why this story took time to develop and how her character

Feb 21, 2020 • 40:46

Lucy Foley, author of 'The Guest List' - Mystery author on twisting the whodunnit, the beauty and benefit of overwriting, and why she loves chaos

Lucy Foley, author of 'The Guest List' - Mystery author on twisting the whodunnit, the beauty and benefit of overwriting, and why she loves chaos

Lucy Foley has just released her second mystery thriller. It's called 'The Guest List', and is set at a dream wedding, on a remote island, where someone gets killed and everyone has a motive. We talk about the fundamentals you need to include in writing whodunnits, and how to flip the tradition on its head.It comes after the huge success of her first whodunnit, 'The Hunting Party'. It was also set on an island, and we chat about where she got that idea from, why she likes the idea of locking her

Feb 14, 2020 • 42:05

BA Paris, author of 'The Dilemma' - Managing to structure your pantsing, forgetting the word count, and the urge to tell stories.

BA Paris, author of 'The Dilemma' - Managing to structure your pantsing, forgetting the word count, and the urge to tell stories.

BA Paris has sold over 1 million books, they've been translated into 39 languages, and her new novel, 'The Dilemma' was released in early 2020 to huge acclaim.The idea is simple: what if you had to tell someone something which would destroy their lives. Bernadette tells the story hour by hour, across one day. She's a pantser by nature, so we talk about how she had to slightly change the way she planned her plot to make such a tight structure of storytelling work. We also talk about why this is a

Feb 7, 2020 • 40:33

Caroline Scott, author of 'The Photographer of the Lost' - Avoiding cliches from the past, bringing the Great War to life, and why editing is where things really come alive.

Caroline Scott, author of 'The Photographer of the Lost' - Avoiding cliches from the past, bringing the Great War to life, and why editing is where things really come alive.

Caroline Scott's new novel is a 'Radio 2 Book Club Pick', high praise in British books, and is set in the murky time straight after the First World War. 'The Photographer of the Lost' sees Edie go in search of her "missing in action" husband Francis, after she receives a strange photograph in the post. It's a twisting, turning, slightly romantic mystery, which is a fantastic read.We talk about why Caroline is fascinated by history, how she projects her ideas with the few facts surrounding the 'b

Jan 31, 2020 • 40:53

Paul French, author of 'Murders of Old China' - Writer of brand new Audible series talks finding clues in the past, writing for audio, and knowing how to research.

Paul French, author of 'Murders of Old China' - Writer of brand new Audible series talks finding clues in the past, writing for audio, and knowing how to research.

Paul French has just released a 12 part audio series, 'Murders of Old China', through Audible. As the name suggests, it tells the stories of unsolved crimes from the early 20th century of China. We talk about how Paul discovered these crimes, and then set about researching them and possibly even solving them.As this has been specifically made for Audible, we talk about whether that changed his writing style: is there something different about telling stories for ears rather than eyes? For Paul,

Jan 24, 2020 • 53:35

Hugh Montgomery, author of 'Control' - Professor talks making time to write, what makes you creative, and the joy of trying something new.

Hugh Montgomery, author of 'Control' - Professor talks making time to write, what makes you creative, and the joy of trying something new.

Hugh Montgomery is a someone who, if he wasn't so darned lovely, you'd probably have to envy quite a lot. He's a practicing clinician, a UK lead on climate change, he's written screen-plays, runs ultramarathons, learns a new skill a year, holds a world-record, and is now releasing his first full-novel.It's called 'Control' - a thriller set in the medical-world (write what you know) all about a bullying, over-bearing Doctor, and the way he treats colleagues, which comes back to haunt him. We talk

Jan 17, 2020 • 46:28

Mason Currey, author of 'Daily Rituals: Women at Work' - On perfecting the writing day, knowing where to start research, and some of the most interesting routines from history.

Mason Currey, author of 'Daily Rituals: Women at Work' - On perfecting the writing day, knowing where to start research, and some of the most interesting routines from history.

BONUS EPISODE!In the late noughties, Mason Currey started blogging about the most interesting, unique and quirky routines from history. 'Daily Rituals' ran for year, and spawned its own book in 2013. Upon reflecting all the rituals in there, he realised an overwhelming amount where men's. So he's written a new book to correct that.'Daily Rituals: Women at Work' details some of the most aspiring, gruelling and novel routines from history. We talk about what he's learned from these, whether they'v

Jan 14, 2020 • 21:04

Amy Heydenrych, author of 'The Pact' - Crime author talks brooding over stories, analysing her work, and breaking her own rules.

Amy Heydenrych, author of 'The Pact' - Crime author talks brooding over stories, analysing her work, and breaking her own rules.

Amy Heydenrych has been brooding on the idea for her latest novel, 'The Pact', for some time now. After experiencing office bullying in an old job, she thought about how the feelings it caused, and how they could lead to the plot of a crime novel. The story is all about Freya, Nicole and Jay, and the harmless prank that leads to murder.It's her second novel, after her debut 'Shame on You' achieved critical and commercial success in 2017. We talk about what she learned from writing that that affe

Jan 10, 2020 • 43:33

Ann Cleeves, author of 'The Long Call' - 'Vera' and 'Shetland' writer talks about the urge to tell stories, learning by living and never plotting

Ann Cleeves, author of 'The Long Call' - 'Vera' and 'Shetland' writer talks about the urge to tell stories, learning by living and never plotting

Ann Cleeves is a hugely prolific author - she once wrote a book a year for 30 years, and still publishes more or less every 12 months. We talk about that writing year - when she comes up with ideas, starts working on them and finally hands in the first draft.She has written 8 'Vera Stanhope' books, a character that went on to be played by Brenda Blethyn in a TV series. Also, she's published many 'Shetland' stories, a series which came to an end recently - and we discuss why. Her new book is 'The

Dec 13, 2019 • 44:36

Chris Hammer, author of award-winning 'Scrublands' - Winner of 'New Blood Dagger Award' talks writing anywhere, nuanced characters and learning from journalism.

Chris Hammer, author of award-winning 'Scrublands' - Winner of 'New Blood Dagger Award' talks writing anywhere, nuanced characters and learning from journalism.

Before publishing his first novel, Chris Hammer worked as a journalist. Travelling all over the world reporting stories gave him the ability to write anywhere, and taught him how to tell stories. He used all that knowledge to write 'Scrublands', his debut about Martin Scarsden, a journalist who becomes embroiled in a tangle of crimes after a vicar does something extremely unreligious.We talk to Chris about keeping track of plots, working to deadlines and making sure his characters are more than

Dec 6, 2019 • 43:43

Jeffrey Archer, author of 'Nothing Ventured' - Internationally successful author talks escaping to write, his exacting daily routine and what selling over 275 million books is really like.

Jeffrey Archer, author of 'Nothing Ventured' - Internationally successful author talks escaping to write, his exacting daily routine and what selling over 275 million books is really like.

For over 40 years, Jeffrey Archer has sold many, many books. The current count is over 275 million. He's written 37, including a volume of diaries from his time in prison - 26 of those have been Sunday Times Bestsellers. His new book is 'Nothing Ventured', and it's the start of a brand new series. Although, the start of his writing career wasn't as successful as many would have you believe.It was his third book, 'Kane and Abel' that really took off - within the first week it had sold around a mi

Nov 29, 2019 • 38:01

Harriet Evans, author of 'The Garden of Lost and Found' - The luxury of two places to write, why editing is the most important part of the process, and how to be flexible when the story takes over.

Harriet Evans, author of 'The Garden of Lost and Found' - The luxury of two places to write, why editing is the most important part of the process, and how to be flexible when the story takes over.

Harriet Evans' 11 novel could be her biggest yet. Even with the huge success of 'The Wildflowers', 'The Garden of Lost and Found' is everywhere at the moment, and tells the story of Juilet. She's sent the key to a house that holds a forgotten world within. We talk about the first idea for the story, and how it developed from many ideas Harriet had for another story that never quite made it.We also chat about how she knows what her role is as a commercial novelist, how that affects her writing an

Nov 15, 2019 • 49:18

James Wallman, author of 'Time and How to Spend It - Journalist talks making non-fiction read like the classics, the experience economy, and why you need to get outside and be offline.

James Wallman, author of 'Time and How to Spend It - Journalist talks making non-fiction read like the classics, the experience economy, and why you need to get outside and be offline.

In his phenomenally successful debut, 'Stuffocation', James Wallman told everyone to stop valuing things, and instead value experiences and the time we have on this planet. He's back to tell everyone how to spend that time, how to make sure we're getting the most out of our experiences, and how to make sure we're picking them wisely.We talk about making non-fiction read like fiction, and how James thoroughly analysed the best journalists, and stole their tricks, to make sure readers kept wanting

Nov 1, 2019 • 46:15

Ruth Hogan, author of 'The Keeper of Lost Things' - How to plan your writing year, what to do with the first sentence, and how do you get new ideas?

Ruth Hogan, author of 'The Keeper of Lost Things' - How to plan your writing year, what to do with the first sentence, and how do you get new ideas?

Ruth Hogan's debut novel 'The Keeper of Lost Things' generated huge commercial success and critical acclaim across the world. Telling the story of Anthony Peardew, a short-story writer who collects treasures and trinkets. The whole story became clear to Ruth after she got a stunning first line, that simply appeared in her head. We talk about what she did next, how she developed one sentence to the rest of the story.We talk about the huge success of her first story influenced her next two, 'The W

Oct 17, 2019 • 45:08

Owen Nicholls, author of 'Love, Unscripted' - Debut novelist talks pop culture, movie journalism and writing romance.

Owen Nicholls, author of 'Love, Unscripted' - Debut novelist talks pop culture, movie journalism and writing romance.

Owen Nicholls is a pop-culture obsessive, having written for Empire and NME, the mission for his first novel was 'High Fidelty for movies'.Originally thinking it may be a screenplay, instead he enjoyed the space and time writing a novel gave him. For Owen, a screenplay needs to be tight, purposeful and focused, he thinks that with novels you can take time to discover your characters and plots.'Love, Unscripted' is the tale of a failed romance, and trying to figure out where it all went wrong - w

Sep 26, 2019 • 43:33

Tom MacRae, co-writer of 'Everybody's Talking About Jamie' - On hit West End musicals, writing for stage, and discipline.

Tom MacRae, co-writer of 'Everybody's Talking About Jamie' - On hit West End musicals, writing for stage, and discipline.

Along with Dan Gillespie Sells, Tom MacRae wrote the hit West End musical, 'Everybody's Talking About Jamie'. It opened in Sheffield, before transferring to London, selling-out constantly and receiving rave 5 star reviews. After writing for comedy on TV and for Dr Who, Tom had always planned to write a musical with his mate Dan, from the band 'The Feeling'. Then, watching a BBC documentary about a boy who wanted to go to high-school prom in a dress, he finally had an idea. Drawing on modern pop

Sep 13, 2019 • 47:06

Tim Smedley, author of 'Clearing the Air' - Sustainability writer on making non-fiction accessible, plotting travels and the perfect first chapter.

Tim Smedley, author of 'Clearing the Air' - Sustainability writer on making non-fiction accessible, plotting travels and the perfect first chapter.

Tim Smedley is a journalist who has worked for the FT, Guardian, New Scientist and many more. A few years ago, he was so disgusted at the levels of pollutants in the air around London where he lived - he moved. He also resolved to find out more about what was causing it, and to read a book on what could be done. He found out such a book didn't exist - it was up to him to write one.With just a year to get everything done, he chatted to some of the world's foremost experts on air pollution, travel

Sep 6, 2019 • 49:44

Sheila O'Flanagan, author of 'Her Husband's Mistake' - Prolific award-winner talks first sentences, becoming characters and finding new ideas.

Sheila O'Flanagan, author of 'Her Husband's Mistake' - Prolific award-winner talks first sentences, becoming characters and finding new ideas.

Bestselling author Sheila O'Flanagan is prolific, published around 30 novels and has won the 'Irish Independent Popular Fiction Book of the Year. Her new book is 'Her Husband's Mistake', and sees Roxy finding her husband in bed with the next door neighbour. You know this immediately, it's the very first sentence. We talk about how long she worked on making that first sentence perfect, and how it set the tone for the rest of the novel.To get ideas, Sheila's main strategy is to put women in situat

Aug 31, 2019 • 43:43

Rob Hart, author of 'The Warehouse' - Critically acclaimed author talks dystopian fiction, standalone novels and editing backwards.

Rob Hart, author of 'The Warehouse' - Critically acclaimed author talks dystopian fiction, standalone novels and editing backwards.

Rob Hart's new book 'The Warehouse' is in the mold of 'Farenheit 451' and '1984', and focuses on one big business that suffocates all others, and the stories of 3 people who work there. Because of this, his characterisation needs to be truly believable and authentic, we talk about this struggle and how he became his characters in writing.It's also his first proper foray into standalone novels, having made his way with the 'Ash McKenna' series, and we talk about his relief at writing independent

Aug 19, 2019 • 47:18

Shari Lapena, author of 'Someone We Know' - Thriller writer talks the absurdity of planning, rewriting and discovering the killer.

Shari Lapena, author of 'Someone We Know' - Thriller writer talks the absurdity of planning, rewriting and discovering the killer.

Shari Lapena's first book, 'The Couple Next Door', was the number 1 adult fiction title for the UK back in 2017, and with 3 books published since we talk about how such success has affected the way she now tells stories. Her new one is 'Someone We Know', a twisting tale of a teenager so desperate for wi-fi he breaks into homes, and then strange things start happening all over the neighbourhood.She doesn't plan, in fact she finds the whole idea of planning baffling - how do you know your story be

Aug 9, 2019 • 41:52

Laura Jane Williams, author of 'Our Stop' - Journalist and memoir writer talks debut novels, rom-com characters and dirty drafts.

Laura Jane Williams, author of 'Our Stop' - Journalist and memoir writer talks debut novels, rom-com characters and dirty drafts.

Laura Jane Williams is a prolific journalist, and successful memoir writer - her books, 'Becoming' and 'Ice Cream for Breakfast', talk about her twenties and quest for love. We chat about the arrogance of memoir-writing - what makes her think her story is worth reading? Also, you can hear the strange methods she uses to get into character, and the exact moment she knows them inside-out.'Our Stop' has been called 'the feminist rom-com of the summer', and we talk about what that means, and how she

Aug 2, 2019 • 46:35

Phoebe Locke, author of summer hit 'The July Girls' - Thriller writer talks strict timing, getting to know your killer, and pseudonyms

Phoebe Locke, author of summer hit 'The July Girls' - Thriller writer talks strict timing, getting to know your killer, and pseudonyms

After achieving great success with her debut novel, 'The Tall Man', Phoebe Locke is back with a new summer-hit, 'The July Girls'. It tells the story of murders that happen every year on exactly the same day, and the quest to track down who is doing it, and why. Originally it was a short story that never saw escaped the top drawer, and Phoebe explains why she's happy about that, and why the characters stuck with her enough to revisit their story.Phoebe has a very strict method of writing - the Po

Jul 25, 2019 • 45:50

Stuart MacBride, Crime and Thriller author - Writer of the 'Logan McRae' series talks new book 'All That's Dead', work ethics, and switching up the process.

Stuart MacBride, Crime and Thriller author - Writer of the 'Logan McRae' series talks new book 'All That's Dead', work ethics, and switching up the process.

Stuart MacBride pretty much hasn't had a day off for 16 years. Every chance he gets he'll find a little space and place to write in. It's made him a very successful crime author. His newest novel is 'All That's Dead', in which Logan McRae returns to work after some time away, and is immediately thrown into the deepest, darkest part of the crime world.We chat about why Stuart switches up his writing style - recently his need to keep things fresh saw him draft novels as TV screenplays. We also hea

Jul 19, 2019 • 35:17

Lara Prior-Palmer, author of 'Rough Magic' - Memoir writer talks winning the Mongol Derby, always fixing sentences and free-flowing words.

Lara Prior-Palmer, author of 'Rough Magic' - Memoir writer talks winning the Mongol Derby, always fixing sentences and free-flowing words.

At age 19, unsure about what to do before starting university, Lara Prior-Palmer absent-mindedly applied for the Mongol Derby, a multi-horse race that rides 1,000 km through Mongolian grassland. She won it.Her book 'Rough Magic' is a poetic, twisting, wonderful account of the race, and is written unlike many other memoirs. It's been critically acclaimed, sold hugely well and took Lara 5 years to write. We talk about why she felt the need to get the adventure down on paper, how it initially came

Jul 12, 2019 • 43:09

Louise Candlish, British Book Award Winner - 'Our House' author talks having an unusual hook, following up on success and almost giving up.

Louise Candlish, British Book Award Winner - 'Our House' author talks having an unusual hook, following up on success and almost giving up.

Louise Candlish's 'Our House' was one of the biggest books of 2018, it's sold more than 200,000 copies, been read all over the world and won 'Best Crime and Thriller Fiction' at the 'British Book Awards'. It so nearly wasn't the case though. A few years ago, disappointed with her success and publisher, Louise almost gave up - until the kernel of a story came to her, something that had never been done before, a thriller centred around property fraud. We talk about that spark during the episode, a

Jun 21, 2019 • 47:21

Abi Elphinstone, author of 'Rumblestar' - Children's author talks finding the right audience, believable characters and thorough research.

Abi Elphinstone, author of 'Rumblestar' - Children's author talks finding the right audience, believable characters and thorough research.

Abi Elphinstone has just started the brand new kids' series 'The Unmapped Chronicles'. The first of which, 'Rumblestar', sees Casper Tock stumbling across a hidden world which magically controls the weather. The idea came from a desire to get kids outside, away from screens and into nature - we talk about having that grand concept, and making it relatable to kids in a few hundred pages.You can hear why it took her a bunch of rejections to finally realise what was wrong about her writing, also ho

Jun 14, 2019 • 45:15

Ahmad Danny Ramadan, writer of 'The Clothesline Swing' - LGBTQ and refugee campaigner, writer and speaker talks storytelling with friends, multiple outlines and deliberate confusion.

Ahmad Danny Ramadan, writer of 'The Clothesline Swing' - LGBTQ and refugee campaigner, writer and speaker talks storytelling with friends, multiple outlines and deliberate confusion.

Ahmad Danny Ramadan is a Syrian-Canadian author, storyteller and LGBTQ-refugee activist. He was forced to flee his home of Syria, and his debut novel 'The Clothesline Swing' is a sprawling, twisting tale trying to make sense of it. It focuses on 2 lovers in Syria, telling stories to work through what life in the country is. It sends the imagination all over the place, with no seeming link - and this is deliberate. Danny wanted his readers to feel detached and without ground to tread, and he expl

Jun 7, 2019 • 49:54

Mel Sherratt - Crime and Thriller author talks moving through genres, letting characters dictate plot, and the Kindle revolution that helped her success.

Mel Sherratt - Crime and Thriller author talks moving through genres, letting characters dictate plot, and the Kindle revolution that helped her success.

Mel Sherratt has published 12 books, and written many, many more, across a wide range of genres. She loves writing so much that even now, in the middle of a proper book deal, she's writing other books for herself and to self-publish. Her new novel is called 'Tick Tock', it's a procedural crime novel in her 'DS Grace Allendale' series.We talk about the different stages of her writing, when she starts to put in clues as to the killer, how she knows how many time her killer needs to strike, and how

May 30, 2019 • 35:59

Trent Dalton - 'Boy Swallows Universe' talks debut success, being named 'Australian Book of the Year' and writing snappily.

Trent Dalton - 'Boy Swallows Universe' talks debut success, being named 'Australian Book of the Year' and writing snappily.

Not many authors have debut success like Trent Dalton. His book 'Boy Swallows Universe' won the 'Debut Fiction Prize' and 'Book of the Year' at the Australian Indie Awards, and went straight into the top 10, selling over 100,000 copies. It's a semi-autobiographical story about all Eli, in Brisbane in 1983, muddling through family life, trying to not be coaxed into drug-dealing, and having to save his mum from prison.Trent works as a journalist, so we talk about the challenges of writing features

May 24, 2019 • 43:26

Jeffery Deaver - Global bestselling thriller author talks about research, writing puzzles and working anywhere.

Jeffery Deaver - Global bestselling thriller author talks about research, writing puzzles and working anywhere.

Jeffery Deaver has published over 40 novels. He's a globally renowned author, writing crime and thrillers. To him, they're not lauded works of art, they're intricate puzzles, fun and games for the reader - and we talk about how he builds these. His new book is 'The Never Game', introducing the enigmatic investigator Colter Shaw, and we hear the first idea for the story, and why it went to Colter, not another of his myriad characters.Jeffery works anywhere he can - any chance he gets to type away

May 17, 2019 • 44:45

Lucie Whitehouse - 'Critical Incidents' author talks procedural crime novels, switching genres and ideas from thin air.

Lucie Whitehouse - 'Critical Incidents' author talks procedural crime novels, switching genres and ideas from thin air.

'Critical Incidents' is Lucie Whitehouse's 5th book, and it marks something of a departure for her. Her previous novels are mainly focused on psychological thriller, whereas the new one is procedural. This means things need to be spot on, the way the police work, the way the crime is committed and how it's solved. We talk about the move, how she found changing styles liberating and where it takes her next.You can also hear how Lucie Whitehouse prefers working in an all-women space, why she needs

May 10, 2019 • 46:16

Mhairi McFarlane - Rom-com author talks contrivances, not letting mistakes go, and 'chick-lit'.

Mhairi McFarlane - Rom-com author talks contrivances, not letting mistakes go, and 'chick-lit'.

Mhairi McFarlane has published 5 novels, her new first 'You Had Me At Hello' was a huge bestseller, and her new one 'Don't You Forget About Me' looks set to do the same. It tells the story of Georgina, and her new boss at work who turns out to be an old flame... only he seemingly doesn't remember her at all.We talk about the planning of rom-com novels, how she likes to embrace the contrivances that must happen and focus on ways to build surprises into stories. You can hear how she plans her year

May 5, 2019 • 32:47

Namwali Serpell - Hay Festival award winning author talks strict structure, women-only workspaces and the birth of a new nation.

Namwali Serpell - Hay Festival award winning author talks strict structure, women-only workspaces and the birth of a new nation.

Namwali Serpell had been named one of the best African writers under 40 before she'd even published a novel. She's a student of the craft, and now a teacher of it at the University of Berkeley. Finally, after finishing a book that will forever sit in a drawer, she's publishing her first novel, 'The Old Drift'. It's a huge project, telling the stories of 3 families across generations in the new nation of Zambia.We chat about how to tell this story she needed a rigid structure of planning and plot

Apr 25, 2019 • 40:21

Val McDermid - Bestselling author talks changing process, creating characters and listening to readers

Val McDermid - Bestselling author talks changing process, creating characters and listening to readers

Val McDermid is one of the most successful crime authors in the world. Her novels have been translated into 40 languages, they've sold over 15 million copies and show no sign of letting up. She has written procedural crime, cold-case crime, and even penned the first ever 'cynical, socialist, lesbian, feminist journalist'.We talk about how her method of writing has changed over the course of 38 books, moving from heavy plotting to hardly plotting at all. Also we chat about how much she cares abou

Apr 19, 2019 • 42:50

C.L. Taylor - Psychological Thriller author talks writing across genres, unreliable narrators and new novel 'Sleep'

C.L. Taylor - Psychological Thriller author talks writing across genres, unreliable narrators and new novel 'Sleep'

C.L. Taylor has just released her 6th thriller 'Sleep', after having much success in psychological thriller over the last 10 years, even writing YA fiction too. We talk about how she works her story-telling around children, family life and Twitter.Also, we talk about the busiest year of Cally's life, writing a book having just gone back to work, with a child, and a lot of words to crack through. She's also won a prize for the 'Most Unreliable Narrator Award', which I was VERY interested to learn

Apr 4, 2019 • 39:32

Sarah Pinborough - 'Cross Her Heart' author talks characters, moving through genres and being a workaholic.

Sarah Pinborough - 'Cross Her Heart' author talks characters, moving through genres and being a workaholic.

Although she's not a fan of the word, Sarah Pinborough is a prolific author. She's written over 20 books across a wide range of genres, always looking to keep interesting and varied. Her new book, 'Cross Her Heart' takes inspiration from a real-life crime, and tells the story of a group of women all trying to keep their past a secret. It's been called a 'feminist novel', and you can hear why Sarah revels in that description.Also, we talk about her method of triple-writing, why her books have rec

Mar 29, 2019 • 39:45

Adam Foulds - Booker Prize shortlisted author talks new novel 'Dream Sequence', plotting through character and writing poetry.

Adam Foulds - Booker Prize shortlisted author talks new novel 'Dream Sequence', plotting through character and writing poetry.

This week Adam Foulds shares his writer's routine. He's a Booker Prize nominee, being shortlisted for 'The Quickening Maze', and is now publishing his fifth novel, 'Dream Sequence' about an actor who becomes embroiled in a strange, twisted relationship. It's literary fiction, and we talk about why that genre pulls Adam's creativity in, and why he thinks different authors write in different styles.Adam is also a poet, and discusses the difference between writing novels and poetry, and what it's l

Mar 22, 2019 • 35:07

Frank Cottrell-Boyce - Award winning Children's author talks scriptwriting, having ideas on the road, and the 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce - Award winning Children's author talks scriptwriting, having ideas on the road, and the 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce is a Carnegie Medal Award winning author - his 2004 novel 'Millions' is incredibly successful, and was turned into a film by Danny Boyle, for which Frank wrote the script. It was even Danny's idea that Frank should write the novel in the first place. He's published 10 novels, brought back 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang', and wrote the Opening Ceremony to the 2012 Olympic Games.We chat quite a bit about scriptwriting - along with 'Millions', Frank has written many scripts for Micha

Mar 15, 2019 • 38:21

Harriet Tyce - Debut novelist talks learning to write, being inspired by work, and genre-fiction.

Harriet Tyce - Debut novelist talks learning to write, being inspired by work, and genre-fiction.

After working for years as a criminal barrister, Harriet Tyce gave up work when she had children and decided to write. A few attempts at getting novels published later, she realised she may need a little bit of help in tweaking, cutting and getting her foot in the door, so she enrolled in a Creative Writing course at University, to study how to become a better author.'Blood Orange' is her debut published novel, and already it's gathering speed, success and critical acclaim. It's about Alison, wh

Mar 8, 2019 • 45:01

WORLD BOOK DAY SPECIAL - Routines and advice from some of the best crime, thriller, romance, fantasy and non-fiction authors around.

WORLD BOOK DAY SPECIAL - Routines and advice from some of the best crime, thriller, romance, fantasy and non-fiction authors around.

HAPPY WORLD BOOK DAY.To celebrate one of the top 3 days of the year, here's a little treat. A mash-up of some of the best authors we've had on the podcast this last year.You'll hear the writing routines of Ian Rankin, Cecelia Ahern, Garrard Conley, Helen Fields, Tim Marshall, Bridget Collins and Mark Billingham.Give us 5 lovely stars on Apple Podcasts if you get a chance.@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 7, 2019 • 23:35

Nuala Ellwood - Critically-acclaimed author talks the difficult second novel, creativity in motherhood and Virginia Woolf.

Nuala Ellwood - Critically-acclaimed author talks the difficult second novel, creativity in motherhood and Virginia Woolf.

In 2017, Nuala Ellwood's debut thriller 'My Sister's Bones' received rave reviews and was hailed as the new 'The Girl on the Train'. It propelled her onto The Observer's list of 'New Faces in Fiction' and gained commercial success - now she's back with a second novel. 'Day of the Accident' tells the story of Maggie, who wakes up from a coma to find her daughter dead, and she is being blamed for the murder.Nuala talks about the how to cope with the pressure from such a successful debut, and how a

Mar 1, 2019 • 35:35

Susan Lewis - Prolific author talks planning, crossing genre and new novel 'One Minute Later'

Susan Lewis - Prolific author talks planning, crossing genre and new novel 'One Minute Later'

With over 30 published books, Susan Lewis is a master-storyteller that moves through genres, styles and stories as easily as turning a page. She's lived all around the world, getting inspiration from towns in France (where she had a love affair with one of the FBI's Most Wanted) to hills in LA (where she was neighbours with George Clooney)Her new novel, 'One Minute Later', tells the story of Viv Shager, who on her 35th birthday suffers a heart attack which causes her life to change dramatically.

Feb 22, 2019 • 31:50

Fiona Barton - Journalist turned Psychological Thriller author talks new book 'The Suspect', the perfect time to write and when to plan.

Fiona Barton - Journalist turned Psychological Thriller author talks new book 'The Suspect', the perfect time to write and when to plan.

Fiona Barton is an award-winning journalist, worked as a senior writer at the 'Mail on Sunday' and reported on many high profile cases. After covering crime for so long, she thought it time to invent some of her own.Her third book, 'The Suspect', details two 18 year old girls who go missing on a gap-year, which reminds journalist Kate Waters of her own son, who is off travelling, that hasn't been seen in 2 years. You can hear how Fiona came up with the idea, and what she immediately did when it

Feb 8, 2019 • 31:52

Bridget Collins - Author of 'The Binding' talks about her critically acclaimed adult debut, why planning is overrated and why she finally had to tell this story.

Bridget Collins - Author of 'The Binding' talks about her critically acclaimed adult debut, why planning is overrated and why she finally had to tell this story.

Bridget Collins has published 7 Young Adult books, a few plays, and now her first full adult novel, 'The Binding', is due to be one of the biggest of 2019. It's been lauded as a 'genre defying fusion of history, magic and a powerful exploration of mental illness'. It tells the story of Emmett Farmer, a book binding apprentice, whose job is to help people forget their darkest secrets.We talk about why it's taken her years to finally write this book, and how volunteering at the Samaritans gave her

Jan 17, 2019 • 38:34

James Oswald - Author of 'No Time to Cry' talks sheep-farming by day and crime writing by night, also why planning is overrated and how important a name can be.

James Oswald - Author of 'No Time to Cry' talks sheep-farming by day and crime writing by night, also why planning is overrated and how important a name can be.

James Oswald is a farmer for 12 hours of the day, then at night he'll head to his bespoke writing room atop his garage, and bash away at the keyboard.He's known for the 8 novels of the 'Inspector Tony McLean' series, and also his fantasy saga 'The Ballad of Sir Benfro', and you can hear what it's like to start a brand new series - 'Constance Fairchild'. She makes her first appearance in the new novel 'No Time to Cry', and we talk about why having the idea for her name pretty much gave him the re

Dec 21, 2018 • 40:04

Tim Marshall - 'Prisoners of Geography' author and Diplomatic Editor talks planning, accessibility and Geopolitics.

Tim Marshall - 'Prisoners of Geography' author and Diplomatic Editor talks planning, accessibility and Geopolitics.

Tim Marshall worked for some years as the Diplomatic Editor for Sky News, travelling and living all over the world to get the stories. His book 'Shadowplay: The Overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic' is widely regarded as one of the best accounts of life in the former Yugoslavia. Tim reported in the field from Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia during the Balkan Wars of the 1990s, and has since found huge writing success for his book 'Prisoners of Geography'.'Prisoners of Geography' looks at how maps of the w

Dec 14, 2018 • 41:23

Liz Nugent - Irish Book Award winner on new novel 'Skin Deep', vital characterisation and how to push through a difficult start.

Liz Nugent - Irish Book Award winner on new novel 'Skin Deep', vital characterisation and how to push through a difficult start.

After working as a stage manager, running all over the place in a theatre, then being shackled to the desk writing for soap operas, Liz Nugent became bored with dull, desk-driven office work, and became an author. Well... became an author over 6 years of writing her first book 'Unravelling Oliver'. It won an Irish Book Award, became a bestseller and gave her a career of being a proper writer.She's back with her third novel 'Skin Deep', all about an enigmatic, alluring and alarming socialite, and

Nov 29, 2018 • 37:29

Ben Schott - Creator of the world famous 'Almanac and Miscellanies' on his debut novel, diving into the world of Wodehouse and the imperfect writing routine.

Ben Schott - Creator of the world famous 'Almanac and Miscellanies' on his debut novel, diving into the world of Wodehouse and the imperfect writing routine.

Ben Schott designed 'Schott's Original Miscellany' as a whimsical Christmas present to his closest friends, and after much pushing and prodding, finally published it to the world. Over the next few years, he had created a series of bestselling works providing an entertaining and informative analysis of the year's events.He's releasing his debut novel 'Jeeves and the King of Clubs', an homage to PG Wodehouse - a writer many see as the greatest comedic novelist of the 20th Century, perhaps even of

Nov 23, 2018 • 42:10

Cecelia Ahern - Author of 'P.S. I Love You', talks about her new book 'Roar', where she writes and what it's like to have sold 25 million books.

Cecelia Ahern - Author of 'P.S. I Love You', talks about her new book 'Roar', where she writes and what it's like to have sold 25 million books.

Since publishing her debut novel when she was 21, Cecelia Ahern has written, pretty much, a book a year. That debut went on to become a blockbuster film, and she's one of the biggest, and bestselling authors around today. Her new book 'Roar' comprises 30 short stories about 30 different women. You can hear why a script-meeting in Los Angeles gave her the idea for the book, and how she developed that whilst on a family holiday.We talk about why she needs an office to write in, what she does to co

Nov 16, 2018 • 30:02

E. Foley and B. Coates, authors of 'What Would Boudicca Do?' - The editors and writers talk nasty women, critiquing each other, and writing to Disney.

E. Foley and B. Coates, authors of 'What Would Boudicca Do?' - The editors and writers talk nasty women, critiquing each other, and writing to Disney.

Elizabeth Foley and Beth Coates both work in publishing as editors, and when they had one idea too good to give away, they hurried to the office on Saturdays to write it themselves. That became 'Homework for Grown-ups', and since they have written many other works of novelty non-fiction. Their latest is 'What Would Boudicca Do? Everyday Problems Solved by History's Most Remarkable Women'. It looks at what heroines of the past would do about, self-confidence and taking the perfect selfie.We talk

Nov 8, 2018 • 38:44

Sir Ian Rankin, author of 22 'Detective John Rebus' novels - One of UK's bestselling authors chats about Edinburgh, writing quickly and surprise endings.

Sir Ian Rankin, author of 22 'Detective John Rebus' novels - One of UK's bestselling authors chats about Edinburgh, writing quickly and surprise endings.

Sir Ian Rankin is one of the biggest selling crime authors in history. His most famous character 'Detective John Rebus' has transcended novels, and is an icon of literature. He's appeared in TV shows, radio plays, and now his 22nd book, 'In a House of Lies'.As a teenager, Ian found himself being thrust into a life of economics and accountancy, but after time (and some poor maths exam results) he started writing, and 30 years later is a crime-literature institution. We talk about the very first R

Nov 1, 2018 • 38:47

Gabriel Tallent, author of best-selling 'My Absolute Darling' - Critically acclaimed writer chats character development, plot structure and the right to tell stories.

Gabriel Tallent, author of best-selling 'My Absolute Darling' - Critically acclaimed writer chats character development, plot structure and the right to tell stories.

Gabriel Tallent was working full-time in a restaurant, whilst doing some pretty serious mountain climbing on the side, when he felt the compulsion to tell this story. He would lie on his floor, as soon as he got home from work, fill himself with coffee and try to write 30,000 words a week.'My Absolute Darling' started off as something else, what he describes as a 'brainy, environmental novel', until he realised that the peripheral Turtle Alveston needed to be the protagonist. It needed to be her

Sep 26, 2018 • 39:00

Keith Anthony, author of 'Times and Places' - A literary, observational, dramatic comedy. A daily ritual with guitars, immersion and silent retreats.

Keith Anthony, author of 'Times and Places' - A literary, observational, dramatic comedy. A daily ritual with guitars, immersion and silent retreats.

Keith Anthony has waited some time before finally penning his debut novel, although he always knew he would write, and indeed the room in which he would work. It took a cruise-trip with his Mum, and a week away in a silent retreat to finally give him the focus and idea for 'Times and Places'The story stars Fergus, who escapes on a cruise to come to terms with the death of his daughter. Whilst there, in the tension-filled floating hotel of no escape, simmering stress reaches boiling point as hist

Sep 13, 2018 • 40:01

Eve Makis & Anthony Cropper - Writer's Routine #38

Eve Makis & Anthony Cropper - Writer's Routine #38

One Christmas, Eve Makis went home-made for her Dad's present. She bought a notebook and along with her friend Anthony, a fellow creative-writing teacher, she filled it with prompts and exercises to encourage her Father to write down the stories of his life that he was unable to express with words. When that went well, they took it to a publisher, and a few years later 'The Accidental Memoir' is out!Today, we hear the story of how they wrote it. How they would meet for 3 hours a day in a local l

Jul 27, 2018 • 31:44

Jaqcui Rose - Writer's Routine #37

Jaqcui Rose - Writer's Routine #37

Thriller author Jacqui Rose talks us through the story of how her brand new urban gangland story, 'Toxic' got written!Jacqui has written many books in a huge range of genres, and she's back with new thrillers to add to the 6 already published, that have sold over 100,000 copies. She plans almost nothing. Jacqui simply has a tiny idea, a little flicker of a character, and she'll sit down to write. We talk about this slightly casual way of novel-writing during the show. Also, you can find out why

Jul 19, 2018 • 39:34

J.H. Tepley - Writer's Routine #36

J.H. Tepley - Writer's Routine #36

Mindfulness coach, teacher, writer and warrior in spirit, Jay Tepley brings us this week's 'Writer's Routine'!For Jay, everything in the world is energy, and because of this, everything is interconnected and the realisation of this can give humans the closest thing to superpowers. It allows her to see through time, talk to the dead, interact with the inanimate, and she teaches these tricks of extended perception in her 'Ariya Mind Training' programme.Her book 'The Lightwatch Chronicles: The Guar

Jul 6, 2018 • 37:44

Garrard Conley - Writer's Routine #35

Garrard Conley - Writer's Routine #35

This week we take a skim through the daily diary of Garrard Conley!Garrard's memoir 'Boy Erased' has just been released in the UK, it's critically acclaimed in the USA and will be released as a film starring Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe later in 2018. It tells the story of how he escaped gay conversion therapy, after being outed to his Baptist parents and given an ultimatum to change, or to leave.It's an incredible conversation as Garrard, thankfully, completely gets and is fascinated by the

Jun 22, 2018 • 45:11

Marianne Kavanagh - Writer's Routine #34

Marianne Kavanagh - Writer's Routine #34

Thirty Four, let's get some more.This week, we're hearing Marianne Kavanagh's Writer's Routine! She has just published her 3rd novel, 'Should You Ask Me', which is a story of mystery, of murder and of history. In this episode I describe it as 'villainous Countryfile' - which in the best way, tells you everything you need to know.Marianne has worked around words for a long time, writing novels, columns and working as a journalist, and she thinks very careful about the words on her page. We talk a

Jun 14, 2018 • 38:14

Natasha Scripture - Writer's Routine #33

Natasha Scripture - Writer's Routine #33

Thirty Three, have a look see.This week's author, sharing the intricacies and eccentricities of her working day, is Natasha Scripture. Natasha has worked as a journalist, a humanitarian worker, and she's been on a lot of dates too. Finally, after being sick of hearing her Mum say she needed to find a man, Natasha decided to go on an international adventure to find out if that was true. What was originally meant to be a sassy, fun guide to the dating detox, turned into a globe-trotting transforma

Jun 7, 2018 • 34:35

Mark Billingham, author of the 'Thorne' series - Bestselling crime writer discusses working through the night, being inspired by real-life crime, and how his style has changed

Mark Billingham, author of the 'Thorne' series - Bestselling crime writer discusses working through the night, being inspired by real-life crime, and how his style has changed

Thirty-Two, this is an incredible treat for you.This week's guest is one of the UK's bestselling crime-authors, Mark Billingham. In June 2018, Mark will publish his 18th novel, his 15th in the incredibly successful 'Thorne' series. This time copper Tom Thorne gets involved in a case that takes much inspiration from a real-life crime and mystery that still hasn't been solved today.We talk about how Mark's writing style and method has changed in the 17-or-so years since he published his first nove

May 31, 2018 • 40:29

Sophie Jenkins - Writer's Routine #31

Sophie Jenkins - Writer's Routine #31

WE'RE AN AWARD WINNING PODCAST! On Saturday, in a ceremony alongside BBC Radio 2, Radio 4, Radio X and countless other titans of broadcasting, we managed to bag SILVER in 'Best Culture' at the British Podcast Awards. Thank you. Thank every single one of you. Even if you were going to download this but have been put off by this sycophantic blurb - THANK YOU.Sophie Jenkins is our guest this week, sharing the Writer's Routine which helped get her debut novel published! It's a romantic comedy, 'The

May 23, 2018 • 32:10

James Buckler - Writer's Routine #30

James Buckler - Writer's Routine #30

Dirty Thirty! (no swearing in the pod though)It's the Pearl Anniversary of our very first podcast! Debut thriller writer James Buckler brings us the details, crevices and crannies of his working day, with his Writer's Routine.James' debut 'Last Stop Tokyo' tells the story of Alex, an Englishman on the run in Japan, and his adventure with the the alluring and illusive Naoko, as we discover the who, what and why of his chasers. It's a thriller without anything not of the ordinary. You'll find no g

May 10, 2018 • 35:18

Barbara Nadel - Writer's Routine #29

Barbara Nadel - Writer's Routine #29

29, feeling fine...ish. Ok, we're barely keeping it together. This book isn't what I thought it would be and so far my writing process is changing the cork-board colour on Scrivener. If this is you, you've in the right place.Mystery-writer Barbara Nadel brings us this week Writer's Routine. This year, 2018, she will publish her 29th and 30th novels. She's only been putting them out there for 19 years - we'll try and get to the bottom of that incredibly prolific work-rate in the next 30 minutes.

May 3, 2018 • 30:38

Sarah Ward - Writer's Routine #28

Sarah Ward - Writer's Routine #28

28, tell a mate. Please. We could do with the listeners.Crime-writing revenge weaver Sarah Ward runs us through her working day! Sarah has published 3 books in the 'DC Childs Series', all thrillers with long-brooded over passion at their heart, and set in the Derbyshire Peaks. We talk about why her most productive hours are in the morning, what she uses to write on trains, and the idea she needs at the core of her story to even contemplate writing it.If you have a minute, please do leave us a re

Apr 20, 2018 • 35:56

Julia Crouch - Writer's Routine #27

Julia Crouch - Writer's Routine #27

27, dear Lord in Heaven. Suitably, if you're of the praying persuasion then I could really do with the Big Man's help... we've been nominated for a British Podcast Award for Best Culture, and EVERY LITTLE HELPS. You can marvel at this unexpected turn of events over at britishpodcastawards.com.This week, domestic-noir author Julia Crouch shares her writer's routine! She's published 5 books, all focused on the terrible things we do to one another in the name of love. We talk about how her varied a

Apr 14, 2018 • 32:48

Peter Fellows - Writer's Routine #26

Peter Fellows - Writer's Routine #26

26, get your kicks. Peter Fellows co-wrote the hit film 'The Death of Stalin', alongside David Schneider, Ian Martin and Armando Iannucci. It's another success on Iannucci's, one of the UK's biggest comedy writers, Wikipedia page - along with Alan Partridge, 'The Thick of It' and 'Veep', which Peter has also co-written for.The film stars Jason Isaacs, Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor, Andrea Riseborough and Peter talks about what it's like writing jokes to come out of their mouths, and what it's li

Apr 6, 2018 • 44:05

M.J Ford - Writer's Routine #25

M.J Ford - Writer's Routine #25

On the quadranscentennial episode of the podcast, the debut crime writer and children's story-telling hero MJ Ford brings us his Writer's Routine!Michael has just published his first thriller for adults, 'Hold My Hand'. It starts with a boy snatched by a clown, and picks up the story 30 years later as the police find what may be the kid's body in the woods. The last few years have seen something of a zeitgeist for 'killer clowns', what with Stephen King's IT being remade into a movie, and kids i

Mar 29, 2018 • 39:20

Cass Green - Writer's Routine #24

Cass Green - Writer's Routine #24

All-round word junkie Cass Green brings us today's Writer's Routine!Cass has written for just about every place where you can read a word. She's penned Young Adult books, worked as a journalist on broadsheets and glossy mags, she teaches creative writing, and has just published her second full-blown adult thriller, 'In A Cottage In A Wood'.We talk about why her planning method seems to change every time she sat down to write something new, one piece of advice that changed the way she works forev

Mar 16, 2018 • 30:42

Fern Britton - Writer's Routine #23

Fern Britton - Writer's Routine #23

TV presenter and workaholic author Fern Britton gives us our 23rd Writer's Routine!Fern has just published her 8th novel, Coming Home. It tells the story of a woman returning to her Cornish hometown after many years away, and how she fixes the relationships that have been broken through time. Fern's books are mostly all set in her beloved Cornwall, in fictitious villages that treat you the same way as a hot-water bottle. They're warming, comfy but have that odd element of mysterious danger.Makin

Mar 9, 2018 • 14:33

Helen Fields - Writer's Routine #22

Helen Fields - Writer's Routine #22

Crime-writer writer Helen Fields dives into the depths of her diary to bring us tips and advice from her writing routine!Helen has just published the third of her 'D.I Callanach' thrillers, 'Perfect Death'. It's all about murders, with a gruesome, ingenious twist, and after working in Law with police, social services and Doctors for many years, Helen has a peculiarly accurate insight into the crimes she writes. She's also told stories using every method available to her, running a film productio

Feb 16, 2018 • 31:55

AJ Finn - Writer's Routine #21

AJ Finn - Writer's Routine #21

AJ Finn explores the minutely insignificant but weirdly wonderful details of his writing routine!AJ has just published 'The Woman in the Window', and it's set to be the biggest psychological thriller since 'Gone Girl' and 'The Girl on the Train'. It has sold in 38 territories - the most of a debut ever, entered the New York Times Bestseller list at No.1 - the first time a debut novel has done that in over 11 years, and its film rights have already been bought by Fox 2000!While working in publish

Feb 9, 2018 • 28:28

Anthony Horowitz, author of 'Magpie Murders' - Prolific writer discusses James Bond, Sherlock Holmes and Alex Rider, also why he doesn't enjoy routines, and revisiting characters

Anthony Horowitz, author of 'Magpie Murders' - Prolific writer discusses James Bond, Sherlock Holmes and Alex Rider, also why he doesn't enjoy routines, and revisiting characters

One of the UK's most prolific and loved authors, Anthony Horowitz takes us through the daily routine which has lifted him to huge success!Which works as a title. Not entirely true though. Anthony doesn't so much have a routine that he fits his writing into, it's more trying to find a time when he can tear himself away from his work. Story-telling for Anthony is a compulsion, it's work he immerses himself into.His 'Alex Rider' series launched him to national attention in the early 2000's, with sc

Feb 2, 2018 • 43:04

Derek Farrell - Writer's Routine #19

Derek Farrell - Writer's Routine #19

Murder mystery author Derek Farrell explains his Writer's Routine!Derek writes the 'Danny Bird Mysteries', a series of books that focus on a barman-cum-amateur-detective, and the cases he stumbles upon through the sleazy streets of London. Finally writing and getting these stories published has not been as plain-sailing as finding a bright light in the West-End though. After finishing one story which ended up cosy and alone in his top drawer - for his birthday, friends bought him a writing cours

Jan 26, 2018 • 27:20

Mark Edwards - Writer's Routine #18

Mark Edwards - Writer's Routine #18

Crime and Thriller writer Mark Edwards brings us our first Writer's Routine of 2018!With 7 solo-books to his name, and 6 co-written works, a few years ago Mark finally turned into a full-time writer. His novels have a dedicated following, who crave stories packed with suspense, mystery and the frequent feeling that something supernatural may turn up.Mark is in the mould of Ruth Rendell or Stephen King, and like many full-time writers, has to squeeze his work between the hours the kids are at sch

Jan 19, 2018 • 30:53

Richard Graham - Writer's Routine #17

Richard Graham - Writer's Routine #17

It's our last Writer's Routine of 2017! So now, for something a little bit different. Artist, illustrator and writer Richard Graham brings us his daily ritual!Richard upcycles old junk, furniture and other bric-a-brac to make 3D pieces of character art. With this, he then imagines a story involving the pieces, and writes picture books for kids! His first 'The Cranky Caterpillar' is a tale of an insect stuck in a piano, moodily beating the keys, until a girl finds him, and sings some colour into

Dec 18, 2017 • 24:45

Mark Hill - Writer's Routine #16

Mark Hill - Writer's Routine #16

Crime-writer Mark Hill tells us how he goes about his day!Radio-producer Mark Hill has a life-long love of crime fiction, and spotting the tricks and traits of the genre forced his hand to write a book of his own!'Two O'Clock Boy' tells the story of a killer seemingly getting revenge on everyone in a children's home many years ago. It's the first of his 'Drake and Crowley' thriller series, and it's gone so well, that you can expect a second very shortly. In the show, we talk about what planning

Dec 8, 2017 • 28:20

Owen King, author of 'Sleeping Beauties' - Thriller writer talks about idea generation, writing for TV, and working with his dad, Stephen King

Owen King, author of 'Sleeping Beauties' - Thriller writer talks about idea generation, writing for TV, and working with his dad, Stephen King

Co-author of 'Sleeping Beauties', Owen King tells us this week's writer's routine!In writing terms, Owen King could not have found himself in a better place. His dad, Stephen King, is one of the world's most successful authors, publishing over 50 books across horror and fantasy, he has sold over 350 million copies, and he's co-written the brand new 'Sleeping Beauties' with his son, Owen!So, if you're here to get writing tips from the best, this week's guest has learned his craft from the absolut

Dec 1, 2017 • 27:53

Simon Mayo - Writer's Routine #14

Simon Mayo - Writer's Routine #14

Broadcaster, writer and award-winning podcaster Simon Mayo shows us how an extremely busy person fits in a writing routine!Simon presents the drive-time show on BBC Radio 2, one of Europe's most popular radio stations. He is one half of 'Kermode and Mayo's Film Review' on BBC Radio 5 Live (Hello to Jason Isaacs), and used to present one of the most prestigious shows on the air, as the host of the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show. In amongst all this, he's found the time to publish 4 novels!His 'Itch'

Nov 24, 2017 • 21:51

Paul Burston - Writer's Routine #13

Paul Burston - Writer's Routine #13

Thriller-author, satirist and journalist Paul Burston digs deep in his writer's routine!One of the founding editors of 'Attitude' Magazine, Paul published his first fiction book, 'Shameless', back in 2001. It detailed a single man's life in the Soho clubbing scene. So naturally, he had to partake in much research as a single man in the Soho clubbing scene. 2016 was a big year for Paul, he was featured in the British Council’s #FiveFilms4Freedom Global List, celebrating '33 visionary people

Nov 17, 2017 • 30:41

James Wilde - Writer's Routine #12

James Wilde - Writer's Routine #12

'Man of Mercia' James Wilde shares the secrets of writing historical fiction!In the most polite way possible, James Wilde seems like a man of another time. He lives in a family home in the forest, takes long walks across the fells, and camps in the black, barren night whilst dreaming of ideas. He also reads all them, and he always has. He reads tales of fantasy, tales of fact, and he dreamed of marrying the two in a historical fiction series.He did just that with his best selling 'Hereward' Seri

Nov 10, 2017 • 30:29

Gerry Rose - Writer's Routine #11

Gerry Rose - Writer's Routine #11

Bonnie Scot Gerry Rose shares his Writer's Routine!After spending a lifetime adoring books and stories, but limiting his bubbling creativity to bedtime stories to his kids, Gerry finally did something he was almost embarrassed to do - get his ideas down on to paper and write a book.He has just released the second book in his 'Elliot' series, a trilogy of thriller books that look at one detective's life across three different eras. 'Rinsed' focuses on 2 weeks in summer 2005, when London was in ol

Nov 3, 2017 • 27:36

Paul A. Mendelson - Writer's Routine #10

Paul A. Mendelson - Writer's Routine #10

Comedy writer and now bonafide author Paul A. Mendelson tells us his working day.Paul has written for everything, pretty much. Starting in advertising, he has scripted radio drama, movies, TV drama, and is the creator of BBC's 'My Hero'. You know, with Ardal O'Hanlon off Father Ted, Hugh Dennis and that moody receptionist.This year he has dived into novels, releasing an adults book, 'In the Matter of Isabel', and his first children's novel 'Losing Arthur' has just been published. The latter is t

Oct 27, 2017 • 31:12

DM Mark - Writer's Routine #9

DM Mark - Writer's Routine #9

Crime-writing extraordinaire and gruesome guru DM Mark is this week's guest!DM is David. David is DM. After his 'McAvoy' crime series are bestsellers and critically acclaimed, David became bored of murders in the 21st century and took a dive back in time, travelling to the 1800s. Hull is ravaged by cholera, you can barely walk along the streets for the dying, and the grass over graves is hardly sealed when it gets broken again for another corpse. It is into this already bleak world, that David h

Oct 19, 2017 • 30:39

Paul Finch - Writer's Routine #8

Paul Finch - Writer's Routine #8

An ex-copper turned crime author give us today's writing routine!Paul Finch used to work for the Greater Manchester Police, and upon leaving found that everything the force taught him and the stories he saw along the way might have another use.First, Paul wrote for 'The Bill', and has since gone on to write may scripts across film, TV and animation. He pens horror fiction, loads of sci-fi too and has even given his ideas to the Doctor's (Doctor Who? Doctor Who!) universe.It's with crime fiction

Oct 12, 2017 • 28:45

David deVire - Writer's Routine #7

David deVire - Writer's Routine #7

The author of a brand new book on gender equality shares his writing routine!David deVire has had a busy life. He's been an armed policer officer, worked with the University of Oxford on exams, and went from being a property millionaire to homeless... almost overnight.He's always had a fascination with people, the relationships between everyone and how we can learn more about the role of men and women in history. So, with all the free time that he had because of the homeless thing I mentioned ea

Oct 6, 2017 • 32:58

Simon Toyne - Writer's Routine #6

Simon Toyne - Writer's Routine #6

Bestselling thriller writer Simon Toyne explores his writing routine! In 2007, bored in a job and dreaming of telling stories, Simon quit to finally get one down. Only, he didn't do things by halves. Simon moved his whole family across the channel for a French adventure with the idea that in 7 months, he would finish his first book. The slight issue was... he had no idea what it would be about. Cue a stormy sea crossing, a last-minute hotel booking to get any sleep they could manage, the spindly

Sep 29, 2017 • 33:11

Phoebe Morgan - Writer's Routine #5

Phoebe Morgan - Writer's Routine #5

Publishing editor and now published author Phoebe Morgan explores her writing routine!After years of working as an editor in a publishing house, making other writer's work better, Phoebe sat down to tell her own story. Her debut novel, 'The Doll House' is a psychological thriller about 2 sisters who, after just losing their much-loved father, find their life disturbed and intruded upon by someone seeking revenge. It's inspired by a doll house she used to played with, and the story has been bubbl

Sep 21, 2017 • 26:26

Jaroslav Kalfar - Writer's Routine #4

Jaroslav Kalfar - Writer's Routine #4

Hay 30 list-making author Jaroslav Kalfar shares his writing routine! In 2017, to celebrate their 30th birthday the Hay Festival selected 30 people they think will shape the world in the next 30 years, and today's Czech debutant made the cut! Jaroslav's acclaimed novel 'Spaceman of Bohemia' gives us a Czech astronaut who, while sent on a mission he will probably never return from, sees his marriage break-down, starts to go insane, and meets a gigantic alien spider with an obsession for bacon. It

Sep 14, 2017 • 25:59

Angela Clarke - Writer's Routine #3

Angela Clarke - Writer's Routine #3

Crime author Angela Clarke gives us another writer's routine! 'Trust Me' is the third book in her 'Social Media Murders Series', and has just been released to critical and commercial acclaim, but to simply call Angela a 'crime writer' is a bit of a disservice. Angela is a Sunday Times best-selling author, playwright, columnist, screenwriter and public speaker. Her memoir 'Confessions of a Fashionista' is an Amazon Chart best-seller. She is a frequent contributor across radio and in newspapers. S

Sep 8, 2017 • 28:17

Steven Butler - Writer's Routine #2

Steven Butler - Writer's Routine #2

It's children's fiction king-pin Steven Butler, with his writing routine!Steven is an actor, a singer, a voice-over artist, a passionate cook and somehow finds time to jot down some best-selling books. In this episode, we'll find out how he organises his day to keep creative and focused, while doing about a billion different projects.Steven writes brand new books in the world-famous and loved 'Dennis the Menace' series, has penned 'World Book Day' titles, and was shortlisted for the prestigious

Aug 31, 2017 • 28:44

Karin Slaughter - Writer's Routine #1

Karin Slaughter - Writer's Routine #1

Crime-writing behemoth Karin Slaughter is here with our first ever writer's routine! With over 35 million copies of 17 books sold, in over 36 languages, Karin is one of the world's most popular thriller writers. Her new novel, 'The Good Daughter', focuses on a woman's attempt to come to terms with a traumatising childhood, and explores what being a defence lawyer is like in small-town America. Although the subject of the book is pretty harrowing, the interview is mainly about over-used words, Wi

Aug 24, 2017 • 27:30

Writer's Routine - Series 1 Trailer

Writer's Routine - Series 1 Trailer

A short and sweet summary of everything that's to come in Series 1 of 'Writer's Routine'.You can hear a few extracts from our best interviews, where we discover the daily diaries from all sorts of authors as they talk about how they turn a tiny, glimmer of an idea, into a best-selling series. In this show, we'll learn how to get maximum efficiency out of any creativity.Oh, and the music underneath that brings to mind an erratic, underperforming coffee-shop in Montmatre? You'll get used to it. H

Aug 22, 2017 • 3:05

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