EP331: Mick Finlay — Psychology, Murder & The Writer
Mick Finlay is the author of the Arrowood series of crime novels set in 1890s London, and in his latest book Arrowood and the Meeting House Murders, he explores the dark side of human psychology, and tells us how teaching psychology has helped him as a writer. And this week’s digression from the Two Marks […]
Continue readingEP330: Matthew Ralph — Celebrating Diversity
Matthew Ralph is best-selling children’s author whose books celebrate diversity and inclusivity. Matthew takes us through his extraordinary career that started with an idea in an airport to his latest book Family Means, which evolved from the close connection he has with his readers. Matthew gives us tips on marketing, and shares his dream to […]
Continue readingEP329: Nicola May — You Have To Be Persistent
Nicola May is the bestselling author of a dozen romantic comedies, all of which have topped the UK Kindle charts, and now she’s back with her new book Welcome To Ferry Lake Market. In a jam-packed interview, Nicola answers listener questions on the essential elements of a romcom, tenacity, blog tours, self-belief, asking for help, and writing in bed! […]
Continue readingEP328: RJ MCBRIEN — Let The Subconscious Take Control
RJ McBrien’s career as a screenwriter saw him writing for Spooks, Wallander and The Bill, and now he’s delivered his debut novel Reckless, a page-turning thriller of marriage and betrayal. He takes us through the lessons he’s learned in the transition from scripts to novels, why doing something every day is essential, and how to […]
Continue readingEP327: Adam Simcox — A Leisurely Stroll, Barefoot Over Broken Glass
Adam Simcox is a filmmaker whose debut novel The Dying Squad is published by Gollancz. Adam takes us through his journey to publication — “A leisurely stroll barefoot over broken glass for twenty years” — and we discuss writing for the screen and novels, mood boards, writing to music, commissioning reader reports, self-belief, and writing […]
Continue readingEP326: Deep Dive — Book Launches with Sara Cox
Mark Stay is joined by Sara Cox — who helped him launch his novel The Crow Folk earlier this year — to answer listener questions on Book Launches, including… how far should you plan ahead, the different types of launches, the pre-launch essentials, post-launch best practice and much, much more. Links: Sara’s website: saranaidinecox.com Sara on […]
Continue readingEP325: Sue Teddern — A Story Is A Story, However You Tell it
Sue Teddern has written for TV and radio and now she’s written her debut novel, Anne Stanley All At Sea. Sue takes us through her extraordinary career, with great insight into writing for TV and radio. We also discuss some great British Institutions, including The Archers, the Shipping Forecast and Birds of a Feather. In […]
Continue readingEP324: Deep Dive — Writing Horror with Adam Nevill
Award-winning horror author Adam Nevill answers our listener questions on setting the mood, balancing gore and terror to find the right tone, research into the supernormal, getting into the minds of perpetrators of evil, the biggest lessons he has learned in his extraordinary career, how screenwriting has helped his novel writing, and how he’s conditioned […]
Continue readingEP323: Nicole Kennedy — Perfection Takes Time
We always love it when one of our listeners is published, but Nicole Kennedy’s debut novel Everything’s Perfect had a rocky road to publication. Nicole takes us through a tumultuous time in her family’s life, and why it was so important for her to carve out time for writing. In this episode you will discover: […]
Continue readingEP322: Joe Thomas — Balancing Exposition and Realism
With his new novel Brazilian Psycho, author Joe Thomas completes the São Paulo Quartet, a series that evolved from his ten years living in the city. Joe tells us how living in the setting of his books gave him an insight into a tangled web of crime and corruption to create vivid and engaging fiction. […]
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