Ep540 – David Koepp – Everything You Write Moves You Forward
David Koepp is one of the most successful screenwriters in Hollywood history. With a collective box office somewhere in the region of $250b he’s written Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, Death Becomes Her and many, many more. We were delighted to talk to David about his fantastic new novel COLD STORAGE and to get an insight into […]
Continue readingEp485 — Christmas Special 2023
Mr Stay’s final episode as a co-presenter! The Two Marks celebrate Christmas by looking back at some of Mr Stay’s favourite moments of the podcast before he rides off into the sunset. But don’t worry! The podcast will continue and Mr D gives a few hints at what’s coming, but first we start with a […]
Continue readingEP431: Richard Armitage — “Know, Don’t Show.”
As well as starring in the likes of The Hobbit and Spooks, the actor Richard Armitage is also a prolific audiobook narrator. And now he’s written Geneva, an Audible original psychological thriller. Richard tell us how the project came about, and how his background in music, theatre and film helped him develop the characters. And […]
Continue readingEP428: Peter May — “I Felt a Weight Lift.”
Bestselling author Peter May returns to the podcast with his gripping new novel A Winter Grave, a near future thriller where climate change has changed the landscape. Peter talks about coming out of retirement to write without a contract or a deadline, but with passion and a sense of urgency. Mark Stay is joined this […]
Continue readingEP385: Louise Hare — Find the Discipline
Louise Hare’s debut This Lovely City was shortlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize and Louise was selected for the Observer’s top 10 best debut novelists. She returns with Miss Aldridge Regrets, a murder mystery set aboard the Queen Mary in 1936. Louise discusses how she built the novel up from a short story, and how […]
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. […]
Continue readingEP315: Andrew Hunter Murray — Terror Leads to Productivity
When Andrew Hunter Murray decided to end the world with his novel The Last Day he had no idea how hard it would be. His research involved astrophysics, climate migration, geopolitics, sleep cycles and much more. Andrew tells us how he achieved a balance of storytelling and worldbuilding to write what became one of the […]
Continue readingEP301: Caimh McDonnell — Stranger Fiction
Bestselling indie author Caimh McDonnell makes a triumphant return to the podcast as Transworld author CK McDonnell with his new novel Stranger Times. Caimh tells us how he took everything he learned as an indie author to pitch this book to traditional publishers. We discuss launching a book during lockdown, inventive book marketing ideas, why […]
Continue readingEP292: Rowan Coleman — Writing is Well Hard
We welcome bestselling author Rowan Coleman back to the podcast, but this time she’s wearing a Brontë bonnet. Writing as Bella Ellis she is two books into the Brontë Mysteries, which imagines the famous sisters as mystery-solving sleuths. Rowan takes us through her process of research and strategies for writing around history and real people. […]
Continue readingEP268: Emergency Good News Special
We scrambled to put this episode together in which we try and put some positive vibes out into the world. We celebrate some of our listeners’ recent triumphs, we answer listener questions, discuss creativity, strategies for working from home, how to make the most of your day and why writing is so important. Sit back […]
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