EP439: David McCloskey — “A Lonely Team Sport.”
David McCloskey is a former CIA analyst and his smash hit debut novel Damascus Station was inspired by his time working in field stations in the Middle East. David tells us how the novel started as an exercise in processing his thoughts about the events in Syria, what he learned from writing for US presidents, […]
Continue readingEP437: Jayne Davis — “Sometimes it Just Feels Right.”
Jayne Davis is a leading Regency Romance author, with nearly 40 million KU page reads, and through sharing her research on her blog she has become a go to resource for authors in the genre. Jayne reveals the essential elements of period romance, tips for writing period appropriate dialogue, and why publishing more books creates […]
Continue readingEP436: Dave Dawson — “Grammar Free in the UK”
Derek and Dave Philpott have been writing strange letters to famous musicians for ten years now, and getting even stranger ones back. Their first book, Dear Mr. Kershaw, became a cult hit and the follow-up Dear Mr. Pop Star was released by Unbound Publishing to more acclaim. And now they return with a Punk edition, […]
Continue readingEP435: Rosie Andrews — “Carve out time for yourself”
Rosie Andrews’ debut novel The Leviathan is rooted in her passion for history and she tells us how she was inspired by the like of Thomas Hobbes to create page-turning historical fiction that’s relevant to readers today. And Rosie tells us why she abandoned her first unpublished historical fiction novel because she felt that it […]
Continue readingEP434: Mark Edwards — “It Changed My Life.”
Mark Edwards returns to the podcast to celebrate ten years since his first solo novel The Magpies. He tells us about his changing relationship with the book that changed his life, how he’s sustained a career writing standalone thrillers, and why it’s important to have a direct connection with his readers. And in the extended […]
Continue readingEP433: Matt Brown — “The Worst Thing They’d Ever Read”
Matt Brown is the author of such wonderful children’s books at the Compton Valance series (about a boy who creates a time machine from a 13-week-old mouldy sandwich), the Dreary Inkling School books, and The Mab, a re-telling of the Mabinogi, which might be the oldest written stories in the history of Britain. Matt was […]
Continue readingEP432: Zack & Michael Urlocker — “There Can Only Be One Boss.”
Twin brothers Zack and Michael Urlocker write together as M.Z. Urlocker, and their debut novel The Man from Mittelwerk is a 50s noir thriller with a dash of science fiction. They take us through their collaborative process, how they defined their roles in the project, and whether or not they’ll work together again. And in […]
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 readingEP430: Simon Scarrow — “Trust the Reader”
Simon Scarrow is best known for his Eagles of the Empire series that began in 2000 with Under the Eagle featuring Roman soldier heroes Cato and Macro. 2022 saw the release of Death to the Emperor, the twenty-first book in the series, and he’s also just released Dead of Night, the second of his Berlin […]
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 […]
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