EP328: 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 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 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. […]
Continue readingEP321: Damien Lewis — History Isn’t Static
A narrative non-fiction treat this week as bestselling historian Damien Lewis tell us about the extraordinary heroes of his new book SAS Great Escapes. We also discuss research methods, using primary and secondary sources, how to earn the trust of interviewees, adapting history for the screen and why history is not static. In this episode […]
Continue readingEP320: Nadine Matheson — A Little Bit of Dismemberment
Nadine Matheson’s debut thriller The Jigsaw Man has been hailed as one of the event debuts of the year. But this was far from an overnight success. Nadine’s writing journey is one from competition wins, to NanoWriMo, to self-publishing, to a six-publisher auction and the publication of her bestselling debut The Jigsaw Man and a […]
Continue readingEP319: Sarah Moorhead and Stuart Turton — Teacher, Student & Metempsychosis
Do you have a favourite teacher? One who encouraged you to write, maybe? This special episode is for all the teachers and students out there who have inspired one another over the years, and we have two of them on the show. Sarah Moorhead is the author of Witness X and started out as a […]
Continue readingEP317: Dean Wesley Smith — Plug in to your Creative Voice and Play
Dean Wesley Smith is one of the most prolific writers working today, with over 200 novels, and countless short stories published. He reveals how he has learned how to stop listening to his critical voice, and to stop thinking of the story as a “product”, and how that has unleashed his creativity. In this episode […]
Continue readingEP316: Josie Lloyd — Make ‘em laugh, Make ‘em cry
Josie Lloyd tells us why The Cancer Ladies Running Club is the most important and personal book she’s written, and how she balanced a story that is brutally honest about cancer and is still brimming with hope and positivity. She also takes us through her extraordinary career, including co-writing with her husband Emlyn Rees, and […]
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