Writer's Routine
357 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 263 ratingsIn every episode we look inside the daily diary of a writer, to peak at the secrets of their success. How do they plan their day 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 for days in the woods - but none have a regular 9 to 5, and we'll find out how they've managed it.
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Episodes
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.
February 28, 2020 00:00 - 51 minutes - 70.7 MBPete 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 ...
An Yu, writer of 'Braised Pork' - Hyped debut author on discovering characters, trying to tame creativity, and nocturnal Beijing.
February 21, 2020 16:30 - 40 minutes - 56 MBAn 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 cha...
Lucy Foley, author of 'The Guest List' - Mystery author on twisting the whodunnit, the beauty and benefit of overwriting, and why she loves chaos
February 14, 2020 00:00 - 42 minutes - 57.8 MBLucy 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 locki...
BA Paris, author of 'The Dilemma' - Managing to structure your pantsing, forgetting the word count, and the urge to tell stories.
February 07, 2020 15:33 - 40 minutes - 55.7 MBBA 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 thi...
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.
January 31, 2020 16:00 - 40 minutes - 56.2 MBCaroline 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 ...
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.
January 24, 2020 00:00 - 53 minutes - 73.6 MBPaul 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 ...
Hugh Montgomery, author of 'Control' - Professor talks making time to write, what makes you creative, and the joy of trying something new.
January 17, 2020 11:02 - 46 minutes - 63.8 MBHugh 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. W...
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.
January 14, 2020 12:20 - 21 minutes - 29 MBBONUS 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, whethe...
Amy Heydenrych, author of 'The Pact' - Crime author talks brooding over stories, analysing her work, and breaking her own rules.
January 10, 2020 00:00 - 43 minutes - 59.8 MBAmy 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 tha...
Ann Cleeves, author of 'The Long Call' - 'Vera' and 'Shetland' writer talks about the urge to tell stories, learning by living and never plotting
December 13, 2019 12:54 - 44 minutes - 61.3 MBAnn 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 i...
Chris Hammer, author of award-winning 'Scrublands' - Winner of 'New Blood Dagger Award' talks writing anywhere, nuanced characters and learning from journalism.
December 06, 2019 12:27 - 43 minutes - 60 MBBefore 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...
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.
November 29, 2019 11:38 - 38 minutes - 52.2 MBFor 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 aroun...
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.
November 15, 2019 00:00 - 49 minutes - 67.7 MBHarriet 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 writ...
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.
November 01, 2019 00:00 - 46 minutes - 63.5 MBIn 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 w...
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?
October 17, 2019 23:40 - 45 minutes - 62 MBRuth 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, ...
Owen Nicholls, author of 'Love, Unscripted' - Debut novelist talks pop culture, movie journalism and writing romance.
September 26, 2019 23:00 - 43 minutes - 59.8 MBOwen 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 w...
Tom MacRae, co-writer of 'Everybody's Talking About Jamie' - On hit West End musicals, writing for stage, and discipline.
September 13, 2019 12:53 - 47 minutes - 64.7 MBAlong 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 ...
Tim Smedley, author of 'Clearing the Air' - Sustainability writer on making non-fiction accessible, plotting travels and the perfect first chapter.
September 06, 2019 14:14 - 49 minutes - 68.3 MBTim 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, ...
Sheila O'Flanagan, author of 'Her Husband's Mistake' - Prolific award-winner talks first sentences, becoming characters and finding new ideas.
August 31, 2019 08:50 - 43 minutes - 60 MBBestselling 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 ...
Rob Hart, author of 'The Warehouse' - Critically acclaimed author talks dystopian fiction, standalone novels and editing backwards.
August 19, 2019 09:34 - 47 minutes - 65 MBRob 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 indepe...
Shari Lapena, author of 'Someone We Know' - Thriller writer talks the absurdity of planning, rewriting and discovering the killer.
August 09, 2019 09:57 - 41 minutes - 57.5 MBShari 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 st...
Laura Jane Williams, author of 'Our Stop' - Journalist and memoir writer talks debut novels, rom-com characters and dirty drafts.
August 02, 2019 06:11 - 46 minutes - 64 MBLaura 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 h...
Laura Jane Williams, author of 'Our Stop' - Journalist and memoir writer talks debut novels, rom-com characters and dirty drafts.
August 02, 2019 06:11 - 46 minutes - 64 MBLaura 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 h...
Phoebe Locke, author of summer hit 'The July Girls' - Thriller writer talks strict timing, getting to know your killer, and pseudonyms
July 25, 2019 23:00 - 45 minutes - 63 MBAfter 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 - ...
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.
July 19, 2019 10:11 - 35 minutes - 48.5 MBStuart 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 al...
Lara Prior-Palmer, author of 'Rough Magic' - Memoir writer talks winning the Mongol Derby, always fixing sentences and free-flowing words.
July 12, 2019 10:50 - 43 minutes - 59.3 MBAt 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...
Louise Candlish, British Book Award Winner - 'Our House' author talks having an unusual hook, following up on success and almost giving up.
June 21, 2019 11:09 - 47 minutes - 65 MBLouise 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 episod...
Abi Elphinstone, author of 'Rumblestar' - Children's author talks finding the right audience, believable characters and thorough research.
June 14, 2019 01:00 - 45 minutes - 62.2 MBAbi 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, a...
Ahmad Danny Ramadan, writer of 'The Clothesline Swing' - LGBTQ and refugee campaigner, writer and speaker talks storytelling with friends, multiple outlines and deliberate confusion.
June 07, 2019 12:57 - 49 minutes - 68.5 MBAhmad 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 ...
Ahmad Danny Ramadan, writer of 'The Clothesline Swing' - LGBTQ and refugee campaigner, writer and speaker talks storytelling with friends, multiple outlines and deliberate confusion.
June 07, 2019 12:57 - 49 minutes - 68.5 MBAhmad 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 ...
Mel Sherratt - Crime and Thriller author talks moving through genres, letting characters dictate plot, and the Kindle revolution that helped her success.
May 30, 2019 23:00 - 35 minutes - 49.4 MBMel 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, a...
Trent Dalton - 'Boy Swallows Universe' talks debut success, being named 'Australian Book of the Year' and writing snappily.
May 24, 2019 12:21 - 43 minutes - 59.7 MBNot 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 fe...
Jeffery Deaver - Global bestselling thriller author talks about research, writing puzzles and working anywhere.
May 17, 2019 10:42 - 44 minutes - 61.5 MBJeffery 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 typ...
Lucie Whitehouse - 'Critical Incidents' author talks procedural crime novels, switching genres and ideas from thin air.
May 10, 2019 10:33 - 46 minutes - 63.6 MB'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...
Mhairi McFarlane - Rom-com author talks contrivances, not letting mistakes go, and 'chick-lit'.
May 05, 2019 13:04 - 32 minutes - 45 MBMhairi 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 he...
Namwali Serpell - Hay Festival award winning author talks strict structure, women-only workspaces and the birth of a new nation.
April 25, 2019 23:00 - 40 minutes - 55.4 MBNamwali 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 an...
Val McDermid - Bestselling author talks changing process, creating characters and listening to readers
April 19, 2019 07:10 - 42 minutes - 58.8 MBVal 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 care...
C.L. Taylor - Psychological Thriller author talks writing across genres, unreliable narrators and new novel 'Sleep'
April 04, 2019 23:00 - 39 minutes - 54.3 MBC.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...
Sarah Pinborough - 'Cross Her Heart' author talks characters, moving through genres and being a workaholic.
March 29, 2019 07:54 - 39 minutes - 54.6 MBAlthough 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 ha...
Adam Foulds - Booker Prize shortlisted author talks new novel 'Dream Sequence', plotting through character and writing poetry.
March 22, 2019 09:44 - 35 minutes - 48.2 MBThis 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 ...
Frank Cottrell-Boyce - Award winning Children's author talks scriptwriting, having ideas on the road, and the 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.
March 15, 2019 20:43 - 38 minutes - 52.7 MBFrank 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...
Harriet Tyce - Debut novelist talks learning to write, being inspired by work, and genre-fiction.
March 08, 2019 00:00 - 45 minutes - 61.8 MBAfter 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 Alis...
WORLD BOOK DAY SPECIAL - Routines and advice from some of the best crime, thriller, romance, fantasy and non-fiction authors around.
March 07, 2019 00:00 - 23 minutes - 32.4 MBHAPPY 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. @writerspod writersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nuala Ellwood - Critically-acclaimed author talks the difficult second novel, creativity in motherhood and Virginia Woolf.
March 01, 2019 00:00 - 35 minutes - 48.9 MBIn 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...
Nuala Ellwood - Critically-acclaimed author talks the difficult second novel, creativity in motherhood and Virginia Woolf.
March 01, 2019 00:00 - 35 minutes - 48.9 MBIn 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...
Susan Lewis - Prolific author talks planning, crossing genre and new novel 'One Minute Later'
February 22, 2019 00:00 - 31 minutes - 43.7 MBWith 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 dramati...
Fiona Barton - Journalist turned Psychological Thriller author talks new book 'The Suspect', the perfect time to write and when to plan.
February 08, 2019 00:00 - 31 minutes - 43.8 MBFiona 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 wh...
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.
January 17, 2019 00:00 - 38 minutes - 53 MBBridget 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 ga...
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.
December 21, 2018 13:09 - 40 minutes - 55.1 MBJames 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 ...
Tim Marshall - 'Prisoners of Geography' author and Diplomatic Editor talks planning, accessibility and Geopolitics.
December 14, 2018 13:01 - 41 minutes - 56.9 MBTim 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...