Writer's Routine - TopPodcast.com

Sarah Easter Collins, author of 'Things Don't Break on their Own' - Author and painter discusses showing and not telling, poetry focusing prose, and bringing themes together Nov 01, 2024

Sarah Easter Collins is an all-round creative. Alongside being a painter, she's just published her debut, 'Things Don't Break on their Own'. It tells the story of Willa, whose life shattered into tiny pieces when her sister disappeared on the way to school, and she has never been able to put them back together again. Willa sees Laika everywhere: on buses, at parties, in busy streets. It’s been twenty-five years, and the only thing that has kept her going is her belief that her sister is alive, somewhere. But when a dinner party conversation about childhood memories spirals out of control, a shattering revelation from one of the guests forces Willa to rethink everything she thought she knew about her past.

It was inspired by many things - travelling around Africa and Thailand, teaching in the South West of England, the first dog in space, and also an obnoxious dinner party guest.

We discuss bringing those themes together, also the art of showing without telling, and how her painting inspires her writing... and vice versa.

You can hear how she knew the beats of a genreless novel, why she wakes up shockingly early, and how poetry helps her focus on prose.

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Louise Swanson, author of 'Lights Out' - Award-winning author discusses pseudonyms, being strict, and improving through rejections Oct 24, 2024

Louise Swanson is the pen-name of bestselling and award-winning author, Louise Beech. Louise has 8 novels out, a memoir, and has picked up all sorts of prizes for her work. She has written the play based on her debut novel, 'How to be Brave', which is currently touring the UK, and has written columns for local newspapers.

She's back with a Louise Swanson novel, called 'Light's Out'. Set in a strange version of the UK, where a state of emergency is declared and all electricity cuts out at 8pm every night. So, what happens when Grace, terrified of the dark, wakes up every morning after the cut-off, to find a different note from the same intruder - one, seemingly getting closer to something drastic?

We talk about getting to the end of a novel as a panster, and how perhaps she's been figuring out how it ends the whole time, but never realising that. Also you can hear how her work writing novels, plays and columns is a bit like riding a bike, and we discuss how one influences the other.

We chat about how she was improving in-between rejections, why she needs a news programme on whilst writing, and why her strict routine comes from working class guilt, perhaps.

You can watch this episode on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@writersroutine

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Gareth Rubin, author of 'Holmes and Moriarty' - Mystery thriller writer discusses getting Sherlock Holmes right, playing with timelines, and getting bored of the craft Oct 17, 2024

Gareth Rubin is back with one of the few Sherlock Holmes books officially authorised and certified by the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle estate. It's called 'Holmes and Moriarty', and tells the story of two of fiction's greatest adversaries being forced to form an alliance, to face a threat bigger than anything that's gone before.

It's Gareth's 4th published novel, coming after 'Liberation Square', 'The Winter Agent', and 'The Turnglass'. They're high-concept historical thrillers that twist the way stories are told.

We talk about the pressure of writing a Holmes story, and how concerned he was with getting the small details correct. You can hear how he went about planning the clues, the tricks and the mystery, and why he has to escape to somewhere incredibly dull to write.

Also we discuss how, surprisingly, for a published author... Gareth doesn't enjoy writing. He likes being published... but not the act of getting words down.

It's your last chance to get 10% off Writer's Rising 2024, one of the biggest writing retreats of the year. Use the code 'wr10' at writersrising.com.

Support your local independent bookshop, and get a copy of Gareth's book in the dedicated Writer's Routine shop at Bookshop.org - https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutine

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Molly Green, author of 'Courage for the Cabinet Girl' - Wartime novelist discusses starting early, honouring women, and building a train carriage Oct 10, 2024

Molly Green writes wartime novels that celebrate the women who stayed home and served their country. Her new novel is 'Courage for the Cabinet Girl'. Set in 19412, with Britain in the throes of the Second World War, it's about Katharina Valentine who feels sidelined. Employed as a shorthand-typist in the War Office, she is transferred to the basement below – home of the top-secret Cabinet War Rooms. Unexpected staff shortages present an opportunity to work directly for Winston Churchill himself, and Katie jumps at the chance.

We talk about her working writing under 3 different names, why a job she had 40 years ago still makes her start early, and why she gets angry when people think she's wrong.

To save money on one of the biggest writing retreats of the year, head to writersrising.com and use the code 'wr10'.

Support your favourite authors, local bookshops and this podcast by buying books on our dedicated site over at https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutine

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Jodi Picoult, author of 'By Any Other Name' - Forty million copy Bestseller discusses writing for therapy, forgetting your readers, and who Shakespeare really was Oct 03, 2024

Jodi Picoult is one of the world's most successful authors. She's written over 30 books, been translated into 34 languages, and has sold more than 40 MILLION books. Her novel, 'My Sister's Keeper', was turned into a huge film starring Cameron Diaz, and she's written as a librettist, with pieces performed across the world.

Her new novel is 'By Any Other Name', which tells the story of Emilia Bassano, who back in 1581, like most women of the day, isn't allowed a voice of her own. When she starts writing dramatic masterpieces, she decides to pay a man for the use of his name... then what happens 500 years later, when the man becomes one of the most famous who ever lived?

We discuss her thorough research which hasn't changed much in 30 years, also how she divides her time with so many projects going on and so many book tours planned. You can hear about the book she wrote as therapy during lockdown and never thought would release, and why she has a voodoo doll of her competitors.

The book is released in the UK on October 10th, get a copy with our brand new Bookshop.org Writer's Routine store! Find lots of books we've featured on the show too - uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutine

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Ciar Byrne, author of 'A Deadly Discovery' - Gardening journalist and author discusses balancing work, starting early, and a strange path to publication Sep 26, 2024

Ciar Byrne has worked as a journalist for 25 years, usually as a gardening journalist, she's written for The Independent, The Guardian, Private Eye and many more. It turns out that all that experience, didn't make it easier to get published.

Ciar wrote 6 books before she got a deal. When it eventually arrived, it came through the strange route of a random email after a Twitter Submission Window she'd entered half-heartedely. After waiting so long to get a contract, when she was finally offered one, what did she do? How did she immediately get to work to make her project the best it could be? We try and find out.

The debut is 'A Deadly Discovery', which stars Virginia Woolf and her sister, Vanessa Bell, from the Bloomsbury Set, as a pair of unlikely amateur sleuths. It's set around the historic country town of Lewes, in the south of England, where Ciar lives, and incorporates murder, historic buildings, and a touch of gardening too.

You can hear why she's had to slow down her writing to forget some journalistic practices, also the brilliant advice she's got about bad writing days, and why she likes to start early.

This week's episode is sponsored by 'Peace Lilies: A Sweet Ghostly Novella' by Margaret Rodeheaver. It's all about Birdie and Martin who return froom vacation to discover they're dead. Get a copy here - books2read.com/peacelilies

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Jack Strange, author of 'Look Up, Handsome' - Rom-com author discusses finding the right genre, representation, and being inspired by Hallmark movies Sep 20, 2024

Jack Strange's debut is 'Look Up, Handsome'. It's a festive rom-com about bookshop owner Quinn, who is trying to save his business, only when romantic novelist Noah comes to town, he might provide an unwanted distraction.

It's far from the first book he's written, having tried his hand at mysteries, crime, thrillers, but it's rom-com that's landed him a publishing deal, and we try to unpack why.

We discuss why representation across sexualities and nationalities is very important to him, also why he's considered and planned in life, but perhaps not in writing. You can hear how spirituality helps him get to work, what it was like being submerged in Christmas for most of the year when writing this novel, and how he was inspired by those Hallmark holiday movies.

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Catherine Gray, author of 'Versions of a Girl' - Award-winning journalist talks switching to fiction, giving characters flexibility, and why taking a break from alcohol boosts creativity Sep 12, 2024

Catherine Gray is an award-winning journalist who has written for The Guardian, Stylist, The Telegraph, Grazia, and many more. She's published 4 non-fiction books, which have sold over a million copies and been translated into 9 languages.

She's best known for her book, 'The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober', which takes you through the benefits of going alcohol-free, and how it can positively impact your creativity.

Her debut novel is 'Versions of a Girl'. It's a classic sliding doors story, which tells the tale of Fern, whose mother is a former ballet dancer and formidable social climber, while her father is a layabout who lives hand to mouth in Californian motels. When Fern is 14 she needs to chose who she is living with... and we follow both of those narratives. It's the ultimate nature v nurture questions - do we become who we are because of our parents, or in spite of them?

We talk about avoiding stereotypes when writing characters, also why working as a journalist has helped her write on cue, and why it's vital to be critical of your own work.

This week's episode is sponsored by Faber Academy's 'Writing a Novel' course. Submissions for their October 24 programme finish on the 15th and 16th September. Be quick, and find out more at faberacademy.com/writing-a-novel

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J.M. Hall, author of 'A Clock Stopped Dead' - Cosy Crime writer discusses working in long-hand, retirement changing things, and how working as a teacher helps tell stories Sep 05, 2024

This week's guest is J.M. Hall, who has worked as a playwright, a primary school teacher, and is now a published novelist.

Through lockdown he wrote 'A Spoonful of Murder', as a way to deal with a traumatic family situation, that was published in 2021. He's gone on to publish, 'A Brush with Death', and his most recent book 'A Clock Stopped Dead'. They tell the story of Pat, Liz and Thelma, retired teachers who turn to sleuthing.

We talk about how, after recently retiring, Jonathan's routine has changed, also what he needed to have when designing his ideal writing space, and why he insists on writing long-hand... and is frankly bemused by people who don't.

You can hear how working as a primary school teacher helped him refine storytelling, whether writing without a view of publication affected the process, and what authors your kids should be reading.

This episode is sponsored by Faber Academy. Their flagship, 'Writing a Novel' course is taking applicants for its new course starting in october. Find out more at faberacademy.com/writing-a-novel

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Santa Montefiore, author of 'The Deverill Chronicles' - World-renowned bestseller discusses finally finding success at home, getting it written before getting it right, and why she needs spirituality Aug 29, 2024

This week, we're joined by Santa Montefiore. A bestselling author, published across the world, who has sold millions of copies of her 31 novels. She's known for her richly drawn characters, intricate plots, and a deep sense of place, often set in the countrysides of England, Ireland, and Argentina.

Her books, including The Deverill Chronicles series and The Beekeeper’s Daughter, have been translated into more than 25 languages, captivating audiences worldwide. Beyond her novels, Santa is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness and spirituality and often explores themes of love, loss, and redemption in her work.

Her newest novel is 'Shadows in the Moonlight', which tells the story of time-shifter Pixie Tate, who needs to solve a mystery in the past, using her unique gifts.

We discuss why her writing space is determined by her dog, also why a change of publisher finally landed her success in the UK, and why she's a pretty committed panster.

You can hear hear why Santa's biggest problem is getting to her desk, also how she felt with immense European success, but not much at home, and what happens if your characters don't take you down the right path.

This episode is sponsored by Faber Academy. Their flagship, 'Writing a Novel' course is taking admissions for their new 6 month programme. Find out more at https://faberacademy.com/writing-a-novel/

If you enjoyed the episode, please do watch a new visualised version on our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@writersroutine

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Alan Rhode, author of 'The Eagle and the Cockerel' - Journalist, Lawyer and Author discusses political thrillers, writing in a second language and why concentration is subjective Aug 22, 2024

Alan Rhode is a busy man. Working as a lawyer, with a full family, he's recently self-published his first novel. It's called 'The Eagle and the Cockerel', and was shortlisted for a 2024 Selfie Award.

We discuss why Alan was so keen to become a published author, and he is very open about his reasons for wanting to be a novel, and what his ambitions are in the next few years. You can hear why concentration is subjective, why nature helps his writing, and why writing in a second language can make things tricky and a bit slow.

'The Eagle and the Cockerel' is a political thriller based on a true story, of a plan to unite Germany and France after WWI, and create a new European superpower. We discuss the birth of the idea, how it grew, and what inspired him in the political thriller genre.

This episode is sponsored by Faber Academy. Their flagship, 'Writing a Novel' course, is starting in October in person or remotely, and you can find out more at faberacademy.com/writing-a-novel

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Catherine Steadman, author of 'Look in the Mirror' - Actor turned bestselling thriller writer discusses career pivots, character nuances, and why word count doesn't matter Aug 15, 2024

Catherine Steadman had a very successful acting career, starring in 'Downton Abbey', 'Salmon Fishing in the Yemen', 'Fearless' and many more. In her early 30s, she started to think about how her future as an actor might pan out. It's been well documented that roles for older women are depressingly stark, and often frustratingly uninspired. Giving that some thought, Catherine decide to switch things around, and trusting that her story-telling and improvisational abilities learned from acting would transfer well, started writing fiction.

Her debut was 'Something in the Water', it became a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick, which launched her to success. She's a New York Times Bestseller, has sold millions of copies and been published around the world.

Her newest novel is 'Look in the Mirror', which looks at the lives of Nina and Maria, and how their lives become entangled with a huge house in the British Virgin Islands. It's a mysterious thriller which Catherine was keen to keep speculative, and not let it creep into being gritty or grimy.

Catherine talks about how acting has helped her writing, why she feels able to understand the nuances of characters well, also why novelty is key to her day, and how she keeps grounded after sudden success.

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Milly Johnson, author of 'The Happiest Ever After' - Bestselling Romance Writer discusses keeping the concentration up, why greeting cards help novels, and how to keep the plates spinning Aug 08, 2024

Milly Johnson is one of the top 10 Female Fiction authors in the UK, with over 3 million sales in the country alone, and many more across the world as she's been published in more than 20 different countries. She's been honoured with the Romantic Novelists' Association's Outstanding Achievement Award, and has just published her 21st novel in 20 years.

It took her a long time to finally get published, and we discuss her desperate quest to become a novellist, and how it, at last, happened. Also, you can hear how she spent her time before in an incredibly unique job, and how it hugely helped her aspirations to write novels.

Her newest novel is 'The Happiest Ever After', which tells the story of Polly Potter... someone taken for granted by everyone in her life. The only place where things are working is in her evening classes learning to write a novel - there she has created Sabrina Anderson, someone who has their life together. Yet, when Polly suddenly finds herself in a seaside hospital, with no recollection of why she is there... she finds her identity changing. She starts to believe she is not Polly, but Sabrina… her fictional character. It’s a novel about whether she can move on and get the life she's always dreamed of... or will the past catch up with her?

You can hear about how Milly keeps herself concentrating, whilst being surrounded by the best things. Also, why she still feels like everything might slip away tomorrow. We talk about the pressure of the 2nd and 3rd books, after finally securing a publishing contract, and why you have to be good at switching train tracks through the year.

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B.P. Walter, author of 'The Garden Party' - Crime writer discusses escaping and being distracted, publishing horror, and making characters nuanced Aug 01, 2024

Crime writer B.P. Walter has always been around books. From beng submerged in reading growing up, to studying storytelling, to working in bookshops, it makes perfect sense that he's now a full-time author. His newest novel is 'The Garden Party', which tells the story of a wealthy family celebrating the engagement of son, Raphael. Only, his adopted brother chooses this day of celebration to expose what he really thinks of the family that has taken him in... and soon the bodies begin to drop. It's Saltburn meets Agatha Christie, and we discuss the idea, why he enjoys writing rich characters, and how he keeps them real and authentic, without slipping into absolutist ideas of stock stereotypes.

Later this year, he's publishing his first horror novel, 'Scuttle'. You can hear how this has happened, why there's a slight name change for it, and what it's been like being immersed in gigantic spiders for a year. We talk about why he loves being distracted, what it's like to work tirelessly on a book and then hand it over to publishers who can hopefully sell it, and how working as a book-seller inspired him to become a book-writer.

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Amy Neff, author of 'The Days I Loved You Most' - Debut writer discusses spending 10 years with characters, getting over rejection, and why editing needs help Jul 25, 2024

Amy Neff's new novel is 'The Days I Loved You Most'. It's taken 10 years to get to shelves. Amy has spent 10 years refining the story, sending it to publishers, even hiring her own editor to help get it into shape. We discuss how she stayed positive through that time and learned to deal with rejection.

It tells the story of Joseph and Evelyn, once childhood friends now, 60 years later, married with children. One summer, they reveal the staggering news that Evelyn has received a life-ending diagnosis, and as Joseph cannot bare to live without her, they will both take their own lives. It looks at memories of lives, how decisions impact families, and how they face the prospect of making their plan reality.

You can hear how the story is inspired by a long family tradition, what she starts off with, and how the story developed over 10 years.

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Julietta Henderson, author of 'How to Get a Life' - Richard and Judy Book Club pick talks scattered scenes, finding the story thread, and why writing doesn't get any easier Jul 12, 2024

Julietta Henderson's debut novel, 'The Funny Thing about Norman Foreman', was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick and sold around the world.

Her second is, 'How to Get a Life'. It tells the story of Danny Mulberry, a man who could do better... better at life, better at being an adult... generally better than everything. When a photo of him accidentally ends up in the papers, people across the country start to think he is actually a man with all the answers... and suddenly Danny becomes the guru who can solve everything.

We talk about the north star for this story, and how Julietta pulled everything together whilst writing scattered scenes. Also, how she realised that writing won't get any easier, and whether that knowledge is comfort to her or not.

You can hear how much she has learned about how she works best, what she does to get in the writing zone, and whether you really feel improvement when you're trying so hard to get better.

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Shaun Bythell, author of 'The Diary of a Bookseller' - Scotland's most famous bookseller discusses editing diaries, why everyone loves a bookshop, and style guides Jun 13, 2024

Shaun Bythell runs 'The Bookshop' in Wigtown, it's Scotland's largest second-hand bookshop, and is now incredibly popular.

Back in 2017, Shaun published, 'The Diary of a Bookseller', a book filled with his daily experiences running the store. People fell in love with his wry musings, the life of a bookseller, and it became a Sunday Times bestseller. He's followed it up with 'Confessions of a Bookseller', and 'Remainders of the Day', in the 'Bookseller Series'.

We talk about why everyone finds the life of a bookseller appealing and whether that's really what it's like. You can hear how a diary becomes published, how an editor works on it, and whether having them published has changed how he writes a diary.

This was recorded back in 2022, I have no clue why it's taken so long to be released. Sorry Shaun, and I hope you enjoy the episode!

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Jonny Sweet, author of 'The Kellerby Code' - Screenwriter and Author discusses jokes influencing novels, why guilt is useless, and dealing with praise May 30, 2024

Jonny Sweet won the 'Best Newcomer' Prize at the 2009 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, created a sketch group with 'The Inbetweeners' Simon Bird and Joe Thomas, and appeared in many TV Comedies, including 'Chickens' and 'Him and Her'. He wrote the movie 'Wicked Little Letters' starring Olivia Colman, which was released this year.

He has also just published one of the most acclaimed novels of the year. 'The Kellerby Code' tells the story of Edward, living in a world he can't afford and to which he doesn't belong. Getting by doing odd jobs for friends, he falls in love with one of them, and after a little act of kindness in the group takes a sinister turn, it unleashes the unspeakable brutality at Edward's core.

We talk about why he's been lying to people about the plot, and how the writing process changes depending on what he's working on. You can hear how much he thinks like a director when writing, and why he prefers not to hear himself think.

This novel has been highly recommended by some of the best authors around, and we discuss how he deals with such praise.

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Kate Storey, author of 'The Memory Library' - Book Club author discusses why a change of genre means a change of name, whether outlining curbs creativity, and why she watches for jokes May 23, 2024

Our special guest this week is Kate Storey. Under the name Lisa Timoney, she's published 3 books, 'Her Daughter's Secret', 'Her Mother's Lies' and 'His Secret Wife'... but a change of genre means a change of name.

Kate's back with book club fiction now, and has published, 'The Memory Library'. It's all about Sally Harrison, who has been building a library for 43 years. Every year she adds a new book to it, dedicated to her estranged daughter Ella who has fled to Australia... however, when disaster strikes, Ella must return home and fix their relationship. It's an ex-English teacher's dream novel, a book about books!

We discuss outlining, how much she knows what she's doing, without trying to limit the places her characters could take her. Also, we chat through how how she has learned as an author, and what she wants to change about the way she works.

You can hear why she finds pictures online to inspire her characters, what it's like to work with an editor, and how far the finished book is from her very first idea.

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Alina Khawaja, author of 'Maya's Laws of Love' - How to avoid tangents which block your ideas, dealing with rejections, and trying to get better May 16, 2024

After writing around 7 books and getting many rejections or near-misses, Alina Khawaja finally has a published novel. It's called 'Maya's Laws of Love', and tells the story of Maya on her way to Pakistan for an arranged marriage she hopes will end with love. Only, after a disastrous journey, she begins to wonder if Mr. Right might actually be someone else she meets along the way.

Alina is well read and decorated, with a degree in English, History and Creative Writing, and a Masters in Literatures of Modernity, and all the time whilst studying, she's been writing. She's been carrying on in the face of rejections, reading to get better, and cracking out stories. You can hear how she dealt with rejections and near-misses, and why she thinks this novel finally got her published. Also, at a time when self-publishing has never been easier or more successful, we talk about why Alina was desperate to follow the traditional route.

You can hear about her outlining process and whether that's likely to change, also why she tries to avoid tangents, and how she's trying to make her work stand out in busy bookshelves.

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Samuel Burr, author of 'The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers' - Mystery writer talks about learning from making TV, spying for inspiration, and how the business actually works May 09, 2024

Samuel Burr has worked as a TV executive, creating shows like 'The Secret Life of 4 Year Olds', 'Eight Go Rallying', and 'The Secret Life of Cleaners'. Many years ago he worked on a documentary in a retirement home, now it's given him the basis for his debut novel.

'The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers' looks at Clayton Sumper, an enigma who was abandoned at birth on the steps of the puzzlemakers, ending up being raised by some of the sharpest minds in the country. The hope is that he's learned from them, as to discover the secrets of who he is and who he can be, he needs to crack one last puzzle.

We talk about the details of writing such a tricksy book, matching chapter names to crossword answers, and how getting deep into those details impacted his ability to be creative. You can hear why he works towards a final sentence, also why he uses the pomodoro technique, and how he gets ideas by spying on strangers.

We discuss his time at the Faber Academy, how working in TV has influenced his storytelling in novels, and you can hear about the business of writing - what does an advance mean? What happens if you get a big deal? How do you get paid?

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Caz Frear, author of 'Five Bad Deeds' - Thriller writer discusses the pressures of doing everything, getting into the right mindset, and making your day better May 02, 2024

Caz Frear was launched to debut success after winning the 'Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller' competition. Her novel, 'Sweet Little Lies', won the prize and found the bestselling status they searched for. What happens next? How do you follow up on debut success?

Caz discusses how she dealt with that writing her 2nd and 3rd novels, and why she's constantly looking to make her day better and improve how she works. We talk about the tech problems she attempts to deal with, how the process has changed after being a number of books down, and how she deals with the pressures of being an author that needs to do everything.

Her new novel is 'Five Bad Deeds', which tells the story of Ellen Walsh, a teacher, mother, wife, and all round good citizen, who discovers she has done something incredibly bad... but has no idea what.

You can hear about why she's changed her work-day to go easy on herself, how he stays creative while doing the admin, and how she's changed her mindset of working.

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Chioma Okereke, author of 'Water Baby' - Poet and Author discusses writing without genre, changing how you plot, and performing poetry Apr 25, 2024

Chioma Okereke's writing career started as a performance poet, even though she was terrified of performing poetry. From there she wrote short fiction, and was a highly placed runner up in the Costa Short Story Award, for 'Trompette de la Mort'. Her move into long-form began with her debut 'Bitter Leaf', which was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writer's Prize.

Her new novel is 'Water Baby', which looks at a 19 year old woman trying to escape her community in Makoko in Lagos, Nigeria. It explores the themes of education, digitalisation, and the representation of Africa. Her research for the novel prompted her to start a charity, 'Makoko Pearls', which is a direct and safe way to financially support the community.

We discuss why it was inspired by her wandering thoughts during a cooking show, also how she researched the location, which is so vital to the plot, without going there for a while. You can hear why living around the world has influenced her reason to write stories, how changing her plotting method has helped her 2nd novel, and find out why you can accept that some days are simply bad.

You can hear why her desk is always messy, how performing poetry affected how she viewed novels, and what she does when facing a creative block.

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Paul Carlucci, author of 'The Voyageur' - Acclaimed author discusses moving from short stories to novels, by inspired by fact, and learning grammar Apr 18, 2024

Paul Carlucci has published 3 short story collections and works as a copywriter, making other peoples work read better. He's just released one of the most hotly anticipated debuts of the year, it's called 'The Voyageur'.

It tells the story of Alex, a motherless stockboy in 19th century Montreal, who is taken in by Serge, a drunken fur trader. After heading out on an expedition into the wilderness which goes awry, Alex must fend for himself at the mercy of stranger men, and a seemingly brilliant saviour in Dr Beaumount.

We talk about the novel being inspired by real life, and how he blended fact with fiction. Also, you can hear about the switch from short stories to long form, and what he's learned from a day-job in copywriting.

We chat through learning grammar and how that affects creative storytelling, and how much he worries about the formalities of writing when getting down prose. You can hear about his particular blend of plotting and pantsing, and why this project would be lost without his current publisher.

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Kerry Andrew, author of 'We Are Together Because' - Award winning composer and writer discusses the search for the perfect word, imagining the worst, and finding what you really want Apr 11, 2024

Kerry Andrew is an all-round creative. As a composer, they've won 4 British Composer Awards, as a writer they've been nominated twice for the BBC National Short Story Award. Kerry has published 2 novels, 'Swansong', 'Skin', and is back with a third, 'We Are Together Because'.

It's all about siblings Luke, Connor, Thea and Violet, spending their first summer in their estranged father's house. Truth is, they don't even know each other too well, and when the worst happens, they discover if they can rely only rely on each other.

We talk about what life is like on a writing retreat and whether being around creatives gives you a different kind of energy. Also why writing in the past might change you write in the present, you can hear about the search for the perfect word, and why a recent health diagnosis has made Kerry evaluate what they really want to do.

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Daisy Goodwin, author of 'Diva' - TV producer and screenwriter discusses thorough research, historical fiction, and creating legendary TV shows Apr 04, 2024

Daisy Goodwin has created some legendary television shows. She's the brains behind 'Grand Designs', 'Escape to the Country', and the historical drama, 'Victoria', based on Queen Victoria, which was sold in 146 countries.

She's published poetry, had 3 bestselling novels, 'My Last Duchess', 'The Fortune Hunter', and 'Victoria, which together have been translated into 17 countries.

Her newest novel is 'Diva'. It tells the story of Maria Callas, one of the world's greatest opera singers, who falls in love with rich magnate Aristotle Onassis, right before he marries First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. We discuss the thorough research, which included having singing lessons. Also you can hear about the balance of fact and fiction in historical novels, how she has adjusted to having ideas for novels rather than TV, and why she took 5 years away from novel-writing.

You can hear about the differences between international editors, why she's careful about what she reads when writing, and we ask whether you're an architect or a gardener.

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Max Moyer, author of 'Zodak - The Last Shielder' - Fantasy author talks world-building, stopping for 18 years, and why you don't need to be completely original Mar 29, 2024

One of the most frequent requests to writersroutine.com is for fantasy authors. World builders. Authors with the ability to take you on an adventure across times, dimensions and brand new maps.

This week's guest, Max Moyer, has figured a way to do that. His new book 'Zodak - The Last Shielder', is the first in a new series, 'Tempest Rising'. There is a prequel novella already out, 'Throne Born', and this properly sets up a new world that's been in Max's head for 30 years. It started as an idea for a board-game and fantasy series with his brother, yet when life got in the way, Max left it untouched for 18 years. Now, alongside his sibling, he's created a brand new world with new lands, strange magic, and unusual creatures.

We get right into the detail of world-building - how to get the specifics right, how to create lands, magic, even accents. You can hear whether the plot comes before the world and how organic the world is created. We discuss whether it provides an easy get-out for a character in danger, and why he went back to his idea after 18 years away.

Max runs a law-firm and has helped raise a big family, you can hear how he's created time to do this, and what big plans he has for the series.

This week's episode is sponsored by 'Who is the Cheese Wire Killer?', a brand new podcast series you can binge now.

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Mari Hannah, author of 'The Longest Goodbye' - Crime award-winner discusses planning across a series, her Murder Wall, and the book she never wanted to write Mar 21, 2024

Mari Hannah is a prolific writer. Over the last 12 years she's won the Northern Writer's Award, the Polari First Book Prize, the CWA Dagger in the Library Award, and Capital Crime's Crime Book of the Year. She's a series authors, publishing books in the 'Stone and Oliver' series, the 'Ryan and O'Neil' novels, and the 'Kate Daniels' thrillers.

Her newest novel is 'The Longest Goodbye', and it sees Kate Daniels involved in a case incredibly close to her. It's the story Mari never wanted to write. Inspired by a moment she thought her partner, a police officer, had been killed in the line of duty.

We talk about series writing and how she plans characters and arcs over a long time. Also, about the precision across details that is needed when writing crime, her murder wall, and the tool-box that moves with her through the series.

You can hear how closely she works with her partner, to uncover the unknowns of police life, also how working in a prison has helped Mari deal with some of the tougher parts of writing crime, and the rules of genre.

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Triona Campbell, author of 'The Traitor in the Game' - Young Adult writer talks moving countries to write, moving from TV to novels, and moving obstacles Mar 15, 2024

Triona Campbell worked as a TV producer and writer, creating many dramas and comedies for teens, and picking up 3 Emmy nominations. Through Lockdown (capital L?) she started writing a novel for teens... thus, a whole career change.

Her debut, 'A Game of Life and Death' went down very well, and she's followed it up with 'The Traitor in the Game'. It's about Asha, who enters an eSports tournament in New York, when it becomes harder to keep the game under control.

Triona has written radio plays too, and we discuss moving between mediums... what you gain, what you lose, what you learn and what you miss. She has recently moved with her whole family to Portugal, simply to write a novel - we discuss how this has helped and what life is like for her now.

You can hear about moving from TV to novels, why writing is all about the obstacles, and why it's hard to get the voice and tone right when writing for teens.

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Yangsze Choo, author of 'The Fox Wife' - New York Times bestseller talks about streaming pressure, debut success, and how we think differently Mar 08, 2024

Yangsze Choo's debut novel 'The Ghost Bride', was released 10 years ago, and has been adapted by Netflix. Her follow-up 'The Night Tiger', was a BBC 2 'Between the Covers' pick, a Reese Witherspoon Book Pick, and was selected for the UK's Big Jubilee Read. She's a New York Times bestseller.

Her 3rd novel in the last 10 years is 'The Fox Wife'. Set in 1908 Manchuria, it weaves in folklore and myth, it's a quest for love, and a murder mystery.

We discuss changes in her routine over the last 10 years, and why she takes her time, brooding over a low word-count. You can also hear how much impact the weather has., and how much debut success can affect what you follow up with. We chat about the tantalising prospect of streaming and film rights, how that changes how you plan future novels, and why we all think differently.

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Mandy Robotham, author of 'The Hidden Storyteller' - Historical Fiction writer discusses the rules of genre, needing a deadline, and stopping when it gets good Mar 01, 2024

Mandy Robotham has had many careers, and is busy. She's worked as a midwife, a journalist, and now is an author across genres. Her newest novel is 'The Hidden Storyteller', tells the story of reporter Georgie Young who, in 1946 returns to Germany and finds it unrecognisable post-war, she then teams up with detective Harri Schroder to catch a killer.

We talk about historical fiction, how she knows the rules of the genre, and how much she thinks about the style of the writing. You can hear about the thorough research she took on, about what happens when you get caught out, and why Buffalo wings were her undoing.

Mandy discusses the balance of being an extroverted writer, how she finds the male voice, and why she likes to stop mid-scene.

This week's episode is sponsored by 'Who is the Cheese Wire Killer?', a brand new true crime podcast. Take a listen wherever you get your shows.

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Caroline Dunford, author of 'The Augmentors' - Prolific writer discusses plotting over a series, switching genres, and reaching for the perfect novel Feb 23, 2024

Caroline Dunford has published over 30 books across many genres. Her best loved is the 'Euphemia Martins' Mysteries', which solves crimes set one hundred years ago. Her latest release is 'The Augmentors', a Young Adult novel published under the name Gemini Gibson.

We get quite philosophical, talking about the big picture of writing, and why she feels the need to carry on. She has a story-telling infection, and has published many books, even though she's never got down that 'perfect' novel which sells millions upon millions.

We discuss why sometimes she writes under contract, and other times there are stories that have be written regardless, and how she structures a year around that. You can hear how plot development changes in a series of books, how she figures out the tone of a book as she flits between genre, and how she decides what book comes next.

This week's episode is sponsored by 'Who is the Cheese Wire Killer?', a true-crime podcast available wherever you get your shows.

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Orlando Murrin, author of 'Knife Skills for Beginners' - Chef, writer and all-round doer discusses the perfect keyboard, going on tangents, and why kitchens make the perfect place for murder Feb 16, 2024

Orlando Murrin has had many careers. In the early 90's he appeared on 'Masterchef', reaching the semi-final on a show watched by 12 million people. From then, he's worked as a chef and hotelier, written cookbooks, edited magazines, made podcasts, and now has a novel out.

'Knife Skills for Beginners' sees Paul Delamare investigating murders at a high-end cookery school in Belgravia, London. We talk about why the kitchen has the perfect recipe for crime. You can hear why his protagonist very rarely did what he was supposed to, how he researched the novel while writing, and what made he keep going on tangents.

We discuss why Orlando is extremely particular about his keyboard, whether magazine writing influences story-telling, where his drive to do comes from, and why a little bit of wine sometimes helps alot.

This week's episode is sponsored by 'Who is the Cheese Wire Killer?', a new true crime podcast putting you in the heart of one of the UK's most famous unsolved murders. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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Maura Cheeks, author of 'Acts of Forgiveness' - Debut writer discusses free-writing, how journalism affects novel-writing, and important stories Feb 09, 2024

This week we chat to Maura Cheeks, who has written pieces and columns all over the place, being featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic and the Harvard Business Review. Her debut novel is called 'Acts of Forgiveness', and is out on the 13th February.

It tells the story of Willie Revel who gives up a career as journalist in New York to help run her family's struggling company in Philadelphia. When the President prepares to pass a bill allowing black families to claim reparations if they can prove they're descendants of slaves, Willie delves into the family history and learns much more than she expected.

We chat about the importance of subject, how writing columns as a journalist changes what you do as an author, and her method of free-writing. Her dad is NBA legend Maurice Cheeks, currently assistant coach of the Chicago Bulls, and we discuss whether growing up with successful parents has any impact on your own quest for success.

This week's episode is sponsored by 'Who is the Cheese Wire Killer?', about a 1983 unsolved murder, one of Scotland's grimest... and you can be part of the live investigation. Find it wherever you get your shows.

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Sarah Marsh, author of 'A Sign of Her Own' - Debut writer discusses finding the truth in history, taking 12 years to write a debut, and thorough research Feb 02, 2024

This week, we're joined by Sarah Marsh. Her debut is 'A Sign of Her Own'. It tells the story of Ellen Lark, who discovers a side to Alexander Graham Bell, one of history's most famous figures, that few other people know.

Sarah was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavenish Prize in 2019, selected for the London Library Emerging Writer's Programme, and has a Masters in Creative Writing. She is also deaf, as is her protagonist Ellen, and we discuss why this story was so important to write.

You can hear why it took 12 years to get published, whether you ever really know the story is finished, and how she went about researching real figures from the past.

This episode is sponsored by 'Who is the Cheese Wire Killer?', a brand new true crime podcast you can find wherever you get your shows.

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Rebecca Thorne, author of 'The Grief House' - Writing without a genre, how pseudonyms help switch between tasks, and a strictly-planned day Jan 26, 2024

Rebecca Thorne's new novel is 'The Grief House', it's about the ex-tarot reader Blue, who escapes to a grief retreat on a beautiful country estate. Only, when the weather closes in, and someone disappears in the night, Blue wonders whose grief might hide a deeper secret.

Rebecca published 2 psychological thriller books under the name Rebecca Tinnelly, and we discuss why she swapped names and how it helped her break up her day, and switch between tasks.

You can hear why her date is structured pretty thoroughly, why she likes to be as cosy as possible for the first draft, and how mentoring at the Faber Academy changes the way she thinks about her own writing.

We also get very deep into why Rebecca is very passionate about verb placement.

This week's pod is sponsored by 'Who is the Cheese Wire Killer?', take a listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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Helen Fisher, author of 'Joe Nuthin's Guide to Life' - Writer discusses the rocky road to publication, writing when you're not writing, and the plot road map Jan 19, 2024

Helen Fisher's debut, 'Space Hopper' was acclaimed as one of the most unique debuts of 2021, recommended by Cosmopolitan, Woman's Weekly', Marian Keyes, and many more, it looked set to launch her to a glittering career.

Things weren't that simple for Helen. In the following 2 years, she wrote 3 novels which were all turned down and rejected. At an incredibly low point, she almost gave up. It was only the story of Joe, along with her editor, that gave her enough strength to carry on for one last go.

'Joe Nuthin's Guide to Life' tells the story of Joe, who likes everything predictable, consistent and in order, yet he soon finds an adventure pushes him well outside of his comfort zone, where sometimes joy lies.

We discuss how Helen overcame her tricky 2 years, what she's learned from it, and how that is affecting how she approaches publication now. Also, you can hear why she's always writing, even when she isn't writing, why it wasn't the plot that drew her into the story, and how she made characters authentic, not cliched or predictable.

This week's episode is sponsored by true-crime podcast, 'Who is the Cheese Wire Killer?', find it wherever you're listening to this!

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Professor Emma Smith, author of 'Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers' - Academic discusses commercial non-fiction, who Shakespeare really was, and why we can't throw books away Jan 12, 2024

Professor Emma Smith teaches Shakespeare Studies at the University of Oxford. She has published some academic non-fiction works before, but this is her first work of real commercial non-fiction. 'Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers', looks at why books are so importantly culturally - why can't we throw them away? What is it about a physical copy that means more than a digital file? What is the history of this phenomenon?

We discuss the idea for the book, how she began to research it, and what inspired her when thinking commercially. You can hear why she labours over the introduction, making it perfect, also how much a non-fiction author knows before starting to write, and the questions she asks herself to get the tone right.

As Emma is a professor of Shakespeare Studies, we discuss why his work is still relevant 400 years after it was first written, whether he could have written it all alone, and why scepticism of its authorship could be classist.

This week's episode is sponsored by 'Who is the Cheese Wire Killer?', a brand new true-crime podcast you can listen to wherever you get your shows.

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D.V. Bishop, author of 'Ritual of Fire' - Historical fiction author talks his rules of writing, planning in the past, and tie-in novels Jan 05, 2024

Happy New Year! Let's start 2024 with a bumper episode from a fantastic historical fiction author. D.V Bishop has published 3 'Cesare Aldo' novels, and the 4th is on the way. He's won the CWA Historical Dagger Award, and his novels are highly commended across the board.

His newest novel is 'Ritual of Fire'. It takes you to 1538 Florence, where a rich merchant is found hanged and set ablaze in the centre of the city, as a warning to put the fear of God into Florence... only Cesare Aldo can discover what's happening.

We talk through the process of planning historical fiction, how much he's strict on sticking to the facts of the day, and what happens when he's got something wrong. You can hear how he overcomes the challenges of using language approriate for the 1500s, why word-count isn't the end of the world, and what writing tie-in fiction is really like... how does it feel to be responsible for some of the most famous characters in the world.

This week's episode is sponsored by 'Who is the Cheese Wire Killer?', a true-crime podcast about Scotland's most gruesome unsolved murder... which is being solved at this moment. Take a listen wherever you get your shows.

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Jane L. Rosen, author of 'On Fire Island' - Turning screenplays into novels, the balance of writing and promoting, and how to capture a sense of place Dec 22, 2023

In our last episode of 2023, we chat to Jane L. Rosen, whose new boook 'On Fire Island' is out now. It’s all about Julia, a book lover that lives on Fire Island in New York, who… dies, and then we follow the different lives of those she loves, and how her life affects theirs.

Julia is also a screenplay and columnist, and we chat through how she turned a screenplay which didn't quite make it, into a novel. Also, you can hear how Jane captures a perfect sense of place in her writing, and how she balances writing novels with being in the tricky, but lucky, position of being responsible for promoting it.

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Amanda Prowse, author of 'All Good Things' - Prolific bestseller discusses creating a universe of characters, completely pantsing and why creativity helps trauma Dec 15, 2023

Amanda Prowse has written over 30 books. Her newest is 'All Good Things', which tells the story of life-long neighbours, the Kelleways and the Harrops, who couldn’t be further apart. However, when they celebrate a big anniversary, huge secrets are revealed and change everything.

She has written fiction, non-fiction, novellas, short stories, and memoir. Her novel 'A Mother's Story' was Sainsbury's eBook of the Year. Her work, 'The Boy Between' is a compelling memoir written with her son, detailing his experience with depression. Amanda often explores trauma through her writing, and we discuss how she researches these experiences...but only ever writes what she knows.

We discuss how she has created an 'Amanda Prowse universe' in her mind, picking characters out that she wants to focus on, yet even through all this, she doesn't ever plan or plot, but simply knows everything that will happen, and exactly what her characters are thinking.

You can hear why everything she was told about writing, turned out to not be not true, also how much she has learned about her characters over the last 30 books, and whether success has changed anything about her life and how she works.

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Femi Kayode, author of 'Gaslight' - CWA nominated writer discusses writing through a Nigerian lens, chapter titles giving control, and being in the perfect place Dec 08, 2023

Femi Kayode's debut 'Lightseekers' was a book of the month in many national newspapers, it was longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award, and was a commercial success.

His follow up is 'Gaslight', it's the second in the Phillip Taiwo 'Whydunnit' series. Following the investigative psychologist who has been urgently called in to investigate the disappearance of the 'First Lady' of a Nigerian mega-church.

We discuss why he's interested in the why, rather than the who or what, also what he's learned from a varied life of work and studies all around the world. You can hear how his family take him leaving the home to write alone, also what he tells himself when he's struggling getting the draft done, and the boring fonts that keep him focused.

We chat about chapter titles, why he's perfectly happy with where he is right now, and what a Nigerian spin on crime fiction really means.

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Katie Marsh, author of 'How Not To Murder Your Ex' - Crime writer talks about switching from romance, trying to clear distractions, and taking 2 months before starting Dec 01, 2023

This week, we're chatting to Katie Marsh. Katie has published 5 romantic fiction novels, ‘Unbreak your Heart’, ‘The Rest of Me’, ‘The Beautiful Life’, ‘A Life Without You’ and ‘My Everything’, and has now completely switched genre. You can find out why in the podcast.

Her new novel is 'How Not To Murder Your Ex', and tells the story of Clio, who opens the door to find her hated ex Gary dead on the lawn in front of her. It's no accident, and the eyes of blame quickly fall on her.

We discuss why she holds herself back for 2 months before starting to write, also why she strives to be distraction free above all things, and why the genre switch really needs to work out for her.

DISCLAIMER - sorry if your name is Gary.

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Terry Hayes, author of 'The Year of the Locust' - Acclaimed bestseller talks about using song lyrics, cutting hundreds of thousands of words, and the pressure of the second novel Nov 24, 2023

Terry Hayes started his career as a journalist before heading to Hollywood. He found real success there, writing on 'Flight Plan', 'Payback', and penning, 'Mad Max II'. In 2013, he published 'I Am Pilgrim' to international acclaim and success.

10 years later, he's written his second novel, 'The Year of the Locust'. It tells the story of Kane, a CIA spy who can go where other's can't. We discuss the pressure of following huge success, why he's taken 10 years to publish a new book, and why that combination of thoughts made him chuck out hundreds of thousands of words.

You can hear what Hollywood is really like for a writer, why writing novels is more validating than penning screenplays, and why the easiest way to stave off boredom... is to create challenges.

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Freya Berry, author of 'The Birdcage Library' - Bestseller discusses writing hard and often, leaving space in the story, and giving yourself a year to write Nov 17, 2023

Freya Berry's debut, 'The Dictator's Wife', was a bestselling, critically acclaimed hit, and was a BBC 2 'Between the Covers' pick. She's back with 'The Birdcage Library'.

It tells the story of Emily Blackwood, a young adventuress tasked by an exotic animal hunter to track down a lost treasure hidden in a castle... it becomes a deeper, darker hunt into secrets best left untold.

We talk about the article that gave her the inspiration for the novel, also the research around Scottish Castles she called work. You can hear about why it's the themes of a story that keep her going, how much she knows about the road ahead of her as she writes it down, and why she likes to leave herself space to seize ideas.

ALSO hear why listening to the same song works, how to change things if lockdown is still affecting your work day, and how things change through the second novel.

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Denzil Meyrick, author of 'Murder at Holly House' - Bestselling writer discusses the baggy middle, avoiding distractions, and not being limited by genre Nov 10, 2023

Denzil Meyrick has published 11 bestselling DCI Daley books, many standalones, and is back with, 'Murder at Holly House'.

Set in 1952, it takes Inspector Frank Grasby despatched to investigate a strange body discovered at historic Holly House. When snow strands him there, and another body is found, we find ourselves in a locked room mystery.

We talk about why Denzil doesn't like being limited by genre... he is a writer of all sorts, as that's what writers should be. Also, you can hear how working in the police, and also as the director of many companies, influenced his writing.

We chat through why his routine is to simply sit down and get on with it, how to deal with missing the word count, and why he wanted to take a break from the DCI Daley stories.

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Dann McDorman, author of 'West Heart Kill' - Novelist and Emmy-nominated News Producer discusses twisting the genre, putting the reader in the mystery, and how news affects stories Nov 03, 2023

Dann McDorman is an Emmy-nominated news producer, working for MSNBC in New York. His debut novel is 'West Heart Kill', which is something particularly unique. It places the reader at the heart of the mystery. Dann invites you in to an exclusive country club to be an active guest over a holiday weekend... when the bodies start dropping.

We discuss the decision to put a singular twist on the crime mystery genre, and how it wasn't supposed to end up that way at all. You can hear how he began writing with no idea what would happen... only for his detective to ask questions he, as a writer, had to answer.

Dann runs through why he doesn't write linearly, why he likes to write outisde, and how he might change the way he writes as he publishes more novels.

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D.L. Douglas, author of 'Dr. Spilsbury and the Camden Town Killer' - Historical crime writer discusses switching genres and names, structuring challenges, and a busy year Oct 26, 2023

This week, we're chatting to D.L. Douglas and Donna Hay at the same time. For D.L. see Donna, and Donna see D.L. Donna Hay has published many saga novels, and worked as a journalist across magazines. She's now dipping her ink into historical crime mystery, as D.L. Douglas and her novel, 'Dr. Spilsbury and the Camden Town Killer'. It features the real life 1920's forensic pathologist Sir Bernard Spilsbury. It's a golden age mystery that meets CSI.

We discuss how structuring crime stories and saga books are completely different, and how she refocuses her mind when switching genre, and how she deals with a year of writing stories for different audiences.

You can hear what she always tells herself when she begins a book, how she found the voice of Dr. Spilsbury, why her dream of a white board soon got overwhelming, and we get a new acronym to live by!

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Claire Daverley, author of 'Talking at Night' - Debut writer discusses forgetting genre, dealing with rejection, and preparing the mood Oct 19, 2023

This week we're chatting to Claire Daverley. Her new novel is 'Talking at Night', which tells the story of Will and Rosie, two polar opposites who fall in love and are destined to be together forever, until a tragedy shatters their future.

We discuss how much Claire thought about genre, and how she learned from working in the industry. Also, you can hear how she dealt with rejections and went to a writing course which helped her move into a new frame of writing mind. We run through why she takes time to create the right mood, how a house move has switched things up for her, and how Claire is dealing with a full day's worth of writing.

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Sarah Moorhead, author of 'The Treatment' - Speculative fiction writer discusses keeping busy, thinking of genre, and the classic What If? Oct 12, 2023

Sarah Moorhead is busy. She's a doer who wants to achieve. She's been a teacher, a Chaplain, started youth-groups, has a black-belt in kickboxing, and writes novels. She published 'Witness X' in 2020, and is back with 'The Treatment'.

The novel is all about the future of law enforcement. It looks at how ground-breaking technology could alter what we think of criminals... only psychiatrist Grace Gunnarsson discovers it could let people get away with murder.

We chat through the 'what if?' that started the whole plot off, also why her creativity with books extends to more than just writing them, and why she likes to keep busy. You can hear extensively about her writing desk, why she keeps advice from other authors in her mind, and how much she thought about genre.

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Nick Hunt, author of 'Red Smoking Mirror' - Travel writer discusses blending experience into fiction, debut novels, and how to travel and write for a living Oct 06, 2023

This week, we're joined by Nick Hunt. He's worked as a journalist and travel writer, publishing 'Outlandish', 'Where the Wild Winds Are', and 'Walking the Woods and the Water'. We discuss how he fell into becoming a travel writer, and how in reality it got in the way of his novel writing.

He's published 'Red Smoking Mirror', an alternate history set in 1521, in the Mexican City of Tenochtitlan, in which 29 years earlier, Islamic Spain never fell to the Christians, and Andalus launched a voyage of discovery to the New Maghreb. We talk about how he blended his own experiences travelling, with historical fact, to create fiction.

Also you can hear why it surprised him to not be in control of everything, why writing and plotting feels like travelling, and why he's passionate about page-setups.

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Diana Janney, author of 'A Man of Understanding' - How poetry influences novels, exploring trauma, and whether your story needs a skeleton Sep 28, 2023

Diana Janney is busy. She is a doer. She's worked as a barrister, a model, published two successful novels through the last 20 years, and has a new one out.

'A Man of Understanding' was named runner up for The People's Book Prize 2023. It tells the story of Horatio Hennessy, his orphaned grandson, and their journey together. It explores trauma which Diana has experienced, and she's used it as a way of understanding what it all means.

We discuss her love of philosophy and poetry, and how that seeps into the novel. Also, you can hear why she can write anywhere, how much of a skeleton she likes for her story, and why she likes to give herself time off to let an idea form.

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Alex Hay, author of 'The Housekeepers' - Historical fiction author discusses shifting gears through the day, a work-space battle, and changing your routine Sep 21, 2023

Alex Hay's new novel is 'The Housekeepers'. It won the Caledonia Novel Award 2022. It's all about Mrs King, a housekeeper from a world of con artists and thieves. She's dismissed from her position running the grandest home in Mayfair, and gets her revenge by recruiting an eclectic group of women to try and rob the house of its every position, right under the owner's nose.

We discuss how he organises his writing around his day job, and how he manages to shift gears through different work. Also how he manages sharing his working space, why he thinks so much about his writing routine, and how he is planning the tweak it.

You can hear how much he thinks about the first sentence, deep chats on fonts, and why his most listened to songs are always rain sounds.

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Susan Wiggs, author of 'Welcome to Beach Town' - Multi-million bestseller discusses the joys of research, how to find your voice, and the sweet-spot that makes a classic Sep 14, 2023

Susan Wiggs has written more than 50 books and sold more than 25 million copies in more than 20 languages.

Her new one is 'Welcome to Beach Town'. It's a warm, summer read, about the idyllic beach town of Alara Cove. On graduation day, class valedictorian Nikki Graziola veers off script to reveal secrets that will break down the whole community, and have repercussions which never leave Nikki's life.

We talk about the sweet spot of classics, how they blend literary language and an unputdownable plot. Also, how to find your voice and how to know where your work sits on shelves. You can hear why she gave a school student the most boring time of their life, and how it feels being in the early days of a new project.

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Sara Ochs, author of 'The Dive' - Thriller author discusses the path to publication, how impatience affects drafting, and making characters authentic Sep 01, 2023

Sara Ochs is an attorney, law professor, and now author. Her debut is 'The Dive'. It's inspired by her own time travelling through Thailand, and hearing about a grisly murder near her hotel.

We discuss why being an impatient person affects her drafting, also why getting an agent doesn't mean everything suddenly falls into place, and how she made characters feel genuine when they could so easily become stereotype.

You can hear how splitting her time between the US and Sweden helped her write a novel which travels across the world, also why she's thinking rationally about the future, and how much she knew of the story at the start.

This week's episode is sponsored by 'The Return of King Arthur', a historical fantasy series by Jacob Sannox. There are 3 in the series, 'The Ravenmaster's Revenge', 'Agravain's Escape' and 'Tristan's Regret'. It's dual-timeline, flashing between modern day and the 5th century. If you enjoy fantasy like Tolkien and George RR Martin, crime like Lee Child, and a touch of historical fiction like Bernard Cornwell, you'll love these. Get a copy on Amazon or at jacobsannox.com

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Robert Thorogood, author of 'Death Comes to Marlow' - Mystery writer talks about making stories fun, cosy crime, and stopping the excuses Aug 29, 2023

Robert Thorogood's newest novel is 'Death Comes to Marlow'. It's the 2nd in the 'Marlow Murder Club Mysteries', about a group of amateur sleuths who solve crimes in a quintessentially British town. We talk about his love of cosy crime, why he is inspired by Agatha Christie's need to keep things fun, and why he wanted to write a mystery about where he lives.

Robert created 'Death in Paradise', a tv series that has become a BBC institution, and is just wrapping it's 13th series. You can hear the story behind that, and why a fear of failure still drives him even after a triumphant TV show, and a bestselling book series.

We chat through why he starts early, as early time is bonus time, also why you should always serve dessert first, and why you need to stop tricking yourself that the day isn't right to write.

This week's episode is sponsored by 'The Return of King Arthur', a historical fantasy series by Jacob Sannox. There are 3 in the series, 'The Ravenmaster's Revenge', 'Agravain's Escape' and 'Tristan's Regret'. It's dual-timeline, flashing between modern day and the 5th century. If you enjoy fantasy like Tolkien and George RR Martin, crime like Lee Child, and a touch of historical fiction like Bernard Cornwell, you'll love these. Get a copy on Amazon or at jacobsannox.com

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Jack Jordan, author of 'Conviction' - Thriller writer discusses getting lost in the work, the business side of it, and making the most of success Aug 10, 2023

Jack Jordan's 7th novel is 'Conviction'. It tells the story of Neve Harper, a barrister who must make a terrifyingly tough choice: betray every principle she has and put an innocent man in prison, or put those she loves in mortal danger.

Last summer, his novel, 'Do No Harm', was a runaway success and became a Waterstones 'Thriller of the Month'. We discuss the moment he knew that was becoming big, and how he dealt with the pressure of that when writing new stuff.

You can hear how much he has changed across 13 years of writing, how light works for his dark writing, how he divides his writing time between spaces, and why his quiff is very important.

We chat about why he likes to put his characters in tough situations, why he enjoys the business side of writing, and why he would pay to get lost in his work.

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Fiona Valpy, author of 'The Cypress Maze' - Historical fiction author chats mixing fact with fiction, challenging yourself, and looking through the compost bin Aug 03, 2023

Fiona Valpy is a historical fiction author who has sold millions of books, her work has been translated into more than 30 languages, and she's always up for a challenge.

Her new novel, 'The Cypress Maze', is inspired by the true story of Iris Origo. An English-born woman in Italy, she sheltered refugee children and helped prisoners of war escape during World War II. It's a dual timeline novel, set across 1943 and 2015. We chat about the extensive research that goes into historical fiction, how she keeps track of it all, and why that's led to a filing system overhaul.

Fiona writes for different publishers, doing different things, and we chat about the added pressure that heaps on her writing, and why she's always peering into her compost bin to see which ideas are ready to go.

You can hear how she balances fictional plot with factual history, and how much her visual style utterly absorbs her while she's writing.

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Nick Bradley, author of 'Four Seasons in Japan' - Writer discusses going easy on himself, living in Japan, and intricate plot structure Jul 21, 2023

This week, we're chatting to Nick Bradley. He's an author, a creative writing teacher, a translator, and his new novel is, 'Four Seasons in Japan'. It's about about Flo, a translator in Tokyo. She finds a book on the subway and tries to track down the author and translate it.

We discuss his previous novel, 'The Cat and the City', which was a BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick. Also, how his time living in Japan transformed how he thought of novels, and how he spoke to his characters. You can hear how he's inspired by sitcoms when plotting, and why he takes it easy on himself.

Nick discusses his 5000 word limit across the week, why seeing things from a different perspective can really help, and how life experience makes a writer.

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Jenna Clake, author of 'Disturbance' - Poet and novelist discusses writing spaces, keeping it tight, and how poetry helps novels Jul 17, 2023

This week, we're chatting to Jenna Clake. Her new novel is 'Disturbance', it tells the story of a young woman who, with the help of her strange, witchy neighbour, seems to bring her boyfriends presence back to haunt her. It's eery, creepy, razor sharp and beautifully written.

Jenna began writing with poetry. Her first collection 'Fortune Cookie' won many awards, and she teaches creative writing. We discuss how writing poetry influenced her storytelling, and how much it affects the way she writes novels. You can hear why this story needed to be a book, rather than a poem, but why she still kept it at a tight 200 pages.

Jenna discusses her different writing spaces, how she began unpacking characters, and her very strong font opinions.

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Kerry Chaput, author of 'Chasing Eleanor' - Historical fiction writer discusses dealing with anxiety, returning to writing, and ditching 80,000 words Jul 06, 2023

Kerry Chaput is an award-winning historical fiction author. Her 'Defying the Crown' series has had much success, and her new book is 'Chasing Eleanor'. Set in 1935, it's all about Magnolia Parker, who must protect her sick brothers who get put in an Orphanage. She sets out to find Eleanor Roosevelt, the most famous woman in America, to help bring them home.

We discuss how she researches novels set hundreds of years ago. Also, why she started writing again after putting her pen down, suffering from burnout. You can hear why she wants to be a plotter, but always ends up pantsing, and we chat about why she had to bin 80,000 words.

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JP Rieger, author of 'Clonk!' - How to make detective fiction funny, mixing creativity, and writing out of order Jun 29, 2023

This week, we're joined by JP Rieger, whose brand new novel, 'Clonk!' is out now.

Paul worked as an attorney, and now spends his time as an amateur musician, and writing novels. We talk about how his work as an attorney has affected how much he plans out novels, and why he's quite casual about where and when he writes.

'Clonk!' is about the Baltimore City Police Detective Kev Dixit, seeking the murder of a local artist, and the unique characters that he meets along the way. We run through how he managed to write a detective novel mixed in with his love of absurd, dark humour. Also you can hear why it started as a novel about a London cop, before he took it back to basics and decided to write what he knows.

Paul discusses why he doesn't write in order, why he's happy for anyone to read his books, and how to differentiate protagonists in a world of grisly coppers.

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Rebecca McKanna, author of 'Don't Forget the Girl' - Debut writer discusses fictional true-crime, getting sucked into the story, and what being published feels like Jun 22, 2023

Rebecca McKanna has published short stories in anthologies and quarterlies. Something about one idea made her want to write a full novel. 'Don't Forget the Girl' is about Bree and Chelsea, trying to discover what really happened to their best friend Abby Hartmann. Her presumed murderer, the serial killer Jon Allan Blue, is about to be executed when a flurry of interest in the case makes them turn to a true-crime podcaster to tell Abby's story before it's too late.

We discuss the balance of why people glamourise evil, and what serial killers are really like. Also, why she started writing short stories, what she's learned from being published, and how she researched enough to write fictional true-crime.

You can hear how she managed to tell a good story while making a point about how we view serial killers, also why she starts writing calm and slow before feeling the story pull her in, and how she balances a day job teaching with writing on the side.

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Tim Lott, author of 'Yes! No! But Wait! - The One Thing You Need to Know to Write a Novel' - Award-winner discusses why spaces don't matter, why plot is everything and dealing with guilt Jun 16, 2023

Over Tim Lott's 10 novels, he's won the Whitbread First Novel Award, been shortlisted for The Guardian Kids Book Award and the Costa Award. He's been published in 16 countries, works as a screenwriter, and has taught creative writing for over 10 years. He's got a brilliant Substack page, filled with tips and advice at timlott.substack.com.

His new book is a writing guide, 'Yes! No! But Wait! - The One Thing You Need to Know to Write a Novel'. It takes you through much of the process in getting a book from your head towards publication.

We talk about why it took him 10 years of coaching to actually write the book. Even with that, you can hear why he thinks much of writing is unteachable. Tim explains why plot is everything, the difference between screenwriters and novelists and why where he works bores him.

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Corie Adjmi, author of 'The Marriage Box' - Award-winning writer discusses writing by hand, short stories, and should you always write what you know? Jun 08, 2023

Corie Adjmi's debut novel, 'Life and Other Shortcomings' won a whole bunch of prizes, and has steamrollered her towards the new novel, 'The Marriage Box'.

It's all about Casey Cohen, a 16 year old in New Orleans, and in the 70s, her parents decide to return to their roots and move to the orthodox Syrian jewish community in Brooklyn. In time, Casey meets Michael and marries him at 18 thinking she can adjust to his Syrian ways, but starts to question things when Michael says he doesn’t want her to go to college… but have a baby instead.

The novel is based on a lot of Corie's own experience in that community. She started writing in her 30s, and had 5 children by the time she was 35. We talk about why she started writing short stories in the small snatches of time she could make her own.

You can hear why she starts her day early amongst the bustle of Manhattan, also why she begins by writing by hand, and why she's designing her writing space towards creativity.

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John Wray, author of 'Gone to the Wolves' - Award-winning writer talks about working to hide, switching genre, and taking your time Jun 01, 2023

John Wray is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Whiting Award, he was named as one of the Best Young American Novelists in 2007. He's just published his 6th novel, 'Gone to the Wolves'.

It’s the story of high school outcasts, making their pilgrimage from their small town in Florida, to the famed Hollywood Strip, and off to Norway (enter blackened death metal). Along their vision quest, these teens experience mystery, loss and love, all in the name of music, littered with feelings that feel anything but fiction.

We talk about why themes of punk run through his work, and why he's always keen to switch up the genre. You can hear why he writes to hide, how his view of his work changes through the drafts, and why his writing routine has changed since he was working almost homeless in a friends basement.

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J.D. Kirk, author of 'The One That Got Away' - Prolific writer discusses self-publishing, staying healthy, and his very busy year May 25, 2023

J.D. Kirk is a prolific writer. He's written comics and screenplays, under the name Barry Hutchison he's published over 170 children's books, and is back with a new crime novel, 'The One That Got Away'.

It's the first in the DI Heather Filson series, about a 15 year old girl who doesn’t make it home so is suspected as another teenage runaway. However, when her grandfather, a notorious Glasgow gangster, disagrees, it takes Heather Filson into a battle of underworld enemies, and her own past.

We talk about J.D's decision to self-publish. It certainly comes with more control and freedom, but what about the additional pressure of being responsible for everything when you need to make money for your family? We also run through his relentless writing schedule - he published over 100 books in about 5 years, and you can hear about the peculiar condition he suffers from, and why it makes some aspects of writing easier for him.

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Senta Rich, author of 'Hotel 21' - Screenwriter and author discusses creative collaboration, character arcs, and how to keep believing May 18, 2023

Senta Rich is busy. She has the energy to keep up with everything. She has worked in philosophy, psychology, written radio plays, has a film and TV series in the works, and her new novel, 'Hotel 21' is out now.

It tells the story of Noelle, a kleptomaniac hotel cleaner, and the stories she uncovers. We talk about why, when she had the idea on holiday, she had to drop everything and get it down immediately.

You can hear why she still writes in notebooks, how she spreads energy and time between paid and unpaid projects, and about creative atmosphere she's fostered at home.

We chat through how much her initial, strong character arc changed as she worked through the story, what questions she asks to unravel more of her tale, and there's a brilliant bonus Margaret Atwood tip in there too.

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Jude Yawson, author of 'Rise Up - The #Merky Story So Far' - First LIVE Podcast with Stormzy's co-author about inspiration, commitment and creative spaces May 04, 2023

Jude Yawson edits '14 Magazine', writes film and music reviews, and has co-authored 'Rise Up - The #Merky Story So Far' with Stormzy. It looks behind the scenes at Stormzy's life, the story of his team, and details everything that led to the release of 'Gang Signs and Prayer', Stormzy's debut album that sold millions of copies and won many awards.

We talk about inspiration that comes from working with a team, how important it was to capture the truth of where they grew up and why it's vital to support creatives around you. You can hear why Dragonball Z taught Jude how to structure and plan stories, also why he's aiming to be the best black British writer ever, and about the strange places he likes to write in.

This was recorded at the #Merky Literature Festival in The Roundhouse, Camden on 23rd April 2023.

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Becky Hunter, author of 'One Moment' - A look inside the world of publishing, why thinking about what sells doesn't always work, and dealing with rejection Apr 20, 2023

Becky Hunter's debut novel is 'One Moment'. It looks at best friends Scarlet and Evie, incredibly close until a tragic accident changes everything. It talks about why just one moment makes a huge difference. It's already been sold across the world, and we talk about how this has finally happened. It took Becky a while to get published, and it was only when she stopped thinking about what was on trend and what might sell, that she found the space to write something personal that got her published.

Becky works in the publishing industry, helping others sell their own book, we chat about how she feels now the shoe is on the other book. You can hear why lockdown gave her a very idyllic place to write, why a simple colour change really helps her day, how she dealt with rejection, and why a mix-up let to her plot.

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Tim Weaver, author of 'The Blackbird' - Thriller writer talks about learning from your second book, welcoming the worry, and making people disappear Apr 13, 2023

Tim Weaver is a Sunday Times million copy bestseller, he's been nominated for a National Book Award, is a Richard and Judy Book Club Pick, and has been shortlisted for a CWA Dagger Award.

He's just published his 12th David Raker book, 'The Blackbird'. It follows the story of Cate and Aidan Gascoigne, whose car plunges into a ravine, but the couple vanish. We talk about the challenges writing disappearing persons thrillers, how do you have new ideas about what's happening, and who might be next. We talk about why this is a whydunnit, rather than a whodunnit.

His 13th Raker book, 'The Last Goodbye' is out later this year, and he's currently half way through another one. You can hear how he copes having so many plotlines in his head at the same time, and given he's right in the middle of writing... how he deals with the baggy middle.

You can hear how much he knows about the plot, why he doesn't like to plot too much, and what happens when it all comes together. We get some details about book contracts too, the low-level anxiety he's currently feeling, and why every author always gives the worse advice possible.

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Danya Kukafka, author of 'Notes on an Execution' - Writer talks about the pressure of the second book, the process journal and how to feel the plot Apr 06, 2023

This week, we chat to Danya Kukafka. Her first debut, 'Girl in the Snow', was released in 2017 and was extremely successful. It was a national bestseller, translated in many languages, and then the pressure came. The pressure of that difficult second book... how do you follow up on success?

Danya started to write furiously, and along came 'Notes on an Execution'. It tells the story of Ansel Packer, who is scheduled to die in twelve hours. He knows what he's done, and now awaits execution, the same chilling fate he forced on those girls, years ago. But Ansel doesn't want to die; he wants to be celebrated, understood. Through a kaleidoscope of women--a mother, a sister, a homicide detective--we learn the story of Ansel's life.

We talk about why her writing routine has changed since that book, how she's hopefully made it calmer and healthier. You can hear about her first idea for the story and how it was mostly the feeling of the plot rather than all the details that became clear.

We chat through her process journal, how working in publishing helps her write, and why what she thinks will happen in the book rarely comes true.

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LC North, author of 'The Ugly Truth' - Psychological thriller writer talks about the calmer part of the process, commercial hooks, and celebrity fascination Mar 30, 2023

LC North's new book is 'The Ugly Truth'. It tells the story of Melanie, trapped and convinced she's kidnapped... meanwhile her father says she is in danger and thinking of her own safety. It's inspired by documentaries about similar real-life cases, featuring members of Royalty and even the most famous of celebrities.

We talk about why her writing life is organised, but the other stuff in regular life isn't, also hear why her planning process is like colour by numbers, and how much she analyses the commercial hook of the book... if you want it to sell, you need to think about why people will buy it.

You can hear about why her writing is influenced by her lessons in psychology and also her fascination with celebrity and fame. We chat about why she starts and finishes early and how she gets to know characters even when she's writing out of order.

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Abdulrazak Gurnah, author of 'Afterlives' - 2021 Nobel Prize winner discusses distractions, why reading is as important as writing, and needing blank walls Mar 24, 2023

Abdulrazak Gurnah was forced to flee Zanzibar when he was 18. He draws on that experience to write stories that address colonialism from different angles. His book 'Paradise' was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. His book 'By The Sea' was longlisted for the Booker Prize. He's Professor Emeritus of English and Postcolonial Literatures at the University of Kent, and was awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize for Literature. He only had 9 minutes warning about that, by the way!

The new book tells the story of Ilyas, stolen from his parents by German colonial soldiers, who must now find his way home.

We talk about why he needs a blank wall to write, why he's never bothered with a word count, and how teaching full-time affected his ability to write stories.

You can hear how much he thinks about plot points, how he gets to know his characters, and all about the Nobel Prize.

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Eva Rice, author of 'This Could Be Everything' - Why noise helps work, how characters decide when to appear, and how energy ebbs and flows Mar 17, 2023

Eva Rice has returned with a new novel, 'This Could Be Everything', after a little while away. Her book, 'The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets', was a runner up in the Richard and Judy Book of the Year Prize 2006.

The new one is about February, who has lost everyone and is rudderless, but when a small yellow bird flies into her life, it seems to offer a glimmer of hope.

We talk about the frustration of writing words you know will be cut. Also, why she doesn't like the first bits of plotting, how the characters decided how long they'd stick around for, and why Adrian Mole picks her out of any creative slump.

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Sally Page, author of 'The Keeper of Stories' - Hugely successful debut writer on detailed research, the 'book club' genre, and how old work helps the future Mar 09, 2023

Sally Page's debut is 'The Keeper of Stories'. It's been extremely successful, tapping into book clubs across the country. It's about Janice, who is used to hearing other people's stories, until the elusive, mysterious Mrs B wants her to tell her own.

Sally has done a lot, worked in a flower shop, started a fountain pen business, and hopes that a successful debut will let her write full-time forever. We talk about how prepared she is to write in this genre for a while, and how old manuscripts have her well prepared for the future. Also, why being signed and published means she's no longer doing it alone.

You can hear why she's been surprised by the support of twitter, how she deals with crying while writing on trains, why she becomes obsessive over writing, and why she started research a year before actually writing.

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Ava Glass, author of 'The Chase' - Thriller writer discusses unknown London, switching up timelines, and finding character through flashback Mar 03, 2023

Ava Glass has worked with spies and understands the mechanics of their job. She has taken all that experience and written 'The Chase'. It's the first in the 'Alias Emma' series, and tells the story of a brand new spy, tasked with transporting a wanted Russian target across London in less than a day. The book has already been Amazon's Book of the Month, and is optioned for TV.

We talk about how the logistics of travelling quickly through a big city without being noticed became much clearer as she wrote. You can hear why a switch in timeframe saved the book for her, and why even though she wanted to treat it like a regular job, she had to mix things up.

You can heard how she got to know her character through flashbacks, why she plotted it very tightly for adrenaline, and how the idea all came on a frantic plane-ride.

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Gregg Hurwitz, author of 'The Last Orphan' - New York Times bestseller discusses diving into research, fixing the small things, and advice from James Patterson Feb 24, 2023

This week, we chat to multi-million New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, Gregg Hurwitz. He's written many screenplays, comic books, took charge of Batman, and is known for the 'Orphan X' series. The newest one, 'The Last Orphan', sees Evan Smoak, the Nowhere Man, on one last mission after he was taken from a group home as an orphan and trained as an assassin.

We discuss how he made a plan at the start of his career, in order to make writing a regular job so it could last as long as possible. Also, you can hear how he's managed to get back to a state of pure writing, without any of the distractions that surround success. We chat about how even though he's written and published many books, he still gets stuck in the baggy middle like everyone else.

Gregg runs through his extensive research, which has seen him jump from planes, train with Navy SEALS, and go under cover in mind control cults.

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Georgina Moore, author of 'The Garnett Girls' - Making characters similar but different, how the plot sorts itself out, and why characters do their own thing Feb 17, 2023

Georgina Moore has worked in PR and publishing throughout her career. She understands how books are sold, where they are place and what makes them commercial. She has just published her first novel, 'The Garnett Girls'. It tells the story of Rachel, Imogen and Sasha, struggling to escape their alienated family. It's set across the wild beaches of the Isle of Wight and the glamour of luxurious London. It asks whether children can ever escape the mistakes of their family.

We discuss how to make sisters as characters that are similar, but also different and unique. You can hear how tough it is to realise some characters aren't as fully developed as others - how much do you need to change things and alter your plot to flesh them out more.

We chat about her busy life in PR and how well that has set her up for a career as an author, and how she balances a social life with waking up early to write. She also reveals some embarrassment about what she has asked writers to do for publicity in the past, and why now she's an author herself, she's realised how much more pressure she must have placed on their time.

Send over the best book you have read this year! Suggestions to writersroutine.com please.

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Tom Hindle, author of 'The Murder Game' - Murder mystery writer talks switching between work, learning from the best, and childhood heroes Feb 10, 2023

Tom Hindle published his successful debut, 'A Fatal Crossing', in 2022. It drew comparisons to Agatha Christie and propelled him to the list of mystery writers to watch. He's back with a second whodunnit, 'The Murder Game'. It tells the story of nine guests trapped in one house, when a murder mystery night goes wrong.

We talk about how his writing life has changed since he packed in the full time job, and how he switches between writing for work and for pleasure. You can hear how he tries to be a plotter... but always ends up pantsing, what it was like meeting a major childhood hero, and how he solved the problem of getting two people in the same room at the same time.

Thanks for sending over the best books you've read this year to writersroutine@gmail.com. This week's picks were:

'Before You Knew My Name' by Jacqueline Bublitz, 'The Art of the Gathering' by Priya Parker, 'The Mandrake Company' series by Ruby Lionsdrake, and 'Garden of Lamentations' by Deborah Crombie. Thanks to Andrea, Kate and Cynthia for sending those over.

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Alison Stockham, author of 'The Cuckoo Sister' - Thriller writer talks about overcoming doubt, reading aloud and finding the right word Feb 01, 2023

Alison Stockham's new book is 'The Cuckoo Sister'. It tells the story of Maggie, who has a seemingly perfect life, only... she's cracking under the strain of it all. One day, when Maggie walks out on everything, her sister Rose is all too willing to step into her life.

We talk about why she's half and half between planning and pantsing, also how she overcomes the doubt of good it is, and why every book is brilliant and awful at the same time.

Alison works for the Cambridge Literary Festival, and has worked in documentaries for the BBC and Channel 4, and we discuss how much this experience set her up for writing novels. You can hear why reading aloud to her kids helped her understand pacing and structure, also what questions she asks herself to begin, and what to do when the computer screen stares back at you.

We also run through your best books of the year so far.

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Writer's Routine Revisited: Hugh Montgomery, author of 'Control' - Professor talks making time to write, what makes you creative, and the joy of trying something new. Jan 27, 2023

Hugh 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. We talk about brooding over the idea for the story, escaping to France to write it, and where he thinks the story actually came from.

As he manages to fit in so much into his day, we talk about where he finds the time and why he rations sleep. Also, we talk about why he learns a new skill every year, and how he believes it to be crucial to make time stop flying by.

Also - you can hear a distinguished routine from history with Mason Currey, and grab his new book 'Daily Rituals: Women at Work' here - https://masoncurrey.com/

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Eleanor Shearer, author of 'River Sing Me Home' - Why plotting is emotional, parking downhill, and post-memory Jan 20, 2023

Eleanor Shearer's debut is the acclaimed, 'River Sing Me Home'. It follows Rachel, a slave set free in 1834, and now searching the Caribbean to find her children, stolen from her and sold to other plantations.

We talk about why her ancestors look over her writing, also about the exhibition she attended which reminded her of the stories that she'd wanted to write about, and how post-memory affected her storytelling.

You can hear why plotting for her is a very emotional thing, also why she likes to be surprised by structure, and how parking downhill is extremely helpful.

Share the best book you've read so far this year! Let's start a (small-scale) book club, or more of a story sharing place at writersroutine.com

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Cailean Steed, author of 'Home' - Thriller writer talks about grand teenage ideas, why writing is discovery not creation, and swapping around an entire story Jan 13, 2023

Cailean Steed began writing short stories and audio dramas. She won the 2020 Pen to Print Audio Play Award, and decided to go back to school to learn how to tackle a full novel.

They ended up taking an idea that had been brewing for years, moving it from a grand teenage story of assassins and conspiracy, and turning it into a thrilling tale of sisterly love. Their novel, 'Home', tells the story of Zoe, trying to rescue her sister from a cult they grew up in, and she managed to escape from.

We talk about why Cailean had to swap their entire story around and how that affected each chapter. Also, how they get by dedicating just one day a week to writing. You can hear why Cailean is extremely interested in the way other people see the world, and how much they plotted two timelines, with the same characters, both written in the first person.

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Rosie Andrews, author of 'The Leviathan' - Genre-bending writer talks historical fiction, flexible routines, and how to build your own space Jan 06, 2023

Rosie Andrews' debut novel, 'The Leviathan' was first published last year to much acclaim. It has just come out in paperback. It tells the story of Thomas Treadwater, a soldier who holds a very deep, dark secret that is about to be let loose. It's set in 1643, and is a beguiling tale of murder, myth and mystery. It combines two of Rosie's loves: history and fantastical fiction.

We talk about building her own writing space, but how really all she needs to work is alone time and quiet. You can hear how her process is constantly evolving - she's aware of where she's come from, and where she needs to be. You can hear how the only inspiration she needs is to get out of the house, and how he writing routine needs to be flexible but she has little trouble getting the words out when she needs to.

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Richard Armitage, author of 'Geneva' - Actor talks writing audiobooks, creative exhaustion and what TV taught him about storytelling Dec 22, 2022

Richard Armitage is a very successful actor, appearing in 'The Hobbit'movies, the Harlan Coben Netflix thrillers, and many more besides. He's also one of the most popular narrators for Audible audiobooks. So successful, they invited him to work on his own project for the platform.

The finished story is 'Geneva', a psychological thriller which follows scientist Sarah Collier and her husband Daniel at a global conference, when they realise they're in a high stakes game with hidden players and worldwide consequences.

We talk about his routine whilst staying in hotels all around the world, also how he managed creative exhuastion, and how acting actually gives you a lot of time to think through plot and to plan. You can hear how Richard's routine was mostly thinking things over before hand and working late into the night, often getting dragged off course by his characters.

We learn when he decided to seek out Harlan Coben's advice on psychological thrillers, and how the whole Audible project came about.

The connection Richard and I had was terrible, so you can blame the short run time, and slight editing leaps on that.

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Jonathan Whitelaw, author of 'The Bingo Hall Detectives' - Cosy crime writer talks about getting things done early, being less picky with writing, the 2 page synopsis Dec 16, 2022

Jonathan Whitelaw worked as a journalist in Scotland, covering sport, politics, and everything in between. He's recently moved to the wilderness of Canada, and we talk about the move, and keeping in touch with colleagues and editors half the world away.

His newest novel is 'The Bingo Hall Detectives', which tells the story of Jason Brazel, an out of work journalist who tries to solve a local murder with his mother-in-law. We talk about the rise of cosy crime and why he wanted to write in the genre. You can hear how much he thinks through the puzzle aspects of the mystery, why he's too lazy to be a real plotter, and how the characters drag him away from the 2 page synopsis.

This episode is sponsored by Marthe Jocelyn's new novel, 'The Seaside Corpse'. It's the fourth in the 'Aggie Morton Mystery Queen Series', inspired by Agatha Christie, and set in 1903 Lyme Regis, when a couple of friends discover a body while looking for Dinosaur bones. It's the perfect present for any kids you want to get engaged in reading. Find out more at marthejocelyn.com

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Lucy Hooft, author of 'The King's Pawn' - Why writing flash fiction really helps, thinking about your genre, and plotting like a mini-series Dec 02, 2022

This week we chat to Lucy Hooft. She's had an incredible, interesting career travelling the world. She worked in the UK's Foreign Office and for the Department of International Development, going to work for HRH Queen Rania of Jordan.

Lucy has taken her experience in geopolitics and written her first spy thriller. It's called 'The King's Pawn' and is the first of the Sarah Black series, that looks at a young, female spy. Lucy has planned 5. We talk about planning so much before you even have a contract - did she feel guilty for devoting time to unpaid work?

It's inspired by a real life event no-one has heard of, and takes place around the South Caucus region, which few people know about.

We chat about why her genre demands concision, how it started with writing games to fend off baby brain, and why writing flash fiction helps with full-blown novels.

You can also hear why she has started to structure her books like a Netflix mini-series, and how that's really helped with the plotting.

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Mark Pawlosky, author of 'Hack' - Journalist talks using experience for thrillers, why good writing is re-writing, and keeping a style guide handy Nov 25, 2022

Mark Pawlosky worked as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was an editor for CNBC.com, and is now using that experience of sourcing scoops to write the Nik Byron Investigation series.

The first is 'Hack', it looks at Nik Byron getting the story of how top secret US surveillance technology was stolen. He needs to expose the plot and get the story before he, and it, is silenced.

We talk about brevity, why it's important to keep things tight and not waste everyone's time. Also you can hear why his process is mostly re-reading and re-writing, and why he thinks good writing is re-writing.

And be jealous of Mark's very own, purpose-built, writing room.

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Melvin Burgess, author of 'Loki' - Carnegie Medal winner discusses returning after a break, writing about teenagers, and enjoying yourself Nov 18, 2022

Melvin Burgess had critical acclaim with his novel, 'Junk'. It looks at heroin use among teens in Bristol. It's a hard-hitting novel for teenagers, and won the Carnegie Medal, a prestigious award for Children's and YA writing.

We talk about why he chose such a divisive subject, and what he thinks is the secret to writing for teens.

His new novel is 'Loki', it tells the story of the politics of ancient Asgard, and is a heartfelt plea to overthrow the gods of authority. We discuss the idea for the book, and why it was partly inspired by recent political events. You can hear why he's interested in the process of powers lying. Also about the strange badge of honour he prides himself.

Melvin wrote furiously for about 20 years while supporting a family, but has since been enjoying himself more. We discuss why he's returned to writing, his first novel for adults, and what to do when you've worked extremely hard on something that turns out to be naff.

There is swearing in this episode.

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S.K. Tremayne, author of 'The Drowning Hour' - Travel writer and author discusses working anywhere, escaping to write, and why discipline is key Nov 11, 2022

This week, we're chatting to S.K. Tremayne. He's a travel writer and novelist, whose new novel is 'The Drowning Hour'.

Sean has written many books, under many different names. He had success during the Da Vinci Code book of the mid 2000's, under the name Tom Knox, with his book, 'The Genesis Secret' and its sequels.

His new novel follows Hannah, a publicist for The Stanhope, a once grand hotel in Essex. On it's re-opening, some drunken guests disappear into the ocean, and Hannah has to figure out what happened, and handle the scandal.

We talk about why, when he's writing, it doesn't matter where he is, the only thing that needs to be good is the idea. Also, why he likes to escape to write, and we get to the big question... how DO you become a travel writer?

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Philip Wilding, author of 'The Death and Life of Red Henley' - Ghostwriting, changing how you write, and different parts of your brain Nov 04, 2022

Philip Wilding is a fantastic storyteller, and a brilliant talker of storytelling. He's worked as a radio producer for many national stations, written as a journalist following bands across the world, and has ghostwritten memoirs, including Carl Barat of The Libertines.

His newest novel is 'The Death and Life of Red Henley'. It's a noir novel about 1980's New York, a religious commune in Tennessee, and the myriad characters entwined in the death of Red Henley.

We talk about how it was written because of old ambitions and checklists he about writing a novel, also how working for him is a bit feast or famine, and how that infects the attitude of how his work is going.

You can hear why he leaves time between writing books, and how he switches on different parts of hid brain depending on the work he's doing.

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Cristina Bendek, author of 'Salt Crystals' - Caribbean writer talks about needing the rain, writing to discover identity, and how poetry reminds her of what's important Oct 28, 2022

This week, we chat to Cristina Bendek. Her novel 'Salt Crystals' was published in 2018, and won the Elisa Mujica National Novel Prize. It's about the island of San Andres, and Victoria trying to make sense of everything. It's just been translated and published in the UK.

We talk about how it's a slightly autobiographical novel, reflecting on Cristina's own time in an island trying to figure out its place in the world. We talk about the geopolitical situation of it, and how that influenced why she wanted to write the book. You can hear why rain is the best thing for her writing, why setting a word count doesn't work, and how much she thinks about words and language in her prosaic writing.

You can hear why chatting to yourself is key, why she needed to plan this one out more before she started, and what it was like working with a translator.

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Felix Francis, author of 'Hands Down' - Bestselling writer talks about learning at the fiction factory, taking over from his dad, and challenging himself Oct 20, 2022

This week, we chat to Felix Francis. His new book is the next in the 'Dick Francis Series', it's called 'Hands Down' and features Sid Halley looking into a conspiracy that threatens the heart of horse-racing.

Felix is carrying on the prolific work of his dad, Dick Francis. Dick was an RAF pilot, a champion race jockey, and then a phenomenally bestselling author. Between them they've publish 50 books and sold over 80 million copies. We talk about the transition of him taking the reins (!) of the writing, how he learned from his father and many other authors, and how he's developed his own style.

You can hear how he challenges himself with different styles and viewpoints to keep things fresh, also why writing easy reading isn't a challenge, and how much he thinks about getting new readers.

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Pascal Engman, author of 'Femicide' - Bestselling Swedish writer discusses planning pressure, the international audience, and the perfect first draft Oct 13, 2022

Pascal Engman is the bestselling Swedish novelist of his generation, called 'the next Steig Larsson'. He has sold plenty of books around the world, and they're now being published in the UK. His new one is 'Femicide, it looks at 'incel' culture. Involuntary celebates who hate women, and what happens when they switch off their laptops and do something about it in real life.

We chat about completely different parts of the world he writes in, and how much pressure he puts on 9 months of his year to try and write a book in the last 3. Also, you can hear why he tries to make his first draft as perfect as possible, because he hates editing so much. We chat about why he wants to entertain and teach in his novels, and how much he thinks about the international audience when he's writing... particularly the jokes.

You can hear about the original blueprint for the novel and how much it changes, how he deals with time away from writing, and what his favourite font is.

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Marthe Jocelyn, author of 'The Seaside Corpse' - Children's writer discusses getting 50 books done, plotting mystery, and writing exercises Oct 06, 2022

Marthe Jocelyn is about to publish her 50th book. It's called 'The Seaside Corpse', and is the 4th in the Aggie Morton Mystery Queen series. It's based on a young Agatha Christie, who solves crimes with her best friend Hector Poirot. The new one takes place in 1903 Lyme Regis, when searching for dinosaurs, Aggie comes across a dead body.

We talk about how much she plots mysteries, and why this story has made her mix that up a bit. Also, you can hear how accurate she wants to get her story to real-life 1903 Lyme Regis, and how she researches it. You can hear how much she thinks about how her books look, how a form of peer pressure helps her write, and how using writing exercises, like only using one-syllable words, can really help you think about the story.

You can find out more about Marthe's work at marthejocelyn.com!

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David Bell, author of 'The Finalists' - Author and lecturer discusses whether deadlines help, making locked-room stories engaging, and why he loves a routine Sep 29, 2022

This week, we chat to author and lecturer David Bell. He's just published his 12th book, 'The Finalists'. It looks at a group of prospective college students, and the lengths they might go to gain a prestigious fellowship. Think 'The Breakfast Club' with murder.

His novel, 'Kill All Your Darlings', was nominated for an Edgar Award, and he's written his books whilst lecturing English and writing at University. We talk about how he balances his time teaching writing, and actually writing. You can also hear how he makes a locked room story consistently engaging, when your characters can't really go very far... how do you make it gripping for a reader?

We talk about making stock characters unique, whether deadlines change, how knowing you've done it once can really help you believe you can do it again, and why he absolutely loves a routine.

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Gordon J. Brown, author of 'Six Wounds' - Crime writer discusses pseudonyms, writing anywhere, and words you know will be cut Sep 15, 2022

Gordon J. Brown has just published his 9th novel, it's called 'Six Wounds' and is published under the name Morgan Cry. We talk about why he's started writing under a different name, and how a certain ex-Prime Minister played a part in that.

The book was inspired by a conversation in a Spanish pub, investigating how an ex-pat can be in two places at once. You can hear the process of moving that idea into a full book. It's about Daniella Coulstoun, the prime suspect in the murder of a notorious gangster, who must find the real killer fast.

We talk about how Gordon can write anywhere, how Stephen King inspired his writing routine, and how he copes with writing words he know will be cut. You can hear about his confusing filing system, how putting someone on a flight cut almost 40k words, and why he thinks Scotland is so synonymous with crime-writing.

Gordon is a co-founder of 'Bloody Scotland', one of Europe's biggest crime-writing festivals. Find out more at bloodyscotland.com

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Emily Houghton, author of 'Last Time We Met' - Re-drafting, making rom-com unique, and how to write an entire book on your phone Sep 08, 2022

Emily Houghton managed to write the entire draft of her very first novel on her phone, whilst travelling around the world. That novel, 'Before I Saw You', was a huge success and she's followed it up with 'Last Time We Met'.

It's about Eleanor and Finn, who make a pact to marry each other if they're single at 35. Then, 15 years later, they bump into each other... what do you think happens?

We talk about how writing her new book has been completely different than getting her first down on her phone. Also you can hear about her re-drafts, why she's had to be more structured in writing, and how she plans scene breakdowns.

Emily talks about uplit and rom-com, and how she strives to make hers different, also about finding your voice, and what she perceives her own style to be.

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Robert Murphy, author of 'To Hunt a Killer ' - News reporter talks about co-writing, telling stories from real-crime, and hitting deadlines Sep 01, 2022

Robert Murphy has worked as a news reporter for many years. Over the last decade or so, Robert followed the tragic story of Melanie Road. Melanie was murdered in Bath in 1984, after a year long enquiry with 94 arrests being made, no-one was charged. Then in 2009, Detective Superintendent Julie MacKay found something that changed everything.

Julie has co-written the story with Robert. We talk about how that worked, how he discovered every facet of the story, and moved that into a plot. You can hear how much thought they gave to the standards of genre fiction, when dealing with true crime and peoples lives - how much can you manipulate the story to be gripping and thrilling, when you're talking about such a tragic tale?

We discuss how he organises a full-time creative job, with a creative hobby, and what his home life is like with a partner who also writes... and works in TV news.

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Lexie Elliott, author of 'How to Kill Your Best Friend' - When the title comes before the plot, how lockdown changes writing spaces, and finding the story's voice Aug 25, 2022

Lexie Elliott accomplishes things. She graduated from the University of Oxford with a degree in theoretical physics (?!) became a championship-winning swimmer, and even swam the English Channel.

She's just published her third novel, 'How to Kill Your Best Friend'. It tells the story of 3 friends who met on the college swim team. Years later, one is found dead in the ocean near a remote island. Can an elite swimmer really have drowned, or is something else going on?

We talk about why she wanted to make the location of the story one of the central characters, also how she's had to be much better with deadlines after becoming a full-tiime writer, and how lockdown has changed where she writes.

You can hear why she's pushed to be a writer in amongst everything else she's achieved, when she got a hold on her writing voice, and how quite rarely... the title came before the plot.

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Barnaby Jameson, author of 'Codename: Madeleine' - Counter-terrorist lawyer and writer discusses curated consciousness, political turmoil and telling stories in court Aug 18, 2022

Barnaby Jameson Q.C is one of the country's top counter-terrorist lawyers, involved in notorious cases involved bomb-threats and plans to assassinate MPs. In his time between cases, he's worked on a new thriller, 'Codename: Madeleine'.

It's inspired by the story of Poor Inayat Khan, an agent behind enemy lines. We talk about the idea, how he researched it and plotted out a story inspired by fact. Also you can hear how his writing is a curated stream of consciousness, where he escapes to write, and how he switches off part of his brain to write instead of lawyer.

We chat about how he gets better at telling stories in court, what the first kernel of a plot-idea was, and how unique the politically-charged landscape is right now.

I'll be hosting two sessons at Bloody Scotland, if you fancy a nice weekend break hearing from the best crime-writers in idyllic Stirling.

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Ruth Ware, author of 'The It Girl' - International bestseller talks about changing characters, going full time and the difficult middle Aug 11, 2022

Ruth Ware is an international bestseller, who has just published her 7th crime thriller, 'The It Girl'.

It tells the story of April, a vivacious, bright girl at the University of Oxford, who quickly draws a group of friends into her dazzling orbit. Until, one morning she is found dead. 10 years later, new information surfaces about the crime, and changes Hannah's life... her testimony was key to sending a man to prison. It means, one of her friends might have done killed 'The It Girl'.

Ruth's books, 'The Lying Game', 'The Woman in Cabin 10', 'In a Dark, Dark Wood', 'The Death of Mrs Westaway', 'The Turn of the Key', and 'One by One' have all been huge bestsellers, and there's a lot of noise about her new novel.

We discuss her move from YA to adult, crime fiction. Also why the hardest part of writing crime, is figuring out why someone will try to solve the mystery. You can hear how she gets through the tricky 30k word mark, and why her writing space is almost perfect.

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Sarah Pearse, author of 'The Retreat' - Reese Witherspoon Book Club writer discusses moving to long-form fiction, changing scenes, and moving locations Jul 28, 2022

This week, we chat to Sarah Pearse. Her debut novel, 'The Sanatorium', was the best selling debut fiction book of 2021. It was a New York Tiimes and Sunday Times bestseller, a Waterstones Thriller of the Month, and a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick.

Her new one is called, 'The Retreat'. Set on an eco-wellness retreat on an island near Devon, it promises rest and relaxation, yet the locals believe it to have a cursed past. When a young woman is found murdered nearby, DS Elin Warner is called in to investigate.

We chat about how her writing routine is slightly dictated by family, where she moves for inspiration, and how she changes scenes that she wrote in the first few days of an idea.

You can hear how much she thinks about pacing and structure when writing genre, why her best thoughts come at night, and how she found moving from short stories to full on novels.

This week's episode of the show is supported by 'Believe Me Not', the fantastic new novel by Natalie Chandler.

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Andrew White, author of 'The Walker Mysteries' - Finding places for your creativity, doing rather than thinking, and writing what you know Jul 21, 2022

Andrew White is a do-er. He's written factual pieces for BBC Countryfile magazine, Rail Britain, written AA Guidebooks, and runs the Walks Around Britain YouTube channel and presents its TV shows.

During lockdown, Andrew found that there wasn't much call for long-form walks around the country, when everyone was told to stay inside, so found a new outlet for his creativity. He started coming up with plot-lines for his first novel. He came up with over 30 of them, and 'The Walker Mysteries' were born. The first is 'A New World', which sees DCI Charlotte Walker investigating a local mystery.

We talk about how wrote a female character around 20 years younger than him, also why he chose to self-publish, and why he's currently writing 3 books at once.

Also you can hear how technology really helps him as a dyslexic writer, how he spreads his creative energy across different things, and how far in the future he's thinking with these stories.

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Emma Bamford, author of 'Deep Water' - Writer and memoirist discusses scene breakdowns, moving to full time writing, and switching from real life to fiction Jul 14, 2022

Emma Bamford is a journalist and memoirist whose debut novel, 'Deep Water' is out right now. About a decade ago, Emma quit her job and escaped to Borneo with a complete stranger. She told this story in her memoirs, 'Casting Off' and 'Untie the Lines'. We talk about writing memoir: why other people want to read about your life, and how you keep records of adventures to write them later on.

'Deep Water' tells the story of Jake and Virginie, who after a traumatising experience at sea, find sanctuary in a remote island... until the island starts to reveal more secrets than they know. We talk about the exact moment she had the idea for the story, how she reverse-engineered her scene breakdown, and how much the story changed whilst she was writing it.

You can hear why she's moving house with a new office in mind, how challenging she found moving from writing memoirs to fiction, and what she does when the words aren't coming out.

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Benjamin Wood, author of 'The Young Accomplice' - Why routines are helpful, separating work and creativity, and learning creative writing Jul 07, 2022

Benjamin Wood has been shortlisted for the Costa First Novel award and the Commonwealth Book Prize, he's a CWA Gold Dagger nominee and a finalist for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year. He also lectures creative writing at King's College.

His 4th novel is 'The Young Apprentice'. It looks at Charlie and Joyce, recently released from borstal and starting a new life as an architecture apprentice. Until a figure from Joyce's past creeps back into her world, trying to drag them back to their old criminal life.

We talk about the separation between work and creativity, and how that's affected where he writes. Also why he uses longhand to get a different angle on a story, and what people learn in a creative writing lecture.

This week's episode is sponsored by 'Waiting for Jetpacks', the new short story collection, by John Lockhart. Grab a copy here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Waiting-Jetpacks-John-Lockhart-ebook/dp/B08GM4SC68

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Mary Adkins, author of 'Palm Beach' - Writing coach talks about playing for work, selling rights, and switching to editing mode Jul 01, 2022

Mary Adkins is the author of critically acclaimed novels, 'Palm Beach', 'When You Read This', and 'Privilege'. She has used her experience of writing, publishing and also teaching, to become a writing coach. Her 'Book Incubator' programme looks to help you on the difficult journey to publishing. It uses how creative you are, how outgoing you are, and what your day is like, to plan the perfect method for your writing, and helps you write, revise and pitch your novel.

We talk about why she sets up her writing space to make her think she's playing, not writing. Also how she discovered she's a morning person, and how she uses music to change her place and space. You can also hear the best tips and tricks she's learned as a writing mentor, including how to get to know your character, what to do with an initial idea, and why people find it so hard switching between writing and editing.

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Colette Dartford, author of 'The Mortification of Grace Wheeler' - Kindle bestseller talks about quiet spaces, character summaries, and self-publishing Jun 16, 2022

Colette Dartford's debut, 'Learning to Speak American', was shortlisted for an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. She followed up this success with her second, 'An Unsuitable Marriage', was a Kindle bestseller for 18 months.

For her new novel she's made an interesting decision. In August, she'll self-publish, 'The Mortification of Grace Wheeler'. She's done this to have more creative control over publishing, marketing and pricing, and is almost doing it as a one-book experiment. She gets deep into the reasons why she has done this, and there's some fantastic advice to help you make a similar choice.

The novel is about Grace, in a marriage with a much older man, whose son leaves for University. She becomes an empty-nester, and in a bid for excitement, is drawn into an affair with terrible consequences.

We talk about why she has stopped doing detailed summaries of characters, why all she needs to write is a quiet space and a laptop, and how much expert help she gets before sending the work off.

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Janice Hallett, author of 'The Appeal' - Sunday Times Bestseller discusses unique story structure, figuring out the murderer, and the moment of success Jun 09, 2022

Janice Hallett career started as a magazine editor, journalist and speech writer. Her first feature film, Retreat, starred Cillian Murphy, Thandiwe Newton and Jamie Bell. She's written speeches for the Home Office, the Cabinet Office and many others. Her frustration at getting screenplays adapted for TV and film prompted her to start writing novels. What a decision.

Her debut, 'The Appeal', has achieved phenomenal success. It's been shared widely online by book communities, sold lots of copies and was one of Sunday Times Crime Novels of 2021.

It's a murder-mystery set in a tight-knit village community staging an amateur dramatic production, and is all told through emails and messages. We discuss why she set a book in this novel way, and how her career as a screenwriter helped with that.

We talk about the moment she knew her book might be taking off, also why she works seven days a week, and how much she reverse-engineers a murder mystery. You can hear how she figured out who the killer was, how her characters mirror different parts of her personality, and about her newest novel, 'The Twyford Code'.

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Mark Ellis, author of 'Dead in the Water' - Crime writer discusses huge first drafts, long-term character planning, and crime during the war Jun 02, 2022

Mark Ellis started work as a lawyer, then ran his own business, and is now 5 books into his own crime series. It's all about Detective Frank Merlin, who investigates crimes during World War 2, a time in which committing crimes was relatively easy.

His new book is 'Dead in the Water', which looks at how a mangled body found in the Thames and a missing piece of art are connected. We talk about how much he plans long-term for his characters, why he overwrites his first draft and how he goes about cutting it down. You can hear how he gets ideas for Frank's adventures, and why sometimes it's easier to let the characters take care of things themselves.

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Jessica Payne, author of 'Make Me Disappear' - Psychological thriller writer discusses switching genre, balancing a busy work-life, and her determination to get published May 27, 2022

Jessica Payne had 3 failed attempts at getting published. It took a genre switch to finally get her book out there and on the shelves. Her debut is 'Make Me Disappear', about a woman so desperate to escape her sociopathic boyfriend, she's prepared to go to extreme lengths to get away.

We talk about why she was so determined to get published, also how she balances a hectic work-life where her husband works 90 hour weeks, while she looks after her toddler and manages to write novels. You can hear how she got to know her characters, and how she keeps her creative time sacred.

Jessica also hosts the #MomsWritersClub on Twitter, with lots of excellent writing and publication advice.

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Scott Kershaw, author of 'The Game' - Debut writer discusses his journey to being published, writing anywhere, and how agents help May 19, 2022

Scott Kershaw has had an interesting route to being published. Leaving school with few qualifications, he signed up as a mature student in college. Whilst there, his work was spotted by the Head of Writing at Hull University, and despite having no A Levels or even filling in a UCAS application, he was offered a place and graduated with a First Class Degree in Creative Writing.

It's all led to his debut, 'The Game'. It follows five strangers from across the globe who receive a warning that their most loved person is in danger, and the only way to save them is to play... the game.

We discuss how he worked on the idea with his agent, also how he's managed to write in between renovating a house, and how music changes his writing mood.

PLUS, you can hear the first full chapter of 'The Game' audiobook at the end of the show.

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Dervla McTiernan, author of 'The Murder Rule' - Lawyer turned bestseller talks about thorough planning, growing as a writer, and editing tricks May 13, 2022

Dervla McTiernan was an Irish lawyer for 12 years. After the global financial crash, she moved to Australia and became a crime-writer. After a short-story was nominated for a prestigious prize, her debut 'The Ruin' achieved great success, and she's become a runaway bestseller.

Her new novel, 'The Murder Rule', looks at The Innocence Project, which looks to exonerate wrongly convicted criminals. Only this book turns it on its head when a woman doesn't want to save a man on death row... but bury him.

We talk about her extremely thoroughly planned writing days, how she's always looking to grow and change as a writer. You can hear how new editing tricks, how she gets to know her characters, and exactly how hard it is to take on a novel.

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Joanna Cannon, author of 'A Tidy Ending' - Sunday Times Bestseller discusses very early mornings, writing on the move and why myths hold you back Apr 28, 2022

Joanna Cannon's debut novel, 'The Trouble with Goats and Sheep' was an instant hit and became a Sunday Times Bestseller. She wrote it in very early mornings and in her lunch break, working in her car in an NHS car park, in between shifts as a Doctor.

Becoming a writer is the third act of a busy life, Joanna left school at fifteen, worked as a barmaid, kennel maid and pizza delivery girl before qualifying as a Doctor in her forties. Now, she's a full-time author.

Her new book, 'A Tidy Ending', about Linda, Strange Terry and Rebecca who used to live in the house before them. It's a character driven story, and Joanna loves learning about these characters as she goes. Jo knows the last line of a story when she starts and very little else.

We talk about her ludicrously early starts, why she hands in an almost perfect draft, why theme is the most important thing, and how procrastinating is sometimes more important than actual writing.

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Gracie Hart, author of 'The Baker's Girl' - Saga novelist talks about being a proud Northerner, perfect drafts and writing fiction in history Apr 21, 2022

Gracie Hart is a saga novelist, her stories focus on a family's troubles through history. She loves writing of the late-Victorian era, and immerses herself in the place and time that she's looking at.

Her new novel, out in paperback, is 'The Baker's Girl'. It tells the story of Meg who needs to keep her family together. Her mum is ill, her sister in school, and she is the breadwinner... and indeed, the breadmaker. She finds a job with Ted Lund in the local bakery, and in the face of his mismanagement and mistreatment, has to turn the failing business, and her family around.

We talk about what writing saga fiction means to her, also what her fans expect from a Gracie Hart story. You can hear how the idea came from her own family's business and an idea off the telly, and why her first drafts need to be near on perfect.

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Laure Van Rensburg, author of 'Nothing But Us' - Thriller writer discusses learning to plot, writing around work, and writing what you don't know Apr 14, 2022

Laure Van Rensburg has been highly acclaimed with short stories, been published in magazines, and her debut, 'Nothing But Us', is out now.

It tells the story of Steven and Ellie, a professor and a student, on a romantic getaway to an isolated New York cabin. It's meant to be the perfect getaway, but he's not who he says he is... and neither is she.

We talk about why she's set it in a part of America she's never been to, confounding most debut practice by writing what she doesn't know. Also you can hear how Laure writes around her full-time job, how she's learned to be a plotter and why spreadsheets have really helped with that.

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Sara Blaedel, author of 'A Harmless Lie' - Denmark's 'Queen of Crime' talks about having an organised day, selling internationally, and killing for a living Apr 07, 2022

Sara Blaedel is Denmark's 'Queen of Crime'. 3 million copies have been sold in Denmark alone. The country has under 6 million people living in it.

She's published 25 books, and is best known for her Detective Louise Rick stories. The new one is 'A Harmless Lie', in which Louise has to rush back from holiday in Thailand, after a panicked phone call from her father. Her brother has attempted suicide, and everything is entangled in his estranged wife, and a girl who went missing a decade before.

We discuss her organised and thorough work-day, also how much she thinks about an international audience when she writes in Danish, and why she returns to write about murders for a living, which can be hugely emotionally draining.

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Philippa East, author of 'Safe and Sound' - CWA New Blood Dagger nominee talks about being inspired by work, learning the craft, and the doubt demon Mar 31, 2022

Philippa East's debut, 'Little White Lies', was nominated for a CWA New Blood Dagger Award in 2020, one of the highest prizes in crime fiction.

She works as a clinical psychologist, using inspiration from her work to write thrillers. Her new one, 'Safe and Sound', was inspired by a documentary she saw. It tells the story of Sarah Jones - pretty, charismatic, and full of life, who is found dead in her home. The strange thing is... she's been lying there for 10 months.

We talk about what she did after having the first idea, how did she turn a true story from a documentary into her own novel, also how the names in the novel really matter, and how she finally knew the novel was done.

Philippa is big into learning the craft. She vociferously reads writing books, talks to other authors and listens to this show. We chat about how consciously she makes the improvements that she learns about along the way.

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Danny Wallace, author of 'The Luckiest Kid in the World' - Storyteller talks about where ideas go, the guilt of not working, and saying yes Mar 25, 2022

Danny Wallace is an ideas-man and a doer. He's started his own kindness cult, tracked down all his long-lost friends, and spent a whole year saying yes to everything. Danny has published adult books, kids books, and has a new one out, 'The Luckiest Kid in the World'.

It's all about a boy who is determined to be the most average child ever, and that very fact makes him extremely unusual. We talk about the having the idea and what he needs to know before he starts writing, also where he sometimes escapes to write and how he explored the pandemic for kids. You can hear how having children has affected his writers routine, where he writes now, and why he needs the radio on to tell stories.

He runs a website called Assembly, and a podcast called Manatomy, which is a place for modern men. Also, hosts a weekly show on Radio X, and we discuss how he decides where ideas go. Are they a work of fiction, non-fiction, a podcast idea, or something to talk about on his radio show?

You can read more about Danny here - https://dannywallace.com/

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Luca Veste, author of 'You Never Said Goodbye' - The pressure of full-time writing, sitting on an idea, and a year in the life of a writer Mar 18, 2022

Luca Veste is fully immersed in the fantastic writing community. He's blogged, he podcasts with 'Two Crime Writers and a Microphone', plays in the 'Fun Lovin' Crime Writers', co-founded the 'Locked In Festival' and has published many books. He's most known for the 'Murphy and Rossi' novels, and for writing across many genres.

His new one, 'You Never Said Goodbye', is about Sam Cooper who lost his Mum early in life, and then years later learns a secret from his Dad that changes everything. We talk about how it came from an idea Luca has sat on for a little while, also how he works with an editor, and what a year looks like in the life of a full-time author.

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Claire Frost, author of 'The One' - Dedicating a day to write, learning from reviewing and when do you feel like a writer? Mar 11, 2022

Until very recently, Claire Frost worked full-time as a book reviewer for 'Fabulous'. After years reading and chatting to authors, she chose to work 4 days a week, and dedicate a whole day to writing.

She has published 3 books, 'Married at First Swipe', 'Living My Best Life', and her new book is, 'The One'. It's about Lottie Brown, who has finally found The One. Leo is everything she’s ever wanted – he’s handsome, kind, funny and totally gets her. Three months into their relationship, Lottie is in love and happier than ever before. When Leo tragically dies, Lottie learns more about the man she thought she knew, and starts to question whether Leo really was as perfect as he seemed.

We talk about the pressure of needing to get stuff done in a day, what she has learned from book reviewing, and the moment she finally knew she was a writer.

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Stacy Willingham, author of 'A Flicker in the Dark' - Crime writer talks about switching spaces, learning from work, and being optioned for TV Mar 04, 2022

Stacy Willingham has just published her debut novel, 'A Flicker in the Dark'. The novel follows Chloe Davis, whose world was torn apart at 12 years old when her father confessed to the murder of six teenage girls in their small Louisiana town. 20 years later, Chloe is a successful psychologist in Baton Rouge. But when a local girl disappears, she starts to unravel. The rights have been optioned by the actress Emma Stone, and it's currently being developed for HBO Max. We talk about how it feels to have so many writers dreams seem to be coming true.

Stacy worked full-time in marketing and copywriting before publishing novels and we discuss how writing snappy slogans has affected the way she tells stories. You can hear about her specifically designed writing space, also why she moves around for the second draft, and how other authors inspire what she writes.

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Nadine Matheson, author of 'The Jigsaw Man' - Balancing work and writing, writing about your home town, and accidentally going back to school Feb 25, 2022

Nadine Matheson is busy. Busy, busy, busy. She works as a criminal lawyer, has found time to go back to school, and publish her debut novel, 'The Jigsaw Man'.

The book is a police procedural about Inspector Henley, tasked with finding the killer of bodies found along the River Thames in London. It's set in the area she grew up and we talk about why she wanted, and how she managed, to accurately portray her ends of the City.

We talk about how she gets inspiration from her work as a criminal lawyer, how comic books help her plot, and why she ended up back to school accidentally.

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Rudy Ruiz, author of 'The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez' - Social activism, language and structure, and classic Mexican songs Feb 18, 2022

This week we chat to Rudy Ruiz, about his new novel, 'The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez'. Rudy has been a finalist for the International Latino Book Awards, and has written extensively about the Mexican/ US border.

The new book weaves that social activism into a novel, telling the story of a man seeking redemption and the American Dream in the face of a mystical family curse. We talk about where the idea came from, how Mexican songs helped shaped the story, and why culture and heritage plays such a big role in his writing.

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Ellen Alpsten, author of 'The Tsarina's Daughter' - Blending fact with fiction, what to research next, and writing extravagantly Feb 11, 2022

Ellen Alpsten has worked in TV, as a producer and presenter, she's won short story competitions, teaches creative writing, and has just published her second book, 'The Tsarina's Daughter'. It's based on Catherine the 1st of Russia's daughter, Elizabeth.

We talk about research, how she knows want to look into next, and how she blends historical fact with fiction. Also you can hear how getting published completely changed the way she writes, and get inspired by her publication story.

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Harriet Kline, author of 'This Shining Life' - Using work as inspiration, the monster that gets her started and the meaning of life Feb 04, 2022

Harriet Kline is an award-winning short story writer. 'Ghost' won the Hissac short story competition, 'Chest of Drawers', the London Magazine short story competition. Her work has been published online, in magazines and played out on BBC Radio.

Her debut novel is 'This Shining Life'. It's all about Ruth, who loses her husband Rich, and sets out on a mission with her son Ollie to solve puzzles he left for them, in a bid to discover the meaning of life. It's funny, beautiful and about love and loss.

It was inspired by the sad death of a friend, which oddly made her feel more alive than ever, and also her work as a registrar, where she is surrounded by life and death all day.

We talk about how she tried to find the meaning of life while writing the story, also why it started out as many short stories, and about the monster that gets her to work in the morning.

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Paul Bradley Carr, author of '1414 Degrees' - Journalist, novelist and memoir writer discusses debut novels, leaving things late, and the dark side of Silicon Valley Jan 26, 2022

Paul Bradley Carr has spent his career as a journalist uncovering the dark side of Silicon Valley. He's reported on it for The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, Private Eye, and many more. He founded NSFWCorp in Las Vegas, and hosted the nightly NSFWLive radio show. Now he's taken that experience to pen his first work of fiction, '1414 Degrees'.

It's not Paul's first published book. He's written memoirs 'The Upgrade', 'Bringing Nothing to the Party', Sober is my New Drunk', and 'We'll Always Have the Flamingo', which document his life travelling around the world, living in hotels and getting sober.

'1414 Degrees' is a murder mystery set in Silicon Valley, with Lou McCarthy investigating someone murdering billionaires.

We talk about why he leaves everything late, how he became a memoirist, what writing columns taught him about telling stories, and how much he knows about where the story is heading.

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Anna Kent, author of 'The House of Whispers' - Domestic Noir writer talks about the 3 act structure, pseudonyms, and learning to write genre Jan 21, 2022

This week, we're joined by Anna Kent, with her sort-of-debut novel, 'The House of Whispers'.

See Anna Kent, is also Annabel Kantaria, who has already published 4 books. This is her first as Anna Kent. It's domestic noir, so treads the line between eerie psychological thriller, and chilling whodunnits at home. We talk about how she learned to write genre, and what she pays attention to when structuring the novel, also how she knows when to carry on writing.

'The House of Whispers' tells the story of Grace and Abi, friends who parted ways at Uni. Then Grace returns into Abi's life... and they slip back into the comforts of each other's lethal charm and company.

You can hear how she got published, about the contest she entered, and the meeting with a publisher that changed her life.

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Sarah Alderson, writer of 'The Stalker' - Author and screenwriter talks about writing for TV, strategic thinking, and the 10-day drafts Jan 14, 2022

Sarah Alderson is busy. Busy, busy, busy. So busy, she takes a break from her writing job to write the novels she loves. Sarah works as a screenwriter in LA for S.W.A.T on CBS, and finds tiny slithers of time to get books down. In the past, this has led her to getting a draft done in 10 days.

She's written YA, psychological thrillers, her novel 'The Weekend Away' has been adapted for Netflix, published romance stories under a pseudonym, and her new novel 'The Stalker', is out now. It's about newlyweds Liam and Laura, honeymooning on a secluded island, who realise quickly... they aren't as alone as they thought.

We talk about the quotes that help her carry on, also why she escaped the world to start her writing career, and why she's become strategic in her plotting in order to get stuff done quickly. You can hear about life in a bustling, competitive L.A writer's room, why she started planning after 10 novels of pantsing, and why she's begun saying no.

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Rosanna Amaka, author of 'The Book of Echoes' - Debut writer talks creative places, plotting, and a novel 2 decades in the making Jan 07, 2022

Our first guest of 2022 is Rosanna Amaka. Her debut novel is 'The Book of Echoes', which tells the story of 16 year old Michael, always in trouble, who falls in love with Ngozi, a young Nigerian immigrant. It was shortlisted for The Author's Club First Novel award, also the RSL Christopher Bland Prize, and the HWA Debut Crown Award.

It's a story Rosanna has tried to get published for 20 years, and she reveals the secrets to how it finally happened.

We talk about the creative buzz of the area she wrote the novel in, and how that affected things, also how the story drove her to write on, and why it's told through the eyes of the spirit of an African Slave.

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Alice Hunter, author of 'The Serial Killer's Wife' - Psychological Thriller writer talks about working in a prison, genre tricks, and a chaotic work space. Dec 10, 2021

For our last episode of the year, we chat to psychological thriller debutant Alice Hunter. Her book is 'The Serial Killer's Wife', and tells the story of Beth Hardcastle, whose perfect marriage is obliterated when the police show up and report her husband Tom is missing.

Alice worked in prisons, part of a team offering rehabilitation courses to in-mates, often those who'd committed violent crimes. That, and her psychology degree, offered her vast experience to write the book. We talk about how conversations with in-mates wives prompted the idea for the book, and then how she streamlined the idea and worked on character.

You can hear about Alice's working day, her chaotic work-space, and how lockdown affected her enthusiasm to write.

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Joanne Harris MBE, author of 'A Narrow Door' - Hugely successful author discusses genre, rebooting your brain, and the pressure of success Dec 03, 2021

This week, we're joined by Joanne Harris MBE. She became phenomenally successful over 20 years ago for her novel 'Chocolat', which became an Oscar nominated movie starring Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche.

Her new one is called 'A Narrow Door', it tells the story of the first headmistress at a traditional school who discovers a body in the grounds. It's billed as 'magical realism', we discuss how much she considers genre while she's writing.

She's best known for her novel, 'Chocolat', which changed everything. It let her leave work, write full time, but added an anxiety around work she'd never known before.

We talk about the classic acting text that really helps her get into characters, what she needs to know before she starts writing, and how she uses scent to get into the story.

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Ken Follett, author of 'Never' - Multi-million selling writer talks about the pressure of success, keeping things simple, and the important outline Nov 26, 2021

This week, Ken Follett shares his writer's routine. He's one of the UK's most successful authors, selling over 170 million books across 80 countries. He has a staff of over 20 working on all aspects of book selling, so he can concentrate on book writing.

We talk about whether that puts pressure on his writing, knowing he has staff relying on him for a salary. Also, what his writing routine of a year looks like, and why his outline is the most important thing he works on.

Ken's made a career publishing thick historical novels, 'The Pillars of the Earth' from the 'Kingsbridge' series sold bucket-loads, got him critical acclaim, and spawned a TV series. His new novel is 'Never', about events that could lead to WW3.

We talk about research, planning, sentences, keeping things simple and how he starts.

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Helen Paris, author of 'The Lost Property' - Debut author discusses book club fiction, memories and escaping the routine Nov 19, 2021

This week's guest is Helen Paris. She's worked in performing arts, writing, performing and directing, for 2 decades, and has just published her debut novel, 'The Lost Property'. It's all about Dot, who strives to reunite lost property with their owners.

It all came from a spell of unusual research she undertook at the London Transport Lost Property Office, the characters she met there, and their poetic conversations.

We discuss memories, how the characters drove the story, and why she had to escape from her routine through lockdown.

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Steve Cavanagh, author of 'The Devil's Advocate' - Award-winning author discusses ideal routines, writing America, and why he's always learning Nov 12, 2021

This week we're chatting to Steve Cavanagh. He's won the CWA Gold Dagger Award, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, has published many Sunday Times Top 10 Bestsellers, and his new book has just been named as one of the Best Crime and Thriller Books of the Year by Waterstones.

It's called 'The Devil's Advocate', and is the newest Eddie Flynn book. Telling the story of Andy Dubois, sent up for a killing Alabama, and the lawyer who tries to get him free. He talks about the jaw-dropping statistic which gave him the idea for the book.

We discuss his ideal writing day and why he's not quite managed it yet, also how he's always trying to learn and grow, why he's tried to be a plotter but always returns to his pantsing routes, and what makes crime authors different from each other.

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Random Routine - Thriller author Lucy Foley discusses decadent writing days Nov 09, 2021

Lucy Foley joined us back at the start of 2020... pre-pandemic!

She spoke about her 2nd mystery thriller, 'The Guest List'. It's 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 locking her characters away, and how she brought such stunning scenery to life using just her words.

Also, Lucy once wrote historical thrillers and we learn why she made the switch of genre, AND she used to work in publishing as an editor, so we chat about what that taught her about which books sell and why.

Lucy's writing day is fairly chaotic and decadent, working furiously in the morning before popping to the cinema in the afternoon. It works for her, and she's fantastic at describing it.

This is just the routine, but please do scroll back in your feed and listen to her full episode when you get a chance - it's a belter.

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Xanthi Barker, author of 'Will This House Last Forever' - Memoir writer talks about poetry, art as a world view, and her father, Sebastian. Nov 05, 2021

Xanthi Barker has published novelettes and short stories, penned columns and articles, and has just released her debut book, 'Will This House Last Forever'.

It's a memoir of her time with her dying father, the poet Sebastian Barker. She is also the granddaughter of George Barker and the cult novelist, Elizabeth Smart. We discuss whether because of her highly and successfully creative family, she was destined to be a writer.

Her relationship with her father was troubled, and we talk about whether his view of the world passed down to her. Also, you can hear how she planned such a personal book, how her writing routine has changed dramatically in the last year, and why her flatmate is a hero.

Get the book here - https://amzn.to/3qaqx1w

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Random Routine - Dystopian Thriller writer Rob Hart runs us through months of work Nov 03, 2021

For this week's Random Routine, we chat to Rob Hart, who came on back in 2019 to talk about 'The Warehouse'.

'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.

The first full episode dropped in August 2019, and you can listen in by scrolling back in your podcast feed.

If you can, please do support the show over at patreon.com/writersroutine.

If you want to buy the book, please use this link! - https://amzn.to/32yhXKL

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Joe Thomas, author of 'Brazilian Psycho' - Award-winning writer talks about routine changes, escaping to write, and social awareness. Oct 28, 2021

This week we're joined by Joe Thomas. He's just released the 4th in his 'Sao Paulo Quartet', with 'Paradise City', 'Gringa', 'Playboy' and the new one 'Brazilian Psycho'.

He grew up in Hackney, before spending 10 years in Sao Paulo, and being inspired to tell its story. It mixes fiction, true crime, historical fact, and high literature, in an utterly compelling style.

We talk about how his routine has changed since having a child, where he likes to escape to write, how perfect his first draft is, and how editing has changed over 10 years of writing novels.

You can get a copy of 'Brazilian Psycho' here - https://amzn.to/2ZOVUDV

You can support the show here - https://amzn.to/2ZshCNp

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Random Routine - Award-winning Trent Dalton runs through a day as a journalist and a novelist Oct 27, 2021

This week's random routine, our bitesize chunk of inspiration, comes from Trent Dalton who came on the show back in 2019.

Not 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. The book has since sold many, many copies, more accolades, and even be turned into a play.

He's also written 'All Our Shimmering Skies', about a gravedigger's daughter, Molly Hook.

Listen to the full episode by following the show and scanning back in your podcast feed.

You can get a copy of his work here - https://amzn.to/317dxz9

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Zen Cho, author of 'Black Water Sister' - Ghost storyteller talks about switching genre, playing with language, and words spawning ideas Oct 21, 2021

Zen Cho is a multi-award nominated and winning author. She's published 3 novels and many short stories, and is back with her first ghost story... although that's not what she thought it'd be at the start.

It's called 'Black Water Sister', and all came from one word she read in the dictionary. It's based on ancient Malaysian folklore, and Zen has taken great joy in playing with old language, and presenting it in a ghostly manner.

We talk about switching genre, and how having a baby helped with that, also about how much she knows what's coming next, and how she divides things up being a full-time lawyer, and part-time writer.

You can get a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/3aRpDOl

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Random Routine - Screenwriter Tom MacRae runs through a day in the life of writing a movie Oct 19, 2021

Along with Dan Gillespie-Sells, from The Feeling, Tom MacRae wrote the hit musical 'Everybody's Talking About Jamie'. It follows Jamie New who is determined to wear a dress to his school prom night. It's based on a a real story, explored in a BBC documentary. The musical is now a film, also written by Tom, which you can watch on Amazon Prime now.

In this bitesize chunk, you can hear about his writing routine in the sun, how exercise gives him space to think, and why weekends are sacred.

You can listen to the full episode from 2019, by flicking back in your podcast feed.

Please do support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine

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Claire Allan, author of 'Ask No Questions' - USA Today Bestseller talks genre-switching, 10k word starts, and planning a year of writing Oct 15, 2021

This week, we chat to Claire Allan. Her new book is 'Ask No Questions', a psychological thriller about Ingrid Devlin, on the search to find the truth of her best friend's disappearance 25 years ago.

Claire started her career as a journalist, has written women's fiction under the name Freya Kennedy', and is back with a brand new psych thriller. She's written almost 20 books across different genres.

We talk about how switching genre changes style and method of plotting and planning, also about her routine of the year, and how she feels when time is tight... and the idea isn't there.

You can get a copy of 'Ask No Questions' here - https://amzn.to/3j0yx0o

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Piers Torday, author of 'The Wild Before' - Children's author talks about bookshops, prequels, and being a magpie. Oct 07, 2021

It's a BOOKSHOP DAY SPECIAL. Bookshop Day is on Saturday 9th October, and Books Are My Bag are encouraging you to spend time in your local bookshop, be it big or small.

This week, we're chatting to children's author Piers Torday. He's published 7 books, they've been translated into 14 languages, he's won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, and been nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal.

His new book is 'The Wild Before'. It's a prequel to 'The Last Wild' trilogy, and tells the story of Little Hare who must round up all the other animals to help save the world. It's about climate change, standing up for your beliefs and working together.

We talk about the differences in writing for kids and adults, also about copying and being inspired, about planning, plotting and rhythm, and what bookshops mean to him.

You can get a copy of Piers' book here - https://amzn.to/3ApAd9v

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Bella Obsorne, author of 'The Promise of Summer' - Romantic writer talks about how characters meet genre, about busy years, and NaNoWriMo Sep 30, 2021

Bella Osborne has had a busy year. In the last 3 months, she's had 2 different books out with 2 different publishers.

'The Promise of Summer' is a romance novel with Avon. 'The Library' is a bookclub read with Aria. We try to talk about both of those, but it's mainly about the former.

All in, Bella has published 9 books. 'The Promise of Summer' is about Ruby and Curtis, trying to reunite a engagement ring with its owner, and find love along the way. We talk about how these two characters wouldn't go away, so she ahd to tell a part of their story, and leave them on a bench waiting for her to come back again.

You can hear why her family hates NaNoWriMo, about her post-it note obsession, why her work day revolves around cats, and about the best types of tea.

You can get a copy of 'The Promise of Summer' here - https://amzn.to/2Yh1dep and 'The Library' here - https://amzn.to/39TN8pI

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Alex Michaelides, author of 'The Maidens' - Critically acclaimed writer discusses following up on success, pushing through at a low point, and discovering he wasn't a screenwriter. Sep 10, 2021

Alex Michaelides is the only ever UK debut writer to go straight in at number 1 on the New York Times Bestseller list. His novel, 'The Silent Patient', was the 2nd bestselling novel on Amazon in 2019, they named it their 'thriller of the year'.

He's followed it up with 'The Maidens', about an exclusive set of students at a University under the influence of a sinister Professor, and a murder he knows more about than he lets on.

We discuss his screenwriting career in Hollywood, why that didn't work, how he moved on with it and discovered he was a novelist, not a dramatist. Also, how mediation helps him write, why he gives up the booze to tell stories, and how he got published when he moved back to the UK.

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Paul Rudnick, author of 'Playing the Palace' - Screenwriter discusses changing the script on set, writing for your heroes, and the precious writing space. Sep 03, 2021

Paul Rudnick is an acclaimed Hollywood scriptwriter. He's worked on 'Addams Family Values', 'The Stepford Wives' and the 'Sister Act' movies. Now, he's just published his 3rd novel, 'Playing the Palace'. It's about a New York event planner who falls in love with England's gay Crown Prince, Edgar. It's a satirical look at romance stories and Royal life.

We talk about writing for movies, working with improvising actors, changing things on set and coming up with at least 10 jokes for every line.

Also, he talks about why life revolves around the writing, and his writing revolves around his life, in a syncopated way. Paul discusses his very private writing space that he is very protective of, and what happened after he had his initial idea for the story.

You can get a copy here - https://amzn.to/3gYsqsF

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Random Routine - Critically-acclaimed author Bridget Collins runs us through her space and day Sep 01, 2021

A few years ago, Bridget Collins came on the show to talk us through her novel, 'The Binding'. It was a huge, genre-defying success, and she's gone on to publish 'The Betrayals' to equal acclaim.

Before then, Bridget published 7 Young Adult books, a few plays, and she's beavering away on her 3rd book right now.

Here's a little snippet from our chat, as Bridget runs us through her writing space and working day. Scan back in your podcast feed to hear the full episode.

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Christina Sweeney-Baird, author of 'The End of Men' - Debut writer talks about speculative fiction, editing pandemics, and writing sprints. Aug 26, 2021

Christina Sweeney-Baird works as a lawyer. It's a busy full-on job, working all hours under the sun, and she had barely any time to write. Until a life-changing moment changed everything, and forced to her sit up, to sit down and write.

'The End of Men' is her debut novel. It tells the story of a pandemic that wipes out 90% of the male population. We talk about the idea, how she developed it, planned it, and at one point had to cut 30 characters from it. We also chat what it was like writing and editing a story about a pandemic, during a pandemic, and how she figures out the confusing aspects of genre and gets to the heart of the story.

You can get a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/2Y047UF

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Random Routine - Crime and historical thriller author Helen Fields takes us through a day writing around her family Aug 24, 2021

Helen Fields first came on the show back in 2018.

Starting with 6 DI Callanach thrillers, Helen has written standalones, and her newest novel introduces a new cahracter, Dr Connie Woolwine, an American Psycological Profiler who arrives in Edinburgh to pursue the Shadow Man.

After working in Law with police, social services and Doctors for many years, Helen has a peculiarly accurate insight into the crimes she writes. She's also told stories using every method available to her, running a film production company and even self-publishing two fantasy books before signing up to the big leagues.

You can get a copy of her newest book, 'The Shadow Man', here - https://amzn.to/3gsxvsM

Please do support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine.

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Jamie O'Connell, author of 'Diving for Pearls' - Debutant talks places as characters, refining structure, and the 500 word limit Aug 20, 2021

This week's guest taking us inside their working day is Jamie O'Connell. He's published short stories before, runs an editing and mentoring site called 'Blackwater Writing', and his debut novel, 'Diving for Pearls', is out now.

It's a story set in Dubai, a mystical, alluring, divisive and controversial place. It's about a woman's death which influences a whole cast of strange and inter-connected characters. The most important character is Dubai itself, we talk about how he brought the place to life in his story.

Also, we talk about how he gets himself going everyday, how talismans help him write, why story-telling is like tuning a radio, and at what point you absolutely should change your font.

You can get a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/3D2W2yp

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Random Routine - Crime supremo Mark Billingham likes to get things done whenever he can Aug 16, 2021

This week's Random Routine comes from Mark Billingham.

His new book is 'Rabbit Hole', his 4th standalone thriller, which comes after his 15th Tom Thorne novel, the series he's best known for.

Mark joined us back in 2018 to take us through his writing day. Where we chatted about how Mark's writing style and method has changed in the 17-or-so years since he published his first novel 'Sleepyhead', which was later made into a TV show starring David Morrissey. Also, we found out if seeing his hero on the screen affected his view of story-telling too. We also discussed how being a obsessive crime-fiction fan turned him into one of the genre's best, and why the name of this fine podcast gives him the shivers. Flick back in your podcast feed to catch up on the full episode.

You can support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine

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Claire McGowan, author of 'The Vanishing Triangle' - Crime writer talks about planning the twists, switching genres, and stepping into true crime. Aug 12, 2021

Claire McGowan goes by two names. Claire for crime thrillers, Eva Woods for women's fiction. We talk about how she switches between the two, and how thoroughly she thinks through style and different readerships when she writes different genre.

Her new work is an audiobook series exclusive to Audible, called 'The Vanishing Triangle'. It shines a light on the unsolved disappearance of at least eight women from mid-nineties Dublin; their bodies were never found, and no suspect was ever charged. To understand why these crimes remain unsolved, Claire explores what life was like in nineties Ireland, and investigates how a shifting political landscape and Irish society’s views on the treatment of women impacted the investigation.

We talk about how writing true crime is different to writing crime stories from your imagination, how she researched and planned her work, and why she wanted to narrate the series.

You can hear why her writing routine is pretty loose, how she doesn't plan much, and how she managed to write 4 books in 18 months through lockdowns.

Grab a copy of 'The Vanishing Triangle' here - https://amzn.to/3jNujZA

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Random Routine - Bestselling geopolitical genius Tim Marshall on starting the day luxuriously Aug 09, 2021

This week's Random Routine comes from bestselling Tim Marshall. He came on the show back in November 2018.

Tim 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'. It looks at how maps of the world can predict political situations, it's the first of a trilogy of books that discuss the affect of nationalism on identity politics - his others look at flags and walls.

His newest book is The Power of Geography, which looks at what maps really mean. Grab a copy of it here - https://amzn.to/3CzkWVW

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Michael Arditti, author of 'The Anointed' - Award-winning author talks about being a morning person, unpacking religion, and being told what he can't write. Aug 05, 2021

Michael Arditti is an award-winning author of 11 novels, he's written short stories, and worked as a theatre critic and book reviewer for national newspapers.

His new novel is 'The Anointed'. It's a retelling of the biblical King David, as told through his 3 wives, Michal, Abigail and Bathsheba. We talk about how he put his own spin on history, and why he chose to write about such a specific time, and retell a famous story.

His novel, 'Easter', won the first Waterstones Mardi Gras Award, he's also penned 'The Celibate', 'Of Men and Angels', 'The Enemy', and others. All of his books explore the theme of religion, and why some believe and others don't. We talk about why he constantly unpacks that in his stories, and how he comes up with new ideas for ways to explore the theme in prose.

Michael talks about why he's a morning person, and how he fits his day around that, what he thinks about originality and wasting-words, and why he doesn't like being told what he can't write simply because he's a male in London.

You can get a copy of 'The Anointed' here - https://amzn.to/3AdwLzb

You can support the show on Patreon here - patreon.com/writersroutine.

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Random Routine - Irish Book Award Winner Liz Nugent takes us through her writing day Aug 02, 2021

Liz Nugent is an Irish Book Award Winner, whose 4th Novel is 'Our Little Cruelties', which is out right now.

She came on the show back in 2018 to take us through a day writing her 3rd novel 'Skin Deep'.

After working as a stage manager, running all over the place in a theatre, then being shackled to the desk writing for soap operas, Liz Nugent became bored with dull, desk-driven office work, and became an author. Well... became an author over 6 years of writing her first book 'Unravelling Oliver'. It won an Irish Book Award, became a bestseller and gave her a career of being a proper writer.

If you like the chat, flick back in your podcast feeds to her full episode from back in November 2018.

You can get a copy of 'Our Little Cruelties' here - https://amzn.to/3fm28PY

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Joy Ellis, author of 'The Patient Man' - Crime bestseller talks about starting new series, checking in with characters, and how she finally got published. Jul 30, 2021

There was a time when Joy Ellis couldn't get her books anywhere near a shelf, one sale, anywhere. She was living in her car, she managed a bookshop, she had many almosts with publishers. She carried on, kept writing, self-published, and was finally tracked down by a publisher who stumbled across her in a newspaper.

Now, she's sold over 2 million books, is an Amazon bestseller, and was nominated for 'Crime/ Thriller Book of the Year' at the Nibbies a few months ago.

She's published over 20 books across many different characters. Her new one is 'The Patient Man'. It's a Jackman and Evans novel, about a serial killer who returns for the last time.

We talk about how she decides which of her many characters will solve the crime this time, why she comes up with new characters, and how she checks in with them from time to time.

You can hear more about her fantastic, winding route to publication. Also, we chat about how ideas for her future stories come at completely random times, which means she sits on them for a while, and get a complete run through of her writing day.

Get a copy of 'The Patient Man' here - https://amzn.to/3zJ62KJ

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Random Routine - Carnegie Medal Winner Frank Cottrell-Boyce talks about hating writing... but loving re-writing. Jul 27, 2021

This week's Random Routine is with Frank Cottrell-Boyce.

Frank 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 Michael Winterbottom, including '24 Hour Party People' and 'A Cock and Bull Story'.

He tells us the difference between writing screenplays and novels, the story points you need to hit, and the simple forms an idea can take.

His newest novel is 'Noah's Gold', grab a copy here - https://amzn.to/3y8GciV

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Hayley Doyle, author of 'Love, Almost' - West End actress turned writer talks about juggling life and work, overwriting, and playing with genre. Jul 22, 2021

This week we're chatting to Hayley Doyle! She's an actor who has starred in the West End, appearing in Mamma Mia and others. Recently, she's turned her hand to writing, publishing two novels, 'Never Saw You Coming' and her newest one, 'Love, Almost'.

It tells the story of Chloe, whose boyfriend of just 5 months dies, so to come to terms with things, she does all the many things they had planned to do together, alone. We talk about when she first had the idea for the story, how it came to her quickly and almost fully-formed. You can hear how she plays with what readers expect from genre fiction, giving them it but also pulling some surprises along the way.

We discuss how she juggles work, family and lockdown, and how things have radically changed over the last year. Also, how music helps her ideas, and how acting influences her writing. Hayley is a Liverpudlian, and we chat about how heritage affects the way you tell stories, and particularly why Scousers are so good at it!

You can get a copy of 'Love, Almost' here - https://amzn.to/3xXMEcz

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Random Routine - Why worldwide bestseller Jeffery Deaver plans for 8 months Jul 20, 2021

This week's bonus bite comes from crime writing behemoth Jeffery Deaver!

Jeffery 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.

Jeffery works anywhere he can - any chance he gets to type away, if that's at home, on the plane, perhaps at a dog show, he will. We chat about how he finds time and space to work no matter where he is.

Listen to the full episode from a couple of years ago earlier on in the feed.

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Alexis Landau, author of 'Those Who Are Saved' - Historical writer talks about mother/daughter stories, research and the opening flurry. Jul 18, 2021

Alexis Landau's new book 'Those Who Are Saved' builds on the true story of Los Angeles during World War II. It was a safe haven for artists, and was home to many exiled Europeans. It tells the tale of Vera, who is forced to leave her daughter and flee, and explores her path to find the girl she left behind.

We discuss how Alexis writes around family time, how it all starts in a flurry of ideas and research, and how she blends factual history with her own creativity. We also chat about why moving around helps her focus, how she picked the messages she wanted to write very carefully, and how the very first idea for the story after a walk to the beach with her husband.

You can get a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/2UNdl4Z

If you can, please support the show on Patreon - patreon.com/writersroutine

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Random Routine - 'Queen of Crime' Val McDermid talks about how writing life has changed over more than 30 books. Jul 13, 2021

This week's Random Routine comes from the 'Queen of Crime' Val McDermid. She appeared on the show back in April 2019 to run us through her working day.

Val 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 cares about her readers, and how she knows which of her characters will solve the crime currently swirling around her mind.

Grab a copy of her newest novel, 'Still Life' here - https://amzn.to/3B17SIu

You can support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine.

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Nigel Farndale, author of 'The Dictator's Muse' - Award-winning journalist and author discusses getting on with it, finding the balance between work and fun, and writing real life. Jul 09, 2021

Nigel Farndale is an award-winning journalist whose interviewing prowess has seen him chat to the Dalai Lama, Prince Charles, Henry Kissenger, Hilary Clinton, and many more. He's written for The Observer, the FT, The Sunday Times and many more. His last book, 'The Blasphemer' was nominated for a Costa Book Award back in 2010, and he's just released 'The Dictator's Muse'.

It tells the story of 1930's Europe, as Hitler's grip tightens and his power grows. We follow a film-maker, an athlete and a Welsh communist as their relationships in this strange time entangle.

We discuss the random scatterings in his writing room, and how that changes between books. Also why amateurs wait for inspiration, and professionals get on with it. You can hear how he balances writing journalism and novels, also how he goes about writing real-life people from history, and we discuss unreliable narrators.

You can get a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/3AOztMA

Support the show if you can on patreon.com/writersroutine

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Random Routine - Ian Rankin talks a day in the life of a crime writing phenomenon. Jul 05, 2021

Ian Rankin came on the show in 2018 to discuss his 22nd Detective John Rebus book, 'In a House of Lies'. Since then he's published the 23rd, 'A Song for the Dark Times'.

Here is just his routine, it's full of procrastination and puzzles. You can hear why he doesn't know what the story is until he's finished it, also why a good writing day can start at 8pm, and why he's writing all over the place.

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Janet Skeslien-Charles, author of 'The Paris Library' - Writer discusses dual time-frames, research and why thorough plotting doesn't mean complete understanding. Jul 01, 2021

Janet Skeslien-Charles new novel is 'The Paris Library', inspired by the true stories of the librarians who risked their lives during the Nazi's war on words. We talk about when she heard that tale, how she knew there was a book in it, and she'd be the one to write it.

It comes off the back of her stunning debut, 'Moonlight in Odessa', which took 10 years to write. We discuss why she brooded over the idea for such a time, and how place and environment have given her the inspiration for her stories so far.

We discuss research, on Google and in the library, why she likes to know everything as she plots, but why that doesn't mean there aren't surprises along the way. You can hear why she changes the structure of her sentences between characters to highlight their differences, and what it's like writing and thinking in two languages.

Grab a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/3y8reZL

You can also support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine!

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Random Routine - Bestselling thriller writer Shari Lapena discusses writing years, quiet houses and 1500 words. Jun 29, 2021

Shari Lapena shared her writer's routine with us back in 2019, when she came on to chat about her 4th novel 'Someone We Know'.

Shari's first book, 'The Couple Next Door', was the number 1 adult fiction title for the UK back in 2017. '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 has published two more since then, her newest is 'Not A Happy Family' which is out in August.

In this bonus episode we hear about the writing routine of a day and a year, why she likes a quiet house, needs to get admin out of the way, and how she settled on a 1500 word goal.

Follow the show wherever you get your podcasts from, and support us at patreon.com/writersroutine.

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Greg Buchanan, author of 'Sixteen Horses' - Debut crime author discusses bending genre, plot functions, and being kind to yourself. Jun 24, 2021

Greg Buchanan's debut 'Sixteen Horses' has been lauded as one of the best books of the year, and there's already a major TV series of it in the works. However, the stunning hook of the plot only came to him as a device to explore the characters.

Here's the blurb - 'Near the dying English seaside town of Ilmarsh, local police detective Alec Nichols discovers sixteen horses' heads on a farm, each buried with a single eye facing the low winter sun. After forensic veterinarian Cooper Allen travels to the scene, the investigators soon uncover evidence of a chain of crimes in the community – disappearances, arson, and mutilations – all culminating in the reveal of something deadly lurking in the ground itself. In the dark days that follow, the town slips into panic and paranoia. Everything is not as it seems. Anyone could be a suspect. And as Cooper finds herself unable to leave town, Alec is stalked by an unseen threat. The two investigators race to uncover the truth behind these frightening and insidious mysteries – no matter the cost.Sixteen Horses is a story of enduring guilt, trauma and punishment, set in a small seaside community the rest of the world has left behind...'

We discuss genre - how much you learn the rules, when you break them, why it's good to stick to the conventions at the start. Also you can hear what writing in video games and comics has taught him about novels, and why a good shower sometimes does the trick.

You can get a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/3zP6msf

Also, you can my seminar at the London Book Fair, 'Playing with Prose' on Tuesday 29th June, here - https://lbf-2021.reg.buzz/?utm_campaign=organic_traffic&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=google&_ga=2.122484687.557753863.1624463973-1654159128.1623150846&utm_campaign=organic_traffic&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=google

And support the show at Patreon.com/writersroutine.

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Random Routine - Louise Candlish takes us through a year in the life of an award-winning author. Jun 21, 2021

Louise Candlish shared her writer's routine with us in 2019.

Louise 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 episode, and how she grew it to become an award-winning novel.

Since this episode was released 2 years ago, she's published 'Those People' and 'The Other Passenger', and she'll be back with another novel later in the summer.

You can get a copy of 'The Other Passenger' here - https://amzn.to/3cX6gVM

Support us on patreon.com/writersroutine, if you can!

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Niamh Campbell, author of 'This Happy' - Award-winning writer discusses literary fiction, being purposeful with language, and extroverted work. Jun 18, 2021

Niamh Campbell has always been around words, studying them, teaching them, constantly writing them. Her short story 'Love Many' won an Irish Times writing prize, and from that success she's published her debut novel, 'This Happy'.

It tells the story of Allanah, who falls in love with an older man, and it unpacks the way that impacts her life. It's a novel of exploration, of description and words. We discuss how she worked through the plot from that, and how she works around her focus on language.

We chat about why she finds characters boring, and how that influences much of what she writes. Also, why she's pretentious about genre, and how lockdown has made her reassess whether she's an introvert or an extrovert.

You can get a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/3gDNDIF

Also, please do support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine.

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Random Routine - Anthony Horowitz discusses why he wants to make every day different. Jun 15, 2021

BONUS EPISODE!

Here's something new I'm trying, hopefully every week. Taking a look back at some fantastic authors from our archive, and remembering just the routine, hopefully injecting a bitesize chunk of inspiration that might help you plan your day.

Anthony Horowitz joined us back in 2018, as he was in the process of writing some Alex Rider short-stories. The teenage spy launched him to national attention in the early 00s, with school kids across the world being transfixed by the reluctant agent. More recently, Anthony has moved into adult-fiction, writing murder mysteries, James Bond novels and Sherlock Holmes stories.

Listen back to Anthony's full episode here - https://podfollow.com/writersroutine/episode/d5b03e49f25f370347d9fd71ef31ad0eb886f702/view

You can support the show on patreon.com/writersroutine

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Lesley Kara, author of 'The Dare' - Crime writer talks about the process of discovery, themes, and TV adaptations Jun 10, 2021

Lesley Kara's debut, 'The Rumour', was the bestselling crime thriller debut of 2019. She's back with her third novel, 'The Dare', it tells the story of Lizzie, who is suspected of being involved in the death of a friend years earlier, and someone is out to get revenge.

We discuss her writing routine, and how it's a waiting game, and a process of discovery. Also you can hear why she likes to read aloud, what she likes to know before starting, and how precise she is with her words. We chat about why it's good to be bored as a writer, how she links ideas together in the theme of the story, and why she thinks she's sold so many books.

Get a copy of 'The Dare' here - https://amzn.to/3g2eRYZ

Also, Lesley studied at Faber Academy. To get 10% off any online course at faberacademy.co.uk, just use the code WRITERSROUTINE21 when you checkout.

Support the show on patreon.com/writersroutine, and follow us where you get your podcasts.

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Tim Adler, author of 'Dead Already' - Thriller writer talks about thorough plotting, irony, and always being a student. Jun 03, 2021

Tim Adler has always been around words. He's a journalist who has written for The Times and the FT, been a commissioning editor at The Daily Telegraph, and edited magazines. His fourth novel is 'Dead Already', it's a psychological thriller that crosses both the gangster and ghost-story genres.

'Dead Already' is the story of an East End Gangster who becomes haunted by the ghost of his dead daughter. We talk about where the idea came from, how he got on crossing genres, and why writing for him... is mostly problem solving.

Even with a career constantly being around words, before becoming a novelist Tim went back to school, and he chats about why he believes people, particularly writers, should always be learning.

We talk about how he revisits drafts with a fresh eye before editing, why he believes irony is the linchpin of storytelling, and how he leaves space for change whilst being a thorough plotter.

If you'd like to support the show, please do pledge at patreon.com/writersroutine.

Also you can leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.

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Rosie Wilby, author of 'The Breakup Monologues' - Comic talks about pets, podcasting and peripatetic writing. May 27, 2021

Rosie Wilby is a comedian, writer and podcaster. Her new book, 'The Breakup Monologues', is based on the podcast of the same name. It's non-fiction and looks at sexuality, stories, dating....breaking up.

We talk about why the idea for the story changed as she worked on it, why she used ideas from fiction to plot and plan it, and how it's now affected her podcasting.

You can hear why pets keep her going, how exercise helped her ideas, and as a comic, why lockdown was actually sweet relief to get work done.

Rosie has appeared many times on BBC Radio 4 programmes including Woman’s Hour, Loose Ends, The Human Zoo and Four Thought, and at major festivals including Latitude and Glastonbury and in the finals of several major comedy competitions.

Her first book 'Is Monogamy Dead?' was shortlisted for the Diva Literary Awards 2017, long-listed for the Polari First Book Prize 2018 and followed her TEDx talk of the same name. Her trilogy of solo shows investigating love and relationships began with The Science of Sex, which has been performed all over the UK, in New York, Los Angeles, Sydney and Berlin, and ended with The Conscious Uncoupling, which toured to venues including London's Southbank Centre and was shortlisted for Funny Women Best Show.

You can get a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/2SyscPC

Listen (when you've finished this one) to Rosie's podcast here - https://podfollow.com/breakupmonologues

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Bryan Christy, author of 'In the Company of Killers' - Thriller writer talks masterplans and diagrams, writing dreams, and discovering your characters. May 20, 2021

Bryan Christy was the Head of Special Operations for National Geographic. He'd travel around the world uncovering crimes and reporting on the underworld. He's now an author.

They say write what you know. Bryan's debut fiction is called 'In the Company of Killers', and it tells the story of Tom Klay, a spy undercover as a wildlife reporter. We talk about Bryan re-inventing real life into stories, and how he got to know Tom enough to tell his tale. Also, the criminal investigation style mindmaps that he made to plot the narrative, and we discuss what he learned from his non-fiction book, 'The Lizard King', which has influenced his new one.

There's also a surprising amount of knife-throwing chat.

You can get a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/3f5hjh4

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Bethany Clift, author of 'Last One at the Party' - Dystopian debut author talks stealing time to write, learning from films, why editing saves the day. May 13, 2021

Bethany Clift's debut has come out at JUST the write time. 'Last One at the Party' tells the story of a woman alone on Earth, after humanity has been wiped out by a virus. We talk about how the idea came on a long, lonely journey, and how she got to know the character that readers would be spending so much time with.

It's one of the publisher's lead titles this year, and the film rights have already been sold, so it's set for success. We discuss how her background in film production helped her visualise and plan the story slightly differently, and why she owes so much to her editor. You can hear how much she knew about the story before she started, and why the first sentence was so important.

We have a good run through her writing space and working day, and how things are changing as she moves on to her second book.

Get a copy of 'Last One at the Party' here - https://amzn.to/3fh5145

You can support the show, and get involved at Patreon.com/writersroutine too!

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Lisa Gardner, author of 'Before She Disappeared' - New York Times bestseller discusses the perils of pantsing, getting it done early, and her first standalone in 20 years. May 06, 2021

Lisa Gardner is a prolific author. She's published 11 'DD Warren' novels, 2 'Tessa Leoni' books, and is back with her first standalone in 20 years. 'Before She Disappeared' tells the story of Frankie Elkin who spends her life doing what no one else will, searching for missing people the world has forgotten about.

We talking about why she likes to get things done in the morning, and how she figured out how she works best. Also, how the characters figure themselves out in her down time which drives the story, although it seems to change between books. We talk about being a pantser, who likes to plot at the start, and why she hates the actual words on the page.

To get a copy of the book, click here - https://amzn.to/3uF0Mp6

We're having lots of lovely chats over on patreon.com/writersroutine, sign up and get involved to share some writing advice!

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Ericka Waller, author of 'Dog Days' - Debut author discusses the balance between light and shade, learning from loss, and keeping family time. Apr 29, 2021

Ericka Waller's published debut is 'Dog Days', which tells the story of George, Dan, Lizzie and the dogs that bind their lives and emotions together. The word-play in the title gets to the heart of the book. It's a joyous and uplifting story about the heartbreak of mental illness, and it's about the small changing moments that occur when we let the light in.

We talk about the times of tragedy that prompted Ericka to write the book, and how her favourite band helped her with the initial idea. You can hear how she balances a full family life with her writing, and how she pushed on through early letters of rejection letters. We discuss the guilt of when the words won't come out, the beat-sheet she uses to help her with the plot, how she's utterly confident in her characters, and why she's writing just for fun at the moment.

You can get a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/333EXU0

Please do support us on patreon.com/writersroutine, and leave a review and follow us on Apple Podcasts... if that's how you listen!

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Abigail Mann, author of 'The Sister Surprise' - Uplit and comedy writer talks about accountability, switching softwares, and writing funny. Apr 22, 2021

Abigail Mann has just released her second novel, very quickly after publishing her first. 'The Sister Surprise' tells us the story of Ava who discovers she has an unknown sister, and decides to pay her a secret visit.

We talk about how she remembers how to write a book, when she between projects. We chat about public accountability with work, and how she's managed that through lockdown. Also, you can hear why she switches between writing softwares and word processors between drafts to keep on her toes.

Abigail was shortlisted for the 2019 Comedy Women in Print Prize, and since sense of humour is so subjective, we discuss how she writes funny to an award standard.

You can get a copy of 'The Sister Surprise' here - https://amzn.to/3gAUVgv

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Chloe James, author of 'Love in Lockdown' - Debut uplit author discusses working to time, pseudonyms and making writing a priority. Apr 15, 2021

Chloe James debut novel is so perfectly timed it must have been expertly planned. It was. Chloe James is also Fiona Woodifield, author of 'The Jane Austen Dating Agency' which received critical acclaim recently. Due to the success of that, she was asked by a publisher to write a book based on an idea they'd heard on the radio... what if two neighbours found love in lockdown?

Chloe talks about the pressure of getting this done quickly, and being the first to get such an idea out. We chat about how she came up with the characters, writing in aspects of her own life to make them real, and how much she knew about the story before she sat down to write it. Also, Chloe has a busy home life, and we talk about why she's discovered the real secret is creating time for your work, and treating writing time as sacred.

You can get a copy of 'Love in Lockdown' here - https://amzn.to/3dgMjK7

Also, support the show over at patreon.com/writersroutine.

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Naomi Ishiguro, author of 'Common Ground' - Debut novelist talks about ideas from chaos, impersonal writing spaces, and pushing through to the end. Apr 08, 2021

Naomi Ishiguro's debut novel is something quite special. 'Common Ground' tells the story of Stan and Charlie, unlikely friends who meet during a turbulent time and change each others lives. Naomi had the idea during 2016, after the Brexit referendum changed how she saw the world, and the people in it.

We discuss how she moved the idea along, how she gets through the difficult final third of the book, and why she likes her writing space to be completely neutral and lack any personality.

Writing is in the blood, Naomi is Sir Kazuo Ishiguro's daughter, and she brings many nuggets of joyful writing advice to the podcast, and gives us a thorough run through of her working day.

You can get a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/31RaOH6

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Nick Petrie, author of 'The Breaker' - Thriller writer talks about getting the first draft right, perfecting the space, and the inner drill sergeant. Apr 01, 2021

Nick Petrie has just released the 6th Peter Ash novel, 'The Breaker'. It's all about the war vet with PTSD, trying to live a quiet life on the run, who cannot stand by when he sees an armed man walk into a crowd of people, and no-one knows what might happen next.

His debut, 'The Drifter', won many thriller awards, he's award-winning for his short stories too, having gained MFA in fiction from the University of Washington and won a Hopwood Award while he was there.

We talk about perfecting the writing space, getting the day just right, using a big bulletin board and thick marker pen to figure out what's next.

Nick and I were tight on time in this chat, so didn't get around to much book chat. However, it's a fast-paced, gripping thriller, and you can grab a copy here - https://amzn.to/3rGlQJP

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Sarah Leipciger, author of 'Coming Up For Air' - Writer discusses teaching creativity, thorough research, and unexplored mysteries. Mar 26, 2021

Sarah Leipciger's second novel features a strange, poetic mystery than spans 3 time-frames across different parts of the world. Her critically-acclaimed debut 'The Mountain Can Wait' came out in 2015, and she has been short-listed for many awards for her short stories. Sarah also teaches creative writing to prisoners.

We discuss how lockdown has affected creativity, also how she gets things done early to be there for her family, and how she doesn't understand the word-count fascination. You can hear all about her working space and day, how she researched 3 different time zones and places, and how she tried to write some of the most described parts of the world in a unique way.

You can get a copy of 'Coming Up For Air' here - https://amzn.to/2NPmKWm

This week's episode is supported by Faber Academy. To get 10% off any online course or manuscript assessment, use the code WRITERSROUTINE21 at faberacademy.com

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Lucy Clarke, author of 'The Castaways' - Thriller writer talks writing spaces, getting it done early, and travelling to research. Mar 19, 2021

Lucy Clarke is the bestselling author of six psychological thrillers, which have been sold in over 20 territories. Her new novel is 'The Castaways', which tells the story of two sisters on holiday who have a fight at the airport right before boarding. One gets on the plane, the other doesn't, and when the airplane seemingly crashes, the sister left behind determines to get to the bottom of the mystery. We talk about mulling over the idea, and how she researched the story, facts and events of plane crashes.

Also, we talk about the joyous side of her research, which involves a lot of wanderlust, and how she divides her time between 2 writing spaces as sometimes she needs to escape. Lucy is married to a professional windsurfer (?!) and we discuss how they divide their time fantastically, to both spend moments with the children, and for getting their work done.

Grab a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/3lSA74L

This episode is supported by Faber Academy, the fantastic writing school from the publishing house Faber. To save 10% on any online writing course or manuscript assessment, use the code WRITERSROUTINE21 when checking out at faberacademy.co.uk.

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Shane Dunphy, author of 'Stories from the Margins' - Inspirational Memoir and Crime author talks the perfect place to write, walking to work, and the responsibility of stories. Mar 12, 2021

This week's guest is the inspirational memoir and crime writer Shane Dunphy. Shane worked as a child protection worker for 15 years, the things he experienced gave him the ideas to begin life as an author, something he'd always wanted. His first nine titles dealt with his time on the frontline of social care work, and include the number one bestseller 'Wednesday’s Child'.

Under the name SA Dunphy, he's published a series of crime novels about the emotionally damaged criminologist David Dunnigan, and is back with a new true crime series with Audible, 'Stories from the Margins', again recalling experiences from life in social care work.

We talk about where he works every day, how he created his perfect writing space, why his short walk to work gets him in the perfect frame of mind to tell stories, and why walking with a dictaphone really helps him out too. You can hear how his writing started as a childhood challenge from his mum, and what he thinks of the responsibility he feels when telling other peoples stories. We also chat about how he feels people view the inspirational memoir genre, and whether he cares at all.

Listen to 'Stories from the Margins' on Audible here - https://amzn.to/3rEvX2n

This episode is supported by Faber Academy, to get 10% off any online course or manuscript assessment until September 2021, use the code WRITERSROUTINE21 when checking out at faberacademy.co.uk

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Abigail Dean, author of 'Girl A' - Instant Sunday Times Bestseller talks writing around full-time work, starting the day, and debut dreams. Mar 05, 2021

Abigail Dean's 'Girl A' is the talk of the book world at the moment. It's been one of the biggest releases of 2021, and shot her straight onto the Sunday Times Bestseller list. It tells the story of Lex and her sister Evie, trying to fix their lives and future after growing up in a house of horrors.

You can hear how she plans her day to get the words down, how she figured out writing as a passion around full-time work, and how that might all have to change after its instant success. We also talk about how working on the second book is different to getting the debut down, and how she makes sure she's ready to write when she gets a chance. We also deep dive into her writer's routine, and where she works

You can get a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/2OlbTn4

This episode of the show is sponsored by Faber Academy. To get money off industry-level tuition and advice on your manuscript, use the code WRITERSROUTINE21 when buying any online course or manuscript assessment at faberacademy.co.uk.

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Cherie Jones, author of 'How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House' - Debut novelist talks about waking up early, fitting everything in, and asking her characters questions. Feb 26, 2021

Cherie Jones is a busy lady. She is a full time lawyer, a single mother of 4 children, is currently finishing a PhD, and has found the time to publish her first novel, 'How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House'.

It's about four people the legacy of violence in the Bahamas, a place so many look on as paradise.

Here's the blurb: In Baxter Beach, Barbados, moneyed ex-pats clash with the locals who often end up serving them: braiding their hair, minding their children, and selling them drugs. Lala lives on the beach with her husband, Adan, a petty criminal with endless charisma whose thwarted burglary of one of the Baxter Beach mansions sets off a chain of events with terrible consequences. A gunshot no one was meant to witness. A new mother whose baby is found lifeless on the beach. A woman torn between two worlds and incapacitated by grief. And two men driven by desperation and greed who attempt a crime that will risk thier freedom.

We discuss how she fit everything in whilst being so busy, why she wanted to write the novel to reflect on a side of Barbados many don't know, and why she asks her characters questions.

You can hear how the story came to her on a sodden London commute, rather than a sunny Barbadian beach, and what she needs around her to help her write.

We chat about where, when and why she writes, and what she has learned from working on her debut.

You can get a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/3qVsPiq

Please do support the show on Patreon.com/writersroutine, give us a follow on Twitter, and take a second to leave a review on your podcast provider.

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Susie Donkin, author of 'Zeus is a Dick' - Comedy writer on reimagining ancient myths, learning from screenplays, and keeping keen to be lean. Feb 19, 2021

Susie Donkin has been a writer on the award-winning show, 'Horrible Histories', since it debuted on TV in 2009. She has now used that experience of hilariously retelling history for her new book, 'Zeus is a Dick'. It uses influences from Comedy Central's 'Drunk History' and Stephen Fry's 'Mythos' to reimagine ancient myths in a modern, edgy and fantastic way.

Susie has also written on Channel 4's award-winning, 'Smack the Donkey', and plenty of radio. As Artistic Director of Spitz & Co she has created three successful rural touring comedy shows all of which have toured extensively throughout the UK.

We discuss what she's learned from writing comedy which helped her work on the book, why she's keen to be lean, and how she worked on this with her daughter during lockdown.

You can also hear what it's like to work with a commission, writing to someone else's tone, narrative and even chapter titles. We chat about why pace was so important to her, and about the radio producer that taught her what she knows about comedy writing.

You can get a copy of Susie's brilliant book here - https://amzn.to/2NkcbdN

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Will Dean, author of 'The Last Thing to Burn' - Thriller writer talks about frantically thrashing out the words, paying justice to characters, and writing in the wilderness. Feb 12, 2021

Will Dean appears to have a glorious writing life. Hidden away in the Swedish wilderness, in a house that he built, he dreams up stories and thrashes them out in a few weeks. In reality, it's the product of years of sitting on ideas, mulling them over, and a zombie-like fuge state when he finally knows enough to tell it.

After the success of his Tuva Moodyson series, he's released a tense standalone thriller called 'The Last Thing to Burn'. It focuses on 'Jane', a mystery woman locked up in the UK, and her desperate bids for freedom. We talk about how he got the idea suddenly one night and immediately made as many notes as possible, you can hear about the time he blocks out for himself to get the words down as quickly as possible, as why he thinks it's most vital he does justice to the characters.

'The Last Thing to Burn' is one of the most anticipated releases of 2021 - here's the blurb...'she lives in a small farm cottage, surrounded by vast, open fields. Everywhere she looks, there is space. But she is trapped. No one knows how she got to the UK: no one knows she is there. Visitors rarely come to the farm; if they do, she is never seen. Her husband records her every movement during the day. If he doesn't like what he sees, she is punished. For a long time, escape seemed impossible. But now, something has changed. She has a reason to live and a reason to fight. Now, she is watching him, and waiting'

You can get a copy here - https://amzn.to/3d2f2Cx

If you'd like to help the show, please support us at patreon.com/writersroutine

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C.K. McDonnell, author of 'The Stranger Times' - Comedian and writer talks about how stand-up comedy made writing easier, about jokes getting in the way of the story, and why he annoys his characters. Feb 05, 2021

Caimh McDonnell used to be a stand-up comedian, gigging all over the country and writing for television. Now, he's a full-time storyteller working out of his own office in his garden. His new novel, 'The Stranger Times', investigates life in a newspaper which reports on the weirdest stories... which sometimes turn out to be true. It's the start of a brand new comic supernatural thriller series from C.K.

We talk about the post-it notes all over the office that let him know when he's taken a wrong turn, how jokes sometimes get in the way of the plot and why he watches out for that constantly. You can hear about a writing year for Caimh, and why he's been so productive since stopping stand-up, and also about the difference between craft and inspiration.

You can grab a copy of 'The Stranger Times' here - https://amzn.to/3pRMZcz

Also, please have a look at the wonderful book 'The Pink Coffee Shop' by podcast fan Ellie Barker. She's acknowledged this show in it, so it'd be nice if you checked it out - https://amzn.to/2MV692w

AND, support us on Patreon.com/writersroutine, if you can!

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Kate Mosse, author of 'The City of Tears' - Multi-million selling author talks thorough research, learning to write anywhere and building on the success of 'Labyrinth' Jan 29, 2021

Kate Mosse is the author of nine novels & short story collections, including the No 1 multimillion selling 'Languedoc Trilogy'. Her historical thriller 'Labyrinth' was one of the biggest selling novel of the 2000s and propelled her to success, she followed it with 'Sepulchre' and 'Citadel'. She's written bestselling Gothic fiction, non-fiction, plays, plus contributed essays and introductions to classic novels and collections. Her books have been translated into 38 languages and published in more than 40 countries.

Her newest book is 'The City of Tears', it's the second in 'The Burning Chambers' series set in France in the 1500s. It focuses on a vital wedding that might finally reunited divided France, only for a terrible moment to threaten everything.

We talk about much she researches her stories and how she even starts with that, also how much she knows about the entire series before she starts, and why she likes a solid base of plot before she sprints off with the adventure. You can hear how factual history affects her fictional characters, why she can't really be in full charge of her writing routine, and why you need to learn to write anywhere possible.

You can buy a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/3apwXjE

If you enjoy, why not support us on patreon.com/writersroutine ?

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Jeff Lindsay, author of 'Fool Me Twice' - 'Dexter' creator talks intricate plotting, finding your vocation, and starting again after a huge series. Jan 22, 2021

Jeff Lindsay's new book is 'Fool Me Twice', the second 'Riley Wolfe' thriller about the master thief that targets the world's wealthiest. Jeff is best known for his 8 'Dexter Morgan' novels, which became the hit Showtime series 'Dexter', about everyone's favourite neighbourhood serial killer.

We discuss the pressure on his new series after the success of 'Dexter', and how he found starting all over again. Also, you can hear why his 'Riley Wolfe' thrillers are so much harder to plot and research, and how he begins that part of the process. Jeff talks about his writing day hidden away in the American wilderness, why he likes to get up early to trick his subconscious, and how signs and talismans energise his creativity.

Get a copy of 'Fool Me Twice' here - https://amzn.to/2XZS6es

This episode of the show is sponsored by 'Promptly Written: Vol 2'. It's a book of stories written in the 'Promptly Written' podcast, during which the author Matt Sugerik and Ian Lewis write a story a month based on a listener prompt.

Listen to the show here - https://pod.link/1437554933

Buy a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/3iykRZj

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Emily Schultz, author of 'Little Threats' - Thriller writer talks creating a work space, thrashing ideas about, and switching genre. Jan 15, 2021

Emily Schultz new novel, 'Little Threats', follows twin sisters in the 1990s, in an age of rebellion, when a night of partying goes very wrong, and one of them ends up under suspicion for murder... and she can't remember whether she did it or not.

We talk about how she got into the 90s mindset with music, how she tackles the first draft, and whether she's fine with being it sloppy at the start. Initially, the book started as a work of literary fiction, but when Emily figured if she brought the mystery to the fore it would become a thriller, she didn't look back. We chat about that decision, how much she thinks about genre, and to what extent she keeps the reader in her mind when she's writing.

In this episode we also chat to the founder of 'Script Sirens', Scarlett Kefford. They're a female and non-binary script-writing group from the West Midlands, UK, and have just released a brand new six-part horror audio series called, 'Siren Screams'. Scarlett tells us more about the project, and why she set up the group. You can listen to the series in most good podcast places, and if you'd like to join the group, head here - https://scriptsirens.wordpress.com/.

You can grab a copy of Emily's new book, 'Little Threats' here - https://amzn.to/2XF34WD

Please do support us at patreon.com/writersroutine, and leave us a review on Apple if you can.

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Rosie Nixon, author of 'Just Between Friends' - Magazine editor talks escaping to write, getting to know characters, and beating deadlines. Jan 08, 2021

Rosie Nixon is busy. She is the Editor-in-Chief of HELLO! Magazine, she's worked as a journalist for many years, she's a mum of two, and has just published her third novel, 'Just Between Friends'. We discuss how she splits up her time wearing many different work hats, and why she loves to escape to tell stories.

You can hear what editing a national media brand has taught her about novel-writing, and how working as a journalist has made her determined to beat the deadlines.

'Just Between Friends' is about Aisha and Lucy, expectant mothers who meet at a baby group, and shared secrets cause chaos. We talk about how she got the idea, why she wanted to mix things up a bit for her third book, and how she got to know the characters so well.

You can get a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/3ns1gL0

This episode is supported by Script Sirens, a female and non-binary writing group from West Midlands, UK. There new audio series 'Siren Screams' is out now, listen to it where you get your podcasts, and find out more here - https://scriptsirens.wordpress.com/

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Ross Sutherland, creator of 'The Golden House' - Poet, writer and podcaster explains how rules help creativity, why he loves the editing, and putting puzzles in podcasts. Dec 18, 2020

Ross Sutherland is a jack of all writing trades. He is a poet, a playwright, has written for radio, TV and film, and is now an award-winning podcaster. His experimental storytelling podcast 'Imaginary Advice' won gold at the British Podcast Awards in 2018, and his new series is 'The Golden House'. It's a 6 part puzzle of a podcast, presented as a corporate show for a fictional tech company, in which the presenter is trying to reveal some of the firm's darkest secrets without them realising.

We chat about why he wanted the podcast to promote collaboration across the internet, how much he knew about the show before he started, and how he layered up clues and puzzles within the episodes. You can hear how he controls his rampant creativity, and why he believes rules can change the game.

Ross talks about why his working style differs depending on what he's writing, why podcasting intrigues him so much, and why he loves editing.

You can listen to the show here - https://www.the-golden-house-podcast.com/

Support us on Patreon here - patreon.com/writersroutine.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, I'LL SEE YOU IN 2021!

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Sibéal Pounder, author of 'Tinsel: The Girls Who Invented Christmas' - Children's author talks writing courses, finding the tone and writing a sense of magic. Dec 11, 2020

Sibéal Pounder's debut 'Witch Wars' was shortlisted for the Sainsbury's Children's Book Award and the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. She then wrote 'The Bad Mermaids' series which was a World Book Day 2019 title and a Sunday Times Bestseller and has been optioned by Sony Animation.

Her newest novel is 'Tinsel: The Girls Who Invented Christmas', which figures out if Santa might be a bit different to the person everyone thinks they are. We talk about writing for kids and capturing the magic of Christmas with words. You can hear why she had the idea for this book for a while, before finally being allowed to write it. We also discuss how she feels publishing a book with a limited selling life every year, but why even with this, the character of Blanche made her need to tell the story.

Before writing novels, she worked as a journalist, writing for publications including The Guardian and Vogue online and was a philanthropy columnist for the Financial Times. We chat about the difference in writing journalism and novels, and why she took a writing course before getting started on books.

You can get a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/3gB0olj

Please do support us on Patreon.com/writersroutine, and subscribe on your pod place!

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CJ Cooke, author of 'The Nesting' - Gothic suspense author talks about getting the atmosphere right, stopping the editing knot, and writing to frighten. Dec 04, 2020

CJ Cooke is a poet, a successful horror and suspense author, and a senior lecturer in creative writing at the University of Glasgow. She's been published in 23 countries, and her new novel is 'The Nesting'.

It's set in the fjords and forests of Norway, where down on her luck Lexi becomes a nanny in a strange, high-concept house, and peculiar things start happening. We talk about why it's set there, and how CJ worked on getting the chilling atmosphere right.

You can hear how the tone and pacing of gothic sets it apart from horror and psychological suspense, and how to try and plan a day to be as creative as possible.

As a poet, CJ’s prizes for writing include a Northern Writers Award, an Eric Gregory Award, a Tyrone Guthrie prize, and she has twice received a K Blundell award from the Society of Authors.

You can get a copy of 'The Nesting' here - https://amzn.to/3lA5bVe

Please do support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

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Sareeta Domingo, author of 'If I Don't Have You' - Romantic fiction writer talks tricks of the genre, juggling full-time work with part-time passion, and getting ideas from dreams. Nov 27, 2020

Sareeta Domingo has an incredibly busy working. She works as an editor for Mills and Boon, helping other writers construct and improve their work. In order to do that and tell her own stories, she wakes up early and goes to bed late, sandwiching writing-time around work and family life.

She has published 5 books, a story-story collection, a series of erotic short stories, and her novel, 'If I Don't Have You', is now an audio-book from Audible.Through 3 acts it tells the story of Ren and Kayla who are thrown together in the strange world of showbiz.

We talk about how she stops herself procrastinating, why sexy music helps her write, and how she balances full-time work and her passion for writing.

To get a copy of 'If I Don't Have You' as a book, click here - https://amzn.to/3q4LmIY

To get a copy of 'If I Don't Have You' as an audiobook, click here - https://amzn.to/2KHttjo

This show is sponsored by the brilliant new book from Caroline Lawrence, 'How to Write a Great Story'. To get a copy, click here - https://amzn.to/2VaUbTf

Please do support us on patreon.com/writersroutine, and you can leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.

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Mark Watson, author of 'Contacts' - Comedian talks about changing voices, writing on the road, and why he loves the bustle. Nov 20, 2020

Mark Watson is a hugely successful comedian, known for his marathon shows in which he'll perform for over 24 hours at a time. He's just published his 6th novel, 'Contacts', all about how technology and social media could perhaps save a life. It's almost in direct contrast to a lot of the tech narrative you hear the moment, the story is about the joys and wonder of the possibilities of the internet.

We talk about why Mark loves getting fully absorbed in writing, taking time anywhere to get to his story. You can hear why he needs hustle and bustle when he's writing, and doesn't do well locked away in a quiet place to tell stories. We discuss the difference between joke and story writing, and how one can affect the other.

You can hear about his staunch font opinions, why he likes to give the story a 'good going over' before he begins writing, and how 'Contacts' came to him pretty much fully formed.

You can grab a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/2IWiH8d

Please support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine, and you can leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

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Sally Gardner, author of 'The Snow Song' - Multi award-winning bestseller talks about having a visual mind, knowing everything about your characters, and reluctant readers. Nov 13, 2020

Sally Gardner has sold over 2 MILLION books. She is a Costa Kids Book Award winner, a Carnegie Medal winner, and she's back with her 3rd adult novel, 'The Snow Song'.

We talk about why stories are the most important thing to everyone's life, and how she keeps that at the front of her mind always. You can hear about why her visual imagination lets her know when she's off-track with her plotting, and why she's the patron saint of reluctant readers.

'The Snow Song' is about Edith, who lives alone with her alcoholic father who is forcing her to marry the village butcher. But she is in love with a shepherd who promised to return to her. As the village becomes isolated in a sea of snow, Edith loses her power of speech. And it is this enchantment that will have far-reaching consequences, not only for Edith but for the whole village.

It's about women being silenced, magic and adventure. We chat about why the idea was given to her, and why she wrote this one for adults and not kids... but how ultimately, Sally believes any idea can be figured out for any audience.

You can get a copy of 'The Snow Song' here - https://amzn.to/2UnlTfs

This episode is sponsored by 'The Last Human' by Robin Foale. If you want to read about Alice and her adventure through a strange, unknown world filled with robots and anthropomorphic animals, click here - https://amzn.to/36uYa2n. (It's under £3! What a steal!)

Please do support us on patreon.com/writersroutine

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Gillian McAllister, author of 'How to Disappear' - Psychological thriller writer talks researching the unresearchable, mixing plotting and pantsing, and getting the first draft done quickly. Nov 06, 2020

Gillian McAllister is a Sunday Times Top 10 bestselling author, who has just published her 5th novel, 'How to Disappear'. It's a romantic psychological thriller set in witness protection. It's about Lauren whose daughter Zara sees a terrible crime, and together they must disappear and leave everything behind... including the man Lauren loves.

It comes off the back of phenomenal success for her other novels, 'Everything But The Truth', 'Anything You Do Say', 'No Further Questions' and 'The Evidence Against You'.

We chat about how you research the witness protection scheme, which quite rightly by its very nature is hard to find out about. You can hear why she likes to get the first draft done quickly, how she mixes plotting and pantsing, and how her background as a lawyer really helps out from time to time.

You can grab a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/3l3VKOu

Please do leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and support the show on Patreon - patreon.com/writersroutine

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Alastair Humphreys, author of 'My Midsummer Morning' - Adventurer, Author and Podcaster talks about journalling, strange editing, and the freedom of storytelling. Oct 30, 2020

Alastair Humphreys is one of the country's greatest adventurers. As well as expeditions like cycling around the world, walking across India and rowing the Atlantic, Alastair was named as a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year for his pioneering work on the concept of 'microadventures', encouraging people to get outside and out of their comfort-zone.

He has written ten books about his adventures. During this episode, we talk about 'My Midsummer Morning', his journey busking across Spain with a violin, little musical talent, and inspiration from Laurie Lee.

We chat about his strange methods of editing, why he's quite routined and regimented, and why deep down... he hates writing.

You can grab a copy of 'My Midsummer Morning', here - https://amzn.to/35Ewec0

Also, listen to Alastair's fantastic podcasts, here - https://alastairhumphreys.com/living-adventurously-podcast-an-introduction/

Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, if you can, and support us on Patreon - patreon.com/writersroutine

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Jennie Fields, author of 'Atomic Love' - Spy drama writer talks about bending genre, keeping track of tenses, and getting started late. Oct 22, 2020

Jennie Fields' 5th novel is 'Atomic Love', it's a twisting spy drama with a side of romance set in 1950's Chicago. It tells the story of Rosalind, a worker on the Manhattan Project, who is recruited to the CIA. We chat about how she brought such an evocative era to life, bending the rules of the spy genre. You can hear how the idea came from her family history, and things she discovered about her mum and the Manhattan Project.

We talk about the luxurious writing room she has, why she gets started late in the day, and how much she knows about a novel before she gets to work on it.

To grab a copy of 'Atomic Love', click here - https://amzn.to/3knnIUK

This episode is supported by the new book from Steven Butler and Steven Lenton. To get the 4th novel in the 'Nothing to See Here Hotel' Series, 'The Fiend of the Seven Sewers', click here - https://amzn.to/3oiBlXW

Please do support us on Patreon - patreon.com/writersroutine

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Isabelle Broom, author of 'Hello, Again' - Escapist romance writer talks about how ideas change, travelling for research, and why character is everything. Oct 16, 2020

Isabelle Broom has just published her seventh novel. 'Hello, Again' follows mosaic artist Pepper, who accompanies her elderly friend Josephine on the trail of a long-lost love affair through Europe. It has been described as “a dreamy, romantic, irresistible treat”, and promises whisk you off overseas for a fabulous adventure. We talk about how she delivers on that promise with words on a page, how she uses them to make idealistic adventure filled with emotion come to life.

She writes escapist romance novels set all over the world. Isabelle has taken readers to Prague, Italy, Spain, Sri Lanka, New Zealand amongst many more places - the best part is, she has to travel there to research it herself!

We chat about what getting the first draft done really helps with, how to make your characters the most authentic they can be, how to pick the perfect word, and how to make lockdown creativity work for you.

Buy a copy here - https://amzn.to/2SZA6hL

If you can, please support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine.

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Matt Haig, author of 'The Midnight Library' - Bestselling writing talks searching for humanity, trusting the process, and getting the first draft done. Oct 09, 2020

This week our guest is the phenomenally successful Matt Haig. Since huge bestseller 'Reasons to Stay Alive', Matt has shot to the nation's consciousness. He's written kids books, christmas books, a follow up called, 'Notes on a Nervous Planet', and six highly acclaimed novels for adults. Three of his books are currently being made into films, he has sold more than a million books in the UK and his work has been translated into over forty languages.

His new novel is 'The Midnight Library'. It's about Nora Seed, who feels she has let everyone down, her life has been full of regret... but then she finds herself in the midnight library. It's a place between life and death, where she has the chance to make things life, and see how her life could have been different.

The book is a parallel life story, in the mould of 'It's a Wonderful Life' and 'Sliding Doors'. We talk about why his search for the root of humanity led him to write it, and why his exploration of what it means to live kept him going. You can hear how his lead character Nora changed many times through writing, and why he really only ever thinks about the first draft.

It's a brilliant chat at unpicking how he gets stuff done, where he writes, how he plans his day, and even what font he works best in.

You can buy a copy of the brilliant book here - https://amzn.to/3iH1KdJ

This episode is sponsored by the brilliant 'How to Write a Great Story' by Caroline Lawrence. It's a fantastic guidebook to every aspect of planning, plotting, and getting your ideas and characters down on paper. You can grab a copy here - https://amzn.to/2GSzo2V

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Trevor Wood, author of 'The Man on the Street' - Debut crime writer talks going back to school, playwriting, and perfect timing. Oct 02, 2020

Trevor Wood's debut novel 'The Man on the Street' tells the story of Jimmy, a homeless veteran with PTSD who sees a murder, but no-one believes him. We talk about writing crime, about getting into the voice of Jimmy, and trying to stop the demonisation of the homeless.

Trevor has been a busy man, working as a former naval officer, a journalist, becoming a successful playwright, and then choosing his time to write his debut crime novel. To do it, he went to study at University, where he got fantastic advice from all sorts of authors, including Lee Child. You can hear about the pact he made with his partner to take a year out to get the book done.

We talk about planning and plotting the novel, how writing plays massively helped him with the dialogue, and how he brought Newcastle to life with words on a page.

You can get a copy of the novel here - https://amzn.to/3ioAOiS

If you can, please support us on Patreon.com/writersroutine, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.

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Jane Fallon, author of 'Queen Bee' - Bestselling writer talks about getting an early start, learning from television, and publishing her 10th novel. Sep 25, 2020

Jane Fallon's 10th novel, 'Queen Bee', is out now. It's all about Stella who is the ruler of a posh, snobbish street, and how her life is thrown upside down when a new girl moves into the neighbourhood. We talk about her research for the novel, and why she didn't have to look to far away to be inspired. You can hear how she finds it tough to inhabit the heads and find the voices for her characters at first, and how she works around that. Plus, we talk about what she's learned from writing 10 novels, and how working in television helped her understand storytelling more than anything else.

Jane is a multi-award-winning television producer behind shows such as This Life, Teachers and 20 Things to Do before You're 30. Her debut novel "Getting Rid of Matthew' was published in 2007 and became a Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller as have her subsequent books 'Got You Back', 'Foursome', 'The Ugly Sister', 'Skeletons', 'Strictly Between Us','My Sweet Revenge', 'Faking Friends' and 'Tell Me a Secret'.

You can buy a copy of 'Queen Bee' using this link - https://amzn.to/3iaSv5x

You can support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine, and follow us on Twitter @writerspod. ALSO, if you have a spare moment, please do leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.

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Mara Timon, author of 'City of Spies' - Espionage thriller writer talks about putting the reader in your characters shoes, finding free time to write, and wartime secrets. Sep 17, 2020

Mara Timon's new novel is 'City of Spies', it's set in Lisbon during World War Two. It's a part and place of the war that warrants a story being told, as it's endlessly fascinating, but not many people know of it. We follow agent Elizabeth, whose cover is blown while discovering a huge wartime secret, and she must evade capture by the Gestapo while discovering more of the truth.

Raised in New York, Mara moved to the UK almost 20 years ago; and fell in love with London and the way it melds the old and the new. Growing up with one parent fascinated with literature and the other with history, she started writing from an early age, although it wasn't until a programme on the BBC caught her interest, and one 'what if' led to another, that her first book began to take shape.

We discuss finding the time to write when you have a day job, how she reveals things to her character along the way, and places the reader in the characters shoes to bring wartime Lisbon alive.

If you'd like to buy the book, please think about using this link so we get a little kickback too - https://amzn.to/3c4ZM5s

This episode is sponsored by 'The House of Paris Le Grand' by Nicholas Robinson, a tale of love, life, drag queens and bucket lists. Find out more and get a copy here - https://amzn.to/3c4ZM5s

You can sponsor the show too by supporting us on Patreon.com/writersroutine!

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Calum McSwiggan, author of 'Eat, Gay, Love' - Memoir writer talks turning experience into plot, focused writing days, and pushing past the blank page Sep 10, 2020

This week we're chatting to YouTuber, radio presenter, film maker and now writer, Calum McSwiggan. His debut is a memoir, 'Eat, Gay, Love', which tells the story of his journey around the world, meeting different members of the LGBTQ+ community.

He hosted a popular radio show for FUBAR Radio and has also created several short films, including the award-winning Love Happens Here, which was named 'Best LGBT+ Short Film' at the Buffer Festival in Toronto. In 2019 he started a book club to encourage young people to read more LGBT+ literature.

We talk about how you distill a life of experiences into a 300-odd page book, how you make sure you're giving the reader the authentic story, and the decision to write memoir in the first place.

If you'd like to buy a copy, please click this link to help us at the same time - https://amzn.to/2DSGOSY

You can also help us by pledging here - patreon.com/writersroutine

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Erin Kinsley, author of 'Innocent' - Word targets, diagrams, charts and that book that needs to be told PLUS Ed Needham, editor of 'Strong Words' Magazine Sep 03, 2020

Erin Kinsley's second book 'Innocent' tells of a close-knit community devastated when a local celebrity is found dead. It follows on from her immensely successful debut 'Found, published last year to great acclaim. You can hear why that book was a story she needed to tell, and to get it down she completely changed her writing routine and process.

We talk about the diagrams and charts she works through to write, why she switches between a fountain pen and laptop depending, and how he writing differs in the morning and evening.

Also, we chat to Ed Needham, the editor of the fantastic 'Strong Words' magazine all about this month's issue, and why it's such a labour of love for him.

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Menna van Praag, author of 'The Sisters Grimm' - Magical realism author talks self-publishing, finding your voice, and why books are better shorter. Aug 27, 2020

Menna van Praag is the author of 6 magical realism novels, her new one is 'The Sisters Grimm'. It's a story of four girls born on the same day with their fate twisted together, they must find each other to save their lives, but one is destined to die. It's a twist on classic fairytales, and we discuss the first moment the idea for the story came into her mind.

We talk about the deal that she made with her husband to become a writer before she was 30, why she self-published and how she managed to convince bookshops to take a chance on her story. You can hear how much she plots and plans, how long it took her to find her voice, and she shares the best writing-tip she's ever been told...I think it best be the best you've ever heard too.

If you'd like to buy a copy, have a think about using this link - https://amzn.to/32rbJOn - that way we get a little kick-back from Bezos.

This week's episode is sponsored by the 'Garnet and Petunia' series by Captain William Gilbert. They're about the bitter, twisted ex-merchant seaman who runs a private detective agency in Bangkok. Find out more at captainwilliamgilbert.com. Grab a copy of the series here - https://amzn.to/34zaBLf

Captain William sponsored the show on patreon.com/writersroutine, feel free to do that too!

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Amanda Jennings, writer of 'The Storm' - Bestselling author talks haunting thrillers, loneliness and isolation, and having all the notebooks Aug 22, 2020

Amanda Jennings has just published her 5th novel, 'The Storm', which is set in a lonely, isolated Cornish fishing village. It's about Hannah who seems to have the perfect marriage, but is desperately controlled by her husband, Nathan, behind closed doors, and how its linked to a tragic storm of years before.

Since her debut, 'Sworn Secret', she regularly tops the Kindle bestselling chart. Her novels all focus on a haunting aspect of loneliness, of being withdrawn, and of secrets which affect families. We talk about why she keeps coming back to these themes, how she works through ideas, and her lack of thorough planning. She's a proper pantser.

She has been involved in the WoMentoring Project, which offers mentoring support for talented female writers with women who work in the literary world, and run writers' workshops.

If you fancy reading the book, please use this link - https://amzn.to/31h9AW5

Also, have a think about supporting us at patreon.com/writersroutine, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.

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Jo Thomas, author of 'Escape to the French Farmhouse' - Romance writer talks food and family, retreats and incredible research trips. Aug 16, 2020

Jo Thomas has carved out a fantastic niche in fiction. She writes escapist romance set in idyllic locations across the world. To accurately tell these stories, she takes amazing research trips all over the globe, diving straight into it, getting a feel of the food and drink, before dreaming up a love story that fits everything.

She's told stories about Galway, Puglia, Sicily, and her new book is set in Provence. 'Escape to the French Farmhouse' is about Del starting a new life in France, happy and alone, after her husband moves back to England.

Jo worked for many years as a reporter and producer, first for BBC Radio 5, before moving on to Radio 4's Woman's Hour and Radio 2's The Steve Wright Show. In 2013 Jo won the RNA Katie Fforde Bursary. Her debut novel 'The Oyster Catcher' was a runaway bestseller in ebook. It was awarded the 2014 RNA Joan Hessayon Award and the 2014 Festival of Romance Best Ebook Award

We talk about being a morning person, her hectic writing routine of a year, the detailed synopsis she writes before she starts, and how she's managed to wangle one of the best writing lives ever.

If you enjoy the episode, please do support the show on patreon.com/writersroutine.

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Christopher Fowler, author of 'Oranges and Lemons' - Prolific writer talks crime novels, unplanned plotting and the bare bones draft. Aug 07, 2020

Christopher Fowler writes everything - novels, screenplays, video games, graphic novels, and he's back with his 19th 'Bryant and May' book. It's called 'Oranges and Lemons' and sees the Peculiar Crimes Unit investigate a bizarre accident involving the Speaker of the House of Commons, and a truck full of citrus fruit. We talk about how he got the idea from a strangely gruesome nursery rhyme.

He is the author of more than forty novels and many short story collections. A multiple award-winner, including the coveted CWA ‘Dagger in the Library’, Chris has also written screenplays, video games, graphic novels, audio plays and two acclaimed memoirs, Paperboy and Film Freak. His most recent non-fiction book is The Book of Forgotten Authors.

You can also hear about the art of the perfect crime novel, and how Christopher thinks that has been lost recently. Also, we discuss his chaotic, unplanned plots, how he keeps himself engaged to write a series of 19 stories, and how he knows what he'll write at the start of every day.

If you are going to buy the book, please think about using this link - https://amzn.to/30BCbVL

Please do think about supporting the show over at patreon.com/writersroutine, follow us on Twitter and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, if you can.

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Sophia Money-Coutts, writer of 'The Wish List' - Journalist and author talks escaping to write, rom-coms and getting to work early. Jul 31, 2020

Sophia Money-Coutts is a journalist and author who writes for 'The Sunday Telegraph' and the 'Evening Standard'. Her 3rd novel is 'The Wish List', about Florence who writes down her ideal man, and is then shocked when he wanders into her bookshop.

You can hear how she got the idea at an...adult party, and how her family then influenced how she wrote the story. We talk about genre, about the conventions of rom-com and whether she's bothered about sticking to them, and when ideas tend to pop into her head. Sophia, like me, is a morning person. We chat about why that is, and if the labelling is useful at all, or pointlessly self-fulfilling.

'The Wish List' comes out on August 6th. If you'd like to pre-order/ buy a copy, please have a look here - https://amzn.to/318HjzX

Also, please support us on patreon.com/writersroutine!

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Sabine Durrant, author of 'Finders, Keepers' - Psychological thriller writer talks about pre-work rituals, when writing gets tough, and planning the day. Jul 23, 2020

Sabine Durrant has just published a brand new psychological thriller, it's called 'Finders, Keepers' and it tells the story of Verity who becomes obsessed with her new neighbour. You can find out how the story was inspired by a mission Sabine and her kids undertook to rescue a lost rabbit.

We talk about the convention of genre and how much Sabine plays with it, how much she needs to know before she starts a story, and how her routine has changed over time. As this show is a show about process, there's a lot about that, there's also a lot about the pre-process-process, and what Sabine needs to do before she even starts writing.

Sabine is a journalist and the author of the best-selling 'Having It and Eating It' and the 'Connie Pickles' series of children's books.Her four psychological thrillers so far have been sold all around the world, made it to the 'Richard and Judy Book Club' and been translated into many languages. She has also written for the Guardian, Observer, Sunday Times and Sunday Telegraph.

If you'd like to buy a copy, please do it through this link - https://amzn.to/3eVvAcP - sorry I know it's evil Amazon, but we need money from Bezos.

Also, please do support us at patreon.com/writersroutine.

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Roundtable - 'Uplit' authors Laura Jane Williams, Nicola Gill, Hannah Sunderland and Charlene Allcott talk about writing to answer questions, finding your reader, and playing with genre. Jul 20, 2020

Welcome to the second Writer's Routine Roundtable! We're back with 4 of the best uplit/ rom-com authors around to talk us through how they do it.

Laura Jane Williams - She took us through her writer's routine last year, ahead of 'Our Stop'. She talks about how writing that book made her a believer, as her second 'The Love Square' has just been published - https://amzn.to/39bd4M6

Nicola Gill - Joined us earlier in 2020, to talk us through a day writing her debut, 'The Neighbours'. She's been busy and has a second book, 'We Are Family' - https://amzn.to/30xcgNX

Hannah Sunderland - New to the show, her debut 'Very Nearly Normal' is out now - https://amzn.to/2ZMBEQB

Charlene Allcott - from 'The Moderate Mum' blog, she's just published her new novel, 'More Than a Mum' - https://amzn.to/2ZMBEQB

We talk about the conventions of the genre, how they create brooding heroes, how they flip the stereotype, and how to create a happy ending. You can hear how much they think about their reader, and why they're writing to answer their own questions, and how much lockdown has affected their writing day.

Please do support us at patreon.com/writersroutine.

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Melanie Blake, author of 'The Thunder Girls' - Entrepreneur talks ghost-writing, channeling characters and escaping to write. Jul 16, 2020

Melanie Blake is one of the UK's most successful entrepreneurs, running a global talent agency, she's been a music manager, worked behind the scenes in TV, and has published a new book! 'The Thunder Girls' is the story of an 80s girl group reunion show, mixed with a hint of murder.

We talk about what drives her as a creative and in business, and why she feels the need to tell stories in between all her other work. To do this she needs to get away to make sure she can't be bothered, we talk about how that works and how it affects later edits.

You can hear how ghostwriting influences how she tells her own stories, and how she plotted this novel around her own experience of getting a classic band back together.

If you want to buy the book, please do get it here - https://amzn.to/30fNNMH - so we get a little kickback.

Also, please support the show over at patreon.com/writersroutine.

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Jasper Fforde, author of 'The Constant Rabbit' - Surrealist satire writer talks about narrative dares, the creative sandbox and finding the right words. Jul 10, 2020

Jasper Fforde is a sublime storyteller, who has the rare gift of using words in a sequence many people would never think of. He's known for the 'Thursday Next' series, 'The Last Dragonslayer' YA books, and many other unique looks at the world. His new novel is 'The Constant Rabbit' which sees a group of anthropomorphised rabbits being kicked out of Britain by the United Kingdom Anti-Rabbit Party. It's a bizarre but brilliant take on the politics of the last 5 years. We talk about how he had the idea, about getting the tone and pace right, and about how he's unsure if he managed it.

Also you can hear about the narrative dares he sets himself to tell stories, which led to a crime novel about Humpty Dumpty falling off the wall, and about the creative sandboxes that he first-drafts in.

This week's show is sponsored by 'Skin Deep', the new novel by Sung J Woo.

Please do pledge to support us at patreon.com/writersroutine, and leave us a review on Apple if you can.

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Peter James, author of 'Find Them Dead' - Prolific bestseller talks creating the perfect writing day, narrative charts and ruthless editing. Jul 02, 2020

Peter James has sold over 20 million books, publishing across 37 languages. Many of them star DS Roy Grace, who is back in the new one 'Find Them Dead'. We talk about how Peter's writing routine and style has changed through the years, and what he now needs to know before he starts work.

You can hear how he charts the flow and beats of the story before he starts writing, and how ruthless editing helps him keep things tight, and keep the listener wanting more. 'Find Them Dead' sees Roy Grace on secondment with the Met Police, confronting a wave of drug gang violence and county lines crimes, and Peter tells us about the very first idea he got for the story, and how he expanded it before getting started.

Peter has some brilliant tips and advice for writers, and has pulled them together on his website peterjames.com, where he runs a great YouTube channel, so is the perfect guest for this show.

If you like what you hear, and want to help us out, please support us over at patreon.com/writersroutine.

WARNING - a couple of fruity words in here, so don't listen with kids.

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Chris Whitaker, author of 'We Begin at the End' - Crime writer talks American Noir, finding the plot through characters, and winning the 'New Blood Dagger Award' Jun 25, 2020

Chris Whittaker seems like one of the busiest people in the world. He works as a City Trader, volunteers at his local library, is renovating a house, looking after his family, and has had the time to write his 3rd crime thriller. 'We Begin at the End' is Duchess Radley, out for revenge against the murderer who killed her Aunt. It's American Noir. We talk about what that is, and how he does justice to such an evocative genre with words on a page.

We also chat about why he devotes such attention to character, how they spawn the plot, and why he needs the help of a good editor. It follows up on the success of 'All the Wicked Girls' and his debut, 'Tall Oaks, which won the 'New Blood Dagger' Award. You can hear how the prize has changed the way he writes, and why he wants to put as much detail into the story as possible.

There is a little bit of a tech issue in the recording, please do push on through, Chris has some fantastic tips.

YOUR BOOK CAN SPONSOR THE SHOW - find out more at patreon.com/writersroutine.

Also, please leave a review on Apple, if you can.

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Round Table - Crime writers Merilyn Davies, Rebecca Bradley and Neil Lancaster talk about the joy of editing, planning for a series, and creativity during lockdown. Jun 22, 2020

Here's something brand new! A kind of bonus, hopefully semi-regular thing!

This is the first Writer's Routine Roundtable, where we get authors together to chat about how they do what they do. How they plan, plot and then publish.

In this episode, we have 3 fantastic crime authors, who all used to work for the Police... they say write what you know.

Merilyn Davies published her first 'Carla Brown and Nell Jackson' thriller last year, called 'When I Lost You'. The sequel 'If I Fall' is out next year. She used to be a crime analyst, and now works as a Councillor in Oxfordshire as well as writing. Find out more about her here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Lost-You-Merilyn-Davies/dp/1787461556

Rebecca Bradley has published many books across the 'DI Hannah Robbins' series, and standalone ones too. Her new book is 'A Deeper Song'. She used to work as a Police Detective, and now has writing 'murder down to a tea' - https://www.rebeccabradleycrime.com/

Neil Lancaster told us his writing routine earlier on in the year. He's published 2 'Tom Novak' thrillers, there's a third being released soon, and he's got another series in the works too. He worked in the Met Police before moving to the Scottish Highlands to write - https://neillancastercrime.co.uk/

We discuss how much editing defines what a story is, and how editors often get it write... but also what hill authors are willing to die on with their story. You can hear about how they have initial ideas and begin to plot them, and how they plan a series of stories around 1 character.

Please do support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine, follow us on Twitter, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

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Rachel Abbott, writer of 'The Murder Game' - Mega Kindle Bestseller talks about knowing her characters visually, the joys of editing, and making a business plan. Jun 19, 2020

Rachel Abbott is one of the best-selling Kindle novelists in history. Her debut 'Only the Innocent' became a number 1 bestseller on Kindle, since then she's published 11 books, sold over 4 million copies and been translated into 21 languages.

We talk about what changed when she got 'properly' published after that, and how an editor made her see her work in a different way. We chat about why she focuses mainly on writing psychological thrillers, and how her storytelling process has changed through 11 novels. You can hear about the business plan that she made to make sure her first books were noticed, sold and read.

Her new novel is 'The Murder Game', all about a group of friends who meet in Cornwall, where a murder mystery game becomes a bit too realistic. We chat about the colour-coded cards and images that she relies on to write books too.

ALSO, this episode is sponsored by 'Agatha', by Anne Cathrine Bomann, which tells the story of a psychiatrist in 1940's France who is on the verge of retirement, when one of his final clients changes his life forever. It's a joyous tale of loneliness, making huge noise across the world, and has been called a 'literary phenomenon'. You can find out more about it - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Agatha-Anne-Cathrine-Bomann/dp/1529361370

If you'd like your book to sponsor the show, get involved here - patreon.com/writersroutine

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Anthony McGowan, author of 'Lark' - Carnegie Medal Winning writer discusses picking the next project, working in two spaces, and writing place over plot. Jun 11, 2020

Anthony McGowan is a highly acclaimed, multi-award winning author of novels and children's stories. He's written across almost everything, adult thrillers, YA books, children's fiction, even philosophy books for dogs.

His new novel is 'Lark', it's part of 'The Truth of Things' series, which is a trilogy that has ended up being four books. They're all short novellas, written for reluctant readers, telling the story of hardship and love growing up in a forgotten town in northern England. We talk about why he wanted to write the book, and how for him this was a slight change of style - writing about place over plot.

We hear about the first book he tried to get published, why it didn't quite work, and how he changed it to finally get it out there. You can also hear about his cluttered desk, how he gives himself space to come up with ideas, and why he gets to the British Library nice and early.

ALSO, there's a brand new idea in there if you want YOUR book to SPONSOR this PODCAST! Find out more at patreon.com/writersroutine

And leave us an Apple review if you fancy x

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David Baldacci, author of 'Walk the Wire' - Prolific bestseller talks about being on the lookout for ideas, publishing two books a year, and picking characters for stories. Jun 05, 2020

David Baldacci has storytelling in his bones. He's published books across all types of genre, thriller, mystery, fantasy, crime, even kids books too. He's written well over 40 novels, and plans his year of writing fairly thoroughly in order to publish 2 new books a year. He has a huge array of characters to choose between, and we learn about how he decides which one he'll write about next.

His new one is 'Walk the Wire', about Amos Decker, 'The Memory Man', who is sent to the North Dakotan badlands, where he covers a religious sect based around a strange, unused military base. We chat about how he got the idea from a process of constantly consuming new media, and being on the lookout for new ideas and information every day.

We also talk about how much he knows about the story before he sits down to write, and what happens when it all goes wrong, his ideas are coming up short, but he has a book he has to deliver. David used to work as a lawyer, and we delve into how much that affected the way he started work as a writer, and how his career has moved on from there.

Please do support as at patreon.com/writersroutine, and leave a review for the show on Apple Podcasts.

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James Swallow, author of 'Rogue' - Thriller writer talks telling stories across genre, the ideal writing day, and writing for video games. May 29, 2020

James Swallow is one of those writers who has stories burning inside him, itching to get out. He has written anything and everything. James writes sci-fi, fantasy, TV tie-ins, video games, audio dramas, and his new one is a spy thriller, 'Rogue'. It's about Marc Dane, an MI6 worker who usually spends time behind a desk and screen, but is thrown out into the field. We talk about how it's a pay-off for many readers who have stuck by the series from the start. Also we chat about how he first had the idea, and what it's like to switch between genre so frequently.

We talk about the perfect writing day, against the practical one that normally occurs. You can also hear how he acclimatised to writing full-time after finally making the leap to leave his job and tell stories for a living. We chat about what it's like to write for yourself after so many years telling others stories, and how he knew he would be a writer from a very early age.

Please do support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

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Adele Parks, author of 'Just My Luck' - Prolific writer talks having a strict routine, why she's always asking questions, and about her 20th book in 20 years. May 22, 2020

Adele Parks has just published her 20th book in 20 years! 'Just My Luck' is about a group of friends who always pool in to buy a lottery ticket with the same numbers every week, only one week after a big fall-out, one couple buys the ticket alone... and wins. How do they cope with the fall out, betrayal and fights that come with that?

We talk about how Adele had the idea whilst asking a stranger questions at a dinner party, and in fact... why she gets quite a lot of her story ideas like that.

We also chat about why her work day is quite rigidly scheduled, why she reads her work to her husband frequently, and what happens when you have to throw almost 80,000 words in the bin.

You can hear about her views on genre, how much she thinks about who reads her books, and how her writing routine has changed over 20 novels.

Also, this is the first interview I recorded remotely on lockdown, so sorry if it's a little bit bumpy in places!

If you can, please do support us on patreon.com/writersroutine.

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Nicola Gill, author of 'The Neighbours' - Debut writer talks genre, crafting a plot around characters, and getting started early. May 15, 2020

Nicola Gill's debut novel is 'The Neighbours'. It tells the story of Ginny and Cassie, two unlikely friends who are thrown together when they both reach rock-bottom. It's a funny story of friendship, love and adventure. We talk about how Nicola got that first idea, how she crafted her day to make sure she got it down properly, and why she got to work incredibly early to make that happen.

Also, we chat about what her day-job taught her about writing, in creativity and efficiency. We talk about genre, how much she thinks about the voice she writes in, and whether she could switch genre and keep her passion for story-telling.

If you fancy, please do support us at patreon.com/writersroutine, and drop us a review on Apple Podcasts!

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Neil Lancaster, author of 'Going Rogue' - Ex-cop talks about trusting the process, getting police stuff right, and making it thrilling. May 08, 2020

Neil Lancaster has published 2 'Tom Novak' books. His most recent is 'Going Rogue', which sees Tom up against a wave of far-right terrorism.

Neil has an advantage in writing crime thrillers - he was in the Army, then worked in the Met Police for 25 years. We talk about how he took all the knowledge from his career, and made them into thrilling, page-turning stories, that are accurate... but also allow for the fantasy of fiction. We also chat about the stuff every book and TV show gets wrong about the police-force, and the hill that he's willing to die on in that respect.

We also chat about how he structures his day, why he's fine having to crack out the words but tries not to over-write, and we learn about the advice he got that helped his first novel get published.

If you enjoy the show, please do support us on patreon.com/writersroutine, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

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Lorna Cook, author of 'The Forbidden Promise' - Historical mystery author talks dual-narrative, crammed work days, and writing what you want to read. May 01, 2020

Lorna Cook's new novel is 'The Forbidden Promise'. It's a dual-narrative, set in two timelines. In 1940, Constance finds a crashed Spitfire in the Scottish Highlands and must keep the pilot safe, against her families wishes. In 2020, Kate arrives in a Scottish B&B, and discovers a house with a dark history that has some connection to Constance.

We talk about why she writes dual-narrative, and why it's taken her a while to learn the tricks of writing it. Also, we chat about why she loves the edit, and how water-tight her writing day has to be in a house full of chaotic kids.

If you can, please do support the show over at patreon.com/writersroutine.

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Russ Thomas, author of 'Firewatching' - Debut writer talks changing viewpoints, short stories, and selling books to write them. Apr 24, 2020

Russ Thomas has just published his debut, 'Firewatching'. It's a police procedural. It stars DS Adam Tyler, on the hunt for a serial arsonist around Sheffield. It grew from a short-story Russ had been writing over 20 years, changing and turning along the way. We talk about the key moments in that process, what advice he was given from teachers, and how different characters would suddenly snap the story to life, and take it in a different direction.

We chat about his time working in a bookshop, learning the secrets about what stories sold better than others, and why they did. We also talk about his love for the city of Sheffield, and why he wanted to give something back to it by writing the story.

Remember, you can get 20% off Scrivener, by using the code ROUTINE at literatureandlatte.com.

Also, please do support us at patreon.com/writersroutine.

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Lucienne Boyce, author of 'Death Makes No Distinction' - Historical fiction writer talks thorough plotting, making the past authentic, and writing biography. Apr 17, 2020

Lucienne Boyce is a jack of all writing trades. She's published non-fiction, historical fiction, and is mid-way through writing a biography. She's just published the 3rd 'Dan Foster Mystery Book', called 'Death Makes No Distinction', a novel set in 18th century London all about the Bow Street Runners. We talk about why she loves writing in the past, how she makes it authentic, and how thoroughly she plots a story before she'll tell it.

We also talk about the non-fiction books she writes, mostly on the history of Bristol, the city she loves and lives in, and the suffragette movement. She's in the middle of writing a biography, and we chat about the process, planning and research involved in that - why does she spend so much time investigating someone else's life?

She gives us some fantastic book recommendations too - The Artists Way by Julia Cameron, Writing Historical Fiction by Emma Darwin, and Story by Robert McGhee.

Remember to make the most of our Scrivener offer, and use the code ROUTINE to get 20% off the brilliant writing software at literatureandlatte.com.

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Nell Pattison, author of 'The Silent House' - Psychological thriller writer talks about editorial feedback, mixing up the day, and being inspired by real life. Apr 10, 2020

Nell Pattison's debut thriller is 'The Silent House', which tells the story of a crime happening in a full house, and no-one has a clue how. It stars Paige Northwood, as a British Sign Language interpreter called in to help the police. Nell herself is a BSL interpreter - they say write what you know - and we talk about how she had the initial story idea, why it took a while to brew in her mind, and how it's inspired by real life.

We also chat about the novels she's finished but never published, why a switch of genre helped that to finally happen and how getting editorial feedback was such a relief to her. Also, as Nell is a teacher we talk about how that affects the way she tells stories, and how she's learning to fix her niggles in earlier drafts.

Remember, you can get 20% off the fantastic writing software 'Scrivener' by using the code ROUTINE when you checkout at literatureandlatte.com.

And, please do support us at patreon.com/writersroutine if you can!

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Sam Lloyd, author of 'The Memory Wood' - Thriller writer talks about characters that won't go away, trying to force twists, and improving productivity. Apr 02, 2020

Sam Lloyd has written sci-fi and fantasy before, but when he got the idea for 'The Memory Wood' he knew it had to be a thriller. It tells the story of Elissa, who is kidnapped from school and locked away in the woods, and Elijah who finds her, but won't tell a soul. It's a blend of two ideas - one he had while killing time at his son's school, the other was of Elijah... a character that wouldn't go away, and whose story he had to tell.

We talk about how much he plans every day, why he has such a tight timeframe to work in, and how he's trying to improve his productivity.

Also, we hear about new book releases for Nikki Smith's 'All In Her Head', and Trevor Wood's 'The Man on the Street'.

AND you can get 20% off Scrivener, by using the code ROUTINE when you checkout at literatureandlatte.com.

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Eleni Kyriacou, writer of 'She Came to Stay' - Debut author talks about planning and plotting, changing the main character, and overwriting. Mar 27, 2020

Eleni Kyriacou is a journalist and editor, and has worked on stories for national newspapers and magazines. Her debut novel 'She Came to Stay' tells the story of Dina who leaves Cyprus for London in search of a better life. They're taken around by Bebba, a strange character with a secret past, and is absorbed by grimy 1950's Soho. It's a murder-mystery with an edge.

She was selected as part of the 'Future Bookshelf' open submissions programme which helps find unpublished authors from under-represented backgrounds.

We talk about why her main character changed half-way through, and what she aims to do each time she finishes a chapter. We hear how much she knows about her story, what she wants to do the next day, and why index cards are an important part of that. Also, we talk about how she plans a day, a week and even a years worth of writing.

Also, I mention Hannah Vincent's new book 'She-Clown and Other Stories', and why it's publication has been affected by the current crisis. She's made a fantastic video about her writing process, check it out here - https://twitter.com/hannahvincent22?lang=en

If you can, please do support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine.

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Louise Hare, author of 'This Lovely City' - Being inspired by short stories, making the leap to full-time writing, and secret adventures in London. Mar 20, 2020

Louise Hare's debut novel, 'This Lovely City', tells the story of Lawrie Matthews. A jazz musician fresh of the Empire Windrush, takes rooms in a tiny South London house, and immediately discovers a tragedy which threatens to tear the city apart.

We talk about why this idea grew from a short-story, which she couldn't quite put down, also why she took on a Masters in Creative Writing, and what was special about this story that got her published, when some books before had failed.

Also, Louise recently made the semi-leap to writing full-time, and we talk about how that's affected her working day, and how much she hopes to get done.

I know we're in uncertain times, but if you can afford to help us out on Patreon, we'd really appreciate that right now - patreon.com/writersroutine.

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Rory Clements, author of 'Hitler's Secret' - Historical mystery writer talks the responsibility to tell the truth, keeping readers going, and writing at night. Mar 13, 2020

Rory Clements has just released the 4th book in his 'Tom Wilde' series. It's a historical mystery called 'Hitler's Secret', in which Tom is enlisted to carry a valuable document out of Germany. If it is uncovered, it threatens to destabilise the Nazi party - and Tom must decide whether it's his duty to find out more. He's also written the 'John Shakespeare' stories too - more historical fiction set further back in time.

We talk about how he accurately writes about life in World War 2, and what responsibility he has to be truthful to the way people really were back then. Also, we chat about why he's slowly trained himself to work at night, and how much tennis and escaping to the country affects the way he tells stories.

We chat about his writing day, how much he knows about the story before he sits down to write, and what being a journalist taught him about keeping the readers onside.

If you've enjoyed the show, please do review us on Apple Podcasts, pledge whatever you can over at patreon.com/writersroutine, and follow us on Twitter.

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SD Sykes, author of 'The Bone Fire' - Historical Fiction author talks thorough plotting, the hero's journey and getting submerged in the past. Mar 06, 2020

This week our guest is SD Sykes. She's just released the 4th in her 'Oswald de Lacy' thriller series,'The Bone Fire'. It's set in the 14th century, in the murky Kent countryside, and it's a locked-room mystery. We talk about why she locked Oswald in a castle to tell the story, and how she manages to blend crime and mystery whilst bringing the 1300's to life.

Sarah is a big believer of the 'Hero's Story' method of storytelling - perfectly arching a character's journey through challenges, adventures and back to safety. We hear about why she follows this path, how strictly she plots initially, and how willing she is to divert from her plan as she gets going.

Also, I go off on one about a stupid article I saw - if you want to write, SIT DOWN AND DO IT!

If you can help the show out, please do so on patreon.com/writersroutine, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.

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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. Feb 28, 2020

Pete 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 discovering the book that he wanted to read didn't exist - so he wrote it. He's also published a history of London through the eyes of one pub, 'Shakespeare's Local', and his newest book 'Pie Fidelity' aims to reclaim the joy of British cuisine.

We talk about how he has analysed the way he works over the years to get better at writing, also about how he chooses which project to work on next, and about why the pomodoro technique works for him. There's tips on planning your book, finding the best way to get into a story, and how to find an unexpected joy in the narrative voice. Also, I was lucky enough to chat to Pete in his actual writing room, so there's a vivid description of that.

If you enjoy the show, please do support us at patreon.com/writersroutine, and rate and review over on Apple Podcasts.

ALSO - this one contains some swears.

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An Yu, writer of 'Braised Pork' - Hyped debut author on discovering characters, trying to tame creativity, and nocturnal Beijing. Feb 21, 2020

An 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 characters twisted and turned along the way. Also, there's an interesting balance in here about taming her creativity. She's in the throes of writing her second novel now, and hearing how she tackles that, and how many words she's trying to get down a week is unique, and almost a world away from other authors we've had on the show.

Also, we try and finally bust the myth of why some people pants, and others plot!

If you can, please do support us on Patreon.com/writersroutine

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Lucy Foley, author of 'The Guest List' - Mystery author on twisting the whodunnit, the beauty and benefit of overwriting, and why she loves chaos Feb 14, 2020

Lucy 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 locking her characters away, and how she brought such stunning scenery to life using just her words.

Also, Lucy once wrote historical thrillers and we learn why she made the switch of genre, AND she used to work in publishing as an editor, so we chat about what that taught her about which books sell and why.

Lucy's writing day is fairly chaotic and decadent, working furiously in the morning before popping to the cinema in the afternoon. It works for her, and she's fantastic at describing it.

If you enjoy the show and pick up some tips to help your working day, please do pledge to support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine.

AND review us with 5 STARS on Apple if you fancy.

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BA Paris, author of 'The Dilemma' - Managing to structure your pantsing, forgetting the word count, and the urge to tell stories. Feb 07, 2020

BA 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 this is a departure of genre for her, and why she had originally planned to write a different story, but felt this idea was one that simply had to be told.

We hear about why she forgets about the word count, how she gets to know her character, and why storytelling comes fairly easily to her, and when that writer's block hits... she knows exactly what to do.

Recorded in my kitchen this week, so sorry about the echo!

If you want to help out the show please pledge what you can over at patreon.com/writersroutine, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.

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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. Jan 31, 2020

Caroline 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 the 'blank canvas' of that era. There's brilliant chat about plotting, planning and what she does when she has the initial idea - how does she then develop it into 300+ pages?

For Caroline, editing is where the story really comes alive, but she does find it the hardest part, picking through her beloved story to find the golden meat. We also chat about her fantastic writing spot, which I think... you may just be a teeny bit jealous of.

If you enjoy the show, please do support us over at patreon.com/writersroutine.

Any comments/ queries/ compliments? Head to the contact page at writersroutine.com.

AND TELL YA FRIENDS x

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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. Jan 24, 2020

Paul 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 Paul, the secret seems to be in research - he will spend hours trawling through newspapers and old stories looking for the little line that he needs, we talk about the joy that it gives him, and how he knows he's onto the right track.

He knows China well, living there for nearly 20 years as a journalist and book reviewer, and published 'Midnight in Peking' to huge success. It was a New York Times Bestseller, and was awarded a number of prestigious crime awards.

We also get a distinguished ritual from history with Mason Currey giving us an extract from his new book 'Daily Rituals: Women at Work'

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Hugh Montgomery, author of 'Control' - Professor talks making time to write, what makes you creative, and the joy of trying something new. Jan 17, 2020

Hugh 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. We talk about brooding over the idea for the story, escaping to France to write it, and where he thinks the story actually came from.

As he manages to fit in so much into his day, we talk about where he finds the time and why he rations sleep. Also, we talk about why he learns a new skill every year, and how he believes it to be crucial to make time stop flying by.

Also - you can hear a distinguished routine from history with Mason Currey, and grab his new book 'Daily Rituals: Women at Work' here - https://masoncurrey.com/

If you can, please do support the show! - patreon.com/writersroutine

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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. Jan 14, 2020

BONUS 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, whether they've influenced his own routine, and whether there is something consistent: a secret to success.

More on Mason's work - masoncurrey.com

Please do support us on Patreon - patreon.com/writersroutine

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Amy Heydenrych, author of 'The Pact' - Crime author talks brooding over stories, analysing her work, and breaking her own rules. Jan 10, 2020

Amy 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 that affected how she told her new story, and why it took a bit longer to write than originally planned. We chat about her writing day, and writing year, and why for her new book she wrote new rules for herself... and then immediately broke them.

Also, you can hear from author Mason Currey, who gives us a distinguished writing routine from history. His new book 'Daily Rituals: Women at Work' is out now, and he takes us inside the working day of Isabel Allende.

Heres the Hugh Montgomery article I mention at the end, if you do want to get clued up before next week - https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/aug/17/surgeon-ultrarunner-thriller-writer-hugh-montgomery-lives-life-to-the-full

Please do support the show over at patreon.com/writersroutine, and leave a review for us on the Apple Podcast store if you can too.

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Ann Cleeves, author of 'The Long Call' - 'Vera' and 'Shetland' writer talks about the urge to tell stories, learning by living and never plotting Dec 13, 2019

Ann 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 is 'The Long Call'. Set in Devon, it's the start of a brand new series introducing Matthew Venn - we talk about the initial idea for the book, why she set it in Devon and other points about how she told the story.

Anne was born in Hertfordshire, raised in North Devon, lived in London, Merseyside, Scotland, and we chat about how her nomadic life has influenced the way she tells stories.

To take advantage of our Libro.fm offer - if you're in the USA, you can get 3 months of audiobooks for the price of one, by joining Libro.fm, and using the code ROUTINE when you check out.

ALSO - please support us on Patreon.com/writersroutine if you can, it's Christmas after all x

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Chris Hammer, author of award-winning 'Scrublands' - Winner of 'New Blood Dagger Award' talks writing anywhere, nuanced characters and learning from journalism. Dec 06, 2019

Before 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 than they seem. In January 2020, Chris will publish the follow-up 'Silver', in the UK, and we discuss how writing the first changed how he worked on the second, and how he comes up with new ideas for his protagonist.

We'll have Hugh Montgomery on the show in the next few weeks, do read this article - https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/aug/17/surgeon-ultrarunner-thriller-writer-hugh-montgomery-lives-life-to-the-full - before you listen to that chat!

ALSO - please support us on Patreon, and if you're in the States, take advantage of our Libro.fm offer (use the code ROUTINE)

Patreon.com/writersroutine

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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. Nov 29, 2019

For 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 around a million copies, and he never looked back. It celebrates its 40th year of publication this year, and we talk about how that has affected his writing ever since. Also, we look at what he needs before he starts writing, how he develops an idea in his head and when the twists finally come.

Jeffrey's routine is one of the most precise and exact ones we've had. Selling so many books allows him to enjoy his pleasure-time, and also know the intricate way that he works the best - he reveals all to us in this show.

For audiobooks that help the writing community, head to libro.fm and use the code ROUTINE.

Also, please do support us over at patreon.com/writersroutine.

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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. Nov 15, 2019

Harriet 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 writing and storytelling, and why for her editing is the most important part of the whole process - and that, in fact, many other authors could learn to tidy up their work a bit more!

There's also chat about her brand new novel in process, it's not even got a proper title yet, but we try and uncover what about it is making her tick right now.

For audiobooks that help independent booksellers (and not the big conglomerates) head here - www.libro.fm and use the code ROUTINE, for a sweet 3 for 1 offer.

For Harriet's book that helps US (but unfortunately use the big conglomerates) head here - https://amzn.to/2NKEsI0

AND, please do support the show over at patreon.com/writersroutine

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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. Nov 01, 2019

In 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 wanting more. We talk about the cycle of James' day, why he starts work in the morning and how he pushes through the mid-afternoon energy slump.

James talks about a lot of things in the pod, here are some links to a few of the best recommendations he gives -

Frank Sinatra has a Cold - https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a638/frank-sinatra-has-a-cold-gay-talese/

Michael Lewis, author of 'The Blind Side' - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blind-Side-Evolution-Game/dp/0393330478

Charles Dickens, the fog from 'Bleak House' - http://www.online-literature.com/dickens/bleakhouse/2/

Also, IF YOU ARE IN THE UNITED STATES, you can get a 3-month audiobook membership for the price of one month. Go to Libro.fm ( L - I - B - R - O - DOT - F - M ) and enter ROUTINE. With each listen, take pride in knowing that you’re supporting local bookstores.

If you want to buy the book, please do it through here - https://amzn.to/36epReS - and we get a little kickback.

AND FINALLY, please do support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine

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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? Oct 17, 2019

Ruth 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, 'The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes' and 'Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel'. Ruth has been dubbed the 'queen of uplift', and she discusses what that means for the way she tells stories and plans her books.

There's also a top-writing tip from crime writing behemoth, Ian Rankin.

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Owen Nicholls, author of 'Love, Unscripted' - Debut novelist talks pop culture, movie journalism and writing romance. Sep 26, 2019

Owen 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 wrong - we talk about how Owen learned the tricks to write a novel, how he figured out what his characters needed to be, and also how he used his favourite films to help tell the story.

Want to buy the book? Use this link to help us out in the process! - https://amzn.to/2lnlbRu

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Tom MacRae, co-writer of 'Everybody's Talking About Jamie' - On hit West End musicals, writing for stage, and discipline. Sep 13, 2019

Along 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 pop influences, and working class musicals such as 'Blood Brothers', Tom and Dan locked themselves away in a French villa and wrote the musical.

Tom talks about the plotting and planning of writing for stage, how you writing dialogue when you know half the story has to be told in song. Also, how he knows when to be funny, and also went to switch off and stop working for the weekend.

There's fantastic advice in here about discipline, characterisation and finding the hook of a story.

Buy the book and help the show out - https://amzn.to/34GSDUJ

Pledge on Patreon and help the show out - patreon.com/writersroutine

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Tim Smedley, author of 'Clearing the Air' - Sustainability writer on making non-fiction accessible, plotting travels and the perfect first chapter. Sep 06, 2019

Tim 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, travelled to countries with examples of what can be done about this and how we can do better, and packaged it all into a book - Clearing the Air: The Beginning and the End of Air Pollution. It's been shortlisted for the 'Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize', and we talk about how that's affected his writing.

Also we talk about how hard it is to plan and plot a non-fiction novel, the structure of the story and why making it personal solved every problem.

Please do support the show over at patreon.com/writersroutine.

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Sheila O'Flanagan, author of 'Her Husband's Mistake' - Prolific award-winner talks first sentences, becoming characters and finding new ideas. Aug 31, 2019

Bestselling 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 situations where they have to dig deep inside themselves, and when she has that initial thought, she'll run through every decision she is making daily, as her character too - what would they do? how would they act here? We learn about how this process has developed, and how her writing style and routine has changed over time.

She has three rules for writing: to tell a good story, to make the reader feel like they know the characters, and to make each book better than the last.

Also, there's a top writing tip from a dystopian fiction author. And, if you can support the show, please pledge a few dollars a month over at patreon.com/writersroutine.

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Rob Hart, author of 'The Warehouse' - Critically acclaimed author talks dystopian fiction, standalone novels and editing backwards. Aug 19, 2019

Rob 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 independent books, and how he finds it more enjoyable that staying with the same characters for many years. Not that this book was a quick write - he had the initial idea around a decade ago and it took many attempts to finally get it down on paper. We talk about that challenge and, in particular, that tricky first sentence.

If you can, please do support the show over at patreon.com/writersroutine.

If you want to buy the book, please use this link! - https://amzn.to/32yhXKL

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Shari Lapena, author of 'Someone We Know' - Thriller writer talks the absurdity of planning, rewriting and discovering the killer. Aug 09, 2019

Shari 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 story before it's even written? We hear about how she plans for lack of planning - writing many different threads so the perfect solution to the problem makes itself clear.

We also talking about a year in the life of a writer, how editors get involved and there are some top work tips in there too!

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Laura Jane Williams, author of 'Our Stop' - Journalist and memoir writer talks debut novels, rom-com characters and dirty drafts. Aug 02, 2019

Laura 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 how she made sure the men in her story were three-dimensional and believable. Also, we chat about why Laura is able to write the thoughts in most peoples heads, better than most people actually can.

If you can, please do support the show over at patreon.com/writersroutine for some merch!

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Phoebe Locke, author of summer hit 'The July Girls' - Thriller writer talks strict timing, getting to know your killer, and pseudonyms Jul 25, 2019

After 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 - the Pomodoro Technique. 25 minutes on and 5 minutes off. When she writes throughout the day is flexible though and she chats about why she'll write early sometimes, and late on others. We talk a lot about characterisation, and how she wants that to set her apart from other genre-writers, and you can hear why she thinks that gimmicks sometimes really help to tell a story.

She is also known by Nicci Cloke, and has written many books under that - her actual name. We find out why she's taken Phoebe Locke for these stories, and why pseudonyms can be really useful.

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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. Jul 19, 2019

Stuart 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 also hear about where he gets his relentless work ethic from and how that's impacted his storytelling, and why he's always having discussions and arguments with himself about where the story should go next.

And, if you're a fan of the depressing state of world politics at the moment, you may enjoy the story of how Stuart got the idea for his most recent story.

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Lara Prior-Palmer, author of 'Rough Magic' - Memoir writer talks winning the Mongol Derby, always fixing sentences and free-flowing words. Jul 12, 2019

At 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 came really easy to her, and why she is still analysing how she wrote even now.

You can hear about poetry, characterisation and being a free-spirit. Also, there's a top writing tip from a British Book Award winning crime-author.

If you can, chuck us a few dollars every month over at patreon.com/writersroutine.

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Louise Candlish, British Book Award Winner - 'Our House' author talks having an unusual hook, following up on success and almost giving up. Jun 21, 2019

Louise 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 episode, and how she grew it to become an award-winning novel.

She's back with the brand new book, 'Those People', and we chat about how she plotted to follow up on her success, and why at the moment she's having to think and talk about 3 separate books at the same time. Also you can hear about how her writing routine has changed over time, and how she's managed to switch through genres easily.

You'll get a top writing tip from one of the UK's best children's authors too.

If you can, please support the show on patreon.com/writersroutine xox

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Abi Elphinstone, author of 'Rumblestar' - Children's author talks finding the right audience, believable characters and thorough research. Jun 14, 2019

Abi 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, also how she works writing days around travelling and being a mum, and we chat mood boards, plotting, planning and where people go wrong writing for children.

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Ahmad Danny Ramadan, writer of 'The Clothesline Swing' - LGBTQ and refugee campaigner, writer and speaker talks storytelling with friends, multiple outlines and deliberate confusion. Jun 07, 2019

Ahmad 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 explains why during the chat.

Also, we find out why Death plays a huge role as a character, how it was influenced by the classic 'One Thousand and One Nights', and why he was forced to leave Syria and the implications of what it means to be a refugee.

Writing-wise, we chat about intersectionality, the practicalities of plotting and working on multiple outlines for different characters.

If you enjoy the show and want to show your support, please do help us out at patreon.com/writersroutine.

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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

Mel 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, and how she can get ideas for a gruesome story anywhere. You can hear how her characters dictate her plot as much as her planning does, also what she thinks a good crime story needs to be and why she needs to switch up the genres she works in, and the characters she works with.

If you love the show, and have had any help from the authors we've chatted to so far, please do give some help back and support the show on patreon.com/writersroutine.

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Trent Dalton - 'Boy Swallows Universe' talks debut success, being named 'Australian Book of the Year' and writing snappily. May 24, 2019

Not 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 features or news-pieces by day, then heading to the rumpus room to tell the story he yearns to write at night. Also, we chat about work/family balance, planning, plotting and writing tight.

You can also get a writing tip from a top crime writer!

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Jeffery Deaver - Global bestselling thriller author talks about research, writing puzzles and working anywhere. May 17, 2019

Jeffery 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 type away, if that's at home, on the plane, perhaps at a dog show, he will. We chat about how he finds time and space to work no matter where he is. There's also talk about research, about genre and some ace tips about timesaving.

Give us a shout!

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Lucie Whitehouse - 'Critical Incidents' author talks procedural crime novels, switching genres and ideas from thin air. May 10, 2019

'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 needs to leave the house to write, and how well she knows her characters and why even sometimes they come to her fully-formed, from thin air.

There's a top writing tip from a rom-com author in there, and we'll get your writing advice too.

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Mhairi McFarlane - Rom-com author talks contrivances, not letting mistakes go, and 'chick-lit'. May 05, 2019

Mhairi 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 her years worth of writing, and works her routine around that, why 'pub-a-clock' plays a large part in her story-telling, and what she thinks of the term 'chick-lit'.

Also, there's some of your writing tips, and one from an award-winning author too.

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Namwali Serpell - Hay Festival award winning author talks strict structure, women-only workspaces and the birth of a new nation. Apr 25, 2019

Namwali 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 and plotting, also how she backed up her thorough characters and huge ideas with plot, and how she wants this book to be remembered in hundreds of years.

There's also a top writing tip in there from one of the most successful crime authors working today, all about making friends. You can send your top tip over to writersroutine.com.

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Val McDermid - Bestselling author talks changing process, creating characters and listening to readers Apr 19, 2019

Val 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 cares about her readers, and how she knows which of her characters will solve the crime currently swirling around her mind.

There's some of your writing tips, and one from another crime writer too. You can send your advice to the show over at writersroutine.com.

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C.L. Taylor - Psychological Thriller author talks writing across genres, unreliable narrators and new novel 'Sleep' Apr 04, 2019

C.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 learn about - you can hear why she thinks she won it during the chat. We learn how the idea for 'Sleep' came about, and why a slightly bored response from her editors sparked the story to life.

Fire over your tips and advice for us too, please!

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Sarah Pinborough - 'Cross Her Heart' author talks characters, moving through genres and being a workaholic. Mar 29, 2019

Although 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 have recently gained great success and how getting a dog has completely rejuvenated her writing day.

We'll get your writing tips on too, and hear from a Booker Prize nominee who wants you to take a walk.

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Adam Foulds - Booker Prize shortlisted author talks new novel 'Dream Sequence', plotting through character and writing poetry. Mar 22, 2019

This 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 it's like to wait for the lightning of an idea to strike. We talk about plotting through character, forcing inspiration and how he hopes to improve as a writer.

We'll get some of your writing tips on too, and a top bit of advice from Frank Cottrell-Boyce.

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Frank Cottrell-Boyce - Award winning Children's author talks scriptwriting, having ideas on the road, and the 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. Mar 15, 2019

Frank 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 Michael Winterbottom, including '24 Hour Party People' and 'A Cock and Bull Story'. He tells us the difference between writing screenplays and novels, the story points you need to hit, and the simple forms an idea can take.

We'll get a top writing tip from a debut thriller author, and even some advice from you - if you've got a tip that you want to share, fire it over to writersroutine.com!

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Harriet Tyce - Debut novelist talks learning to write, being inspired by work, and genre-fiction. Mar 08, 2019

After 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 Alison, who has it all - a doting husband, adorable daughter and her first murder case to defend. But as the past catches up with her, it all starts slipping from her hands.

Harriet talks about psychological thrillers and making her writing stand out on the shelf, also about creativity in law, and finding the right tone and style.

There's a few of the writing tips that you've sent in to the show too, and if you want to be included next week, fire your advice over to writersroutine.com

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WORLD BOOK DAY SPECIAL - Routines and advice from some of the best crime, thriller, romance, fantasy and non-fiction authors around. Mar 07, 2019

HAPPY 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.

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Nuala Ellwood - Critically-acclaimed author talks the difficult second novel, creativity in motherhood and Virginia Woolf. Mar 01, 2019

In 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 how a writing tour around the UK gave her the idea for her new book, and how it revolves around the ridiculous notion that new mothers can't be creative.

We've also got a top writing tip from one of the most prolific authors working today.

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Susan Lewis - Prolific author talks planning, crossing genre and new novel 'One Minute Later' Feb 22, 2019

With 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 dramatically. Her life shrinks back to how it begun, she moves back home, and with time running out - decides to finally uncover one mysterious secret.

Susan isn't much of a planner, gets consumed by her stories and publishes two novels a year. We talk about the pressure that heaps on an author's shoulders, and how she keeps up with it all, and still finds joy in words.

If you've got any writing tips, send them over to me - I'll share them in future eps.

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Fiona Barton - Journalist turned Psychological Thriller author talks new book 'The Suspect', the perfect time to write and when to plan. Feb 08, 2019

Fiona 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 when it came to her. Fiona rises when the sun tells her to, and straight away she'll get down to work - we talk about the secret to that, how she knows when to stop, and how her writing style has changed 3 novels in.

We get a top writing tip that may change the way you work forever from one of the hottest authors of 2019, and there's news of a way you can get on the show.

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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. Jan 17, 2019

Bridget 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 gave her the initial idea for the story. Also, you can hear why most of Bridget's writing day is spent in bed, and how she gets by without thorough planning.

We get a top writing tip that may change the way you work forever from a sheep-farming-crime-author, and there's a way your story can be on the show.

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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. Dec 21, 2018

James 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 the rest of the story. We also talk about how comic books taught him to write, how research is overrated and why it's all about the journey over the destination.

We'll get a top writing tip from Tim Marshall, the author of 'Prisoners of Geography', who brings something short, sweet and a bit sweary.

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Tim Marshall - 'Prisoners of Geography' author and Diplomatic Editor talks planning, accessibility and Geopolitics. Dec 14, 2018

Tim 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 the world can predict political situations, it's the first of a trilogy of books that discuss the affect of nationalism on identity politics - his others look at flags and walls.

We talk about planning non-fiction, how to make big concepts and global theories relevant and accessible in writing, and why it's always nice to know the local baristas by name.

You can get a top writing tip from Irish Book Award winner Liz Nugent, who wants to help you push past the tricky start.

PLUS, help the 'Podcast All-Stars' take the UK's Christmas Number One with 'The Sounds of Christmas' - buy it online, and stream it here - https://open.spotify.com/album/4Er8EeydEoWMurO4vPx9NJ?si=U5zNccSgRf6iSdbrp3xRWw

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Liz Nugent - Irish Book Award winner on new novel 'Skin Deep', vital characterisation and how to push through a difficult start. Nov 29, 2018

After working as a stage manager, running all over the place in a theatre, then being shackled to the desk writing for soap operas, Liz Nugent became bored with dull, desk-driven office work, and became an author. Well... became an author over 6 years of writing her first book 'Unravelling Oliver'. It won an Irish Book Award, became a bestseller and gave her a career of being a proper writer.

She's back with her third novel 'Skin Deep', all about an enigmatic, alluring and alarming socialite, and the body she finds in her apartment. We talk about how her writing day has changed 3 books in, why she needs to know characters inside-out before she starts, and which song gave her the idea for a whole novel.

You can also get a top writing tip from Ben Schott, of 'Schott's Miscellany and Almanac', who has dived into the world of PG Wodehouse, and wants you to start reading aloud.

PLUS, your LAST CHANCE to get 20% off Scrivener - type the code ROUTINE when checking out over at literatureandlatte.com.

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Ben Schott - Creator of the world famous 'Almanac and Miscellanies' on his debut novel, diving into the world of Wodehouse and the imperfect writing routine. Nov 23, 2018

Ben Schott designed 'Schott's Original Miscellany' as a whimsical Christmas present to his closest friends, and after much pushing and prodding, finally published it to the world. Over the next few years, he had created a series of bestselling works providing an entertaining and informative analysis of the year's events.

He's releasing his debut novel 'Jeeves and the King of Clubs', an homage to PG Wodehouse - a writer many see as the greatest comedic novelist of the 20th Century, perhaps even of all time. We talk about how he braced himself to write for the characters of such a legendary literary icon, and how he designed the best chance to do him justice. Also, we learn about how Ben dealt with the language and plot that Wodehouse dealt with so creatively, why there's no perfect writing day, and how the initial idea for his story came on a long train journey, while musing about Donald Trump.

We'll get a top writing tip from one of the most successful authors still working today AND you can win $2000 worth of book marketing.

PLUS... save 20% on Scrivener, the writing software that makes telling your story soooo much easier.

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Cecelia Ahern - Author of 'P.S. I Love You', talks about her new book 'Roar', where she writes and what it's like to have sold 25 million books. Nov 16, 2018

Since publishing her debut novel when she was 21, Cecelia Ahern has written, pretty much, a book a year. That debut went on to become a blockbuster film, and she's one of the biggest, and bestselling authors around today. Her new book 'Roar' comprises 30 short stories about 30 different women. You can hear why a script-meeting in Los Angeles gave her the idea for the book, and how she developed that whilst on a family holiday.

We talk about why she needs an office to write in, what she does to combat writer's block and whether your debut novel shooting you to such success really changes a writer.

There's a top writing tip in the show from 2 publishers who teamed up to write, and you've also got a chance to win $2000 worth of book marketing prizes.

Also, to save 20% on the writing software Scrivener, head to literatureandlatte.com, and use the code ROUTINE.

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E. Foley and B. Coates, authors of 'What Would Boudicca Do?' - The editors and writers talk nasty women, critiquing each other, and writing to Disney. Nov 08, 2018

Elizabeth Foley and Beth Coates both work in publishing as editors, and when they had one idea too good to give away, they hurried to the office on Saturdays to write it themselves. That became 'Homework for Grown-ups', and since they have written many other works of novelty non-fiction. Their latest is 'What Would Boudicca Do? Everyday Problems Solved by History's Most Remarkable Women'. It looks at what heroines of the past would do about, self-confidence and taking the perfect selfie.

We talk about how they've aligned their schedules to work efficiently through the day, how they decided who, what and when to research, and whether as publishers, they found it easier getting published.

This week's top writing tip that could change the way you work forever is from bestselling crime author Ian Rankin, and there's a way you can win $2000 of book marketing!

Remember, you can make your writing day SO MUCH EASIER, with 20% off Scrivener (AKA the best writing software there is) just use ROUTINE when you check-out over at literatureandlatte.com

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Sir Ian Rankin, author of 22 'Detective John Rebus' novels - One of UK's bestselling authors chats about Edinburgh, writing quickly and surprise endings. Nov 01, 2018

Sir Ian Rankin is one of the biggest selling crime authors in history. His most famous character 'Detective John Rebus' has transcended novels, and is an icon of literature. He's appeared in TV shows, radio plays, and now his 22nd book, 'In a House of Lies'.

As a teenager, Ian found himself being thrust into a life of economics and accountancy, but after time (and some poor maths exam results) he started writing, and 30 years later is a crime-literature institution. We talk about the very first Rebus idea he had, how his writing routine has changed over time, and what makes him carry on telling stories. You can find out how Ian manages and organises his creativity, why he needs to get away from everything to focus occasionally, and how most of the time he has no clue who his killer will be.

You can get 20% off the excellent writing software Scrivener, by using the code ROUTINE over at literatureandlatte.com - I guarantee this will make your writing day SO much easier.

Also, to enter 'The Writer's Block Virtual Book Festival', and win $2000 worth of book marketing, find @TheNovelette on Twitter - you could even be interviewed on this show!

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Gabriel Tallent, author of best-selling 'My Absolute Darling' - Critically acclaimed writer chats character development, plot structure and the right to tell stories. Sep 26, 2018

Gabriel Tallent was working full-time in a restaurant, whilst doing some pretty serious mountain climbing on the side, when he felt the compulsion to tell this story. He would lie on his floor, as soon as he got home from work, fill himself with coffee and try to write 30,000 words a week.

'My Absolute Darling' started off as something else, what he describes as a 'brainy, environmental novel', until he realised that the peripheral Turtle Alveston needed to be the protagonist. It needed to be her story, about the abuse she was subject to by her father. When Gabriel had that realisation, he immediately stopped writing, believing this was a tale too big for him to tell.

The novel is a Sunday Times Bestseller, it made The Times and Metro's 'Books of the 2017', he made the shortlist for Swansea University's 'International Dylan Thomas Prize', and Stephen King described it as 'masterpiece' and a work that will 'stand the test of time'.

It's quite a deep, philosophical chat about why we tell stories, and the right to get down your idea. Also Gabriel chats about making his characters utterly believable, what he thinks about critical reaction to his book, and how much he thought about the story's language.

Also, we get a top writing tip from a debut author who wants you to pay more attention to the world around you.

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Keith Anthony, author of 'Times and Places' - A literary, observational, dramatic comedy. A daily ritual with guitars, immersion and silent retreats. Sep 13, 2018

Keith Anthony has waited some time before finally penning his debut novel, although he always knew he would write, and indeed the room in which he would work. It took a cruise-trip with his Mum, and a week away in a silent retreat to finally give him the focus and idea for 'Times and Places'

The story stars Fergus, who escapes on a cruise to come to terms with the death of his daughter. Whilst there, in the tension-filled floating hotel of no escape, simmering stress reaches boiling point as historic truth and present situations meet. It's an observational piece of literary fiction, much in the comedic style of Jonathan Coe.

Keith shares his daily routine, which involves iffy guitar playing, note compiling and, in time, complete immersion in the story. Also, we talk about what he has learned to help him write a second novel, how the edit was much trickier than he imagined, and whether his debut lived up to expectations.

Also, we get a top writing tip that may change the way you work forever from a creative-writing tutor, who wants to help you work on your memoir.

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Eve Makis & Anthony Cropper - Writer's Routine #38 Jul 27, 2018

One Christmas, Eve Makis went home-made for her Dad's present. She bought a notebook and along with her friend Anthony, a fellow creative-writing teacher, she filled it with prompts and exercises to encourage her Father to write down the stories of his life that he was unable to express with words. When that went well, they took it to a publisher, and a few years later 'The Accidental Memoir' is out!

Today, we hear the story of how they wrote it. How they would meet for 3 hours a day in a local library, bounce ideas around and gradually whittle down their collective creative-writing knowledge, into a book full of prompts and tips that will steer you towards your own memoir.

We talk about why it took 3 attempts of drafting to get it perfect, what it's like working as a duo for a project like this, and how Eve's dad took a starring role in the book's launch.

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Jaqcui Rose - Writer's Routine #37 Jul 19, 2018

Thriller author Jacqui Rose talks us through the story of how her brand new urban gangland story, 'Toxic' got written!

Jacqui has written many books in a huge range of genres, and she's back with new thrillers to add to the 6 already published, that have sold over 100,000 copies. She plans almost nothing. Jacqui simply has a tiny idea, a little flicker of a character, and she'll sit down to write. We talk about this slightly casual way of novel-writing during the show. Also, you can find out why she wanders around the house many times an hour when she's deep into writing. And, you can hear about how she deals with the expectations of a fan-base who know EXACTLY what they want from a Jacqui Rose novel, and why she listens to their reviews the most.

Chuck us a review on iTunes if you fancy.

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J.H. Tepley - Writer's Routine #36 Jul 06, 2018

Mindfulness coach, teacher, writer and warrior in spirit, Jay Tepley brings us this week's 'Writer's Routine'!

For Jay, everything in the world is energy, and because of this, everything is interconnected and the realisation of this can give humans the closest thing to superpowers. It allows her to see through time, talk to the dead, interact with the inanimate, and she teaches these tricks of extended perception in her 'Ariya Mind Training' programme.

Her book 'The Lightwatch Chronicles: The Guardians', is a book designed to awaken these powers within those who have them. It's a fantasy epic, in line with The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, about a group of 'Stars' searching for a lost member of their team and becoming stranded on Earth in the chase. We talk about how the story just appeared to her and be commanded to be put down on paper. Also you can hear the mental blueprint that she made to get it published, and how she packed such grand ideas about the Universe into a 200-odd page fantasy novel.

And, we get a top writing tip from Garrard Conley about how the secret to telling a good story, is reading more of them.

NB - Levels are a bit off during the actual interview, can't be helped I'm afraid, the recording was a bit too quiet. MY BAD.

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Garrard Conley - Writer's Routine #35 Jun 22, 2018

This week we take a skim through the daily diary of Garrard Conley!

Garrard's memoir 'Boy Erased' has just been released in the UK, it's critically acclaimed in the USA and will be released as a film starring Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe later in 2018. It tells the story of how he escaped gay conversion therapy, after being outed to his Baptist parents and given an ultimatum to change, or to leave.

It's an incredible conversation as Garrard, thankfully, completely gets and is fascinated by the whole point of the show! We talk about how he relived those harrowing experiences to write it down in memoir, how he knew which parts of his past to exploit for the audience, and the curious focusing tasks he uses to get in the 'writing zone'.

We've done something different with this show too. Normally I will, quite forensically, edit our chats with authors, but it just seemed wrong for this. Who was I to decide which part of Garrard's story we should hear? It's all mind-blowing, shocking and - most importantly for us - full of top tips to help you get writing.

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Marianne Kavanagh - Writer's Routine #34 Jun 14, 2018

Thirty Four, let's get some more.

This week, we're hearing Marianne Kavanagh's Writer's Routine! She has just published her 3rd novel, 'Should You Ask Me', which is a story of mystery, of murder and of history. In this episode I describe it as 'villainous Countryfile' - which in the best way, tells you everything you need to know.

Marianne has worked around words for a long time, writing novels, columns and working as a journalist, and she thinks very careful about the words on her page. We talk a lot about language, about the tone of the time she's set the story in, and how much research went into it.

'Should You Ask Me', tells the story of 86 year old Mary, who in the early 1940's in the midst of World War II, commits to a decades-old crime. It's about her finally revealing story, taking great pride in doing it, and how it affects the young Policeman that hears it, that will keep you turning the page.

If you fancy, leave us a review on the iTunes Podcast Store PLEASE.

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Natasha Scripture - Writer's Routine #33 Jun 07, 2018

Thirty Three, have a look see.

This week's author, sharing the intricacies and eccentricities of her working day, is Natasha Scripture. Natasha has worked as a journalist, a humanitarian worker, and she's been on a lot of dates too. Finally, after being sick of hearing her Mum say she needed to find a man, Natasha decided to go on an international adventure to find out if that was true. What was originally meant to be a sassy, fun guide to the dating detox, turned into a globe-trotting transformational memoir, which asks what love is and whether we really need it at all?

We talk about how you plan and plot a memoir, what it's like to open up your life to such emotional scrutiny, and why she always has the best ideas in the most annoying places. Also, how she worked was influenced by, and stands apart from, the classic 'Eat Pray Love', and what she learned from her adventure of self-discovery.

Our top writing tip that may change the way you work forever is from one of the UK's most successful crime authors, who wants to put you in the most comfortable pair of pyjamas you can imagine.

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Mark Billingham, author of the 'Thorne' series - Bestselling crime writer discusses working through the night, being inspired by real-life crime, and how his style has changed May 31, 2018

Thirty-Two, this is an incredible treat for you.

This week's guest is one of the UK's bestselling crime-authors, Mark Billingham. In June 2018, Mark will publish his 18th novel, his 15th in the incredibly successful 'Thorne' series. This time copper Tom Thorne gets involved in a case that takes much inspiration from a real-life crime and mystery that still hasn't been solved today.

We talk about how Mark's writing style and method has changed in the 17-or-so years since he published his first novel 'Sleepyhead', which was later made into a TV show starring David Morrissey, and we find out if seeing his hero on the screen affected his view of story-telling too. You can find out how being a obsessive crime-fiction fan turned him into one of the genre's best, and why the name of this fine podcast gives him the shivers.

Also, we'll get a top writing tip from a debut romantic-comedy author who wants you to put down your pen, rest your fingers, and just tell your story.

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Sophie Jenkins - Writer's Routine #31 May 23, 2018

WE'RE AN AWARD WINNING PODCAST! On Saturday, in a ceremony alongside BBC Radio 2, Radio 4, Radio X and countless other titans of broadcasting, we managed to bag SILVER in 'Best Culture' at the British Podcast Awards. Thank you. Thank every single one of you. Even if you were going to download this but have been put off by this sycophantic blurb - THANK YOU.

Sophie Jenkins is our guest this week, sharing the Writer's Routine which helped get her debut novel published! It's a romantic comedy, 'The Forgotten Guide to Happiness', which stars Lara and the unusual living situation which a lonely 80 year old writer who helps find her love.

It's not the sole work of a debutant though, Sophie has been around words most of her life: working as a journalist, as a writer-in-residence, and even studying it as a Masters - so she knows how to tell a good story. Although, it was almost a completely different story. Sophie wrote a whole other draft, handed it to her agent and was told, 'to get it sold, you're going to need to make changes'... those changes ended up being about 90% of the book. Sophie was fine with that though, and you can hear why in the show.

Also, you can find out how she gets to know her characters, whether they could exist independently of the story or indeed, each other. And we talk about why comedian and worrier Jon Richardson helped her imagine the perfect hero for the story.

We get a top writing tip that may change the way you work forever from a thriller author who wants to COMPLETELY DISAGREE with every romantic notion of novel writing EVER.

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James Buckler - Writer's Routine #30 May 10, 2018

Dirty Thirty! (no swearing in the pod though)

It's the Pearl Anniversary of our very first podcast! Debut thriller writer James Buckler brings us the details, crevices and crannies of his working day, with his Writer's Routine.

James' debut 'Last Stop Tokyo' tells the story of Alex, an Englishman on the run in Japan, and his adventure with the the alluring and illusive Naoko, as we discover the who, what and why of his chasers. It's a thriller without anything not of the ordinary. You'll find no gadgets, no car-chases and no secret agents, but James hopes you'll turn the pages quicker than ever before.

Working in film and TV has taken James all around the world, from the US to Canada, before finally settling in Japan for a year. A situation whilst heading through customs in Tokyo Airport became the first chapter of his story, and a conversation with a Japanese student while he was there sparked an idea that became the rest of the plot.

We talk about how he splits his time between writing and freelance film production, the three things he needs to know before he starts work, and what he's learned penning his first book and how he may change things moving to his second.

Our top writing tip that may change the way you work forever is from a mystery author and could massively affect your mindset starting work each day.

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Barbara Nadel - Writer's Routine #29 May 03, 2018

29, feeling fine...ish. Ok, we're barely keeping it together. This book isn't what I thought it would be and so far my writing process is changing the cork-board colour on Scrivener. If this is you, you've in the right place.

Mystery-writer Barbara Nadel brings us this week Writer's Routine. This year, 2018, she will publish her 29th and 30th novels. She's only been putting them out there for 19 years - we'll try and get to the bottom of that incredibly prolific work-rate in the next 30 minutes. Barbara is best known for her 'Inspector Ikmen Mysteries', set in Istanbul which blends the geography, politics and romance of Turkey with one victim's grisly end - 'no matter where you are in the world, there's always a murder-mystery to be solved'. She has also published crime and thriller mysteries around the East End of London, we talk about the differences in writing her different settings.

Also, we talk about the 3 things she needs to know before she starts typing, what she thinks about 'guilty pleasures', and the twist of fate that helped her first book get published. Our writing tip that may change the way you work forever is all about names, and the creative ways you can find them for your characters.

If this show has helped you finally get a story down, I'd love to hear the story of that. Let me know in the comment box of the iTunes Podcast Store Review section, and tell me which author from the series has given you the inspiration to get things done.

Finally, we're up for a British Podcast Award! We're one of 6 up for 'Best Culture' at the end of May, which you can't help us win. BUT, you can vote for us in the 'Listener's Choice' Category over at britishpodcastawards.com.

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Sarah Ward - Writer's Routine #28 Apr 20, 2018

28, tell a mate. Please. We could do with the listeners.

Crime-writing revenge weaver Sarah Ward runs us through her working day! Sarah has published 3 books in the 'DC Childs Series', all thrillers with long-brooded over passion at their heart, and set in the Derbyshire Peaks. We talk about why her most productive hours are in the morning, what she uses to write on trains, and the idea she needs at the core of her story to even contemplate writing it.

If you have a minute, please do leave us a review over on the iTunes Podcast Store, drop us a vote in the British Podcast Awards (britishpodcastawards.com) and TELL A FRIEND. As I say, listeners always needed.

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Julia Crouch - Writer's Routine #27 Apr 14, 2018

27, dear Lord in Heaven. Suitably, if you're of the praying persuasion then I could really do with the Big Man's help... we've been nominated for a British Podcast Award for Best Culture, and EVERY LITTLE HELPS. You can marvel at this unexpected turn of events over at britishpodcastawards.com.

This week, domestic-noir author Julia Crouch shares her writer's routine! She's published 5 books, all focused on the terrible things we do to one another in the name of love. We talk about how her varied and ranging career has always involved telling stories, whether that's with a pen as an author, or with a pencil as an illustrator. Also, you can hear why wasting hours on social media is actually perfectly normal for a writer, it's almost the freelancer's watercooler, and we chat about the 2 things that really get her exciting while working on a story.

Also, we get a top writing tip that may change the way you work forever from a screen-writer, who co-wrote the huge hit film, 'The Death of Stalin'!

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Peter Fellows - Writer's Routine #26 Apr 06, 2018

26, get your kicks. Peter Fellows co-wrote the hit film 'The Death of Stalin', alongside David Schneider, Ian Martin and Armando Iannucci. It's another success on Iannucci's, one of the UK's biggest comedy writers, Wikipedia page - along with Alan Partridge, 'The Thick of It' and 'Veep', which Peter has also co-written for.

The film stars Jason Isaacs, Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor, Andrea Riseborough and Peter talks about what it's like writing jokes to come out of their mouths, and what it's like pitching Hollywood actors a gag whilst on set. Also, we chat about how a tiny, elevator-pitch-of-an-idea gets fleshed out over countless emails, until it's finally ready to play in cinemas. And, you can find out the type of joke Peter never really wants to tell.

It's a sweary episode, as that's what happens when you stick a comedy-writer in front of a microphone for more than 5 minutes, so BE WARNED. It's not excessive, but it's there.

Also, we get a top writing tip that may change the way you work forever from a thriller debutant.

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M.J Ford - Writer's Routine #25 Mar 29, 2018

On the quadranscentennial episode of the podcast, the debut crime writer and children's story-telling hero MJ Ford brings us his Writer's Routine!

Michael has just published his first thriller for adults, 'Hold My Hand'. It starts with a boy snatched by a clown, and picks up the story 30 years later as the police find what may be the kid's body in the woods. The last few years have seen something of a zeitgeist for 'killer clowns', what with Stephen King's IT being remade into a movie, and kids in America thinking it's funny to terrorise neighbours dressed as them, so we chat about whether it's ever good to tag your story onto a zeitgeist in the hope it sells.

He's be around words for most of his career, working as an editor, in a collaborative writers room, and as a children's novelist - both being commissioned to write to spec for a publishing house, and as a ghostwriter for celebrities on their kids books.

We talk about the mystical 5 act structure, what it's like to toss around story ideas with other authors, and how much say a writer has in the process of publication.

You can get one tip that may change the way you write forever from the YA author Cass Green, and she'll reveal the long-running controversial comedy that has helped the way she plots!

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Cass Green - Writer's Routine #24 Mar 16, 2018

All-round word junkie Cass Green brings us today's Writer's Routine!

Cass has written for just about every place where you can read a word. She's penned Young Adult books, worked as a journalist on broadsheets and glossy mags, she teaches creative writing, and has just published her second full-blown adult thriller, 'In A Cottage In A Wood'.

We talk about why her planning method seems to change every time she sat down to write something new, one piece of advice that changed the way she works forever, and her favourite place to write.

Also, we get one tip that could change the way you tell emotion in your stories from Helen Fields, the author of the 'D.I Callanach' series.

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Fern Britton - Writer's Routine #23 Mar 09, 2018

TV presenter and workaholic author Fern Britton gives us our 23rd Writer's Routine!

Fern has just published her 8th novel, Coming Home. It tells the story of a woman returning to her Cornish hometown after many years away, and how she fixes the relationships that have been broken through time. Fern's books are mostly all set in her beloved Cornwall, in fictitious villages that treat you the same way as a hot-water bottle. They're warming, comfy but have that odd element of mysterious danger.

Making her name on 'Ready, Steady, Cook', 'This Morning' and 'Strictly Come Dancing', Fern now spends most of her time gazing over farmland and a blank Word Document from her cottage-study. We talk about how a huge filing cabinet helps her plan stories, why her listeners forced her hand in continuing a finished tale, and how she makes her characters 3 dimensional.

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Helen Fields - Writer's Routine #22 Feb 16, 2018

Crime-writer writer Helen Fields dives into the depths of her diary to bring us tips and advice from her writing routine!

Helen has just published the third of her 'D.I Callanach' thrillers, 'Perfect Death'. It's all about murders, with a gruesome, ingenious twist, and after working in Law with police, social services and Doctors for many years, Helen has a peculiarly accurate insight into the crimes she writes. She's also told stories using every method available to her, running a film production company and even self-publishing two fantasy books before signing up to the big leagues.

We talk about how naming your characters is one of the most tricky parts of the process, why she thinks some authors think the job's too easy, and how self-publishing led her to finally getting signed up by a proper house.

Also, the author of one of the most hotly-anticipated books of the year, AJ Finn gives us one writing tip that will change the way you work forever - and it's so easy, you may not even have thought of it.

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AJ Finn - Writer's Routine #21 Feb 09, 2018

AJ Finn explores the minutely insignificant but weirdly wonderful details of his writing routine!

AJ has just published 'The Woman in the Window', and it's set to be the biggest psychological thriller since 'Gone Girl' and 'The Girl on the Train'. It has sold in 38 territories - the most of a debut ever, entered the New York Times Bestseller list at No.1 - the first time a debut novel has done that in over 11 years, and its film rights have already been bought by Fox 2000!

While working in publishing, the film-noir and crime obsessed AJ thought of a single idea for a story: that of an agoraphobic woman spying a terrible crime through a window, and trying to convince the world of what she saw. It took a further 3 years to flesh out the narrative, and 12 more months to write. AJ has an interesting way of drafting his work too, in that he doesn't do it conventionally. We talk about how he made sure every single one of his 100 chapters was perfect during the show.

Also, we chat about getting into the mind of a 38 year old addict who never leaves the house, and how AJ made sure he could write as his lead character truthfully. There's talk of language, and how the actual placing of words was a surprisingly tough part of the job, and what pressure he feels starting his second novel off the back of one of the most hotly anticipated thrillers in years.

We've got something BRAND NEW as well, where one of the country's best authors reveals one tip that may change the way you work forever!

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Anthony Horowitz, author of 'Magpie Murders' - Prolific writer discusses James Bond, Sherlock Holmes and Alex Rider, also why he doesn't enjoy routines, and revisiting characters Feb 02, 2018

One of the UK's most prolific and loved authors, Anthony Horowitz takes us through the daily routine which has lifted him to huge success!

Which works as a title. Not entirely true though. Anthony doesn't so much have a routine that he fits his writing into, it's more trying to find a time when he can tear himself away from his work. Story-telling for Anthony is a compulsion, it's work he immerses himself into.

His 'Alex Rider' series launched him to national attention in the early 2000's, with school-kids all over the world being transfixed by the heroic, reluctant teenage spy. He has also written extensively across every story-telling method available to him. Working in theatre, film, and you'll often see his name in the credits for TV shows such as 'Poirot', 'Foyle's War' and 'Midsomer Murders'.

More recently, he's moved into adult fiction, with his murder mystery and horror stories frequently filling the best-seller list. He's used his passion to tell tales with other writer's characters too. His 'Sherlock Holmes' and 'James Bond' novels being some of the only 'new' stories ratified by both the Conan-Doyle, and Ian Fleming estates.

We talk about the moment that changed the way he wrote novels forever, how he loves the process of naming his characters, and also the slightly selfish reason he returns to his old characters.

It's a good one. If you've enjoyed it, give us a subscribe and drop us a review on the iTunes Podcast Store. THANKS

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Derek Farrell - Writer's Routine #19 Jan 26, 2018

Murder mystery author Derek Farrell explains his Writer's Routine!

Derek writes the 'Danny Bird Mysteries', a series of books that focus on a barman-cum-amateur-detective, and the cases he stumbles upon through the sleazy streets of London. Finally writing and getting these stories published has not been as plain-sailing as finding a bright light in the West-End though. After finishing one story which ended up cosy and alone in his top drawer - for his birthday, friends bought him a writing course, and it was a simple, standard character development exercise that gave him the idea for his Soho-sleuth.

We chat about finally getting that publishing deal, how he manages to write and on a train to and from work, and also why he had to completely rewrite an entire novel on a 7 hour flight home.

You can buy his 'Danny Bird Mysteries', which are 'Death of a Diva', 'Death of a Nobody' and 'Death of a Devil', on his website: www.derekfarrell.co.uk.

THANKS

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Mark Edwards - Writer's Routine #18 Jan 19, 2018

Crime and Thriller writer Mark Edwards brings us our first Writer's Routine of 2018!

With 7 solo-books to his name, and 6 co-written works, a few years ago Mark finally turned into a full-time writer. His novels have a dedicated following, who crave stories packed with suspense, mystery and the frequent feeling that something supernatural may turn up.

Mark is in the mould of Ruth Rendell or Stephen King, and like many full-time writers, has to squeeze his work between the hours the kids are at school! We talk about what he thinks his characteristic style is, how his story-scheduling changes from one book to the next, and also how, very occasionally, a whole planned out plot will just appear in his head. His solo work includes the bestselling 'The Magpies', 'Because She Loves Me' and 'Follow You Home'.

Also, we get 10 top writing tips from some of the 10 greatest writers in history.

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Richard Graham - Writer's Routine #17 Dec 18, 2017

It's our last Writer's Routine of 2017! So now, for something a little bit different. Artist, illustrator and writer Richard Graham brings us his daily ritual!

Richard upcycles old junk, furniture and other bric-a-brac to make 3D pieces of character art. With this, he then imagines a story involving the pieces, and writes picture books for kids! His first 'The Cranky Caterpillar' is a tale of an insect stuck in a piano, moodily beating the keys, until a girl finds him, and sings some colour into his life.

I went down to Richard's 'Cranky Caterpillar Museum' in Kings Cross, where he makes actual art, writes stories and trudges through proper admin. We talk about the difference between art styles and why some creators choose these methods, also why writing a short and concise story is sometimes horrendously tough, and how sometimes it's best just to put down the pen and switch off for a while. You can look at more of Richard's work at mrmake.co.uk.

Our Distinguished Diary today features the weird and wonderful writing routine of Sir Tom Stoppard, who received an Academy Award for his screenplay of 'Shakespeare in Love'.

Make sure you subscribe to the show on your favourite podcast place, and you'll get some brand new routines and inspiration in 2018!

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Mark Hill - Writer's Routine #16 Dec 08, 2017

Crime-writer Mark Hill tells us how he goes about his day!

Radio-producer Mark Hill has a life-long love of crime fiction, and spotting the tricks and traits of the genre forced his hand to write a book of his own!

'Two O'Clock Boy' tells the story of a killer seemingly getting revenge on everyone in a children's home many years ago. It's the first of his 'Drake and Crowley' thriller series, and it's gone so well, that you can expect a second very shortly. In the show, we talk about what planning a series of books is like, after initially having a great idea for just the first. Also, we talk about how working as a radio producer has helped him talk to an audience, and how having a massive white-board and a few coloured post-it notes really helps the plotting.

Our Distinguished Diary features the weird and wonderful writing routine of Arthur Miller, one of the 20th century's greatest playwrights - and we'll find out the reckless manner that helped him pen 'A View from the Bridge', 'Death of a Salesman' and 'The Crucible'.

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Owen King, author of 'Sleeping Beauties' - Thriller writer talks about idea generation, writing for TV, and working with his dad, Stephen King Dec 01, 2017

Co-author of 'Sleeping Beauties', Owen King tells us this week's writer's routine!

In writing terms, Owen King could not have found himself in a better place. His dad, Stephen King, is one of the world's most successful authors, publishing over 50 books across horror and fantasy, he has sold over 350 million copies, and he's co-written the brand new 'Sleeping Beauties' with his son, Owen!

So, if you're here to get writing tips from the best, this week's guest has learned his craft from the absolute master.

'Sleeping Beauties' is a story about the aftermath of every woman on the world falling asleep, seemingly forever. No one knows why, or where they may have gone, and we find out how many different sets of characters react to the mystery, and what that means for modern gender politics. Owen talks about where the idea came from, why it was originally meant to be on the TV, and what the pressure of writing for a Stephen King level of fanbase is really like. Also, you can find out the only real struggle Owen and his dad had along the way, was who would hand in the final manuscript!

Our Distinguished Diary today is the weird and wonderful writing routine of WH Auden, and we'll find out exactly what helped him sleep for barely more than 6 hours, and still work for 10 hours a day - he did love his routine, but there's something... else in play too.

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Simon Mayo - Writer's Routine #14 Nov 24, 2017

Broadcaster, writer and award-winning podcaster Simon Mayo shows us how an extremely busy person fits in a writing routine!

Simon presents the drive-time show on BBC Radio 2, one of Europe's most popular radio stations. He is one half of 'Kermode and Mayo's Film Review' on BBC Radio 5 Live (Hello to Jason Isaacs), and used to present one of the most prestigious shows on the air, as the host of the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show. In amongst all this, he's found the time to publish 4 novels!

His 'Itch' trilogy tells the story of Itchingham Lofte, an element hunter and unlikely hero, and it's a series that places science at the heart of the tale. His most recent book 'Blame', explores the idea that children are punished for the crimes of their parents. We talk about how plotting a series is wildly different from a standalone novel, how it takes a lot of reworking, and how he only really picked up. a pen to give his son something to read.

There's also mention of his writing shed, how his 'radio voice' is different from his written one, and why he gets ideas from gravestones.

Our Distinguished Diary brings us the weird and wonderful writing routine of John Milton, civil servant and poet, who in 1667 published the 10,000 line magnum opus 'Paradise Lost' WHILE HE WAS BLIND. Compare that to what you did today, ey?

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Paul Burston - Writer's Routine #13 Nov 17, 2017

Thriller-author, satirist and journalist Paul Burston digs deep in his writer's routine!

One of the founding editors of 'Attitude' Magazine, Paul published his first fiction book, 'Shameless', back in 2001. It detailed a single man's life in the Soho clubbing scene. So naturally, he had to partake in much research as a single man in the Soho clubbing scene.

2016 was a big year for Paul, he was featured in the British Council’s #FiveFilms4Freedom Global List, celebrating '33

visionary people who are promoting freedom, equality and LGBT rights around the world', and moved into thriller-writing. His first of these 'The Black Path' tells the story of a small, angry army-town, and the lives of the people who live there.

Paul also actually teaches actual writing! His literary salon 'Polari' tours the country with top authors giving advice and tips on making your work better. HE IS THE PERFECT GUEST FOR THIS SHOW.

Our Distinguished Diary today features the weird and wonderful writing routine of Stephen King, we find out why the world's most successful horror author likes everything in exactly the same place, every day.

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James Wilde - Writer's Routine #12 Nov 10, 2017

'Man of Mercia' James Wilde shares the secrets of writing historical fiction!

In the most polite way possible, James Wilde seems like a man of another time. He lives in a family home in the forest, takes long walks across the fells, and camps in the black, barren night whilst dreaming of ideas. He also reads all them, and he always has. He reads tales of fantasy, tales of fact, and he dreamed of marrying the two in a historical fiction series.

He did just that with his best selling 'Hereward' Series, charting one freedom fighter's quest through the 11th century to claim the throne. James has just started a brand new historical series 'Pendragon', which tackles one of the most famous British legend, King Arthur.

Wilde writes a wide range of fiction under 'Mark Chadbourn', has been a journalist and a screenwriter too, so expect loads of chat about how writing styles different across genres.

Our Distinguished Diary today features Sylvia Plath, and there's news of EVEN MORE WAYS TO FOLLOW WRITER'S ROUTINE.

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Gerry Rose - Writer's Routine #11 Nov 03, 2017

Bonnie Scot Gerry Rose shares his Writer's Routine!

After spending a lifetime adoring books and stories, but limiting his bubbling creativity to bedtime stories to his kids, Gerry finally did something he was almost embarrassed to do - get his ideas down on to paper and write a book.

He has just released the second book in his 'Elliot' series, a trilogy of thriller books that look at one detective's life across three different eras. 'Rinsed' focuses on 2 weeks in summer 2005, when London was in olympic euphoria and terrorist devastation. Gerry claims this story is set in a time that could 'change the world forever'. It's a series of intertwining stories, where everyone is influencing everything.

Gerry also writes for kids! His Mole Man stories are 2 books deep already, and working in schools gave him the idea for his latest children's novel, 'Guitar Box Jorge'.

We chat about curiosity, holidays in Spain, and Urban Dictionary.

For Distinguished Diaries, we learn about the weird and wonderful writing routine of one of the biggest literary figures of the 20th century, Gertrude Stein, and her love of the farmyard.

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Paul A. Mendelson - Writer's Routine #10 Oct 27, 2017

Comedy writer and now bonafide author Paul A. Mendelson tells us his working day.

Paul has written for everything, pretty much. Starting in advertising, he has scripted radio drama, movies, TV drama, and is the creator of BBC's 'My Hero'. You know, with Ardal O'Hanlon off Father Ted, Hugh Dennis and that moody receptionist.

This year he has dived into novels, releasing an adults book, 'In the Matter of Isabel', and his first children's novel 'Losing Arthur' has just been published. The latter is the story of a boy whose infuriated mother posts his imaginary friend to Scotland, and devastated at missing his best mate Arthur, Zack goes on an adventure to get him back.

The ep features top writing tips like how to work on your 'vomit draft', why writing broadly is harder than you'd believe, and where the perfect Costa Coffee is.

Our Distinguished Diary this week features Truman Capote, the writer of 'In Cold Blood' and 'Breakfast at Tiffany's', who enjoyed a nice lie down.

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DM Mark - Writer's Routine #9 Oct 19, 2017

Crime-writing extraordinaire and gruesome guru DM Mark is this week's guest!

DM is David. David is DM. After his 'McAvoy' crime series are bestsellers and critically acclaimed, David became bored of murders in the 21st century and took a dive back in time, travelling to the 1800s. Hull is ravaged by cholera, you can barely walk along the streets for the dying, and the grass over graves is hardly sealed when it gets broken again for another corpse. It is into this already bleak world, that David has thrown a serial killer. Because, crime novels, right?

'The Zealot's Bones' tells this gory, sorry tale, and in this episode you can hear why David chose the past, how he researched the 1800s thoroughly and why he thinks it's a time that probably suited him more than now.

Kurt Vonnegut gives us our 'Distinguished Diary, there's Harry Potter mentions finally, and you can hear what the car-park of a Liverpudlian Travellodge really sounds like.

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Paul Finch - Writer's Routine #8 Oct 12, 2017

An ex-copper turned crime author give us today's writing routine!Paul Finch used to work for the Greater Manchester Police, and upon leaving found that everything the force taught him and the stories he saw along the way might have another use.First, Paul wrote for 'The Bill', and has since gone on to write may scripts across film, TV and animation. He pens horror fiction, loads of sci-fi too and has even given his ideas to the Doctor's (Doctor Who? Doctor Who!) universe.It's with crime fiction that he's found most success. He's six novels in to his 'Heck' novels about DS Mark Heckenberg, and release's the second in his 'PC Lucy Clayburn' series, 'Shadows', is out on the 19th October.Paul's writing routine is... unusual. It's not the humdrum sit down in front of a laptop and get irate when a masterpiece doesn't flow from your fingertips; it involves a tape recorder, a dog, and a landscape of Lancashirian hills.Our 'Distinguished Diary' today features not only a weird and wonderful writing routine from history, but also 11 commandments of creativity to help you along the way - you can hear how Henry Miller got his books down on paper during the show.AND WE HAVE A WEBSITE. I know, 21st Century right? Tell your friends about this thing called the internet... if they can't find it, look out for our AOL keyword in Ask Jeeves.writersroutine.com@writerspodwritersroutine@gmail.com

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David deVire - Writer's Routine #7 Oct 06, 2017

The author of a brand new book on gender equality shares his writing routine!David deVire has had a busy life. He's been an armed policer officer, worked with the University of Oxford on exams, and went from being a property millionaire to homeless... almost overnight.He's always had a fascination with people, the relationships between everyone and how we can learn more about the role of men and women in history. So, with all the free time that he had because of the homeless thing I mentioned earlier, he wrote about it.David interviewed hundreds of women from different backgrounds, class and ethnicity to find out what they really thought about gender equality, to write an informative look on what everyone's view is different. His book 'Tail of the Tigress' is just that. It covers everyone from Queen Victoria to the Pankhursts. It talks about the difference in the brains of men and women, and even how gender-stereotyped degree courses usually end up with a widely different salary.For today's Distinguished Diary, we get the wierd and wonderful writing routine of 'Catch-22' author, Joseph Heller.And if you love your music to be befitting of a coffee shop in southern Paris, and in a particularly jazzy style... what an intro track you've got on the way.@writerspodwritersroutine@gmail.com

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Simon Toyne - Writer's Routine #6 Sep 29, 2017

Bestselling thriller writer Simon Toyne explores his writing routine! In 2007, bored in a job and dreaming of telling stories, Simon quit to finally get one down. Only, he didn't do things by halves. Simon moved his whole family across the channel for a French adventure with the idea that in 7 months, he would finish his first book. The slight issue was... he had no idea what it would be about. Cue a stormy sea crossing, a last-minute hotel booking to get any sleep they could manage, the spindly spire of a cathedral, and an image of a story that he would dedicate the next year to writing. His novel 'Sanctus' was the bestselling debut thriller of 2011, and has been translated into over 20 languages. It's the tale of an old religious order, a secret that could change the world, and a race against time to discover it. Simon talks about how his writing style has changed over the years, how he analysed other books to make sure his sold well, and how he planned his new series 'Solomon Creed' in a completely different way. Our Distinguished Diary today is the weird and wonderful writing routine of Charles Dickens, where we learn how one of the greatest authors in history energised his imagination. And you've just tucked into your second pain au chocolat of the day, while someone is screaming Edith Piaf lyrics into your ears, although you're desperately trying to listen to the random, coffee-shop jazz that's slowly floating from the speakers in the corner. @writerspod writersroutine@gmail.com

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Phoebe Morgan - Writer's Routine #5 Sep 21, 2017

Publishing editor and now published author Phoebe Morgan explores her writing routine!After years of working as an editor in a publishing house, making other writer's work better, Phoebe sat down to tell her own story. Her debut novel, 'The Doll House' is a psychological thriller about 2 sisters who, after just losing their much-loved father, find their life disturbed and intruded upon by someone seeking revenge. It's inspired by a doll house she used to played with, and the story has been bubbling away since childhood. Phoebe chats about how her agent helped the book take shape, if working for a publisher and looking at books everyday affected her story, and what her ultimate aim is as an author.Literary legend and the funniest writer EVER P.G Wodehouse is the subject of our Distinguished Diaries this week (and for those who like to imagine him as a languid lover of cocktails and all things British, it doesn't disappoint) so we'll get his writing routine too.Musically, we've got as far as Dijon this week. So, expect a feast of scatty, French-coffee-shop jazz, and mustard with weird seedy things in it. You know that thing you can do where you review the show on iTunes and give it 5 stars and tell all your mates to do the same? DO IT NOW@writerspodwritersroutine@gmail.com

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Jaroslav Kalfar - Writer's Routine #4 Sep 14, 2017

Hay 30 list-making author Jaroslav Kalfar shares his writing routine! In 2017, to celebrate their 30th birthday the Hay Festival selected 30 people they think will shape the world in the next 30 years, and today's Czech debutant made the cut! Jaroslav's acclaimed novel 'Spaceman of Bohemia' gives us a Czech astronaut who, while sent on a mission he will probably never return from, sees his marriage break-down, starts to go insane, and meets a gigantic alien spider with an obsession for bacon. It's a philosophical sci-fi tale of isolation, love and self-discovery When Jaroslav was 15, he moved to Florida with a tiny, glimmer of an idea. Over the next year he turned this into a short story, before enrolling in New York University with the sole aim of turning it into a full novel - now it's published, and critics love it. Still in the States, he is most creative while working in manic, fanciful writing bursts overnight, while partying with friends in the day. There's a fantastic book recommendation in here too, and if you're struggling with an idea yourself, it will really help you get it down on paper. Our Distinguished Diary this week is social activist, producer, director, actress and writer Maya Angelou - we'll talk about where she jotted down her SEVEN AUTOBIOGRAPHIES. Music-wise, we're further south than Paris today. We've arrived in Auxerre and stopped at a quirky, boutique hotel to rest for the night - where you'll find the jazz in the reception hall sounds remarkably similar. writersroutine@gmail.com @writerspod

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Angela Clarke - Writer's Routine #3 Sep 08, 2017

Crime author Angela Clarke gives us another writer's routine! 'Trust Me' is the third book in her 'Social Media Murders Series', and has just been released to critical and commercial acclaim, but to simply call Angela a 'crime writer' is a bit of a disservice. Angela is a Sunday Times best-selling author, playwright, columnist, screenwriter and public speaker. Her memoir 'Confessions of a Fashionista' is an Amazon Chart best-seller. She is a frequent contributor across radio and in newspapers. She hosts writing seminars, events and masterclasses and studied 'Advances in Scriptwriting' at RADA. RADA! Sir Kenneth Branagh, Sir Anthony Hopkins and Dame Diana Rigg went there! So did Steve McFadden! Her daily routine involves a writing at most available hours, having a few naps, and a truly bizarre audiobook ritual - and as she teaches writing, perhaps we'll get a few hints and tips for getting our own ideas finally down on paper. Our Distinguished Diary this week comes from Patricia Highsmith, as we get the daily plan of a psychological thriller legend with a curious obsession with snails. The background music this week comes from a quaint, candle-lit boulangerie opposite Gard du Nord, as you shovel one last croissant into your mouth before sprinting for the Eurostar home. @writerspod writersroutine@gmail.com

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Steven Butler - Writer's Routine #2 Aug 31, 2017

It's children's fiction king-pin Steven Butler, with his writing routine!Steven is an actor, a singer, a voice-over artist, a passionate cook and somehow finds time to jot down some best-selling books. In this episode, we'll find out how he organises his day to keep creative and focused, while doing about a billion different projects.Steven writes brand new books in the world-famous and loved 'Dennis the Menace' series, has penned 'World Book Day' titles, and was shortlisted for the prestigious 'Roald Dahl Funny Prize'.We chat about how an old headmaster gave him the inspiration to write for kids, why getting out a first draft is vital, and how a bit of luck always helps.Also, you can learn how F. Scott Fitzgerald managed to get his work done amongst all that drinking and dancing in our Distinguished Diaries feature. Plus, you'll need to find a baguette and necklace of garlic to keep up with how delightfully Parisian the backing music is getting.@writerspodwritersroutine@gmail.com

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Karin Slaughter - Writer's Routine #1 Aug 24, 2017

Crime-writing behemoth Karin Slaughter is here with our first ever writer's routine! With over 35 million copies of 17 books sold, in over 36 languages, Karin is one of the world's most popular thriller writers. Her new novel, 'The Good Daughter', focuses on a woman's attempt to come to terms with a traumatising childhood, and explores what being a defence lawyer is like in small-town America. Although the subject of the book is pretty harrowing, the interview is mainly about over-used words, Willy Wonka and how she gets her work done. Also, the first of our Distinguished Diaries feature sees us look at how Founding Father Benjamin Franklin got his work done. PLUS, there's some music on in the background that will hopefully transport you to a back-street French cafe, where you mumble out something that sounds like, 'Croque Monsieur, s'il vous plait', but you'll get served 2 packets of crisps and a glass of apple juice. @writerspod writersroutine@gmail.com

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Writer's Routine - Series 1 Trailer Aug 22, 2017

A short and sweet summary of everything that's to come in Series 1 of 'Writer's Routine'.You can hear a few extracts from our best interviews, where we discover the daily diaries from all sorts of authors as they talk about how they turn a tiny, glimmer of an idea, into a best-selling series. In this show, we'll learn how to get maximum efficiency out of any creativity.Oh, and the music underneath that brings to mind an erratic, underperforming coffee-shop in Montmatre? You'll get used to it.

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