Write, Damn It! with Zoe Richards

Have you noticed how some novels get a lot of media attention and others don't? In most cases, it's likely to be because a publicist is working with the author, and one who knows the right people and how to get the right message out there. In this episode, I talk to my own publicist, Karen Stretch, who is supporting me through UCLan Publishing. Karen is a freelance publicist and if you a...

Ashleigh Nugent’s debut novel, LOCKS, was published by Picador Books in 2023 to rave reviews including 4/5 stars in the Daily Telegraph. LOCKS recently secured a TV deal with 2LE Media. Ashleigh has also written for theatres, academic journals, poetry anthologies and magazines. Ashleigh was Liverpool City Region’s Artist of the Year in 2021. He is also course director at RiseUp, where he uses his...

Chronic illness is something that impacts on a lot of writers, and I've been asked a few times to do an episode on what sufferers can do - and so I invited Ellie Johnson (Ellie J Wellness) to come and chat to me. Ellie is the host of The Wellness Girly podcast, and can be found on Instagram as @elliejwellness. Ellie has personal experience of living with a chronic illness, as well as having s...

Frances Quinn is the author of historical novels The Smallest Man, That Bonesetter Woman and The Lost Passenger (to be published Feb 2025).  Previously a journalist, she’d dreamed of writing books since she was seven years old and finally saw the dream come true when her first novel was published at the age of 57. She lives in Hove with her husband and three Tonkinese cats.  You can find Frances o...

In the last of the mini series on Writing Neurodiverse Characters, I chat with Sarah Ziegel who has lived experience as a mother of 4 boys with autism and other ND traits. Sarah has written and self-published 2 books, her latest of which won her an award. This is a memoir called Marching to a Different Beat, and is an invaluable book for understanding one person's lived experience of neurodiv...

Natali Simmonds is a multi-genre fiction author. Her thriller,Good Girls Die Last,is being adapted for TV, and the last book of her fantasy trilogy,Children of Shadows,was shortlisted for an RNA Fantasy Award. She also co-writes paranormal romance as Caedis Knight. Originally from London, she now divides her time between the UK, Spain, and the Netherlands. Natali can be found on social media as Tw...

In the third in the series on Writing Neurodiverse Characters we dive into being authentic, bringing together what ND is, and what the most obvious traits are. This episode explores a series of questions that help to write an ND character with authenticity, and it ends with 3 short exercises that will help you write your ND characters. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insight...

Rebecca Thorne is the author of the Tomes & Tea cozy fantasy series, as well as several self-published novels. She loves fantasy, romance, and dragons. Rebecca's latest book is  Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea, which is cozy fantasy (and you can find out more about this on the podcast), and it is out on 7th May (US) & 9th May (UK). This book follows two women who leave their dangerous...

In the second of the mini series on writing neurodivergent characters we dive into a high level overview of ND traits - this is not a definitive list, but gives you a sense of how to go beyond the stereotypes of describing a neurodiverse character. Next week we delve into how to bring the ND context into character building and characterisation. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for mor...

Emma-Claire Wilson is an author of emotional commercial and book club fiction. She writes ‘to make sense of the world’, and loves nothing more than tackling tough subjects and issues that affect her readers on a daily basis. When she is not writing fiction, she enjoys exercising her brain muscles with freelance copywriting, coaching other writers or writing articles for The Glass House Online Maga...

Neurodiversity is becoming more of a thing in character development since Eleanor Oliphant appeared in May 2017. Since then I've read a few books that have handled neurodivergent characters well - and many that have not.  Even with my level of expertise I would still say that I don't fully know neurodiversity - because the reality is, there are many types of neurodiversity. However, it a...

Alexandra Potter is the bestselling author of numerous romantic comedy fiction novels in the UK, including One Good Thing and Confessions of a Forty-Something F##k Up , one of the bestselling books of 2022 and the basis of a major TV series. These titles have sold in twenty-five territories and achieved worldwide sales of more than one million copies, making the bestseller charts across the world....

What is an author's voice? And is it the same as a character's voice? In this episode I describe both types of voice, and I offer some tips on how to help develop your voice - one important thing to remember, though, our voice evolves over time. It can't be forced, and once we've found it, it's unlikely to be fixed. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more in...

Triona Campbell is a two-time Emmy-nominated TV producer.  Triona has a Master’s in Creative Writing from Trinity College, Dublin, and is the writer of the award-winning podcast drama Adventures of a Young Pirate Queen .  She is an award winning writer and her new book The Traitor In The Game is out now. She is passionate about creating teen content (and finding time to play retro video games with...

Part of the reality of being rejected - or not hearing anything from agents - is that we compare ourselves to others. It's natural to do that. We might also find ourselves getting a little envious of others and their successes. In this episode we delve into this very real, and yet seldom talked about, topic of the rejection experience. As you'd expect, I give you some actionable steps to...

Laura Ramnarace lives in rural southwestern New Mexico, USA, in the traditional territory of the Chiricahua and Warm Springs Apache people, where she works as a mediator, facilitator and educator. She holds a Master’s degree in Conflict Resolution. Her other creative endeavours include beadwork, tile mosaics, crochet, soap making and cooking. Other pleasures include hiking, camping, yoga and long...

In the third of The Rejection Series we get into what to do when you get rejections, with  combination of tips that you can try to find what works best for you. It might be that all of the tips are worth doing, or you might find a favourite and stick with that. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You c...

Nicola Gill lives in London with her husband and two sons. At the age of five, when all of the other little girls wanted to be ballet dancers, she decided she wanted to be an author. Her ballet teacher was very relieved. Nicola has written three published novels, the latest of which is Swimming For Beginners. This tells the story of Loretta who has her life all under control and how she likes it....

In the second of The Rejection Series we delve into four reasons why a novel might be rejected by agents. It's not great being rejected by agents, and it can feel very disheartening, but you'll hear that one of the first things to do is to accept the it's not personal. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindse...

B.P. Walter is the Sunday Times bestselling author of six thrillers including The Dinner Guest, The Locked Attic and Notes on a Murder. He was born and raised in Essex, worked in bookshops during his teens, then went to the University of Southampton to study Film and English. He is also an alumnus of the Faber Academy. Since then he has previously worked in social media coordination and now writes...

Over the next few weeks, the Friday episodes will be devoted to rejections - something that the world of trad publishing requires us to become quickly acquainted with. In this first in the series, I talk about expectations, with practical tips on what you can do to set your expectations in a way that works for you. I also share some figures that help you understand why the querying process is unli...

Originally from Yorkshire, Lisa now lives in London with her husband and two teenage daughters. She started her career teaching English and Drama and has written three family drama novels under her own name, filled with devastating secrets and explosive revelations. In February, she published her first Book Club novel, The Memory Library, under the pen name Kate Storey. It’s an uplifting book abou...

Do you ever find yourself thinking negatively about your writing? In this episode I share an approach for catching yourself out, understanding your limiting believes, and how to play with an alternative way of thinking to turn things around for yourself. I mention a book that I believe it worth reading - The Big Leap by Gaye Hendricks. It's a book that definitely did a lot to change my thinki...

Louise Morrish is a historical fiction writer and librarian from Hampshire. She writes stories inspired by the lives of women in the past, who achieved extraordinary things, but whom history has forgotten. Her debut novel, Operation Moonlight , won the Penguin Random House First Novel competition in 2019, and was published by Penguin Michael Joseph in 2022. Operation Moonlight is inspired by the f...

First up, I'm not an expert on social media, so please do seek advice from someone with much more expertise in this area than me. Having said that, I do know a fair bit about how to use social media and how to make it work for you at a lower scale than most experts push. In this bonus episode of Putting Yourself Out There As An Author, I take you through 5 simple steps, and in step 5 I have 5...