Write Club Podcast

In this episode of the Write Club Podcast , we’re joined by Nathan Dylan Goodwin , bestselling British historical and genealogical crime novelist and creator of the acclaimed Morton Farrier series! Nathan takes us behind the scenes of his unique creative process, sharing how a childhood passion for genealogy at age 12 evolved from writing local history books into building a wildly successful ficti...

How do you keep readers laughing on one page and on the brink of tears the next - for nearly three decades? In this heartwarming and insightful episode of The Write Club Podcast , our hosts chat with iconic British author Mike Gayle , whose smash-hit debut My Legendary Girlfriend launched a full-time fiction career back in 1997. Mike gives listeners an exclusive preview of his upcoming family dram...

In this episode of the Write Club Podcast, we are joined by Heather Morris - the globally renowned, #1 bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz - to discuss her gripping new novel, The Piano Teacher of Montparnasse. Heather shares the incredible real-life origin of her latest story, inspired by composer Cara Talvi, whose grandmother’s life was saved during the Holocaust by a courageous pia...

Who’d have thought that your best first draft might not be written at a desk, but spoken aloud while walking your dog? In this inspiring episode of The Write Club Podcast , our hosts chat with Marcia Hutchinson , author of the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlisted debut, The Mercy Step . Marcia breaks down her original drafting routine - dictating up to 2,000 words per loop in her local park...

How does geographic distance sharpen an author’s view of home - and how do you capture the authentic cadence of an accent on the page? In this episode of The Write Club Podcast , we are joined by Commonwealth Short Story Prize nominee and award-winning author Dwight Thompson to discuss his second novel, My Own Dear People . Born and raised in Jamaica and currently teaching at an international scho...

What happens when you drop a high-stakes murder mystery into the middle of magical medical school final exams? In this episode of the Write Club Podcast , we chat with Hugo Award-nominated author Freya Marske to talk about her upcoming novel, Bodies of Magic (releasing in the UK on September 17th). Freya talks about how her real-world medical background shaped the authentic details, frantic pacing...

Struggling to make your characters feel real—or letting self-doubt freeze your typing fingers? In this powerhouse episode of The Write Club Podcast , our hosts are joined by British author and elite executive coach Robbie Steinhouse to unpack his gripping debut novel, The Process . Drawing from 25 years as a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) trainer, Robbie spills the secrets on how to use real-w...

How do you transition from writing short stories to publishing a full-length supernatural coming-of-age novel - and how do you define success on your own terms? In this episode of The Write Club Podcast , we had the pleasure of chatting with writer and anthology contributor Damien McKeating to talk about his debut novel, Tallulah Belle , set in the whimsical world of a fantasy burlesque theatre. D...

How can staying curious, practising deep reading, and ‘starting with a word’ pull you out of a creative rut and transform your manuscript? In this episode of The Write Club Podcast , we spend 50 minutes with writer, veteran teacher, and retreat leader Marilyn McEntyre to talk about her latest book, Start with a Word . Drawing on decades of teaching literature, medical humanities, and creative writ...

Rahul discusses his decision to handwrite the first draft of his novel using 2B pencils and yellow legal pads to eliminate digital distractions, drawing inspiration from Toni Morrison's writing habits. He explains how the Indian railway system served as a metaphor for the country's diversity and complexity, with his protagonist Charu working in the personnel department handling grievances across t...

In this episode, hosts Beth and Mary from the Writing Magazine and Writers Online team sit down with R R Haywood (Richard), a powerhouse of British science fiction and horror. As an Amazon All-Star and one of the top ten most downloaded indie writers in the UK, Richard has built a massive global following with his gripping narratives, real-world grit, and signature sharp humour. Richard joins us t...

In this episode of The Write Club, Beth and Mary are joined by Jen, the UK Lead for Kindle Direct Publishing and Amazon’s resident self-publishing expert, to celebrate a massive milestone: the 10th anniversary of the Kindle Storyteller Award. Together, we chat about the incredible evolution of self-publishing over the last decade and discuss how it has transformed from a backup plan into a top-tie...

In this episode, hosts Beth and Mary from the Writing Magazine and Writers Online team chat with David Cairns , the Baron of Finavon. David has a remarkably diverse background - from training as an accountant and working as a technology entrepreneur to living across four continents - all of which feeds into his rich, worldly perspective on writing history. David joins us to give us an insight into...

Welcome back to the Write Club Podcast , where we take you behind the pages and into the fascinating world of writing! In this episode, hosts Beth and Mary from the Writing Magazine and Writers Online team sit down with Julia Bell , Professor of New Writing at Birkbeck, University of London, and the author of Radical Attention and the acclaimed new book, Between the Lines – Life Lessons from the C...

Welcome back to the Write Club Podcast with Mary and Beth from the Writing Magazine and Writers Online team! This week, we are taking you behind the pages with the brilliant Matthew Sullivan , the award-winning, New York Times -featured author of Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore . We dive deep into his gripping new release, Midnight in Soap Lake - a book so addictive we’ve been sneaking chap...

This week on The Write Club , Mary and Beth chat with Simon Mason , a writer whose career has spanned every corner of the book world - from Managing Director at David Fickling Books to Fellow of Creative Writing at Oxford Brookes University. We explore his latest Ryan and Ray Wilkins thriller, The Dangerous Stranger , and discover how a ‘trailer park boy’ and a privately educated detective became...

“Blunt wasn’t the least of the Cambridge spies - he was the most dangerous of them all.” This week on The Write Club , Mary and Beth go behind the curtain of the ‘Great Game’ with literary agent and author Piers Blofeld . Piers is a staple of the publishing industry and a beloved columnist for Writing Magazine , but his latest venture has taken him into the dark, dusty archives of MI5. His debut b...

Can writing a poem make you a better novelist? According to Cathi Rae, the answer is a resounding yes . In this episode, Cathi joins Beth and Mary to discuss her Writing Magazine series, ‘An Introduction to Writing Poetry.’ We chat about the ‘old question’ of whether to rhyme, the benefits of spoken word events, and how to find your specific starting point when the page is blank. In this episode,...

In this episode of The Write Club , Beth and Mary sit down with award-winning author Alice Jolly to discuss her latest novel, The Matchbox Girl . Set against the backdrop of Nazi-occupied Vienna, the story explores the complex legacy of Dr. Asperger through the eyes of a neurodivergent ghost narrator. Alice takes us behind the scenes of her extensive research process, explains why she chose such a...

How do you transition from writing someone else’s life story to becoming a bestselling thriller author? In this episode of The Write Club , Beth and Mary are joined by the brilliant Ruth Kelly , author of the gripping new psychological thriller, The Afterparty . A Richard & Judy Book Club favourite, Ruth shares the secrets behind her ‘just one more chapter’ pacing and how her background as an awar...

How do you maintain a 30-year career that includes over 2,000 published short stories and 35 novels? In this episode of The Write Club, Mary and Beth sit down with our newest columnist, bestselling author and tutor Della Galton. Della pulls back the curtain on her incredibly prolific process, sharing the “secret sauce” behind relatable humour in rom-coms and her top tips for writers struggling to...

Bestselling author Kandi Steiner joins us to talk about her iconic novel, A Love Letter to Whiskey . Kandi tells us about her recent Writing Magazine article, "Turning your life into fiction," exploring where her diverse story ideas come from and how she keeps her characters so beautifully flawed. We discuss the catharsis of writing, Kandi’s typical writing day in Tennessee, and her unique path to...

How do you move from the ‘low-stakes’ comfort of a magical tea shop to a claustrophobic, dark submersible filled with a deadly virus? In this episode, USA Today and Sunday Times bestseller Rebecca Thorne joins Mary and Beth to discuss her latest release, This Gilded Abyss . We dive into the mechanics of world-building, how to maintain romantic tension in high-stakes settings, and Rebecca’s top adv...

In this episode of the Write Club Podcast, we’re joined by Edgar Award–winning author Deepa Anappara, whose debut Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line was named one of the best books of the year by major publications worldwide. We talk about her journey from journalism to fiction, the inspiration and research behind her new novel The Last of Earth , writing dual storylines, developing vivid characters,...

In this episode of the Write Club Podcast , we’re joined by award-winning author Anna Mazzola , who also writes thrillers under the pen name Anna Sharpe . Anna’s work is known for its atmosphere, urgency and moral depth. We talk about her CWA Gold Dagger–winning novel The Book of Secrets , her latest thriller Notes on a Drowning , named Thriller of the Month by The Times , Daily Mail , i-Paper and...