Books 'n' Shit

We back at it again with another episode and this time we're talking SEQUELS!! I start off the ep going back to the mantra of the year (00:20) before going into my reading update so far (00:54). A cheeky writing update about my new wip School of Sons (04:33) and the trials I'm having writing my own sequel, Wolves of Honour (07:50). After that nice little connect, I get into the responses that you...

Another indie author interview featuring the wonderful Amanda Ross all the way from California! Amanda is the author of the intense To Astera, With Love; a Paranormal Political Fantasy Dystopian Drama that deals with rising tensions between Vampires and Witches. I immediately touch on my first impressions of Aster (00:55) and ask Amanda about her inspiration behind its story (01:35). We explore th...

This episode I focus on the positive influx of Black Fiction as well as some of the things about black content in general that I have issues with. After a brief catch up (00:15) I delve into the current state of Black Fiction (06:10) and how at times I have had to defend my Blackness to commenters and people in my DMs. I touch on the idea of struggle narrative still be apparent in black fiction (0...

Welcome one and all to another episode of the infamous #BooksNShit! This episode is a bit of a humble brag as for the life of me I couldn't work out what to record for this week and ran out of time! So, after a wonderful day of Charli updates, I thought i'd share these with you. I start of with a little announcement (01:00), then go into the fun of a Jay Kristoff inspired read-a-long i'm a part of...

While we all love reading, sometimes the books we read aren't that great and some that are terrible! On this episode I discuss some of the books i've hated with my bookstagram friend, Kate aka @flyawayfantasy! (01:35) I start off talking about Daughters of Nri (02:15) and then we discuss what it is about stories that need to hit for us to like them (03:40). Kate lets us know her most hated book (0...

Listen to my host dreams come true as I have an amazing chat with New York Times Best Selling author Jay Kristoff!! The incredible author of the Nevernight chronicles, the Aurora Rising series and upcoming Empire of the Vampire among other series, talks about all things writing, reading and the fun stuff in between. We discuss the smut in his work (22:28) and how hot fellow author Pierce Brown is...

Why do we like retellings? (00:40) What about the reshaping of fairytales and classic stories resonates so much with us. I go over some retelling examples (01:50) including some retellings that came as movies (06:18). I question why we like to compare our stories to older classics or promote our work as retellings (08:23). I also play Devil's Advocate and question whether retellings are a 'cop out...

The second Books 'n' Shit author interview is with the wonderful Esme Carmichael; author of the Connections series, the first of which is The End of Everything. The four part series has two books and a novella currently in circulation so check out the interview to listen to Esme's writer journey. After an introduction (00:50) to Esme and the books themselves, we discuss the dystopian them of the n...

I'm joined by Bavan aka @realbnkumar on Instagram to talk about authorpreneurship; the art of turning ones writing into a business and/or a brand. The idea of being an authorpreneur isn't an entirely new concept but whether you're doing it consciously, or not; there is an art to being able to market yourself and your work in order to reap connections, followers and of course sales. (01:25) we meet...

A quick episode today friends, focused on checking in with everyone about how i'm getting on and an opportunity to let me know what's going on with you as well! This episode, I go into my first #PitMad experience (01:07) and touch on the issues that prompted a recent picture posted on Instagram (05:05). I update you with my current reading goals and the slump i'm trying to get out of (09:50) as we...

#BooksNShit is back with another episode and this time I'm talking with the amazing editor, Annelie Widholm! Have a talk with us about all those editing woes that may be troubling you including how to self edit, what the different types of edits are and whether you're paying too much or too little for it. As ever, have fun with me and my bookish friends as we try and navigate the world of self pub...

Today we talk about tropes! Those pesky little things that people either seem to love or hate but seem to have such a heavy hold on the stories we love and hate. In this episode, I give the definition of Literary Tropes as opposed to the character/plot led ones that we usually consider (02:05). I touch on the 7 Basic Plots or Archetypes that make up stories and which most tropes originate (08:10)....

Today I speak to Lore, the found of Smashbear Publishing, an indie publisher that this month is a year old! With a rapidly growing team and a roster of authors going into the double digits, Smashbear has gone from strength to strength in such a short time and of course, during a pandemic! Lore and I touch on how Smashbear started (10:35), what it looked like financially to start a publishing house...

A bit of a techy episode this week as I chop it up about Points of View. Whether you choose First or Third Person narratives, it will make a huge impact on your writing projects. Start off clarifying what POVs there are (01:14) before I let you know the feedback i got from listeners about the POVs they prefer to read in (08:30) and then the POVs they prefer to write in (12:13). I touch a little on...

The first indie interview on BooksNShit is with author Emily Rooke. Emily's debut The Dying Light is the first in a Dark Fantasy trilogy that touches on the effects of abuse, both physical and mental in a world where magic is evil and those that wield it are persecuted. Join myself and Emily (01:50) as she introduces herself and her works and we have in depth discussion about The Dying Light (03:2...

Ever feel pressured into raiding Ikea so you can turn your living room into a Bookstagrammers library? Cause, same! While there are endless worries about social media influencing how we feel about our bodies, our careers, our bank accounts etc. I never thought i'd come across feelings of inadequacy while reading! This week's episode touches on the micro pressures from living the Bookstagram life,...

It's Valentine's Day and so I'm getting a little romantic on this weeks episode of #BooksNShit! I touch on what we love about romance in fiction (02:45) as well as what makes up a good book bae (04:52) with Instagram comments from @ariettacharles (04:55), Sara M. Zerig (06:10), @katrinawrites_ (07:42), @l.mmorrison (10:00) and @the.write.talk (11:48). I go into the specifics of the CharliAuthor Sm...

Episode 3 talks Black Representation , pointedly within the recent Netflix period drama, #Bridgerton (07:05). I am joined by Jose de Cruz (20:40), a supporting cast member on the show, who discusses his thoughts on Black Representation in Bridgerton and media in general. We touch on whether or not enough is being done both in front of and behind the camera to improve the inclusion of Black creativ...

Thanks for joining me for another episode of #BooksNShit ! This episode looks into the varying states of positive and negative Mental Health .  I give you my reading goal update (01:10), writing goals for Wolves (02:40) as well as looking into my own issues with depression during the initial UK lockdown (06:45) and trying not to suffer from burnout (04:30). As ever, we keep it all positive al...

Happy New Year and welcome to the first episode of Books 'n' Shit! It seems best to start off with an introductory episode about myself (05:31) and the podcast, so here you go! I touch on my mantra (02:28) for the coming year, as well as my reading (20:25) and writing goals (22:50) and what you can expect from upcoming episodes. Wherever you're listening, make sure to like, rate/review, comment, s...

Join your host CharliAuthor in the new year for Books 'n' Shit , the newest podcast/forum for bookish minds like yourself! Reviews, discussions on fandoms, Charli's self publishing journey, book rants and everything else the reading and writing community has to offer, #BooksNShit is bookish banter at its finest. You can expect reviews of new releases, chapter reads, author interviews and more! So,...