Confessions of a Debut Novelist

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Jenna Clake about her literary novel Disturbance. We discuss using witchcraft to write about female agency, the challenges of novel writing vs poetry and how Jenna Whatsapps herself notes on the go to keep her ideas alive.  Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop * Buy Disturbance: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/978139871207...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Margaret Meyer about her historical novel The Witching Tide. We discuss why she was inspired by women who had been wiped from the history books, writing a non-verbal character and how working in male prisons taught her the power of story.  Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop * Buy The Witching Tide: https://uk.bookshop.or...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Pim Wangtechawat about her literary novel The Moon Represents My Heart. We discuss how she set up the rules for time travel in her novel, the challenges of writing in her second language and what it’s like when your book’s optioned by Hollywood star Gemma Chan.  Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop * Buy The Moon Represent...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Alice Bell about her crime novel Grave Expectations. We discuss how she created her crime solving duo of a medium and a teenage ghost, how she works out whodunnit and why then works backwards and why now that she's published bookshops have become a place of fear.  Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop * Buy Grave Expectatio...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Aoife Fitzpatrick about her historical novel The Red Bird Sings. We discuss the unbelievable true story that inspired her gothic novel, how her research trip to West Virginia helped her get the tone and the voice right and why she applied for arts council funding. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop * Buy The Red Bird Sin...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Bridget Walsh about her historical crime novel The Tumbling Girl. We discuss writing a historical working class character who pushes against the constraints of the era, working with a great indie press and Bridget’s advice to anyone who think it’s too late to write their novel.  Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop *...

Jericho Writers are offering listeners of this podcast a very special discount. Use the code PODCAST15 for 15% off annual membership. In this special episode I’m talking to Rose Wilding about her psychological suspense novel Speak of the Devil. We discuss why a writing workshop made her want to behead a fictional man, breaking all the writing rules by having 8 POVs and how Rose’s ADHD diagnosis ch...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Senta Rich about her commercial novel Hotel 21. We discuss the differences between writing a screenplay and a novel, why a first person voice was so appealing to her and creating hooks in your story.  Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop * Buy Hotel 21: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781526650498 https://sentarich.c...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Katie Bishop about her psychological suspense novel The Girls of Summer. We discuss how the #MeToo movement inspired her teenage character’s troubling first romance, how she used the present tense to let the reader experience events alongside her character and how she structures her day as a full-time writer.  Confessions...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to to Santanu Bhattacharya about his literary novel One Small Voice. We discuss how he wanted to explore the experience of millennial Indians in a rapidly changing world, using the structure of his novel to add intrigue and suspense and the advice from Max Porter that transformed his work.  Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bo...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Katie Lumsden about her historical novel The Secrets of Hartwood Hall. This episode is a fascinating one. Katie had an agent for seven years, wrote several books that went on submission and unfortunately failed to get a book deal and she's also been a fiction editor for a Big 5 publisher, so she's really seen things from the other...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Alison Stockham about her psychological suspense novel The Cuckoo Sister. We discuss how her novel’s sisters represent two sides of motherhood, when she realised she was writing in a way that wasn’t working for her and creating a divisive ending.  Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop * Buy The Cuckoo Sister: https://www.am...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Jo Leevers about her commercial novel Tell Me How This Ends. In this episode we discuss how personal loss inspired her story, why adding a mystery element gave the book momentum and why asking questions during the publishing process is important.  Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop * Buy Tell Me How This Ends: https://uk...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow about her literary novel All the Little Bird-Hearts. In this episode we discuss writing from the perspective of an autistic woman as an autistic author; how she left school without qualifications before studying for a PhD in later life; and her advice for neurodiverse authors navigating the publishing industry...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Krystle Zara Appiah about her contemporary novel Rootless. In this episode we discuss writing to break stigmas about Black women’s mental health, how Rootless started life as a NaNoWriMo novel and how it felt to lose 60,000 words!  Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop * Buy Rootless: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780008...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Rachel Dawson about her historical novel Neon Roses. In this episode we discuss showcasing Wales in her proudly Welsh book, her ambition to write an empowering and empowered queer book and how lesbian punk photography informed the creation of her love interest.  Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop * Buy Neon Roses: https:...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Soula Emmanuel about her literary novel, Wild Geese. In this episode we discuss her subversion of an Irish emigrant novel, her goal to write a beautiful book and why she likes to experiment and try things out early on in a draft.  Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop * Buy Wild Geese: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Isabelle Schuler about her historical novel Lady MacBethad. In this episode we discuss the themes of gender and ambition that inspired her novel, how she turned a 60 minute pilot episode script and TV Bible into a book and what it’s like to be confronted by bad reviews. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop * Buy Lady MacBe...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Stephen Buoro about his literary novel The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa. In this episode we discuss the wonderful moment a powerful voice came to Stephen and he reached for his Blackberry to write it all down, how that opening passage is still the same in his published novel, and how his Booker Prize scholarship tra...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Kara Gnodde about her contemporary novel The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything.  In this episode we discuss how fragments of inspiration came to her like pieces of a puzzle, why she struggled with the structure of her novel and the importance of enjoying every win whilst keeping your expectations in check during publication.&nb...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Alice Slater about her thriller Death of a Bookseller. In this episode we discuss how she created separate playlists, played movies in the background as she wrote and used different vocabulary lists to create the distinct narrative voices in her novel, why after years of tinkering she was able to finish the novel in a month and why...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Ryan Love about his commercial novel Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out. In this episode we discuss writing different coming out stories to capture a variety of experiences, how lockdown was a now or never moment to achieve his novel-writing dreams and how he wrote the first draft in 3 intense weeks.  Confessions of a Debut Novel...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Carole Hailey about her thriller The Silence Project. In this episode we discuss how frustration with politics inspired her theme of silence, why she’s glad her other novel didn’t sell and the strange way she found her agent, by not winning a writing competition. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop * Buy The Silence Proje...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Jessica George about her contemporary novel Maame. In this episode we talk about writing a personal story about grief, how Maame was her actually her sixth novel and second attempt at getting a book deal and how she prefers to start writing her novel by hand. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop * Buy Maame: https://uk.boo...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Charlene Carr about her commercial novel Hold My Girl. Technically Charlene is not a debut novelist as she’s written 10 self-published novels, but Hold My Girl is her first traditionally published novel and I was very keen to talk to her about the transition between self and traditional publishing and the differences she’s exp...