Rippling Pages: Interviews with Writers

It's a summer of sport, and I am here for it! Ashton Politanoff is here to talk to me about his novel, DAD HAD A BAD DAY (Daunt Books) Ashton's novel is an articulate exploration of masculinity, its patiently crafted unraveling narrative, and its loyal homage to the sport of tennis. Here's some fun facts about Ashton. Ashton Politanoff is a frequent contributor to NOON, edited by Diane Williams. H...

I had the absolute pleasure hosting Alice Hattrick up in Leeds for a special edition of the Rippling Pages at Leeds Literature Festival. I'm a huge fan of Alice's first book, ILL FEELINGS (Fitzcarraldo Editions), so I was obviously really excited to get stuck into their next book, FANCY WORK (Fitzcarraldo Editions), for this special live edition of the Rippling Pages.  That book indeed weaved (aut...

Welcome to an episode of Ask the Host, i.e. with me, Liam! This the podcast where writers get real about writing, but today, we’re getting real about podcasting! In today’s episode of Ask the Host, we’re finding out: - What’s the difference between the live coffee conversations and remote interviews> - My summer book preview and reading list? - Where have we been for Leeds Lit Fest? What is the...

Let’s dust off the archives again and celebrate some of the guests we’ve had on the Rippling Pages This time, we’re going back to a conversation that was had in 2022 with the writer, editor, and all around bookish good guy, Nicholas Royle. I spoke to Nicholas about his wonderful book about book collecting, WHITE SPINES:THE CONFESSIONS OF A BOOK COLLECTOR Chances are, if you’ve a penchant for secon...

The podcast for the world’s most interesting writers is going a little closer to home; we’re visiting Leeds and the North of England for a conversation about with Stu Hennigan about his novel, KESHED.  Not only is it lovely to speak about some of the places I know really well, but also a bittersweet too, as Stu’s novel reminds of me of the people and places I’ve moved away from.  What I loved abou...

Amber Medland is here to tell us about what it’s like to be in an anthology with George Saunders, overcoming writers block, and telling us whether it’s magic or mechanics that makes a story. Amber has been collated in one of the most select short story anthologies likely to hit the shelves this year. Magic and Mechanics (Scratch Books) features some of the most talented short story writers short s...

Let’s dust off the archives and celebrate some of the guests we’ve had on the Rippling Pages. This is a re-release of a previous episode with Polly Barton. Over the years, we’ve been proud to feature emergent writers on the Rippling Pages and speak to them in the early stages of their careers. One of those writers is Polly Barton, who’s just released her debut novel, WHAT AM I, A DEER? with Fitzca...

Camille Bordas likes miniature objects.  It’s how they remind her of her childhood in Mexico and show off little details. In fairness, it might once have been a lighter for Camille, but she still has them all.  This is bonus content on the Rippling Pages where we ask a writer to provide us with an object that has been with them during their writing process. You’re also going to hear a snippet of t...

Camille Bordas is one heck of an exciting literary talent, and she’s joining me on the Rippling Pages to discuss her story collection, ONE SUN ONLY (Serpent’s Tail). What I loved about these stories is their wonderfully dry humour, empathetic narratives of flawed characters, and deeply woven observations, within the stories, about how fiction works.  Plaudits for Camille have come from George Saun...

It's Easter - and it's easter egg time. In this bonus content, you're going to hear a lot about Easter Eggs, but not the chocolate kind. Instead, we’re talking those little secret insights to Lucy's work, both past, present and future. This is bonus content and our objects of influence segment where we ask a writer to provide us with an object that has been with them during the writing of the book...

Oh wow! It was my pleasure to have a coffee with and speak to the writer Lucy Caldwell about her new short story collection, DEVOTIONS (published by Faber and Faber). That's right, we were live and in person having a coffee talking about Lucy's new collection I revelled in a theatre troupe performing a choose your own version of Hamlet; I had a wry smile watching Christopher Plummer ponder on whet...

Welcome to this bonus content with Leon Craig. We’re talking about how Leon found an old letter knife in a shop which helped her understand her characters desires. PLUS! You’ll hear Leon talking about plagues, the pandemic, and why she left the UK to write her novel about the UK.   Leon was here to discuss THE DECADENCE (Sceptre), a novel about a group of friends who find shelter in an old abandon...

I’m looking forward to diving into the crumbling and the haunted this week with Leon Craig.  We’re discussing Leon Craig’s THE DECADENCE. And you the listener picked Leon as one of the rising stars of literature that you wanted me to interview. Have you ever walked past an old abandoned house and wondered what kinds of lives were lived there? Have you ever dared to explore one? Perhaps you wanted...

We’re going to the Slovenian coast this week during the final years Yugoslavia with Ana Schnabl.  Dunja has finally launched her literary career, but the shadow and spectre of her brother’s death haunts both her and her family. What happens when she returns to investigate her brother’s death? And what happens when the truth becomes stranger than the fiction she writes? Ana Schnabl’s novel is publi...

What a lovely time I had speaking and sitting with Eva Meijer, the Dutch Author, in Leeds to discuss their novel SEA NOW.  A government who seems slow to respond to a rapidly encroaching crisis. Marketing executives exploiting ways to make quick cash. A missing Prime Minister. Leavers and remainers conflicted about the right course of action. It all sounds like a playbook for our recent political...

Happy New Year! I’m delighted to bring you some more unedited and bonus content from my Christmas and New Year special with Madeleine Dunnigan and Farah Ali. There was just so much good stuff in our craft and curation special, that I wanted to bring you a little more to start the year.  These books are going to be spoken about in literary circles in January.  In Pakistan, a young woman grapples wi...

I’m kicking off a 2026 preview with two of the most exciting emerging voices publishing books this January. I speak to them about how they wrote their novels, before asking which books inspired them along the way, and what their books and book selections say about the world today. If you’re looking for your next great reads of 2026, look no further — Rippling Pages has you covered. We’re going fro...

I'm delighted to be talking to Rali Chorbadzhiyska about her work as freelance editor, and we're asking what the road to publication really looks like.   It must be another edition of Ask the Curator. In these episodes, we go behind the curtain of the literary industry to ask another literary curator, how they do what they do. Over the years, Rali has worked at Penguin RandomHouse, Faber and Canon...

Welcome to some bonus content with Lee Cole, and we’re talking about how he used an old book he found at his grandparents to help build the world and characters in his novels.  Plus, you’re going to hear some extra bits about writing heroes and villains.  Fulfillment, Lee Cole’s second novel, follows two half brothers whose clashing ambitions—Emmett’s longing to be a screenwriter and his brother’s...

Welcome to the latest episode of the Rippling Pages. I’m having a coffee with Lee Cole, the American writer from Kentucky. And we’re talking about balancing the feelings and ethics of writing about home. Now living a humdrum life in Kentucky, Emmett spends his days packing boxes in a warehouse. But what happens when he begins to dream of another life—and when those dreams start to fracture his fam...

I’m talking with the essayist Joanna Pocock, and this is some bonus content from our original interview. America is a place that has compelled countless writers to travel its vast and varied landscapes.  Perhaps you’ve done it yourself. But what happens when you feel compelled to do it all again? That’s the question at the heart of Joanna Pocock’s essay, Greyhound (Fitzcarraldo Editions). Named af...

I’m talking to the Swedish writer, Agnes Lidbeck, in this special edition live episode of the Rippling Pages! We really did have a coffee with one of the world’s, one of Sweden’s most interesting writers, because as we were live in person with a live audience in Leeds! Life is full of adjustments - perhaps there isn’t a bigger adjustment than having children. But what happens when you start to que...

America is a place that has compelled countless writers to travel its vast and varied landscapes.  Perhaps you’ve done it yourself. But what happens when you feel compelled to do it all again? That’s the question at the heart of Joanna Pocock’s essay, Greyhound (Fitzcarraldo Editions). Named after the iconic bus company whose intercity network carries passengers from Detroit to Los Angeles — and w...

Welcome to the second edition of Rippling Pages: Ask the Host! It's time to answer some more questions from you, the listeners! So, that’s what I’ve done: I’ve picked out some questions from the Rippling Pages inbox, and answered them! In this episode, I answer: - What I have been reading lately? - How are my French lessons going?  - How do I prepare for interviews? - What is my favourite bookshop...

“It’s almost a perfect work of art.” This is some bonus content from the previous episode with Gurnaik Johal where we talk about objects of influence.    The return of a potentially holy river in the Indian mountains - is it a sign of a new age, a divine intervention, or simply the workings of nature? These are the questions at the heart of Gurnaik Johal’s novel, SARASWATI, published by Serpent’s...