We'd Like A Word

Becoming a children's author and illustrator (part 2): The legendary children's author Julia Donaldson & new children's author and illustrator Ted Chaplin talk to We'd Like A Word presenters Paul Waters and Stevyn Colgan about how to create really good stories for young readers. Julia is the former Children's Laureate and the author of A Squash And A Squeeze, The Gruffalo, The Smartest Giant i...

Becoming a children's author and illustrator (part 3): The legendary children's author Julia Donaldson & new children's author and illustrator Ted Chaplin talk to We'd Like A Word presenters Paul Waters and Stevyn Colgan about how to create really good stories for young readers. Julia is the former Children's Laureate and the author of A Squash And A Squeeze, The Gruffalo, The Smartest Giant i...

Writing Memoirs (part 1): Farah Bashir & Auriel Roe talk to We'd Like A Word presenters Paul Waters and Stevyn Colgan about what makes a good memoir. Farah Bashir's new book, Rumours of Spring, is about her girlhood growing up in Kashmir during an insurgency and severe security crackdown. Her family home was repeatedly searched by the army, a relative shot dead, a schoolfriend attacked with acid a...

Writing Memoirs (part 2): Farah Bashir & Auriel Roe talk to We'd Like A Word presenters Paul Waters and Stevyn Colgan about what makes a good memoir. Farah Bashir's new book, Rumours of Spring, is about her girlhood growing up in Kashmir during an insurgency and severe security crackdown. Her family home was repeatedly searched by the army, a relative shot dead, a schoolfriend attacked with acid a...

Writing Memoirs (part 3): Farah Bashir & Auriel Roe talk to We'd Like A Word presenters Paul Waters and Stevyn Colgan about what makes a good memoir. Farah Bashir's new book, Rumours of Spring, is about her girlhood growing up in Kashmir during an insurgency and severe security crackdown. Her family home was repeatedly searched by the army, a relative shot dead, a schoolfriend attacked with acid a...

Writers Weekend festival (part 1): Novelist & poet Reshma Ruia, literary agent John Baker of Bell Lomax Moreton, writing mentor Adrienne Dines & festival organiser Sara Gangai all talk to We'd Like A Word presenters Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about the UK's prime gathering for unrepresented authors to find an agent. This year the festival is online because of Covid. But the author-age...

Writers Weekend festival (part 2): Novelist & poet Reshma Ruia, literary agent John Baker of Bell Lomax Moreton, writing mentor Adrienne Dines & festival organiser Sara Gangai all talk to We'd Like A Word presenters Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about the UK's prime gathering for unrepresented authors to find an agent. This year the festival is online because of Covid. But the author-age...

Writers Weekend festival (part 3): Novelist & poet Reshma Ruia, literary agent John Baker of Bell Lomax Moreton, writing mentor Adrienne Dines & festival organiser Sara Gangai all talk to We'd Like A Word presenters Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about the UK's prime gathering for unrepresented authors to find an agent. This year the festival is online because of Covid. But the author-age...

Literary agents (part 1): Piers Blofeld of Sheil Land & James Wills, managing director of Watson Little discuss with We'd Like A Word presenters, Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, how to get an agent for fiction or non-fiction, how to keep an agent, & mistakes to avoid. They also dish up some behind the scenes gossip. Piers has been the agent for Nadine Dorries, Cath Quinn, Jamie Thomson &a...

Literary agents (part 2): Piers Blofeld of Sheil Land & James Wills, managing director of Watson Little discuss with We'd Like A Word presenters, Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, how to get an agent for fiction or non-fiction, how to keep an agent, & mistakes to avoid. They also dish up some behind the scenes gossip. Piers has been the agent for Nadine Dorries, Cath Quinn, Jamie Thomson &a...

Literary agents (part 3): Piers Blofeld of Sheil Land & James Wills, managing director of Watson Little discuss with We'd Like A Word presenters, Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, how to get an agent for fiction or non-fiction, how to keep an agent, & mistakes to avoid. They also dish up some behind the scenes gossip. Piers has been the agent for Nadine Dorries, Cath Quinn, Jamie Thomson &a...

YA young adult books (part 1) with Sarwat Chadda & Shiulie Ghosh: Sarwat & Shiulie discuss with We'd Like A Word presenters, Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, how to write & market YA (young adult) and mid-lit books. Sarwat is the author of City of the Plague God published by Rick Riordan Presents. He's also the author of The Templar Chronicles (trilogy) (coming out - again - soon with...

YA young adult books (part 2) with Sarwat Chadda & Shiulie Ghosh: Sarwat & Shiulie discuss with We'd Like A Word presenters, Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, how to write & market YA (young adult) and mid-lit books. Sarwat is the author of City of the Plague God published by Rick Riordan Presents. He's also the author of The Templar Chronicles (trilogy) (coming out - again - soon with...

YA young adult books (part 3) with Sarwat Chadda & Shiulie Ghosh: Sarwat & Shiulie discuss with We'd Like A Word presenters, Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, how to write & market YA (young adult) and mid-lit books. Sarwat is the author of City of the Plague God published by Rick Riordan Presents. He's also the author of The Templar Chronicles (trilogy) (coming out - again - soon with...

Lessons in fantasy & world building (part 1) from Elizabeth Knox & Stephanie Bretherton: They discuss with We'd Like A Word presenters, Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, how to construct imagined worlds from top to bottom, dual narratives, fantastic naturalism, combining fantasy, speculative fiction & science fiction. Elizabeth's new book, The Absolute Book, published by Penguin / Micha...

Lessons in fantasy & world building (part 2) from Elizabeth Knox & Stephanie Bretherton: They discuss with We'd Like A Word presenters, Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, how to construct imagined worlds from top to bottom, dual narratives, fantastic naturalism, combining fantasy, speculative fiction & science fiction. Elizabeth's new book, The Absolute Book, published by Penguin / Micha...

Lessons in fantasy & world building (part 3) from Elizabeth Knox & Stephanie Bretherton: They discuss with We'd Like A Word presenters, Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, how to construct imagined worlds from top to bottom, dual narratives, fantastic naturalism, combining fantasy, speculative fiction & science fiction. Elizabeth's new book, The Absolute Book, published by Penguin / Micha...

New Northern Ireland crime fiction (part 1) with authors Simon Maltman & James Murphy, & bookseller & publisher David Torrans: They discuss with We’d Like A Word presenters Paul Waters and Stevyn Colgan, financial support for authors, whether publisher (& reader) appetite for Northern Ireland crime fiction has dried up (Paul hopes not!), and keeping a bookshop and publisher going d...

New Northern Ireland crime fiction (part 2) with authors Simon Maltman & James Murphy, & bookseller & publisher David Torrans: They discuss with We’d Like A Word presenters Paul Waters and Stevyn Colgan, financial support for authors, whether publisher (& reader) appetite for Northern Ireland crime fiction has dried up (Paul hopes not!), and keeping a bookshop and publisher going d...

New Northern Ireland crime fiction (part 3) with authors Simon Maltman & James Murphy, & bookseller & publisher David Torrans: They discuss with We’d Like A Word presenters Paul Waters and Stevyn Colgan, financial support for authors, whether publisher (& reader) appetite for Northern Ireland crime fiction has dried up (Paul hopes not!), and keeping a bookshop and publisher going d...

Meet the Publishers (Part 1) with Karen Sullivan & Miranda Jewess:  Karen, owner & publisher of Orenda Books, and Miranda, senior commissioning editor & so-called Viper Nest Momma at Viper Books (part of Profile), reveal to We’d Like A Word presenters Paul Waters and Stevyn Colgan the secrets of publishing - how they choose books & authors, what puts them off, whether you real...

Meet the Publishers (Part 2) with Karen Sullivan & Miranda Jewess:  Karen, owner & publisher of Orenda Books, and Miranda, senior commissioning editor & so-called Viper Nest Momma at Viper Books (part of Profile), reveal to We’d Like A Word presenters Paul Waters and Stevyn Colgan the secrets of publishing - how they choose books & authors, what puts them off, whether you real...

Meet the Publishers (Part 3) with Karen Sullivan & Miranda Jewess:  Karen, owner & publisher of Orenda Books, and Miranda, senior commissioning editor & so-called Viper Nest Momma at Viper Books (part of Profile), reveal to We’d Like A Word presenters Paul Waters and Stevyn Colgan the secrets of publishing - how they choose books & authors, what puts them off, whether you real...

Audiobooks (Part 1) with Caroline Lennon, Patrick Moy & Natalie Chisholm:  Caroline (who played Siobhan Hathaway in The Archers on BBC Radio 4), Patrick and Natalie, all audiobook narrators and actors (and in Natalie's case a producer too), reveal to We’d Like A Word presenters Paul Waters and Stevyn Colgan the secrets of audiobook narration and how they make your writing sound good. Part...

Audiobooks (Part 2) with Patrick Moy, Caroline Lennon & Natalie Chisholm:  Caroline (who played Siobhan Hathaway in The Archers on BBC Radio 4), Patrick and Natalie, all audiobook narrators and actors (and in Natalie's case a producer too), reveal to We’d Like A Word presenters Paul Waters and Stevyn Colgan the secrets of audiobook narration and how they make your writing sound good. Part...