Writer's Routine

Mindfulness coach, teacher, writer and warrior in spirit, Jay Tepley brings us this week's 'Writer's Routine'! For Jay, everything in the world is energy, and because of this, everything is interconnected and the realisation of this can give humans the closest thing to superpowers. It allows her to see through time, talk to the dead, interact with the inanimate, and she teaches these tricks of ext...

This week we take a skim through the daily diary of Garrard Conley! Garrard's memoir 'Boy Erased' has just been released in the UK, it's critically acclaimed in the USA and will be released as a film starring Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe later in 2018. It tells the story of how he escaped gay conversion therapy, after being outed to his Baptist parents and given an ultimatum to change, or to le...

Thirty Four, let's get some more. This week, we're hearing Marianne Kavanagh's Writer's Routine! She has just published her 3rd novel, 'Should You Ask Me', which is a story of mystery, of murder and of history. In this episode I describe it as 'villainous Countryfile' - which in the best way, tells you everything you need to know. Marianne has worked around words for a long time, writing novels, c...

Thirty Three, have a look see. This week's author, sharing the intricacies and eccentricities of her working day, is Natasha Scripture. Natasha has worked as a journalist, a humanitarian worker, and she's been on a lot of dates too. Finally, after being sick of hearing her Mum say she needed to find a man, Natasha decided to go on an international adventure to find out if that was true. What was o...

Thirty-Two, this is an incredible treat for you. This week's guest is one of the UK's bestselling crime-authors, Mark Billingham. In June 2018, Mark will publish his 18th novel, his 15th in the incredibly successful 'Thorne' series. This time copper Tom Thorne gets involved in a case that takes much inspiration from a real-life crime and mystery that still hasn't been solved today. We talk about h...

WE'RE AN AWARD WINNING PODCAST! On Saturday, in a ceremony alongside BBC Radio 2, Radio 4, Radio X and countless other titans of broadcasting, we managed to bag SILVER in 'Best Culture' at the British Podcast Awards. Thank you. Thank every single one of you. Even if you were going to download this but have been put off by this sycophantic blurb - THANK YOU. Sophie Jenkins is our guest this week, s...

Dirty Thirty! (no swearing in the pod though) It's the Pearl Anniversary of our very first podcast! Debut thriller writer James Buckler brings us the details, crevices and crannies of his working day, with his Writer's Routine. James' debut 'Last Stop Tokyo' tells the story of Alex, an Englishman on the run in Japan, and his adventure with the the alluring and illusive Naoko, as we discover the wh...

29, feeling fine...ish. Ok, we're barely keeping it together. This book isn't what I thought it would be and so far my writing process is changing the cork-board colour on Scrivener. If this is you, you've in the right place. Mystery-writer Barbara Nadel brings us this week Writer's Routine. This year, 2018, she will publish her 29th and 30th novels. She's only been putting them out there for 19 y...

28, tell a mate. Please. We could do with the listeners. Crime-writing revenge weaver Sarah Ward runs us through her working day! Sarah has published 3 books in the 'DC Childs Series', all thrillers with long-brooded over passion at their heart, and set in the Derbyshire Peaks. We talk about why her most productive hours are in the morning, what she uses to write on trains, and the idea she needs...

27, dear Lord in Heaven. Suitably, if you're of the praying persuasion then I could really do with the Big Man's help... we've been nominated for a British Podcast Award for Best Culture, and EVERY LITTLE HELPS. You can marvel at this unexpected turn of events over at britishpodcastawards.com. This week, domestic-noir author Julia Crouch shares her writer's routine! She's published 5 books, all fo...

26, get your kicks. Peter Fellows co-wrote the hit film 'The Death of Stalin', alongside David Schneider, Ian Martin and Armando Iannucci. It's another success on Iannucci's, one of the UK's biggest comedy writers, Wikipedia page - along with Alan Partridge, 'The Thick of It' and 'Veep', which Peter has also co-written for. The film stars Jason Isaacs, Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor, Andrea Risebor...

On the quadranscentennial episode of the podcast, the debut crime writer and children's story-telling hero MJ Ford brings us his Writer's Routine! Michael has just published his first thriller for adults, 'Hold My Hand'. It starts with a boy snatched by a clown, and picks up the story 30 years later as the police find what may be the kid's body in the woods. The last few years have seen something...

All-round word junkie Cass Green brings us today's Writer's Routine! Cass has written for just about every place where you can read a word. She's penned Young Adult books, worked as a journalist on broadsheets and glossy mags, she teaches creative writing, and has just published her second full-blown adult thriller, 'In A Cottage In A Wood'. We talk about why her planning method seems to change ev...

TV presenter and workaholic author Fern Britton gives us our 23rd Writer's Routine! Fern has just published her 8th novel, Coming Home. It tells the story of a woman returning to her Cornish hometown after many years away, and how she fixes the relationships that have been broken through time. Fern's books are mostly all set in her beloved Cornwall, in fictitious villages that treat you the same w...

Crime-writer writer Helen Fields dives into the depths of her diary to bring us tips and advice from her writing routine! Helen has just published the third of her 'D.I Callanach' thrillers, 'Perfect Death'. It's all about murders, with a gruesome, ingenious twist, and after working in Law with police, social services and Doctors for many years, Helen has a peculiarly accurate insight into the cri...

AJ Finn explores the minutely insignificant but weirdly wonderful details of his writing routine! AJ has just published 'The Woman in the Window', and it's set to be the biggest psychological thriller since 'Gone Girl' and 'The Girl on the Train'. It has sold in 38 territories - the most of a debut ever, entered the New York Times Bestseller list at No.1 - the first time a debut novel has done tha...

One of the UK's most prolific and loved authors, Anthony Horowitz takes us through the daily routine which has lifted him to huge success! Which works as a title. Not entirely true though. Anthony doesn't so much have a routine that he fits his writing into, it's more trying to find a time when he can tear himself away from his work. Story-telling for Anthony is a compulsion, it's work he immerses...

Murder mystery author Derek Farrell explains his Writer's Routine! Derek writes the 'Danny Bird Mysteries', a series of books that focus on a barman-cum-amateur-detective, and the cases he stumbles upon through the sleazy streets of London. Finally writing and getting these stories published has not been as plain-sailing as finding a bright light in the West-End though. After finishing one story w...

Crime and Thriller writer Mark Edwards brings us our first Writer's Routine of 2018! With 7 solo-books to his name, and 6 co-written works, a few years ago Mark finally turned into a full-time writer. His novels have a dedicated following, who crave stories packed with suspense, mystery and the frequent feeling that something supernatural may turn up. Mark is in the mould of Ruth Rendell or Stephe...

It's our last Writer's Routine of 2017! So now, for something a little bit different. Artist, illustrator and writer Richard Graham brings us his daily ritual! Richard upcycles old junk, furniture and other bric-a-brac to make 3D pieces of character art. With this, he then imagines a story involving the pieces, and writes picture books for kids! His first 'The Cranky Caterpillar' is a tale of an i...

Crime-writer Mark Hill tells us how he goes about his day! Radio-producer Mark Hill has a life-long love of crime fiction, and spotting the tricks and traits of the genre forced his hand to write a book of his own! 'Two O'Clock Boy' tells the story of a killer seemingly getting revenge on everyone in a children's home many years ago. It's the first of his 'Drake and Crowley' thriller series, and i...

Co-author of 'Sleeping Beauties', Owen King tells us this week's writer's routine! In writing terms, Owen King could not have found himself in a better place. His dad, Stephen King, is one of the world's most successful authors, publishing over 50 books across horror and fantasy, he has sold over 350 million copies, and he's co-written the brand new 'Sleeping Beauties' with his son, Owen! So, if y...

Broadcaster, writer and award-winning podcaster Simon Mayo shows us how an extremely busy person fits in a writing routine! Simon presents the drive-time show on BBC Radio 2, one of Europe's most popular radio stations. He is one half of 'Kermode and Mayo's Film Review' on BBC Radio 5 Live (Hello to Jason Isaacs), and used to present one of the most prestigious shows on the air, as the host of the...

Thriller-author, satirist and journalist Paul Burston digs deep in his writer's routine! One of the founding editors of 'Attitude' Magazine, Paul published his first fiction book, 'Shameless', back in 2001. It detailed a single man's life in the Soho clubbing scene. So naturally, he had to partake in much research as a single man in the Soho clubbing scene. 2016 was a big year for Paul, he was fea...

'Man of Mercia' James Wilde shares the secrets of writing historical fiction! In the most polite way possible, James Wilde seems like a man of another time. He lives in a family home in the forest, takes long walks across the fells, and camps in the black, barren night whilst dreaming of ideas. He also reads all them, and he always has. He reads tales of fantasy, tales of fact, and he dreamed of m...