Writer's Routine

Sam Mills is an innovative and wildly creative writer, who has always wanted to publish books. She's written non-fiction books, 'Uneven', 'The Fragments of my Father', and others, also crossover, genre-bending novels like 'Blackout', and 'The Quiddity of Will Self'. She's written for The Guardian, The Independent, the New Humanist and more, along with running 'Dodo Ink', a small indie press that p...

Dan Houser was the lead writer, creative director and co-founder of Rockstar Games. Rockstar are the studio behind the 'Grand Theft Auto' and 'Red Dead Redemption' series. They're responsible for over half a billion video game sales. 'GTA V' and 'Red Dead Redemption 2' are both in the top 5 bestselling video games ever... and Dan wrote them. Since leaving Rockstar, he's set up Absurd Ventures, a s...

Zoe Apostolides is a journalist and columnist, writing for The Guardian, The Telegraph and the Financial Times. Her new novel is 'The Homecoming', born out of conversations with her Grandmother. When she transcribed these, she thought... could I spin a sinister story out of this? It follows Ellen, a young ghost-writer, who is sent from London all the way to a rural manor house in Northumberland. W...

Adam Skolnick earned his writing chops as a travel and adventure sports journalist for the New York Times, ESPN, the BBC and Lonely Planet. It taught him the vital skills of getting the words out immediately, and writing fast. He was the ghostwriter for David Goggins' memoirs 'Can't Hurt Me' and 'Never Finished'. Also published 'One Breath', about the world of free-diving, which was turned into a...

Catherine Mayer is a busy do-er. One of those prolific writers, political party founders, and music producers that fills every moment of the day with something. She's inspirational with it. Catherine was the Europe Editor for Time Magazine, which has taught her to work at all hours of the day on various time-zones. She's written memoirs, journalism, royal biographies. She runs the estate of her la...

Lucinda Berry is a USA Today bestselling author, who has published 9 incredibly successful novels, which have been optioned for films, and translated into several languages. She worked as a psychologist and leading researcher in childhood trauma - much of that has inspired her thrillers. Readers are huge fans of 'The Perfect Child', also the heart-pounding 'The Best of Friends', and the unsettling...

Caroline Corcoran is a thriller author who burst to success with her debut, 'Through the Wall' in 2019. She's been a Sunday Times bestseller ever since, translated into many languages across the world, and compared to Adele Parks and Liane Moriarty. Caroline followed it up with 'The Baby Group', 'Five Days Missing', 'What Happened on Floor 34', and this year published, 'Tiny Daggers'. It's all abo...

Patrick Syms started work trying to be a screenwriter, and he got ever so close, before life got in the way. He took a job in advertising, which became a 25 year long career in communications. In 2020, he gave it up to write again. This time, he took it seriously. Being accepted in to the Curtis Brown 'Writing Your Novel' course, he's just finished 'Am I The Asshole?', which is out to query as I t...

Tom Cox has had a long and varied writing career. Over the last 25 years he has been The Guardian's youngest ever music critic, a record dealer, a golf and nature memoirist, and a unique creative writer. He's said to have 'one of the most fabulous and anarchic imaginations in literature'. Tom finds finds magic in the everyday, from country ramblings and folklore to melancholic cats and oddball cor...

Hazel Barkworth is creative consultant, who graduated from Oxford with an English Degree, and when she decided she'd try and write fiction... she went back to school. She enrolled in the Curtis Brown Creative Novel Writing Course, and published her debut, 'Heatstroke', to rave reviews in The Guardian and the Evening Standard. Hazel's newest novel is 'The Drownings'. It tells the story of Serena, w...

A.L. Brody is the author of the novel, 'Dating and Dismemberment'. It's monster rom-com inspired by Star Wars and The Sopranos. A.L. Brody is also Jason Pinter, a multi-award nominated, bestselling writer. Jason has published thrillers, crime novels, YA books and stuff for younger kids. He's been nominated for the Thriller Award, the Barry Away, the RT Reviewers Choice Award, and many more. His pa...

Antonia Hodgson is a novelist, screenwriter, former publisher and now, fantasy author. She made her name writing historical crime. Her debut, 'The Devil in Marshalsea', won the CWA Historical Dagger Award in 2014 and was shortlisted for Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year, it was a Richand and Judy, and Waterstone's Book Club pick. All in all, a huge debut. Now, she's returning to her first love,...

Nicholas Binge has lectured in creative writing, co-hosts the 'Binge Reading Book Club' podcast, and has just published his 4th book. It's called 'Extremity'. It follows up the success of 'Professor Everywhere', which won the Proverse Prize for Literature, 'Dissolution', and the bestselling, 'Ascension'. 'Extremity' is a time-travelling police procedural. It follows Julia Torgrimsen, brought out o...

Kelly Mullen is a creative powerhouse who has just released her debut novel, 'This Is Not a Game'. Previously, Kelly has produced in Hollywood, working on the movie 'Trumbo', and the series 'Dads' for Apple TV+. She works as a marketing consultant, helping brands achieve their creative potential, and now she's trying to realise her own. She's been named by Cosmopolitan, The Bookseller, and the Dai...

This week we're joined by Kate Kemp, occupational therapist, psychotherapist and now, author. Her debut novel, 'The Grapevine', is out now. It started life as a manuscript called 'Warrah Place', which won the Stylist Prize for Feminist Fiction, and landed her a publishing deal. It's a gripping mystery set in 1970s Australia, about a murder in a close-kint community, and the rumours that spread lik...

This week we’re joined by the legendary Sebastian Faulks, the bestselling author of 'Birdsong', 'Charlotte Gray', and so many unforgettable novels. In this episode, he opens up about his writing routine, the stories behind his new memoir 'Fires Which Burned Brightly', and what it really takes to create fiction that sticks with readers. If you've ever wondered where, when and how Sebastian writes b...

Kate McKean is a literary agent who has built a diverse client list of New York Times Bestselling Authors, in genres from fantasy, TA, humour and horror. A few years ago, she started a newsletter with all the backstage secrets of agent life, and tips on how you can make it happen. Now she's got a book out, filled with even more help. It's called 'Write Through It: An Insider's Guide to Publishing...

Lucy Roth's new novel has one of the best names going. 'When Sally Killed Harry', is a feminist serial-killer thriller. When Sally discovers she's not the only one to have been jilted by dreamy con-man Harry, she takes matters into her own hands, and becomes his worst nightmare. It's Lucy's first thriller, but she has published novels and non-fiction books as Lucy Nichol. 'Parklife' talks about fr...

Alex North seems to be one of those rare writers. It looks like his debut, 'The Whisper Man', will actually be made into a film. The novel was a Sunday Times and New York Times Bestseller, and has been translated into 30 languages. The Movie will star Adam Scott, Robert de Niro, Michelle Monaghan and Michael Keaton. He's also published 'The Shadow Friend', and 'The Half Burnt House'. His new novel...

This week, we're chatting to Hannah Beckerman. She's been dubbed the 'new Queen of Domestic Noir', and after the success of the bestselling, 'The Forgetting', has published her 5th novel, 'Three Mothers'. If you love Louise Candlish or Liane Moriarty, you'll enjoy how Hannah writes. Here's the blurb... When seventeen-year-old Isla Richardson is killed in a hit-and-run incident, a community’s lives...

This week, we're chatting to award-winning global bestseller, Faith Hogan. Faith has published many uplit/ women's fiction novels - the last one 'The Bookshop Ladies' won the An Post Irish Book Award for Best Popular Fiction Novel of the Year. Faith's writing journey has taken her from working in many different jobs, never quite sure if she will admit that she wants to be a writer, to becoming a K...

This week, we're chatting to global bestseller John Niven. His breakthrough novel was the hit 'Kill Your Friends', a brutal takedown of his career in the 90's music industry. He went on to write the screenplay for the movie version too, starring Nicholas Hoult. John has published 10 novels, including 'The Second Coming', 'Straight White Male', and 'Kill 'Em All'. Also, he's written screenplays for...

Emma Cowell wrote her debut novel, 'One Last Letter from Greece', through the pandemic to come to terms with losing her mother. Since then, she's published more novels and been translated into 9 languages. They're inspired by Greece and its islands. We discuss how she gets the places right. Who does she speak to? How does she learn? Where does she travel to tell the island's story authentically? T...

Claire Douglas is a bestselling thriller author. Her work has been published across the world, sold many copies everywhere, and she's been a Richard and Judy Book Club Pick. She's just published her 11th novel in 10 years, 'The New Neighbours'. It's about Lena who overhears a conversation between her kind, retired neighbours... that must be a mistake. It sounded like they were planning something a...

Guy Jenkin is a multi Emmy and Bafta winning writer. Along with Andy Hamilton, he co-wrote the sitcoms 'Drop the Dead Donkey' and 'Outnumbered'. He also worked on the films 'What We Did On Our Holiday', and 'The Sleeping Dictionary'. His new novel is called 'Murder Most Foul', a witty and fast-paced Tudor detective novel that plays with fact and fiction. In the middle of a deadly plague outbreak i...