This is the first of a special series of short episodes speaking to some of the best comedians appearing at this year's Edinburgh Fringe! These episodes will be released daily during the week of 8 August 2022.Jacob Hawley is a stand-up comedian, podcaster and the presenter and creator of BBC Sounds’s Jacob Hawley: On Drugs and Jacob Hawley On Love. Jacob has rapidly generated interest as one of the boldest new voices on the circuit with his astute observations and political passion. His live shows have sold out at both The Edinburgh Fringe and at London’s Soho Theatre.We had great fun chatting with Jacob about how he got into stand-up, hearing about how he hones his shows and he also tells us about the best heckle he has received...Links:Buy tickets for Jacob's show, Bump, at the Monkey Barrell at the Edinburgh Fringe FestivalFollow Jacob on TwitterVisit Jacob's websitePage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @ukPageOneFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: @ukPageOne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adrian Tchaikovsky is the multi-award winning bestselling author of sci-fi and fantasy books such as the Children of Time series, Shadows of the Apt series and much more. He primarily explores deep themes, such as artificial intelligence and alien awareness within epic galactic and fantastical settings. He has a deep interest in the animal world specifically insects from his studies in Zoology and has a particular penchant for spiders. We loved chatting with Adrian for our first ever live episode in front of an audience at the Cymera Festival back in June. We talked about how persistence helped him break into his dream job of writing, why he is such a detailed planner (normally!) and deep dive into his worldbuilding and writing techniques.Links:Buy Adrian's books now!Visit Adrian's websiteFollow Adrian on TwitterPage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @ukPageOneFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: @ukPageOne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lorraine Wilson is the author of the BFS and Kavya-nominated speculative fantasy novel, This is Our Undoing. She has also written short fiction (also award-shortlisted!) and her latest novel, The Way The Light Bends is just out.We had a fascinating chat with Lorraine, hearing about her previous life as a field scientist (including catching the bubonic plague!) and why she turned to writing when she had to give that previous career up. We talked about the importance of setting, and had a good moan about the old “literary v commercial” distinction that is made in some quarters! Links:Buy Lorraine’s books here!Follow Lorraine on TwitterRead Lorraine’s blog hereRewriting the margins mentorship schemePage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @ukPageOneFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: @ukPageOne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Victoria Selman is the bestselling author of four crime novels and co-host of the crime writers’ podcast, CrimeTime.fm. Her latest book, Truly Darkly Deeply, has only been out for a couple of weeks and is already a bestseller and has had the film rights optioned.We had a great time chatting with Victoria, hearing about how she rediscovered writing after a near 30-year hiatus, chatting about changing agents (and why that can sometimes be what an author needs) and hearing all about her planning process. We also talk about why she thinks Truly Darkly Deeply has hit so well with so many readers, and talk about the opportunities that some crime-writing festivals can give to new and aspiring authors.*Victoria had a problem with her mic during the recording and near the end she switched to just using her laptop microphone, just in case you wondered why the audio changes!Links:Buy Truly Darkly Deeply and Victoria's other books now!Follow Victoria on TwitterVisit Victoria's websiteListen to Victoria on CrimeTime.FMPage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @ukPageOneFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: @ukPageOne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A former magazine editor and award-winning journalist, Janice Hallett has written screenplays and novels. Janice's first feature film Retreat was released by Sony Pictures (co-written and directed by Carl Tibbetts) which starred Cillian Murphy, Thandiwe Newton and Jamie Bell, and was selected for the Triforce Creative Network year-long mentoring scheme and featured on the BBC New Talent Hotlist. She won Best New Screenplay in the 2014 British Independent Film Festival. Her debut novel, The Appeal, was a smash-hit and won the CWA Debut Dagger award. We had a great chat with Janice, hearing about how she made the move from screenwriting to novel writing, and hearing about the unusual style of her novels (The Appeal is written in the form of emails and text messages, while her latest book, The Twyford Code, is told via a series of audio transcripts). We also find out if she is a planner or a pantser, and hear about how she deals with notes in the two different writing disciplines.Links:Buy Janice's books now!Follow Janice on TwitterPage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @ukPageOneFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: @ukPageOne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chris Whitaker is a bestselling crime writer whose debut, Tall Oaks, won the CWA debut dagger award. His latest crime novel, We Begin At The End, has been an international bestseller and has been optioned to Disney. Most recently, he wrote the brilliant YA novel, The Forevers.We had great fun chatting with Chris, hearing about how he found writing after a very traumatic period in his life and how it helped him deal with that trauma. We also talked about planning, why he starts in the middle of his novels, how he gets such authentic US settings even though he is based in the UK and more! Plus, we hear the latest on the upcoming TV adaptation of We Begin At The End and get some info on his next book!Links:Buy Chris's books now!Visit Chris's websiteFollow Chris on TwitterPage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @ukPageOneFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: @ukPageOne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Martha Wells has been an SF/F writer since her first fantasy novel was published in 1993, and her work includes The Books of the Raksura series, The Death of the Necromancer, the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy, The Murderbot Diaries series, media tie-in fiction for Star Wars, Stargate: Atlantis, and Magic: the Gathering, as well as short fiction, YA novels, and non-fiction. She has won Nebula Awards, Hugo Awards, and Locus Awards, and her work has appeared on the Philip K. Dick Award ballot, the BSFA Award ballot, the USA Today Bestseller List, and the New York Times Bestseller List. Her books have been published in twenty-two languages.We loved chatting with Martha about her writing career, hearing how she first broke in, and how she coped when she suddenly found it difficult to get published. We hear how The Murderbot Diaries helped her come back from that, chat to her about writing novellas, hear how she wrote for Magic: The Gathering, Star Wars, Stargate and more! Plus - we get an update on the Murderbot TV series!Links:Buy Martha's books now!Visit Martha's websiteFollow Martha on TwitterPage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @ukPageOneFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: @ukPageOne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ed McDonald’s debut novel BLACKWING began the The Raven’s Mark trilogy, which continues with RAVENCRY and concludes with CROWFALL. Ed has been writing stories since he was a child, and studied history for his BA and MA degrees. He is a practitioner of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA), and his love of history has helped to inspire the books that he writes. His latest book, Daughter of Redwinter, is out next week (30 June 2022).We had a great chat with Ed about how he broke into writing (including rewriting a whole chunk of his debut over a weekend before his agent sent it to publishers), talking about planning vs pantsing, and hearing about his brilliant new novel, Daughter of Redwinter. We also talk about the advice he regularly gives writers on social media, and whether social media is a help or a hinderance to writers.Links:Buy Daughter of Redwinter and Ed's other booksFollow Ed on TwitterVisit Ed's websitePage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @ukPageOneFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: @ukPageOne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jane Shemilt is an internationally-acclaimed, best-selling author of psychological suspense novels. Her debut novel Daughter was a Richard and Judy pick, shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish award and nominated for an Edgar award. It became the fastest selling debut of 2014. Her third novel, How Far We Fall, has been optioned for production as a TV drama by Twelve Town. Jane’s stories are inspired by her background in psychology and medicine. She studied Psychology at London University before qualifying with honours from the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine. She began writing while working as a GP, undertaking a diploma in Creative Writing then an M.A. also in Creative Writing, at Bath Spa University, gaining both with distinction.We had a really interesting chat with Jane about how and why she made the move from medicine to writing, talking about the difficulties and opportunities with such a move. We also talked about how writing courses can assist aspiring authors and discuss whether everyone should try them. Plus we chat about her latest book, The Patient.Links:Buy The Patient and Jane's other books nowFollow Jane on TwitterVisit Jane's websitePage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @ukPageOneFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: @ukPageOne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nicholas Meyer is an American writer and director, known for his best-selling Sherlock Holmes novel The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, and for directing the films Time After Time, two of the Star Trek feature films, including Wrath of Khan, and the 1983 television film The Day After. Meyer was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the film The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976), where he adapted his own novel into a screenplay. He has also been nominated for a Satellite Award, three Emmy Awards, and has won four Saturn Awards. It was an honour to speak with a true Hollywood legend such as Nick (Tariq in particular was very excited!) and we had great fun talking to him about how he broke into the industry, hearing about his lifelong obsession with Sherlock Holmes, and talking all things Star Trek with him. We also spoke about how to handle notes from producers and editors and talked about how it is very hard for a writer to describe his own process accurately. Plus, there is even an exclusive about a Trek-related project that Nick is currently working on...Links:Buy The Return of the PharaohFollow Nick on TwitterStream Wrath of KhanPage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @ukPageOneFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: @ukPageOne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob Hart is the author of six novels, including The Paradox Hotel and The Warehouse, as well as the short story collection Take-Out, Scott Free with James Patterson, and a Star Wars short story. The Warehouse sold in more than 20 countries and was optioned for film by Ron Howard.We really enjoyed talking to Rob about his move from journalism to writing novels, finding out why he shifted from crime to sci fi, and hearing why he wanted to write an "issues" novel with The Warehouse. We also chat about his editing process and the importance of diversity in popular fiction.Links:Buy The Warehouse now!Buy The Paradox Hotel in the USFollow Rob on TwitterVisit Rob's websiteWe're recording a live show with the brilliant Adrian Tchiakovsky at Cymera Festival on 4 June 2022! It's free but you need a ticket, which you can grab here: https://www.cymerafestival.co.uk/cymera2022-events/2022/5/16/page-one.Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @ukPageOneFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: @ukPageOne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A self-confessed serial killer nerd, Sam Holland studied psychology at university then spent the next few years working in HR, before quitting for a full-time career in writing. Her debut novel, The Echo Man, is out now.We had great fun chatting with Sam, hearing about how she crafted her debut novel while working in HR, and talking about coming up with one of those ideas that seems so brilliant, you're sure someone must have done it before. We talk about her research into serial killers, how she uses image boards for getting into her characters' heads and much more!Links:Buy The Echo Man nowFollow Sam on TwitterWe're recording a live show with the brilliant Adrian Tchiakovsky at Cymera Festival on 4 June 2022! It's free but you need a ticket, which you can grab here: https://www.cymerafestival.co.uk/cymera2022-events/2022/5/16/page-one.Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @ukPageOneFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: @ukPageOne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mary Kenney is a brilliant writer of video games and comic books from The Walking Dead to the recent smash hit PS5 game, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. She is currently working on a new Wolverine game for Marvel and Sony. She also has Gamer Girls, a YA non-fiction novel about the women who built the video games industry, coming out in July 2022.We loved chatting with Mary, hearing how she broke into writing for video games, talking about the unique opportunities and challenges that writing in that field covers, hearing about what it’s like writing such iconic characters - and also getting some fun and interesting insight into the steps needed for all that voice-acting you hear in your favourite games!Links:Pre-order Gamer Girls now!Buy Spider-Man: Miles MoralesVisit Mary's websiteFollow Mary on TwitterWe're recording a live show with the brilliant Adrian Tchiakovsky at Cymera Festival on 4 June 2022! It's free but you need a ticket, which you can grab here: https://www.cymerafestival.co.uk/cymera2022-events/2022/5/16/page-one.Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @ukPageOneFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: @ukPageOne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leroy Kincaide is a former professional wrestler who moved from the world of the squared circle to creating stories from behind the camera as a writer/director. His first feature, The Last Rite, is available to stream now.We had a really interesting chat with Leroy, learning how he largely taught himself how to create his own feature film, from writing to directing and editing. We talk about how he visualises stories in his mind's eye first before committing them to paper, and find out what inspired The Last Rite.Links:Watch The Last Rite now!Follow Leroy on TwitterPage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @ukPageOneFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: @ukPageOne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben Aaronovitch is the bestselling author of the Rivers of London series, the latest of which, Amongst Our Weapons, is just out! Before becoming a successful author, Ben worked in screenwriting, writing episodes of Doctor Who, Casualty and more - but it was only when he was working as a bookseller in Waterstones that the idea of writing novels struck him.It was great fun chatting with Ben about his career, hearing about the highs and lows, where the idea for Rivers of London came from and why he thinks it has become such a massive success. On top of that, we talk about the buying habits of different genre readers, structure of stories and why he can't choose between real books, ebooks and audiobooks...Links:Buy Amongst Our Weapons and Ben's other books now!Visit Ben's websiteFollow Ben on TwitterPage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @ukPageOneFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: @ukPageOne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fonda Lee is the author of the epic fantasy Green Bone Saga, beginning with Jade City, continuing in Jade War, and concluding in Jade Legacy. She is also the author of the science fiction novels Zeroboxer, Exo and Cross Fire. Fonda is a winner of the World Fantasy Award, as well as a three-time winner of the Aurora Award (Canada’s national science fiction and fantasy award), and a multiple finalist for the Nebula Award, the Locus Award, and the Oregon Book Award. A new novella set in the Green Bone Saga universe, The Jade Setter of Janloon, is out soonWe had a great chat with Fonda, talking about writing fantasy novels that eschew the usual medieval European setting and the importance of authenticity when writing about different cultures. She also tells us why authors should be okay with waiting for that breakthrough novel, and talks about what inspired her to write the Green Bone Saga.Links:Buy the Green Bone Saga and Fonda's other books now!Visit Fonda's websiteFollow Fonda on Twitter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Oswald is the author of the bestselling Inspector Maclean series of novels, as well as the fantasy series, The Ballad of Sir Benfro, and more. His latest book, All That Lives, is the twelfth in the Inspector Maclean series.It was really interesting hearing how James made his breakthrough via self-publishing and how his success there led to traditional publishers bidding to try and get the rights to his novels. We also talked about how he juggles being a farmer with his writing, why publishers always say they want something new, even if that's not always the case, and hear about his latest book, All That Lives. On top of that, we talk about his love of comics and what he has planned in the future.Links:Buy All That Lives and James's other books nowVisit James's websiteFollow James on TwitterPage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @ukPageOneFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: @ukPageOne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Georgia Pritchett is an award-winning screenwriter who has worked on some of the best shows on television including Spitting Image, Smack The Pony, The Thick of It, Veep, Succession and, most recently, The Shrink Next Door, the hit Apple TV show starring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd. On top of all that, she has also recently released a hilarious memoir entitled My Mess is a Bit of a Life.We had great fun talking with Georgia and hearing how she got her start on radio before moving into TV and then writing for Jo Brand. We learn about why Armando Iannucci compares writing a script to making gravy, and how the writing process differs for UK and US TV. We also talk Succession, chat about making horrible characters likeable and hear what Georgia is working on next.Links:Buy My Mess is a Bit of a LifeWatch Succession now!The White House Correspondent's Dinner/Veep sketchPage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @ukPageOneFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: @ukPageOne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian Rankin is an international superstar of crime writing, with bestsellers across the globe and is the creator of one of the best-known fictional policeman, John Rebus.We are so delighted that Ian was able to come down to our studio to talk about his stellar writing career. We hear how that began, where Rebus came from and talk about the impact of Scottish crime writing on the genre. We also talk about what it was like to co-write a posthumous William McIlvanney novel, The Dark Remains, and lean what he has planned next!This special episode is available as both an audio podcast and as a full video interview on Youtube!COMPETITION!WIN SIGNED BOOKS AND YOUR OWN PAGE ONE NOTEBOOK To celebrate our 100th episode, we are also holding an exciting competition! 3 winners will receive:A copy of The Dark Remains by Ian Rankin and William McIlvanney (signed by Ian Rankin!)A Page One notebook (signed by Ian Rankin!)An assorted bundle of books from some of our previous guests. Please note that some of these books are proof copies and so may differ slightly from retail versions. 2 additional winners will receive a Page One notebook signed by Ian Rankin! Just follow the instructions below to enter – Good luck! WAYS TO ENTER: 1.     Sign up to our newsletter (sign up details at bottom of page here: https://www.writegear.co.uk/podcast)2.     Tag a friend who would like to win a bundle of books and our notebook – Each tag counts as a separate entry!3.     Follow us on at least one of our social media channels:a.     Twitter - @ukPageOneb.     Facebook – www.facebook.com/ukpageonec.     Instagram – @ukPageOne4. Share the competition post on social media on your feed or story (this isn't a necessary step but counts as a bonus entry!)Competition open until 11.59pm GMT on 30 March 2022. Entries received after that date will not be counted. Winners will be announced on episode 104 of Page One – The Writers Podcast which will be released on 1 April 2022. Winners will also be notified by email and announced on our social media.Links:Buy The Dark Remains and Ian's other booksVisit Ian's websiteFollow Ian on TwitterPage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anna Mazzola is the a writer of historical thrillers and Gothic fiction. Her novels explore the impact of crime and injustice. Her debut novel, The Unseeing, is based on the life of a real woman called Sarah Gale who was convicted of aiding a murder in London in 1837. It won an Edgar Allan Poe Award in the US and was nominated for the Historical Writers’ Association’s Debut Crown in the UK. Her second novel, The Story Keeper, is out now. It follows a folklorist’s assistant as she searches out dark fairytales and stolen girls on the Isle of Skye in 1857. The Story Keeper was nominated for the Highland Book Prize. Her third novel, The Clockwork Girl, set in Paris in 1750 and based partly on the story of the vanishing children of Paris, will be published by Orion in March 2022. She is currently working on her fourth novel, a ghost story set in Fascist Italy.We had a really fun chat with Anna, talking about how she juggles her legal and writing careers, the difficulties of writing stories that span genres and so don't neatly fit into expected categories, why prologues are good and much more! We learn about her next book(s) and talk about why sometimes it is best to get the first draft done and then fix it afterwards.Links:Buy The Clockwork Girl and Anna's other books now!Visit Anna's websiteFollow Anna on TwitterHear about Page One - The Writer's Notebook on The Writing and Marketing ShowPage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will Carver is the acclaimed author of unique, dark crime novels such as Good Samaritans, The Beresford and, most recently, Psychopaths Anonymous.We had great fun chatting with Will, hearing about how he broke into the industry and also how he found himself having to start his writing career again when publishing contracts dried up. We also discuss why his books are either loved or hated (with no in-between) and also learn about the year he saved not one but two lives!Links:Buy Will's books now!Follow Will on TwitterPage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lilja Sigurðardóttir is an Icelandic crime-writer born in 1972. She is the author of novels, stage plays and screenplays. Her latest latest book, White as Snow (Náhvít jörð) is the third in a series of thrillers featuring financial investigator Áróra and police detective Daníel.We had great fun chatting with Lilja about her interesting route into writing (thank you, Dan Brown!), talked about the importance of good translations and discussed the growing appeal of foreign stories in English-speaking countries. We also talk about Iceland's love of Eurovision (the competition and Will Ferrell's film) and learn about the hefty price of books in Iceland!Links:Buy Lilja's books now!Visit Lilja's websiteFollow Lilja on TwitterHear about Page One - The Writer's Notebook on The Writing and Marketing ShowPage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tasmina Perry is the internationally bestselling author of fourteen novels including Kiss Heaven Goodbye, Private Lives and Guilty Pleasures. Her books have been translated into twenty languages and sold over two million copies worldwide. She is a former lawyer turned award-winning journalist and was editing the UK edition of In Style magazine when her debut novel Daddy's Girls went into the top ten and became one of the biggest selling debuts of the years. She also writes thrillers under the pseudonym JL Butler. Mine - her first novel in that pen name has been optioned by Sony Pictures. Her second JL Butler novel, Unfaithful, is out now.We had great fun chatting with Tasmina about her unusual route into writing (hint - it involves a random interview with one of Britain's biggest boybands) and how she has made such a huge success of her career. We hear about the importance of planning, why pseudonyms can be good and bad, why she's decided to launch her own publishing imprint instead of signing a new trad publishing deal - and what happened when Donald Trump asked her to ghostwrite for him!Links:Buy Unfaithful and Tasmina's other books nowVisit Tasmina's websiteFollow Tasmina on TwitterPage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chris Hammer is a leading Australian crime fiction novelist, author of international bestsellers Scrublands, Silver and Trust. Scrublands was shortlisted for major writing awards in Australia, the UK and the United States. In the UK it was named the Sunday Times Crime Novel of the Year 2019 and won the prestigious UK Crime Writers’ Association John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award. His latest, published as Treasure and Dirt in Australia and New Zealand and Opal Country internationally, is out soon.We had great fun chatting with Chris about his writing career, learning how he moved from journalism into writing fiction via a couple of non-fiction books. We also talk about what inspired Scrublands and hear about why he thinks it has taken so long for Australian crime fiction to take off internationally. On top of that, he tells us about his process and talks about why he wanted to leave his previous protagonist, Martin Scarsden, alone for a while to write Opal Country.Links:Buy Opal Country now!Visit Chris' websiteFollow Chris on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Howey is the author of the bestselling sci fi series, Wool, which is now being turned into a show for Apple TV. In addition, he wrote the Molly Fyde and Beacon 23 series, and is currently working on the next installment of the Wool universe.We had a great chat with Hugh about his career, and heard about the brave and ultimately life-changing decision he made to self-publish his own works (which in turn led to him turning down $1m dollars to keep the rights to Wool). He offers a unique and fascinating insight into the world of publishing, talks about why there should be no stigma around self-publishing and why Amazon can be good for writers and readers.Links:Buy Hugh's books nowVisit Hugh's websiteFollow Hugh on TwitterThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jon Ingold is the founder and narrative director of Inkle Studios who have made hugely popular narrative games such as 80 Days, Overboard! and Heaven's Vault. He is also a published author and has just released a two-volume novel set in the Heaven's Vault world.We had a fascinating chat with Jon about the differences between fiction and interactive fiction - and found out that in many ways, they are not all that different after all. We talked about his inspirations for interactive fiction, and how he structures these stories both from a technical and narrative perspective. He tells us why he wanted to revisit the world of Heaven's Vault as a book, and we also find time to talk about the latest film adaptation of Dune...Links:Buy Heaven's Vault the novel now!Follow Jon on TwitterVisit Inkle's websiteThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simon Beckett taught English as a foreign language in Spain, installed cavity wall installation and played in various unsuccessful bands before becoming a freelance journalist and author. Since then, he has become an international bestselling author thanks to his David Hunter crime thrillers. The series has been translated into 29 languages. Simon’s novels have appeared in The Sunday Times Top 10 bestseller list and become No.1 international bestsellers, selling 12 million copies worldwide. As well as the David Hunter series, he is the author of five standalone thrillers: Fine Lines, Animals, Where There’s Smoke, Owning Jacob and most recently The Lost, the first in the Jonah Colley series.We had a great chat with Simon talking about the ups and down of the publishing industry and why you can never sit on your laurels as an author. We hear why he wanted to write about a new character with The Lost and talk about how to push through those difficult moments as a writer.Links:Buy The Lost and Simon's other books!Visit Simon's websiteFollow Simon on TwitterThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joanne Harris MBE is the international bestselling author of books such as Chocolat and The Gospel of Loki. A prolific author, she has written nearly twenty books in addition to numerous short stories. Her latest novel is A Narrow Door, a psychological thriller set in an English grammar school. She is also currently Chair of the Society of Authors.We loved chatting with Joanne about all things writing-related, including how finding an agent has (and hasn’t) changed since she broke in, the current state of the publishing industry and how social media isn’t all bad for writers! We also deep-dive into her writing process, talking about planning, revising and why reading your writing aloud is the best tool a writer has.Links:Buy A Narrow Door and Joanne's other books now!Visit Joanne's websiteFollow Joanne on TwitterThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Catriona Ward won the August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel for her debut, Rawblood, and again for Little Eve, making her the first woman to win the prize twice. Little Eve, which also won the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel, will soon be republished. Her latest novel, The Last House on Needless Street, has received rave reviews and became an instant bestseller.We loved chatting with Catriona and hearing about how she tackles writing about the horror in her novels (clue: make sure you have some time to do other things as well!) We also hear about the long seven year journey to get her first novel published, and how that process contrasts with her writing approach now. There’s also time to chat briefly about the upcoming film adaptation of The Last House on Needless Street!Links:Buy Catriona's books now!The Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dominic Nolan is the author of the Abigail Boone novels, Past Life and After Dark. His most recent novel, Vine Street, is a historical thriller based on real events in 1930s Soho, and has already been garnering rave reviews.We had a really interesting chat with Dominic about his path to publishing, and talk about why it took some time between his getting an agent and his first book being published. We also talk about how not to pitch a novel, and talk about the research that went into crafting Vine Street.Links:Buy Dominic's books now!The Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Blake Crouch is a bestselling novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of the novel, Dark Matter, for which he is writing the screenplay for Sony Pictures. His international-bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy was adapted into a television series for FOX, executive produced by M. Night Shyamalan, that was Summer 2015's #1 show. His latest book, Recursion, was a bestseller which is also being adapted by Netflix.We loved talking to Blake and hearing about how it was a decision to stop writing “small” stories that kickstarted what appeared to be a failing career as a novelist. That first big story was Pines, and since then he has had success after success. We also hear about how his unique and complicated ideas develop into novels, and the difficult process that goes into them.Links:Buy Blake's books now!Visit Blake's websiteWatch Wayward PinesThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stuart Turton is a former journalist and the author of the award-winning, genre-mashing The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. His second book, The Devil and the Dark Water was released in October 2020 and became an instant smash hit.We had a great time chatting to Stuart about how an early love of Agatha Christie mysteries eventually led to his becoming a writer. He tells us why he would prefer it if his name didn’t appear on the cover of his books, why he never wants to be pigeon-holed into writing one type of story and discusses the planning that went into The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. We also hear about his roundabout journey to becoming a writer, which includes perhaps the most unique pre-writing job we’ve had from a guest (it involves shotguns and camels…!)Links:Buy Stuart's books now!The Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alan Johnson was an MP for 20 years and served as Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Health for the Labour Governments of Blair and Brown. After leaving the Cabinet, he wrote his first memoir, This Boy, which was an instant success, and followed that up with two more volumes of memoirs, Please, Mister Postman and The Long and Winding Road. This year he has published his first novel, The Late Train to Gipsy Hill. Our fun chat with Alan covers why he always wanted to be a writer (and rock musician - blame The Beatles for both), how he kept writing during his political career, and why fiction has been his goal from the start. We talk about the difference in writing memoirs and fiction, hear what inspired The Late Train to Gipsy Hill, and also talk about his experience as a contestant on The Masked Singer!Links:Buy The Late Train to Gypsy Hill now!Watch Alan on The Masked SingerThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yes, the tables are turned this week as our very own Tariq Ashkanani joins us as a guest rather than interviewer to tell us about the path to publishing his debut novel, Welcome to Cooper, which currently sits high on Amazon's Kindle Store!Tariq explains his rather convoluted path to becoming a writer, and how the spark for his brilliant debut came after attending a short story writing class. We also talk about the trials and tribulations of finding an agent, hear how he honed his writing voice - and of course find out once and for all whether he will pick ebooks as his favourite medium...Links:Buy Welcome To Cooper now!The Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Catherine Quinn is a bestselling fiction author whose books are published in over fifteen countries. She writes contemporary thrillers as Cate Quinn, and her historical thrillers are published under the pen name CS Quinn. Catherine’s was a travel and lifestyle journalist for The Times, The Guardian and The Mirror, alongside many magazines. Prior to journalism and fiction, her background in historic research won prestigious postgraduate funding from the British Art Council.Combining research skills with far-flung travel experiences helped her delve into different communities and worlds to create page-turning thrillers in interesting locations.We had great fun chatting with Cate about her writing journey, hearing about how she was diverted from her first historical thriller to self-publish erotica under a pen name, how that led back to a traditional publishing deal for her historical fiction and finding out why she has now moved into contemporary fiction with her latest novel, Black Windows. We talk about marketing when you are self-publishing, building email lists of readers, and how writing out of sequence can help with the "murky middle" of your book! Plus we chat about her food blog and ask about the worst thing she has eaten on her travels...Links:Buy Black WidowsBuy the CS Quinn booksRead Cate's food blogFollow Cate on TwitterVisit Cate's websiteThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Duncan Hamilton is an award-winning non-fiction author and sports journalist. His first book, Provided You Don't Kiss Me:20 Years with Brian Clough, won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year, and award he has subsequently won another two times. He has just released his first fiction novel, Injury Time.We had a really interesting chat with Duncan about his route into sports journalism and hear what led him to move into the world of books. We talk about how he picks his subjects for his non-fiction books and find out why he has decided to move into the world of novel writing with Injury Time. We also have a chat about why football (soccer for our US listeners!) never seems to work in movies, and, given this episode was recorded just before the Euro 2020 final, Marco and him briefly discuss prospects for their respective teams...Links:Buy Duncan's booksThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we have not one but two great guests! Abir Mukherjee is the bestselling author of the Sam Wyndham series of crime novels set in Raj era India. His debut, A Rising Man, won the CWA Endeavour Dagger for best historical crime novel of 2017. His latest, Death in the East, was nominated for the Theakston Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2021. Vaseem Khan is the author of two crime series set in India, the Baby Ganesh Agency series set in modern Mumbai, and the Malabar House historical crime novels set in 1950s Bombay. He is also an award-winning author and his latest, The Dying Day, is out now. As well as being award-winning authors, Abir and Vaseem also host the popular literary podcast, The Red Hot Chilli Writers (on which our very own Tariq Ashkanani recently appeared as a guest!)We had a great time speaking with both Abir and Vaseem, and in between the jokes we even managed to talk about writing! We heard about the very different paths they took to becoming published and talk about the role that luck and timing can have in becoming a successfully published author. We also chat about favourite books, hear why Abir is always trying to take Vaseem to KFC and may even mention the name of Vaseem's new book once or twice...Links:Buy Death in the East and Abir's other books nowBuy The Dying Day and Vaseem's other books nowVisit Abir's websiteVisit Vaseem's websiteVisit The Red Hot Chilli Writers websiteThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

C. Robert Cargill started out as a film reviewer for one of the internet's first film sites, aintitcool.com, before moving into the world of movies himself, writing films such as Sinister and Dr Strange. Not content with taking the movie world by storm, he has also become a bestselling novelist, and his most recent book, Day Zero, is a prequel to the brilliant Sea of Rust.We loved chatting with Cargill about his varied career, learning about how he used the access he had as a film reviewer as a crash course in film studies, how a chance meeting with his friend Scott Derrickson in Vegas led to Sinister being pitched, written and green-lit in record time, and why he loves working in both the film and book world. We also talk about learning to accept that a lot of great work you write as a screenwriter may never get made, and discuss when and when not to take advice from others on your work.Links:Buy Day Zero and Cargill's other booksFollow Cargill on TwitterThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As well as being a successful novelist, Imran Mahmood is a practising barrister with over 30 years' court experience. His first book, You Don't Know Me, was chosen by Simon Mayo as a BBC Radio 2 Book Club Choice for 2017 and longlisted for Theakston Crime Novel of the Year and for the CWA Gold Dagger award. It's currently being adapted for TV. His latest book, I Know What I Saw, is just out.We loved chatting with Imran about how he got into writing and how his day job as a criminal barrister helps shape his stories. We also stand back in awe as he tells us how he balances that day job, the writing, TV work and having a young family (while also reading about 5 books at once)!Links:Buy I Know What I Saw and Imran's other books hereFollow Imran on TwitterThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Philip Gwynne Jones spent twenty years in the IT industry before realising he was congenitally unsuited to it, and now works as a writer, teacher and translator. He lives in Venice with his wife Caroline. His first novel, “The Venetian Game”, was a Waterstones Thriller of the Month and a Times Top 5 bestseller. “The Venetian Legacy”, the fifth in the Nathan Sutherland series, was published in April 2021.We loved chatting with Philip and hearing about how he accidentally became a bestselling author. We hear about how he manages to make Venice almost a character in its own right in his novels, and learn how his protagonist, Nathan Sutherland came about. We also chat about whether he is a planner or pantser, and ask whether he would ever write a novel set outside Venice.Links:Buy The Venetian Legacy and Philip's other booksVisit Philip's websiteFollow Philip on TwitterThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MJ Arlidge is a man of many talents, being a novelist, screenwriter and producer. Having started out as a storyliner for Eastenders on the BBC, he went on to work on celebrated British shows such as Monarch of the Glen and Silent Witness, before creating his own hit shows such as Mistresses and Cape Wrath. He came to the world of novels in his 40s, when Eeny Meeny was released to huge success. Its protagonist, DI Helen Grace has since featured in many more books, with the latest being the recently released Truth or Dare.It was great fun chatting with Matthew about his career, and hearing about the many differences between the TV and publishing world. We hear about how his experience in the TV world helped him pitch his first novel, and learn about the differences in getting notes in each industry (hint - there normally aren't three editors in one room in the publishing world!)Links:Buy Truth or Dare and Matthew's other booksFollow him on TwitterThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Caroline Hulse is the author of Like a House on Fire and The Adults. All The Fun of the Fair is her latest novel which has just been released. Her books have been published in fourteen languages and optioned for television.We had great fun chatting with Caroline, hearing about how she moved from HR into writing, why she still works in an office (as an author!) and why she abandoned writing suspense novels for humour. We also get great advice about outrunning your fear as a writer, learn why she loves to plan meticulously, and even get some great board game recommendations from her!Links:Buy All The Fun of The Fair and Caroline's other booksVisit Caroline's websiteFollow Caroline on TwitterWatch our video panel Page One Sessions as we discuss writing with great authors: https://youtu.be/gmE6iCDYn-sThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode, we talk with all three of the nominees for the 2021 Desmond Elliott Prize, the showcase award for debut authors from the National Centre for Writing.First up, we talk with AK Blakemore, author of The Manningtree Witches, a brilliant literary historical fiction novel set in England in 1643. AK is the author of two full-length collections of poetry: Humbert Summer (Eyewear, 2015) and Fondue (Offord Road Books, 2018), which was awarded the 2019 Ledbury Forte Prize for Best Second Collection. She has also translated the work of Sichuanese poet Yu Yoyo (My Tenantless Body, Poetry Translation Centre, 2019). Her poetry and prose writing has been widely published and anthologised, appearing in the The London Review of Books, Poetry, Poetry Review and The White Review, among others.Then we chat with Rebecca Watson, author of the incredible little scratch, an experimental literary novel told in immediate first person. Rebecca is one of The Observer‘s 10 best debut novelists of 2021. Her work has been published in the TLS, The Guardian, Granta and elsewhere. In 2018, she was shortlisted for the White Review Short Story Prize. She works part-time as Assistant Arts Editor at the Financial Times and lives in London.Finally, we speak with Eley Williams, author of The Liar's Dictionary, a dual timeline literary novel revolving around false entries in dictionaries. Eley lectures at Royal Holloway, University of London. Her short story collection Attrib. and Other Stories (Influx Press) won the James Tait Black Prize and the Republic of Consciousness Prize. The Liar’s Dictionary is her debut novel.Links:Read about the Desmond Elliott PrizeBuy The Manningtree WitchesBuy little scratchBuy The Liar's DictionaryWatch our video panel Page One Sessions as we discuss writing with great authors: https://youtu.be/gmE6iCDYn-sThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nina Allan has won the British Science Fiction Award, the Novella Award, the Kitschies Red Tentacle and France’s Grand Prix de L’Imaginaire. Her first published piece of fiction appeared in a magazine called Dark Horizons in 2002. Since then, her stories have featured in numerous magazines and anthologies including The Year’s Best Science Fiction, Best Horror of the Year and The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime. Her latest book, The Good Neighbours, is released on 10 June 2021.We loved talking to Nina about her lifelong love of speculative fiction, including science fiction, the gothic, weird fiction and good old fashioned ghost stories and why she is particularly interested in work that tests the boundaries of genre: playing with philosophical ideas, savouring language, and experimenting with form. We talked about how SFF and horror cons can be a great place for budding writers to make connections, and hear about her rather unique redrafting process!Links:Buy The Good Neigbours and Nina's other books now!Visit Nina's websiteCymera Festival 2021Watch our video panel Page One Sessions as we discuss writing with great authors: https://youtu.be/gmE6iCDYn-sThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Holly Seddon is the bestselling author of books such as Try Not to Breathe, Don't Close Your Eyes, and her latest, The Hit List. In between writing these great books, she also manages to host a great writing podcast (a great one to listen to alongside this one...!) called Honest Authors, which looks at the realities of life as a published author.We had great fun chatting with Holly, hearing about how she found and was picked up by her agent in the space of a lunchtime (!), how she swapped agents, and discussing the ups and downs of being a published author. We also hear why she now always plans her stories and find out how she continues to find great ideas and characters for her books.Links:Buy The Hit List now!Visit Holly's websiteFollow Holly on TwitterListen to the Honest Authors podcastWatch our video panel Page One Sessions as we discuss writing with great authors: https://youtu.be/gmE6iCDYn-sThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nikki Smith studied English Literature at the University of Birmingham and went on to forge a career in finance; working for companies including a city bank and a trampoline park. She’d always wanted to write, and prompted by someone she hadn’t seen since school contacting her to ask if she’d ever done anything with her writing, signed up for a Curtis Brown creative writing course in 2017. She went on to win a short story competition and mentorship by the author Amanda Reynolds before being accepted for representation by Sophie Lambert at C+W. Her debut novel, ALL IN HER HEAD, went on submission in January 2019 and she accepted a pre-empt offer for a two book deal by Orion ten days later. LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO is her second novel and out now.We had a great chat with Nikki about how she managed to swap accountancy for writing, and how the day job helped instill a discipline which has proven useful in writing. We also hear about her new novel, and chat about first and third person perspectives, and whether there can ever be too much "head-jumping" in first person novels.Links:Buy Look What You Made Me Do now!Visit Nikki's websiteFollow her on TwitterCheck out the Curtis Brown Creative Writing coursesWatch our video panel Page One Sessions as we discuss writing with great authors: https://youtu.be/gmE6iCDYn-sThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Nicholls is the award-winning author of books such as Starter for Ten, Us, One Day and, most recently, Sweet Sorrow. He has also won awards for his screenwriting, from his contributions to Cold Feet to the adaptations of both his own books such as Starter for Ten and One Day and the likes of Patrick Melrose and Great Expectations.We loved chatting with David about how he got his start in his writing career, moving from an actor to a screenwriter to, eventually, a novelist, and then back to screenwriting. We discuss the differences between the two formats, and why the feedback on screenwriting is often harsher than in prose writing. We also talk about how to adapt a book to film, and hear about what he is working on next.Links:Buy David's books now!Follow David on TwitterWatch Patrick Melrose on NOW TVWatch our video panel Page One Sessions as we discuss writing with great authors: https://youtu.be/gmE6iCDYn-sThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Helen O'Hara is best known for her work at Empire magazine, where she is currently editor-at-large and features regularly on their renowned podcast. She has also been published regularly in newspapers such at The Guardian and The Telegraph, and has written a number of books, the most recent of which is Women vs Hollywood.We had great fun chatting with Helen about her career and hear how she landed the job at Empire, what she learned on the job about writing reviews, and why she wanted to write Women vs Hollywood now. We hear why editing can be the best way to learn about writing, chat about why men get an easier time in Hollywood than women, and discuss ways people can get started in film reviewing. We also get her take on Zack Snyder's Justice League - which then leads to a long and rambling discussion at the end of the podcast about Marvel v DC...Links:Buy Women vs Hollywood now!Follow Helen on TwitterListen to the Empire PodcastCapital Crime New Voices competitionWatch our video panel Page One Sessions as we discuss writing with great authors: https://youtu.be/gmE6iCDYn-sThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.