Prepublished

#37 Talking about the story that haunts you with Justine Picardie

As well as her journalism, memoirs and a novel inspired by Daphne du Maurier, Justine has written an acclaimed biography of Coco Chanel. She tells me how she has to be 'haunted' by a story before she can write it. Her latest book, Miss Dior, tells the story of Catherine, Christian Dior’s sister and muse. A fighter in the French Resistance, she was a survivor of Ravensbruck concentration camp who received the Croix de Guerre and the Legion d’Honneur. Catherine became a rose farmer in Provence and died a dozen years ago aged 90. Justine's account of her life and her huge influence on Dior is published in September 2021.Notes: Justine on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinepicardieMiss Dior by Justine Picardie: https://www.waterstones.com/book/miss-dior/justine-picardie/9780571356522 The Wasteland by TS Eliot: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-wasteland-prufrock-and-other-poems/t-s-eliot/9781434101693 Clothes in Books: http://clothesinbooks.blogspot.com 

#36 Talking about writing and illustrating with Thomas Taylor

I was interested to know the part that RSI played in Thomas's shift from illustrating and writing picture books to writing middle grade novels. You might think that his cover art – for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – woud be the key moment in his career, but what is truly fascinating is that it isn’t. That moment came over twenty years later, in 2018. I found it honestly inspiring. Listen out, too, for Thomas’s top tip, which corrects a mistake that many prepublished writers I know have made.   Apologies for the sound quality of this episode. The technology defeated us on the day and we had to record on Zoom. However, Thomas's story and his insights definitely merit listening until the end . NOTES: Thomas’s website: http://www.thomastaylor-author.com

#35 Talking about writing Christie and page-turnability with Sophie Hannah, Part Two

In my first conversation with Sophie , we discussed her successful career as a poet and thriller writer and the support she gives to other writers through the Dream Author programme. Many listeners have already been inspired by her words about resilience and self belief in the face of repeated rejection, which is something most of us are familiar with. If you haven’t heard that episode yet, I strongly suggest you give it a listen. In part 2, as well as telling me about her writing process and using the blurb as a 'story promise', she intriguingly mentions her exclusive ‘gnocchi’ technique for planning and drafting. As she says, you can apply to her directly for this and she will send it to you for free. Sophie is hugely generous with her advice. You can see why she’s been my guest twice this season.    NOTES: Sophie’s website: https://sophiehannah.com The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-killings-at-kingfisher-hill/sophie-hannah/agatha-christie/9780008264550 Dream Author website: https://dreamauthorcoaching.com'How I Prepare to Write' by Sophie Hannah: https://sophiehannah.com/how-i-prepare-to-write/'The Four Tendencies Quiz' by Gretchen Rubin:  https://quiz.gretchenrubin.com (Turns out I'm a Questioner by the way.)The Couple at the Table by Sophie Hannah: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/sophie-hannah/the-couple-at-the-table/9781529352832/ Apples Never Fall by Lianne Moriarty: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/306/306877/apples-never-fall/9780241396087.html 

#34 Talking about comic fiction and sci fi with Jenny Colgan

After a false start in standup and comic strip writing, Jenny's career took off with her first novel, Amanda’s Wedding. She is one of those rare authors who has been successful from the word go.  She talks about the auction for her first book, the limo that arrived to take her to the successful publisher’s, and the importance of good timing, the Great British Bakeoff and her ‘wolverine tenacity’. Among writing about writing that she admires, I thoroughly recommend her suggestion of The Writer's Tale by Russell T Davis and Benjamin Cook, which I'm pleased to have discovered. She also gives me her tips for writing romance. They are good ones, so listen up. Links: Jenny Colgan’s website: https://www.jennycolgan.com The Martian by Andy Weir: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-martian/andy-weir/9780091956141 Hail Mary by Andy Weir:  https://www.waterstones.com/book/project-hail-mary/andy-weir/9781529100617Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason: https://www.waterstones.com/book/sorrow-and-bliss/meg-mason/9781474622974 Russell T Davis & Benjamin Cook ‘The Writer’s Tale’: https://www.waterstones.com/book/doctor-who-the-writers-tale/benjamin-cook/russell-t-davies/9781846075711 

#33 Talking about writing contemporary novels with Amanda Craig

I first encountered Amanda when she was children’s book critic for The Times, and was a judge on the Times/Chicken House competition that won me my first book contract, for Threads. As a journalist and reviewer she has been a huge champion of what she calls the third golden age of children’s literature, spotting Harry Potter, His Dark Materials and The Hunger Games in their early days.  As she is also the author of nine novels, I was keen to find out about her own writing process. We also discuss the hard truths about sustaining yourself as a novelist, the importance – as always – of libraries, and what is it that makes a busy book reviewer sit up and take notice of a new fiction title.  We recorded this episode in May 2021. I hope you enjoy our conversation.   NOTES: Amanda’s website: https://www.amandacraig.comWidowland by SJ Carey: https://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/titles/c-j-carey/widowland/9781529412017/