Tom Rob Smith on his bestselling debut ”Child 44”, screenwriting for the BBC and FX, and taking a different approach in his new novel ”Twenty Years Together”

Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist and screenwriter Tom Rob Smith. Tom wrote his first novel, "Child 44", about a serial killer in Soviet Russia, at the age of 26. After publication in 2008, the novel went on to sell over two million copies, with translations in 35 languages. It won the International Thriller Writer Award for Best First Novel, the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award, and became the first thriller to be longlisted for the Booker Prize. In 2015 "Child 44" was also turned into a film starring Tom Hardy and Gary Oldman. Tom's other novels include "The Farm", "Cold People" and most recently "Twenty Years Together". His work for the screen includes the BBC show "London Spy", which was nominated for a Bafta, and the FX series "American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace", which won a Golden Globe. We spoke to Tom about his bestselling debut, his screenwriting projects, and going in a different direction with his new book. 

In addition to the standard audio format, the podcast is now available in video. You can check us out on YouTube under Always Take Notes.  

We’ve also made (yet) another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We’ve added a further 70 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New Yorker, Bloomberg Businessweek, and the Guardian Long Read. The whole compendium now runs to a magisterial 230 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we’re now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a call with Simon and Rachel.
A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World’s Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waterstones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. 

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