Writer's Routine

There was a time when Joy Ellis couldn't get her books anywhere near a shelf, one sale, anywhere. She was living in her car, she managed a bookshop, she had many almosts with publishers. She carried on, kept writing, self-published, and was finally tracked down by a publisher who stumbled across her in a newspaper.Now, she's sold over 2 million books, is an Amazon bestseller, and was nominated for 'Crime/ Thriller Book of the Year' at the Nibbies a few months ago.She's published over 20 books across many different characters. Her new one is 'The Patient Man'. It's a Jackman and Evans novel, about a serial killer who returns for the last time.We talk about how she decides which of her many characters will solve the crime this time, why she comes up with new characters, and how she checks in with them from time to time.You can hear more about her fantastic, winding route to publication. Also, we chat about how ideas for her future stories come at completely random times, which means she sits on them for a while, and get a complete run through of her writing day.Get a copy of 'The Patient Man' here - https://amzn.to/3zJ62KJSupport the show on patreon.com/writersroutine.@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's Random Routine is with Frank Cottrell-Boyce.Frank Cottrell-Boyce is a Carnegie Medal Award winning author - his 2004 novel 'Millions' is incredibly successful, and was turned into a film by Danny Boyle, for which Frank wrote the script. It was even Danny's idea that Frank should write the novel in the first place. He's published 10 novels, brought back 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang', and wrote the Opening Ceremony to the 2012 Olympic Games. We chat quite a bit about scriptwriting - along with 'Millions', Frank has written many scripts for Michael Winterbottom, including '24 Hour Party People' and 'A Cock and Bull Story'. He tells us the difference between writing screenplays and novels, the story points you need to hit, and the simple forms an idea can take. His newest novel is 'Noah's Gold', grab a copy here - https://amzn.to/3y8GciVSupport us at patreon.com/writersroutine.@writerspod writersroutine.com  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're chatting to Hayley Doyle! She's an actor who has starred in the West End, appearing in Mamma Mia and others. Recently, she's turned her hand to writing, publishing two novels, 'Never Saw You Coming' and her newest one, 'Love, Almost'.It tells the story of Chloe, whose boyfriend of just 5 months dies, so to come to terms with things, she does all the many things they had planned to do together, alone. We talk about when she first had the idea for the story, how it came to her quickly and almost fully-formed. You can hear how she plays with what readers expect from genre fiction, giving them it but also pulling some surprises along the way.We discuss how she juggles work, family and lockdown, and how things have radically changed over the last year. Also, how music helps her ideas, and how acting influences her writing. Hayley is a Liverpudlian, and we chat about how heritage affects the way you tell stories, and particularly why Scousers are so good at it!You can get a copy of 'Love, Almost' here - https://amzn.to/3xXMEczSupport the show at patreon.com/writersroutine.@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's bonus bite comes from crime writing behemoth Jeffery Deaver!Jeffery Deaver has published over 40 novels. He's a globally renowned author, writing crime and thrillers. To him, they're not lauded works of art, they're intricate puzzles, fun and games for the reader - and we talk about how he builds these. Jeffery works anywhere he can - any chance he gets to type away, if that's at home, on the plane, perhaps at a dog show, he will. We chat about how he finds time and space to work no matter where he is. Listen to the full episode from a couple of years ago earlier on in the feed.You can always support us at patreon.com/writersroutine@writerspod writersroutine.com  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alexis Landau's new book 'Those Who Are Saved' builds on the true story of Los Angeles during World War II. It was a safe haven for artists, and was home to many exiled Europeans. It tells the tale of Vera, who is forced to leave her daughter and flee, and explores her path to find the girl she left behind.We discuss how Alexis writes around family time, how it all starts in a flurry of ideas and research, and how she blends factual history with her own creativity. We also chat about why moving around helps her focus, how she picked the messages she wanted to write very carefully, and how the very first idea for the story after a walk to the beach with her husband.You can get a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/2UNdl4ZIf you can, please support the show on Patreon - patreon.com/writersroutine @writerspod writersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's Random Routine comes from the 'Queen of Crime' Val McDermid. She appeared on the show back in April 2019 to run us through her working day.Val McDermid is one of the most successful crime authors in the world. Her novels have been translated into 40 languages, they've sold over 15 million copies and show no sign of letting up. She has written procedural crime, cold-case crime, and even penned the first ever 'cynical, socialist, lesbian, feminist journalist'.We talk about how her method of writing has changed over the course of 38 books, moving from heavy plotting to hardly plotting at all. Also we chat about how much she cares about her readers, and how she knows which of her characters will solve the crime currently swirling around her mind.Grab a copy of her newest novel, 'Still Life' here - https://amzn.to/3B17SIuYou can support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine.@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nigel Farndale is an award-winning journalist whose interviewing prowess has seen him chat to the Dalai Lama, Prince Charles, Henry Kissenger, Hilary Clinton, and many more. He's written for The Observer, the FT, The Sunday Times and many more. His last book, 'The Blasphemer' was nominated for a Costa Book Award back in 2010, and he's just released 'The Dictator's Muse'.It tells the story of 1930's Europe, as Hitler's grip tightens and his power grows. We follow a film-maker, an athlete and a Welsh communist as their relationships in this strange time entangle.We discuss the random scatterings in his writing room, and how that changes between books. Also why amateurs wait for inspiration, and professionals get on with it. You can hear how he balances writing journalism and novels, also how he goes about writing real-life people from history, and we discuss unreliable narrators.You can get a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/3AOztMASupport the show if you can on patreon.com/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian Rankin came on the show in 2018 to discuss his 22nd Detective John Rebus book, 'In a House of Lies'. Since then he's published the 23rd, 'A Song for the Dark Times'.Here is just his routine, it's full of procrastination and puzzles. You can hear why he doesn't know what the story is until he's finished it, also why a good writing day can start at 8pm, and why he's writing all over the place.Support the show on patreon.com/writersroutine.@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Janet Skeslien-Charles new novel is 'The Paris Library', inspired by the true stories of the librarians who risked their lives during the Nazi's war on words. We talk about when she heard that tale, how she knew there was a book in it, and she'd be the one to write it.It comes off the back of her stunning debut, 'Moonlight in Odessa', which took 10 years to write. We discuss why she brooded over the idea for such a time, and how place and environment have given her the inspiration for her stories so far.We discuss research, on Google and in the library, why she likes to know everything as she plots, but why that doesn't mean there aren't surprises along the way. You can hear why she changes the structure of her sentences between characters to highlight their differences, and what it's like writing and thinking in two languages.Grab a copy of the book here - https://amzn.to/3y8reZLYou can also support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine!@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shari Lapena shared her writer's routine with us back in 2019, when she came on to chat about her 4th novel 'Someone We Know'.Shari's first book, 'The Couple Next Door', was the number 1 adult fiction title for the UK back in 2017. 'Someone We Know', a twisting tale of a teenager so desperate for wi-fi he breaks into homes, and then strange things start happening all over the neighbourhood. She has published two more since then, her newest is 'Not A Happy Family' which is out in August.In this bonus episode we hear about the writing routine of a day and a year, why she likes a quiet house, needs to get admin out of the way, and how she settled on a 1500 word goal.Follow the show wherever you get your podcasts from, and support us at patreon.com/writersroutine.@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.