Writer's Routine

Mara Timon's new novel is 'City of Spies', it's set in Lisbon during World War Two. It's a part and place of the war that warrants a story being told, as it's endlessly fascinating, but not many people know of it. We follow agent Elizabeth, whose cover is blown while discovering a huge wartime secret, and she must evade capture by the Gestapo while discovering more of the truth.Raised in New York, Mara moved to the UK almost 20 years ago; and fell in love with London and the way it melds the old and the new. Growing up with one parent fascinated with literature and the other with history, she started writing from an early age, although it wasn't until a programme on the BBC caught her interest, and one 'what if' led to another, that her first book began to take shape.We discuss finding the time to write when you have a day job, how she reveals things to her character along the way, and places the reader in the characters shoes to bring wartime Lisbon alive.If you'd like to buy the book, please think about using this link so we get a little kickback too - https://amzn.to/3c4ZM5sThis episode is sponsored by 'The House of Paris Le Grand' by Nicholas Robinson, a tale of love, life, drag queens and bucket lists. Find out more and get a copy here - https://amzn.to/3c4ZM5sYou can sponsor the show too by supporting us on Patreon.com/writersroutine!@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're chatting to YouTuber, radio presenter, film maker and now writer, Calum McSwiggan. His debut is a memoir, 'Eat, Gay, Love', which tells the story of his journey around the world, meeting different members of the LGBTQ+ community.He hosted a popular radio show for FUBAR Radio and has also created several short films, including the award-winning Love Happens Here, which was named 'Best LGBT+ Short Film' at the Buffer Festival in Toronto. In 2019 he started a book club to encourage young people to read more LGBT+ literature.We talk about how you distill a life of experiences into a 300-odd page book, how you make sure you're giving the reader the authentic story, and the decision to write memoir in the first place.If you'd like to buy a copy, please click this link to help us at the same time - https://amzn.to/2DSGOSYYou can also help us by pledging here - patreon.com/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Erin Kinsley's second book 'Innocent' tells of a close-knit community devastated when a local celebrity is found dead. It follows on from her immensely successful debut 'Found, published last year to great acclaim. You can hear why that book was a story she needed to tell, and to get it down she completely changed her writing routine and process.We talk about the diagrams and charts she works through to write, why she switches between a fountain pen and laptop depending, and how he writing differs in the morning and evening.Also, we chat to Ed Needham, the editor of the fantastic 'Strong Words' magazine all about this month's issue, and why it's such a labour of love for him.@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Menna van Praag is the author of 6 magical realism novels, her new one is 'The Sisters Grimm'. It's a story of four girls born on the same day with their fate twisted together, they must find each other to save their lives, but one is destined to die. It's a twist on classic fairytales, and we discuss the first moment the idea for the story came into her mind.We talk about the deal that she made with her husband to become a writer before she was 30, why she self-published and how she managed to convince bookshops to take a chance on her story. You can hear how much she plots and plans, how long it took her to find her voice, and she shares the best writing-tip she's ever been told...I think it best be the best you've ever heard too.If you'd like to buy a copy, have a think about using this link - https://amzn.to/32rbJOn - that way we get a little kick-back from Bezos.This week's episode is sponsored by the 'Garnet and Petunia' series by Captain William Gilbert. They're about the bitter, twisted ex-merchant seaman who runs a private detective agency in Bangkok. Find out more at captainwilliamgilbert.com. Grab a copy of the series here - https://amzn.to/34zaBLfCaptain William sponsored the show on patreon.com/writersroutine, feel free to do that too!@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amanda Jennings has just published her 5th novel, 'The Storm', which is set in a lonely, isolated Cornish fishing village. It's about Hannah who seems to have the perfect marriage, but is desperately controlled by her husband, Nathan, behind closed doors, and how its linked to a tragic storm of years before.Since her debut, 'Sworn Secret', she regularly tops the Kindle bestselling chart. Her novels all focus on a haunting aspect of loneliness, of being withdrawn, and of secrets which affect families. We talk about why she keeps coming back to these themes, how she works through ideas, and her lack of thorough planning. She's a proper pantser.She has been involved in the WoMentoring Project, which offers mentoring support for talented female writers with women who work in the literary world, and run writers' workshops.If you fancy reading the book, please use this link - https://amzn.to/31h9AW5Also, have a think about supporting us at patreon.com/writersroutine, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jo Thomas has carved out a fantastic niche in fiction. She writes escapist romance set in idyllic locations across the world. To accurately tell these stories, she takes amazing research trips all over the globe, diving straight into it, getting a feel of the food and drink, before dreaming up a love story that fits everything.She's told stories about Galway, Puglia, Sicily, and her new book is set in Provence. 'Escape to the French Farmhouse' is about Del starting a new life in France, happy and alone, after her husband moves back to England.Jo worked for many years as a reporter and producer, first for BBC Radio 5, before moving on to Radio 4's Woman's Hour and Radio 2's The Steve Wright Show. In 2013 Jo won the RNA Katie Fforde Bursary. Her debut novel 'The Oyster Catcher' was a runaway bestseller in ebook. It was awarded the 2014 RNA Joan Hessayon Award and the 2014 Festival of Romance Best Ebook AwardWe talk about being a morning person, her hectic writing routine of a year, the detailed synopsis she writes before she starts, and how she's managed to wangle one of the best writing lives ever.If you enjoy the episode, please do support the show on patreon.com/writersroutine.@writerspodwritersroutine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christopher Fowler writes everything - novels, screenplays, video games, graphic novels, and he's back with his 19th 'Bryant and May' book. It's called 'Oranges and Lemons' and sees the Peculiar Crimes Unit investigate a bizarre accident involving the Speaker of the House of Commons, and a truck full of citrus fruit. We talk about how he got the idea from a strangely gruesome nursery rhyme.He is the author of more than forty novels and many short story collections. A multiple award-winner, including the coveted CWA ‘Dagger in the Library’, Chris has also written screenplays, video games, graphic novels, audio plays and two acclaimed memoirs, Paperboy and Film Freak. His most recent non-fiction book is The Book of Forgotten Authors.You can also hear about the art of the perfect crime novel, and how Christopher thinks that has been lost recently. Also, we discuss his chaotic, unplanned plots, how he keeps himself engaged to write a series of 19 stories, and how he knows what he'll write at the start of every day.If you are going to buy the book, please think about using this link - https://amzn.to/30BCbVLPlease do think about supporting the show over at patreon.com/writersroutine, follow us on Twitter and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, if you can.@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sophia Money-Coutts is a journalist and author who writes for 'The Sunday Telegraph' and the 'Evening Standard'. Her 3rd novel is 'The Wish List', about Florence who writes down her ideal man, and is then shocked when he wanders into her bookshop.You can hear how she got the idea at an...adult party, and how her family then influenced how she wrote the story. We talk about genre, about the conventions of rom-com and whether she's bothered about sticking to them, and when ideas tend to pop into her head. Sophia, like me, is a morning person. We chat about why that is, and if the labelling is useful at all, or pointlessly self-fulfilling.'The Wish List' comes out on August 6th. If you'd like to pre-order/ buy a copy, please have a look here - https://amzn.to/318HjzXAlso, please support us on patreon.com/writersroutine!@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sabine Durrant has just published a brand new psychological thriller, it's called 'Finders, Keepers' and it tells the story of Verity who becomes obsessed with her new neighbour. You can find out how the story was inspired by a mission Sabine and her kids undertook to rescue a lost rabbit.We talk about the convention of genre and how much Sabine plays with it, how much she needs to know before she starts a story, and how her routine has changed over time. As this show is a show about process, there's a lot about that, there's also a lot about the pre-process-process, and what Sabine needs to do before she even starts writing.Sabine is a journalist and the author of the best-selling 'Having It and Eating It' and the 'Connie Pickles' series of children's books.Her four psychological thrillers so far have been sold all around the world, made it to the 'Richard and Judy Book Club' and been translated into many languages. She has also written for the Guardian, Observer, Sunday Times and Sunday Telegraph.If you'd like to buy a copy, please do it through this link - https://amzn.to/3eVvAcP - sorry I know it's evil Amazon, but we need money from Bezos.Also, please do support us at patreon.com/writersroutine.@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the second Writer's Routine Roundtable! We're back with 4 of the best uplit/ rom-com authors around to talk us through how they do it.Laura Jane Williams - She took us through her writer's routine last year, ahead of 'Our Stop'. She talks about how writing that book made her a believer, as her second 'The Love Square' has just been published - https://amzn.to/39bd4M6Nicola Gill - Joined us earlier in 2020, to talk us through a day writing her debut, 'The Neighbours'. She's been busy and has a second book, 'We Are Family' - https://amzn.to/30xcgNXHannah Sunderland - New to the show, her debut 'Very Nearly Normal' is out now - https://amzn.to/2ZMBEQBCharlene Allcott - from 'The Moderate Mum' blog, she's just published her new novel, 'More Than a Mum' - https://amzn.to/2ZMBEQBWe talk about the conventions of the genre, how they create brooding heroes, how they flip the stereotype, and how to create a happy ending. You can hear how much they think about their reader, and why they're writing to answer their own questions, and how much lockdown has affected their writing day.Please do support us at patreon.com/writersroutine.@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.