Bookwandering with Anna James

Debut novelist Rochelle Dowden-Lord joins me to talk about Kasper in the Glitter, Philip Ridleys' gloriously odd 1994 children's book that's illustrated by Chris Riddell. We talk about the importance of weird children's books, researching wine, and have a frank chat about our experiences of being published while working in the book industry. Please note this episode contains an instance of very strong language. Lush, Rochelle's Nero Prize shortlisted novel, is out now and you can find it alongside my books at: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/bookwandering-the-podcastThe podcast is produced by Adam Collier with artwork by Hester Kitchen.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lioness captain Leah Williamson and her co-writer and cousin Jordan Glover join me this week to talk about The Lord of the Rings. We talk about how Leah takes inspiration from Aragorn as the England captain, fancy dress family parties, and the Lost Lionesses of the 1971 Women’s World Cup who inspired their most recent book.  You can find The Wonder Team series, The Lords of the Rings and my own books at: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/acaseforbooksThe podcast is produced by Adam Collier with artwork by Hester Kitchen.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bestselling author and founder of the Women's Prize Kate Mosse joins me this week to talk about Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1911 classic, The Secret Garden. We talk about pirate queens and little princesses, spiky girls and gardens, and how Kate chose who to include in her anthology.You can find Feminist History for Every Day of the Year, The Secret Garden and my own books at: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/acaseforbooksThe podcast is produced by Adam Collier with artwork by Hester Kitchen.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Award-winning writer Piers Torday, known for children's fiction like Midnight Treasure, dives into Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. He discusses his connection to the book and the intriguing characters like Mole and Ratty. Piers explores the surreal Pan sequence and its mythic, queer interpretations. They analyze the book's historical context and how children's literature has evolved. Lastly, he reflects on exploring emotional truths in fantasy and the importance of retellings for new readers.

Bestselling author of books for children and teenagers (and my best friend) Katherine Webber joins me to talk about the Alanna books by Tamora Pierce, officially known as the Song of the Lioness Quartet. We talk about age gap romances, why maps are brilliant as a read and tricky as a writer, and mermaids. Captain of Fates, a standalone spin-off from the Twin Crowns series, is out now. You can find that and the Alanna books, along with my books at: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/acaseforbooksThe podcast is produced by Adam Collier with artwork by Hester Kitchen.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Climate justice activist, speaker and writer Mikaela Loach joins me this week to talk about The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the YA dystopian phenomenon. We talk about how the series radicalised Mikaela, reluctant heroes and different ways of resisting justice. (There are spoilers for the original trilogy, but none for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes or Sunrise on the Reaping.) Mikaela's book for young people about the climate crisis and what we can do, Climate Is Just the Start is out now. You can find that and The Hunger Games along with my own books at: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/acaseforbooksThe podcast is produced by Adam Collier with artwork by Hester Kitchen.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actor, comedian and writer Harry Trevaldwyn joins me to talk about Twilight, Stephenie Meyer's iconic 2005 YA vampire novel. We talk about Harry's obsession with the book as a teenager, the spirit of Georgia Nicholson, hoa hoa season and why it's so vital to have queer YA love stories. Harry's debut YA romcom, The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King is out now. You can find The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King, Twilight and my own books here:  https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/acaseforbooks The podcast is produced by Adam Collier with artwork by Hester Kitchen.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Award-winning author Rachel Khong joins me to talk about Half Magic, Edward Eager's 1954 fantasy classic about a family who find a coin that grants them half wishes. Rachel is the author of Goodbye, Vitamin and most recently Real Americans, which is out now in paperback. We talk about Eager's love of E. Nesbit, why Rachel went back to Half Magic when writing Real Americans and how to write magic in literary fiction. You can find Real Americans and my own books on my Bookshop page, although Half Magic is out of print in the UK currently:  https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/bookwandering-the-podcastThe podcast is produced by Adam Collier with artwork by Hester Kitchen.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bestselling author Jessie Burton joins me to talk about A Traveller in Time, Alison Uttley's 1939 time slip novel about a girl who falls back to Tudor times. Jessie is the author of many books including The Miniaturist, The House of Fortune, and Medusa. Her debut children's novel, Hidden Treasure, is out now. We talk about both being deeply weird about history as kids, the books refusal to do anything but be its own thing, and some of the gorgeous coincidences that happened as Jessie was writing Hidden Treasure and researching her own family history. You can find Hidden Treasure, A Traveller in Time and my own books here:  https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/acaseforbooks The podcast is produced by Adam Collier with artwork by Hester Kitchen.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian, writer and podcaster Cariad Lloyd joins me to talk about Jane Austen. Cariad is the co-creator of Austentatious, the improvised Jane Austen play, the host of Griefcast, and Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club with Sara Pascoe. She’s also the author of The Christmas Wish-Tastrophe, amagical middle grade Regency story.We started with Pride and Prejudice but cover a bit of everything Austen. We talk about our favourite and least favourite Austen novels, the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and why writing and reading the Regency period is such fun. You can find The Christmas Wish-Tastrophe, my favourite Austen editions and my books at my Bookshop page: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/bookwandering-the-podcast? and find our more about Brian's work at https://cariadlloyd.com/The podcast is produced by Adam Collier with artwork by Hester Kitchen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.