Page One - The Writer's Podcast

Frances White is the Sunday Times bestselling author of Voyage of the Damned, a queer fantasy murder mystery at sea. A Nottingham resident, Frances is a creative writing graduate from Royal Holloway University of London. When not writing, Frances can be found sewing nerdy costumes or researching obscure historical facts. We loved speaking to Frances and hearing about how Voyage of the Damned came to be, and why she thinks it has found such success. We also talk about the importance of queer representation in books, and what it's like to develop a loyal band of fans as an author.Links:Buy Voyage of the Damned nowFollow Frances on InstagramVisit Frances' websiteBuy a ticket for Tariq's book launch of the Midnight KingSupport us on Patreon and get great benefits!: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageonePage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramFollow us on BlueskyFollow us on Threads Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, we are talking about how to deal with those days that every writer has when you just aren't feeling it. What do you do if you are doubting what you've written? Push through or stubbornly try and fix it? We offer our thoughts and possible solutions - some more serious than others!Drafting Notes is a new series of podcast episodes in which one award-winning writer (Tariq) and one hopefully soon-to-be-published writer (Marco) discuss various writing issues as they occur to them! Drafting Notes and Page One - The Writer's Podcast are brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ukpageone.bsky.socialFollow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ukpageone/Follow us on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@ukpageone Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Hewson’s novels have been translated worldwide, from Italian to Japanese, with his debut, Semana Santa, filmed with Mira Sorvino. His work spans Italy, Spain, Denmark, and Amsterdam, including the Nic Costa series in Rome, the Pieter Vos books in Amsterdam, and his adaptations of The Killing in Copenhagen. A former journalist for The Times and The Sunday Times, he turned to fiction full-time in 2005. His latest book, When the Germans Come, is out now.We had a great chat with David, hearing how he began his career in journalism before moving into the world of fiction. We talk about all the different types of novels he has written, from historical to contemporary crime, as well his adaptations of series such as The Killing. We also chat about how he approaches writing his historical fiction, and why enjoys writing for audio as well.Links:Buy David's books nowFollow David on BlueskyVisit David's websitePre-Order The Midnight King by Tariq! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch this as a full video episode on YouTube!Nicholas Binge is a bestselling author of speculative thrillers, literary science fiction, and horror. His novels include Extremity (2025), Dissolution (2025), Ascension (2023) and Professor Everywhere (2020). Binge is based in Edinburgh, UK, where he also lectures in creative writing.Regular listeners will know Nick as he has been on the pod not once but twice (does this make him our first three-peat guest?) We had a great chat with Nick, hearing about the influences on his new speculative thriller, Dissolution, out now!Links:Buy Dissolution nowFollow Nick on BlueskyVisit Nick's websiteSupport us on Patreon and get great benefits!: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageonePage One - Extra and Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramFollow us on BlueskyFollow us on Threads Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nadine Matheson lives in London and is a criminal solicitor. In 2016, she won the City University Crime Writing Competition and completed the Creative Writing (Crime/Thrillers Novels) Master’s Degree with distinction in 2018. In 2019, Nadine signed with A.M. Heath Literary Agents and her debut crime fiction novel, The Jigsaw Man, was won by HQ (HarperCollins) in a six-publisher auction. The best-selling ‘The Jigsaw Man’ was published in 2021, has been translated into fifteen languages and has been optioned for television. She also has her own podcast where she interviews authors called The Conversation with Nadine Matheson.We had great fun chatting with Nadine all about her writing career, how she nearly didn't do the Creative Writing Masters, and how that helped her career. Plus, we talk about the things that aren't always discussed, like choosing between agents and why having your book go to auction can be a very scary process (but it worked out okay!)Links:Buy Nadine's booksFollow Nadine on BlueskyVisit Nadine's websiteListen to The ConversationSupport us on Patreon and get great benefits!: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageonePage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramFollow us on BlueskyFollow us on Threads Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch as a full video episode on YouTube!How to find the time to write? Even published authors often have day jobs, and so it can be tricky to find the time to write. In this episode of Drafting Notes, we discuss how we manage to do it, and what writing habits and techniques help us get words on the page. Let us know if you have any different methods!Drafting Notes is a new series of podcast episodes in which one award-winning writer (Tariq) and one hopefully soon-to-be-published writer (Marco) discuss various writing issues as they occur to them! This series is a timed-exclusive for our Patreon backers - support us on Patreon for that and other great benefits!Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours nowFollow us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramFollow us on BlueskyFollow us on Threads Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simon Scarrow’s passion for writing began at an early age. After a childhood spent travelling the world, he pursued his great love of history as a teacher before becoming a full-time writer. His Roman soldier heroes Cato and Macro made their debut in 2000 in UNDER THE EAGLE, and have subsequently appeared in many bestsellers in the Eagles of the Empire series, including CENTURION, THE GLADIATOR and THE BLOOD OF ROME. His latest book, DEATH IN BERLIN, is out now, and his is on a tour of the UK for that right now.We had a great chat with Simon, discussing how he researches his novels, and talking about the differences between historical fiction and historical fantasy. Plus, he discusses why his latest book is sadly prescient in many ways, and we chat about why certain historical periods are viewed as more sellable than others.Links:Buy Simon's books nowFollow Simon on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We often hear that authors shouldn't write to market, shouldn't chase trends... but how true is that? Is it always a bad thing? And even if not writing to market, how important is it to keep an eye on the market as you write? We discuss it all in this episode of Drafting Notes.Drafting Notes is a new series of podcast episodes in which one award-winning writer (Tariq) and one hopefully soon-to-be-published writer (Marco) discuss various writing issues as they occur to them! This series is a timed-exclusive for our Patreon backers - support us on Patreon for that and other great benefits!Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours nowFollow us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramFollow us on BlueskyFollow us on Threads Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trevor Wood served 16 years as a Writer (not what you think it is) before branching out into journalism and then writing plays. From there, he moved into writing novels, with his debut, MAN ON THE STREET, winning the CWA New Blood award and the Crimefest Debut Crime Novel of the Year. His latest book, The Silent Killer, was published in July 2024 and is just out in paperback.We had a great chat with Trevor, learning what a Royal Navy Writer actually does, hearing about why he moved away from comedy plays to crime writing, and why he wants to explore serious societal issues with his stories. We also talk about planning vs pantsing and his iterative editing process.Links:Follow Trevor on FacebookBuy Trevor's books nowVisit Trevor's websiteSupport us on Patreon and get great benefits!: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageonePage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramFollow us on BlueskyFollow us on Threads Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch the full episode now on our YouTube channelSelf-promotion for authors of all levels is increasingly important in today's busy publishing world - even with a traditional publishing deal, authors are encouraged to promote their own books. But what works, what doesn't - and how do you get over that "cringe" factor of promoting your own work? We discuss it all in this episode of Drafting Notes - a Patreon timed exclusive!Drafting Notes episodes are available at least three months early if you join our Patreon - check it out and get this and other great benefits!: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageonePage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ukpageone.bsky.socialFollow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ukpageone/Follow us on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@ukpageone Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.