

Page One - The Writer's Podcast
STET Podcasts
New episodes every Friday!On Page One - The Writer's Podcast, we talk to writers of all descriptions (authors, screenwriters, comic writers and more) about their writing process and how they craft their next great works. We also explore their career, including how their first big break happened, and discuss the ups and downs along the way. We learn something new every episode, and we hope you do as well.Page One is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/shop. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 15, 2022 • 57min
Ep. 105 - Leroy Kincaide talks about storytelling and writing and directing his first feature film, The Last Rite
Leroy Kincaide is a former professional wrestler who moved from the world of the squared circle to creating stories from behind the camera as a writer/director. His first feature, The Last Rite, is available to stream now.We had a really interesting chat with Leroy, learning how he largely taught himself how to create his own feature film, from writing to directing and editing. We talk about how he visualises stories in his mind's eye first before committing them to paper, and find out what inspired The Last Rite.Links:Watch The Last Rite now!Follow Leroy on TwitterPage 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 Twitter: @ukPageOneFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: @ukPageOne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 8, 2022 • 57min
Ep. 104 - Ben Aaronovitch tells us about swapping screenwriting for prose, where the idea for Rivers of London came from and more!
Ben Aaronovitch is the bestselling author of the Rivers of London series, the latest of which, Amongst Our Weapons, is just out! Before becoming a successful author, Ben worked in screenwriting, writing episodes of Doctor Who, Casualty and more - but it was only when he was working as a bookseller in Waterstones that the idea of writing novels struck him.It was great fun chatting with Ben about his career, hearing about the highs and lows, where the idea for Rivers of London came from and why he thinks it has become such a massive success. On top of that, we talk about the buying habits of different genre readers, structure of stories and why he can't choose between real books, ebooks and audiobooks...Links:Buy Amongst Our Weapons and Ben's other books now!Visit Ben's websiteFollow Ben on TwitterPage 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 Twitter: @ukPageOneFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: @ukPageOne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 1, 2022 • 1h 18min
Ep. 103 - Fonda Lee on waiting for that breakthrough novel as an author, the importance of authenticity in any story, what inspired Jade City and the rest of the Green Bone Saga and much more!
Fonda Lee is the author of the epic fantasy Green Bone Saga, beginning with Jade City, continuing in Jade War, and concluding in Jade Legacy. She is also the author of the science fiction novels Zeroboxer, Exo and Cross Fire. Fonda is a winner of the World Fantasy Award, as well as a three-time winner of the Aurora Award (Canada’s national science fiction and fantasy award), and a multiple finalist for the Nebula Award, the Locus Award, and the Oregon Book Award. A new novella set in the Green Bone Saga universe, The Jade Setter of Janloon, is out soonWe had a great chat with Fonda, talking about writing fantasy novels that eschew the usual medieval European setting and the importance of authenticity when writing about different cultures. She also tells us why authors should be okay with waiting for that breakthrough novel, and talks about what inspired her to write the Green Bone Saga.Links:Buy the Green Bone Saga and Fonda's other books now!Visit Fonda's websiteFollow Fonda on Twitter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 25, 2022 • 56min
Ep. 102 - James Oswald talks about how self-publishing helped him sell 350k copies of his books and why he moved into trad publishing
James Oswald is the author of the bestselling Inspector Maclean series of novels, as well as the fantasy series, The Ballad of Sir Benfro, and more. His latest book, All That Lives, is the twelfth in the Inspector Maclean series.It was really interesting hearing how James made his breakthrough via self-publishing and how his success there led to traditional publishers bidding to try and get the rights to his novels. We also talked about how he juggles being a farmer with his writing, why publishers always say they want something new, even if that's not always the case, and hear about his latest book, All That Lives. On top of that, we talk about his love of comics and what he has planned in the future.Links:Buy All That Lives and James's other books nowVisit James's websiteFollow James on TwitterPage 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 Twitter: @ukPageOneFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: @ukPageOne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 18, 2022 • 1h 5min
Ep. 101 - Georgia Pritchett talks about writing for The Thick of It, Veep, Succession and more!
Georgia Pritchett is an award-winning screenwriter who has worked on some of the best shows on television including Spitting Image, Smack The Pony, The Thick of It, Veep, Succession and, most recently, The Shrink Next Door, the hit Apple TV show starring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd. On top of all that, she has also recently released a hilarious memoir entitled My Mess is a Bit of a Life.We had great fun talking with Georgia and hearing how she got her start on radio before moving into TV and then writing for Jo Brand. We learn about why Armando Iannucci compares writing a script to making gravy, and how the writing process differs for UK and US TV. We also talk Succession, chat about making horrible characters likeable and hear what Georgia is working on next.Links:Buy My Mess is a Bit of a LifeWatch Succession now!The White House Correspondent's Dinner/Veep sketchPage 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 Twitter: @ukPageOneFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukPageOneFollow us on Instagram: @ukPageOne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 11, 2022 • 1h 3min
Ep. 100 - Ian Rankin talks about his career, why Scottish crime fiction is so big and talks about taking on the task of co-writing a posthumous William McIlvanney book
Ian Rankin is an international superstar of crime writing, with bestsellers across the globe and is the creator of one of the best-known fictional policeman, John Rebus.We are so delighted that Ian was able to come down to our studio to talk about his stellar writing career. We hear how that began, where Rebus came from and talk about the impact of Scottish crime writing on the genre. We also talk about what it was like to co-write a posthumous William McIlvanney novel, The Dark Remains, and lean what he has planned next!This special episode is available as both an audio podcast and as a full video interview on Youtube!COMPETITION!WIN SIGNED BOOKS AND YOUR OWN PAGE ONE NOTEBOOK To celebrate our 100th episode, we are also holding an exciting competition! 3 winners will receive:A copy of The Dark Remains by Ian Rankin and William McIlvanney (signed by Ian Rankin!)A Page One notebook (signed by Ian Rankin!)An assorted bundle of books from some of our previous guests. Please note that some of these books are proof copies and so may differ slightly from retail versions. 2 additional winners will receive a Page One notebook signed by Ian Rankin! Just follow the instructions below to enter – Good luck! WAYS TO ENTER: 1. Sign up to our newsletter (sign up details at bottom of page here: https://www.writegear.co.uk/podcast)2. Tag a friend who would like to win a bundle of books and our notebook – Each tag counts as a separate entry!3. Follow us on at least one of our social media channels:a. Twitter - @ukPageOneb. Facebook – www.facebook.com/ukpageonec. Instagram – @ukPageOne4. Share the competition post on social media on your feed or story (this isn't a necessary step but counts as a bonus entry!)Competition open until 11.59pm GMT on 30 March 2022. Entries received after that date will not be counted. Winners will be announced on episode 104 of Page One – The Writers Podcast which will be released on 1 April 2022. Winners will also be notified by email and announced on our social media.Links:Buy The Dark Remains and Ian's other booksVisit Ian's websiteFollow Ian on TwitterPage 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-one Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 4, 2022 • 1h 5min
Ep. 99 - Anna Mazzola talks historical fiction, the difficulties of writing across genres, prologues and more!
Anna Mazzola is the a writer of historical thrillers and Gothic fiction. Her novels explore the impact of crime and injustice. Her debut novel, The Unseeing, is based on the life of a real woman called Sarah Gale who was convicted of aiding a murder in London in 1837. It won an Edgar Allan Poe Award in the US and was nominated for the Historical Writers’ Association’s Debut Crown in the UK. Her second novel, The Story Keeper, is out now. It follows a folklorist’s assistant as she searches out dark fairytales and stolen girls on the Isle of Skye in 1857. The Story Keeper was nominated for the Highland Book Prize. Her third novel, The Clockwork Girl, set in Paris in 1750 and based partly on the story of the vanishing children of Paris, will be published by Orion in March 2022. She is currently working on her fourth novel, a ghost story set in Fascist Italy.We had a really fun chat with Anna, talking about how she juggles her legal and writing careers, the difficulties of writing stories that span genres and so don't neatly fit into expected categories, why prologues are good and much more! We learn about her next book(s) and talk about why sometimes it is best to get the first draft done and then fix it afterwards.Links:Buy The Clockwork Girl and Anna's other books now!Visit Anna's websiteFollow Anna on TwitterHear about Page One - The Writer's Notebook on The Writing and Marketing ShowPage 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 Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 25, 2022 • 57min
Ep. 98 - Will Carver talks about writing dark crime fiction, injecting humour and dealing with rejection as a writer
Will Carver is the acclaimed author of unique, dark crime novels such as Good Samaritans, The Beresford and, most recently, Psychopaths Anonymous.We had great fun chatting with Will, hearing about how he broke into the industry and also how he found himself having to start his writing career again when publishing contracts dried up. We also discuss why his books are either loved or hated (with no in-between) and also learn about the year he saved not one but two lives!Links:Buy Will's books now!Follow Will on TwitterPage 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 Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 18, 2022 • 1h 4min
Ep. 97 - Lilja Sigurðardóttir talks us about writing scandi noir, translations, Eurovision, and becoming the next Dan Brown
Lilja Sigurðardóttir is an Icelandic crime-writer born in 1972. She is the author of novels, stage plays and screenplays. Her latest latest book, White as Snow (Náhvít jörð) is the third in a series of thrillers featuring financial investigator Áróra and police detective Daníel.We had great fun chatting with Lilja about her interesting route into writing (thank you, Dan Brown!), talked about the importance of good translations and discussed the growing appeal of foreign stories in English-speaking countries. We also talk about Iceland's love of Eurovision (the competition and Will Ferrell's film) and learn about the hefty price of books in Iceland!Links:Buy Lilja's books now!Visit Lilja's websiteFollow Lilja on TwitterHear about Page One - The Writer's Notebook on The Writing and Marketing ShowPage 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 Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 11, 2022 • 1h 26min
Ep. 96 - Tasmina Perry talks writing, pseudonyms and launching her own publishing imprint
Tasmina Perry is the internationally bestselling author of fourteen novels including Kiss Heaven Goodbye, Private Lives and Guilty Pleasures. Her books have been translated into twenty languages and sold over two million copies worldwide. She is a former lawyer turned award-winning journalist and was editing the UK edition of In Style magazine when her debut novel Daddy's Girls went into the top ten and became one of the biggest selling debuts of the years. She also writes thrillers under the pseudonym JL Butler. Mine - her first novel in that pen name has been optioned by Sony Pictures. Her second JL Butler novel, Unfaithful, is out now.We had great fun chatting with Tasmina about her unusual route into writing (hint - it involves a random interview with one of Britain's biggest boybands) and how she has made such a huge success of her career. We hear about the importance of planning, why pseudonyms can be good and bad, why she's decided to launch her own publishing imprint instead of signing a new trad publishing deal - and what happened when Donald Trump asked her to ghostwrite for him!Links:Buy Unfaithful and Tasmina's other books nowVisit Tasmina's websiteFollow Tasmina on TwitterPage 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 Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


