Page One - The Writer's Podcast

Watch as a video episode on YouTube!Ideas are like gold dust, they say. But are they? Should you hold some back to put in future books, or should you put everything you have into the one you are writing now? We discuss the common pitfalls that some new writers can make.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 episodes are available early if you join our Patreon - check it out and get this and other great benefits!You've finished your book and you're ready to send it off - but what should you include in the query letter? And perhaps more importantly, what shouldn't you include? We discuss it all on today's Drafting Notes!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 FacebookFollow us on InstagramFollow us on BlueskyFollow us on ThreadsDrafting Notes is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch as a full video interview instead!Elodie Harper is a bestselling author whose Wolf Den trilogy has won wide acclaim. The first book The Wolf Den, was a book of the month for both Waterstones and Barnes & Noble, won the Glass Bell Award and was shortlisted for Page turner of the year at the British Book Awards. The second in the series, The House with the Golden Door, was a Sunday Times top 10 bestseller. Elodie's first standalone novel set in the ancient world - Boudicca's Daughter - publishes in the UK and US in August 2025.We had great fun chatting with Elodie in the studio and hearing about what made her move from journalism to fiction writing, and why your first books don't need to be your big break (Wolf Den was book 3). Plus, we talk about her love of Ancient Rome and what inspires her to write her stories.Links:Buy Boudicca's Daughter and Elodie's other books nowFollow Elodie on InstagramVisit Elodie's websiteAdventures in Publishing-land on Apple PodcastsAdventures in Publishing-land in SpotifyAdventures in Publishing-land on YouTubeSupport 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 ThreadsPage One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch as a video episode on YouTube!You've finished your book and you're ready to send it off - but what should you include in the query letter? And perhaps more importantly, what shouldn't you include? We discuss it all on today's 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!Drafting Notes episodes are available early if you join our Patreon - check it out and get this and other great benefits!You've finished your book and you're ready to send it off - but what should you include in the query letter? And perhaps more importantly, what shouldn't you include? We discuss it all on today's Drafting Notes!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 FacebookFollow us on InstagramFollow us on BlueskyFollow us on ThreadsDrafting Notes is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Natalie Jayne Clark is a neurodivergent writer and poet based in Perth, Scotland. The view as she writes is the ever-changing vista of trees and clouds lining the top of Kinnoull Hill. Her debut novel, a darkly funny sapphic crime tale called 'The Malt Whisky Murders', is out now and is nominated for best debut at Bloody Scotland 2025.It was great fun chatting with Natalie and hearing how a 2.5 minute pitch at Bloody Scotland's Pitch Perfect competition led to a pre-emptive book deal and an agent within a week. Plus, we talk about writing stories you want to read, and how modern tech can ruin crime stories.Links:Buy The Malt Whisky Murders nowFollow Natalie on InstagramVisit Natalie's websiteAdventures in Publishing-land on Apple PodcastsAdventures in Publishing-land in SpotifyAdventures in Publishing-land on YouTubeSupport 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 ThreadsPage One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch as a video episode on YouTubeWe all know the old saying "Don't judge a book by its cover" - but the trouble is, many people do! That's why trad publishers spend lots of money on designers for book covers! We discuss the difference a good and a bad cover can make, how self-published authors can make covers like the pros, and how to push back on trad publishers if the cover they suggest isn't working.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 episodes are available early if you join our Patreon - check it out and get this and other great benefits!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 FacebookFollow us on InstagramFollow us on BlueskyFollow us on ThreadsDrafting Notes is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch this episode as a full video interview on YouTubeCatriona Silvey was born in Glasgow and grew up in Scotland and England. After collecting an unreasonable number of degrees from various universities in the UK and the US, she moved to Edinburgh where she lives with her husband and children. She is the author of Meet Me in Another Life (2021) and the time-travel romantic comedy Love and Other Paradoxes (2025).We had great fun chatting with Catriona in our studio, and hearing about how she wrote many novels before finding the one that would get her first publishing deal. We also talk about the intricacies of time travel, and why she wants to explore different types of stories in her writing.Links:Buy Catriona's books nowFollow Catriona on InstagramVisit Catriona's websiteAdventures in Publishing-land on Apple PodcastsAdventures in Publishing-land in SpotifyAdventures in Publishing-land on YouTubeSupport 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 ThreadsPage One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch as a full video episode on our YouTube channelWhether you are just starting our or are established, feedback can be invaluable for a writer. When should you seek feedback, and how can you find reliable people to provide feedback? And if you are giving feedback, what is useful and what isn't? We discuss it all on this week's 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!Drafting Notes episodes are available months earlier if you join our Patreon - check it out and get this and other great benefits!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 FacebookFollow us on InstagramFollow us on BlueskyFollow us on ThreadsPage One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Mamet is a Pulitzer Prize–winning American playwright, screenwriter, director, novelist, and essayist, born November 30, 1947, in Chicago, Illinois. He is renowned for his breakthrough in theater during the 1970s with works like American Buffalo and Sexual Perversity in Chicago, later earning the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Glengarry Glen Ross. His distinctive writing style—sharp, staccato dialogue, often referred to as "Mamet‑speak"—redefined modern theatrical and cinematic storytelling. Beyond the stage, Mamet penned acclaimed screenplays for The Verdict, The Untouchables, and Wag the Dog, earning Academy Award nominations, and has directed notable films such as House of Games and Homicide. He also co-founded the Atlantic Theater Company, has taught at prestigious institutions like Yale, NYU, and Goddard College, and authored novels, essays, and memoirs. His new book, Recollections of St Ives, is out now.We had a very interesting discussion with David about how he first started writing, and what keeps him going today. We also talk about the differences in writing for the screen, stage and page, and he tells us why he wanted to write his latest novel, Some Recollections of St Ives.Links:Buy Some Recollections of St IvesWatch Henry JohnsonAdventures in Publishing-land on Apple PodcastsAdventures in Publishing-land in SpotifyAdventures in Publishing-land on YouTubeSupport 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 ThreadsPage One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch as a full video episode on our YouTube channelOn this week's Drafting Notes, inspired by the publication of Tariq's book, The Midnight King, we are talking book launches. How important are they? Do they make a difference to sales? And what happens for the author after the book has been launched?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 episodes are available months earlier if you join our Patreon - check it out and get this and other great benefits!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 FacebookFollow us on InstagramFollow us on BlueskyFollow us on ThreadsPage One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch this episode as a full video interview on YouTubeMK Hardy is the pen name for two geeky women living and writing together in Scotland. Their debut Sapphic Gothic Horror, The Needfire, comes from Solaris in the UK in July 2025. They were mentees in the Pitch Wars 2020-21 programme, and mentors for Queery Fest 2022. They are organisers and facilitators for Scotland’s Cymera Festival.We had great fun chatting with Morag and Erin, hearing about how they first came to write together, and talk about the (ever evolving) process of how that works. We also hear about what inspired their debut, The Needfire, and why they want to keep exploring a variety of stories.Links:Buy The Needfire nowFollow MK Hardy on BlueskyVisit their websiteAdventures in Publishing-land on Apple PodcastsAdventures in Publishing-land in SpotifyAdventures in Publishing-land on YouTubeSupport 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 ThreadsPage One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.