Page One - The Writer's Podcast

Margaux DeRoux comes from a family of painters, and writes historical fiction that centers on art and artists. Before turning to fiction, she was a teacher, a waitress, and a marketer in Silicon Valley. Her debut novel, The Lost Diary of Venice, features two impossible love stories which are fatefully connected by one artistic legacy that leaps between the mysteries of late-Renaissance Venice and the dramas of present-day America.We had a great chat with Margaux about how her discovery of a real Venetian treatise inspired her novel, and hear about her path to publishing. She tells us about her 5am starts to get the book written, and the importance of research when writing historical fiction. Plus we chat about The Crown and The Great British Bake Off (no spoilers!)Links:Buy The Lost Diary of VeniceVisit Margaux's websiteFollow Margaux on TwitterCheck out what agents have on their wishlists right now!Watch our video panel Page One Sessions as we discuss writing with great authors: https://youtu.be/gmE6iCDYn-sThe Page One 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.

Peter Moffat is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter who has written shows such as Silk, Criminal Justice (which was adapted into The Night Of for HBO) and most recently, Your Honor, which stars Bryan Cranston.We had great fun chatting with Peter, learning about how his previous career as a criminal barrister has helped with his writing, and hear how he moved into TV work after writing plays. He tells us all about what it's like to be a showrunner on a US TV show, and how that differs from writing for UK TV, and why you can never do enough research for your stories.Links:Watch Your HonorSee the trailer for Your HonorWatch our video panel Page One Sessions as we discuss writing with great authors: https://youtu.be/gmE6iCDYn-sThe Page One 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.

Robert Dinsdale is the author of novels including The Harrowing, Little Exiles, The Toymakers and most recently, Paris By Starlight. The magic-infused worlds he had created with his last two books have led to comparisons with Erin Morgenstern and Neil Gaiman.We enjoyed chatting to Robert about his writing journey and hearing about his time as a literary agent, before he flipped sides and became an author himself. We also learn about why getting that first novel published isn't always the breakthrough you thought it would be, but also why focusing on writing the stories you want to tell can be the way to really engage with readers. In Robert's case, that was deciding to tell story with a magical side, and led to The Toymakers becoming his breakthrough novel. And as he tells us, that magical storytelling combines with contemporary issues in Paris By Starlight.Links:Buy Paris By Starlight and Robert's other booksVisit Robert's websiteFollow Robert on TwitterWatch our video panel Page One Sessions as we discuss writing with great authors: https://youtu.be/gmE6iCDYn-sThe Page One 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.

Helen Whitaker is author of the acclaimed comedy, The School Run, and most recently, I Give It A Year. She is also an accomplished journalist, writing for publications such as Glamour, Marie Claire, Women's Fitness and more, and is currently deputy editor of British Airways' in-flight magazine, High Life.We had a fun chat with Helen, learning about how she moved into journalism, and how writing features has helped her as a novelist. We also hear about why she wanted to write I Give It A Year (and the dangers of planning a book around a year which turned out to be hit by a pandemic!) Plus, at the very end, Tariq dishes out some Christmas shopping advice (only two months too late...)Links:Buy I Give It A Year now!Visit Helen's websiteFollow Helen on TwitterWatch our video panel Page One Sessions as we discuss writing with great authors: https://youtu.be/gmE6iCDYn-sThe Page One 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.

Nick Hornby is the bestselling author of eight novels, including High Fidelity and About a Boy, and his latest, Just Like You, along with several works of non-fiction including his ground-breaking debut, Fever Pitch. He has written numerous award-winning screenplays for film and television including Brooklyn, Wild and, most recently, State of the Union.We had a great chat with Nick hearing about how he broke into writing and pitched Fever Pitch to an agent. We also learn about the difference between writing memoir and fiction, and hear about his love of writing screenplays - including hearing about his latest screenwriting project involving one of the biggest bands in history!Links:Buy Just Like You and Nick's other booksVisit Nick's websiteFollow Nick on TwitterWatch our video panel Page One Sessions as we discuss writing with great authors: https://youtu.be/gmE6iCDYn-sThe Page One 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.

Multi-award winning Mari Hannah is the author of the Kate Daniels series of police procedurals, the Ryan and O'Neil crime series and the Stone and Oliver series. Her latest book in the Kate Daniels series, Without a Trace, is out now and won Capital Crime Book of the Year in 2020.We had a great chat with Mari, hearing about how she moved into writing and her path to publishing - a tale which includes her first novel being dropped at the last moment by a small local publisher. That turned out to be the best thing ever though, as it allowed her to land a great agent and secure a publishing deal with Pan MacMillan that started her hugely successful career. We also hear about what she has planned next, and hear about how Kate Daniels will be brought to TV by Stephen Fry's production company!Links:Buy Without a Trace and Mari's other booksVisit Mari's websiteFollow Mari on TwitterWatch our video panel Page One Sessions as we discuss writing with great authors: https://youtu.be/gmE6iCDYn-sThe Page One 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.

Cherie Jones' debut novel ‘How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House‘ has been receiving rave reviews from the likes of Bernardine Evaristo, who called it "A hard-hitting and unflinching novel from a bold new writer". Her short stories have variously been published in PANK, Cadenza, Eclectica, The Feminist Wire and broadcast on BBC Radio 4. She’s a fellowship awardee of the Vermont Studio Centre and completed her MA with distinction at Sheffield Hallam University, where she was awarded the Archie Markham Award and the A.M Heath prize. We chat to Cherie to hear how she juggles her day job as a lawyer with writing (clue: she gets up VERY early!) and hear about her route to publishing. We also talk about how her stories begin with one character's voice speaking to her, and hear about why she wanted to write such a hard-hitting novel.Links:Buy How the One Armed Sister Sweeps Her HouseVisit Cherie's websiteFollow Cherie on TwitterWatch our video panel Page One Sessions as we discuss writing with great authors: https://youtu.be/gmE6iCDYn-sThe Page One 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.

Allie Reynolds is a former professional snowboarder turned author whose debut thriller, Shiver, is out now.We chat to Allie about her long route to publishing, hearing how she found her agent, and learn about what it felt like when Shiver became the subject of a ten publisher auction. We also hear about the importance of revising your work for submission, as well as how she is coping with that difficult second novel syndrome...Links:Buy Shiver nowVisit Allie's websiteVisit Jericho WritersVisit Curtis Brown CreativeWatch our video panel Page One Sessions as we discuss writing with great authors: https://youtu.be/gmE6iCDYn-sThe Page One 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.

Helen Lederer began her career in stand-up comedy at London’s famous Comedy Store, as part of the early 80s comedians including French & Saunders, Rik Mayall, Ade Edmonson and Harry Enfield and became famous for portraying Catriona in all six series of Absolutely Fabulous. She has also developed a prolific writing career, writing for radio, TV and more recently books, including Losing It, which was nominated for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for comedy writing. She is also the found of the Comedy Women in Print Prize, which seeks to find an promote new women's voices in writing.Our chat with Helen is predictably fun and interesting as we hear about how she broke into the stand up scene in the 80s, and hear about her techniques for writing stand up. We also learn about how to read whether a joke is landing with an audience (and what to do if it doesn't), and find out what other writing she has planned in the future.Links:Buy Losing it and Helen's other booksLook into the Comedy Women in Print PrizeFollow Helen on TwitterWatch our video panel Page One Sessions as we discuss writing with great authors: https://youtu.be/gmE6iCDYn-sThe Page One 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.

Sharon Bolton is the bestselling author of mystery crime novels such as Sacrifice, Blood Harvest and the highly successful Lacey Flint series. Her most recent book, The Split, is a tense twisty thriller which was chosen for Richard and Judy's Book Club at the end of 2020.We had a great chat with Sharon, hearing about how she almost became a Mills and Boon writer before swerving to mystery thrillers. She tells us why she published her first books under the name SJ Bolton, why that changed and we hear about what it was like to have her first book adapted into a movie. We also learn whether there will be any more Lacey Flint novels in the future...Links:Buy The Split and Sharon's other booksVisit Sharon's websiteWatch our video panel Page One Sessions as we discuss writing with great authors: https://youtu.be/gmE6iCDYn-sThe Page One 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.