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Alex North, author of 'The Man Made of Smoke' - Crime author discusses books actually becoming movies, making writing fun, and how the year looks episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 28, 2025 · 47 MIN

Alex North, author of 'The Man Made of Smoke' - Crime author discusses books actually becoming movies, making writing fun, and how the year looks

from Writer's Routine

Alex North seems to be one of those rare writers. It looks like his debut, 'The Whisper Man', will actually be made into a film. The novel was a Sunday Times and New York Times Bestseller, and has been translated into 30 languages. The Movie will star Adam Scott, Robert de Niro, Michelle Monaghan and Michael Keaton. He's also published 'The Shadow Friend', and 'The Half Burnt House'. His new novel is 'The Man Made of Smoke'. Here's the blurb - Daniel Garvie was only a child himself when he saw the lost little boy. And because he was too frightened to help him, one of the world's most notorious serial killers got away. Years later, Dan has a successful career as a criminal psychiatrist, unpicking the reasons behind the very darkest of human behaviours. But when his father disappears, Dan is forced to return to the small island where he grew up. A place where all the ghosts and monsters he thought he'd left behind him remain all too real. It might be a chance for him to find redemption. Or he might be walking straight into a trap. Alex is also Steve Mosby. Steve has 10 published novels to his name, and won the prestigious CWA 'Dagger in the Library' award to celebrate his collection of works. We talk about why he needs buzz around him to write, and how he tries to make it more enjoyable. You can take a look through his spreadsheet, columns, colour-codes and all. We chat through how he fits in writing around other things, and how odd it is to actually have your book turned into a movie. Get a copy at uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutine Please do take a moment to fill out our survey, which really helps the show - https://acast-d25653fd59cf.intercom-clicks.com/via/e?ob=9dFAKrq%2FHBkvn%2B9z98dsooDq%2FFPEoLWXYYd%2F0BMh%2B2R%2B6hIvtDvMp5sKO%2F2dfWfI&h=c5c0103c3caba18c8ab85ff7ccc6ed8443646a42-ayi0335i_215470435698363 Support us at - patreon.com/writersroutine ko-fi.com/writersroutine @writerspod writersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Alex North, author of 'The Man Made of Smoke' - Crime author discusses books actually becoming movies, making writing fun, and how the year looks

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