From Rejection to Reward: Natalie Chandler on Finding Her Voice

🎧 The Write Place Podcast – Episode 241 Guest: Natalie Chandler – Author of The VoicesHi, I'm Wayne Kelly, a writer, podcast host and coach. I love to help writers develop their skills and get their books and stories out into the world. And this week’s guest is no exception…Natalie Chandler joins me to talk about her new psychological thriller, The Voices – her third novel and her first hardback release. We chat about the dream that sparked her chilling high-concept premise, what it’s like to write from the perspective of a character in a coma, and why Scrivener might just be the plotting tool you didn’t know you needed.But Natalie’s story isn’t all smooth sailing. She opens up about the tough road to publication, her experience with rejection, and how stepping away from writing for years helped reignite her passion. We also touch on the importance of finding your own voice, even if that means starting out by plagiarising Roald Dahl at the age of seven!In this episode, we discuss:The inspiration behind The Voices and how a vivid dream shaped the entire bookThe challenges of writing from a locked-in perspectiveWhy publishing a hardback felt like validation from her publisherThe struggle of writing Book Two and the pressure that comes with early successHer experience switching publishers and signing with HarperNorthGrowing up with a love of stories and being surrounded by books from a young ageHow her background in sport and teaching fed into her writingThe moment she almost gave up – and what brought her back to the pageWhy reading with a highlighter helps her develop her craftThe books that changed her life – including Shantaram and Louise Candlish's Those PeopleLinks from the episode:📚 Grab Natalie Chandler’s The Voices from your local bookshop, online retailers or support indie gems like Serenity Booksellers in Romiley✍️ Sign up to my Write or Die monthly newsletter and get your FREE Writer’s Survival Kit: Sign up here📖 Haven’t read Safe Hands or The Call Back yet? Grab them on Kindle, in paperback or read for free via Kindle Unlimited📨 Want to say hello or share your writing struggles? Drop me a line: [email protected] for listening!Please make sure you're subscribed on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. And if you’ve got a second, a rating or review really helps other writers find the show.Until next time – happy writing and take care. — Wayne