Chiltern Voice Book Club
by Antonia Honeywell's Book Club
Chiltern Voice Book Club is a weekly radio show in which Antonia Honeywell talks books, writing reading and publishing with a varied range of brilliant writers. Each guest chooses a selection of songs which are played as part of the show. Unfortunately the songs can't be included here, but the words and the wisdom are unmissable. Tune in to chilternvoice.fm on Sundays 2 to 4 pm to hear the show complete with songs.
Episodes
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Robin Morgan-Bentley (26th of June 2022)
Robin joins Antonia to talk about his dark, compelling second novel The Guest House, written in lockdown with a new baby. Along the way we talk representation, diversity, becoming the person you want to be and being the person you wish your child-self had been able to see - and musical theatre.…
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Sarra Manning (29th May 2022
Sarra joins Antonia to celebrate her latest novel, the warm, immersive and wonderful London, With Love. The Sarra Manning line takes us on a trip through Sarra’s prolific and enduring writing career, with stops at Just Seventeen, London before Crossrail, Noel Streatfeild, music, dogs, selecting...
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Julie Owen Moylan (15th May 2022)
Julie joins Antonia to talk about her beautiful debut novel, That Green Eyed Girl, about New York in the 1950s, about writing dreams and process and heartbreak - and answers openly and honestly the perennial question, What took you so long? A must-listen. I’m Coming Home - Tom Jones Beast of…
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Fiona Cummins (1rst May 2022)
Fiona ’s writing career, from journalism (Fiona was the last journalist in the UK to interview Michael Jackson before he died), to Faber Academy, to her fifth novel, Into The Dark, provides the framework for a far-reaching and wide-ranging conversation encompassing love, loss, fear, survival and...
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Maggie Gee (17th April 2022)
Prolific novelist, OBE, the first female chair of the Royal Society of Literature, Professor of Creative Writing and champion of new writers Maggie Gee joins Antonia to talk about her fourteenth novel, The Red Children. This is a conversation about writing, longevity, disappointment, love, war…
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Joanna Cannon (10th April 2022)
Lewis’ human and superstar novelist Joanna Cannon joins Antonia to talk about her new novel, A Tidy Ending, about the beginning of her writing career, the joys and perils of early success, about resilience and perseverance and moving from writing as joy to writing as career. And, of course, the...
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Stephen May (27th of March 2022)
Stephen joins Antonia to talk about his novel Sell Us The Rope, the novel Hilary Mantel wishes she had written. It’s 1907 and Stalin is in London for the 5th Congress of the Russian Communist Party… Sell Us The Rope is Stephen’s sixth novel - he’s been shortlisted for the Costa Novel Prize with...
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Janice Hallett (20th February 2021)
Bestselling novelist Janice Hallett joins Antonia to talk about her phenomenally successful debut novel The Appeal, about how her life as a journalist and a screenwriter has fed into her work as a novelist, about how she uses music to trick herself into getting the writing done and about What...
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Hannah Persaud (13th Of February 2022)
Hannah joins Antonia to talk about The Codes of Love and its genesis as a short story, unlikeable characters, the importance of music, why we write (and why we don’t) and how we might just persuade ourselves to keep going. Tall Heights - Horse to Water Angel Olsen - Windows Ane Brun - Halo…
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Laura Pearson (6th February 2022)
Laura Pearson, novelist and founder of The Motherload Book Club, brings a list of her favourite books to Book Club. We talk about titles, whether there’s a right time to write about disasters, the importance of small presses… We also talk about Laura’s own writing and her novels, Missing Pieces…
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Susie Boyt (30th January 2022)
Susie joins Antonia live in the studio to talk about her beautiful new novel Loved and Missed, about family and loss and the superpower of kindness, the brilliance of Judy Garland, Susie’s writing career - and her wonderful song choices. Bob Marley - Redemption Song The Pogues - Dirty Old Town...
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Imogen Hermes Gower (23rd January 2022)
Imogen Hermes Gower and Antonia talk about Imogen's Women’s Prize shortlisted debut novel, The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock, about the effect of a staggeringly successful debut on her life and writing, about writing courses and competitions and mermaids and writing historical fiction for a…
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Cathy Rentzenbrink (16th of January)
Cathy joins Antonia to talk about Write It All Down, her generous, tender and constructive guide for anyone wishing to turn their own experiences into words on the page. We discuss Cathy’s first book, her memoir The Last Act of Love, about the death of her beloved brother Matty, and the path of…
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Clare Reynolds (12th of December 2021)
Beloved book blogger (Years of Reading Selfishly, Two Fond of Books) and regular guest Clare Reynolds brings her gloriously voracious reading habit to the service of anyone looking to buy books for Christmas, and we settle once and for all the pressing question of which of us George Michael would...
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Andy Miller (5th of December 2021)
Andy Miller 5th December 2021 By overwhelming popular demand, Andy Miller (yes, he of The Year of Reading Dangerously and Backlisted Pod) returns to Chiltern Voice Book Club, this time bringing his Christmas record collection. Between his glorious Christmas music choices, Andy and Antonia talk…
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Sunburnt Saints anthology 28th November 2021
Chiltern Voice Book Club celebrates the launch of Sunburnt Saints, an anthology of climate change fiction, with interviews and song choices from some of the contributors, as well as from Andy Leach and Hannah Persaud, founders of Massive Overheads. The anthology is available from Big Green Books…
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Catriona Ward (31st October 2021)
In this super-spooky Hallowe’en special, the prizewinning, bestselling Queen of Horror Catriona Ward joins Antonia to talk about the fascination of horror - why we read it and why she writes it. Encompassing an unusual childhood, the curse of the second novel, the writing of her Stephen...
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Tammy Cohen/Rachel Rhys (17th October 2021)
Tammy - with her alter-egos Tamar Cohen and Rachel Rhys - joins Antonia to talk about beginning her writing career, the carcasses she has hidden in her laptop, Richard and Judy’s orange sofa, and exactly how she has managed to write fourteen novels in eleven years. Courage, compassion -and news…
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S E Moorhead (3rd October 2021)
Proud Liverpudlian Sarah Moorhead talks about the beliefs and passions that drove her genre-defying debut Witness X, about writing before and after publication, about justice, fragility, peace - and the village it takes to nurture a writer. The Beatles - Paperback Writer Johnny Cash - You Are My...
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Gareth Powell (26th September 2021)
Gareth talks about his writing beginnings (including meeting Diana Wynne Jones), his first publications, The Embers of War trilogy, the value of science fiction to the future of humanity - and happiness. All My Stars Aligned - St Vincent Once in a Lifetime - Talking Heads It Must Be Love - Labi...
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Dinah Jeffries (19th September 2021)
Dinah’s bestselling novels tell stories of women facing extraordinary challenges in a glorious range of historical and geographical settings. Her latest novel, Daughters of War, is the start of a new trilogy, and Dinah joins Antonia to talk about her work, her life and how she came to writing...
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Joanna Glen (12th September 2021)
‘I love the way everyone has a story,’ says one of the mothers in All My Mothers, Joanna Glen’s second novel, and in this joyful return visit to Book Club, Joanna joins Antonia to talk about hers. This time, Jo’s songs were chosen by friends and family to reflect the themes and characters of her...
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Natasha Randall (5th september 2021)
Natasha joins Antonia for a wide ranging, fascinating discussion about her brilliant debut novel, Love Orange, about launching in lockdown, writing and motherhood, love and illegal drugs and incarceration, both literal and metaphorical, and goats. French goats. And we hear from Natasha’s children...
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Tim Ewins (25th July 2021)
Tim worked in finance and wrote in his lunch hours. Tim was a stand up comedian. Tim’s skipping the difficult second novel and going straight to the third. And Tim comes to Book Club to talk about writing by spreadsheet, coping with rejection and why taking a one year old to a Jay-Z gig is a…
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Elizabeth Buchan (18th July 2021)
From football to how It feels to have your early work republished, from boarding school loneliness to the wonderful support of good friends, brilliant and bestselling Elizabeth Buchan submits to questioning with grace, wisdom and generosity. Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond Monsters - James Blunt...
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Helen Cullen (4th July 2021)
Helen joins Antonia to talk about her beautiful second novel, The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually, about family and music and creating characters, about the beauty of brokenness, and the necessity of a creative life for every individual, whether professional or not. 1. Louis Armstrong –What A…
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AJ Pearce (27th June 2021)
Dear Mrs Bird, Yours Cheerfully AJ Pearce joins Antonia to talk about her second novel, Yours Cheerfully, the sequel to her bestselling debut Dear Mrs Bird. How hard is it to follow up a phenomenally successful debut? How do you cherish the joy when writing about really challenging times? Where…
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Sarah Hilary (20th June 2021)
Sarah Hilary is the author of the award-winning Marnie Rome series; her first stand-alone novel, Fragile, is a chilling study of loneliness and dysfunction which channels Sarah’s fascination with the Gothic whilst being a tender and compelling character study. In a fascinating conversation, Sarah...
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Lissa Evans (30th May 2021)
Bestselling and brilliant novelist Lissa Evans joins Antonia to talk about Culture Club’s best song, confuse Ellen Terry and Helen Terry and explain why music died with the breaking up of The Jam. Oh, and her writing process, her perfect Crooked Heart trilogy, starring as an extra in the film...
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Will Dean (23rd May 2021)
Will Dean welcomes Antonia to the Swedish forest where he’s built his home and talks crazy first drafts, vulnerability, the energising effect of the city and what it really means to go home. Tiny Dancer ~ Elton John Jolene ~ Dolly Parton Empire State of Mind ~ Jay Z & Alicia Keys Twin Peaks Theme…
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Isabel Costello (16th May 2021)
Isabel’s publication journey, including rejection, digital-only and self-publishing, is testimony to the power of flexibility, resilience and courage in a challenging industry. Isabel shares her experience and insights with great generosity as we discuss her new novel, Scent, and the passions…
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Shelley Harris (9th May 2021)
Novelist and Creative Writing lecturer Shelley joins Antonia for a frank and uplifting conversation about early career success, the power of failure, awesome friends - and David Bowie. Kate Bush - Hounds of Love Bowie - Lady Stardust Elton John - Bennie and the Jets Aztec Camera feat. Mick Jones…
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Claire Fuller (2nd May 2021)
Antonia and Claire explore Claire’s considerable and sustained success as a writer. Claire talks about her latest novel, the Women’s Prize shortlisted Unsettled Ground, about her writing process and the importance of music to her work, about her life before writing and the essential support of…
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Nikki Smith (25th April 20210)
Nikki celebrated the lockdown launch of her debut, All In Her Head, on Chiltern Voice Book Club last year. Now she returns to discuss her brilliant second novel, All In Her Head. We talk about launching in lockdown, finding time to write, creating a killer twist, constructing compelling and…
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Marika Cobbold (18th April 2021)
Marika joins Antonia to talk about her eighth novel, On Hampstead Heath, her first novel, Guppies for Tea, and the years between, and come to the conclusion that Marika is not Tolstoy but that, on balance, not being Tolstoy is a jolly good thing. Includes bonus citizenship test question. London...
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Cari Rosen (4th April 2021)
Cari talks about the trials, tribulations and joys of new motherhood, the life that went before it and the life that follows. From a stellar career in television production to the perils of vertigo at pop concerts, Cari shares her passions, her dreams and her determination that the invisibility…
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Stephanie Butland (27th Mars 2021)
Stephanie Butland joins Antonia to talk about her writing career, from saying Bah! to cancer to Nobody’s Perfect (publishing in August 2021), via Lost for Words, The Woman in the Photograph and beautiful, thought-provoking and tender insights into the challenges life throws at us. Leonard Cohen –...
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Adele Geras (20th March 2021)
Adele Geras brings her alter ego Hope Adams to Book Club to talk about Dangerous Women, her new novel exploring the fascinating history of the Rajah quilt and the 1841 voyage of the convict ship upon which it was created. At least, that was the intention, but if a writer will hang out in Paris in...
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Eleanor Fitzsimons (13th March 2021)
Eleanor Fitzsimons joins Antonia to talk, not only about the unconventional life and extraordinary work of children’s author E. Nesbit, but about her own writing life and the very personal experience of the cancer that struck her as this fascinating biography was being published. Eleanor’s song...
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Lev Parikian (6th March 2021)
Lev is an orchestral conductor, a naturalist and a writer. He takes Antonia on a gentle stroll through his music choices, taking in rediscovering the joy of birds and birdwatching, working with Unbounders, emergency birds and making Twitter a pleasant place to be despite being home to people who...
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Lorna Gibb (27th February 2021)
Lorna Gibb joins Antonia in a personal and wide-ranging discussion of her novel A Ghost’s Story, her memoir Childless Voices and her biographies of Rebecca West and Hester Stanhope. Matt Monroe: Walk away Joni Mitchell: Marcie Eddi Reader: Jamie, Come try me. The Waterboys: The Whole of the Moon...
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Jane Smiley (20th February 2021)
International bestseller and Pulitzer Prize winning author Jane Smiley joins Antonia to talk about her new novel, The Strays of Paris, taking in husbands and ex-husbands and horses along the way. And cowboys and first love and Dickens and Shakespeare. And predicting the future. And her plans for...
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Salena Godden 13th February 2021
Salena Godden talks about life and death and writing and joy, about sharing the very early stages of Mrs. Death on national radio, about a life spent revelling in words - and about having your debut novel optioned for film by Idris Elba. Join us for an hour of joy in lockdown. Pessimism, after…
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Stella Duffy (6th February 2021)
Stella Duffy joins Antonia to talk about life and death and joy and Fun Palaces and the fierce wonder of the young, and about love and music and diagonal family relationships and beauty, all wrapped in her glorious new novel, Lullaby Beach. Global Warming - John Grant Nightswimming – R.E.M....
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Tim Finch (30th January 2021)
Antonia chats with Tim Finch about his critically acclaimed novel, The House Of Journalist, and Tim talks openly and honestly about the experience of writing and publishing a second novel. That second novel, Peace Talks, about being shortlisted for the Costa Prize, and about his wide ranging…
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Anne Booth (23rd January 2021)
Anne Booth talks about the joy, the responsibility and the beauty of writing for children, from picture books to young readers to her Carnegie-listed middle-grade novel Girl With a White Dog. She also talks about the writing of Small Miracles, her first novel for adults, due for publication in...
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Emma Carroll (16th January 2021)
From Victorian England to Ancient Egypt, from travelling circus to deserted mansion, Emma discusses how she creates compelling characters and stories across a range of settings and times, how her career as a teacher prepared her for life as a full-time writer, and the reality of earning a living…
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Andy Miller (9th January 2021)
Andy Miller, author of The Year of Reading Dangerously and co-host of Backlisted Pod, talks about the power of reading and the art of writing, and plays a marvellous and unexpected selection of Northern Soul. Needle in a Haystack - The Velvelettes What - Judy Street Don't Put Off Till Tomorrow…
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Hayley Webster (25th December 2020)
One Christmas Night Hayley talks Christmas and kindness and how Twitter at its best gave rise to her novel One Christmas Night. Thank God It's Christmas - Queen Blue Christmas - Elvis Gaudete - Steelye Span Walking in the Air - Peter Auty Last Christmas - Wham Little Drummer Boy - David Bowie/…
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About this show
Chiltern Voice Book Club is a weekly radio show in which Antonia Honeywell talks books, writing reading and publishing with a varied range of brilliant writers. Each guest chooses a selection of songs which are played as part of the show. Unfortunately the songs can't be included here, but the words and the wisdom are unmissable. Tune in to chilternvoice.fm on Sundays 2 to 4 pm to hear the show complete with songs.
Hosted by
Antonia Honeywell's Book Club