PODCAST · arts
Writer's Routine
by Dan Simpson
How do the best writers get to work? In every episode, we'll chat to an author about their writing day. Where do they work? What time do they start? How do they plan their time and maximise their creativity, in order to plot and publish a bestseller? Some are frantic night-owls, others roll out of bed into their desks, and a few lock themselves away in the woods - but none have a regular 9 to 5, and we'll find out how they've managed it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
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Elif Shafak, author of 'In One Brief Moment All Eternity' - Bestselling writer discusses why writing is at the core of humanity, how it damages your health, and why you need to ask childish questions
Elif Shafak is an incredibly successful and influential author. Born in France to Turkish parents, Elif was raised by her single mother and traditional grandmother. She spent her childhood moving across the world, living in Madrid, Cologne, Amman and Istanbul. Her debut 'Pinhan', won the Rumi…
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Jenna Helwig, author of 'The Foreign Correspondent's Wife' - Cookbook writer discusses turning to mysteries, being focused with research, and the recipe for a perfect thriller
Jenna Helwig is a food editor, a cookbook evangelist, and now novel writer. She's a culinary school graduate, and in 2025 launched, the Cookbookery Collective, a very successful Substack for cookbook lovers. Jenna has published 5 cookbooks herself focusing on everything from feeding a baby, to...
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Benjamin Abravenel, author of 'The Past, Again' - Debut author discusses learning from history, hybrid-publishing, and keeping busy in retirement
Benjamin Abravenel practiced medicine for 35 years, whilst in snatches of spare time, started work on a novel with a message he was passionate to get heard in the world. When he retired with something like a first draft, he hired a Professor to help him edit into something publishable - she said...
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Claire McGowan, author of 'The Other Couple' - Million-Copy Bestseller discusses what's changed in 5 years, spreading the net wide, and challening yourself to make things better
This week, we're chatting to the million-copy bestseller, Claire McGowan. She's an Amazon bestselling crime and thriller author, with almost 30 novels. Best known for the 'Paula Maguire series', she's also known for non-fiction true crime, and has published women's fiction under the name Eva…
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Scott Mariani, author of the 'Ben Hope series' - Bestselling thriller writer discusses keeping the discipline, finding new mysteries, and learning what readers want
This week we're chatting to one of the UK's best-selling thriller writers. Scott Mariani has published 30 novels in the 'Ben Hope series', a few more in his 'Will Bowman historical thriller adventures', and some chilling books about vampires. He writes in his sprawl of land hidden in the Welsh...
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Simon Wroe, author of 'Ghost Month' - BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick discusses listening to your instinct, getting into your characters' heads, and writing a novel for London
Simon Wroe started work as a chef and still works in a kitchen. Only this time, he writes novels in them. He's worked as a journalist for The Guardian, The Economist, The Times and more, and his debut, 'Chop Chop', was nominated for the Costa First Novel Award. He also penned the screenplay for...
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Kevin Wade, author of 'One Good Eye' - 'Blue Bloods' showrunner talks learning the rules of crime shows, writing 20 individual mysteries, and switching to novels
Kevin Wade is a screenwriter and show-runner, behind some of the biggest films and series of recent times. After acting for a bit, he started off penning Off-Broadway plays. Kevin moved on to write on 'Working Girl', 'Meet Joe Black', 'Maid in Manhattan', before getting huge success as the exec...
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Matt Hill, author of 'Wrecks' - Speculative fiction author discusses a big editing change, feeling guilty about creating, and keeping the pace up
Matt Hill is a Philip K. Dick nominated author, having published 6 books over the last 13 years. 'Lamb', 'The Breach', 'Zero Bomb', 'Graft' and 'Folded Man', have all be acclaimed for their prose, innovation and invention... he descibes them as 'getting a little weird'. He's also published novels...
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Vaseem Khan, author of 'Quantum of Menace' - CWA Award Winner discusses bringing to life a caricature, having the energy to keep going, and editing on the go
Vaseem Khan tried to be an author for a long time. He wrote widely, in all genres, even analytically studied the greats to learn from how they did it, but kept gettiing rejected. Finally, after many turned down pitches, he landed a deal for 'The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra'. It…
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Ajay Chowdhury, author of 'Eden Falls' - Thriller writer discusses creating with AI, finishing things off, and writing in different genre
Ajay Chowdhury was the first winner of the Harvill Secker Bloody Scotland Prize. His 'Kamil Rahman' crime stories are incredibly successful, works on various boards, ran a global deep-tech business, and co-founded Shazam! Also he runs a few groups, and is a theatre director. He's a busy man. He's...
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Cathy Bramley, author of 'Somewhere Only We Know' - Sunday Times Bestseller discusses inspiration from location, being particular, and embracing being an author
Cathy Bramley has published 18 novels, and sold over 2 million of them. Since her debut in 2015, it's taken a while to finalise she is actually an author. Cathy writes light-hearted romantic uplit, often focused on ordinary women doing extraordinary things. Her new novel is 'Somewhere Only We...
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Julie Owen Moylan, author of 'Elizabeth and Marilyn' - Historical fiction writer discusses thorough research, her path to publication, and remembering you've done the hard stuff before
Julie Owen Moylan's debut novel, 'That Green Eyed Girl', was a Waterstones' Welsh Book of the Month and a runner up for the Paul Torday Memorial Prize. She followed that up with '73 Dove Street' and 'Circus of Mirrors'. Her short film, 'Baby Cakes', won the Celtic Media Award and won at the…
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Joseph Eckert, author of 'The Traveller' - Sci-fi writer discusses great hooks, 15 years of planning, and editorial push-back
This week, we're chatting to Joseph Eckert whose debut novel has been 15 years in the making, and almost took him to Hollywood. It's an incredible hook, about Scott Treder who finds himself thrown forwards in time by a day. Then by 2 days. Then 4, 8 16, months, and years. You can hear how it all...
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Foluso Agbaje, author of 'The Talk of the Party' - Thriller writer discusses writing in Dubai, worldwide influences, and her pursuit of perfection
This week, we chat to Foluso Agbaje. Her debut, 'The Parlour Wife', was published to widespread acclaim in 2024. She's following it up with 'The Talk of the Party'. It tells the story of a 60th Birthday Party, the envy of Lagos. However, the dream of Bukola Obanile's perfection comes at a price,...
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Sara Sheridan, author of 'The Jewel Keepers' - Book of the Year winner discusses treasure hunt thrillers, long lunches, and the role of a writer
Sara Sheridan's 2022 novel, 'The Botanists', was the Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year, and was a pick for 'The Queen's Reading Room'. Her debut, 'Truth or Rare', won the Scottish Library Award. 'On Starlit Seas', was shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Prize, and she's been shortlisted for the...
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Ollie George Clark, author of 'Youngest Faircrest and the Search for a Sorcerer’ - Award-winning writer discusses making reading accessible, why strict word-counts help the pace, and finding the audience
Ollie George Clark is an award-winning right, who is having a moment. He's got 3 new TV comedy-dramas under commission. He's written plays that have been performed across the UK, had criticially-acclaimed stories broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and won the 'British Comedy Guide Sitcom Competition'. His...
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Kate Lord Brown, author of 'The Silver Thread' - Historical fiction bestseller talks about writing out of order, fact or fiction, and thorough research
Kate Lord Brown is a bestselling historical fiction author. She was a finalist in ITV's 'The People's Author Contest', has been shortlisted for Romantic Novel of the Year, and is read all over the world. Her books travel fantastically well, that could be because she has travelled far and wide…
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Lucy Ashe, author of 'The Model Patient' - Historical Thriller writer discusses finding control, why a book deal changes things, and unpacking therapy
This week, we're chatting to Lucy Ashe. Lucy trained at the Royal Ballet school, and now works as a teacher in Brooklyn, whilst writing brilliant books. Her debut, 'Clara and Olivia', was shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger Award. Her follow up, 'The Sleeping Beauties', was also set in the...
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Deepa Anappara, author of 'The Last of Earth' - Multi-award-winner discusses dealing with success, writing by hand, and keeping track of characters
Deepa Anappara's debut, 'Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line' was a critically-acclaimed bestseller. It was named as one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, the Washington Post, The Guardian and National Public Radio. Time Magazine included it in its list of 'The 100 Best Mystery and...
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Liz Alterman, author of 'A Different Type of Poison' - Thriller writer discusses embracing the meta, always having a listen, and changing how you write depending on how it's read
Liz Alterman has written all sorts. Young adult fiction, uplit, memoir, and is back with a new psychological, campus thriller, 'A Different Type of Poison'. It's about the author Molly Archer, whose latest novel, 'Birds at Night', is an instant hit. She's invited to a book club, by an incredibly...
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Mark Frost, co-creator of 'Twin Peaks' - Thriller author and screenwriter discusses working with David Lynch, super-agents, and his new novel, 'The Yankee Sphinx'
Ever since Mark Frost saw his actor father prepare all day for work, having to leave every evening to jump on stage, he knew he wanted to get his work done early in the morning. A life as a writer came calling. He's worked on all sorts, writing on 'Hill Street Blues', the 'Fantastic Four' movies,...
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Sarah Vaughan, author of 'Based on a True Story' - Bestselling writer discusses streaming success, a chaotic writing room, and realising you're too busy
Sarah Vaughan worked as a reporter and correspondent for The Guardian for years, before finally starting a novel on her 40th birthday. She published 'The Art of Baking Blind' and 'The Farm at the Edge of the World', aimed at book-clubs, which in her words, 'didn't really trouble the bestsellers...
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Annie Elliot, author of 'Mr & Mrs Charles Dickens: Her Story' - Knowing when you need to get words written, mining your own past, and was Charles Dickens a narcissist?
Annie Elliot has always been around words. She worked in local government, taught communication, as a newspaper reporter, which taught her the importance of being able to get the words down on time. She's written short-stories and flash-fiction which have been successful in competitions, and was...
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Stig Abell, author of 'A Twist in the River' - Breakfast Show host discusses golden age crime fiction, why planning sets you up for failure, and why AI will kill culture
Stig Abell is a media polymath. He's worked for The Sun and LBC, was the editor of the Times Literary Supplement, and now hosts the breakfast show on national Times Radio. He's just published the fourth novel in the Jake Jackson series, 'A Twist in the River'. His debut fiction novel, 'Death…
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Elle McNicoll, author of 'Unapologetic Love Story' - Carnegie Award nominated writer discusses making your book stand out, the importance of representation, and being full-time whilst never having time to write
Elle McNicholl is a Carnegie Award nominated author. Her debut 'A Kind of Spark' won the Blue Peter Book Award and the overall Waterstones Children's Book Prize, alongside Blackwell's Book of 2020. It was turned into a BBC Children's TV show, which she wrote. That won a Royal Television Society...
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Jane Dougherty, author of 'Pasiphae' - Re-imagining Greek mythology, capturing a moment in poetry, and detaching from technology
Jane Doughtery writes magical, often apocalyptic fiction. She's been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and is inspired by myth, history and classical tradition. Also, she's a poet, seeking to capture the moment in a spark of creativity. Her new novel is 'Pasiphae'. It's a re-imagining of the…
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Carmel Harrington, author of 'The Nowhere Girls' - Bestselling writer discusses leaving it late, training to improve, and the novel that changed her planning
Carmel Harrington is an Irish bestselling author of 13 novels. Her latests, 'The Stolen Child', was shortlisted for an Irish Book Award and won Good Housekeeping's 'Good Books Autumn Collection'. She left it late to start. After wanting to be an author for so long, it was a conversation with her...
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Kate Dramis, author of 'The Odds of You' - Romance writer discusses switching genre, writing sprints and dirty drafts
Kate Dramis is a Sunday Times Bestselling author, having writing the epic 'The Curse of Saints' fantasy trilogy. However, after a bout of writer's block and shiny-new-idea syndrome, she was inspired on a plane journey to write romance. 'The Odds of You' tells the story of Sage Collins, a...
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Farah Naz Rishi, author of 'The Flightless Birds of New Hope' - Bestselling writer discusses being genre-less, getting into character through voice, and calming anxiety
Farah Naz Rishi is a busy do-er with fingers in many creative pies. She's worked as a lawyer, a video-game journalist, a voice actor and is a bestselling author. Farah has written memoir, 'Sorry for the Inconvenience', which details her experience as a Pakistan-American Muslim Woman, also has...
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Fergus Craig, author of 'I’m Not The Only Murderer In My Retirement Home' - Comedian discusses going viral, working on the mystery, and not needing to be funny
Fergus Craig is a stand-up comic and actor who has appeared across shows on the BBC and Disney Plus. In 2009, he was named 'Hackney Empire's New Act of the Year'. Through lockdown, he found internet fame with his videos parodying bad crime writers. He starred in both series of the BBC show 'Hoff...
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Shen Tao, author of 'The Poet Empress' - Debut author discusses magical mystery, changing routines, and 9 failed manuscripts
Shen Tao has always wanted to be a writer. For as long as she can remember, she's had ideas, developed characters, and written stories. It took her 9 attempts, 9 manuscripts, to finally get it done. Her debut is 'The Poet Empress'. It's a Chinese historical fantasy, blended with a love story and…
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David Goodman, author of 'A Reluctant Spy' - Thriller writer discusses juggling projects, soft word-counts, and day-notes
David Goodman writes edge-of-your-seat spy thrillers. His debut, 'A Relucant Spy', was published in 2024. We follow Jamie Tulloch, a successful exec at a top tech company, who has a secret... he's part of the Legend Programme. It's a secret intelligence effort to help provide backstories for...
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Sam Sedgman, author of 'The Galileo Heist' - Children's author discusses finding magic in the real world, being confident with curiosity, and getting it finished
Sam Sedgman is a 'British Book Award' winning author, who writes fantastic adventure stories for children. He started co-writing with MG Leonard, who has also been a guest on this show, working on the 'Adventures on Trains' series. She was a published author, he was a train nerd, it worked...
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Sally-Anne Martyn, author of 'The Beauty Queen' - Creepy thriller writer discusses 5 am starts, trying to improve, and discovering the plot when the characters do
In this week's episode, we chat to creepy thriller writer Sally-Anne Martyn. Sally-Anne didn't grow up wanting to be a writer. She studied performing arts, working in film and TV, before working many different jobs in many different places, even a stint as a carer in one of England's last…
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Georgie Codd, author of 'Never Had a Dad' - Memoir writer discusses making people care, planning an adventure, and finding a father figure
Georgie Codd is a writer of all-sorts. She's dabbled in fiction, written for publications, created the 'BookBound' literary festival, and now focuses on narrative non-fiction. Her first book, 'We Swim to the Shark', came out in 2020, and followed Georgie’s quest to overcome her deepest fears by...
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Sam Mills, author of 'The Watermark' - Speculative fiction author discusses playing with genre, switching projects, and teasing burnout
Sam Mills is an innovative and wildly creative writer, who has always wanted to publish books. She's written non-fiction books, 'Uneven', 'The Fragments of my Father', and others, also crossover, genre-bending novels like 'Blackout', and 'The Quiddity of Will Self'. She's written for The…
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Dan Houser, author of 'A Better Paradise - Volume 1: An Aftermath' - Rockstar Games co-founder discusses writing for 'Grand Theft Auto', different places for different stories, and the weight of expectation
Dan Houser was the lead writer, creative director and co-founder of Rockstar Games. Rockstar are the studio behind the 'Grand Theft Auto' and 'Red Dead Redemption' series. They're responsible for over half a billion video game sales. 'GTA V' and 'Red Dead Redemption 2' are both in the top 5...
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Zoe Apostolides, author of 'The Homecoming' - Horror writer disscusses getting the atmosphere right, traditional tropes, and chats with her Grandmother
Zoe Apostolides is a journalist and columnist, writing for The Guardian, The Telegraph and the Financial Times. Her new novel is 'The Homecoming', born out of conversations with her Grandmother. When she transcribed these, she thought... could I spin a sinister story out of this? It follows…
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Adam Skolnick, author of 'American Tiger' - Podcaster and novelist discusses creative burnout, ghostwriting, and different drafts for different characters
Adam Skolnick earned his writing chops as a travel and adventure sports journalist for the New York Times, ESPN, the BBC and Lonely Planet. It taught him the vital skills of getting the words out immediately, and writing fast. He was the ghostwriter for David Goggins' memoirs 'Can't Hurt Me' and...
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Catherine Mayer, author of 'Time/ Life' - Prolific writer discusses eclectic interests, inspirational poetry, and grief
Catherine Mayer is a busy do-er. One of those prolific writers, political party founders, and music producers that fills every moment of the day with something. She's inspirational with it. Catherine was the Europe Editor for Time Magazine, which has taught her to work at all hours of the day on...
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Lucinda Berry, author of 'This is a Safe Space' - USA Today bestseller discusses finding new audiences online, working on audio thrillers, and dealing with the tough days
Lucinda Berry is a USA Today bestselling author, who has published 9 incredibly successful novels, which have been optioned for films, and translated into several languages. She worked as a psychologist and leading researcher in childhood trauma - much of that has inspired her thrillers. Readers...
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Caroline Corcoran, author of 'Tiny Daggers' - Psychological Thriller writer discusses embracing the genre, learning to structure, and changing the mindset
Caroline Corcoran is a thriller author who burst to success with her debut, 'Through the Wall' in 2019. She's been a Sunday Times bestseller ever since, translated into many languages across the world, and compared to Adele Parks and Liane Moriarty. Caroline followed it up with 'The Baby Group',...
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Patrick Syms, author of 'Am I The Asshole?' - Debut author discusses self-promotion, white label releases, and making a point with your prose
Patrick Syms started work trying to be a screenwriter, and he got ever so close, before life got in the way. He took a job in advertising, which became a 25 year long career in communications. In 2020, he gave it up to write again. This time, he took it seriously. Being accepted in to the Curtis...
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Tom Cox, author of 'Everything Will Swallow You' - Uniquely creative award-winner discusses making your own genre, insisting on clarity, and inspirational walks
Tom Cox has had a long and varied writing career. Over the last 25 years he has been The Guardian's youngest ever music critic, a record dealer, a golf and nature memoirist, and a unique creative writer. He's said to have 'one of the most fabulous and anarchic imaginations in literature'. Tom…
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Hazel Barkworth, author of 'The Drownings' - Writer of dark, suspense discusses taking it seriously, going back to school, and a working balance
Hazel Barkworth is creative consultant, who graduated from Oxford with an English Degree, and when she decided she'd try and write fiction... she went back to school. She enrolled in the Curtis Brown Creative Novel Writing Course, and published her debut, 'Heatstroke', to rave reviews in The...
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A. L Brody/ Jason Pinter, author of 'Dating and Dismemberment' - Monster rom-com award-nominee discusses paths to publication, getting the tone right, and improving the first draft
A.L. Brody is the author of the novel, 'Dating and Dismemberment'. It's monster rom-com inspired by Star Wars and The Sopranos. A.L. Brody is also Jason Pinter, a multi-award nominated, bestselling writer. Jason has published thrillers, crime novels, YA books and stuff for younger kids. He's been...
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Antonia Hodgson, author of 'The Raven Scholar' - Fantasy writer discusses shifting the day, switching genre, and researching your own world
Antonia Hodgson is a novelist, screenwriter, former publisher and now, fantasy author. She made her name writing historical crime. Her debut, 'The Devil in Marshalsea', won the CWA Historical Dagger Award in 2014 and was shortlisted for Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year, it was a Richand and...
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Nicholas Binge, author of 'Extremity' - Speculative Fiction writer discusses whether the idea dictates the form, the tricky switch to being full-time, and his path to publication
Nicholas Binge has lectured in creative writing, co-hosts the 'Binge Reading Book Club' podcast, and has just published his 4th book. It's called 'Extremity'. It follows up the success of 'Professor Everywhere', which won the Proverse Prize for Literature, 'Dissolution', and the bestselling,...
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Kelly Mullen, author of 'This Is Not a Game' - Hollywood Producer and Writer discusses tricking yourself to write, reinventing the wheel, and getting characters to your end
Kelly Mullen is a creative powerhouse who has just released her debut novel, 'This Is Not a Game'. Previously, Kelly has produced in Hollywood, working on the movie 'Trumbo', and the series 'Dads' for Apple TV+. She works as a marketing consultant, helping brands achieve their creative potential,...
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Kate Kemp, author of 'The Grapevine' - Debut author discusses preparing for disappointment, trusting the process, and her winding path to publication
This week we're joined by Kate Kemp, occupational therapist, psychotherapist and now, author. Her debut novel, 'The Grapevine', is out now. It started life as a manuscript called 'Warrah Place', which won the Stylist Prize for Feminist Fiction, and landed her a publishing deal. It's a gripping...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
How do the best writers get to work?
In every episode, we'll chat to an author about their writing day. Where do they work? What time do they start? How do they plan their time and maximise their creativity, in order to plot and publish a bestseller?
Some are frantic night-owls, others roll out of bed into their desks, and a few lock themselves away in the woods - but none have a regular 9 to 5, and we'll find out how they've managed it.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
HOSTED BY
Dan Simpson
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Writer's Routine have?
Writer's Routine currently has 421 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Writer's Routine about?
How do the best writers get to work? In every episode, we'll chat to an author about their writing day. Where do they work? What time do they start? How do they plan their time and maximise their creativity, in order to plot and publish a bestseller? Some are frantic night-owls, others roll out of...
How often does Writer's Routine release new episodes?
Writer's Routine publishes regularly with 421 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Writer's Routine?
You can listen to Writer's Routine on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Writer's Routine?
Writer's Routine is created and hosted by Dan Simpson.
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