The Waterstones Podcast

When Alice Oseman created the first volume of Heartstopper on her own, she couldn’t have foreseen what a phenomenon it would become. As the final volume hits shelves and the Netflix adaptation concludes with the film Heartstopper Forever, we were delighted to spend some time with Alice to reflect on all those years of work, the incredible fans and maybe even what might come next.

Andrew Sean Greer writes the kind of novels that you want to press into others' hands when what they need is a book filled with charm, comedy and a sense of romance. After the trials of his hapless author Arthur Less in his eponymous Pulitzer Prize-winning Less, Greer’s latest novel transports us to Villa Coco in Tuscany for a summer we will never forget. We sat down to speak with him about how to create a ‘charm novel’, the real-life inspiration behind his fiction and the deeper meaning that lies underneath even the funniest moments.

The Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize Shortlist is here and it's time to meet the class of 2026. With books that take us from modern America to medieval Europe, from magical realism to modern satire, from private lives to open houses - these are the writers that have most excited our experience booksellers and we can't wait for you to discover your own favourite. Join us for a freewheeling conversation about technique, tenacity and turning inspiration into something tangible.

Through her writing about love, Lily King has made readers care deeply about her characters and what life does to them. A year on from Heart The Lover's publication and after a month as our fiction pick, we finally got to sit down with Lily to talk about writing love, being surprised and how she feels about making her readers sob uncontrollably.

Having captivated readers with the eponymous Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton , Elizabeth Strout has moved down the coast from Maine to Massachusetts for her latest novel, and a new character for readers to meet. We sat down to speak with her about where Artie Dam came from, what he's wrestling with and why there are still things we never say.