Writer's Routine

• Simon Scarrow, author of 'Eagles of the Empire' - Bestselling Historical Fiction author discusses the rules of genre, thorough research, and why you need to get on with it

  This week's guest is the phenomenally bestselling author, Simon Scarrow. He mainly writes historical fiction, best known for his 'Eagles of the Empire' series, and has written about Ancient Rome and Nazi Germany too. He's also published futuristic sci-fi, and began writing dystopian fiction and comedy, before realising he should write what he wants to read, not what he thought might sell.Simon has sold more than 6 million books, and has been translated into 25 languages. His passion for storytelling was perfected at boarding school, learning how to engage class-mates, and keep them hooked with a daring cliff-hanger. He then expanded this passion as a teacher, before finally becoming the author he always wanted to be.His new novel is 'A Death in Berlin'. It's an Inspector Schenke book, with a tale about the exceptional investigator fighting to keep criminals off the streets of Nazi Berlin at a time of war. We discuss the inspiration for the novel, and what he does to pull together a threadbare skeleton to write with.You can hear why he's a stickler for the rules of historical fiction, also why he's inspired to write new series, and why the great illusion of writing is something you can fall prey to... instead, get on with it!Get a copy of the book at uk.bookshop.org/writersroutineSupport the show at -patreon.com/writersroutineko-fi.com/[email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Chris Bridges, author of 'Sick to Death' - Thriller author discusses getting life experience, the crucial mid-point, steering clear of tropes

  Chris Bridges has worked as an NHS Nurse, a theatre reviewer, a columnist and now is a published author. It was his work as a nurse, coupled with his Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis, that gave him the inspiration and experience to get the novel done. The novel is 'Sick to Death', it tells the story of Emma who can't go to work because of a neurological condition. When her boyfriend won't finally leave his wife, she takes matters into her own hands. Emma is sick, but not in the way you think. WHAT A LINE!Chris talks about why he wanted to write a character with disability, where the disability wasn't simply a trope that allows other characters to get on with the plot. Yet also, how that influenced the character arc he could write. You can hear how he got into Emma's head, and told her side of a story dealing with disability. We discuss how much he thought about the genre he was writing in, how he found the crucial mid-point, and how living with M.S. affects his daily writing in ways we don't consider.You can get a copy of the book at uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutineSupport the show at - patreon.com/writersroutineko-fi.com/writersroutineSubscribe to the newsletter - [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• M.G. Leonard, author of 'Hunt for the Golden Scarab' - British Book Award Winner discusses making your work stand out, an ideal working day, and living your research

  M.G. Leonard is the author of 16 children's books, which have won heaps of awards. She was awarded Sainsbury's Childen's Book of the Year, and the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year 2021. Meanwhile, as a child at school, she was told she'd never become a published author - that she simply wasn't smart enough.Before becoming a writer, she managed bands, ran an indie record label, and worked as a professional actor with some of the biggest names around. She now uses her performance experience to help her write, by reading her work aloud to get the flow and editing that way. Maya started writing her first children's book to overcome a lifelong phobia of insects. So, to get past her fear of beetles, she wrote about them, turning the story 'Beetle Boy' into a bestseller, and now has over 100 of them. She has co-written the 'Adventures on Trains' series with Sam Sedgman, published 'The Twitchers Quartet', along with other books for young readers. Her newest novel is 'Hunt for the Golden Scarab', it's the first in the 'Time Keys' series, which tells the story of Sim who discovers his Mum has the power to open doors through time.You can hear about the cabin she's had made to stop her lazy children from interfering, also about the way writing and publishing for children has changed rapidly and why, and we discuss how she dives into extremely thorough research.Support the show at - patreon.com/writersroutineko-fi.com/writersroutineGet a copy of the book - uk.bookshop.org/writersroutineSubscribe to the newsletter - [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Hanna Thomas Uose, author of 'Who Wants to Live Forever' - Debut writer discusses getting specific with questions, going back to study, and the pressure of a good ending

  This week, we're taking a look inside the writing life of Hanna Thomas Uose, author of 'Who Whats to Live Forever'.Hanna won the Morley Prize for Unpublished Writers of Colour, was shortlisted for Orion and DHA's Space to Write project, selected for the Asian Women Writers Mentorship Programme, and went back to study for an MA in Prose Fiction.Her new novel is 'Who Wants to Live Forever', and it comes from the simple question - how would the world change if we didn't have to die? We discuss how Hanna expanded on that idea, yet also narrowed down the focus to the other questions she really wanted answered. It's about Yuki and Sam who are soulmates, destined to spend the rest of their lives together. However, when a miracle drug is created that can extend your life indefinitely, what happens when Sam decides to live forever, rather than love Yuki forever?You can hear about the pressure of delivering a good ending, also how Hanna feels with a one-book deal. We discuss why she went back to University, what she does to get ready to tell the story, and why she is in two minds when getting feedback for the edit.You can support the show atpatreon.com/writersroutineko-fi.com/writersroutineSubscribe to the newsletter - writersroutine.substack.comGet a copy of the book - uk.bookshop.org/shop/[email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Robert Whitlow, author of 'Guilty Until Innocent' - Suspense Thriller author discusses keeping characters fresh, being relaxed about getting the words done, and why the secret is consistency

  This week, we're chatting to Robert Whitlow, prolific writer of over 20 bestselling novels. His new one is 'Guilty Until Innocent', a legal thriller that looks an an old case being reopened, and the two lawyers who have to prove the convicted's innocence against the odds. His debut novel, 'The List', was adapted into a successful movie starring Malcolm McDowell. In fact, four of Robert's novels have been adapted for the big screen, and Robert still divides his time between writing and working as a local attorney. You can hear how he seperates his day, energy and creativity for that, and why he thinks the secret is to relax and be consistent... it's to discover your 'writing bio-rhythm'Faith plays a huge part in Robert's work, and we figure out why that is, how organic it can ever be, and whether he's bothered about how a reader's opinion towards religion might change with his writing. It's led him to win the prestigious 'Christy Award for Contemporary Writing' in 2001. He reveals why he loves editing, how he wrestles characters back to his ideas, and why he needs a few drafts to really figure out who his protagonist is.Get a copy of the novel - uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutineSupport the show -patreon.com/writersroutineko-fi.com/writersroutineSubscribe to the weekly newsletter - [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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