The Worried Writer Podcast

Hayley Chewins is an author of magical, feminist middle grade fiction. Her debut, The Turnaway Girls, was a Kirkus Best Book of 2018, and her second book, The Sisters of Straygarden Place, is forthcoming from Candlewick Press this September and has already been called ‘superb, spooky and unforgettable' in a Kirkus starred review. Hayley lives […]

Wendy Heard is a thriller author with two novels out from Mira in the US. Hunting Anabelle, a serial killer thriller, and The Kill Club. She co-hosts the Unlikeable Female Characters Podcast in which feminist thriller authors discuss female characters who don't care whether you like them or not. For more on Wendy Heard and […]

This month is a ‘just me' episode. I know that everyone in the world is affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and I just want to say that I wish you well wherever you are, and hope that you are safe, healthy, and coping as well as is possible in these scary and uncertain times. I […]

Terry Lynn Thomas is a USA Today bestselling author with two historical mystery series. The Sarah Bennett mysteries are set in California during the 1940s and feature a misunderstood medium who is in love with a spy. The Cat Carlisle series is set in Britain during World War II and the first two books are […]

My guest today is USA Today bestselling fantasy author Meg Cowley. Meg has two epic fantasy series The Books of Caledan and The Chronicles of Pelenor, as well as an urban fantasy series Relic Guardians. We have a great conversation about independent publishing, reader support, writing in series, and consistency, as well as self-doubt, mental […]

This month is a ‘just me' episode in which I chat about my writing and publishing goals for 2020. The full rundown of my goals is available in a separate article here. Please feel free to head over and add your own to the comments section! THANK YOU! Huge thanks to everyone supporting the show […]

This month is a ‘just me' episode in which I chat about lessons learned in my author career during 2019. THANK YOU! Huge thanks to everyone supporting the show on Patreon. Thank you so much! Join our growing Patreon community at The Worried Writer on Patreon. I love creating the podcast but it takes a significant […]

This month is a ‘just me' episode in which I discuss branding for authors in response to a listener request. THANK YOU! Huge thanks to everyone supporting the show on Patreon. Thank you so much! Join our growing Patreon community at The Worried Writer on Patreon. I love creating the podcast but it takes a significant […]

My guest today is Vanessa Lillie whose debut thriller Little Voices is out this week from Thomas and Mercer. We talk about dealing with reviews and being read, and how Vanessa transformed from a free-writer to an outliner. Vanessa has fifteen years of marketing and communications experience and enjoys organising bookish events in Rhode Island, […]

I have a great interview for you today with a dear friend of mine, historical romance author Emily Royal. Emily has written several novels and is impressively prolific, but 2019 is her first year as a published author. She has gone from submission hell to having several books out in one year, so there is […]

My guest today is debut novelist Paul Tudor Owen. Paul is a Guardian journalist and his literary crime novel, The Weighing of the Heart is out now from Obliterati Press. We discuss Paul's path to publication, how to fit writing around a day job, and the benefits of joining a writing group. You can find […]

My guest today is Aileen Erin, author of YA Paranormal and Science Fiction. Aileen has a BS in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas. After working in commercial editing in Los Angeles for a few years, Aileen moved to writing novels. Since then, she's hit the USA Today Best-Selling list twice, has shifted nearly five […]

Sacha Black writes YA fantasy – the Eden East series, and non-fiction for authors. Her writing guides include 13 Steps to Evil: How to craft Superbad villains and 10 Steps to Hero: How to Craft a Kick Ass Protagonist. Sacha is a proud indie author and recently went full-time with her writing. Find out more […]

My guest today is Barnaby Walter, who writes under the name B. P. Walter. His debut novel, A Version of the Truth, is a dark psychological thriller published by Avon. It has been called: ‘Beguiling, surprising and sometimes shocking.' Barnaby is an alumni of the Faber Academy and currently works in social media coordination for […]

Welcome to episode 50 of The Worried Writer! I cannot believe it has been over four years since I started this podcast and, I must admit, I'm a little bit proud! Thank you so much for listening and, if you've been listening for a while or have ever tweeted about the show or sent me […]

My guest today is writing coach and bestselling author Kate Harrison. Kate has written contemporary women's fiction, the YA Soul Beach trilogy, and has recently moved into adult thrillers with the dark and twisty The Secrets You Hide, under a new pen name Kate Helm  She has also got a successful non-fiction brand with a […]

My guest today is author and editor Kerry Barrett. Kerry Barrett is the author of eight novels, including the Strictly Come Dancing-themed A Step in Time, and The Girl in the Picture, about a crime novelist who solves a 160-year-old mystery. Kerry's latest novel is a time slip called The Hidden Women. For more about […]

My guest today is Adam Croft. With more than a million books sold to date, he is is one of the most successful independently published authors in the world. His psychological thrillers include the hugely successful Her Last Tomorrow and Tell Me I'm Wrong, and his Knight & Culverhouse crime thriller series has sold more than […]

My guest today is urban fantasy superstar Sherrilyn Kenyon. Sherrilyn is a number 1 New York Times and Internationally bestselling author. Her first novel came out in 1993, she has over 70 million books in print worldwide and she writes in several successful series such as the Dark Hunters and Black Hat Society. Her latest […]

My guest today is Rachel Burton, author of contemporary women's fiction. Her two novels, The Many Colours of Us and The Things We Need To Say, have been called thought-provoking and emotional. Rachel and I first connected as she was a listener of the show, and I was delighted to chat to her about her […]

My guest today is Gillian McAllister, Sunday Times Bestselling author of psychological legal thrillers Everything But The Truth, Anything You Do Say, and No Further Questions. This is Gillian's second time of the podcast (I first spoke to her about pre-publication nerves, before her debut was released in March 2017) and this time we discuss […]

My guest today is thriller and science-fiction author, Paul Teague. Paul is a former broadcaster and journalist for the BBC and he has transferred those skills to his fabulous podcast, Self Publishing Journeys. One of the reasons I wanted to have Paul on the show is his refreshing honesty and openness about his own publishing […]

My guest today is author and blogger, Victoria Walters. Her debut novel, The Second Love of my Life, saw Victoria labeled an ‘Amazon Rising Star' and was called ‘Brilliant and superior women's fiction' by Heat magazine. Victoria's new book, Random Acts of Kindness, has being released in a four-part series by Simon & Schuster. It […]

This episode is a ‘just me' show. Next month, I'm bringing you an interview with author and blogger, Victoria Walters, but this month I review my 2018 goals. A massive thank you to everyone who has pledged support for the show on Patreon – I truly appreciate it. There are four exclusive audio extras (with […]

  Cressida McLaughlin writes feel-good romances for Harper Collins, including the bestselling The Canal Boat Cafe and The Once in a Blue Moon Guesthouse. Cressida's latest series is called The House of Birds and Butterflies and is being released in four parts in ebook format before the paperback arrives this summer. You can find out […]

My guest today is James Blatch. James is a co-founder and director of the Self Publishing Formula with bestselling indie superstar, Mark Dawson. SPF offers fantastic training courses for authors on advertising, self-publishing, and book cover design, as well as a brilliant weekly podcast and free ebooks and resources. James is also an author and […]

  My guest today is Michael Ford, who writes under the name M.J. Ford. Michael has written and edited children's fiction for Working Partners for several years, as well as working as a ghost writer on other projects. His debut novel for adults, Hold My Hand, is out this month from Avon and we talk […]

My guest today is Caroline Mitchell. She's an ex-police detective turned USA Today bestselling thriller author. Her latest book, Silent Victim just became a global bestseller when it hit number 1 on Amazon in the UK, USA and Australia. Caroline brings her real-life experience as a police officer to her writing and she also has an […]

Joanna Penn is an award-nominated New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, writing thrillers, supernatural crime and fantasy under the name J.F. Penn. I consider Joanna my unofficial mentor and I'm personally very grateful for the information and encouragement she puts out into the world. If you aren't aware of Joanna's wonderful website and […]

My guest today is Lisa Hall, author of the bestselling psychological thrillers Between You and Me and Tell Me No Lies, which Heat magazine called ‘breathlessly fast-paced and cleverly unsettling'. Not content with a successful career as an author, Lisa has also crossed the divide to the other side of the business by founding a new publishing imprint, Manatee […]

In this ‘just me' episode I recap my progress over 2017, give tips learned from my recent ‘performance and presentation' training, and answer a listener question about getting a trilogy published… Writing progress: As the end of the year approaches, I start thinking about next year – mainly because I tend to go into hibernation […]

My guest today is Katie Cross. Katie writes both YA fantasy and contemporary women's fiction. Her books include The Network series, which kicks off with Miss Mabel's School For Girls, and Bon Bons To Yoga Pants. Katie also provides mentoring services for indie authors, and she runs a lively Facebook support group called Indie Author […]

My guest today is Monica Leonelle. Monica is a USA Today bestselling author writing YA urban fantasy and paranormal romance, as well as practical books for writers such as Write Better, Faster and The 8-Minute Writing Habit. Before becoming an author, Monica had a successful career in digital marketing. For more on Monica's latest website […]

My guest today is Phoebe Morgan. Phoebe Morgan is both an editor at HarperCollins and an author, so she understands both sides of the publishing equation. Her debut psychological thriller, The Doll House, is coming out on the 14th September, and it's an excellent dark and creepy read. I love the way Phoebe has created […]

My guest today is A.L. Michael, author of nine romantic comedies including Goodbye Ruby Tuesday and The Last Word. Her latest release is Cocktails and Dreams, part of the new Martini Club series. Andi is also a Creative Therapeutic Facilitator, currently researching the power of creative writing to be helpful in recovering from eating disorders. […]

My guest today is Martin Lee who writes under the name M.J. Lee. He is a bestselling author of historical crime fiction and his books include the Jayne Sinclair genealogical mysteries, Samuel Pepys and The Stolen Diary, and the Inspector Danilov series which is set in 1920s Shanghai. Before turning to novel writing, Martin spent […]

In this ‘just me' episode, I give a writing update and answer a couple of questions. Writing update: I've been on tight editing deadlines all month with my latest novel, Beneath The Water, but the end is truly in sight. Huzzah! I mostly enjoy editing and rewriting as it's a brilliant chance to make things […]

My guest today is Tracy Buchanan, author of The Atlas of Us, No Turning Back and the number one bestseller, My Sister's Secret. My Sister's Secret was one of the top ten bestselling books of 2015 and has been published in the US, Denmark, Italy, Hungary and Germany and My Weekly said it was ‘both […]

My guest today, Rachael Lucas, writes contemporary romantic fiction for Pan Macmillan. Her titles include Coming Up Roses and Wildflower Bay, and her first YA novel, The State of Grace is coming out this month (6 April 2017) from Pan Macmillan Children's Books. Rachael has also run an award-winning lifestyle blog and worked as a […]

In this episode I speak to Marie-Louise Jensen who writes books for children and young adults. Marie-Louise's books include Between Two Seas and The Lady In The Tower, both of which are published by the Oxford University Press and were shortlisted for the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize. Marie-Louise has also written for Fiction Express, which […]

My guest in this episode is Gillian McAllister. Gillian's debut thriller Everything But The Truth is out on 9 March 2017 from Penguin and she is represented by Clare Wallace at the Darley Anderson Agency. I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of Everything But The Truth and it is an absolutely cracking […]

Happy new year! This is a short episode to kick off 2017 and I reveal my tip for super-charging your goals. In the January 2016 episode, I defined what makes a good goal and how to set one, and this year I talk about the importance in working out the ‘why' behind your goals. As […]

Holly Martin is the author of funny, romantic fiction and paranormal YA, including her successful White Cliff Bay series, One Hundred Proposals and The Guestbook. Holly was shortlisted for the New Talent Award at the Festival of Romance, she won the Carina Valentine's competition and was shortlisted for Best Romantic Read, Best eBook and Innovation […]

Just a short episode this month and there is no author interview – apologies! I am buried under a deadline and some life stuff and, as alluded to in the title, I also managed to faint and bang my head a couple of weeks ago which knocked out a week of productivity/messed up my schedule. […]

  Caroline Green is an award-winning author of books for young people. Her debut, Dark Ride, won the RONA Young Adult Book of the Year and the Waverton Good Read Award, Hold Your Breath won the Oldham Book Award, and both Hold Your Breath and Cracks have been short-listed for eleven awards between them. Caroline […]

Mark Edwards is the bestselling author of psychological thrillers such as Follow You Home, Because She Loves Me and The Magpies. Before going solo, Mark published a number of police procedurals written with Louise Voss including Killing Cupid and Forward Slash. He and Voss also have a series featuring DI Patrick Lennon, starting with From […]

  Nina Harrington published her first romance in 2009 and since then she has won awards with her fiction, been translated into 23 languages, and sold over a million books worldwide. As well as publishing with Harlequin Mills & Boon and Carina, Nina has dipped her toe in independent publishing with her thriller, Deadly Secrets, […]

My guest today is Siobhan Curham. Siobhan is the award-winning author of several books for adults and children including Finding Cherokee Brown, True Face, Dear Dylan – which won the YoungMinds Book Award in 2010 – and The Scene Stealers. Siobhan is also an editorial consultant, motivational speaker and life coach, and has written for […]

My guest today is Cesca Major. Cesca is a fascinating interviewee as she writes in two genres under different names. Cesca's debut historical novel, The Silent Hours, was published last year by Corvus, to great acclaim. However, Cesca also writes romantic comedy under the name Rosie Blake. The first Rosie Blake book, How To Get […]

  Alison Waines publishes fiction under the name A.J.Waines and has sold over 150,000 books worldwide. Last year, she topped the UK and Australian Kindle bestseller charts with her number one hit Girl On A Train, and was also awarded the Kindle KDP Top 20 ‘Most Read Author' in the UK. Alison used to work […]