Podcast appearances and mentions of Harlan Coben

Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist and journalist John Lanchester. John has written six works of fiction including "The Debt to Pleasure", "Capital" and "Fragrant Harbour" and four of non-fiction including "Whoops! Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay". His books have won the Hawthornden Prize, the Whitbread First Novel Award, the E. M. Forster Award and the Premi Llibreter, been longlisted for the Booker Prize and translated into 25 languages. The television mini-series adaptation of "Capital" won an International Emmy Award. He is a contributing editor to the London Review of Books and a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. We spoke to John about his long relationship with the LRB, his state of London novel "Capital" and his new novel, "Look What You Made Me Do."  In addition to the standard audio format, the podcast is now available in video. You can check us out on YouTube under Always Take Notes.   We've also made (yet) another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We've added a further 70 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New Yorker, Bloomberg Businessweek, and the Guardian Long Read. The whole compendium now runs to a magisterial 230 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new signs-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (one is left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a call with Simon and Rachel.A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waterstones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Huiveringwekkend spannende thriller voor de lezers van Harlan Coben en M.W. Craven. Max Wests fascinatie voor een seriemoordenaar verwordt tot een obsessie, maar niets is wat het lijkt... Uitgegeven door Ambo|Anthos Spreker: Lot van Lunteren

Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Kathryn Stockett. Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Kathryn moved to New York after university and spent almost a decade working in magazine publishing and marketing. In 2001, reeling from the 9/11 attacks and missing home, Kathryn started writing "The Help". The story of black maids and their white employers in Jackson in the 1960s became a sleeper hit in 2009 - it went on to sell 15 million copies worldwide and was adapted into a film in 2011. (The movie grossed more than $220 million at the box office; Octavia Spencer won an Oscar for her portrayal of Minny, one of the maids.) Kathryn spent over a decade working on her follow-up, "The Calamity Club", set in Oxford, Mississippi, in the 1930s. We spoke to Kathryn about magazine largesse in the 1990s, the huge success of "The Help" and the long road to publication of "The Calamity Club".   In addition to the standard audio format, the podcast is now available in video. You can check us out on YouTube under Always Take Notes. We've also made (yet) another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We've added a further 70 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New Yorker, Bloomberg Businessweek, and the Guardian Long Read. The whole compendium now runs to a magisterial 230 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new signs-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (one is left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a call with Simon and Rachel. A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waterstones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In an episode recorded live in Bristol, Simon and Rachel speak with the children's author Michael Morpurgo. A former primary-school teacher, Michael has written over 150 books, including "Private Peaceful", "Kensuke's Kingdom" and "The Butterfly Lion". "War Horse", first published in 1982, later became a hugely successful production from the National Theatre and then, in 2011, a film directed by Steven Spielberg. Michael was appointed Children's Laureate in 2003, a post he previously helped to set up with Ted Hughes in 1999. With his wife Clare, he also set up the charity Farms for City Children in 1976, which offers children and teachers from inner-city primary schools the chance to live and work in the countryside for a week on one of the charity's three farms in Devon, Gloucestershire and Wales. We spoke to Michael about moving from teaching children to writing for them, the origin of the "War Horse" phenomenon, and his new book, "Funny Thing, Getting Older".  In addition to the standard audio format, the podcast is now available in video. You can check us out on YouTube under Always Take Notes.  We've also made (yet) another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We've added a further 70 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New Yorker, Bloomberg Businessweek, and the Guardian Long Read. The whole compendium now runs to a magisterial 230 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new signs-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (two are left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a call with Simon and Rachel.A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waterstones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Destructive tornadoes tore through parts of the South overnight. About an hour south of Jackson, Mississippi, one tornado crushed mobile homes. The powerful storm system left thousands in the southern part of the state in the dark and downed trees. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican. It follows criticism by President Trump of Pope Leo and pushback by the first U.S.-born pontiff. Ramy Inocencio reports. The FDA has approved fruit-flavored e-cigarettes for adults for the first time, despite evidence showing they encourage younger people to smoke. CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Celine Gounder breaks down what to know about the controversial decision. There are new developments in the search for the body of Kristin Smart, a teen who was murdered three decades ago. On Wednesday, investigators executed a search warrant on a home tied to the mother of Smart's convicted killer, Brian Flores. Flores says he didn't kill Smart and doesn't know where her body is. Jonathan Vigliotti has more. In an exclusive interview, a court translator and single mom of four talks about spending more than six weeks in ICE custody. Meenu Batra, who was recently released, says she was living and working in the U.S. legally when she was detained. "CBS Mornings" has an exclusive preview of the new Netflix series "I Will Find You," which is based on Harlan Coben's 2023 novel. Coben, who is also an executive producer on the series, talks about what inspired the story and how closely he worked on the Netflix adaptation. Christy Turlington Burns, the founder and president of the nonprofit "Every Mother Counts," speaks about her new documentary, which explores the state of maternal healthcare following the end of Roe v. Wade. She discusses the different risks for women and why this is personal for her. (Warning: Spoilers ahead!) "CBS Mornings" reveals details of the latest "Survivor 50" episode and elimination ceremony, which had another surprise for the castaways. The WNBA kicks off its 30th season on Friday night with a matchup between the Connecticut Sun and New York Liberty. The Liberty is one of only four original WNBA teams that have remained since 1997. Adriana Diaz went to Brooklyn to learn how the Liberty could serve as a model for all women's sports. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dave is joined by Matt for Geektown Radio Episode 496, and this week's show is led by chat about the Kenyan romcom Boda Love, ambitious sci-fi film Project Hail Mary, the return of Criminal Record for a second season, and Dave getting pulled back into Starfield.Matt kicks things off with Boda Love, a Kenyan romance that follows a British woman travelling to Africa after falling for someone online, only for things to go in a very different direction. He also reviews Project Hail Mary, praising its scale, ambition and sci-fi ideas, while also checking in on the latest season of Euphoria.On Dave's side, he dives into Criminal Record Season 2 on Apple TV, with Cush Jumbo and Peter Capaldi back for a new case, and talks about returning to Starfield following its major updates and expanding creation content. There is also a quick Geekstorians mention, plus a new Geektown Talks To interview with Joséphine Jobert about Saint-Pierre.In the news section, they cover cancellations for Brilliant Minds, Stumble, Son of a Critch and The Night Agent, plus renewals for Scrubs, Shifting Gears, Stranger Things: Tales From '85 and Death in Paradise. There is also air date news for Lanterns, Stuart Fails to Save The Universe and Welcome To Wrexham, along with chat about the Celebrity Traitors cast list.They also discuss more casting for ITV moon thriller First Woman, Netflix's new Harlan Coben adaptation The Woods, and the planned TV adaptation of BAFTA-winning game Atomfall.Plus, they round up what is coming to TV next week, including Amandaland Season 2, Citadel Season 2, Matlock Season 2 Part 2, Legends, M.I.A., Monsieur Spade, Believe Me, Hudson & Rex Season 8 and Devil May Cry Season 2.Listen now for film reviews, TV news, sci-fi chat, gaming updates and the usual Geektown mix of enthusiasm, side tangents and entertainment chaos.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/geektown. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist and short-story writer Lauren Groff. Lauren is the bestselling author of the novels "The Monsters of Templeton", "Arcadia", "Fates and Furies", "Matrix" and "The Vaster Wilds", and the short-story collections "Delicate Edible Birds" and "Florida". "Fates and Furies", "Florida" and "Matrix" were all finalists for the National Book Award in the United States. In 2024 Lauren and her husband opened a bookshop, The Lynx, in Florida, which has an emphasis on books that are currently challenged or banned in the state. We spoke to Lauren about the position of short stories in the literary marketplace, working as a bookseller as well as an author, and her latest collection of stories, "Brawler". In addition to the standard audio format, the podcast is now available in video. You can check us out on YouTube under Always Take Notes.   We've also made (yet) another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We've added a further 70 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New Yorker, Bloomberg Businessweek, and the Guardian Long Read. The whole compendium now runs to a magisterial 230 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new signs-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (two are left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a call with Simon and Rachel. A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waterstones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Simon and Rachel speak to Jason Burke, the international security correspondent for the Guardian. Jason has been a foreign correspondent for almost 30 years, reporting from the Middle East, South Asia, Europe and Africa. He writes regularly on terrorism and is the author of five books: "The New Threat from Islamic Militancy" (which was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize in 2016); "The 9/11 Wars" (described by The Economist as "the best overview of the 9/11 decade in print"); "Al-Qaeda: The True Story of Radical Islam" and "On the Road to Kandahar - Travels through Conflict in the Islamic World". His latest book, "The Revolutionists - The Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s", was shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford prize in 2025. We spoke to Jason about his career as a longtime foreign correspondent, the emotional costs of covering conflict, and researching and writing "The Revolutionists".    In addition to the standard audio format, the podcast is now available in video. You can check us out on YouTube under Always Take Notes. Join us on April 21st as we interview Michael Morpurgo at the Lantern Theatre in Bristol. You can get your tickets here.  We've also made (yet) another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We've added a further 70 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New Yorker, Bloomberg Businessweek, and the Guardian Long Read. The whole compendium now runs to a magisterial 230 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new signs-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (six are left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a call with Simon and Rachel.A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waterstones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rachel and Simon speak to the art historian and author Katy Hessel. While working at a London art gallery, Katy set up @thegreatwomenartists, an Instagram account dedicated to celebrating female artists, as well as "The Great Women Artists Podcast". In 2022 she published "The Story of Art without Men", which became a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller and won Waterstones Book of the Year. (She has recently adapted it into an illustrated book for children.) In 2025 she published "How To Live An Artful Life", a collection of quotes for every day of the year, drawing on her interviews with artists including Marina Abramović, Tracey Emin and more. We spoke to Katy about falling in love with the world of museums and art history as a child, the virtues of Instagram and putting together "How To Live An Artful Life". In addition to the standard audio format, the podcast is now available in video. You can check us out on YouTube under Always Take Notes.  Join us on April 21st as we interview Michael Morpurgo at the Lantern Theatre in Bristol. You can get your tickets here.  We've made another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We've added 40 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the BBC. The whole compendium now runs to a whopping 160 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new signs-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (seven are left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a monthly call with Simon and Rachel. A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waterstones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Simon and Rachel speak with Doug Naylor, who co-created the hit 1990s science-fiction comedy "Red Dwarf". After abandoning his university studies in psychology in Manchester, Doug spent the better part of a year visiting Manchester Central Library, reading film and TV scripts and teaching himself the mechanics of comedy writing; unbeknownst to his parents, who thought he was still pursuing his degree. After breaking into radio comedy, he became the head writer and script editor on the 1980s satirical puppet show "Spitting Image". He co-wrote the novelty hit "The Chicken Song", which topped the British charts for three weeks in 1986, and he has also published several novels. We spoke to Doug about breaking into the world of comedy, creating "Red Dwarf" and his new children's novel, "Sin Bin Island".  In addition to the standard audio format, the podcast is now available in video. You can check us out on YouTube under Always Take Notes.  Join us on April 21st as we interview Michael Morpurgo at the Lantern Theatre in Bristol. You can get your tickets here.  We've made another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We've added 40 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the BBC. The whole compendium now runs to a whopping 160 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new signs-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (seven are left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a monthly call with Simon and Rachel.A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waterstones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Toronto Sceptres players Claire Dalton and Raygan Kirk share a love of reading, so they decided to start a team book club. They join the show to discuss how the club works, balancing meetings with a busy PWHL schedule and what they're currently reading. Plus, writer and critic Jason Guriel on what makes the perfect book blurb and Canadian legend Fefe Dobson shares which book has been inspiring her lately.Books discussed on this week's show include:The Secret Lives of Murderer's Wives by Elizabeth ArnottGod of the Woods by Liz MooreWhere the Crawdads Sing by Delia OwensA Complicated Kindness by Miriam ToewsGone Before Goodbye by Harlan Coben and Reese WitherspoonLinda McCartney: Life in Photographs by Annie Leibovitz and Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks

Rachel and Simon speak with the author and academic Mary Beard. Mary is a professor emerita of classics at Cambridge University and the Classics editor of the Times Literary Supplement. She has written more than 20 books, including "Pompeii" (the winner of the Wolfson History Prize in 2008), "Confronting the Classics", "SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome" and "Women & Power: A Manifesto". Several of her titles have been bestsellers and her work has been published in more than 35 languages. Mary has also presented many television documentaries, such as "Meet the Romans with Mary Beard" and "Inside Culture". She is a fellow of the British Academy and in 2018 she received a damehood for "services to the study of classical civilisations". We spoke to Mary about her early interest in learning Latin and Greek; moving from an academic career to writing and broadcasting for a wider audience; and her new book, "Talking Classics". Join us on April 21st as we interview Michael Morpurgo at the Lantern Theatre in Bristol. You can get your tickets via Live Nation.  We've made another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We've added 40 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the BBC. The whole compendium now runs to a whopping 160 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new signs-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (seven are left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a monthly call with Simon and Rachel. A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waterstones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Send a textEpisode 105: Do It ScaredYou'll thank yourself later.It's Stephanie here, and this message is one that I've needed to hear for sure!I wrestle so often with my own fears of showing up and allowing myself to be vulnerable with my writing process, or even just being myself. At the end of the day, there's nothing better than being yourself and finding the people who love all the parts of you. It's what writing does and especially the community we've built here with the podcast. Just check out the incredible panelists we've brought together for our Memoir Summit here.There's so much power in taking the scary step to move yourself forward. James Clear in his book Atomic Habits talks about doing something just 1% better each day. When it's put that way it doesn't sound so scary. It's hitting send on the email you've been meaning to send to the book coach you know will help you finish your manuscript. It's posting on social media about what you're working on or something you've thought about that can help others. Whatever it is, it's one simple step. This is what I have to keep reminding myself of and also remembering how I feel when I hit send on that email or post to social media. On this week's podcast, Elizabeth and I talk about the importance of “doing it scared.” There will be so many moments along the way when you'll want to hesitate. You'll doubt yourself. These feelings are SO normal. You're not alone. We need these reminders as much as you do, and it's why we show up to share what's real about being a writer on our podcast. Your brain will love the hit of dopamine you get when you decide to take that step you're scared to take. You never know who you'll meet. What's the worst thing that could happen? Sometimes we have to remind our brains that it's okay. You have a story following you around that's meant to be told. It's what I heard from Reese Witherspoon on her recent book tour for Gone Before Goodbye with Harlan Coben. She had an idea, she'd never written a book (even though she's done so many other amazing things), and she knew it needed to be in the hands of readers. What did she do?She “did it scared.” She connected with people who knew how to help her, and yes, she has amazing connections, but you can too when you start finding your way. Our podcast is here for you to connect with us, but  Welcome to the Inspired Writer Collective podcast. If you've ever felt the pull to write your truth, to shape the chaos of real life into something meaningful and to share your journey with the world, you're in the right place. We're your hosts, Elizabeth and Stephanie, writers, coaches, and entrepreneurs who believe in you and know how important it is to find a writing community to guide you on your path to self-publishing. Stay until the end of the episode to learn about our Virtual Memoir Summit on March 14, 2026. Join our Embodied Writing Experience where you'll get a writer's retreat directly to your inbox on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays each week. This is an invitation to slow down, tune in, and write with embodied intention. Get on the waitlist for the Memoir Master Plan cohort here. Apply to join the Finish Your First Draft in 90 Days program here. If you prefer to watch our conversations, you can find all of them on our YouTube channel. You can find us on Instagram and Threads

Simon and Rachel speak to Jacques Testard, the founder and publisher of Fitzcarraldo Editions, an independent house based in London that, since its establishment in 2014, has won four Nobel Prizes for literature. Jacques's Nobel winners are Svetlana Alexievich (2015), Olga Tokarczuk (2018), Annie Ernaux (2022) and Jon Fosse (2023). Prior to setting up Fitzcarraldo, Jacques co-founded The White Review, a literary magazine launched in 2011. He's also published work by Claire-Louise Bennett, Jon Lee Anderson and Fernanda Melchor. We spoke to Jacques about setting up Fitzcarraldo and releasing its first book in 2014, its extraordinary success with literary prizes, including the Nobel, and the economics of running a small publishing house.In addition to the standard audio format, the podcast is now available in video. You can check us out on YouTube under Always Take Notes.  Join us on April 21st as we interview Michael Morpurgo at the Lantern Theatre in Bristol. You can get your tickets here.  We've made another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We've added 40 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the BBC. The whole compendium now runs to a whopping 160 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new signs-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (seven are left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a monthly call with Simon and Rachel. A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waterstones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

En este episodio exploramos la novela Sin decir adiós de Harlan Coben y Reese Whiterspoon una historia cargada de suspenso, secretos familiares y giros inesperados. Hablamos sobre los personajes principales, sus motivaciones y cómo la narrativa mantiene al lector al filo del asiento. Especialmente la protagonista quien tiene que realizar un trabajo especial en otro pais, con un personaje enigmatico. Reese Witherspoon debuta como autora, aportando su voz única a la historia y guiándote a través de los acontecimientos que se desarrollan en la novela. Por otro lado, esta la colaboración de Harlan Coben, un escritor de renombre conocido por sus exitosas adaptaciones de novelas, que te mantiene enganchado hasta el final con su estilo de escritura.  Te dejamos el enlace para mas informacion de esta novela,  Sin Decir AdiósSi gustas escucharnos en nuestro contenido de Patreon no dudes en acompañarnos por esos rumbos lectores.Recuerda que si gustas apoyarnos en nuestras lecturas y reseñas, lo puedes realizar mediante: ☕️ Paypal o a través de nuestras redes sociales o correo electrónico.También te agradeceríamos

In this episode Rachel and Simon speak to Nicole Vanderbilt, managing director of Bookshop.org in the UK. She joined Bookshop - an online bookseller set up to financially support independent bookshops - at its launch in November 2020; since then it has raised almost £5 million for over 600 local retailers. As well as selling physical books, Bookshop.org sells e-books and plans to launch audiobooks in 2026. It also offers a trade-in scheme, called Bookloop, for secondhand books. We spoke to Nicole about Bookshop's status as the "ethical alternative to Amazon", how her background in finance and tech has shaped her approach to publishing, and about the challenges of getting people to read. In addition to the standard audio format, the podcast is now available in video. You can check us out on YouTube under Always Take Notes. We've made another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We've added 40 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the BBC. The whole compendium now runs to a whopping 160 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new signs-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (seven are left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a monthly call with Simon and Rachel. A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waterstones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

De koppige student journalistiek Tessel de Maat onderzoekt de mysterieuze dood van een schipper in de sluis van Muiden. Voor de lezers van Mathijs deen en Harlan Coben. Uitgegeven door Loft Books Spreker: Jantine van den Bosch

The late 2000's were chock-a-block with Winnie-the-Pooh projects.  In addition to this week's Hot Date 2017 film Goodbye Christopher Robin starring Domhnall Gleason, Margot Robbie and Kelly Macdonald, there was another biopic with Ewan McGregor, several animated features and numerous documentaries.   Dan and Vicky discuss the Simon Curtis directed biopic on writer A. A Milne's creation of the Winnie-the-Pooh stories and the toll it took on his family along with some recently seen items like Primate, The Plague, The Secret Agent, and Harlan Coben's Run Away on Netflix. Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast X: @HotDate726

An unforgettable suspense novel. Get all the news you need by listening to WBZ - Boston's News Radio! We're here for you, 24/7. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In an episode recorded live at EA Festival, Simon and Rachel speak with the science writer Frank Close. Frank is emeritus professor of theoretical physics at the University of Oxford and is the only professional scientist to have won the Association of British Science Writers Prize on three occasions. His 22 books include "The Cosmic Onion", "Trinity" and "Elusive". Frank is also a fellow of the Royal Society and winner of their Michael Faraday Prize for excellence in science communication. We spoke to Frank about the challenges of writing about physics for a lay audience, his fascination with the history of nuclear weapons, and his latest book, "Destroyer of Worlds".  Alongside listening to us in audio as usual, the podcast is now available on video. You can check us out on YouTube under Always Take Notes. We've made another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We've added 40 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the BBC. The whole compendium now runs to a whopping 160 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new sign-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (seven are left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a monthly call with Simon and Rachel.A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waterstones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the Quick Book Reviews Podcast, I'm joined by bestselling author Robert Thorogood for a fascinating conversation about crime writing, storytelling, and moving between screen and page.We talk about his approach to mystery, what keeps readers turning pages, and how he builds characters and plots that really last.Alongside the interview, I'm also reviewing three very different books: Gone For Goodbye by Harlan Coben & Reese Witherspoon, The Choral by Alan Bennett, and Esther Is Now Following You by Tanya Sweeney.Whether you're looking for your next great read or love hearing authors talk about their craft, there's something here for you.Books discussed include crime fiction, literary fiction, and contemporary memoir, with recommendations for readers who enjoy compelling storytelling and strong voices.You can buy Robert Thorogood's book here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16356/9780008567415You can contact Philippa at: Email quickbookreviews@outlook.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/quick_book_reviewsThreads: @quick_book_reviewsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@quickbookreviewsX: https://x.com/quickbookrevie3Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/quickbookreviews.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back at full capacity (60% of normal human capacity)!!!!It's so good and cool to be alive right now! Everything is the best!!!!!!!!!~!!! We LIKE it here!Some things we're seeing that make us feel regular:A grandpa on TiktokListening back to unmedicated LindyHarlan Coban's entire oeuvreAnd we're revisiting the beloved segment Whatcha Watchin' (PS - call to Jingleheimers! We need a Whatcha Watchin' jingle!!!). We're watching Harlan Coben's slop, and we want to know which of his works YOU are slurpin' up. Write in at deartextmeback@gmail.com!Plus: who might be accidentally watchin' Lindy's butt? Tune in to find out! And last but not least…we're soft launching a spinoff?? We want to protect your right to disassociate from reality, so let us know if you would enjoy a bonus episode of all (or at least most) things political? I guess comment with your thoughts or let us know in the discord or text us at (703) 829-0003?? If true, we must also kindly request a Swamp Person jingle

Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat, spoke with "CBS Mornings" Tuesday, criticizing the Trump administration when addressing the U.S. involvement in Venezuela and what could happen next. He also says, Sec. Pete Hegseth's threat to demote and censure him is about "stifling people's speech." Ian Bremmer, president of the geopolitical risk consultancy firm the Eurasia Group, joins "CBS Mornings" to discuss the group's annual top risks report. It analyzes the top 10 geopolitical risks facing the world in the coming year. Just hours before news broke of the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, an anonymous user on a prediction market placed a high-dollar wager that he'd be out of power soon. The well-timed bet is raising questions about national security. Jo Ling Kent reports. Bestselling author Arthur C. Brooks, a Harvard professor and social scientist who teaches the science of happiness, speaks about resetting for 2026 and creating positive goals. Author and poet Fanta Ballo self-published her book "For All The Things I Never Got To Say" in 2021 when she was just 19 years old. Ballo speaks about the inspiration for her writing and her message to young writers. Comedian Nikki Glaser was the first woman to host the Golden Globes solo last year. She's returning to host the awards show again on Sunday. Glaser speaks to "CBS Mornings" about her preparation for the show. Harlan Coben has written many bestselling mystery novels, but now he's ditching fiction for real life cases in a new CBS series. "Harlan Coben's Final Twist" dives into true crime murder mysteries. He speaks to "CBS Mornings" about making the switch and challenges along the way. Tony Dokoupil gives a preview as "CBS Evening News" hits the road for the two-week tour, "Live from America" starting Tuesday. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rachel and Simon speak to the playwright, screenwriter and novelist Moira Buffini. After training as an actor, Moira started writing for the stage; her plays include "Gabriel" (which won the Meyer-Whitworth Award in 1998), "Dinner" (nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Comedy in 2003) and "Handbagged" (winner of an Olivier Award in 2014). In 2003 Moira became a founding member of The Monsterists, a group of British writers who campaigned for "big, imaginative plays rather than naturalistic soap-opera dramas". Moira has also written extensively for film ("Jane Eyre", "The Dig") and television ("Harlots"). In 2024 Moira published "Songlight", her debut novel and the first in a trilogy for young adults; it won the YA Book Prize in 2025. We spoke to Moira about her early work in theatre, writing for the screen and her dystopian book series, "The Torch Trilogy". Alongside listening to us in audio as usual, the podcast is now available on video. You can check us out on YouTube under Always Take Notes. We've made another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We've added 40 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the BBC. The whole compendium now runs to a whopping 160 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new sign-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (seven are left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a monthly call with Simon and Rachel.A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waterstones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Merry New Year! Yes, it's 2026 and — after years of hectoring from Boyd — we have a New Year episode of Pilot TV for your listening pleasure (one that may or may not have been recorded before we broke for Christmas). We tackle all the big New Year's Day shows this episode, from Tom Hiddleston's return (10 years later) to the role of Jonathan Pine in The Night Manager's long awaited second series on BBC1, Harlan Coben's latest mystery Run Away on Netflix, and the return of Red Eye on ITV. Plus Erin Doherty and Malachi Kirby drop by to talk A Thousand Blows Season 2. What more could you possibly ask?(Episode 369)

Scott Bryan, Hayley Campbell and Naga Munchetty review the week's biggest new TV and streaming releases, as well as looking ahead to some of their most anticipated shows of the year. This week the trio looked at 'Run Away', a new eight-part series on Netflix. The story is an adaptation of Harlan Coben's novel about a father who is accused of murdering the homeless boyfriend of his daughter who ran away from home.Next, BBC Drama 'Waiting for the Out' which follows philosophy teacher Dan (Josh Finan) who agrees to teach a group of men in prison. Finally, the return of 'The Night Manager' for a second season on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, eight years after the original – we catch up with Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston) who is settling into his new role as an intelligence officer with MI6. Remember you can Email mustwatch@bbc.co.uk to have your say.

Min 2: STRANGER THINGS: AL FINAL DE TODAS LAS COSAS (4 estrellas) El capítulo de Estamos de Cine dedicado al análisis y valoración del emotivo y esperado final de Stranger Things aborda, con mirada crítica y periodística, el cierre de una de las series más influyentes de la última década, creada por los hermanos Duffer y protagonizada por Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, David Harbour, Winona Ryder y Gaten Matarazzo. Desde la épica conclusión del enfrentamiento con Vecna hasta la despedida íntima de Hawkins y de unos personajes que han crecido con su público, el programa repasa los aciertos narrativos, el pulso emocional y las decisiones creativas que marcan este desenlace, sin eludir sus irregularidades ni el peso de la nostalgia como motor dramático. Un análisis que valora el equilibrio entre espectáculo y emoción, la madurez de sus protagonistas y el legado cultural de una serie que supo convertir el homenaje ochentero en fenómeno generacional. Min 32: AMADEUS (SKYSHOWTIME) 3 estrellas La ambiciosa miniserie histórica de SkyShowtime basada en la obra de Peter Shaffer, abordamos con mirada crítica y periodística cómo esta reinterpretación televisiva de la vida y rivalidad entre Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Will Sharpe), Antonio Salieri (Paul Bettany) y Constanze Weber (Gabrielle Creevy) trasciende el homenaje para construir un drama de época contemporáneo y emocionalmente intenso. El análisis repasa los aciertos de la producción —desde la dirección y la composición musical de Bryce Derrner hasta la caracterización dramática de Sharpe y Bettany— y cómo el guion de Joe Barton equilibra la genialidad creativa con los demonios personales y las tensiones de una Viena del siglo XVIII vibrante y compleja. Min 38: RUNAWAY (EN FUGA) NETFLIX, 3,5 estrellas Ambiciosa miniserie de suspense británica de Netflix basada en la novela homónima de Harlan Coben, que se estrenó globalmente el 1 de enero de 2026. Protagonizada por James Nesbitt como Simon Greene, Ruth Jones (Elena Ravenscroft), Minnie Driver (Ingrid Greene), Alfred Enoch (Isaac Fagbenle) y Ellie de Lange (Paige Greene), la serie arranca cuando la vida aparentemente perfecta de una familia se desmorona tras la repentina desaparición de la hija mayor y los secretos oscuros empiezan a aflorar en cada rincón de su entorno social y personal. Min 47: AVANCE SERIES TOP 2026 En esa entrega de Estamos de Cine Edición Series, la crítica de Hobby Consolas Raquel Hernández nos adelanta algunos de los títulos televisivos más esperados de 2026, desglosando un catálogo de títulos como Euphoria (temporada 3), El caballero de los siete reinos, Blade Runner 2099, la reinterpretación serie-noir de Spider-Man, la esperada Separación 3, Ted Lasso o la nueva temporada de Bridgerton.

With the Winter Olympics 35 days away, an exclusive reveal of the Team USA Hockey teams.  Also, Harlan Coben discusses his new Netflix series based on his book of the same name, "Run Away". Plus, tips and tricks to help you stick to your New Year's resolutions. And, a look at the most exciting places to travel in 2026. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The new year is here and Netflix is back teaming up with Harlan Coben for another British thriller. This time, in Run Away, we've got James Nesbitt front and center as Simon, a distraught father searching for his missing daughter. Danger seems to lurk around every corner. After watching the 50-minute first episode, "Seeing is Believing," and reading the book, we dig into what this adaptation brings to the table and how the story translates from Central Park to the UK. On the podcast, way we talk comparisons, plot breakdown, favorite moments, nitpicks, cliffhangers, red herrings, and overall reception, along with our ultimate rating.Tune in, and welcome to Today's Episode!

Despedimos el 2025 en formato podcast repasando las claves de todo un año de cine sin olvidarnos de escuchar en La Música Clásica De Nuestro Tiempo con Iker González Urresti el imprescindible top de mejores BSO del 2025. En Leer cine, la biblioteca sonora de Carlos López-Tapia, “Te encontraré” de Harlan Coben. In Memoriam dedicado al actor Celso Bugallo y las apuestas de Colgados de la plataforma completan un programa en el que os deseamos todo lo mejor para el año que estamos a punto de recibir. Mary Carmen Rodríguez a los mandos técnicos. ¡Muchas gracias por escucharnos!

Simon and Rachel speak to the novelist Salman Rushdie, whose 17 works of fiction have been translated into over 40 languages. Salman's novels include include "Midnight's Children" – for which he won the Booker Prize in 1981, the Booker of Bookers on the 25th anniversary of the prize, and Best of the Booker on the 40th anniversary –  "Shame", "The Satanic Verses" and "The Ground Beneath her Feet". He has also written five works of non-fiction, including a memoir, "Joseph Anton", about living under a fatwa imposed in 1989 by Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini in response to "The Satanic Verses", and "Knife", his meditation after he was attacked on stage while giving a lecture in the US in 2022. We spoke to Salman about returning to writing after the 2022 attack, his earlier experience living under the fatwa, and his new collection of stories, "The Eleventh Hour".  In addition to the standard audio format, the podcast is now available in video. You can check us out on YouTube under Always Take Notes.  We've made another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We've added 40 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the BBC. The whole compendium now runs to a whopping 160 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new signs-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (seven are left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a monthly call with Simon and Rachel. A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waterstones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We have the thriller King joining us this week, international bestseller, Harlan Coben! You'll find all his books in stores worldwide, and now his TV series are taking the world by storm on Netflix. His latest series 'Run Away' also stars multiple previous guests of the podcast (James Nesbitt, Ruth Jones & Minnie Driver), and it's gripping from start to the end! Mum was in love with Harlan from the moment he walked through the door. We discussed his writing process, his love of Bruce Springsteen, growing up in New Jersey and his mum being a terrible cook, writing ‘Gone Before Goodbye' with Reese Witherspoon, his iconic Thanksgiving bagel party, and how his lead character Myron Bolitar is very much based on himself! Harlan's new series ‘Run Away' is released globally on Netflix on 1st January - don't miss it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, recorded live at Wimbledon BookFest, Rachel and Simon speak to the novelist Michelle Paver. Born in Nyasaland (now Malawi) to a South African father and Belgian mother, Michelle moved to Britain when she was three. After studying biochemistry at university, Michelle initially pursued a career as a solicitor, but later gave up her job as partner in a law firm to pursue writing. She published her debut novel, "Without Charity", in 2000, and followed it up with a romance novel, "A Place in the Hills" in 2001. In 2004 Michelle published "Wolf Brother", a children's story set in prehistoric times; it was the first instalment in a nine-book series which has sold more than 3 million copies to date. Michelle has since published another children's series, set in the Bronze Age, as well as bestselling novels for adults. We spoke to Michelle about moving from biochemistry to the law to a literary career, writing the "Wolf Brother" series, and her latest book, "Rainforest". In addition to the standard audio format, the podcast is now available in video. You can check us out on YouTube under Always Take Notes.  We've made another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We've added 40 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the BBC. The whole compendium now runs to a whopping 160 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new signs-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (seven are left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a monthly call with Simon and Rachel. A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waterstones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode Simon and Rachel speak to the prolific novelist Anthony Horowitz.  Anthony is the author of the teen spy Alex Rider series, which has sold more than 19 million copies worldwide. The books have been adapted into a film and a show on Amazon Prime Video. Anthony has also written two continuation novels for Sherlock Holmes, "The House of Silk" and "Moriarty"; three for James Bond, "Trigger Mortis", "Forever and a Day" and "With a Mind to Kill"; and mystery novels featuring book editor Susan Ryeland and Detective Daniel Hawthorne. Anthony has also written extensively for television, where he created the ITV series "Foyle's War", "Collision" and "Injustice" and the BBC series "Crime Traveller" and "New Blood". We spoke to Anthony about moving from advertising to children's books and TV and then on to adult novels, his breakthrough with Alex Rider, and his latest book, "Marble Hall Murders". In addition to the standard audio format, the podcast is now available in video. You can check us out on YouTube under Always Take Notes.  We've made another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We've added 40 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the BBC. The whole compendium now runs to a whopping 160 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new signs-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (seven are left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a monthly call with Simon and Rachel. A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waterstones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Warning: if you liked this book, you're probably not going to like this episode. The Buddies spent 45 minutes trashing Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben's new book collaboration "Gone Before Goodbye". A book so spectacularly bad that the Buddies are considering picketing Barnes & Noble. This literary dumpster fire had all the hallmarks of a ChatGPT fever dream: nonsensical plot twists, a plastic surgeon performing expert heart surgery, even the clever character names like "Pork Chop" and "Cinderblock" couldn't save this one. So grab your Thumper 7 artificial heart, practice your most unrealistic dialogue, and join the other Buddies/listeners who can appreciate a good 0.5-star review. Fool us once, Reese - never gonna fool us again. Intro/Book Report (0:00-3:52)Stock Up/Down (3:53-34:15)Favorite Scene/Character (34:16-39:46)Love/Hate (39:47-44:37)Conclusion (44:38-48:18)NEXT BOOK: The Will of the Many by James Islington

In this episode Rachel and Simon speak to the American novelist Susan Choi. Born in Indiana to a Korean father and Jewish mother, Susan is the author of six novels: "The Foreign Student" (1998), "American Woman" (2003), "A Person of Interest" (2008), "My Education" (2013), "Trust Exercise" (2019) and "Flashlight" (2025). In 2004 "American Woman" was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and in 2019 "Trust Exercise" won the National Book Award for Fiction. (It was also a bestseller in America and picked by Barack Obama as one of his books of the year.) "Flashlight" was shortlisted for this year's Booker Prize. We spoke to Susan about working as a fact-checker at the New Yorker, the role of literary prizes and about turning "Flashlight" from a short story into a novel.  In addition to the standard audio format, the podcast is now available in video. You can check us out on YouTube under Always Take Notes.  We've made another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We've added 40 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the BBC. The whole compendium now runs to a whopping 160 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new signs-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (seven are left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a monthly call with Simon and Rachel. A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waterstones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Buddies are once again revisiting their old pal Vince Flynn, in his 2003 thriller "Executive Power". This one had all the elements of a classic Mitch Rapp novel: fast paced, action packed, and a shockingly detailed description of Rapp's "tan scar-dappled muscly torso" that definitely moved something (in George Costanza's words). The Buddies got to chatting about whether this was actually a David book disguised as a Mitch book, how Austin Powers is definitely still alive and working for MI6, and the critical importance of Mitch lying to his wife for national security reasons. So crack open a Miller Lite, practice your sniper calculations with wind speed and dew point, and join the other disciplined listeners who ask for forgiveness not permission when downloading this pod.Intro/Book Report (0:00-3:05)Stock Up/Down (3:06-32:42)Favorite Scene/Character (32:43-36:46)Love/Hate (36:47-45:59)Conclusion (46:00-48:58)NEXT BOOK: Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon & Harlan Coben

Today's episode features two new crime thrillers written by big names. First, Harlan Coben says he stopped in his tracks when Reese Witherspoon asked to collaborate on a novel. In today's episode, the co-authors speak with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly about their collaboration on Gone Before Goodbye. Then, I Love Dick author Chris Kraus took an autofiction approach to her crime novel The Four Spent the Day Together. In an interview with NPR's Elissa Nadworny, Kraus describes the protagonist as “me at the moment of the story.”To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookofthedayLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Reese Witherspoon (Gone Before Goodbye, The Morning Show, Big Little Lies) is an Emmy, Golden Globe, and Academy Award-winning actor and producer. Reese joins the Armchair Expert to discuss growing up on a military base in Germany, being surprisingly not cautious when her kids want to chase adrenaline, and originally thinking that acting was a hobby to pay the bills. Reese and Dax talk about her theory on dating and the decline in romcoms, refusing to read during her audition for Election while in character as Tracy Flick, and her experience hosting the first SNL back after 9/11. Reese explains why women make movie stars of men, cowriting her novel Gone Before Goodbye with Harlan Coben, and how her edges have softened over the course of her life.Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is this horror thriller scary enough? Are we ready to watch Laz solve cold cases? And what's the best pace for a pilot episode? Tune in to find out!Edited with thanks to Playlyst StudiosConnect with us:  Buy us a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/thepilotpodcast | Visit us at thepilotpodcast.com | Email us at askthepilotpodcast@gmail.com | Follow us @ThePilotPod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok | Please leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts

In this episode Simon and Rachel speak to the novelist Dean Koontz. The author of over 120 books, Dean is published in 38 countries and has sold 500m copies to date. His suspense thrillers blend science fiction, horror, crime and comedy. Fourteen of Dean's novels - including "One Door Away From Heaven", "The Bad Place" and "77 Shadow Street" - have reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. His titles have also been major bestsellers in countries as diverse as Japan and Sweden. Many of his books, including "Whispers," "Demon Seed" and "Odd Thomas", have been made into films too. We spoke to Dean about the role of books as an escape during a difficult childhood, the challenges of navigating agents and editors, especially early in his career, and his latest novel, "Going Home in the Dark". Alongside listening to us in audio as usual, the podcast is now available on video. You can check us out, and get a glimpse of Dean's adorable golden retriever, on YouTube under Always Take Notes.  We've made another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We've added 40 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the BBC. The whole compendium now runs to a whopping 160 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new signs-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (seven are left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a monthly call with Simon and Rachel. A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waterstones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Actor Reese Witherspoon on why she's teamed up with thriller writer Harlan Coben to write a novel called Gone Before Goodbye, about a struck-off army surgeon who uncovers a global conspiracy. Colin Farrell discusses his new film Ballad of a Small Player, about a gambler on the verge of losing everything, which is directed by Oscar winner Edward Berger. What is the best amount of time to look at a work of art? Professor Jennifer Roberts from Harvard University has the answer. Today University Academic Richard Taylor was awarded "substantial damages" after a court ruled the portrayal of him in a Steve Coogan film about the discovery of a Richard III's remains did have a defamatory meaning. We talk to Richard about his win.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Harry Graham

Hollywood star Reese Witherspoon and best-selling author Harlan Coben talk to Brendan about their joint novel – a thriller about an army surgeon who uses her skills to conduct questionable operations for supremely wealthy, international clients... Gone Before Goodbye.

Coming up on today's Movie Show, Andy and Rachel review  - Regretting You - Centers on the strained relationship between young mother Morgan Grant and her teenage daughter Clara, exacerbated by Morgan's husband Chris's tragic death, forcing them to navigate life's challenges together. Mack Wilberg and Kelly Taylor with The Tabernacle Choir join the show to announce their special Christmas musical concert guest!    They will also review Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, Blue Moon, Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc, Shelby Oaks, Frankenstein, and Last Days.  Andy and Rachel will mention the Netflix movie, A House of Dynamite - When a single, unattributed missile is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible and how to respond. They will also review Stiller & Meara: Nothing Lost on Apple TV+.  In addition, they will look at streaming series like  Harlan Coben's Lazarus(Prime Video), Mob War: Philadelphia VS The Mafia(Netflix), Allen Iv3rson(Prime Video), Nobody Wants This S2(Netflix), and LEGO Disney Frozen: Operation Puffins on Disney+.  Here are some honorable mentions:       

Chris caught up with Hollywood star Reese Witherspoon and author Harlan Coben as they talked about their new book Gone Before Goodbye - which has already become a New York Times number 1 best seller. They take a deep dive into the writing process and discuss how they worked together as a team.Join Chris and the Class Behind The Glass every morning from 6.30am for laughs with the listeners and the greatest guests. Listen on your smart speaker, just say: "Play Virgin Radio." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have a Lazarus double bill this week as both showrunner Harlan Coben and Star Bill Nighy drop by for separate (but thematically connected) chats about the new Prime Video thriller (which is embargoed, so we'll be reviewing it on Pilot+). Plus we go abseiling with Lauren Lyle in The Ridge on BBC2, head back to posh Victorian England with The Forsytes on Channel 5, and get a little ASMR from Julia Roberts in Leonard And Hungry Paul on BBC2. Elsewhere, Kay enquires as to just what it takes to make us all stop watching a show, and James issues a public apology. (Episode 359)

Reese Witherspoon stops by to catch up and discuss teaming up with best-selling author Harlan Coben to write her first novel, Gone Before Goodbye. Also, a celebration of the first release from Jenna's publishing imprint — and how the novel came to life in a very special way. Plus, Kimberly Schlapman joins to talk about a cause close to her heart, performing at the Emmys, and more. And, a few tomato trends anyone can get behind. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The popular online game, Roblox, is being sued by multiple state attorneys general, who claim online predators can groom, extort and exploit kids they meet on the platform. In an exclusive interview with CBS News, a father says his son became a victim, despite using the game's parental controls. The chief safety officer at Roblox said the platform has rolled out over 100 new safety features this year, adding, "we take every case of harm extremely seriously." "Podcrushed" hosts Penn Badgley, Sophie Ansari and Nava Kavelin join "CBS Mornings" to discuss their new book "Crushmore," a collection of personal essays about adolescence, friendship and growing up. Oprah Winfrey called Megha Majumdar one of her favorite authors, praising "A Guardian and a Thief" as a novel unlike any other. Winfrey selected it as her latest book club pick. Set in Kolkata, India, the story follows two families fighting to protect their children amid climate change and scarcity. The popular online game, Roblox, is being sued by multiple state attorneys general, who claim online predators can groom, extort and exploit kids they meet on the platform. In an exclusive interview with CBS News, a father says his son became a victim, despite using the game's parental controls. The chief safety officer at Roblox said the platform has rolled out over 100 new safety features this year, adding, "we take every case of harm extremely seriously." Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon and bestselling author Harlan Coben join "CBS Mornings" to discuss their new thriller, "Gone Before Goodbye." The book marks Witherspoon's debut as a novelist and Coben's first collaboration, following an Army surgeon entangled in a web of spies, lies and personal struggles. New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds joins "CBS Mornings" to discuss "Coach," the latest addition to his popular "Track" series. The new story explores the childhood of Coach Otis Brody, a boy with dreams of Olympic glory. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rachel and Simon speak to the novelist Sarah Perry. Sarah is the internationally bestselling author of four novels - "After Me Comes the Flood" (2014), "The Essex Serpent" (2016), "Melmoth" (2018) and "Enlightenment" (2024) - as well as two works of non-fiction, "Essex Girls" (2020) and "Death of an Ordinary Man" (2025). Waterstone's and the British Book Awards both named "The Essex Serpent" Book of the Year and in 2022 Apple TV+ adapted the novel into a mini-series starring Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston. Sarah's work has been nominated for major literary prizes including the Women's Prize for Fiction, the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Folio Prize and the Costa Novel Award. We spoke to Sarah about growing up in a Strict Baptist household, her breakout success with "The Essex Serpent", and her latest novel, "Enlightenment".We've made another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We've added 40 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the BBC. The whole compendium now runs to a whopping 160 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new signs-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (seven are left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a monthly call with Simon and Rachel.A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waterstones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.You can find us online at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠alwaystakenotes.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on Twitter @takenotesalways and on Instagram @alwaystakenotes. Always Take Notes is presented by Simon Akam and Rachel Lloyd, and produced by Artemis Irvine. Our music is by Jessica Dannheisser and our logo was designed by James Edgar.

Sarina's second thriller is now out. It's a twisty thriller with a single-mom protagonist and some deep, dark secrets. It's called Dying to Meet You and it is creepy in the best possible way. In this episode, Jennie interviews Sarina about the new book, and about the difference between writing romance and writing thrillers. You may think that's obvious, but Sarina has recently shifted into writing thrillers and she has such a nuanced understanding about what it all means. She gets into what defines a genre, how you have to honor your readers expectations, and the different ways you hold tension when telling a story. It's a masterclass in genre.Books mentioned:Dying to Meet You, Sarina BowenSarina's other thriller, The Five Year LieThe Guest List, Lucy Foley On a Quiet Street, Seraphina Nova Glass Rowan Gallagher is a devoted single mother and a talented architect with a high-profile commission restoring an historic mansion for the most powerful family in Maine. But inside, she's a mess. She knows that stalking her ex's avatar all over Portland on her phone isn't the healthiest way to heal from their breakup. But she's out of ice cream and she's sick of romcoms.Watching his every move is both fascinating and infuriating. He's dining out while she's wallowing on the couch. The last straw comes when he parks in their favorite spot on the waterfront. In a weak moment, she leashes the dog and sets off to see who else is in his car.Instead of catching her ex in a kiss, Rowan becomes the first witness to his murder—and the primary suspect.Digital books at: Amazon | Nook | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | AudiblePhysical books at: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indigo | More paperback links here!Transcript below!EPISODE 459 - TRANSCRIPTKJ Dell'AntoniaListeners who I know are also readers—have I got a summer book for you. If you haven't yet ordered Dying to Meet You, Sarina Bowen's latest thriller with just enough romance, you have to. So let me lay this out for you. Rowan Gallagher is a devoted single mother and a talented architect with a high-profile commission restoring a historic mansion for the most powerful family in Maine, but inside, she's a mess. She knows stalking her ex's avatar all over Portland on her phone isn't the healthiest way to heal from their breakup, but she's out of ice cream and she's sick of rom-coms. Watching his every move is both fascinating and infuriating. He's dining out while she's wallowing on the couch. The last straw comes when he parks in their favorite spot on the waterfront. In a weak moment, she leashes the dog and sets off to see who else is in his car. But instead of catching her ex in a kiss, Rowan becomes the first witness to his murder—and the primary suspect. But Rowan isn't the only one keeping secrets. As she digs for the truth, she discovers that the dead man was stalking her too, gathering intimate details about her job and her past. Struggling to clear her name, Rowan finds herself spiraling into the shadowy plot that killed him. Will she be the next to die? You're going to love this. I've had a sneak preview, and I think we all know that The Five Year Lie was among the very best reads and listens of last summer. Dying to Meet You is available in every format and anywhere that you buy books. And you could grab your copy—and you absolutely should—right now.Multiple SpeakersIs it recording? Now it's recording. Yay! Go ahead. This is the part where I stare blankly at the microphone. Try to remember what I'm supposed to be doing. All right, let's start over. Awkward pause. I'm going to rustle some papers. Okay. Now, one, two, three.Jennie NashHey, writers, I'm Jennie Nash, and this is the Hashtag AmWriting Podcast, the place where we talk about writing all the things—short things, long things, fiction, non-fiction, pitches, and proposals. I'm here today to talk to our own Sarina Bowen. Her newest thriller, Dying to Meet You, just came out a few weeks ago, and I've been dying to talk to Sarina about the way she's been switching back and forth between romance and thriller. This is her second thriller. The last one came out last year. That one's called The Five Year Lie. And so we're just here to talk about genre, and romance, and thriller, and how Sarina does it—this back-and-forth kind of code switching between genres. So, welcome, Sarina.Sarina BowenThank you. It's always fun to talk about genre. It's my favorite thing.Jennie NashWell, I just was really struck when I was reading. I've been reading your romances for so long, and you have so many of them, and you're so good at them, and...Sarina BowenWell, thank you.Jennie NashAnd then here we have an entirely new genre that you have entered into in a really big way. And it's not—so this is not about, how do you come up with your idea, or how did you do it? Or—I mean, all those are great questions. We love those. And I've heard you talk about those other places. But what I want to try to get at here is this idea—really, what is genre? So when you think about that, you're sitting down to start one or this other. What do you think about, like, what are the things that—genre? What does the genre mean to you?Sarina BowenWell, I talk about this a lot when I am discussing my books, which is that I don't find that—that the thriller genre and that the romance genres are all that different. Like, each one of those things makes a promise to the reader and then must deliver it by the last page. It's just that the promise is slightly different between those two things. So in a romance, the reader is promised a satisfactory romantic conclusion to the book. And in a thriller, the reader is promised that whatever mess and confusion is established on page one, that it will be rectified and solved by the end of the book—that the chaos will become at least understanding, if not order. So the thing is that the job of the novelist is kind of the same in both situations, which is, we are going to take the main character on a journey, and she is going to learn some stuff before it's over—or it's not really a novel. Now, to be fair, not every novel is constructed like that and does both of those things. Like what—what makes it feel familiar to me in both cases is that I always write an empathetic main character, and not every author of suspense does this. So there are a lot of really popular suspense novels where you're not sure who to root for, and you don't really like any of the characters. And those books can be really exciting and really well written, and there's a total—a huge audience for that. But that is not what I do in suspense space, and that doesn't make me unique. Like, there are a lot of suspense authors who also operate this way. For example, Harlan Coben and Karin Slaughter write best-selling novels of suspense where you always know who to root for from the first chapter. Like, you are given a main character who is a likable human—a flawed person—but still, like, you know, somebody to root for, and you're rooting for that person until the end of the book. So it's not like this is just my special romance author's twist on it—like, it's a thing. It's just that there are other suspense authors who don't operate under that, you know, scenario. So that's one of the reasons why, to me, like, the job feels kind of similar to writing a romance and writing a suspense the way that I do it. It's just that when I'm writing a suspense, first of all, it takes a lot longer, because a suspense reader is really there to match wits with you, and you have to deliver on—on that experience of paying a lot of attention to where the camera is swinging, and to show them some truths that will turn out to be only half-truths, and to make it a really great ride. Like, the roller coaster of a suspense novel requires more engineering than the roller coaster of a romance, and it can be a lot less linear in construction. And, you know, there are complexities that a romance does not need to—to succeed. So yeah, it's not exactly the same job. But, you know, romance requires on a different level a lot of those same narrative tricks. Like, people love to say that romances are formulaic, and I always want to cry, because if that were true, then it would be so easy. And I—I would spend less time sweating at my keyboard if a romance was formulaic, because then I would know what to do. And it's almost harder to hold the tension when the reader knows you're going to get somewhere satisfying. So, you—you know, you have to make sure that couple has some real issues to work through, and that's hard.Jennie NashYeah, we're going to come back to so many things that you're saying because...Sarina BowenOkay.Jennie NashThis is—this is great. But I want to return to something you said at the very beginning, where you were explaining this, which is the promise to the reader, and this idea of a contract that the writer and the reader enter into. When—when a reader starts a book, there's this promise, there's this expectation, there's—And you—it sounds like what I heard from you, which I just think is so interesting, is a very deep respect for the writer—I mean, for the reader's experience. And is that something that you have as a human, or, you know, like, is it—is that just—does that just come from respect for the time somebody's going to spend and that sort of thing? Or is that respect of the genre?Sarina BowenOh, it's both. I mean, of course, we were all readers before we were writers, and I know what I find frustrating and unsatisfying in a book. So I want to deliver a reader experience that aligns with my most satisfying experiences in—in each genre. And it's such a work in progress. Like, over 10 years of delivering stories, my understanding of what really matters is constantly shifting.Jennie NashOoh, can you say more?Sarina BowenYeah. So—I have the things that I like as a reader. So of course, those are going to figure in heavily. Like, I love a good secret unveiled, no matter what genre I'm reading. Like, a secret in romance that comes out and changes everything is just as satisfying as when that happens in suspense, even though it's less necessary. And each genre has its own bell curve of stakes, let's just say. Like, if you picture a bell curve of stakes—for romance, you could have on the lower end, like a rom-com, where the stakes, you know, are only as large as this couple. And in a thriller, like in an international spy thriller, the stakes could be like, the world might end, or—or a bomb might go off in the middle of Times Square, you know. So there's a bell curve of stakes. And as a—as a writer, I'm not suggesting that you can't, you know, move around on that bell curve and make it work for you. But the two genres—you know, the bell curves are in different spots, and you have to figure out where you are on that gradient of possible results, and then figure out where your stakes are coming from. And I guess what it took me a real—a really long time to learn is how much in control I am of what the reader is paying attention to, and what the reader is focused on, and that the best way to write a novel is almost always to ask yourself, what experience do I want the reader to have? And then figure that out. Like, it's almost like—if you think about roller coaster design, and there's just this really fun video on the WIRED Magazine website with an actual roller coaster designer who shows you how it's done.Jennie NashOh that's very cool. We'll get the link for that in the show notes.Sarina BowenYeah, I'll try to find it. But it makes you think about all these things you don't think about when you're getting on it. Like, your view of getting on a roller coaster is that weird little shed where you step into the car, and you know, you pull on your protective stuff, and you think to yourself, like, whoa, I hope it doesn't fail this time—ha ha ha. And then you experience it, you know. And certain parts of the ride are really predictable, like the initial climb—like, no roller coaster starts without that initial climb—and then the first drop. And, you know, parts of the experience, you—you know before you get on what's going to happen. And then other parts of it are just like, you know, a thrill a minute, like waving you around, and, oh, you didn't see that curve coming. And so, you know, looking at that thing and designing it from the outside to have that experience is something I didn't realize I had to do. Like, as a reader of genre fiction, I just experienced everything like the person getting on the roller coaster at the beginning. And it's taken me, like, a decade to realize that, you know, I have to actually view this thing—like, plan ahead. What—you know, what I want people to feel. Like, where do I want them to cry? Where are we going to laugh? Like, how can we put those two things in the same book? And you know, that—that's the job, and I really like it. But it requires a certain amount of analysis, which is why, when I meet somebody who doesn't plan their books, I'm always, like, stunned. Although, you know, it can—it can work.Jennie NashThat idea of what you want the reader to feel is why we're having this conversation. Because I actually can barely stand to read suspense or thrillers, because I get too scared. I really get into it, and I—I freak myself out, and it's been that way for a very long time. But I really wanted to read yours, because I wanted to see this shift in your professional life, and I wanted to see what all the buzz was about, because people are loving these thrillers. And I thought, oh, I surely can handle this now. But it's so hard for me because—and you do such a good job of making that scary tension so palpable, and that what you feel as the reader. And then I was thinking about why the same thing happens in Sarina's romances. I feel something. You know, you're—there's a tension that you're wanting, a resolution that you're—what—you know, wondering, will they? Will they, you know, declare their love for each other? Will they—whatever the thing is? And it just really struck me that I'm in the hands of somebody who's not manipulating that, but has engineered that form. And so it's curious to hear that you're—that's the work you feel that you do. So can you talk about how that is different from plotting the novel—that emotional engineering, if you will? Or is it?Sarina BowenNo, you're right. It is—it is? Um, so one of the things that I feel I'm pretty good at is establishing empathy early in the book. And I—uh, like I said, there are some thriller authors who write entire books without doing that—like, where you're not sure who you're supposed to like. But to me, that actually seems harder, because if you establish empathy for some characters early on, then the stakes are automatically higher.Jennie NashYeah.Sarina BowenBecause the reader cares about that person.Jennie NashYeah.Sarina BowenAnd I read a book a couple years ago that I thought was so good with this, and it was On a Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass. And she establishes empathy with a character in the prologue, and then chapter one establishes empathy with a different one. And she has this sort of medley of voices that tells this story of something dire happening on a quiet street. And the thing is that she does later—is she really shifts your empathy around, where you care about all these people but you can't—like, because somebody is guilty. So, you know, the length of your empathy is actually going to be snipped in a couple of places, which I think is masterful. And I think it's more masterful than the thriller author who, um, doesn't care if you like anybody but is still delivering, like, big shocks. To me, that just has less emotional resonance, and I care less. But apparently, that's unique to me, because if you look at The New York Times bestseller list, it does not reflect my preference for empathy.Jennie NashSo what do you do to create that empathy? How are you doing that work in the start of the book?Sarina BowenOh, wow, I never think about this.Jennie NashI'm sure you—sure you have an answer, though.Sarina BowenNo, I—yeah. Okay, so I guess the reason that my thrillers read a little bit like my romances to you, is that I really like a female main character who is like one of us, who's just trying to get through the day. And maybe she has even a glamorous job, and she's a super successful person, but that doesn't mean she's not, like, a little bit of a mess inside—but a relatable mess. So establishing empathy early on, to me, is just like breathing. Like, you know, we might have this glamorous job, but, my God, the world is just so irritating. Or—right? Or, how did we just, you know, make ourselves sound like—like a dunderhead in front of the hot guy or whatever, you know? Like, to me, that's not hard.Jennie NashRight, right. And so you talked about engineering and complexity as a difference between the two genres, and that the thrillers require more engineering of plot, is what I imagine you're referring to. How do you go about—how does it differ? So here you're creating a character. You're creating empathy for the character. And now these genres are going to go in really different directions. What? What are the steps? Not like, how do you do it, or how do you write a novel, but sort of almost your emotional steps, like, okay, now I need to do X, or now I need to—I want them to feel Y.Sarina BowenRight. Well, one way to think about it—and this works for almost any novel that you'd ever want to write—is you have to look at the sort of landscape of this story you're going to tell, or the plot you think you're going to pull off, and you have to say, what are my "oh s**t moments"?Jennie NashYeah.Sarina BowenWhere do I want the reader to go, oh s**t? And if you don't know that when you start the book—like, I would find that to be a problem.Jennie NashYeah.Sarina BowenAnd you don't have to know exactly where they're standing when this happens, or exactly what page of the book. I'm actually terrible at that. I never know how long anything is going to take. But—but you have to know what that oh s**t moment is. And then you have to sort of back—work backwards from that. Like, okay, well, if I know why that's a big problem and a big deal—like, why is it, and how am I going to set that up? So—and I also think ahead of time about the fun and games part of any book.Jennie NashYeah.Sarina BowenLike, what is the sort of rising action of, like, the learning about it and the deepening of the problem. So I'm working on a romance right now that takes place at a wedding.Jennie NashFun!Sarina BowenAnd I... yeah, well okay, is it, though? Because one of, one the reasons I chose this setting, is that it's a hockey player. And I've written so many hockey books that take place, like, at the arena and at the office. And I'm like; we got to get out of here. Um, so we're both going to a wedding—this—we have to go to the same wedding, and work—everything's going to happen here. And I never write weddings. And then I'm into it, and I'm writing this wedding, and I look at myself and I'm like, you know why we don't write weddings? We don't like weddings very much.Jennie NashWhat don't you like about them?Sarina BowenOh, because they're all the same. I don't know. It's—to me, they feel—I guess I'm not a really reverent person. Like, ceremony isn't a big part of my life, and I don't love it. So—um, so what I was able to do in this book that makes this book something that I can identify with is that neither one of our characters is totally excited to be here, either. So there's some problems like this. There's some real family mayhem that is preventing either of these characters from being like, woo hoo, wedding! Yeah, let's have a good time! And then—yeah, so I have to bring my own experience into it. And then, of course, the ceremony itself—it turns out they're both feeling a lot of things. And, you know, there's this very lovely part right at the beginning. I'm like, okay, okay, so we got here, we can feel the feelings, but we didn't have to, like, every moment of this wedding for—to pull it off. So—um—but I looked at my, like, little scaffolding of what I wanted these characters to experience and what their "oh s**t moments" might be, and then I sort of grafted them onto the typical wedding experience and, you know, tried to find the best matches for that. And that was kind of the work of this book.Jennie NashSo the "oh s**t moment" in a romance is—what would some of those be? Like, oh, I think—I think he likes me, or, oh, I think I like him? Like, is it those ratcheting up of the emotional stakes?Sarina BowenIt's—yes. Like, oh s**t, I can't believe I have revealed myself like this. I have exposed myself like this. I have made myself vulnerable. And then—and then, as the—as the arc goes on, you're like, oh s**t, here's why I don't usually do this...Jennie NashRight.Sarina BowenHere's the reason I didn't want to make myself vulnerable and exposed—because, oh s**t, you know? Like—so you get to—you get to play with that. And hopefully, in most romances, there's a moment when, you know, it looks like it's all going to go wrong.Jennie NashRight. So what strikes me in listening to you, is that, writing about human nature—of course, because they're people and their stories—and the human nature around romance is—well, you said, I don't want to reveal myself or be vulnerable, so you want to protect your heart. And in the thrillers, it's, I want to protect my body and the bodies of the people I love. Is that—is that a fair differentiator? Like, we're trying to keep ourselves safe in some profound way in each of these genres, right?Sarina BowenRight. And we're also trying to avoid betrayal, and, like, to avoid backing the wrong horse in both genres as well.Jennie NashOoh, that's interesting, right? Let's talk about that.Sarina BowenWell—um, in a thriller, one of the best ways to craft a twist is when you get the reader to back the wrong character. And, you know, you have multiple characters, and if—even if you're going along with a relatable protagonist that the reader knows is not going to turn into a bad guy—that person still has people around them, and they're going to trust some of them and not others. And did they pick correctly? So that's the kind of betrayal that makes a good twist. But in a romance, it's the same possibilities. Like, you know, you made yourself very vulnerable to this other romantic partner. And, you know, it might not be a straight-up betrayal of, you know, oh wait, I love someone else. But it could just be a betrayal of priorities, or, you know, of courage.Jennie NashAnd at the end of each of these types of stories, the reader feels a sense of—we're back, we've talked about the bell curve—of back to safety, or—or homeostasis, or there's a relief, or it's going to be okay, and everything's okay now. So they have that in common too, right? That intense resolution of the tension.Sarina BowenRight. And then sometimes, in suspense space, you see an author pull this off in a way that all of that is done at the reader's own level, and not at the character's. Like, there's this book I love by Lucy Foley, called The Guest List, and that book is not typical, in that the work of the book is not to solve the crime in real time in the story. The work of that book is for the reader to understand what happened—like, the reader is the sleuth.Jennie NashOh.Sarina BowenBut nobody is actually sleuthing the story... at all. You know what happens, but it's to the satisfaction of you as the reader, but not the people running around in the book.Jennie NashRight, wow that sounds cool.Sarina BowenIt is very cool, but it's still true. Like, the—the work of the book is to figure out what happened, but the people on the page are not figuring out what happened. It's you having the experience that is figuring out what happened, but there's no mystery about it in the actual book. It's really—you would just have to try it.Jennie NashIs it fair to say that your second thriller—the new one, Dying to Meet You—is creepier than the first one, which is, The Five Year Lie? Do you think that's fair to say? Are people saying that? Do you feel that?Sarina BowenYeah, okay—yes, a little. But I think what's a better classification is that Dying to Meet You, sits a little more fully on the thriller shelf. It has a plot arc that is more typical of thrillers that are also on that shelf than The Five Year Lie.Jennie NashOkay, maybe that's what—maybe that's the feeling, because The Five Year Lie—there's a—there's a romance baked into it as well. Like, there is so much going on in there. So that's interesting, that you—did you consciously move in that direction, or did—was it just right for that story?Sarina BowenI think maybe both. I can't even remember now.Jennie NashYeah, yeah.Sarina BowenBut I really loved the premise of Dying to Meet You, and I wanted to play with that. And—I mean, I guess what distinguishes them from a reader standpoint, who's, like, reading the backs of both of those books, maybe, is that there is a dead body at the beginning of one of them and not the other one. So, like, it—it lands more firmly in the reader's expectations, that Dying to Meet You is more thriller-y, because you know—it says in the flap copy, like, this book starts when somebody dies.Jennie NashSo you said that it was a little harder to plan out the—to engineer a thriller and the complexities. And we all know that you are a very fast and efficient writer, so I'd be curious to hear: how much time do you set aside to get the complexities and engineering of the thriller versus the romance? What's the time demand of that?Sarina BowenI think, at least at this point, thrillers still require twice as much work in terms of, like, days.Jennie NashYeah.Sarina BowenYeah. It's like six months instead of three.Jennie NashYeah. Wow. Wow. And is the moving back and forth from one to the other—do you—are you finding that satisfying? Are you finding it difficult? Like, what's that like? Because I know right now—well, you—you're working on a romance, and then thriller number three is coming up. So do you—how are you making those transitions?Sarina BowenWell, I think any writer would agree that the book you're not working on today is always the one that seems more appealing.Jennie NashIt's always a better book…Sarina BowenRight?!Jennie NashSuch a good book.Sarina BowenSo, of course, I'm in the finishing part, on the romance that I'm working on, which is, everybody knows, the hardest part, where you have to make all the toughest decisions. So I just cannot wait to write that thriller.Jennie NashDo you—are you—do you cheat? Are you cheating on your romance? Like, do you—do you cheat and do a little research on the new—new thriller?Sarina BowenWell, I've actually written part of that thriller already.Jennie NashYeah.Sarina BowenI wrote part of it, and then I had to stop and finish this other one. So it's not cheating exactly. It's how I had to do my crazy schedule this year, because I had two deadlines in 2024, and they're closer together than I could execute, like, a whole book in each. But cheating is a wonderful thing to do, because when you're like, technically, I'm writing the romance this month, and almost all my time is spent on that—but when you give your brain permission to, like, not be finishing that other book, it goes in all these exciting places, and it comes up with stuff for you. So even though I'm writing a romance this month, I have made notes in my notebook for, like, four other books, some of which I might never write.Jennie NashOh, that's so funny. Well...Sarina BowenYeah.Jennie NashAnd—and are they thrillers or romance?Sarina BowenOh, just that—we're all over the place here. Like, I have made notes for... a romance in an ongoing series, that I'm not sure if I'm continuing, for an unrelated romance that I might never write, and I have, like, scribbled down plot frameworks for unrelated books in two other genres that I probably—probably will never write.Jennie NashSo it's interesting—that's an interesting habit that you're talking about. Because I often see with writers—there was an agent, and I can't remember who it is, which pains me—but they said something that was just so funny and so clever, which was a criticism of a writer who—the phrasing would be, you know, "puts everything and the kitchen sink into every book." But the way this agent framed it was, it was "no note left behind." You know, every note you have goes into the book—and that—that's not good. And you have such a restraint. It's not like, oh, here's a good idea, I'm going to shoehorn it into what I'm writing now. I'm going to shoehorn it into the thriller. I'm going to, you know, wedge it in here. You—this restraint of where an idea belongs or doesn't belong, or that it might get written or might not get written—where do you think that discernment or restraint comes from?Sarina BowenYou know, it doesn't feel like restraint when I'm in the middle of trying to finish a book. Like, every book feels like—so messy. You know, it's like, if I'm building a roller coaster, like, the parts are laying all over the field right now. Like, that's how it feels at every moment. And even for the end of this book, I have, like, written—scribbled down ideas for, like, nine different scenes, and they're not all going to make it, and they're going to have to duke it out.Jennie NashThe scenes are going to have to duke it out?Sarina BowenYes. And, like, oh, this would be cute. Oh, that would be cute. Oh, this would be cute. But you can't have them all—like, they're not—that just doesn't work. So I'm looking for the best, most efficient way to execute that emotional arc that the end of this book needs.Jennie NashYeah. yeah.Sarina BowenAnd I do—okay, fine, maybe it is restraint, because I do care about efficiency. Like, I'm not just going to write and write and write and write because I had a cute little thing that I wanted somebody to say. Because in order to put all that stuff in, I'm going to need too much, like, filler—junk.Jennie NashYeah, that is restraint, Sarina. That is totally restraint.Sarina BowenWell, honestly, I think one of my strengths—like, writers don't think about their strengths all that often, to be honest. Like, we only think about the stuff that's hard. But one of my strengths has always been that every scene is accomplishing, like, two or three things. Like, no bit of dialog is ever just in there because my brain spat it out when I was sitting at a keyboard. Like, it has to be doing something.Jennie NashYeah.Sarina BowenSo I have to look at this little collection of cute scenes and—um—make it do something. Just yesterday, I thought, wouldn't it be funny if the rookie on the team that shows up for this new season to start—you know, after the wedding—spoke entirely in Gen Alpha slang, like my 19-year-old? So I wrote, like, a little bit of dialog where he does this in a—in the rink, and—and the—the main character of the book is like, oh, my God, I don't even know what you just said. And I'm like, oh, I'm so cute and funny. This is going to be great. And then I realized that I just didn't need a bit of discussion in the rink. So I moved that conversation to a different spot, where the heroine was also present. And, like, she jumps in and responds in Gen Alpha slang and to—like, to solve his issue. And the hero is impressed. So, you know, I just needed—it was a fun idea, but I needed it to work harder.Jennie NashYeah.Sarina BowenAnd then I found a way for it to work harder. But if I hadn't, then that bit was just going to have to be cut. It could just go somewhere else—a different book, a different day.Jennie NashThere's a scene in The Five Year Lie where the main character is on a bus—a very long bus trip with her small child—and it goes on for some time at a place in the novel where the tension is pretty high. And I read it—I read it three times, actually, because I was like, what is going on here? What's... what am I—what am I supposed to take away? Like, what? What's happening here? What's—you know, what is the work that this scene is doing? I was curious about it because it felt—the feeling really shifted for me as the reader, where it was a tension reliever for one thing. Like, the tension was really high, and so it was a sort of a chance to breathe. And then there was something that happened on the bus trip that made things much, much worse for this character, so that they're showing up in an even more vulnerable place. Like—and I started seeing the layers of what was happening on that bus trip. And that—I think that's another strength you have—is that the—you don't show your hand. The reader has to work if they want to figure out what—what are all these scenes doing? Like, because you're just in it as the reader. But it was... it was sort of beautiful. I sort of loved that scene because I saw—well, I was trying to figure it out, but I saw, oh, I see what's happening here. I know what she's doing. Like, this is cool. I don't know, you're very good at—uh, like I said, not showing your hand. It's not—you don't see the mechanism of the engineer when you're reading the books.Sarina BowenWell, thank you. That scene—I actually am. It's the first thing I wrote for that book.Jennie NashWhat?!Sarina BowenWhich is—yeah, I know.Jennie NashThat is so interesting.Sarina BowenIt comes really deep in the book. That's why Jennie is so surprised, because it's, like, near the end. But I wrote that scene in my head—which, you know, you sort of almost never do—five years before the book came out. Like, I was—I was wandering around this town nearby while my kid took a violin lesson, and I thought of that. I'm like; wouldn't it be terrifying if you were on a bus, you know? And I thought it—like, I scared myself with this idea of how vulnerable she is at that moment in time. Like you said, it's a moment of safety, and it sort of is a little bit, because, you know, nobody can get her on the bus. But at the same time, if you read the prologue, you realize that, like, it's not really a moment of safety because—and then also, then I did that thing that makes her even more vulnerable. And that's the thing that scared me. Like, I'm like, oh, that would be really bad. And then I sort of filed that away in my head until I figured out what book it fit in.Jennie NashOh yeah, it's brutal. It's a brutal moment.Sarina BowenBut then—but that actual scene, like, that is a really long bus ride, and I had to keep cutting that scene. Like, I wrote it, and I cut it down, and I cut it down, and I cut it down, because I didn't want it to drag. And it was actually really hard to get that right. But people mention that scene to me a lot, so I'm staying—and they don't say, hey, that scene lasted too long.Jennie NashNo—well, when I say it's a moment of safety, it's—what I mean is, she's gotten away from the immediate threat. So there's a—there's a chance to sort of take a little bit of a deep breath. But as it goes on and on, it—that scene—she's on all the different buses, is what I mean. She's moving toward- like, there's a lot that could be really bad. So it was great. So to wrap up, can you tell us what you want to tell us about Dying to Meet You? So to entice those who like to be—match wits with the writer and be in a tense thriller, and there's a sort of haunted house vibe to this one. Tell us. Tell us about this book.Sarina BowenYeah, so—who doesn't love a creepy old mansion? That's kind of what this book is about. But also, the dedication to this book tells, like, a lot of what I was thinking about when I wrote it. And the dedication is to my sons: "Thank you for sharing your location with me so that I could think up the terrifying plot of this book." And when there's—when my older son had got his—got an e-bike is when I first opened the—that app where I could see his location, because I wanted to make sure he got places safely, because I was really terrified. But that—the weird thing of being able to watch him in real time, like his—the blue dot move on the map—um, I thought that was, like, so existentially creepy. And I just thought—kept thinking to myself, like, what's the worst thing that could happen with this? Like, if I'm—if I find this creepy, you know, what if it really was, you know? And that's just kind of where I went from that. And it turned out to be a really good time.Jennie NashMy husband likes this app called FlightAware that tracks the airplanes. And when my children fly, he's always saying, "Oh, they're over wherever." And I'm like, nope, nope. I want none of this information. I do not wish to know where in the sky my child is hanging,Sarina BowenRight.Jennie NashI don't wish to know that.Sarina BowenYeah, I get it. I get it.Jennie NashSo, Dying to Meet You—out now. So good. Before that, The Five Year Lie. There's a third one coming that you'll be writing soon. So we get Sarina Bowen—romance, thriller, back and forth for the foreseeable future?Sarina BowenI hope so. Let's keep it going.Jennie NashAwesome. Well, thank you for chatting about genre and how you do it. It's always fun to get inside your brain. And for our listeners—until next time, keep your butt in the chair and your head in the game.Jess LaheyThe Hashtag AmWriting Podcast is produced by Andrew Perella. Our intro music, aptly titled Unemployed Monday, was written and played by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their time and their creative output, because everyone deserves to be paid for their work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe