Podcast appearances and mentions of jericho writers

Bestselling thriller author Sophie Flynn reveals the raw truth about publishing—traditional vs. indie, rejection, and what it really takes to succeed. As Managing Director of Jericho Writers, she's seen what separates thriving authors from those who quit. We dive into storytelling psychology, career-defining decisions, and the mindset shifts every writer needs. ABOUT SOPHIE FLYNN Sophie Flynn is a psychological thriller author and the Managing Director of Jericho Writers. RESOURCES & LINKSBoldwood BooksBookoutureWhat Stays Unsaid by Sophie FlynnScrivenerSophie Hannah's Dream Author CoachingJericho Writers For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.For free writing sessions, join free Writers' Hours: writershour.com.*FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS' SALONTwitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalonInstagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalonFacebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalonIf you're enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

I regularly talk about how much support I have received on my writing journey from Jericho Writers, and so today's conversation is with Sophie Flynn, and author in her own right, and also the MD of Jericho Writers.Sophie is a Cotswolds-based psychological thriller author with an MA in Creative Writing from Oxford Brookes. Her debut novel ALL MY LIES was published by Simon & Schuster in April 2021. She has since had more psychological thrillers published by Hera, mostly recently WHAT STAYS UNSAID (May, 2024).After being awarded a place at Swanwick Writers' Summer School on the TopWrite scheme for young writers in 2017, Sophie began writing short fiction. She has since had many stories published and placed in competitions with organisations such as Writing Magazine and The Cheltenham Literature Festival.When not writing, Sophie can be mostly found on muddy walks with her husband and rescue dog or disappearing to Cornwall whenever possible.  Alongside writing, Sophie is the Managing Director of Jericho Writers. If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a small, one-off donation - you are not committed to regular payments. Making the podcast earns me no money, and in fact costs me a fair bit, but I do it for the love, and because I have such fun talking with wonderful authors. Even if you can't afford to buy me a coffee, simply letting me know that you love the podcast means a lot to me. Please take a moment to leave a star rating, write a review, or share the episode with others you know who will benefit from listening in, or you can tag me in social media when you share an episode that you love with your followers.My website is http://www.zoerichards.co.uk and you can access the FREE Mini Reboot through this link.You can find me on TwiX and Instagram as @zoerichardsukAnd finally my debut novel, Garden of Her Heart, is published 20th June 2024. You can pre-order here or if you are on NetGalley you can request an ARC (advance reader copy) here.Happy writing, and may the words flow for you.

Debi Alper is an author with 5 novels published in the Nirvana series, a freelance editor, creative writing tutor and fearless slayer of Doubt Demons. She runs Jericho Writers' Self-Edit Your Novel course, which has 6 bursaries available in 2024 for underrepresented writers. She is also interested in mudlarking, singing with my choir, micro gardening, working class peeps and radical Jewish voices. And she says she's owned by her cat. In this episode Debi takes us through the layers of editing, psychic distance, her own journey as a writer and editor and so much more.You can contact Debi through her website - http://www.debialper.co.uk/editing-services/ and through Jericho Writers - https://jerichowriters.com/our-services/courses-mentoring/self-editing-course/ and https://jerichowriters.com/jericho-writers/about-us/bursaries/self-editing-course-bursary/And if you want to see all the novels published as a result of the course, here's a link to Debi's ever-growing blog post about it. https://debialper.blogspot.com/2016/05/self-edit-course-roll-of-honour.htmlEmma Darwin's blog gets a mention - This Itch of Writing - also gets a mention about psychic distance, and you can access that article HEREIf you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a small, one-off donation - you are not committed to regular payments. Making the podcast earns me no money, and in fact costs me a fair bit, but I do it for the love, and because I have such fun talking with wonderful authors. Even if you can't afford to buy me a coffee, simply letting me know that you love the podcast means a lot to me. Please take a moment to leave a star rating, write a review, or share the episode with others you know who will benefit from listening in, or you can tag me in social media when you share an episode that you love with your followers.My website is http://www.zoerichards.co.uk and you can access the FREE Mini Reboot through this link.You can find me on TwiX and Instagram as @zoerichardsukAnd finally my debut novel, Garden of Her Heart, is published 20th June 2024. You can pre-order here or if you are on NetGalley you can request an ARC (advance reader copy) here.Happy writing, and may the words flow for you.

Join Jericho Writers More about TAKE WHAT YOU NEED The books spoken about on the show: Fiction 1a: Penance by Eliza Clark 1b: Pretty as a Picture by Elizabeth Little 2a: In Memoriam by Alice Winn 2b: Ghost Girl, Banana by Wiz Wharton 3a: Mrs S by K Patrick 3b: Dryland by Sara Jaffe 4a: Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Sutanto 4b: Murder & Mamon by Mia P Manansala 5a: The List by Yomi Adegoke 5b: More Than You'll Ever Know by Katie Gutierrez Non-fiction 1a: The Woman in Me by Britney Spears 1b: Pageboy by Elliot Page 2a: Went to London, Took the Dog by Nina Stibbe  2b: Small Fires by Rebecca May Johnson 3a: Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann 3b: Furious Hours by Casey Cep  4a: The Golden Mole by Katherine Rundell 4b: Uprooting by Marchelle Farrell 5a: Stay True by Hua Hsu  5b: This Ragged Grace by Octavia Bright Book of the year: Open Throat by Henry Hoke

Join us this Friday for an exciting YouTube interview with the multi-talented author Natali Simmonds! We're thrilled to have Natali as our guest, and we'll be delving into her incredible author journey, her diverse range of books, and so much more.Natali wears many creative hats in the literary world. Under the name Natali Simmonds, she crafts thrilling and suspenseful tales that will keep you on the edge of your seat. As N J Simmonds, she ventures into the realms of fantasy and manga, offering readers a taste of enchanting worlds. And as part of the writing duo Caedis Knight, she co-authors captivating paranormal romance stories.In a remarkable turn of events, Natali signed with the esteemed agent Amanda Preston at LBA in 2022. Her highly anticipated debut thriller, "Good Girls Die Last," is set to hit the shelves courtesy of Headline in June 2023.For Natali, being an author has been a lifelong dream. Her journey began at the tender age of 5, as she sat alongside her father, sketching pictures and spinning imaginative stories to complement them. Today, her books, spanning various genres, are characterized by their gritty realism, complex female protagonists, and relentless suspense.Natali's diverse background adds a unique flavor to her storytelling. Originally hailing from North London with Spanish heritage, she has lived across the globe, including stints in Australia, Spain, and the Netherlands. This cosmopolitan experience is reflected in her characters, who are always on the move, and in her strong connection to the vibrant city of London, a recurring backdrop in her work.When she's not weaving literary magic, Natali works as a freelance writer and consultant, operating under the banner of Rebel Storytelling & Consulting. Her expertise extends to lecturing at schools, business events, and esteemed institutions like The University of The Hague and London's Raindance Film School.Natali's passion for the written word extends beyond her own books. In 2015, she co-founded the online magazine "The Glass House Girls" and contributes articles to various publications, including The Independent, King's College London's "Inspire The Mind" magazine, and Jericho Writers.Don't miss this engaging conversation as we dive into Natali's world of storytelling, her creative process, and the exciting future that lies ahead. Subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell so you won't miss this Friday's episode with Natali Simmonds!#NataliSimmonds #JNataliSimmondsAuthor #Fantasy #Manga #Interview #BookLovers #CreativeWriting #InspiringConversations #SuccessStory ______________________________________Find out more: www.TheWritingCommunityChatShow.ComTHE WCCS – TOGETHER AS ONE WE GET IT DONE!If you would like to advertise your #book on the show, to enroll in a book launch interview, or to have a WCCS social media shout out, visit here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheWCCSFOLLOW US► Our website – https://www.thewritingcommunitychatshow.com► Universal link – https://linktr.ee/TheWCCS► Buy the show a coffee – https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheWCCS► Use hashtag TheWritingCommunityChatShow or TheWCCS on social media to keep us current. This show will only succeed with your support!► Support us through Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/WCCS► For our FIVERR affiliate link click here (we will earn a little from you signing up through our link and more if you use the service. We back this service and have used it with great results! – https://fvrr.co/32SB6cs► For our PRO #WRITING AID affiliate link click here – https://prowritingaid.com/?afid=15286Hey! We have spent 3 years using StreamYard. You can see how much we love its features, and how we can make it look great for live streaming. We are huge fans and they are constantly improving their service. Check it out with our link and we could earn from referrals!https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4835638006775808This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5445493/advertisement

Jericho Writers are offering listeners of this podcast a very special discount. Use the code PODCAST15 for 15% off annual membership.In this special episode I'm talking to Rose Wilding about her psychological suspense novel Speak of the Devil. We discuss why a writing workshop made her want to behead a fictional man, breaking all the writing rules by having 8 POVs and how Rose's ADHD diagnosis changed how she approached writing. This week's episode was originally a special live episode with Jericho Writers and they're offering a special discount for listeners. Jericho Writers is a writing community with a difference. Their members are the heart of everything they do, and their absolute favourite thing to do is to celebrate each member's success, whether that's writing another chapter or getting that book deal. Jericho Writers offers everything you need to help you write, edit and get your book published, from tutored video courses; online and in-person events; one-to-one mentoring; live masterclasses and expert editorial services, to interviews with publishers, agents and authors – they're with you for every word. Jericho Writers are offering listeners of this podcast a very special discount. Use the code PODCAST15 for 15% off annual membership.Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy Speak of the Devil: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781399804981Follow Rose on Twitter: @Rose_WldngJericho Writers: https://jerichowriters.comFollow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimmsBuy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimmschloetimms.co.uk *affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I've been watching how my agent goes about her role within the editing process, and I've learned 4 really helpful things. As a result, I am now taking a different approach to my editing, and I think it's having a positive impact. If you're lost in the editing mire, listen in to find out what the 4 simple steps are that you can use straight away to improve your editing process.My agent is Clare Coombes, who I first met through an agent 1-2-1 session on a different novel than the one that led to her representing me. Although that first novel wasn't ready, she liked my writing style and I was then on her radar, so I genuinely believe that having an agent 1-2-1 is worth having - and she gave me incredible feedback that helped me improve as a writer. You can book a 1-2-1 with Clare through Jericho Writers or I Am In Print.If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a small, one-off donation - you are not committed to regular payments. Making the podcast earns me no money, and in fact costs me a fair bit, but I do it for the love, and because I have such fun talking with wonderful authors. Even if you can't afford to buy me a coffee, simply letting me know that you love the podcast means a lot to me. Please take a moment to leave a star rating, write a review, or share the episode with others you know who will benefit from listening in, or you can tag me in social media when you share an episode that you love with your followers.My website is http://www.zoerichards.co.uk and you can access the FREE Mini Reboot through this link.You can find me on TwiX and Instagram as @zoerichardsukAnd finally my debut novel, Garden of Her Heart, is published 20th June 2024. You can pre-order here or if you are on NetGalley you can request an ARC (advance reader copy) here.Happy writing, and may the words flow for you.

In this episode I talk about what a book coach is, and it can be helpful to have one - and I also give you 3 questions (plus a bonus question) that you can use to coach yourself. If you don't have a pen and paper handy to jot the questions down, you can download my FREE Mini Reboot which includes a simple guide for self-coaching. The 3 questions I use in this episode, along with another 3, are all in the Mini Reboot.As we grow as writers it can help to have a book coach who acts as our accountability buddy whilst also guiding us and helping us develop better writing skills. My own book coach is Stephanie Butland, who I hope to have on Write, Damn It! as a guest sometime soon. She is insightful and kind, and has helped me immensely to become the writer I am today. Her website is http://www.stephaniebutlandauthor.com and you will find she has a number of options if you want to work with her. You might also hear book coaches being called book doctors, and Debi Alper and Holly Dawson are two that I have firsthand experience of through Jericho Writers who keep a list of book doctors. Debi is a particular expert on psychic distance. You can find Jericho Writers here and you get access to their wide range of services as a premium member. And I Am In Print can be found here.I don't always have a book coach, though, and that's where having a set of questions that I can ask myself is helpful. Listen in to the episode to find out what my favourite questions are for helping me get the work done.Although I am an experienced coach, I am not a book coach - I'm still early on in my writing career - and so I'm not currently offering 1-2-1 coaching to writers. But you can get my FREE Mini Reboot which includes a self-coaching guide, with the questions from this episode included, along with another 3 questions that you will find helpful. You can access that here.If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a small, one-off donation - you are not committed to regular payments. Making the podcast earns me no money, and in fact costs me a fair bit, but I do it for the love, and because I have such fun talking with wonderful authors. Even if you can't afford to buy me a coffee, simply letting me know that you love the podcast means a lot to me. Please take a moment to leave a star rating, write a review, or share the episode with others you know who will benefit from listening in, or you can tag me in social media when you share an episode that you love with your followers.My website is http://www.zoerichards.co.uk and you can access the FREE Mini Reboot through this link.You can find me on TwiX and Instagram as @zoerichardsukAnd finally my debut novel, Garden of Her Heart, is published 20th June 2024. You can pre-order here or if you are on NetGalley you can request an ARC (advance reader copy) here.Happy writing, and may the words flow for you.

Anna Caig works with The Society of Authors, Jericho Writers,The Literary Consultancy, Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre and The Romantic Novelists' Association, as well as one-to-one with many writers. She has worked in communications for 20 years, specialising in media relations and strategic marketing campaigns, and is an experienced and engaging public speaker.​Anna also writes historical crime fiction and her debut novel was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger prize. She reviews books for The Sheffield Telegraph and on her blog. The former Head of Communications at Sheffield City Council and tutor on The University of Sheffield MA Journalism course, Anna began her training business to support writers to build their brand and reach more readers. She now works with traditionally, indie and self-published writers, as well as helping creatives in any discipline find a wider audience.  Follow Annawww.annacaigcomms.co.ukTwitter: @annacaigInstagram: @annacaigLinkedin: Anna CaigPatreon - Support The Showpatreon.com/theconversationwithnadinemathesonpodcastThank you for joining me. Don't forget to subscribe, download and review.Pre-Order The Kill List (Inspector Henley - Book 3) Follow Me:www.nadinematheson.com Threads: @nadinematheson Facebook: nadinemathesonbooksInstagram: @queennadsTikTok: @writer_nadinemathesonBlueSky: @nadinematheson.bsky.social

Bonus Episode from Spoken Label (Spoken Word / Poetrty Podcast) features a repeat of the set Amanda Nicholson did in support for Richard Harries's book launch in December 2023. Amanda Nicholson is an author, poet, podcast co-host and copywriter. She has written several books as Amanda Steel, including Ghost of Me. Amanda's poetry has been broadcast on BBC Radio Manchester. She Has a Creative Writing MA, and has had articles published by Jericho Writers, Reader's Digest UK, Ask.com, and Authors Publish. Her blog is: amandasteelwriter.wordpress.com

Sophie Flynn is a Cotswolds based psychological thriller author with an MA in Creative Writing from Oxford Brookes. Her debut novel ALL MY LIES (SImon & Schuster, 2021) was hailed 'a real page-turner' by Sophie Hannah. Her latest novel, KEEP THEM CLOSE (Hera, 2022) was called 'A splendidly twisty psychological mystery' by the Daily Mail.Alongside writing, Sophie is the Head of Marketing at Jericho Writers. After being awarded a place at Swanwick Writers' Summer School on the TopWrite scheme for young writers in 2017, Sophie began writing short fiction. She has since had many stories published and placed in competitions with organisations such as Writing Magazine and The Cheltenham Literature Festival.When not writing, Sophie can be mostly found on muddy walks with her husband and rescue dog or disappearing to Cornwall whenever possible.She is represented by Kate Nash of Kate Nash Literary Agency.Sophie tweets from @sophielflynnOur show intro sponsor is Anya Pavelle. @AnyaPavelle on Twitter. You can find her book, The Garden of Stone Houses here: https://amzn.to/3XzuQScIf They Knew: (A completely gripping, twisty and unputdownable psychological thriller)'Grips from the first page. An emotive thriller which I couldn't put down.' Carys Jones, author of We Are All LiarsWhat would you hide to get everything you ever wanted?After years of infertility and heartbreak, Hannah and Charlie are finally going to get their dream family. Two-year-old Isabelle is a week away from being theirs; they just have to get through the final adoption approval process.But when a global popstar is found murdered at the celebrity members' club in their sleepy Oxfordshire village, Hannah fears her past is finally catching up with her. Exposing the truth could see her lose everything… her husband, Isabelle – perhaps even her life.But Hannah doesn't realise that Charlie has his own secrets, and, in trying to save her, has put them more at risk than she ever thought possible. As the couple get drawn in further to the murky world of celebrity and murder, they soon find themselves caught in a nightmare, forced to make terrible choices.How many bad things will a good person do to hold onto what they love?A twisty, utterly addictive psychological thriller that fans of Adele Parks and Lisa Jewell won't be able to put down.Buy it here: https://amzn.to/3EYYIjB______________________________________Find out more: www.TheWritingCommunityChatShow.ComTHE WCCS – TOGETHER AS ONE, WE GET IT DONE!If you would like to advertise your book on the show, to enroll in a book launch interview, or to have a WCCS social media shout out, visit here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheWCCSFOLLOW US► Our website – https://www.thewritingcommunitychatshow.com► Universal link – https://linktr.ee/TheWCCS► Buy the show a coffee – https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheWCCS► Use hashtag #TheWritingCommunityChatShow or #TheWCCS on social media to keep us current. This show will only succeed with your support!► Support us through #Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/WCCS► For our #FIVERR affiliate link click here (we will earn a little from you signing up through our link and more if you use the service. We back this service and have used it with great results! – https://fvrr.co/32SB6cs► For our PRO #WRITING AID affiliate link click here – https://prowritingaid.com/?afid=15286

It's our Summer Reads Special and we have a jam-packed episode for you this month, full of fabulous book recommendations from Caitlin Gleeson at City Books, a great interview with Laura Kay about her Brighton-based new book TELL ME EVERYTHING, a chat with Carolynn Bain about Brighton's very own Book Festival at the end of June. We also have the pleasure of speaking to the author of this month's book club book, Dolen Perkins Valdez about her spellbinding novel TAKE MY HAND. And to top it off, we speak to J.E. Seuk about her role in creating Brighton and Beyond, an exciting new anthology! We'll be taking a short break over the summer but will be back at the end of July with a new show. If you're missing great book and author content, you'll be able to find Anna over at global writing club, Jericho Writers, where she heads up their online and offline events programme. Their Summer Festival of Writing is free to members at just under £11 a month. For this, you can catch over 30 events with some wonderful writers such as Louise O'Neill, Paula Hawkins, Manjeet Mann, Cathy Rentzenbrink, and the author of our next book club book, Chloe Timms, who's debut novel THE SEAWOMEN is out very soon! 

It's hard to express quite how much I love Liane Moriarty's writing. I have read all of her books, some of them many times, and I just think she combines such a good eye for women's interior lives and the complex issues we confront in ordinary, everyday life with a great sense of humour and unique momentum. Liane published her first novel at 38, spurred on when her sister Jaclyn, also an author, was published. Her first attempt, though – a children's book – was, she says, rejected by everyone. I love listening to Liane talk about sibling rivalry and support and the embarrassment of that first rejection.Before The Husband's Secret and Big Little Lies became bestsellers, Liane spent years as a mid-list author and is very honest about the little humiliations she endured before hitting the big time, like doing events where no one turned up. I love Liane's observation that she's always trying to get back to the simple joy of writing as a child, unencumbered by publishing needs or expectations. I hope you enjoy listening to her as much as I did. This season is sponsored by the wonderful Jericho Writers https://jerichowriters.com. Listeners of the podcast can get an exclusive 15% discount on membership by going to www.jerichowriters.com/join-us and entering the code Write-Off.You can find me on Twitter at @francescasteele and Instagram at @Francesca_steelePlease do rate or review the podcast on your Apple podcast app – it helps more people find out about Write-Off, and also I just really like seeing the reviews! Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

You probably know David Duchovny from decades on our screens as the FBI agent Fox Mulder in The X-Files and the TV show Californication, as well as the recent Judd Apatow film The Bubble and last year's Netflix hit The Chair, a campus comedy in which David plays himself – taking the mick out of himself.It's not often that Hollywood and literary fiction collide in this way but David Duchovny is in fact now a successful novelist as well as a musician and actor, with four novels under his belt and a new novella, The Reservoir, out this June. We talk about how David originally intended his debut, Holy Cow, to be a film until it was turned down everywhere he took the idea, how he planned to be a professor and use holidays to write – his father was a magazine writer and playwright so it was a long held dream of David's to be a writer too – and how his teenage poetry was bad, just like (he says) his early acting skills. You can find me on Twitter at @francescasteele and Instagram at @Francesca_steelePlease do rate or review the podcast on your Apple podcast app – it helps more people find out about Write-Off, and also I just really like seeing the reviews!This season is sponsored by the wonderful Jericho Writers https://jerichowriters.com. Listeners of the podcast can get an exclusive 15% discount on membership by going to www.jerichowriters.com/join-us and entering the code Write-Off. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

This interview has a special place in my heart because Joanne Harris, the prolific author known for the gorgeous Chocolat, among other things, was the first person I ever interviewed. I spoke to her for my university newspaper 20 years ago, and she was, thankfully, very nice then and remains very nice today. I'm not sure I've spoken to a more adventurous novelist. Joanne fearlessly tackles whichever genre she is interested in at the time and indeed isn't fond of the notion of genres at all actually. We talk about her excellent new thriller, A Narrow Door, and how it felt to write that compared with, for example, her 'gastromances' (not a word she's keen on, completely understandably) such as Chocolat. We also discuss her making (and burning) a sculpture out of rejection letters, rewriting her fantasy novel Runemarks from scratch because her daughter wanted to see it published and how mistakes are all signposts on the road to success. Oh, and also the time she met Harvey Weinstein. You can find me on Twitter at @francescasteele and Instagram at @Francesca_steelePlease do rate or review the podcast on your Apple podcast app – it helps more people find out about Write-Off, and also I just really like seeing the reviews!This season is sponsored by the wonderful Jericho Writers https://jerichowriters.com. Listeners of the podcast can get an exclusive 15% discount on membership by going to www.jerichowriters.com/join-us and entering the code Write-Off. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeffrey Archer is a bit different from many of my usual guests. He's not at all sentimental, he's very confident – I mean this is a former MP who went to prison for perjury after all – and in many ways that confidence seems impenetrable. But this is, I think, what makes him so interesting to listen to because even Jeffrey Archer is afflicted by self-doubt and even Jeffrey Archer has had to come up with strategies for dealing with it, even if sometimes the strategy is basically just being ferociously productive. Since his first book, Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, was rejected by 17 publishers before selling in 1976, he has sold more than 300 million copies of his books worldwide, which makes him one of the top 25 fiction authors of all time.We talk about his incredible self-discipline when it comes to his writing routine, how lots of editors rejected his debut because none of them believed he would write a second book and how he would not have made a good prime minister! You can find me on Twitter at @francescasteele and Instagram at @Francesca_steeleDon't forget that I list my guests' books at my online shop https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/francescasteele. This helps fund the podcast so please do buy there! Also do rate or review the podcast on your app - it helps more people find out about Write-Off, and also I just really like seeing the reviews!The lovely Scott Elliott helped me produce this season. Please do consider him for all your pod needs. https://www.podcastconsultant.co.ukThis season is sponsored by the wonderful Jericho Writers https://jerichowriters.com. Listeners of the podcast can get an exclusive 15% discount on membership by going to www.jerichowriters.com/join-us and entering the code Write-Off. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

I loved talking to Abi Elphinstone, a bestselling children's author who writes about dreamsnatchers and sky gods and wildcats. She has been called a worthy successor to C.S. Lewis by The Times, and talks regularly at schools about her writing process, with great enthusiasm even when the kids mistake her for JK Rowling. I was especially grateful to Abi for fitting me in when she was practically moments from giving birth, and I think that's testament to how she's always keen to chat about her work whenever she can. We actually haven't had an author on Write-Off before talking about rejection at the agent stage specifically but Abi is an extremely good example. She was rejected a grand total of 96 times before she got her first book deal, and she is not afraid to talk about it, once posting some of those rejections online. We talk about what she learnt from all that feedback, how her dyslexia stood her in good stead for years of hard work and mapping out stories before she starts. You can find me on Twitter at @francescasteele and Instagram at @Francesca_steeleDon't forget that I list my guests' books at my online shop https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/francescasteele. This helps fund the podcast so please do buy there! Also do rate or review the podcast on your app - it helps more people find out about Write-Off, and also I just really like seeing the reviews!The lovely Scott Elliott helped me produce this season. Please do consider him for all your pod needs. https://www.podcastconsultant.co.ukThis season is sponsored by the wonderful Jericho Writers https://jerichowriters.com. Listeners of the podcast can get an exclusive 15% discount on membership by going to www.jerichowriters.com/join-us and entering the code Write-Off. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Debbie is the author of nine novels across two series, 7 in the Sophie Sayers Village Mysteries, and 2 in the Staffroom at St Bride's series, currently writing the third. She writes a blend of cosy mystery and romantic comedy and is a course tutor in self-publishing for Jericho Writers and a UK Ambassador for the Alliance of Independent Authors, for whom she has also written how-to books for authors. She runs the Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival in the Cotswolds, which she founded in 2015. Two of her novels have been shortlisted for The Bookbrunch Selfies Awards, given for the best independently-published fiction in the UK (in 2020 and 2021).In this episode, you'l learn:How cosy mysteries differ from other crime genresWays to improve your writing craftBook marketing methods that work for cosy mysteriesShow notes:00.00 – Introductions 05.30 – Interview with Debbie Young06.30 – What is a cosy mystery?10.20 – Setting and worldbuilding in cosy mysteries.13.35 – It all started with Holmes.16.40 – Branching out to different genres.18.20 – Writing different relationships. 23.20 – Surprising the reader, and the writer!24.45 – How does Debbie feel about outlines?27.40 – How long does it take to write her first drafts?30.30 – Where do authors go wrong writing cosy mysteries?38.20 – How do we develop our cosy mystery writing skills?42.30 – Eavesdropping for your writing career.44.20 – The good and the bad of marketing.50.00 – Newsletters swaps.51.30 – Facebook ads.53.30 – Which book changed Debbie's life?55.50 – Where can we find out more about Debbie?

If you don't already know Sandra Newman, you are going to be hearing a lot about her in the next year or so. Her new book, The Men, about a world in which everyone with a Y chromosome vanishes, is out this June, and she is also currently writing a much anticipated feminist retelling of George Orwell's 1984. Sandra has experienced plenty of failure, notably when her publisher declined to publish the second book in her two book deal, We discuss unlikeable books, and she tells me all about the time she pulled off a remarkable publicity stunt fort her first ever play when she was a creative writing student, only for it to get savaged in the press. You can find me on Twitter at @francescasteele and Instagram at @Francesca_steeleDon't forget that I list my guests' books at my online shop https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/francescasteele. This helps fund the podcast so please do buy there! Also do rate or review the podcast on your app - it helps more people find out about Write-Off, and also I just really like seeing the reviews!The lovely Scott Elliott helped me produce this season. Please do consider him for all your pod needs. https://www.podcastconsultant.co.ukThis season is sponsored by the wonderful Jericho Writers https://jerichowriters.com. Listeners of the podcast can get an exclusive 15% discount on membership by going to www.jerichowriters.com/join-us and entering the code Write-Off. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

When The Girl on the Train came out in 2015 and went straight to number one on global bestseller lists Paula Hawkins was pitched like a debut. But in fact Paula had written several previous novels, romantic comedies, under a pseudonym, the last of which hadn't done well at all, leaving Paula feeling seriously rejected. What I loved about talking to Paula is they even though she is now one of the most famous thriller writers alive, she remains extremely cautious and circumspect, with vivid recollections of how it felt before she was successful and before she started to really love what she was writing, Her latest book, A Slow Fire Burning, is out now and is, I think, her best yet, a really clever mystery with a lot of subverted tropes and jokes about book writing. We talk too about not being able to give publishers what they want, the horror of bad reviews - yep, she had them - and the book that The Girl on the Train very nearly was until another author wrote it.You can find me on Twitter at @francescasteele and Instagram at @Francesca_steeleDon't forget that I list my guests' books at my online shop https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/francescasteele. This helps fund the podcast so please do buy there! Also do rate or review the podcast on your app - it helps more people find out about Write-Off, and also I just really like seeing the reviews!The lovely Scott Elliott helped me produce this season. Please do consider him for all your pod needs. https://www.podcastconsultant.co.ukThis season is sponsored by the wonderful Jericho Writers https://jerichowriters.com. Listeners of the podcast can get an exclusive 15% discount on membership by going to www.jerichowriters.com/join-us and entering the code Write-Off. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

I find this interview so inspiring. Matt Cain is a successful arts journalist and at the time of his first book submission he was Culture Editor for Channel 4, praised in particular for his coverage of the Woman's Prize for Fiction. But 2010, the semi-autobiographical book Matt had been working on about a child growing up -like himself - gay in the north of England - was rejected in part for being what he says were coded ways of saying it was “too gay”. Matt's book was put up for submission three times over the next decade and rejected by more than 50 agents and editors. Matt didn't give up though and today that book is published as the wonderful The Madonna of Bolton with the crowdfunding publisher Unbound. We talk about how he really tried to learn from the feedback on early submissions, how creative rejection changed him - almost more than homophobic bullying did - and how his therapist made it into his book.Don't forget that I list my guest's books at my online shop https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/francescasteele. This helps fund the podcast so please do buy there! Also do rate or review the podcast on your app - it helps more people find out about Write-Off, and also I just really like seeing the reviews! You can also find me on Twitter at @francescasteele and Instagram at @Francesca_steeleThe lovely Scott Elliott helped me produce this season. Please do consider him for all your pod needs. https://www.podcastconsultant.co.ukThis season is sponsored by the wonderful Jericho Writers https://jerichowriters.com. Listeners of the podcast can get an exclusive 15% discount on membership by going to www.jerichowriters.com/join-us and entering the code Write-Off. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simon Kenion Shears describes himself as a ‘fitness polymath'. Born in Manchester, he moved to Mallorca as a young boy. He attended boarding school in Dublin and graduated from the University of St Andrews in Scotland with an MA in Philosophy.He worked as a scientific research technician for the Centre for Whale Research of Western Australia before moving to Germany. He started writing his book ‘Working (it) Out' in 2015 in Hamburg, where he also began CrossFit coaching.Since returning to Mallorca four years ago, Simon has continued to work on his debut book, alongside being a personal and group trainer and a fitness mentor. He writes a regular column for the ‘Majorca Daily Bulletin' and contributes articles to the website 'Medium'.Simon is now in the process of seeking a literary agent with a view to publication of his book. In this episode he talks about his writing process, the book he may write next, and more. For more information about Simon's book ‘Working (it) Out', see his website.Read articles by Simon Kenion Shears published on ‘Medium' and in the ‘Majorca Daily Bulletin'. With thanks to the Mallorca Academy of Performing Arts for allowing ‘Authors in Mallorca' to record this interview at their studio in Santa Maria, Mallorca. PODCAST THEME TITLE: “Lifestyles”COMPOSER: Jack WaldenmaierPUBLISHER: Music Bakery Publishing (BMI)The novel ‘Daughter of Deià' by podcast host Jan Edwards is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats.   

Welcome back! Clare Chambers is kicking off this season. Clare has written nine published novels - her first when she was just 26 and her latest, Small Pleasures, a wonderful book long-listed for the Woman's Prize last year. But just before Small Pleasures there was a failed novel that nearly caused Clare to give up on writing altogether. It took her five years to write and then no one wanted to buy it.We talked about her feeling her career was over aged 50, working as an editor herself for the legendary publisher Diana Athill, how she switched from being a pantser to being a committed plotter and being given permission not to be funny. Don't forget that I list my guest's books at my online shop https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/francescasteele. This helps fund the podcast so please do buy there! Also do rate or review the podcast on your app - it helps more people find out about Write-Off, and also I just really like seeing the reviews! You can also find me on Twitter at @francescasteele and Instagram at @Francesca_steeleThe lovely Scott Elliott helped me produce this season. Please do consider him for all your pod needs. https://www.podcastconsultant.co.ukThis season is sponsored by the wonderful Jericho Writers https://jerichowriters.com. Listeners of the podcast can get an exclusive 15% discount on membership by going to www.jerichowriters.com/join-us and entering the code Write-Off. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Claire answers the most asked questions around raising boys and establishing young men. Claire explains various ways we can cultivate and encourage the best from the male energy and characteristics. Claire Gillman is an experienced journalist, editor and writer. She has written over 25 books, including The Healing Therapies Bible, Best of Boys: Helping Your Sons through their Teenage Years and You and Your Ageing Parent: How to Balance Your Needs and Theirs. She is an editor and mentor for Jericho Writers (formerly the Writers' Workshop) and has enjoyed helping many aspiring writers to realise their dream of becoming a published author. Claire is also the editor of Kindred Spirit magazine. She's written on alternative health, parenting and spirituality for many women's magazines, The Times and other national newspapers. She was the editor of a number of consumer women's magazines including Health & Fitness magazine. For more information, please contact me at: esther@jijivisha-therapy.co.uk

Our guest this month is Aliya Ali-Afzal. Ali-Afzal has been a career coach for more than 15 years and is currently a freelance career coach with The Kellogg-WHU Executive MBA Program. In addition to her coaching, she's also author of the recent book, Would I Lie to You?, and is a creative writing mentor at Jericho Writers. In this episode Ali-Afzal describes how she went from having no background in writing to obtaining a two-book deal from a leading publisher. What's remarkable is she's done this while maintaining her career and while raising three children. What you will learn in this interview: - Developing your career while being a working mother - Acquiring a literary agent and landing a book deal - Aliya's writing process - Issues surrounding redundancy   Quote: "I think we know that a huge key to a lot of the things that we do, it's not our ability, it's not even our motivation, sometimes it's like a mental block and you need that coach. I really had to just give myself permission to do something for myself as well, irrespective of whether I would sell it or not, because it was enough that it made me happy and it was something I wanted to do." - Aliya Ali-Afzal Subscribe: Apple Spotify   Follow us: LinkedIn Instagram- @thecareerfarm   Connect with Aliya: LinkedIn Twitter- @AAAiswriting Instagram- aliyaaliafzalauthor   To find out about creative writing mentoring sessions from Aliya https://jerichowriters.com/our-services/121-support/mentoring-service/%E2%80%AFaliya-ali-afzal/

In this fourth episode of Cabana Chats, we bring you a conversation on the attraction of New York City, the complexities of curating events, and baseball as a writing metaphor, with writer and teacher Brian Gresko! Brian Gresko (he/they) is a writer based in Brooklyn, and the editor of the anthology When I First Held You: 22 Critically Acclaimed Writers Talk About the Triumphs, Challenges, and Transformative Experience of Fatherhood. He identifies as white and gender noncomforming. His work has appeared in Longreads, The Literary Hub, The Atlantic, The Rumpus, the L.A. Review of Books, and Poets & Writers magazine, among numerous other publications. He co-runs the esteemed Pete's Reading Series, and during the 2020 quarantine hosted The Antibody, an online reading and conversation series. He currently teaches for Jericho Writers and Catapult, and has previously led workshops and classes for the Sackett Street Writing Workshops, The Center for Fiction, and the New York Public Library. Brian received his MFA in Creative Writing from The New School, and graduated from Oberlin College as a first-generation college student with a self-designed, cross-disciplinary major entitled "Narrativity in Film." Find out more about Brian Gresko here: https://www.briangresko.com/ Join our free Resort community, full of resources and support for writers, here: https://community.theresortlic.com/ More information about The Resort can be found here: https://www.theresortlic.com/ Cabana Chats is hosted by Resort founder Catherine LaSota. Our podcast editor is Craig Eley, and our music is by Pat Irwin. FULL TRANSCRIPTS for Cabana Chats podcast episodes are available in the free Resort network: https://community.theresortlic.com/

With a writing career spanning more than twenty years, Josie Lloyd knows a lot about the writing and publishing processes. Josie's written solo and with her husband Emlyn Rees, but also in another genre as Joanna Rees. Her loft in Brighton groans  under the weight of her and their many foreign versions of published books.  Josie's new novel The Cancer Ladies' Running Club draws on her own experiences of going through breast cancer diagnosis and treatment in 2017.  Despite the subject, it's an uplifting story of friendship and hope that also reveals Josie's sense of humour.  In our conversation, Josie talks about their holiday home in Mallorca, how she met Emlyn, working collaboratively, their parodies, writing in a different genre as Joanna Rees, and how the lockdown impacted on her work. Hear about the music that helped with one of her novels, her views on agents and publishing, the new novel, and more. The Cancer Ladies' Running Club is available to pre-order on Amazon, with a publication date of the thirteenth of May, 2021. PODCAST THEME TITLE: “Lifestyles”COMPOSER: Jack WaldenmaierPUBLISHER: Music Bakery Publishing (BMI)