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Sara Sheridan is a bestselling writer and author most famous for the Mirabelle Bevan series, cosy crime noir mysteries set in 1950s Brighton, as well as a series of historical novels based on the real-life stories of late Georgian and early Victorian explorers. Her first book, Truth or Dare, featured in the Sunday Times Top 50, was nominated for the Saltire Prize and was listed in the Scottish Libraries Top 100 Books, and in 2015 she was named one of The Saltire Society’s 365 most influential Scottish women, past and present. In 2016, with her daughter, she founded REEK Perfume - a fragrance company that speaks out against the lack of female memorialisation throughout history and challenges beauty industry norms. She's an active campaigner and feminist, a twitter evangelist and a self-confessed swot. She's appeared as a commenter on TV and radio, and has sat on a variety of committees in writing organisations as well as taking part in a plethora of writing exhibitions. Sara is also a patron of It's Good 2 Give!, a charity run by our previous inspirational guest Lynne McNicoll OBE, which provides support for critically ill children and their families. 00.00 Trailer 00.18 Introduction 02.00 Sara’s early life 06.40 Sara’s education 08.50 Sara’s passion becoming her career 11.10 How did Sara’s career unfold? 13.40 Why did Sara decide to write her first book? 16.50 Writing a book 20 years ago vs now 18.00 What is Sara’s creative process? 21.30 What is Sara’s writing process? 25.05 What inspired Sara to write the Mirabelle Bevan series? 32.00 How does Sara research her novels? 36.20 Was the Mirabelle series planned out in full from the outset? 39.00 Does Sara prefer reading fiction or non-fiction? 40.00 REEK perfume and how it began 49.20 What does feminism mean to Sara? 51.50 Creating a more equal society 54.40 Sara on her purpose 55.50 Sara on her legacy 58.00 How does Sara define success? 59.40 Money and impact 1.00.10 Best advice received 1.01.40 Advice to 20 year old self 1.03.20 Where does Sara sit on the political spectrum? 1.04.50 Scottish independence 1.07.00 Changing the world You can find Sara at: http://www.sarasheridan.com/ https://www.facebook.com/sarasheridanwriter/ https://twitter.com/sarasheridan https://www.pinterest.co.uk/sarasheridan1/ Find Inspired Edinburgh here: http://www.inspiredinburgh.com https://www.facebook.com/INSPIREDINBURGH https://www.twitter.com/INSPIREDINBURGH https://www.instagram.com/INSPIREDINBURGH
Mirabelle Bevan swept into the office of McGuigan & McGuigan Debt Recovery at nine on the dot. She removed her jacket and popped the gold aviator sunglasses she'd been wearing into her handbag, which she closed with a decisive click. The musky scent of expensive perfume spiced the air -- the kind that only a sleek, middle-aged woman could hope to carry off. Bill Turpin arrived in her wake. Like Mirabelle, Bill was always punctual. He was a sandy-haired, reliable kind of fellow. At his heel was the black spaniel the office had acquired the year before. Panther nuzzled Mirabelle's knees, his tail wagging. "Nasty business on Oxford Street," Bill commented, picking up a list of the day's calls from his in-tray and casting an eye down the addresses. "That new barber's." "Tea, Bill?" Mirabelle offered without looking up. "Nah. Always puts me off, does a murder..." -- England Expects, Sara Sheridan What a delight to chat with author Sara Sheridan! I can't possibly keep up with all of her accomplishments, but I'll do my best. Here are a few ways you might connect with her work: -- Like historical mysteries? Her Mirabelle Bevan series features a woman who has suffered tremendous loss -- as has her country. Together, she and England are coming out of the despair of the Second World War. Oh, and Mirabelle is solving murders along the way. -- Prefer contemporary fiction? From Hong Kong call girls to a mysterious inheritance, road trips and revenge, Sara writes it all. -- Historical epics? From China to Antarctica, Brazil, England, and the Arabian desert, Sara sweeps you across the world. -- Nonfiction your thing? She wrote the companion guide to the ITV series, Victoria, and is currently writing about Scottish women in history. As she herself has been inducted into the Saltire Society's community of Outstanding Women, I think that's highly appropriate. -- Let's not forget blog posts. Here is one of my favorite of hers, on the anniversary of UK women getting the right to vote. It's on the site of Sara's own Reek Perfume, a company she runs with her daughter, so if you have a weakness for fabulous scent, well, you can thank me later. Sara is so busy writing, she mentions that she needs to deliberately carve out specific times to read. Go-to favorites are Scottish novelist and screenwriter, Lorna Moon, TC Boyle, Jeremy Levin, Susan Ferrier, and of course Agatha Christie. We also talk about the Windrush generation and the problems they're currently facing; anyone interested in learning more can check out this BBC overview. Sara and I chat about her most recent novel, The Ice Maiden, and if you're in the UK, you're in luck! Today is the launch date! Yay! Go read. Alas, American listeners will have to be a little more patient; we don't get The Ice Maiden until November, 2018, but you can preorder here. As always, if you'd prefer to read our chat rather than listen, the transcript is below. Enjoy! -- Laura ********************************************************************** Laura Brennan: Author Sara Sheridan brings history to life in novels such as On Starlit Seas and her upcoming historical epic set in Antarctica, The Ice Maiden, which will be out in the US this July. It’s a romance and an adventure -- but where there’s life there’s also murder… Her Mirabelle Bevan mysteries, set in post-WWII Brighton, feature a woman whose skills were honed during the war and who finds herself at loose ends now that there's peace. Lucky for us, evil lurks everywhere -- even in Brighton. Sara, thank you for joining me. Sara Sheridan: It's nice to chat to you. LB: So you write the wonderful Mirabelle Bevan historical mystery series, which we're going to talk about, but you also write prolifically in other genres. SS: Yes, I do. I find it really stimulating, actually, to write in other genres. I know some writers find it really confusing, but for me,
It's the day we celebrate mams, so we decided to ask the excellent Molly Sheridan of Reek Perfume back on the podcast for a chat with her mum – and business partner – Sara Sheridan. Heather Pearson of The Grantidote asks the questions, as Molly and Sara give us the lowdown on what it's like to be part of a smelly mother-daughter enterprise: the highs, the lows and the inter-generational differences in their respective takes on life. Happy Mother's Day! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
This week, Lucy Reynolds talks scary movies in honour of the impending Old Hallows' Eve. The team catches up with Molly Sheridan, makeup artist and co-founder of Reek Perfume about finding space for feminism in the beauty industry, and Debra-Jane Appelby gives us the lowdown on gaming and addiction. Plus all your usual favourites, Jenny Off The Blocks and Hannah "doing" Disney's Robin Hood, Sorry, HOW big are chickens in Sherwood Forest? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.