Podcasts about Stevyn Colgan

31. Sherlock Holmes in Turkey (part 3): Author & foreign correspondent Andrew Finkel talks to We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, about his book The Adventure of the Second Wife - The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes and the Ottoman Sultan.We also talk about how to decide where to start a complex, multi-layered novel (& if it really matters), Arthur Conan Doyle, the most romantic way to enter Istanbul, how to get in trouble in Turkey and how to avoid it, Kemal Tahir - the translator & then fabricator of Mickey Spillane novels, the Ottoman sultan Abdul Hamid II (big Sherlock & Conan Doyle fan, aid donor to Irish people during the 1840s famine, block on Russian expansion, tyrant to Bulgarians according to Gladstone), playing basketball with Orhan Pamuk, quirky Turkey, some Persian phrases, the Cottingley Fairies, and a good place for coffee in Istanbul - the Kıraathane - Istanbul Literature House. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. (And sometimes Jonathan Kennedy.) We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is the author of a new Irish-Indian cosy crime series set in contemporary Delhi. The first in the series is Murder in Moonlit Square, which published by No Exit Press / Bedford Square Publishers in October 2025 - but you can pre-order it now. (Ah go on.) It'll also be published in India in paperback in January 2026 by Penguin India. Paul previously wrote the 1950s Irish border thriller Blackwatertown. We can also recommend Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan, and his hugely popular YouTube channel @Colganology

32. Sherlock Holmes in Turkey (part 2): Author & foreign correspondent Andrew Finkel talks to We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, about his book The Adventure of the Second Wife - The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes and the Ottoman Sultan.We also talk about how to decide where to start a complex, multi-layered novel (& if it really matters), Arthur Conan Doyle, the most romantic way to enter Istanbul, how to get in trouble in Turkey and how to avoid it, Kemal Tahir - the translator & then fabricator of Mickey Spillane novels, the Ottoman sultan Abdul Hamid II (big Sherlock & Conan Doyle fan, aid donor to Irish people during the 1840s famine, block on Russian expansion, tyrant to Bulgarians according to Gladstone), playing basketball with Orhan Pamuk, quirky Turkey, some Persian phrases, the Cottingley Fairies, and a good place for coffee in Istanbul - the Kıraathane - Istanbul Literature House. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. (And sometimes Jonathan Kennedy.) We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is the author of a new Irish-Indian cosy crime series set in contemporary Delhi. The first in the series is Murder in Moonlit Square, which published by No Exit Press / Bedford Square Publishers in October 2025 - but you can pre-order it now. (Ah go on.) It'll also be published in India in paperback in January 2026 by Penguin India. Paul previously wrote the 1950s Irish border thriller Blackwatertown. We can also recommend Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan, and his hugely popular YouTube channel @Colganology

33. Sherlock Holmes in Turkey (part 1): Author & foreign correspondent Andrew Finkel talks to We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, about his book The Adventure of the Second Wife - The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes and the Ottoman Sultan.We also talk about how to decide where to start a complex, multi-layered novel (& if it really matters), Arthur Conan Doyle, the most romantic way to enter Istanbul, how to get in trouble in Turkey and how to avoid it, Kemal Tahir - the translator & then fabricator of Mickey Spillane novels, the Ottoman sultan Abdul Hamid II (big Sherlock & Conan Doyle fan, aid donor to Irish people during the 1840s famine, block on Russian expansion, tyrant to Bulgarians according to Gladstone), playing basketball with Orhan Pamuk, quirky Turkey, some Persian phrases, the Cottingley Fairies, and a good place for coffee in Istanbul - the Kıraathane - Istanbul Literature House. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. (And sometimes Jonathan Kennedy.) We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is the author of a new Irish-Indian cosy crime series set in contemporary Delhi. The first in the series is Murder in Moonlit Square, which published by No Exit Press / Bedford Square Publishers in October 2025 - but you can pre-order it now. (Ah go on.) It'll also be published in India in paperback in January 2026 by Penguin India. Paul previously wrote the 1950s Irish border thriller Blackwatertown. We can also recommend Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan, and his hugely popular YouTube channel @Colganology

28. How to write & perform stand up comedy (part 3): Comedians Ian Stone & Phoebe Haywood talk to We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, about Ian's new book To Be Someone about his love affair with The Jam & surviving the 1970s. We also talk about comic timing, how to write a joke, taboo topics, physical comedy, making it personal, Mods, racists, Nazis, Sham 69, skinheads, being Jewish, never reading a book until your 20s, having ADHD, making money from comedy, the difference between writing for performance & writing to be read, Worcestershire ales, the comedy circuit in and beyond London, heckling, great stand up comedians & illustrations by Phil Jupitus. The Empire in Belfast and the Hellfire Club in High Wycombe also get mentioned. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. (And sometimes Jonathan Kennedy.) We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is the author of a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi. The first in the series is Murder in Moonlit Square, which will be published by Bedford Square publishers in 2025. He previously wrote a thriller set on the 1950s Irish border called Blackwatertown. We can also recommend Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

29. How to write & perform stand up comedy (part 2): Comedians Ian Stone & Phoebe Haywood talk to We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, about Ian's new book To Be Someone about his love affair with The Jam & surviving the 1970s. We also talk about comic timing, how to write a joke, taboo topics, physical comedy, making it personal, Mods, racists, Nazis, Sham 69, skinheads, being Jewish, never reading a book until your 20s, having ADHD, making money from comedy, the difference between writing for performance & writing to be read, Worcestershire ales, the comedy circuit in and beyond London, heckling, great stand up comedians & illustrations by Phil Jupitus. The Empire in Belfast and the Hellfire Club in High Wycombe also get mentioned. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. (And sometimes Jonathan Kennedy.) We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is the author of a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi. The first in the series is Murder in Moonlit Square, which will be published by Bedford Square publishers in 2025. He previously wrote a thriller set on the 1950s Irish border called Blackwatertown. We can also recommend Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

30. How to write & perform stand up comedy (part 1): Comedians Ian Stone & Phoebe Haywood talk to We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, about Ian's new book To Be Someone about his love affair with The Jam & surviving the 1970s. We also talk about comic timing, how to write a joke, taboo topics, physical comedy, making it personal, Mods, racists, Nazis, Sham 69, skinheads, being Jewish, never reading a book until your 20s, having ADHD, making money from comedy, the difference between writing for performance & writing to be read, Worcestershire ales, the comedy circuit in and beyond London, heckling, great stand up comedians & illustrations by Phil Jupitus. The Empire in Belfast and the Hellfire Club in High Wycombe also get mentioned. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. (And sometimes Jonathan Kennedy.) We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is the author of a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi. The first in the series is Murder in Moonlit Square, which will be published by Bedford Square publishers in 2025. He previously wrote a thriller set on the 1950s Irish border called Blackwatertown. We can also recommend Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

27. Peter James & Tina Payne at the Chiltern Kills crime writing festival 2024: We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan hear from Peter James, the bestselling author of the Roy Grace detective series, and also from new crime fiction sensation Tina Payne aka TM Payne. And lots more from the 2024 Chiltern Kills festival in Gerrards Cross, just 20 minutes from London Marylebone. The next Chiltern Kills will be on Saturday 4th October 2025, with all ticket sales in aid of the Centrepoint charity combatting youth homelessness. Please join us. Peter James talks about his latest instalment, One Of Us Is Dead - number 20! - in the DS Roy Grace series - also a multi-season successful ITV series. Also about how he's written such a long running series; the dangers of bad TV adaptations; how being the writer behind a TV series can feel like being God; how actor John Simm now influences the development of the fictional Roy Grace; and how police forces now approach him to spread the word on their new crime fighting innovations. Tina Payne talks about her Detective Sheridan Holler series, including Long Time Dead, This Ends Now, and Play With Fire. She also reveals how, after 18 years in the Norfolk police, she keeps her books authentic; and that though she didn't start the fire (Your Honour), she does have an intimate knowledge of the lyrics and plans to deploy them at the Chiltern Kills How To Murder A Song karaoke. Also discussed in this one-part episode: writing and singing stars Mark Edwards and Ed James, thriller author and Chiltern Kills co-organiser Tony Kent, Frederick Forsyth, Victoria Christian, Jeffrey Archer, Murder in Moonlit Square, Leye Adenle, Eve Smith, Greg Mosse, Ajay Chowdhury, climate change in crime fiction, Aneysha Minocha of Quantaco, Louise Minchin, the Secret barrister, Lisa Maxwell from the Bill, comedians Phoebe Haywood and Ian Stone, witches, biscuits, Ciarán O'Keeffe, Derek Acorah, ghosts, wiccan, Celtic calendar, neo-pagan, Mark Page, Phil Jupitus, Paul Weller, Jeremy Vine, the Writers' Room, MJ Arlidge, Steph Broadribb, Julia Crouch, Lisa Hall, Hastings Green Man Festival, Morris dancing, Boss Morris and The Wad. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. (And sometimes Jonathan Kennedy.) We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is writing a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi. The first in the series is Murder in Moonlit Square, which will be published by Bedford Square publishers in 2025. He previously wrote a thriller set on the 1950s Irish border called Blackwatertown. We can also recommend Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

24. History & lies (part 3): We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan chat & laugh with Subhadra Das, writer, historian, broadcaster, comedian & curator, about her book, Uncivilised: Ten Lies That Made The West. Subhadra looks at the relationship between science & society. She specialises in the history & philosophy of science, particularly the history of scientific racism & eugenics, & what those histories mean for our lives today. For nine years, she was Curator of the Science Collections at University College London where she was also Researcher in Critical Eugenics at the Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism & Racialisation. She's written & presented podcasts, curated museum exhibitions, done stand-up comedy & been on radio & tv. In this 3-part episode we talk about racist Gandhi, mispronouncing Bangla names, white supremacy baked into our idea of western civilisation, science not being neutral, comforting lies, Francis Galton, eugenics, the inventor of the questionnaire, spoiling things for white people, why female comics like Victoria Wood Dawn French & Jennifer Saunders avoided the QI TV show, the Defiance TV show on Channel 4, Hamza Yousef, Paul McCartney's song Blackbird & reply guy, "empty places" v "emptied" places, the presence of writing as a measure of civilisation, rich eejit Erich von Däniken, fake Tibetan monk Lobsang Rampa aka Cyril Henry Hoskin, cuddly Columbo, Golden Age detective fiction as "the mental equivalent of pottering", Magna Carta & Forest Charter, swan upping, US federal government & the Iroquois nation's Haudenosaunee, Abraham Maslow & his hierarchy of needs, which he learned from the Blackfoot Nation, Ryan Heavyhead, the UK citizenship test, & editor Harriet Poland. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. (And sometimes Jonathan Kennedy.) We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is writing a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi - more on that anon. And if you're still stuck for something to read now, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

25. History & lies (part 2): We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan chat & laugh with Subhadra Das, writer, historian, broadcaster, comedian & curator, about her book, Uncivilised: Ten Lies That Made The West. Subhadra looks at the relationship between science & society. She specialises in the history & philosophy of science, particularly the history of scientific racism & eugenics, & what those histories mean for our lives today. For nine years, she was Curator of the Science Collections at University College London where she was also Researcher in Critical Eugenics at the Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism & Racialisation. She's written & presented podcasts, curated museum exhibitions, done stand-up comedy & been on radio & tv. In this 3-part episode we talk about racist Gandhi, mispronouncing Bangla names, white supremacy baked into our idea of western civilisation, science not being neutral, comforting lies, Francis Galton, eugenics, the inventor of the questionnaire, spoiling things for white people, why female comics like Victoria Wood Dawn French & Jennifer Saunders avoided the QI TV show, the Defiance TV show on Channel 4, Hamza Yousef, Paul McCartney's song Blackbird & reply guy, "empty places" v "emptied" places, the presence of writing as a measure of civilisation, rich eejit Erich von Däniken, fake Tibetan monk Lobsang Rampa aka Cyril Henry Hoskin, cuddly Columbo, Golden Age detective fiction as "the mental equivalent of pottering", Magna Carta & Forest Charter, swan upping, US federal government & the Iroquois nation's Haudenosaunee, Abraham Maslow & his hierarchy of needs, which he learned from the Blackfoot Nation, Ryan Heavyhead, the UK citizenship test, & editor Harriet Poland. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. (And sometimes Jonathan Kennedy.) We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is writing a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi - more on that anon. And if you're still stuck for something to read now, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

26. History & lies (part 1): We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan chat & laugh with Subhadra Das, writer, historian, broadcaster, comedian & curator, about her book, Uncivilised: Ten Lies That Made The West. Subhadra looks at the relationship between science & society. She specialises in the history & philosophy of science, particularly the history of scientific racism & eugenics, & what those histories mean for our lives today. For nine years, she was Curator of the Science Collections at University College London where she was also Researcher in Critical Eugenics at the Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism & Racialisation. She's written & presented podcasts, curated museum exhibitions, done stand-up comedy & been on radio & tv. In this 3-part episode we talk about racist Gandhi, mispronouncing Bangla names, white supremacy baked into our idea of western civilisation, science not being neutral, comforting lies, Francis Galton, eugenics, the inventor of the questionnaire, spoiling things for white people, why female comics like Victoria Wood Dawn French & Jennifer Saunders avoided the QI TV show, the Defiance TV show on Channel 4, Hamza Yousef, Paul McCartney's song Blackbird & reply guy, "empty places" v "emptied" places, the presence of writing as a measure of civilisation, rich eejit Erich von Däniken, fake Tibetan monk Lobsang Rampa aka Cyril Henry Hoskin, cuddly Columbo, Golden Age detective fiction as "the mental equivalent of pottering", Magna Carta & Forest Charter, swan upping, US federal government & the Iroquois nation's Haudenosaunee, Abraham Maslow & his hierarchy of needs, which he learned from the Blackfoot Nation, Ryan Heavyhead, the UK citizenship test, & editor Harriet Poland. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. (And sometimes Jonathan Kennedy.) We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is writing a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi - more on that anon. And if you're still stuck for something to read now, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

23. Announcing the new IGF Archer-Amish Award for Literature: We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan hear from bestselling authors and prize judges Jeffrey Archer & Amish Tripathi about the new IGF (India Global Forum) Archer-Amish Award for Literature. The prize is $25,000 & it's not just for Indians - but listen carefully to hear the rules & entry criteria! This prize is for books excelling in storytelling rather than writing. Want to know what that means? Listen to Jeffrey & Amish explain. This episode also welcomes new listeners on the Jiosaavn podcast platform & congratulates India on winning the T20 Cricket World Cup. What a final innings! And we'll also tell you about some of the fabulous guests from around the world who we've had on past episodes. We hope you'll be tempted to try some earlier episodes after you hear this one - some of them are 3-parters. Both Amish & Jeffrey have their own episodes - highly recommended listening. And we update you a little on what co-hosts & authors Paul & Stevyn are up to. Some of Steve's stuff is really strange. Thank you to the India Global Forum 2024 for welcoming We'd Like A Word to their very enlightening, eclectic & cutting edge gathering in London & Windsor. You too, dear listener, might also enjoy their future events. Also - you'll notice that Stevyn is back. Thank you to Jonathan Kennedy for co-hosting in Steve's absence. (Jonathan was Director of Arts in India for 5 years for the British Council & has been everywhere in India & knows everyone there involved in culture.) Jonathan will be back-ack-ack. We hope. Apologies for the dip in sophistication until then. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is writing a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi - more on that anon. And if you're still stuck for something to read now, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

22. We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Jonathan Kennedy interview stars of Indian & Irish literature and film making at the 2024 Jaipur Literature Festival at the British Library in London. (It's possible that Paul repeatedly referred to it as the Jaipur Literary Festival, but let's not quibble.) We hear from the man who is at every Indian gathering worth attending, JLF organiser Sanjoy Roy; Nazia Erum author of Mothering A Muslim; Dr Sunny Singh and Yasser Usman on the captivating appeal of Bollywood & Hindi films; diplomat Vikas Swarup, author of Q & A - which became the movie Slumdog Millionaire - and other novels; Irish author Liz Nugent who's novel Strange Sally Diamond has been topping book charts; & Indian film director Shekhar Kapoor whose movies include Elizabeth, Bandit Queen & the iconic Mr India. Brace yourself for startling revelations. WHO IS JONATHAN KENNEDY? WHY IS HE HERE? AND WHERE IS STEVYN COLGAN? Jonathan was Director of Arts in India for 5 years for the British Council. He's been everywhere in India and knows everyone there involved in culture. He was also for 12 years the Executive Director of Tara Arts, looking at the world through a South Asian lens. Jonathan is doing some India & South Asian episodes of We'd Like A Word with us. We'll drop them in every now & then. Normal service will be resumed with Steve & Paul shortly. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is writing a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi - more on that anon. And if you're still stuck for something to read now, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

21. Khushwant Singh Lit Fest: Indian, Pakistani & Bangladeshi authors - In this special We'd Like A Word India episode at the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival, co-hosts Paul Waters & Jonathan Kennedy (standing in for Stevyn Colgan) hear ideas from top authors of fiction, non-fiction, memoir & poetry & other experts. WARNING - one of our interviewees (Farrukh Dhondy) gets a bit sweary. WHO IS JONATHAN KENNEDY? WHY IS HE HERE? AND WHERE IS STEVYN COLGAN? Jonathan was Director of Arts in India for 5 years for the British Council. He's been everywhere in India and knows everyone there involved in culture. He was also for 12 years the Executive Director of Tara Arts, looking at the world through a South Asian lens. Jonathan is doing some India & South Asian episodes of We'd Like A Word with us. We'll drop them in every now & then. Normal service will be resumed with Steve & Paul shortly. Our guests on this WLAW KSLF episode include Harinder Singh, who with The Singh Twins & Gopinder Kaur has created the book Jewels of Sikh Wisdom; Pinky Lilani, cook, networker extraordinaire, founder of Asian Women of Achievement, & author of Some Kind of Wonderful; Nadia Kabir Barb of The Whole Kahani south Asian women's writers' collective & author of the short story collection, Truth or Dare; Farrukh Dhondy, author, playwright, media executive & activist - who writes about his bookish relationship with the notorious serial killer Charles Sobraj; Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi & her debut novel, The Centre; sisters Shirin & Marina Wheeler who write separately about their parents - Shirin on her father, the iconic journalist Charles Wheeler - Witness to the Twentieth Century, & Marina on her mother, Dip - The Lost Homestead - My Mother, Partition and the Punjab; poet Imtiaz Dharker on her latest collection, Shadow Reader; Aneysha Minocha, founder & CEO of Quantaco, the green tech, clean tech carbon-reducing start-up that grabbing attention; & Akshat rathi, author of Climate Capitalism, also senior reporter for Bloomberg news & host of the Zero podcast on climate change. Phew - that's loads! What is the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival? The Indian version happens in breathtakingly spectacular surroundings inside the military cantonment in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, in the foothills of the Himalayas. Paul's been there. This recording is at the London spin-off at the Brunei Gallery at SOAS - the School of Oriental and African Studies. Khushwant Singh was one of India's most prolific authors, a scholar, journalist, iconoclast & dubbed "the most honest man in India." The festival is keen to promote closer ties between India & Pakistan; equal opportunities for women worldwide; & disseminating the values of democracy, tolerance, compassion in a world that is increasingly more polarised. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is writing a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi - more on that anon. And if you're still stuck for something to read now, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

20. John Hegley at Milton's Cottage: The BBC radio & Edinburgh Fringe favourite, British national treasure, poet, musician & comedian, John Hegley joins We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan to perform & chat in front of an intimate live audience inside Milton's Cottage in Chalfont St Giles, where John Milton wrote his epic poem Paradise Lost, published in 1667. John Hegley is supported by the poet, musician and children's TV producer/editor Clare Elstow. Brace yourself for an eclectic mix of London & Luton literary & football memories, John Keats & John Milton, William & Henry Lawes, French language & music (Rameau), goldfish, a quick striptease, profound audience questions, & some rude & funny poetry. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is writing a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi - more on that anon. And if you're still stuck for something to read now, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

17. Mark Ecob on book cover design (part 3): The award-winning book cover designer, Mark Ecob, aka Mecob, tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how he does it. We also talk about in this 3 part episode: Ben Okri & Tiger Work, Alexander McCall Smith, Piers Torday, sustainable publishing & the Society of Authors, Roald Dahl, Amazon thumbnails, Will Dean & his book Dark Pines & the great cover by Mark Swan / Kid Ethic, Paul Kingsnorth & the challenge of having a good book cover name, genre fiction tropes, Blackwatertown by Paul Waters, Books by Stevyn Colgan, Ben Tallon's podcast - The Creative Condition, the threat of AI, author Ajay Chowdhury & cover designer Dan Mogford, & Lego. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is writing a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi - more on that anon. And if you're still stuck for something to read now, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

18. Mark Ecob on book cover design (part 2): The award-winning book cover designer, Mark Ecob, aka Mecob, tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how he does it. We also talk about in this 3 part episode: Ben Okri & Tiger Work, Alexander McCall Smith, Piers Torday, sustainable publishing & the Society of Authors, Roald Dahl, Amazon thumbnails, Will Dean & his book Dark Pines & the great cover by Mark Swan / Kid Ethic, Paul Kingsnorth & the challenge of having a good book cover name, genre fiction tropes, Blackwatertown by Paul Waters, Books by Stevyn Colgan, Ben Tallon's podcast - The Creative Condition, the threat of AI, author Ajay Chowdhury & cover designer Dan Mogford, & Lego. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is writing a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi - more on that anon. And if you're still stuck for something to read now, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

19. Mark Ecob on book cover design (part 1): The award-winning book cover designer, Mark Ecob, aka Mecob, tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how he does it. We also talk about in this 3 part episode: Ben Okri & Tiger Work, Alexander McCall Smith, Piers Torday, sustainable publishing & the Society of Authors, Roald Dahl, Amazon thumbnails, Will Dean & his book Dark Pines & the great cover by Mark Swan / Kid Ethic, Paul Kingsnorth & the challenge of having a good book cover name, genre fiction tropes, Blackwatertown by Paul Waters, Books by Stevyn Colgan, Ben Tallon's podcast - The Creative Condition, the threat of AI, author Ajay Chowdhury & cover designer Dan Mogford, & Lego. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is writing a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi - more on that anon. And if you're still stuck for something to read now, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

16. Chiltern Kills crime writing festival with Frederick Forsyth & many more top authors: Thriller writing icon Frederick Forsyth tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about his legacy & his first ever appearance at a literary festival in this one-part episode. It was recorded (mostly) live at the Chiltern Kills festival in Gerrards Cross in October 2023. All ticket sales went to the Centrepoint charity combating youth homelessness. The Chiltern Kills festival is organised by Paul Waters & fellow author Tony Kent - who also features in this episode. & whose next thriller, The Shadow Network, is out in February 2024. We also hear from crime authors Rachel Ward, Derek Farrell, SJ Bennett, JL Blackhurst, Laura Marshall, Leye Adenle (twice), Cate Quinn, Susi Holliday & BBC and Bestsellers Pod presenters Phil Williams & Natalie Jamieson. AND exclusive news on who is appearing at Chiltern Kills 2024 on 5th October 2024. Plus Sue Dorman, Marguerite Fletcher, Laurie Stone & others. And with thanks to Centrepoint, Sacla UK, Cipriani Bellinis, Chorleywood and Gerrards Cross Bookshops, Milton's Cottage Museum in Chalfont St Giles & Vision Care for Homeless People. By the way - if you'd like to be a book reviewer for this podcast, get in touch via our email or socials, listed below. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is writing a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi - more on that anon. And if you're still stuck for something to read now, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or One Step Ahead: Notes from the Problem Solving Unit, the policing classic by Stevyn Colgan.

"Why are there no ghost T-Rexs?"Stevyn Colgan has been a chef, a comics publisher, a monster maker and, for three decades, a police officer in London, during which time he met three prime ministers, two US presidents and a Pope. For over a decade he was one of the ‘elves' that research and write the multi award-winning BBC TV series QI and was part of the writing team that won the Rose D'Or for BBC Radio 4's The Museum of Curiosity. Steve is also a prolific true crime writer, with books including A Murder to Die For, The Diabolical Club and Cockerings. You can get in touch with Dan Schreiber on Twitter and Instagram (@Schreiberland). In his bio, you'll find the link to our Discord channel - a global community of likeminded weirdos!

Jeffrey Archer on storytelling (part 3): The globally bestselling (more than 300m books sold) storyteller Jeffrey Archer tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how he does it. Jeffrey takes research to extremes - he been to prison, been an MP and is now in the House of Lords. He reads from his latest rip roaring thriller is Traitors Gate - all about how to steal the Crown Jewels and get away with it. Jeffrey also breaks down his classic 100 short story, Unique, in a writing masterclass. Jeffrey also announces the winner of the We'd Like A Word competition for a new Google Pixel Fold mobile phone (cost £1700). We spoil you on this podcast! We also talk about in this 3 part episode: jeweller Alan Gard, Maupassant, O Henry, Ajay Chowdhury & his Detective Kamil Rahman series, Roald Dahl, Dickens, Sean Connery, Ben McIntyre & Colditz, Rula Lenska, AI - artificial intelligence, reading out loud, athlete Adrian Metcalfe, Betty Boothroyd, Barry Humphries, Paul dacre & the Daily Mail, killing dogs, counterfeit books & cricket in India, JD Salinger, the editor author partnership, Dr Who, Roy jenkins, Adrian McKinty & The Chain, F Scott Fitzgerald, Somerset Maugham, Chief Superintendent John Sutherland, Miss Potter with Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor, Brad Pitt, digging the plot hole even deeper, why authors should avoid biros, mortality, getting up early to write & cutting down alcohol, Richard Adams & Watership Down, rare originality, Jefferson & a missing American Declaration of Independence, & Frederick Forsyth. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is writing a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi - more on that anon. And if you're still stuck for something to read now, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

Jeffrey Archer on storytelling (part 2): The globally bestselling (more than 300m books sold) storyteller Jeffrey Archer tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how he does it. Jeffrey takes research to extremes - he been to prison, been an MP and is now in the House of Lords. He reads from his latest rip roaring thriller is Traitors Gate - all about how to steal the Crown Jewels and get away with it. Jeffrey also breaks down his classic 100 short story, Unique, in a writing masterclass. Jeffrey also announces the winner of the We'd Like A Word competition for a new Google Pixel Fold mobile phone (cost £1700). We spoil you on this podcast! We also talk about in this 3 part episode: jeweller Alan Gard, Maupassant, O Henry, Ajay Chowdhury & his Detective Kamil Rahman series, Roald Dahl, Dickens, Sean Connery, Ben McIntyre & Colditz, Rula Lenska, AI - artificial intelligence, reading out loud, athlete Adrian Metcalfe, Betty Boothroyd, Barry Humphries, Paul dacre & the Daily Mail, killing dogs, counterfeit books & cricket in India, JD Salinger, the editor author partnership, Dr Who, Roy jenkins, Adrian McKinty & The Chain, F Scott Fitzgerald, Somerset Maugham, Chief Superintendent John Sutherland, Miss Potter with Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor, Brad Pitt, digging the plot hole even deeper, why authors should avoid biros, mortality, getting up early to write & cutting down alcohol, Richard Adams & Watership Down, rare originality, Jefferson & a missing American Declaration of Independence, & Frederick Forsyth. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is writing a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi - more on that anon. And if you're still stuck for something to read now, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

Jeffrey Archer on storytelling (part 1): The globally bestselling (more than 300m books sold) storyteller Jeffrey Archer tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how he does it. Jeffrey takes research to extremes - he been to prison, been an MP and is now in the House of Lords. He reads from his latest rip roaring thriller is Traitors Gate - all about how to steal the Crown Jewels and get away with it. Jeffrey also breaks down his classic 100 short story, Unique, in a writing masterclass. Jeffrey also announces the winner of the We'd Like A Word competition for a new Google Pixel Fold mobile phone (cost £1700). We spoil you on this podcast! We also talk about in this 3 part episode: jeweller Alan Gard, Maupassant, O Henry, Ajay Chowdhury & his Detective Kamil Rahman series, Roald Dahl, Dickens, Sean Connery, Ben McIntyre & Colditz, Rula Lenska, AI - artificial intelligence, reading out loud, athlete Adrian Metcalfe, Betty Boothroyd, Barry Humphries, Paul dacre & the Daily Mail, killing dogs, counterfeit books & cricket in India, JD Salinger, the editor author partnership, Dr Who, Roy jenkins, Adrian McKinty & The Chain, F Scott Fitzgerald, Somerset Maugham, Chief Superintendent John Sutherland, Miss Potter with Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor, Brad Pitt, digging the plot hole even deeper, why authors should avoid biros, mortality, getting up early to write & cutting down alcohol, Richard Adams & Watership Down, rare originality, Jefferson & a missing American Declaration of Independence, & Frederick Forsyth. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is writing a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi - more on that anon. And if you're still stuck for something to read now, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

Win a Google Pixel Fold phone + Ajay Chowdhury on AI & writing books (part 2): Crime author & tech entrepreneur Ajay Chowdhury tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about how he uses artificial intelligence tools to help him write his excellent Detective Kamil Rahman series. Plus answer a question in this 3-part podcast for a chance to win a brand new Google Pixel Fold mobile phone. We've heard they cost £1,700 - so it's a good prize! Hear the question, email your answer to wedlikeaword@gmail.com Also in this 3-part episode: is it ethical or useful to use AI / artificial intelligence tools like Chat GPT to help write books? Is AI an existential threat to human creativity? Will AI put book cover designers out of work? Which of us has a third nipple and why does James Bond get his nipple arrangement all wrong> We also talk - Lily Allen, author Jude O'Reilly, Roger Moore, Children of the Ghetto by Israel Zangwill, A Child of the Jago by Arthur Morrison, John Wyndham, John Wick, Philip Kerr, Jewish East End London, book cover designer Dan Mogford, Barry Cotter v Harry Potter, Christopher Lee, Scaramanga, India, ANPR and other surveillance, AI dating website, Honcho, the Indian epics the Ramayana & Mahabharata. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is writing a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi - more on that anon. And if you're still stuck for something to read now, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

Win a Google Pixel Fold phone + Ajay Chowdhury on AI & writing books (part 3): Crime author & tech entrepreneur Ajay Chowdhury tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about how he uses artificial intelligence tools to help him write his excellent Detective Kamil Rahman series. Plus answer a question in this 3-part podcast for a chance to win a brand new Google Pixel Fold mobile phone. We've heard they cost £1,700 - so it's a good prize! Hear the question, email your answer to wedlikeaword@gmail.com Also in this 3-part episode: is it ethical or useful to use AI / artificial intelligence tools like Chat GPT to help write books? Is AI an existential threat to human creativity? Will AI put book cover designers out of work? Which of us has a third nipple and why does James Bond get his nipple arrangement all wrong> We also talk - Lily Allen, author Jude O'Reilly, Roger Moore, Children of the Ghetto by Israel Zangwill, A Child of the Jago by Arthur Morrison, John Wyndham, John Wick, Philip Kerr, Jewish East End London, book cover designer Dan Mogford, Barry Cotter v Harry Potter, Christopher Lee, Scaramanga, India, ANPR and other surveillance, AI dating website, Honcho, the Indian epics the Ramayana & Mahabharata. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is writing a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi - more on that anon. And if you're still stuck for something to read now, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

Win a Google Pixel Fold phone + Ajay Chowdhury on AI & writing books (part 1): Crime author & tech entrepreneur Ajay Chowdhury tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about how he uses artificial intelligence tools to help him write his excellent Detective Kamil Rahman series. Plus answer a question in this 3-part podcast for a chance to win a brand new Google Pixel Fold mobile phone. We've heard they cost £1,700 - so it's a good prize! Hear the question, email your answer to wedlikeaword@gmail.com Also in this 3-part episode: is it ethical or useful to use AI / artificial intelligence tools like Chat GPT to help write books? Is AI an existential threat to human creativity? Will AI put book cover designers out of work? Which of us has a third nipple and why does James Bond get his nipple arrangement all wrong> We also talk - Lily Allen, author Jude O'Reilly, Roger Moore, Children of the Ghetto by Israel Zangwill, A Child of the Jago by Arthur Morrison, John Wyndham, John Wick, Philip Kerr, Jewish East End London, book cover designer Dan Mogford, Barry Cotter v Harry Potter, Christopher Lee, Scaramanga, India, ANPR and other surveillance, AI dating website, Honcho, the Indian epics the Ramayana & Mahabharata. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is writing a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi - more on that anon. And if you're still stuck for something to read now, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

Amish (part 2) on writing Indian history as fiction: Diplomat, TV star & author Amish tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about writing new versions of classic Indian epics like the Ramayana. He shares how he creates bestselling series that sell millions of copies faster than any others in India. But how does he keep it exciting when most people know how these classic stories end? And what about those readers who feel they already "own" these stories & jealously police any deviations or fresh takes? How do these new tellings of old stories fit in with today's India? Plus - as Amish is also a diplomat, head of the Nehru Centre in the UK, a TV presenter & a prolific author - how does he find the time? And what role does the Goddess play in how his books make it to print? And where & why does Amish Tripathi fit in the pantheon of one-name celebrities - Beyonce, Madonna, Prince, Masaba... Amish? Amish is the author of the Shiva Trilogy, the Ram Chandra Series, & others. His latest book, the fourth in the Ram Chandra Series, is War of Lanka. Brace yourself for all-out conflict, intrigue, strategy, philosophy and some unexpected geography. Think you know your ancient Indian history? here's a new take. Melvyn Bragg, Eddie Izzard, Little Red Riding Hood, marriage & old British folk tales also get a mention. And we drink tea in the very grand surroundings of the Nehru Centre in London. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is writing a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi - more on that anon. And if you're still stuck for something to read now, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

Amish (part 1) on writing Indian history as fiction: Diplomat, TV star & author Amish tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about writing new versions of classic Indian epics like the Ramayana. He shares how he creates bestselling series that sell millions of copies faster than any others in India. But how does he keep it exciting when most people know how these classic stories end? And what about those readers who feel they already "own" these stories & jealously police any deviations or fresh takes? How do these new tellings of old stories fit in with today's India? Plus - as Amish is also a diplomat, head of the Nehru Centre in the UK, a TV presenter & a prolific author - how does he find the time? And what role does the Goddess play in how his books make it to print? And where & why does Amish Tripathi fit in the pantheon of one-name celebrities - Beyonce, Madonna, Prince, Masaba... Amish? Amish is the author of the Shiva Trilogy, the Ram Chandra Series, & others. His latest book, the fourth in the Ram Chandra Series, is War of Lanka. Brace yourself for all-out conflict, intrigue, strategy, philosophy and some unexpected geography. Think you know your ancient Indian history? here's a new take. Melvyn Bragg, Eddie Izzard, Little Red Riding Hood, marriage & old British folk tales also get a mention. And we drink tea in the very grand surroundings of the Nehru Centre in London. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is writing a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi - more on that anon. And if you're still stuck for something to read now, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

Amish (part 3) on writing Indian history as fiction: Diplomat, TV star & author Amish tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about writing new versions of classic Indian epics like the Ramayana. He shares how he creates bestselling series that sell millions of copies faster than any others in India. But how does he keep it exciting when most people know how these classic stories end? And what about those readers who feel they already "own" these stories & jealously police any deviations or fresh takes? How do these new tellings of old stories fit in with today's India? Plus - as Amish is also a diplomat, head of the Nehru Centre in the UK, a TV presenter & a prolific author - how does he find the time? And what role does the Goddess play in how his books make it to print? And where & why does Amish Tripathi fit in the pantheon of one-name celebrities - Beyonce, Madonna, Prince, Masaba... Amish? Amish is the author of the Shiva Trilogy, the Ram Chandra Series, & others. His latest book, the fourth in the Ram Chandra Series, is War of Lanka. Brace yourself for all-out conflict, intrigue, strategy, philosophy and some unexpected geography. Think you know your ancient Indian history? here's a new take. Melvyn Bragg, Eddie Izzard, Little Red Riding Hood, marriage & old British folk tales also get a mention. And we drink tea in the very grand surroundings of the Nehru Centre in London. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. Paul is writing a new cosy mystery series set in contemporary Delhi - more on that anon. And if you're still stuck for something to read now, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:03:12 You Can Count on Adrienne An interview with Abhijit Chanda from India, host of the "Rationable" Podcast and skeptical activist. One of Abhijit's skeptical interests is the alternative medicine known as Ayurveda or Ayurvedic. This is a system of traditional medicine native to India, which uses a range of treatments, including panchakarma ('five actions'), yoga, massage, acupuncture and herbal medicine, that claims to encourage health and wellbeing. Abhijit also talks about palm reading in India. https://www.berationable.com 0:20:40 The Book of Tim. With Tim Mendham SKEPTICS TEST PSYCHIC SURGEON By Mark Plummer When a small paragraph advertisement in "The Age" on January 3rd 1981 stated that an English medium-psychic surgeon would be commencing practice in Melbourne the Australian Skeptics swung into action. A reading from The Skeptic, Vol. 1 No. 1 http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:30:16 A Dive into a Trove A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Fairies. http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also   10 Years Ago The Skeptic Zone #236 - 27.April.2013 A chat with Deborah Hyde, editor of The Skeptic magazine (UK). Vampires and more vampires! Move over Buffy as Deborah tells all about the creatures of the night - A Week in Science with Dr Tania Meyer - Dr Rachie Reports with Dr Rachael Dunlop. From QED in Manchester, Dr Rachie chats to ex-cop Stevyn Colgan about problem solving - Maynard interviews Scott Bartle about his concerns with government. https://skepticzone.libsyn.com/the-skeptic-zone-236-27-april-2013

Romance (part 3): Movie star Michael Douglas, authors Georgina Moore & Becky Hunter tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about writing romance, authors supporting other authors, & reading to counter depression. Hollywood star & double-Oscar-winning Michael Douglas has had a string of hit films including Basic Instinct, Fatal Attraction, Wall Street, Romancing the Stone, Behind the Candelabra, & Falling Down – plus producing One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. His latest is the Marvel superhero movie, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. He gives us his book recommendations. Georgina Moore & Becky Hunter have worked together in book publicity & also wrote their romance books together – on Georgina's house boat off the Isle of Wight. So they both know about publicising books and supporting each other. Georgina is the author of The Garnett Girls, published by HQ, Harper Collins. It's set on the Isle of Wight & in Venice. & is on loads of Best Books of 2023 lists. Becky's new book is One Moment, published by Corvus – Atlantic Books. It's described as a moving novel about the life-affirming power of friendship. We also talk about how to get the most out of publicists; mistakes authors make; the dreaded second book syndrome; the blissful ignorance of debut authors; the risks of chasing trends; the struggle to justify devoting time to writing; writing to the market for a deadline; choosing a book title; how to bounce back from rejection; why you should big up other writers & people with whom you work; authors Shari Lapena, Marian Keyes, Sophie Kinsella; writing what you love; how to stay resilient & upbeat; the contemplative Japanese activity known as boketto: plus the newly invented booketto – with may be accompanied by a cornetto; the novel Less by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Andrew Sean Greer; American revolutionary hero, inventor, scientist & US declaration of independence signatory, Benjamin Franklin; and the history books, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson, & A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France and the Birth of America, by Stacy Schiff. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. And if you're still stuck for something to read, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

Romance (part 2): Movie star Michael Douglas, authors Georgina Moore & Becky Hunter tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about writing romance, authors supporting other authors, & reading to counter depression. Hollywood star & double-Oscar-winning Michael Douglas has had a string of hit films including Basic Instinct, Fatal Attraction, Wall Street, Romancing the Stone, Behind the Candelabra, & Falling Down – plus producing One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. His latest is the Marvel superhero movie, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. He gives us his book recommendations. Georgina Moore & Becky Hunter have worked together in book publicity & also wrote their romance books together – on Georgina's house boat off the Isle of Wight. So they both know about publicising books and supporting each other. Georgina is the author of The Garnett Girls, published by HQ, Harper Collins. It's set on the Isle of Wight & in Venice. & is on loads of Best Books of 2023 lists. Becky's new book is One Moment, published by Corvus – Atlantic Books. It's described as a moving novel about the life-affirming power of friendship. We also talk about how to get the most out of publicists; mistakes authors make; the dreaded second book syndrome; the blissful ignorance of debut authors; the risks of chasing trends; the struggle to justify devoting time to writing; writing to the market for a deadline; choosing a book title; how to bounce back from rejection; why you should big up other writers & people with whom you work; authors Shari Lapena, Marian Keyes, Sophie Kinsella & Eva Rice; writing what you love; how to stay resilient & upbeat; the contemplative Japanese activity known as boketto: plus the newly invented booketto – with may be accompanied by a cornetto; the novel Less by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Andrew Sean Greer; American revolutionary hero, inventor, scientist & US declaration of independence signatory, Benjamin Franklin; and the history books, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson, & A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France and the Birth of America, by Stacy Schiff. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. And if you're still stuck for something to read, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

Romance (part 1): Movie star Michael Douglas, authors Georgina Moore & Becky Hunter tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about writing romance, authors supporting other authors, & reading to counter depression. Hollywood star & double-Oscar-winning Michael Douglas has had a string of hit films including Basic Instinct, Fatal Attraction, Wall Street, Romancing the Stone, Behind the Candelabra, & Falling Down – plus producing One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. His latest is the Marvel superhero movie, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. He gives us his book recommendations. Georgina Moore & Becky Hunter have worked together in book publicity & also wrote their romance books together – on Georgina's house boat off the Isle of Wight. So they both know about publicising books and supporting each other. Georgina is the author of The Garnett Girls, published by HQ, Harper Collins. It's set on the Isle of Wight & in Venice. & is on loads of Best Books of 2023 lists. Becky's new book is One Moment, published by Corvus – Atlantic Books. It's described as a moving novel about the life-affirming power of friendship. We also talk about how to get the most out of publicists; mistakes authors make; the dreaded second book syndrome; the blissful ignorance of debut authors; the risks of chasing trends; the struggle to justify devoting time to writing; writing to the market for a deadline; choosing a book title; how to bounce back from rejection; why you should big up other writers & people with whom you work; authors Shari Lapena, Marian Keyes, Sophie Kinsella & Eva Rice; writing what you love; how to stay resilient & upbeat; the contemplative Japanese activity known as boketto: plus the newly invented booketto – with may be accompanied by a cornetto; the novel Less by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Andrew Sean Greer; American revolutionary hero, inventor, scientist & US declaration of independence signatory, Benjamin Franklin; and the history books, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson, & A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France and the Birth of America, by Stacy Schiff. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. And if you're still stuck for something to read, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

1. Climate Change Fiction (part 3): Peter May & Paul Hardisty tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about bringing our climate emergency into mainstream popular fiction. Peter May's new crime thriller A Winter Grave (published by riverrun), & is set in Scotland in 2051. Paul Hardisty's adventure thriller The Forcing (published by Orenda Books), & is set in a future when younger voters turn on the older generation they blame for destroying our world. Do we need the authors of popular genre fiction to include climate emergency themes in their fiction? Lots of us ignore the science of climate change, so are stories which appeal to our imagination the way to get the message across? Do authors have a duty to reflect climate change, or does the creative heart rebel against being told what to do? Why don't more authors do it already? Is our looming climate catastrophe just too bleak? Too difficult? Do readers need happier endings? Do agents & publishers? How should authors get the balance right between waking readers up and scaring them into despairing inaction? And how do you wrap it all up in exciting, enjoyable stories? Peter May is the bestselling author of thrillers series set in Scotland, France & China - as well as prescient standalone thrillers, like Lockdown, which predicted the pandemic lockdown. We've delved into his past already on We'd Like A Word, but had to have him back (the first time we've done this with a guest) when he came out of retirement to lead the literary vanguard trying to communicate with big audiences about climate change in a new way. He's also released an anthem by the Peter May Band to accompany A Winter Grave. You'll hear it on the show - Don't Burn The World. (Co-written by Dennis McCoy.) You can stream it on the usual music platforms & watch the YouTube video here: Don't Burn the World - The Peter May Band - YouTube You can also hear Peter's previous surreal episode involving being hired as a private detective by giant geckos here: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/9UHL9sCCPwb Paul Hardisty lives by Australia's Great Barrier Reef. He got there from Canada via a bewildering series of steps through the world's trouble zones, including, in November, Ukraine. As a leading environmental scientist, engineer & lobbyist of politicians, he knows how urgent it is for people to wake up on climate change. We also talk about Amitav Ghosh; resurrecting the book in your drawer that you thought would never get published; The Rig on Amazon Prime; Kate Raworth & Doughnut Economics; & Negeley Farson & The Way of a Transgressor. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul & Steve & our guests. We're also on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we are embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. And if you're still stuck for something to read, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

2. Climate Change Fiction (part 2): Peter May & Paul Hardisty tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about bringing our climate emergency into mainstream popular fiction. Peter May's new crime thriller A Winter Grave (published by riverrun), & is set in Scotland in 2051. Paul Hardisty's adventure thriller The Forcing (published by Orenda Books), & is set in a future when younger voters turn on the older generation they blame for destroying our world. Do we need the authors of popular genre fiction to include climate emergency themes in their fiction? Lots of us ignore the science of climate change, so are stories which appeal to our imagination the way to get the message across? Do authors have a duty to reflect climate change, or does the creative heart rebel against being told what to do? Why don't more authors do it already? Is our looming climate catastrophe just too bleak? Too difficult? Do readers need happier endings? Do agents & publishers? How should authors get the balance right between waking readers up and scaring them into despairing inaction? And how do you wrap it all up in exciting, enjoyable stories? Peter May is the bestselling author of thrillers series set in Scotland, France & China - as well as prescient standalone thrillers, like Lockdown, which predicted the pandemic lockdown. We've delved into his past already on We'd Like A Word, but had to have him back (the first time we've done this with a guest) when he came out of retirement to lead the literary vanguard trying to communicate with big audiences about climate change in a new way. He's also released an anthem by the Peter May Band to accompany A Winter Grave. You'll hear it on the show - Don't Burn The World. (Co-written by Dennis McCoy.) You can stream it on the usual music platforms & watch the YouTube video here: Don't Burn the World - The Peter May Band - YouTube You can also hear Peter's previous surreal episode involving being hired as a private detective by giant geckos here: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/9UHL9sCCPwb Paul Hardisty lives by Australia's Great Barrier Reef. He got there from Canada via a bewildering series of steps through the world's trouble zones, including, in November, Ukraine. As a leading environmental scientist, engineer & lobbyist of politicians, he knows how urgent it is for people to wake up on climate change. We also talk about Amitav Ghosh; resurrecting the book in your drawer that you thought would never get published; The Rig on Amazon Prime; Kate Raworth & Doughnut Economics; & Negeley Farson & The Way of a Transgressor. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul & Steve & our guests. We're also on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we are embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. And if you're still stuck for something to read, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

3. Climate Change Fiction (part 1): Peter May & Paul Hardisty tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about bringing our climate emergency into mainstream popular fiction. Peter May's new crime thriller A Winter Grave (published by riverrun), & is set in Scotland in 2051. Paul Hardisty's adventure thriller The Forcing (published by Orenda Books), & is set in a future when younger voters turn on the older generation they blame for destroying our world. Do we need the authors of popular genre fiction to include climate emergency themes in their fiction? Lots of us ignore the science of climate change, so are stories which appeal to our imagination the way to get the message across? Do authors have a duty to reflect climate change, or does the creative heart rebel against being told what to do? Why don't more authors do it already? Is our looming climate catastrophe just too bleak? Too difficult? Do readers need happier endings? Do agents & publishers? How should authors get the balance right between waking readers up and scaring them into despairing inaction? And how do you wrap it all up in exciting, enjoyable stories? Peter May is the bestselling author of thrillers series set in Scotland, France & China - as well as prescient standalone thrillers, like Lockdown, which predicted the pandemic lockdown. We've delved into his past already on We'd Like A Word, but had to have him back (the first time we've done this with a guest) when he came out of retirement to lead the literary vanguard trying to communicate with big audiences about climate change in a new way. He's also released an anthem by the Peter May Band to accompany A Winter Grave. You'll hear it on the show - Don't Burn The World. (Co-written by Dennis McCoy.) You can stream it on the usual music platforms & watch the YouTube video here: Don't Burn the World - The Peter May Band - YouTube You can also hear Peter's previous surreal episode involving being hired as a private detective by giant geckos here: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/9UHL9sCCPwb Paul Hardisty lives by Australia's Great Barrier Reef. He got there from Canada via a bewildering series of steps through the world's trouble zones, including, in November, Ukraine. As a leading environmental scientist, engineer & lobbyist of politicians, he knows how urgent it is for people to wake up on climate change. We also talk about Amitav Ghosh; resurrecting the book in your drawer that you thought would never get published; The Rig on Amazon Prime; Kate Raworth & Doughnut Economics; & Negeley Farson & The Way of a Transgressor. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul & Steve & our guests. We're also on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we are embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. And if you're still stuck for something to read, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

Episode 59 is the final part of our trilogy of info-dashes through the first British Broadcasting Century. Here we span 1988-2022: the digital years. Enjoy hearing from experts, those who were there and contributions from you marvellous podcast listeners. (Part 1 was more archive-heavy - but rights issues get trickier as we get more recent - oh and do go back and listen to part 1 (1922-54) and part 2 (1955-87)). Some excerpts are from longer interviews that you'll hear on the podcast soon (eg. ex Radio 1 boss Johnny Beerling, sitcom star Jeffrey Holland). Some are from previous episodes (go back and hear Lee Mack or Chris Jarvis). Some have been specially sent in for this episode (thanks Jon Dear, Alan Stafford, Dr Andrea Smith). And some are on loan from my other podcast, A Paul Kerensa Podcast - formerly known as The Heptagon Club (eg. Tim Vine, Miranda Hart). In the below list, asterisked names are from that latter podcast - head to podfollow.com/paulkerensa and scroll back to older episodes to hear those fuller interviews...   YOU HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO: 1980s: Johnny Beerling, Jeffrey Holland, Simon Dunn   1990s: Jon Dear, Steve Legg*, James Cary, Tim Vine*, Dave Thompson*, my son, Dr Andrea Smith   2000s: Paul Hayes, Chris Jarvis, Stevyn Colgan*, Alan Stafford, Richard Woods*, Milton Jones*, Lee Mack, my wife Zoë*, Dr Amy Holdsworth, Alan Stafford, Miranda Hart*   2010s: David Whitney*, Rev Kate Bottley*, Tim Reid*   2020s: Mark Carter, Roger Bolton, Justin Webb, Prof David Hendy, my daughter, Joe Lycett*, Peter Eckersley   FURTHER LINKS:  Those fuller interviews with Miranda Hart, Tim Vine, Milton Jones etc can be heard on A Paul Kerensa Podcast. Like what we do? Support us on Patreon.com/Paulkerensa Do share our episodes on social media - we're on Twitter and Facebook. The novel based on this podcast is due out in March 2023: Auntie and Uncles: The Bizarre Birth of the BBC, 1919-23: https://amzn.to/3hxe4lX We're nothing to do with the BBC - we're talking about them (and others), not with them, as such. Do stay subscribed, because we return soon in 2023, with the finer details of the 1923 BBC, including Savoy Hill, Women's Hour and the Radio Times. Some great stories to tell, with great guests. But first, next time: The History of Religious Broadcasting, including three wise men, plus clips so rare, I don't think the BBC have them. Thanks for listening, sharing and/or being part of this. Couldn't do it without you. And happy centenary, Auntie Beeb! paulkerensa.com/oldradio

Writing dynasties (part 2): Felix Francis, Andrew Child/Grant & Rajmohan Gandhi tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about taking on a big book brand or carrying on a family writing tradition. It's different from continuation novels, they say, like when Anthony Horowitz took on Ian Fleming's James Bond character (see episode 4, series 1 of We'd Like A Word with Anthony Horowitz https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/rtTQmLv7Ivb ). These are books, stories and characters with whom they have grown up. But do they try to be exactly like their predecessor or collaborator? Distinctively different? How open are they about it? Is it better to keep it a secret until you're sure that readers will like it? And what if the originator decides he maybe does not want to retire after all? How do they write? And what books are they writing next? Lots of interesting answers in this 4-part episode. Felix Francis is the son of Richard and Mary Francis, who together created the internationally bestselling Dick Francis thrillers, set in the world of horse racing. Felix began contributing to, then co-writing, then solely authoring the Dick Francis books long before his name was on the covers. He's written 16 of them now. Where does Dick end and Felix begin? Listen to find out. Andrew Grant - now also known as Andrew Child - is the younger brother of Lee Child (real name Jim Grant), the creator of the bestselling Jack Reacher series - which you may also know from the Tom Cruise movies or the Amazon series starring Alan Ritchson. When decided he had only 4 more books left in him, he asked his brother Andrew to collaborate with him with a view to ultimately taking over. (Though that particular plot thickens...) But Andrew was already a successful thriller author in his own right. And he has a personal past cloaked in mystery. Rajmohan Gandhi was a teenager when he was inspired to investigate how the world works and to write about it when his grandfather, the Mahatma, Mohandas Gandhi was assassinated in 1948. He spoke to We'd Like A Word at the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival in Kasauli in India. It's hard to think of a more famous forebear than Gandhi. So how does Rajmohan fit into the tradition? Lots of other authors, people & topics get discussed too - Tasha Alexander (the Lady Emily Ashton mysteries), Ben McIntyre, Desmond Bagley, Alistair Maclean, Alan Davies (Just Ignore Him), Arthur Ransome (Swallows and Amazons), Paul Gallico (The Snow Goose), Airey Neave and PD James. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul & Steve & our guests. We're also on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we are embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. And if you're still stuck for something to read, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

Writing dynasties (part 1): Felix Francis, Andrew Child/Grant & Rajmohan Gandhi tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about taking on a big book brand or carrying on a family writing tradition. It's different from continuation novels, they say, like when Anthony Horowitz took on Ian Fleming's James Bond character (see episode 4, series 1 of We'd Like A Word with Anthony Horowitz https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/rtTQmLv7Ivb ). These are books, stories and characters with whom they have grown up. But do they try to be exactly like their predecessor or collaborator? Distinctively different? How open are they about it? Is it better to keep it a secret until you're sure that readers will like it? And what if the originator decides he maybe does not want to retire after all? How do they write? And what books are they writing next? Lots of interesting answers in this 4-part episode. Felix Francis is the son of Richard and Mary Francis, who together created the internationally bestselling Dick Francis thrillers, set in the world of horse racing. Felix began contributing to, then co-writing, then solely authoring the Dick Francis books long before his name was on the covers. He's written 16 of them now. Where does Dick end and Felix begin? Listen to find out. Andrew Grant - now also known as Andrew Child - is the younger brother of Lee Child (real name Jim Grant), the creator of the bestselling Jack Reacher series - which you may also know from the Tom Cruise movies or the Amazon series starring Alan Ritchson. When decided he had only 4 more books left in him, he asked his brother Andrew to collaborate with him with a view to ultimately taking over. (Though that particular plot thickens...) But Andrew was already a successful thriller author in his own right. And he has a personal past cloaked in mystery. Rajmohan Gandhi was a teenager when he was inspired to investigate how the world works and to write about it when his grandfather, the Mahatma, Mohandas Gandhi was assassinated in 1948. He spoke to We'd Like A Word at the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival in Kasauli in India. It's hard to think of a more famous forebear than Gandhi. So how does Rajmohan fit into the tradition? Lots of other authors, people & topics get discussed too - Tasha Alexander (the Lady Emily Ashton mysteries), Ben McIntyre, Desmond Bagley, Alistair Maclean, Alan Davies (Just Ignore Him), Arthur Ransome (Swallows and Amazons), Paul Gallico (The Snow Goose), Airey Neave and PD James. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul & Steve & our guests. We're also on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we are embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. And if you're still stuck for something to read, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

Writing dynasties (part 4): Felix Francis, Andrew Child/Grant & Rajmohan Gandhi tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about taking on a big book brand or carrying on a family writing tradition. It's different from continuation novels, they say, like when Anthony Horowitz took on Ian Fleming's James Bond character (see episode 4, series 1 of We'd Like A Word with Anthony Horowitz https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/rtTQmLv7Ivb ). These are books, stories and characters with whom they have grown up. But do they try to be exactly like their predecessor or collaborator? Distinctively different? How open are they about it? Is it better to keep it a secret until you're sure that readers will like it? And what if the originator decides he maybe does not want to retire after all? How do they write? And what books are they writing next? Lots of interesting answers in this 4-part episode. Felix Francis is the son of Richard and Mary Francis, who together created the internationally bestselling Dick Francis thrillers, set in the world of horse racing. Felix began contributing to, then co-writing, then solely authoring the Dick Francis books long before his name was on the covers. He's written 16 of them now. Where does Dick end and Felix begin? Listen to find out. Andrew Grant - now also known as Andrew Child - is the younger brother of Lee Child (real name Jim Grant), the creator of the bestselling Jack Reacher series - which you may also know from the Tom Cruise movies or the Amazon series starring Alan Ritchson. When decided he had only 4 more books left in him, he asked his brother Andrew to collaborate with him with a view to ultimately taking over. (Though that particular plot thickens...) But Andrew was already a successful thriller author in his own right. And he has a personal past cloaked in mystery. Rajmohan Gandhi was a teenager when he was inspired to investigate how the world works and to write about it when his grandfather, the Mahatma, Mohandas Gandhi was assassinated in 1948. He spoke to We'd Like A Word at the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival in Kasauli in India. It's hard to think of a more famous forebear than Gandhi. So how does Rajmohan fit into the tradition? Lots of other authors, people & topics get discussed too - Tasha Alexander (the Lady Emily Ashton mysteries), Ben McIntyre, Desmond Bagley, Alistair Maclean, Alan Davies (Just Ignore Him), Arthur Ransome (Swallows and Amazons), Paul Gallico (The Snow Goose), Airey Neave and PD James. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul & Steve & our guests. We're also on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we are embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. And if you're still stuck for something to read, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

Writing dynasties (part 3): Felix Francis, Andrew Child/Grant & Rajmohan Gandhi tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about taking on a big book brand or carrying on a family writing tradition. It's different from continuation novels, they say, like when Anthony Horowitz took on Ian Fleming's James Bond character (see episode 4, series 1 of We'd Like A Word with Anthony Horowitz https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/rtTQmLv7Ivb ). These are books, stories and characters with whom they have grown up. But do they try to be exactly like their predecessor or collaborator? Distinctively different? How open are they about it? Is it better to keep it a secret until you're sure that readers will like it? And what if the originator decides he maybe does not want to retire after all? How do they write? And what books are they writing next? Lots of interesting answers in this 4-part episode. Felix Francis is the son of Richard and Mary Francis, who together created the internationally bestselling Dick Francis thrillers, set in the world of horse racing. Felix began contributing to, then co-writing, then solely authoring the Dick Francis books long before his name was on the covers. He's written 16 of them now. Where does Dick end and Felix begin? Listen to find out. Andrew Grant - now also known as Andrew Child - is the younger brother of Lee Child (real name Jim Grant), the creator of the bestselling Jack Reacher series - which you may also know from the Tom Cruise movies or the Amazon series starring Alan Ritchson. When decided he had only 4 more books left in him, he asked his brother Andrew to collaborate with him with a view to ultimately taking over. (Though that particular plot thickens...) But Andrew was already a successful thriller author in his own right. And he has a personal past cloaked in mystery. Rajmohan Gandhi was a teenager when he was inspired to investigate how the world works and to write about it when his grandfather, the Mahatma, Mohandas Gandhi was assassinated in 1948. He spoke to We'd Like A Word at the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival in Kasauli in India. It's hard to think of a more famous forebear than Gandhi. So how does Rajmohan fit into the tradition? Lots of other authors, people & topics get discussed too - Tasha Alexander (the Lady Emily Ashton mysteries), Ben McIntyre, Desmond Bagley, Alistair Maclean, Alan Davies (Just Ignore Him), Arthur Ransome (Swallows and Amazons), Paul Gallico (The Snow Goose), Airey Neave and PD James. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul & Steve & our guests. We're also on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we are embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. And if you're still stuck for something to read, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

Writing history & India (part 3): Shashi Tharoor & William Dalrymple tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about how they write history, how they got started, why history is important, how history is used as a weapon in today's culture wars, & who has the right to write a country's history. Shashi tells us about his least favourite historian. And William dodges some extreme criticism of the bullet-from-a-gun variety & has a happy reunion with a lost manuscript. We also investigate the rumours that the character of Indiana Jones was based on William. Shashi Tharoor is former Under-Secretary General of the United Nations, former Indian Government minister, Member of the Indian Parliament, prolific author & historian. His many books include Riot, India: From Midnight to the Millennium, Nehru: The Invention of India, & An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India also published under the title Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India. William Dalrymple is one of the co-founders and co-directors of the Jaipur Literary Festival, a broadcaster, curator and the author of many books, including In Xanadu, City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi, White Mughals, The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty Delhi 1857, Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World's Most Infamous Diamond (with Anita Anand) & The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company. Lots of other authors, people & topics get a mention too - JP Martin's Uncle books, Barabar Tuchmann's The March of Folly: Troy to Vietnam, Anita Anand, Stephen Fry, Gabriel Byrne, Samson Kambalu and the 4th Plinth, Americanisms, Captain WE Johns & Biggles, Operations Bellows, Enid Blyton, The Six Solvers, contested histories, the evolution of language, bloodthirsty St Agnes, Cornish & Irish giants, The Goodies, Sachin Tendulkar, Shah Rukh Khan, Narendra Modi, Neil Jordan's Lord Edward and Citizen Small, Victoria and Abdul, & Miki Berenyi (formerly of Lush, & who has an excellent memoir just out fingers crossed: how music saved me from success). We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul & Steve & our guests. We're also on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we are embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. And if you're still stuck for something to read, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

Writing history & India (part 2): Shashi Tharoor & William Dalrymple tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about how they write history, how they got started, why history is important, how history is used as a weapon in today's culture wars, & who has the right to write a country's history. Shashi tells us about his least favourite historian. And William dodges some extreme criticism of the bullet-from-a-gun variety & has a happy reunion with a lost manuscript. We also investigate the rumours that the character of Indiana Jones was based on William. Shashi Tharoor is former Under-Secretary General of the United Nations, former Indian Government minister, Member of the Indian Parliament, prolific author & historian. His many books include Riot, India: From Midnight to the Millennium, Nehru: The Invention of India, & An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India also published under the title Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India. William Dalrymple is one of the co-founders and co-directors of the Jaipur Literary Festival, a broadcaster, curator and the author of many books, including In Xanadu, City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi, White Mughals, The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty Delhi 1857, Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World's Most Infamous Diamond (with Anita Anand) & The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company. Lots of other authors, people & topics get a mention too - JP Martin's Uncle books, Barabar Tuchmann's The March of Folly: Troy to Vietnam, Anita Anand, Stephen Fry, Gabriel Byrne, Samson Kambalu and the 4th Plinth, Americanisms, Captain WE Johns & Biggles, Operations Bellows, Enid Blyton, The Six Solvers, contested histories, the evolution of language, bloodthirsty St Agnes, Cornish & Irish giants, The Goodies, Sachin Tendulkar, Shah Rukh Khan, Narendra Modi, Neil Jordan's Lord Edward and Citizen Small, Victoria and Abdul, & Miki Berenyi (formerly of Lush, & who has an excellent memoir just out fingers crossed: how music saved me from success). We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul & Steve & our guests. We're also on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we are embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. And if you're still stuck for something to read, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

Writing history & India (part 1): Shashi Tharoor & William Dalrymple tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about how they write history, how they got started, why history is important, how history is used as a weapon in today's culture wars, & who has the right to write a country's history. Shashi tells us about his least favourite historian. And William dodges some extreme criticism of the bullet-from-a-gun variety & has a happy reunion with a lost manuscript. We also investigate the rumours that the character of Indiana Jones was based on William. Shashi Tharoor is former Under-Secretary General of the United Nations, former Indian Government minister, Member of the Indian Parliament, prolific author & historian. His many books include Riot, India: From Midnight to the Millennium, Nehru: The Invention of India, & An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India also published under the title Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India. William Dalrymple is one of the co-founders and co-directors of the Jaipur Literary Festival, a broadcaster, curator and the author of many books, including In Xanadu, City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi, White Mughals, The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty Delhi 1857, Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World's Most Infamous Diamond (with Anita Anand) & The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company. Lots of other authors, people & topics get a mention too - JP Martin's Uncle books, Barabar Tuchmann's The March of Folly: Troy to Vietnam, Anita Anand, Stephen Fry, Gabriel Byrne, Samson Kambalu and the 4th Plinth, Americanisms, Captain WE Johns & Biggles, Operations Bellows, Enid Blyton, The Six Solvers, contested histories, the evolution of language, bloodthirsty St Agnes, Cornish & Irish giants, The Goodies, Sachin Tendulkar, Shah Rukh Khan, Narendra Modi, Neil Jordan's Lord Edward and Citizen Small, Victoria and Abdul, & Miki Berenyi (formerly of Lush, & who has an excellent memoir just out fingers crossed: how music saved me from success). We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul & Steve & our guests. We're also on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we are embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. And if you're still stuck for something to read, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

Diversity & short story anthologies (part 3): Authors Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how they edited their recently published short story anthologies. Vaseem is co-editor (With Maxim Jakubowski) of The Perfect Crime: 22 Crime Stories from Diverse Cultures Around the World, published by Harper Collins. Ivy is editor of Asian Anthology: New Writing Volume 1, published by Leopard Print. We talk about getting diverse voices published, about cultural appropriation & avoiding "rule by the mob", how they choose who to include, what to do if you want to get your own story into an anthology, what editors love and what they hate, and we hear excerpts of some of the stories read by their authors. These two short story anthologies take different approaches - open call v selected authors, big names v unknowns, genre framework v very loose theme. And the editors take different approaches on how they edit. For instance, if we do not generally put the word spaghetti in italics, why should we treat mee mamak any differently? Discuss... Lots of other authors/publishers get a mention too - Dotun Adebayo and his XPress, Hachette, Will Dean, Neil Jordan, EP Chiew, Ewan Lawrie, Tess Gerritsen, Jabba the Hut creator John Coppinger, SA Cosby, Walter Mosley, and more. We recommend both The Perfect Crime and Asian Anthology, but their editors are also authors in their own right with books out recently. Ivy Ngeow is the author of fiction and non-fiction including on fitness, health & cooking. Her latest thriller is White Crane Strikes. Vaseem Khan is the author of the Baby Ganesh Detective Agency & Malabar House crime fiction novels set in India. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul & Steve & our guests. We're also on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we are embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. And if you're still stuck for something to read, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

Diversity & short story anthologies (part 2): Authors Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how they edited their recently published short story anthologies. Vaseem is co-editor (With Maxim Jakubowski) of The Perfect Crime: 22 Crime Stories from Diverse Cultures Around the World, published by Harper Collins. Ivy is editor of Asian Anthology: New Writing Volume 1, published by Leopard Print. We talk about getting diverse voices published, about cultural appropriation & avoiding "rule by the mob", how they choose who to include, what to do if you want to get your own story into an anthology, what editors love and what they hate, and we hear excerpts of some of the stories read by their authors. These two short story anthologies take different approaches - open call v selected authors, big names v unknowns, genre framework v very loose theme. And the editors take different approaches on how they edit. For instance, if we do not generally put the word spaghetti in italics, why should we treat mee mamak any differently? Discuss... Lots of other authors/publishers get a mention too - Dotun Adebayo and his XPress, Hachette, Will Dean, Neil Jordan, EP Chiew, Ewan Lawrie, Tess Gerritsen, Jabba the Hut creator John Coppinger, SA Cosby, Walter Mosley, and more. We recommend both The Perfect Crime and Asian Anthology, but their editors are also authors in their own right with books out recently. Ivy Ngeow is the author of fiction and non-fiction including on fitness, health & cooking. Her latest thriller is White Crane Strikes. Vaseem Khan is the author of the Baby Ganesh Detective Agency & Malabar House crime fiction novels set in India. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul & Steve & our guests. We're also on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we are embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. And if you're still stuck for something to read, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

Diversity & short story anthologies (part 1): Authors Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how they edited their recently published short story anthologies. Vaseem is co-editor (With Maxim Jakubowski) of The Perfect Crime: 22 Crime Stories from Diverse Cultures Around the World, published by Harper Collins. Ivy is editor of Asian Anthology: New Writing Volume 1, published by Leopard Print. We talk about getting diverse voices published, about cultural appropriation & avoiding "rule by the mob", how they choose who to include, what to do if you want to get your own story into an anthology, what editors love and what they hate, and we hear excerpts of some of the stories read by their authors. These two short story anthologies take different approaches - open call v selected authors, big names v unknowns, genre framework v very loose theme. And the editors take different approaches on how they edit. For instance, if we do not generally put the word spaghetti in italics, why should we treat mee mamak any differently? Discuss... Lots of other authors/publishers get a mention too - Dotun Adebayo and his XPress, Hachette, Will Dean, Neil Jordan, EP Chiew, Ewan Lawrie, Tess Gerritsen, Jabba the Hut creator John Coppinger, SA Cosby, Walter Mosley, and more. We recommend both The Perfect Crime and Asian Anthology, but their editors are also authors in their own right with books out recently. Ivy Ngeow is the author of fiction and non-fiction including on fitness, health & cooking. Her latest thriller is White Crane Strikes. Vaseem Khan is the author of the Baby Ganesh Detective Agency & Malabar House crime fiction novels set in India. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul & Steve & our guests. We're also on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we are embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. And if you're still stuck for something to read, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

53. Independent Bookshop Week with Conn Iggulden, Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow: In this one-part minisode of the We'd Like A Word books & authors podcast, hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan hear from writers Conn Iggulden, Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow about their favourite indie bookshops, and visit Sheryl Surville, owner of the Chorleywood and Gerrards Cross bookshops in Buckinghamshire. The Newham Bookshop in London, No Alibis in Belfast, the Marlow Bookshop & Silverfish Books in Kuala Lumpur also get a mention. We hear what makes a successful indie bookshop, how they put up with authors, how self-published authors can get stocked on their shelves, & about events that take unexpected turns. Also, we reel in shock from a revelation about Conn Iggulden's true identity! Conn Iggulden writes historical fiction, including the Emperor and Conqueror series. He co-authored with his brother Hal, The Dangerous Book for Boys. In 2007 Conn became the first eprson to top the UK fiction & non-fiction charts at the same time. Vaseem Khan is the author of the Baby Ganesh Detective Agency & Malabar House crime fiction novels set in India. Ivy Ngeow's latest thriller is White Crane Strikes. She also writes non-fiction books on fitness, health & cooking. The next episode of We'd Like A Word will be about short story anthologies - how to create them, how to get into them & how to make them more diverse - with authors & editors Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul & Steve & our guests. We're also on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we are embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. And if you're still stuck for something to read, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

51. Cult author Will Carver (part 2) joins We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan to discuss the nature of evil, in front of a live audience inside the historic & beautiful Milton's Cottage in Chalfont St Giles, where John Milton dictated the epic poem, Paradise Lost. This event was for a select audience as part of the Chalfont St Giles & Jordans Literary Festival. Being there in person was great - and there was wine - but now you can eavesdrop on a very personal & existential session with searching questions from the audience. (And some "other" questions from Paul & Steve.) Will Carver's prolific output includes Girl 4, The Two, Dead Set & The Killer Inside (all part of the Detective Inspector January David series), and for Orenda Publishers, his current series - Good Samaritans, Nothing Important Happened Today, Hinton Hollow Death Trip (narrated by EVIL itself - or should that be, himself?), The Beresford, Psychopaths Anonymous & The Daves Next Door. Will writes crime fiction but always with a weird twist. Some fans of Will's books - well, Paul specifically - say they make them deeply uneasy, but they can't look away every time Will writes another disturbing and compelling thriller. You should read them to. You can get signed copies from Four Bear Books in Caversham, near Reading. The shop website is https://www.facebook.com/fourbearsbooksuk/about You should also visit Milton's Cottage Museum in Chalfont St Giles. It's the only place still around where John Milton lived & worked. Very atmospheric. Listed building. The beautiful garden is listed too. Friendly & knowledgeable guides too. A good day out in a chocolate box English village - pond, ducks, green, half-timbered houses, v good deli/cafe. The next episode of We'd Like A Word will be about anthologies - how to create them & how to make them more diverse - with authors & editors Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow. Your questions & comments welcome - but email them in quick - to wedlikeaword@gmail.com We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul & Steve & our guests. We're also on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we are embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. And if you're still stuck for something to read, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

50. Cult author Will Carver (part 3) joins We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan to discuss the nature of evil, in front of a live audience inside the historic & beautiful Milton's Cottage in Chalfont St Giles, where John Milton dictated the epic poem, Paradise Lost. This event was for a select audience as part of the Chalfont St Giles & Jordans Literary Festival. Being there in person was great - and there was wine - but now you can eavesdrop on a very personal & existential session with searching questions from the audience. (And some "other" questions from Paul & Steve.) Will Carver's prolific output includes Girl 4, The Two, Dead Set & The Killer Inside (all part of the Detective Inspector January David series), and for Orenda Publishers, his current series - Good Samaritans, Nothing Important Happened Today, Hinton Hollow Death Trip (narrated by EVIL itself - or should that be, himself?), The Beresford, Psychopaths Anonymous & The Daves Next Door. Will writes crime fiction but always with a weird twist. Some fans of Will's books - well, Paul specifically - say they make them deeply uneasy, but they can't look away every time Will writes another disturbing and compelling thriller. You should read them to. You can get signed copies from Four Bear Books in Caversham, near Reading. The shop website is https://www.facebook.com/fourbearsbooksuk/about You should also visit Milton's Cottage Museum in Chalfont St Giles. It's the only place still around where John Milton lived & worked. Very atmospheric. Listed building. The beautiful garden is listed too. Friendly & knowledgeable guides too. A good day out in a chocolate box English village - pond, ducks, green, half-timbered houses, v good deli/cafe. The next episode of We'd Like A Word be talking about anthologies - how to create them & how to make them more diverse - with authors & editors Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow. Your questions & comments welcome - but email them in quick - to wedlikeaword@gmail.com We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul & Steve & our guests. We're also on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we are embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. And if you're still stuck for something to read, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.

52. Cult author Will Carver (part 1) joins We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan to discuss the nature of evil, in front of a live audience inside the historic & beautiful Milton's Cottage in Chalfont St Giles, where John Milton dictated the epic poem, Paradise Lost. This event was for a select audience as part of the Chalfont St Giles & Jordans Literary Festival. Being there in person was great - and there was wine - but now you can eavesdrop on a very personal & existential session with searching questions from the audience. (And some "other" questions from Paul & Steve.) Will Carver's prolific output includes Girl 4, The Two, Dead Set & The Killer Inside (all part of the Detective Inspector January David series), and for Orenda Publishers, his current series - Good Samaritans, Nothing Important Happened Today, Hinton Hollow Death Trip (narrated by EVIL itself - or should that be, himself?), The Beresford, Psychopaths Anonymous & The Daves Next Door. Will writes crime fiction but always with a weird twist. Some fans of Will's books - well, Paul specifically - say they make them deeply uneasy, but they can't look away every time Will writes another disturbing and compelling thriller. You should read them to. You can get signed copies from Four Bear Books in Caversham, near Reading. The shop website is https://www.facebook.com/fourbearsbooksuk/about You should also visit Milton's Cottage Museum in Chalfont St Giles. It's the only place still around where John Milton lived & worked. Very atmospheric. Listed building. The beautiful garden is listed too. Friendly & knowledgeable guides too. A good day out in a chocolate box English village - pond, ducks, green, half-timbered houses, v good deli/cafe. The next episode of We'd Like A Word will be about anthologies - how to create them & how to make them more diverse - with authors & editors Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow. Your questions & comments welcome - but email them in quick - to wedlikeaword@gmail.com We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul & Steve & our guests. We're also on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we are embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books. And if you're still stuck for something to read, may we recommend Blackwatertown, the thriller by Paul Waters or Cockerings, the new comic classic by Stevyn Colgan.