Author's Afterword

Charlie and Jennifer Saint (Atalanta) discuss the forgotten story of the female member of the Argonauts - Jennifer's use of and changes to the various versions of the mythological story, including her usage of motherhood as a theme, Homer's thoughts on his women characters, the assault of Callisto, and the fact that Jason isn't much of a hero. Please note there are mentions of sexual assault in this episode. Episode 60 of this podcast is my interview with Jennifer about Elektra Jennifer's Elektra Jennifer's Ariadne The Argonautica Sarah Clegg's Women's Lore Cicero said, in the Tusculan Disputations, Book I, On The Contempt Of Death, section XXXIX: "If a child dies young, one should console himself easily. If he dies in the cradle, one doesn't even pay attention." Emily Wilson's translation of The Iliad Where to find Jennifer online Website || Twitter || Instagram Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 01:42 Why Atalanta, what drew you to her? 03:19 Why the first person in particular and how did you create Atalanta's voice? 06:31 The relevance of Atalanta's story to our present day, especially compared to Elektra 08:49 The unimportance of Jason (of the Argonauts) 10:07 Atalanta's growth as a person and her relative genderlessness 12:49 How and why Jennifer included motherhood in the way that she does (and how there are bad parents in Greek mythology) 17:54 Depending on the version of the story, Atalanta doesn't always meet Artemis - Jennifer talks about this and her choices for her story. We then move on to Callisto's story and the different versions of it 24:25 Jennifer talks about how Homer seems to have empathy for the women in his stories as part of a wider discussion as to the reception of the female characters in Ancient Greek society 27:49 How Jennifer approached writing the male characters, who revolve around Atalanta rather than the other way around 34:57 The ending - becoming lions would've been seen as a punishment in Ancient Greece, so how did Jennifer change this for her story? 38:02 Artemis' and Aphrodite's relationship 41:16 What's next - Jennifer's book on Hera 42:23 Might Jennifer ever write a 'regular' high fantasy novel?

Charlie and Elizabeth Fremantle (Disobedient) discuss the formative life, and Elizabeth's fictionalisation, of Artemisia Gentileschi, a woman painter from the 17th century. Please note that there are many mentions of rape in this episode, and there is also a mention of animal death. The previous episodes with Elizabeth are episode 7 and episode 70 The exhibition at The National Gallery Judith Slaying Holofernes Caravaggio's Judith Beheading Holofernes Mary D Garrard's Artemisia Gentileschi Elizabeth's Queen's Gambit Firebrand Where to find Elizabeth online Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 01:18 Why Artemisia, and the general inspiration for the book 04:40 Elizabeth talks about Artemisia's work in general, as well as her success in her lifetime 10:58 How much does your fictionalisation of Orazio Gentileschi align with what's known? 15:14 Where Artemisia worked on her father's paintings 16:47 The Stiatessi family and what we know about Artemisia's husband 20:12 About Zita, real name Tuzia 22:49 The fragments of translations in the book - listen in for some interesting facts! 25:56 The use of laundry and light coming through the laundry lines 28:21 The Nightingale (Ovid's Metamorphoses' Philomel and Procne) 31:19 About Beatrice Cenci and Elizabeth's next book 35:28 Asking Elizabeth about what Charlie feels is her defining element - her honing in to one or two specific elements - and how she may continue in this vein in future 40:42 Lola the dog, who is mentioned at the start of the novel 41:29 Release dates for Firebrand, the film of Queen's Gambit Photo credit: JP Masclet.

Charlie and Kristy Woodson Harvey (The Summer Of Songbirds) discuss whether we should like her character, Lanier (who stops her best friend and brother being together); the various plot threads she left out of the book (including alternative endings); and US summer camps (both Kristy's experiences, and the effect of the pandemic lockdowns). We also spend a good amount of time discussing the pre-actor's-strike announcement of an adaptation of Kristy's Peachtree Bluff series and her next two books. Kristy's The Wedding Veil Kristy's Christmas In Peachtree Bluff Friends & Fiction Kristy's interview with Susan M Boyer The announcement about the Peachtree Bluff adaptation on Kristy's website Where to find Kristy online Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 02:14 The inspiration: a sailing trip at a summer camp Kristy went to with her family during the pandemic 06:49 So Lanier and Rich came first?... 08:02 How Kristy doesn't write in chronological order and how it ends up working well 12:01 How Kristy feels about Lanier 15:35 Why was important to write about Daphne's family and the problems there are there? 19:21 Why no narrator for Mary Stuart? 25:39 This book was originally longer (what got cut) 29:24 Kristy's childhood experiences of US summer camps 33:52 Why Kristy ends her book with a scene about Daphne, Lanier, and Mary Stuart's children going to camp 34:51 Real camps that had to close due to the lockdowns 36:24 The concept of 'hard things' 40:27 Other endings Kristy had in mind for The Summer Of Songbirds 44:43 A sequel? 48:18 The on-hold Peachtree Bluff adaptation 52:16 What's next (A Happier Life, and and very, very brief peak at Kristy's 2025 book)

Charlie and Maggie Brookes (Acts Of Love And War) discuss the small group of British Quakers who went to aid refugees during the Spanish Civil War, the way the war tore families apart as people chose different sides, and why she ended her romantic thread differently than might be expected. All referenced media in this episode: Francesca Wilson's In The Margins Of Chaos Maggie Brookes' Acts Of Love And War Maggie Brookes' The Prisoner's Wife Buy Acts of Love and War and other books mentioned Where to find Maggie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 01:53 The initial inspiration: Professor Farah Mendlesohn's PhD on the Spanish Civil War 03:39 The very small group of Quakers, including Alfred Jacob, who went out to Spain from Britain to help refugees 07:02 The real life women in Maggie's book: Francesca Wilson, Kanty Cooper 09:30 How the Quakers got their supplies to Spain, and the refugee children's colonies 15:03 What happened to the refugees after the war 18:26 Maggie's fictional characters - Lucy, Tom, and Jamie and having two brothers on different sides of the war 22:20 People in Britain who thought Franco was right, and why they thought that, and we mention the non-intervention pact many countries agreed to 27:27 On why Maggie had one of the brothers die, and who was better for Lucy 29:59 The ending, Maggie leaving Lucy single 32:00 Maggie tells us about the inspiration of her first book, The Prisoner's Wife, and Maggie briefs us on what she's writing now Photo credit: Lyn Gregory Disclosure: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops

Charlie and Stacey Thomas (The Revels) discuss English Civil War era witch hunting which includes the methods, the propaganda, and the awful theatre of it all. We also discuss Stacey's inclusion of actual witches in her narrative, and Stacey's recommendations of Wolf Hall and A Little Life. Witchfinder General James VI/I's Daemonologie Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall Hanya Yanagihara's A Little Life Bridget Collins' The Binding Stacey's episode on Witches Of Scotland I spoke to Amita Parikh in episode 72 Where to find Stacey online Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 01:20 What made you want to tell this story of a man who is a witch, and his role in the judgement of witches? 02:23 Stacey's interest in James I and his favouritism of different male courtiers 04:22 The theatrical elements of the book 05:58 The torture of the accused 'witches' that led to fantasy stories being created 08:51 The influence of the printing press and propaganda pamphlets on the public's thoughts about accused women 10:02 About knot magic 12:09 The importance of having actual witches in the book and the impact of religion 14:32 Stacey's interest in taxidermy and Althamia's experience 16:41 Althamia's impact on the novel 17:54 The themes of grief and guilt in the book 20:51 Castor and Pollux 22:20 The writing style and narrative voice, and Stacey recommends Wolf Hall and A Little Life 25:24 All about Will and how he fits into the story 30:44 Is John Rush a witch?... And the fact he's left at large at the end 34:40 The initial execution scene did not originally happen... 35:57 Althamia says "Happy endings are beyond most people" and talks of proper endings - how does Stacey see The Revels in that sense? 39:15 Modern day apologies for witch hunters by the church 42:02 What Stacey's working on now (this turns into a lengthy discussion on debutantes and their publicity machines With thanks to Jawnson.

Charlie and Celina Baljeet Basra (Happy) discuss the experiences undocumented migrants to Western Europe face, French film director Jean Luc Goddard's seminal film Bande À Part, Indian talkshow Koffee With Karan, and Celina's particular usage of Umbrella, ella, ella, eh, eh, eh. The Abduction Of Europe A review of 'Park', the 2017 exhibition curated by Celina Bande À Part Bruce Bégout's Le Park Uski Roti There are no clips of the discussed Koffee With Karan episode on YouTube, but if you've the right channel, it is from 7th November 2010 Where to find Celina online Website || Twitter || Instagram Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 01:48 Why Celina wanted to tell this story: inspiration from a distant relatives' migration from India to Italy 05:24 Celina's highly unique narrative structure (fragmented) and how she used it to further achieve her aims 09:45 Would there have been a way for Happy's life to improve, if what happened to him at the end didn't happen? 12:07 The real riot of exploited migrants that was mentioned in the book 14:36 The character of Europe and the way Celina created a woman from a continent 19:32 The importance of the presence of Happy's family in the novel 21:20 The phrases of Italian vocabulary included that shows us where Happy is in his learning about his new life 24:35 Wonderland - the real one in Jalandhar and Celina's fictionisation of it 28:53 The inclusion of Jean Luc Goddard's Bande À Part 34:35 The inclusion of Indian talkshow Koffee With Karan 40:22 Why Celina included the other narrative voices of Harbir and Zhivago at the end 43:37 What's next Photo credit: Lilian Scarlet.

Charlie and Rachel Abbott (Don't Look Away) discuss young carers and the guilt they can feel, trafficking in Cornwall - both fact and fiction - and having her series' policewoman staying in the background of the story rather than take the spotlight. (We talk about that a couple of times, I loved it!) Please note that there are mentions of suicide in this episode. And So It Begins Stranger Child Come A Little Closer Sleep Tight About the trafficking at Newlyn Harbour in late 2019 Where to find Rachel online Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 01:40 The inspiration for Nancy and Lola's story 03:15 Nancy's feeling of guilt as a young carer who failed to save her mother 06:23 The way Rachel really fleshes out the non-police characters in her thriller 11:05 How long Lola will be in prison 13:48 Research Rachel does in terms of the police 16:55 How important is policewomen Stephanie (the linking factor of the books) compared to Nancy (one of this book's victims)? 20:18 Stephanie is written in the third person and Nancy is in the first person... 22:20 Why set the book in Cornwall, and why create a fictional village in Cornwall 25:36 The trafficking in the book and real situations 29:34 How Rachel goes from one plot to many - the expansion 33:15 How Rachel uses technology in her books as opposed to finding tech makes things too easy 35:03 What's next for Stephanie King, book 4 in the series? 41:26 Was there anyone that Rachel's editing agent didn't like, or did really like? 43:26 Rachel's current work on her next Tom Douglas book Photo credit: Andrew Crowley.

Charlie and Karen Hamilton (The Contest) discuss the specifics of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and the vast support crews, her ridiculously privileged holidaying characters and where their requests are based in reality, and why everyone is obsessed with toilets. We then move on to an extensive discussion of the thriller aspect of Karen's book and whether, even though there is one killer in her book, there are in fact more. Erick Kivelege's Climbing Kilimanjaro With Africa's Top Guide Kilimanjaro Porters Society Where to find Karen online Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 01:14 Mt Kilimanjaro and luxury travel 05:26 How climbing the mountain goes - the specifics of it 15:30 Karen's characters - Florence, Jacob, and Hugo 24:55 The grief in the book and the whole contest of two groups climbing Kilimanjaro 26:54 The violence and discussing who the killer is, and the associated theme of isolation 36:31 Ethical Getaways and BVT merging and the effect on Florence and Jacob 39:34 What's next (brief) Photo credit: Emma Moore.

Charlie and Radhika Sanghani (I Wish We Weren't Related) discuss having alopecia, healing from being a people pleaser and self-empowerment in general, and her comic novel which includes an ex-fiance turned future brother-in-law, and a father who died, was not dead, but then died - true fictional story. Radhika's book also includes beloved cats, so we talk about cats too. Asha Bhosle Pema Chödrön Marian Williamson talking about choosing between love and fear Radhika's novel 30 Things I Love About Myself Where to find Radhika online Twitter || Instagram Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 01:35 The inspiration, in particular the theme of healing from alopecia 04:39 The characters, in particular Saraswati in Bollywood 08:14 Satya Auntie, and spirituality, in particular Buddhism and what Marian Williamson teaches about all our decisions being due to love and fear 12:37 On character Reeva's people pleasing and our own! 15:27 Reeva's trauma from her accident 17:36 Reeva's speech at her father's funeral 19:21 The choices made in regards to Reeva and Nick's relationship 21:34 The importance of including a second funeral, this time for someone Reeva knew and loved 22:55 Cats! All the cats! 25:52 What Radhika wanted to say about family 27:14 What's next Photo credit: SEBC Photography.

Charlie and Gill Paul (A Beautiful Rival) discuss the working lives of and rivalry between businesswomen Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein, and the antisemitism in the US during WW2. We also discuss our views of Wallis Simpson. We spoke about Gill's book The Second Marriage (Jackie And Maria in the US) in episode 42 The Powder And The Glory Lindy Woodhead's Warpaint Cosmetics And Skin Gill's Another Woman's Husband Wendy Holden's The Duchess Where to find Gill online Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || TikTok Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 01:03 Why these women? 02:20 Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein hated each other but they never met... 02:59 Elizabeth's and Helena's backgrounds 07:28 The work Arden and Rubinstein put in to become successful 10:30 How Gill wrote her versions of Elizabeth and Helena 11:29 Elizabeth Arden's snobbery 13:46 The antisemitism in the West despite those countries going to war, particularly that coming from Arden 17:49 Irene Delaney, Elizabeth's forgotten 40-year-long PA 20:34 Moving factual events round to suit the narrative 22:24 Elizabeth employed her rival's ex-husband! 24:14 Advertisements and selling the companies 28:03 Helena Rubinstein's first husband was the publisher of Lady Chatterley's Lover 29:40 Rubinstein created the idea of skin types 32:39 The Suffragettes apparently wore lipstick on their marches, and talking about Gill's next book 34:53 What other people might Gill write about in future 36:33 Discussing our views of Wallis Simpson

Charlie and Tasneem Abdur-Rashid (Finding Mr Perfectly Fine) discuss writing a story that hadn't yet been told in novels and working with getting the balance and choices right when it came to writing for Bengali Muslims, Muslims from other cultures, and other readers. We also discuss the guys she cut from the first draft, why she decided to finish her rom-com on the somewhat controversial note she did, oh and if you're looking for a great Turkish restaurant in North London, we've got you covered. Please note that there is swearing and discussion of rape in this episode. Not Another Mum Pod ('Was My Husband Gay?' is episode 6) Tasneem's 'he's a 10 but...' TikTok video Capital Restaurant, Wood Green Hala, Green Lanes Gokyuzu Antepliler Tasneem's Instagram Where to find Tasneem online Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 01:44 The inspiration for Finding Mr Perfectly Fine 04:33 About Zara, Adam, and Hamza 08:48 How Tasneem wrote and planned the book, and balancing the different audiences she was writing for 13:30 Wherein Tasneem's dad bought her a computer for writing on when she was 10 years old 17:17 Deleted sections of the book - Zara met a lot more people! 20:16 Writing from a specific Muslim perspective (British Bengali) and pushback; also the Sylheti dialect 24:12 On the part where Yasmin wears hijab to cover her beauty when chaperoning Zara on a meet up 27:04 Hamza and Zara's lack of thinking about how controlling he is whereas others can see it 31:47 The Tariq plotline and backstory 33:26 Adam and Zara's mismatched values and working them out, Hamza, and the decisions Tasneem made for the ending 42:02 What happens beyond the ending pages 43:17 The possibility of a book about Amina 44:03 Further info about Tasneem's next book 47:31 On North London Turkish restaurants 49:47 On Tasneem's podcast, Not Another Mum Pod

Charlie Place and Amanda Geard (The Moon Gate) discuss Tasmania in WW2 and in general, Australia's famed poet Banjo Paterson and his fellow Bush Ballad writers, British Blackshirts and the Mitfords, and the Moorgate Tube Crash in London. On a lighter note, Amanda also tells us much about the writing of her book, including a lot of what she left out in order to reduce her book from the lengthy draft it was to the mere 500 hardback pages it is. Amanda was the guest in episode 63 in which we spoke about The Midnight House Waltzing Matilda The Man From Snowy River The Mitfords - Letters Between Six Sisters The Moorgate Tube Crash I spoke to Kate Thompson about the Bethnal Green Tube Disaster in episode 76 Penghana Where to find Amanda online Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 01:50 The inspiration - Banjo Paterson's Bush ballads and mining in Tasmania 03:17 Keeping up with all the characters and planning the timelines 08:43 How there is so much of Amanda in this book 10:51 Mining on the West Coast of Tasmania, and Amanda's dad 13:41 Banjo Paterson and Australian poetry 17:49 Tasmania in WW2, including Prime Minister Robert Menzies 26:01 Women Blackshirts in Britain (including Diana Mitford) and the awfulness of Edeline 30:47 The Moon Gate's lengthy first draft 33:12 Moon Gates and rebirth 35:45 The focus on grief 37:23 Including the Moorgate Tube Crash 40:44 Amanda's Balinn returns! 42:45 The epilogue and what was left out 44:45 Rose and what might have been 47:20 The House of the book, Towerhurst and Australia's Federation houses, and huon pine trees 52:46 What Amanda found when renovating an old Irish house 55:07 More on Amanda's current manuscript, a story looking at occupied Norway

Charlie and Alex Hay (The Housekeepers) discuss his meticulously planned and fast-paced 1900s heist novel wherein the entire contents of a grand house are to be removed... and the mistress of the place is in on it. Alex tells us about the successful collaboration between himself and his three editors and we discuss the various comedy aspects of the book. Sadie Jones' The Uninvited Guests Julia Laite's The Disappearance Of Lydia Harvey Alex's conversation with Sarah Penner for Always Authors Where to find Alex online Website || Twitter || Instagram Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 01:25 The inspiration for The Housekeepers 06:14 Alex's extensive planning of the book and some of the changes made 10:01 Mrs Bone, Danny/Mr de Vries, and the O'Flynn family 12:54 The many narratives and including Miss de Vries in her own narrative as an 'equal' 17:20 The comedy! 21:33 The trafficking plot line 24:37 On Alice and keeping secrets 27:23 Working with three editors 31:22 Was there ever another ending in mind? 33:37 The 'What-choo' boy 34:59 Jane One and Jane Two 36:59 The reality of the smoking machine 38:11 The possibility of an adaptation 38:50 What's next?

Charlie and Paula Cocozza (Speak To Me) discuss how phones have taken the place of conversation, a number of literary Susans, and Paula tells us about her love of reading and libraries in childhood. The Guardian's story on Kirstie Allsopp smashing her daughter's IPad Susan Cain's Quiet Suze Rotolo's A Freewheelin' Time I am (happy?) to say that Susan the dog is no longer the first Susan mentioned on pages about 'Susan' on Wikipedia Hanif Kureshi's Intimacy (beware NSFW cover) The Reading Agency Paula's column, A New Start After 60 Where to find Paula online Twitter Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 01:08 The inspiration and our modern phone usage 09:01 The hows of how Paula wrote the book 16:12 On the narrator's reliability 19:43 All the Susans in this book! 22:21 The Victorian terrace house, our main character's former home 24:22 Anthony 27:51 So Paula wrote some of the book with pen and paper... 29:40 The use of Shakespeare's Malvolio 31:30 Our narrator's dealings with Anthony and Kurt later in the book, and miscommunication 36:32 Our narrator's relationship with her sons 38:55 Why our narrator is a librarian - Paula's reading journey 43:40 What's next 45:39 On Paula's current feature series for The Guardian, A New Start After 60

Charlie and Nicolai Houm (The Gradual Disappearance Of Jane Ashland) discuss a unique and somewhat extreme form of coping with grief, where his characterisation blends into his own writer self, and the open ending he left his readers with. Please note that there's some swearing and mentions of suicide in this episode. Wikipedia's article on Andersonville Prison Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 01:20 The starting point of loss and trauma 07:32 Jane, family, and replacing family 12:59 Jane as a writer and how she could have written the book herself 15:35 Nicolai's use of language and how his writer self is included in the book 20:51 Everything about Ulf 24:05 The significance of the musk oxen 28:14 Continuing on the musk oxen in regards to the ending of the book 31:48 How Jane's parents affected who she is 33:03 Nicolai's travels for surfing reasons and what's next

Charlie and Elissa Soave (Ginger And Me) discuss including the working class in fiction, writing about neuro-divergence without labels, and social care and society in context. We also discuss Elissa's Greggs habit, writing about her hometown, and why her editor told her 'this is not Reservoir Dogs...' Please note that there is a mild swear word in this episode. The Primadonna Prize Laura Pearson's episode was number 11 Kazuo Ishiguru's Nobel Prize speech Gail Honeyman's Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine Where to find Elissa online Twitter Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 01:27 The starting point for the book and discussing 'difference' of personality and labels 09:36 The people on the bus and exploring the lives of the working class 13:49 Ginger 15:21 Diane 17:13 Friendship and loneliness 20:23 The writing group 24:20 Uddingston 27:44 The importance of food in the novel 29:17 Wendy's parents 32:14 Social care in the book and our society 36:24 Ginger's death 40:56 Wendy not changing at the end (and including Ali Smith!) 43:53 What's next

Charlie and Lisa See (Lady Tan's Circle Of Women) discuss the medieval Chinese woman doctor Tan Yuanxian, whose book is still in use today. We also discuss, in this context, the isolation and disability of being an aristocratic woman in the time period. Please note that there is swearing in this episode. Tan Yuan Xian's Miscellaneous Records Of A Female Doctor Hildegard Von Bingen The Washing Away Of Wrongs Where to find Lisa online Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || YouTube Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 00:55 About Tan Yuan Xian 06:00 Facts versus fiction, where we don't know all that much about Yuan Xian 11:21 While there were many of them, we don't know much about other women doctors in China at that time... 12:44 The importance of friendship in the novel 17:50 Being born in the year of the (Metal) Snake 22:22 The true story of a midwife who had a miscarriage in front of the empress 26:52 The focus on isolation, and foot binding 34:47 Lady Kuo 41:54 Miss Zhao 44:25 The murder mystery 49:58 The men, and in particular Yuan Xian's grandfather 51:16 What's next Photo credit: Patricia Williams.

Charlie and Eleanor Shearer (River Sing Me Home) discuss how slavery didn't really end when it was abolished, and Eleanor's experiences studying the Caribbean during this time and the knowledge she gained. We also explore different versions of freedom, and the way Eleanor's family influenced her writing. The Windrush Foundation Samuel Smith's To Shoot Hard Labour Toni Morrison's Beloved Marianne Hirsch V S Naipaul's The Loss Of El Dorado Wikipedia's extensive article on Black Nova Scotians Andrea Levy's Small Island Where to find Eleanor online Website || Twitter || Instagram Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 00:47 The 'apprenticeships' that happened after slavery had 'ended' 02:47 About Eleanor's two 'main' inspirations 06:23 On reparations 10:23 Rachel, and Eleanor's family 15:41 The order in which Rachel finds her children 17:53 Nobody 21:21 The children's fathers 23:42 The theme of motherhood 26:36 Eleanor's wanting to use Creole languages but wanting to keep it accessible to non-Creole speakers 28:28 Mary Grace's muteness 31:59 The oral storytelling 34:34 The different versions of freedom 37:30 The theme of water 40:24 The Maroon communities and their movements 42:27 The Rising of Demerara 45:57 Eleanor's use of the search for El Dorado 47:34 What's next? Photo credit: Lucinda Douglas-Menzies.

Charlie and Jenni Keer (The Legacy Of Halesham Hall) discuss wacky puzzle houses, writing as a reader, the age gap in her book, and Rebecca-like characters who remain alive. The Winchester Mystery House, California Where to find Jenni online Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || TikTok Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 01:16 The inspiration/reason for the story 03:29 The house... and Clement Bellingham 08:16 The influence of Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca 13:52 On Phoebe ending up with Sidney, and age gaps 16:45 On what Sidney looks like 18:04 The Bellingham board game company 20:52 Sidney's choices, adolescence, and the etymology of 'teenager' 32:45 Phoebe's gaining of the house 37:43 Not needing to live an 'exciting' life in order to be an author 39:20 What's next?

Charlie and Kate Thompson (The Little Wartime Library) discuss the wartime history and community of East London's Bethnal Green - the Tube station that housed locals during the Blitz, the library that moved down into the tunnels and is now back overground, and the people that made the community what it was. We also discuss wartime reading and the measures put in place to stop women reading escapist fiction. Please note that there is a moderate swear word in this episode. Bethnal Green Library The Stepney Doorstep Society Bethnal Green Tube Station and history Pellicci's restaurant You can find photos of the underground library, tunnels, Kate in the library archives, and the quotes read, in Kate's article for Historia Magazine Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial in Budapest The event that Kate references that also led to a crush disaster was The Hillsborough Disaster Forever Amber Secrets Of The Singer Girls The Paris Library The Last Bookshop in London The Librarian Of Burned Books Where to find Kate online Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 02:02 How Kate found her story 04:36 Mrs Chumbley 06:09 The framing, using the Covid lockdown each end of the story 12:57 Why Kate created fictional narrators 15:55 How the tunnels at Bethnal Green Tube Station came to be used as bomb shelters and what it was all like 21:58 The Bethnal Green Tube Disaster 29:24 The Hughes Mansions bombing 31:09 Discussing Bethnal Green Library 32:28 The attempts to stop women reading whatever they wanted 37:26 Wartime reading: Mein Kampf and Forever Amber 40:54 Kate's writing and language 43:06 What's next? 47:05 Bethnal Green Library today 48:44 Kate's forthcoming podcast Photo credit: Debbie Clark.

Charlie and Ronali Collings (Love & Other Dramas) discuss her relationship with her mother and where that influences her novel, racist comments and decisions in the workplace, and her experiences of female friendships during her IVF journey. We begin with her studies for a Masters - her supervisor was Bernardine Evaristo. The Madeline Milburn Mentorship Programme Ronali's interview on The Two Of Us Ronali's episode on Chloe Timms' Confessions Of A Debut Novelist Where to find Ronali online Website || Twitter || Instagram Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 01:19 On Ronali's MA for which she was supervised by Bernadine Evaristo 06:18 On the inspirations and reasons for writing Love & Other Dramas 13:10 The characters 20:11 Stephen! 22:55 The importance of Tanya remaining single at the end 27:06 Ronali's relationship with her mother and the influence on Helen and Tanya 33:46 Catholicism in Ronali's life and in the book 39:11 The micro-aggressions related to racism 43:06 Priya and Bianca's relationship 46:16 Discussing female friendships - Ronali discusses the absence of them in parts of her life and we then go on to discuss friendship in the context of her IVF treatments 56:38 What's next? Photograph used with the permission of the author.

Charlie and Kristina McMorris (Sold On A Monday; The Ways We Hide) discuss the harrowing photographs of children that inspired her last two novels, why she chose to focus - in the first book - on the news reporters rather than the children, and changing the fictional outcome of the stories. The photograph of the children for sale and an article with the basics Kristina's Facebook post about her and RaeAnn's appearance on NPR Interview with RaeAnn for North West Indiana Times Interview with David McDaniel Christina Baker Kline's Orphan Train The first sentence on Sold On A Monday ended up being: 'Outside the guarded entrance, reporters circled like a pack of wolves.' (The photograph that inspired The Ways We Hide is a photograph of some of the children who died in the Italian Hall Disaster and shows them laid out after death.) "How Monopoly Helped The Allies Win WW2" article The videos of the various MI9 tools are listed on Kristina's website Where to find Kristina online Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 01:21 Tell us about the photograph Sold On A Monday was inspired by 06:09 Changing the outcome for the fictional children 07:40 The book's focus on the reporters rather than the children 11:11 How Kristina's experience in media informed her writing 13:41 About the original title 17:55 The reliability of the characters 19:10 Ellis and Lily 22:33 Theme of family and motherhood 23:45 The photograph that inspired The Ways We Hide 27:17Fenna! 28:25 The four books Kristina is currently working on 32:29 Kristina introduces the extra content on her website

Charlie and Orlando Ortega-Medina (The Fitful Sleep Of Immigrants) discuss the reality for LGBT asylum seekers in the US, Orlando's own experiences as a lawyer, and same-sex marriage rights now Roe v Wade has been overturned. Orlando's law firm Authority Magazine video "How Do We Master Our Ego?" an discussion with Rabbi Joseph Dweck for J-TV Where to find Orlando online Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || TikTok Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 01:33 Orlando's career as a lawyer and his own firm 03:55 How Orlando might have changed his plans for his career if he'd been able to write part time and be a lawyer part time 05:38 Creating the characters 09:08 Issac and the situation in El Salvador in the late 1990s at the time 11:22 The court hearing 15:08 Alejandro Silva! 23:11 The original version of the book 26:18 The Saint Cloud case and realities 28:06 On the same-sex marriage rights of LGBT people in the US now that Roe v Wade has been overturned 32:04 The passage about darkness and light in the context of people 34:19 Mitzpe Ramon and Orlando's use of it in his work Photograph credit: Marte Lundby Rekaa

Charlie and Amita Parikh (The Circus Train) discuss how Amita's dancing and performing experiences influenced her work, her controversial decision to have her wheelchair-using heroine learn to walk, and the Theresienstadt Ghetto (concentration camp) where prisoners led a fairly cultured life. 'Ten Fun Facts About The Circus Train' on Amita's website The Night Ferry Elizabeth Kenny The Theresienstadt Ghetto Information and links about #PublishingPaidMe Where to find Amita online Website Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions 01:20 The inspiration behind the characters and the theme of illusion 04:29 The circus itself and Amita's dancing experience 07:01 Real travelling circuses of the time 08:53 Getting the balance between magic and reality 09:22 The original drafts 11:47 Back to the train aspect 13:37 The decision to have Lena learning to walk and the historical medical context for it 18:35 The Theresienstadt Ghetto 22:20 Horace! 26:31 About another book Amita has written (not published), her reaction to getting an agent, and her upcoming second book Photograph credit: Helen Tansey

Charlie and Emma Cowell (One Last Letter From Greece) discuss grief, miscarriage and expectations surrounding it, and, in keeping with her book's title, Greece and its culture. Methoni Cadgwith Petalidi Where to find Emma online Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Discussions and Readings 01:30 First reading 03:56 Emma's mum 07:49 The how, when, and so forth of Emma writing One Last Letter From Greece 11:42 Emma's inclusion of Greece in the book 14:44 Second reading 18:09 All about Sophie 24:38 Discussion of friendship, miscarriage and fertility 31:32 Theo! 33:25 Emma's angling experience and its influence 35:04 Art and the art world 39:00 The paranormal elements 42:27 Lindsay and Grigor what ifs 49:36 Emma's next book, The House In The Olive Grove Photograph used with the permission of the author.

She's back! Charlie and E C Fremantle (The Honey And The Sting) discuss producing a book that is utterly devoid - and then some - of filler, Black people of the Stuart era, and the film of Fremantle's first novel, which will star Jude Law and Alicia Vikander. The Honey And The Sting George Villiers Frances Coke John Felton Eleanor Davies Miranda Kaufmann's Black Tudors Pearl diver Jacques Francis The Poison Bed Robert Carr The painting of Anne of Denmark Firebrand Artemisia Gentileschi Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram Question Index 00:40 [Asking Liz about her writing choices in terms of the stripped-back style of her book] 05:43 [Reading] 13:08 Could you talk more about the creation of the sisters themselves? 16:31 Is this book moving towards the fantasy genre? 17:21 Can you talk about the bees, honey, this concept? 19:08 George Villiers - can you talk about how you included the story and why you made the choices you did? 23:45 Were James I and George Villiers lovers, in your opinion? 26:58 Can you talk about your decision to use Francis Bacon's work in your book? 28:16 Can you talk more about your research of Black people of the era and their inclusion in your book? 31:55 Your first novel has now been made into a film (called Firebrand; in post-production). What can you tell us about it at this point? 34:10 Can you tell us about your next book, Disobedient? Photograph used with the permission of the author. Credit: JP Masclet.

Charlie and Cecelia Tichi (A Fatal Gilded High Note) discuss the Gilded Age in its success and its crimes, her rebellious 1890s character who defies class, and the history of French Bulldogs. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-69-cecelia-tichi The 1897 World Expedition in Nashville Parton's, Harris', and Ronstadt's Trio Cecelia's book on country music and literature Virginia City "Boss" Tweed Jay Gould Upton Sinclair's The Jungle John Mackey Evelyn Walsh McLean (Cecelia's book on Gilded Age Cocktails) The Gilded Age Society on Facebook Question Index 00:58 Where do country music and literature meet for you? 07:58 [Reading] 12:09 Why the Gilded Age? 15:57 There was a lot of crime in that era?... 21:43 How did you come to create Val, the fictional aspects? 27:11 Tell us about Velvet the French Bulldog 30:50 Tell us about A Deadly Gilded Freefall 31:32 Will there be a fifth book in this series? 31:55 How is Val going to progress as a character going forward? Purchase Links A Fatal Gilded High Note: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters A Deadly Gilded Free Fall: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the marketing team.

Charlie and Kate Glanville (The Peacock House) discuss her main character who is 90 years old, and villains who aren't so villainous after all. Kate also discusses the way her dyslexia has effected her reading, and some of her thoughts on education in this vein in the context of her younger character. Please note that there are spoilers throughout the episode. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-68-kate-glanville Kate's ceramics Newton House St David's College Llandudno and Conway Bodysgallen Question Index 00:33 How did you first know when you wanted to write? 03:17 [Reading] 07:41 Can you tell us where the story comes from and your inspiration? 16:17 In terms of Evelyn's romance were there any wartime inspirations? 17:52 Why didn't you include Evelyn and Jack's reunion in the book? 20:34 Kind of on this, is a more pleasant cast of characters what you prefer to go for? 23:18 Tell us about the future for Tilly, Bethan, and Tom 25:20 What's next? 27:53 Tell us more about your ceramics business 29:02 [Kate talks about audiobooks and how they've helped her read] Purchase Links The Peacock House: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the author.

Charlie and Kristin Harmel (The Forest Of Vanishing Stars) discuss the true story, and Kristin's own fictional one, of a group of over a thousand Jewish people who during WW2 slowly escaped to and hid in a vast forest away from the Nazis. Please note that there are spoilers throughout the episode. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-67-kristin-harmel Quotation from Patti Callahan Henry taken from the Friends & Fiction Launch Party for The Forest Of Vanishing Stars (audio only) The Bielski Partisans Naliboki Forest Nechama Tec's Defiance Defiance (the film) The Sweetness Of Forgetting The martyrs of Nowogrodeck Vadem Sidorovich Friends & Fiction website Friends & Fiction Facebook group Mary Alice Monroe Mary Kay Andrews Patti Callahan Henry Kristy Woodson Harvey Question Index 01:13 As a reporter you were interested in ordinary people who were heroes and also the stories of how people got to where they were. How dd this segue into you becoming a novelist? 04:21 [Reading] 08:47 You've got Yona, who's fictional, but the history is real?... 12:32 You said twelve hundred people - how on earth did they hide all that time? 15:40 One of the Bielkski brothers was a Zus, and you have a character called Zus... 18:03 Is there a reason this fact of so many people hiding in the forest isn't well known? 23:11 Are you able to talk about the theme of stars? 27:59 Why the mysticism? 31:57 On this, what might have happened if Yona hadn't been stolen, with her father? 35:51 Why did you feel the need to have Yona die? 42:04 You weren't able to visit the forest to research it due to the pandemic. Do you think you might go to it at some point? 46:18 What's next? 47:29 Tell us about your weekly web show, Friends & Fiction, and the spin-off podcast, Writer's Block Purchase Links The Forest Of Vanishing Stars: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the author.

Charlie and Sally Page (The Keeper Of Stories) discuss story collection, the forgotten mistress of the abdicated Edward VIII, and dogs who swear something chronic! Please note that there are some spoilers throughout the episode. Please also note that there is a mild swear word in this episode. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-66-sally-page Sally's website (with info about floristry, flower books, and her painting) Libby Page Olivia Coleman's Oscar win and speech Scheherazade Marguerite Alibert Wendy Holden's The Duchess Sally's fountain pens, Plooms (I was incorrect - there *is* a mention of Marguerite on Edward VIII's Wikipedia page.) Question Index 01:03 Tell us about your flower shop 03:15 On this then, would you say you yourself are a keeper of stories? 04:27 You're a painter - tell us all about it 06:45 [Reading] 09:00 You never give the name of the National Treasure - is there a reason for this and what is their purpose? 10:20 Janice - can you talk about her creation and any inspirations? 12:33 In terms of this subject, were the other characters more function or important in themselves? 14:21 And Mrs B - her creation, etc...? 15:29 You use the Arabian Nights - can you talk about using this, the reasons, etc? 16:57 Janice never asks what the real name of 'Becky' was. Does this help her progression as a character? 18:58 You've mentioned it twice now so I have to ask - what's your favourite period of history to study? 19:43 How did you come to know and use the story of Margherite and what was it about it that interested you? 23:43 [Talking Decius] 27:02 Fiona and Adam - how important was their story to the overall narrative? 28:13 What's next? 29:22 What is it about needing happy endings? 30:19 Tell us about the fountain pens you sell, Plooms? 31:38 [Sally talks about her readers' responses] Purchase Links The Keeper Of Stories: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the author.

Charlie and Natalie Jenner (Bloomsbury Girls) discuss Jane Austen in all Natalie's interesting concepts, tales of related auctions she has been involved in, and the work to 'preserve and pull together' a record of the books that inspired her. They also discuss Natalie's inclusion of Daphne du Maurier in her novel, Persephone Books, and genre in its context as a label. Please note that there are (very slight) spoilers throughout the episode. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-65-natalie-jenner Persephone Books 84 Charing Cross Road (film) Sunwise Turn Madge Jemisin's memoir Lamb's Conduit Street The Second Shelf Bookshop, London Daphne du Maurier's Myself When Young: The Makings Of A Writer Emily Midorikawa: Daphne du Maurier and Oriel Malet Daphne du Maurier's The Doll Sonia Orwell Jane Wells Webb The Mummy! The Godmersham Lost Sheep Society's blog Reading With Austen McGill's Burney Centre Sample and Audible edition of Richard Armitage's narration of The Jane Austen Society Sample and Audible edition Juliet Stevenson's narration of Bloomsbury Girls Natalie's favourite Persephone book is Julia Strachey's Cheerful Weather For The Wedding Question Index 01:14 You owned a book shop. Tell us about it 05:40 You are obviously very interested in classical writers, Jane Austen in particular. Can you tell us where your inspiration stems from? 14:37 [Reading] 19:55 How much are the Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls related - can Bloomsbury Girls be a standalone? 21:09 Can you talk about three of your inspirations for Bloomsbury Girls - the book 84 Charing Cross Road, and the bookshops Sunwise Turn and Persephone Books? 26:17 Why as it important to you to include Daphne du Maurier? 32:51 Why Jane Wells Webb - why The Mummy, why include this author in particular? 37:20 You have auctions of books in your novel. Are auctions something that interests you and were there real life ones that inspired you? 41:40 You've mentioned genre a couple of times. Can you expand on your thoughts here? 45:51 What's next? 47:59 (Natalie talks about the British audiobook editions of her novels) Purchase Links The Jane Austen Society: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters Bloomsbury Girls: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the author.

Charlie and Chloe Timms (The Seawomen) discuss Chloe's dystopian fictional religious cult in all its fantasy and reality, the major changes she made to the book as the editing progressed, and her own interpretations of the various parts of the ending. Please note that there are spoilers throughout the episode. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-64-chloe-timms The blog post that mentions the Bridport Prize, 'Fighting Self Doubt and Embracing Writing Opportunities' The Bridport Poetry Prize The Faber Academy Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale Kirsty Logan The Literary Consultancy Evie Wyld's The Bass Rock Confessions Of A Debut Novelist Question Index 01:01 You say on your blog you'll mention Your Bridport Prize for Poetry longlisting at every opportunity. I've introduced it - tell us about it 02:32 How did you find your agent? 05:58 [Reading] 10:49 Can you tell us about the starting point of this novel - the idea, the inspirations, etc? 13:57 Is Esta important for herself or more for what she represents? 17:04 Is what we're talking about to do with the major structural change? 19:22 Why mermaids and selkies? 22:04 The way you incorporated the seawomen, the concept etc, was that always the plan? 24:59 Did you ever consider keeping the untethered women alive? 26:24 Cal, a man, helps Esta to see what was going on. Can you talk about your use of him here, how he came to be the defining moment of that point of the book? 29:11 When in Esta's life is the narrative being written? 30:50 What are The Otherlands to you, what are they like? 33:33 What's the importance of having the men in the dark - or are they? 35:52 Should Mull be forgiven? 37:08 Where does the grandmother fit in terms of her belief and what's going on? 40:33 Does Esta survive? 42:07 What happens to Cal? 43:47 Is Esta's mother okay? 44:15 What's next? 45:41 Tell us about your podcast, Confessions of a Debut Novelist 48:02 [Chloe discusses our conversation, the detail etc] Purchase Links The Seawomen: Amazon UK Waterstones Hive I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the publisher.

Charlie and Amanda Geard (The Midnight House) discuss buying big derelict houses, the importance of community in County Kerry, and Amanda's stunning epilogue - which is one of Charlie's favourites. Please note that there are spoilers throughout the episode. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-63-amanda-geard Writer's Week Patricia O'Reilly My discussion with Liz Fenwick is episode 35; Hazel Gaynor is 46; Nicola Cornick 1 and 38 The Ring of Kerry Delphi Lodge, Galway The Kerry Way Canary Girls Question Index 01:03 You're a geologist - tell us about your background and what came before writing 01:44 Where does your writer self come in to this? 04:43 So you have planned this book meticulously...? 05:18 So are you going to write a time-slip book? 06:25 [Reading] 09:17 How did you come to the title, The Midnight House? 10:13 Whereabouts does the House itself fall on the scale of importance? 13:28 You mentioned the house you bought - you renovated it etc?... 14:57 The community in the book - was it always important from the get go? 17:36 Can you tell us about Nancy, Charlotte, and Hattie? 19:58 Why did you want to explore Charlotte's story through Ellie's, or was it maybe the other way round for you? 21:54 Were there any particular historical influences that worked for Charlotte's story? 23:57 Was it Charlotte's disappearance itself or more so the subject of it that was important? 25:58 You reveal Ellie's 'mysteries' a lot slower. What was the reason for that? 28:32 Had you considered having Charlotte still alive? 30:29 Why the epilogue, why include Charlotte like this? 31:45 Did a lot of pregnant women work as Canary Girls? 34:10 What would have happened with Charlotte if she'd lived? 34:40 What's going to happen with the peerage and the house, would you say? 36:03 What's next? 37:21 [Amanda talks about reader reactions to The Midnight House] Purchase Links The Midnight House: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the agent.

Charlie and Grace D Li (Portrait Of A Thief) discuss Chinese American identity, art theft and repatriation, and bonkers fun fictional heists. Please note that there are spoilers throughout the episode. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-62-grace-d-li The Sackler Museum The real thefts The Old Summer Palace The Second Opium War looting Information (from last year) about the Netflix deal Question Index 00:52 How do you combine your medical studies with your writing? 02:24 You're a museum tour guide?... 03:51 [Reading] 08:15 Can you tell us about the real stories behind your heists? 10:44 Are you able to give us a brief history the palace and the original looting? 12:12 Can you tell us what's currently happening in terms of art that's been given back, the changes that have happened since the heist that you've fictionalised? 13:28 How have your own feelings of identity progressed? 14:53 Can you talk about your characters in terms of identity, how you created them and so on? 16:03 You give each character their own narrative. Was this always the plan? 16:46 Are you able to talk about the theme of loss in this context? 18:29 Why a heist to explore identity? 19:37 You mention the pandemic – where in our current time does the novel fit? 20:53 Was there a reason for the different levels of digital (and so forth) security in the book? 22:29 Why have Daniel's father be so high up in the FBI; why was his role important? 25:42 Do you have a favourite character? 27:11 The romances – to you as the writer, how did they help the stories messages and topics come to the fore, etc? 30:37 The ending – was it always going to be this different heist? 32:36 Did you ever considered having more 'full' heists than you did? 34:38 Could the characters have found who they were without the heists? 35:44 Has there been progress with the Netflix purchase? 36:41 What's next? Purchase Links Portrait Of A Thief: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the author. Credit: Yi Li.

Charlie and Yvonne Bailey-Smith (The Day I Fell Off My Island) discuss the effects on children of immigration from Jamaica to the UK, the effects on parents, and the lack of educational care afforded to and the assumptions made about Black British students. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-61-yvonne-bailey-smith The Day I Fell Off My Island on the Author Club's Best Novel Award Professor Carolyn Cooper Lisa Allen-Agostini's The Bread The Devil Knead Diane Abbott After we finished recording, Yvonne spoke to me about how people from all across the world, ethicities, places, religions, have read her book and contacted her about it, and how wonderful that has been. Question Index 01:55 [Reading] 11:43 Tell us about Grandma Melba 14:25 Can you tell us about your work as a social worker and psychotherapist? 15:54 You've been writing this book for a very long time? 18:22 Is there anything interesting you can tell us about what was edited out? 19:18 How much of this book is informed by your own story of immigration to England? 22:01 Did it take you a while to get used to living in Britain; how similar are yours and Erna's experiences? 24:47 Can you talk about your choices to write half of the novel's dialogue - the half set in Jamaica - in Jamaican patois? 28:58 You said about Carolyn Cooper checking through the book the night beforehand, was anything able to be done about the errors? 31:16 Can you tell us about Violet - what went into creating her, and so on? 36:21 Erna is not given advice about university until she asks about it and she says this happened to other black school mates. Was this something that happened a lot then and further in the future? 40:11 Tell us all about the title! 41:31 Is there anything you can tell us about the sequel? Purchase Links The Day I Fell Off My Island: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of Yvonne's publicist. Credit: Elena Heatherwick.

Charlie and Jennifer Saint (Elektra) discuss the Trojan War in terms of the women the men left behind - Elektra, Clytemnestra, Cassandra, and, arguably, Helen. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-60-jennifer-saint The Trojan War Elektra Clytemnestra Cassandra Agamemnon The Odyssey Odysseus Penelope Ariadne Aegisthus Helen Iphigenia Andromache Paris Roger Lancelyn Green's The Tale Of Troy Atlanta Question Index 00:32 When did you first become interested in Greek mythology? 02:00 [Reading] 05:39 Why Elektra, why is she the title character? 06:47 [Jennifer talks about how she initially saw Clytemnestra as more important] 09:39 Is Clytemnestra the character you sympathise with the most? 12:22 Would events have gone the way the did if Clytemnestra had spent more time with Elektra? 14:15 Why is it important to keep telling these stories? 18:16 What was important to you to add in that was missed in the other variations? 21:14 What is your favourite Greek myth? 23:19 Did you ever consider a different narrative - Helen, for example? 27:56 In your opinion, did Helen go willingly to Paris? 31:05 How has history regarded Cassandra - should she have slept with Apollo? 33:43 Is it right that Elektra's left at the end? 35:02 What was the belief in the Underworld at the time in regards to Iphigenia's place in it? 36:30 What's next? Purchase Links Elektra: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of Jennifer's publicist.

Charlie and Melissa Fu (Peach Blossom Spring) discuss the experiences of Chinese refugees during the Second Sino-Japanese War - particularly those who fled to Taiwan - the centuries old hand scrolls that inspired her own character's scroll, and how the lives of her family influenced her work. Please note that there are spoilers throughout the episode. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-59-melissa-fu The David TK Wong Fellowship George Ella Lyon's Where I'm From Danke Li's Echoes Of Chongqing The Second Sino-Japanese War Chi Pang-yuan's The Great Flowing River The Great Tunnel Disaster of Chongqing Q M Zhang's Accomplice To Memory The Admonitions scroll The British Museum's page on the Admonitions scroll (thanks to Melissa) YouTube scroll-through of Along The River During Qingming Animated version of Along The River (see top of page; thanks to Melissa) Background information on Along The River The Taiping steamer Question Index 00:45 You wrote some of this book during a fellowship at UEA? 02:30 [Reading] 05:00 What made you start on the note that you did? 06:56 Can you tell us about the other starting point of the novel, your father and his peach trees? 10:13 Is it right to say there might be a bit of you in Lily? 11:18 Can you tell us about Meilin - how you came to create her and what went in to making her? 14:38 Can you tell us about the experiences of women and refugees during the war? 16:56 The incidence in the tunnel and the plane on the road - are these real events that happened? 21:55 Can you tell us about Taiwan in terms of what it was like for the refugees? 26:10 Why did you include the hand scroll as an item and as a concept in itself? 30:15 Was it always in your mind to shrink Longwei's family as the narrative continued? 34:52 Was Meilin right not to marry Longwei? 36:50 Could things have been fixed so that Meilin could have joined Henry in the US? 39:12 In the US, Henry is paranoid about political people coming after him due to his uncle. Was his uncle actually in a position to make that a possibility? 43:28 What's next? Purchase Links Peach Blossom Spring: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of Melissa's publicist. Credit: Sophie Davidson.

Charlie and Natasha Miller (Relentless) discuss Natasha's incredible and inspirational life as a classical violinist and jazz singer, and founder and owner of a multi-million dollar events company. Our discussion includes her childhood - she's a survivor of abuse - and being a parent who strives to get it right. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-58-natasha-miller Entire Productions on the Inc. 5000 list Jamie Blaine Simon Estes 2004 article about Bobby Sharp and Natasha Entire Productions Entire Productions' YouTube channel Covenant House Fascinating Entrepreneurs 'Over The Moon' Preview Natasha's albums on YouTube Music Buy the CDs and MP3s Previews and other digital versions Natasha's older YouTube channel with earlier performances and other bands Recent Christmas performances and Entire Productions' bands Question Index 00:56 Can you tell us how you created this book with Jamie Blaine? 03:49 [Reading] 07:54 Can you tell us about your childhood? 11:44 How do you feel your experiences in childhood have shaped who you are in adulthood, your progression in life? 14:02 Can you tell us about your music career? 16:18 How did your friendship with Bobby Sharp impact your career and life? 18:08 Would you say you're more a singer than a violinist? 19:58 Can you tell us about Entire Productions - how it started, how it grew, and what it's all about? 24:26 Would you say you're more of a musician than a business woman? 25:10 Do you ever have Impostor Syndrome? 26:36 Why have you written Relentless now, why this part of your life? 28:16 The proceeds (partial) are going to Covenant House?... 29:10 Tell us about your podcast, Fascinating Entrepreneurs 30:18 What's next? 31:42 You say about how you've parented Bennett differently - can you give us an example? 35:25 [Natasha discusses her daughter's singing with her and her then-upcoming book launch] 36:42 [Natasha reminds us that if you want to do something, you need to go for it] Purchase Links Relentless: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of Natasha's assistant.

Charlie and Kate Quinn (The Rose Code; The Diamond Eye) discuss the extraordinary people behind Bletchley Park's successes, including socialite Osla Benning, and her relationship with Elizabeth II's future husband, Prince Philip. And, in a nod to her latest novel, Kate introduces us to Lyudmila Pavlichenko, a WWII Soviet sniper from Kyiv. Please note there is a swear word in this episode. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-57-kate-quinn Osla Benning Lord Mountbatten Mavis Lever Dilly Knox Battle of Cape Matapan Mavis Lever's biography of Dilly Knox John Cairncross The Cambridge Five Coventry Blitz Lyudmila Pavlichenko Question Index 00:34 Tell us about your degrees in Classical Voice 02:55 How did you come to choose how to write The Rose Code, whose stories to tell? 04:59 Could you tell us more about Osla - who she was factually, and in the context of your novel? 08:01 Were you daunted at all, using Prince Philip as a character? 11:17 Could you tell us about Mavis Lever (a person who worked at Bletchley who made up a portion of Quinn's character, Beth)? 13:52 You've said before that Bletchley was quite diverse. Could you expand on this? 15:47 You've used references to Alice In Wonderland as metaphors - why? 17:11 Did many people suffer from mental illness due to their work? 20:10 How vital were Beth's awful parents to you in terms of her character development? 23:01 The second narrative set in the 'current' day - why include this new code-breaking and traitors? 26:16 How important was it for the traitor to be easy to work out? 27:48 You have a second, fictional, aid raid happening in Coventry. Can you tell us about the facts of the real one and the decisions made? 31:47 Should the reader's opinion of Beth have changed during this section? 35:08 [Reading] 39:55 How was Lyudmila recruited? Purchase Links The Rose Code: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters The Diamond Eye: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the author.

Charlie and Imogen Clark (Impossible To Forget) discuss her latest novel - a pre-release bestseller, creating the story as she goes and publishing what is her first draft, and beginning her career as a novelist in her 50s. Please note that there is a very mild swear word in this episode. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-56-imogen-clark Question Index 00:42 Your first book was published when you were in your 50s. How was that? 01:47 You publish what is basically your first draft? 02:49 It seems to me that you often write about secrets. What is it about secrets that gets to you? 04:37 [Reading] 08:01 How important was the plot compared to the characters? 09:09 Hope and her storyline was in your mind from the beginning?... 11:18 Can you tell us about Angie? 13:48 How much of you is in this book? 15:30 The narrative's told by different characters in batches, why this style of narrative? 17:32 Was Leon's exclusion as a narrative voice due to his choices in life? 19:02 (Spoiler question) Did Maggie and Leon getting together come to you as you were writing? 20:25 Was it important that Romany was a narrator? 21:29 Where would Romany be without the friends? 23:18 (Spoiler question) Has Tiger found himself at last by the end of the book? 25:21 How early did you want people to 'get' the twist with Hope? 28:09 Can you tell us about your next book, An Unwanted Inheritance? 31:02 (About the numbers of ideas and their possibilities) 33:04 Is there a possibility for more sequels of your books to be written? Purchase Links Impossible To Forget: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters An Unwanted Inheritance: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Barnes & Noble IndieBound I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the publicity team.

Charlie and Patrick Gale (Take Nothing With You; Mother's Boy) discuss musicality - his own and his character's, setting a childhood in a care home, the beloved Cornish poet Charles Causley, and a future stage production of Take Nothing With You. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-55-patrick-gale North Cornwall Book Festival The Penzance Orchestral Society Steven Isserlis' tribute to Jane Cowan (cello teacher) Weston-super-Mare Charles Causley The Charles Causley Trust Work on the stage production of Take Nothing With You begins this year for performance in 2023. Question Index 00:40 You're talking from today from your writing room - can you tell us about it? 02:43 Tell us about your farm and how your writing fits in with the routine 04:41 The use of music in Take Nothing With You is inspired by your own passion for the cello? 07:50 Would you say that Eustace is living his best life (without the cello)? 09:26 You've had a cello made? 10:29 What's your favourite piece of music to play? 11:01 Were Eustace's teachers and the cello school based on anyone, any thing? 14:43 Why did you leave a gap between Eustace's childhood and later adulthood? 17:16 The religion is both a big slice of the book and, in literal, word, terms, not so big. Why did you incorporate it in this way? 19:56 Is there any literary significance to Naomi? 21:58 Why did you set Eustace's childhood in a care home? 23:54 Eustace's state school - what was the significance of using this part of the working class? 27:52 What happened to Vernon? 29:36 [Reading] 34:22 Mother's Boy is about the poet, Charles Causley?... 36:58 You are a patron of the Charles Causley Trust? 39:31 (The upcoming theatre production of Take Nothing With You) Purchase Links Take Nothing With You: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Indigo Chapters Mother's Boy: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the author. Credit: Jillian Edelstein.

Charlie and Kaia Alderson (Sisters In Arms) discuss the little-known 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only all-Black female US unit in WW2 - their day-to-day work dealing with a backlog of post that no one else could figure out, the leaders, and the various responses to them then and now - and Kaia tells us about the influential Dr Mary McLeod Bethune as well as the baseball Negro Leagues. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-54-kaia-alderson Links about the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion: Website Article Wikipedia Footage of Charity Adams' unit in England Charity Adam Earley's One Woman's Army Brenda L Moore's To Serve My Country To Serve My Race Wikipedia's article on Charity Adams Earley Video interview with Charity Adams EarleyProgress on the Congressional Gold Medal as of the publication of this episode The Negro Leagues Effa Manley Spelman College Mary McLeod Bethune Bethune-Cookman University Dovey Johnson Roundtree Keys versus Carolina Coach Company The Montgomery Bus Boycott Question Index 00:43 You are a romance writer as well (as historical)? 01:28 You made initial inroads to this book in your middle school years? 03:13 You found your editor because she posted a photo of the women you were writing about?... 04:18 Can you give us a brief history of the work the 6888th did? 08:23 How did you research your book - were you able to interview surviving members?... 11:48 [Reading] 21:08 Can you tell us more about Charity Adams? 26:33 Can you tell us about the racism they experienced? 29:45 The 6888th didn't get a parade when they got back home? 33:14 Can you tell us about the baseball Negro Leagues? (Includes info about Kaia's next book) 38:24 Grace and Eliza's on-again off-again friendship - why was that important? 40:04 Can you tell us about Mary McLeod Bethune? 44:12 What's the release date for your next book? 44:30 Anything else you'd like to add? Purchase Links Sisters In Arms: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the author. Credit: Jillisa Hope Milner.

Charlie and Sara Nisha Adams (The Reading List) discuss books! The ways they can bring very different people together, the importance of libraries in Sara's life and their impact as a community hub, and her family in the context of her work. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-53-sara-nisha-adams Hodder Studio Barham Community Library Question Index 00:48 You've worked at a few different publishers - can you tell us about your job? 12:34 This book has a lot of you and your grandfather in it? 14:15 Where's Aleisha 'from'? 16:11 You've spoken about your maternal grandfather, can you tell us about your paternal grandmother, how she influenced you? 18:51 The list of books Mukesh and Aleisha read - why these books? 21:45 Was The Time Traveller's Wife initially included in a similar way to the other books? 23:25 We learn at the end who wrote the book list. How important was their identity, and revealing it, to you? 25:19 Why the chapters focused on other people? 27:48 What led you to include the narrative device of the answerphone messages? 30:07 The way the write about Aiden, the hint to the reader about what might be going on - what was important about his role in the book for you? 31:58 Was it important to you to stay away from discussing what Leilah suffers from? 33:35 Your fictional Harrow Road Library and the hopes of saving it - is this based on a real library? 36:35 What's the next book Mukesh and Aleisha would be reading (after the end)? 37:54 You've included your own reading list at the end; tell us about your most favourite books 41:00 Your dad wanted to wait until your book was published to read it. Has he read it? 42:01 To sum up, what is the most important thing(s) about reading, to you? 43:29 What's next? Purchase Links The Reading List: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the agency. Credit: Will Handysides.

Charlie and Edward Carey (B: A Year in Plague and Pencils; The Swallowed Man) discuss his epic drawing project wherein he undertook to create a sketch each day of the pandemic, the various individuals whose lives became a part of the wider picture, and finish on a completely different but relevant subject - the literary and social history of Pinocchio. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-52-edward-carey The Harry Ransom Centre Edward's Twitter Edward's Instagram The Tombow B pencil Robert Louis Stevenson's The Land Of Counterpane Xavier de Maistre's A Journey Around My Room Theodor Kittelsen Pesta is the personification of the Black Death The Parco di Pinocchio Carlo Collodi Wikipedia's article on the original story of Pinocchio The oak tree in Collodi where Pinocchio was hanged Robert Coover's Pinocchio in Venice The Foundling Hospital Museum, London The Ospedale degli Innocenti Question Index 00:53 Was there a defining moment in your life when you realised you wanted to write and illustrate? 02:25 (Asking about Edward's role at the University of Texas) 04:24 Plague and Pencils: why did you start the project? 07:58 Was there any day's work/a couple of days' work that defines the project for you in terms of the actual drawings? 10:11 How many pencils did you get through? 10:54 Can you tell us about your art supplies and the pencils you use? 12:14 If you ever ran out of the Tombow Bs, what would be the next best pencil? 13:01 You often drew people who wrote in isolation or quarantine... 17:08 Was there a particular reason for the dates of the drawings not being included in the book? 19:53 You drew for 500 days; when did you know you had finished? 23:16 You've said you'd never written a diary, but you have now effectively got one. Do you think you might consider doing anything similar again? 23:58 If we can funnel what's been said already, what effect did this project have on you? 25:15 Your latest book is The Swallowed Man. Can you introduce it to us? 33:44 You wrote a stage adaptation of Pinocchio?... Purchase Links B: A Year In Plague And Pencils: Amazon UK Amazon US Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters The Swallowed Man: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the marketing team. Credit: Elizabeth McCracken.

Charlie and Janie Chang (The Library Of Legends) discuss the incredible journeys made by Chinese university students, during the 1937 Japanese invasion, as they evacuated their campuses and made their way on foot to safer areas of the country. We also discuss the Shanghai International Settlement and Janie's compelling family history. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-51-janie-chang Janie's article on the TIME website, 'The Risky Journey That Saved One of China's Greatest Literary Treasures' Blog post: The Difficult Daughter (about her paternal grandmother) Blog post: The Idle Son (paternal grandfather) Blog post: The Years of War Blog post: The Village Doctor (Dr Mao) Blog post: The Origins of Nightmares (father's university years during the war) Du Fu Pinghu Sophie's Choice, named after the book and film, relates to making an impossibly difficult choice, which is forced on a person. The Shanghai International Settlement Empire of the Sun (film) About the monument honouring Chinese workers in WW1 Question Index 00:44 [This becomes a longer discussion] Can you tell us about your blog, which is filled with your family's stories? 11:36 Your father and uncle were university students who were evacuated like your characters? 16:49 How do the myths and legends in your book align to the myths and legends told in real life? 18:41 Within the fantasy of your book, what would have happened to the gods in regards to the progress of science and so forth? 21:45 Were the students all okay - did they get through the war? 24:12 Was Doctor Mao and this side of the story influenced by your mother's family history? 26:57 You've mentioned the International Settlement - can you tell us more about it? 29:28 The stories in your book of refugee parents leaving their children behind whilst on the road, did this happen a lot? 30:57 In the history, a couple of years after your book finishes, the International Settlement was invaded and taken over. What would have happened to your characters? 33:03 Why was it important to have the romance in your book? 35:48 What's next - what are you writing now? Purchase Links The Library Of Legends: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the author.

Samantha Sotto returns! We discuss her latest book The Beginning Of Always (its inspiration was the woman whose death mask was used to create the first aid dummy Resusci Annie), and, not to be outdone, Sam's dog Alfie also returns to make a second appearance. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-50-samantha-sotto Wikipedia: Resusci Annie Article on The Paris Morgue by the Wellcome Trust The Shoes on the Danube Bank monument Sam's Instagram Question Index 01:03 The proceeds from the sales of The Beginning Of Always went to help those effected by the pandemic? 03:19 Your daughter designed the cover of The Beginning Of Always?... 04:26 Tell us about the Unknown Woman and how you came to write about her 05:46 You started writing this book years ago?... 06:54 What do you think happened to the Unknown Woman? 08:05 Why is reincarnation, immortality, and so on, important in your work? 10:58 Can you tell us about the Paris Morgue? 13:32 What was important in creating your main couple and bringing them to life? 14:38 Where did the idea of Thomas' heart condition come from? 16:45 (Spoiler question) The couple at the end - could they have been included more? 17:54 Why is it important to explore love and everything that goes into it? 20:25 (We discuss location in a similar context to love, as written in the book) 22:46 What do you think happens after death? 25:22 Why was Elise a blogger? 27:19 (Discussing a book Sam was working on two years ago) 28:31 Tell us about the book you've just finished 32:38 We've had Alfie introduce himself; tell us about your dogs, you have another now? 34:13 Is there anything else you'd like to add? Purchase Links The Beginning Of Always: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the author.

Charlie and Rebecca F John (The Haunting Of Henry Twist) discuss being gay and bisexual in the 1920s, the way the flapper years could mask the effects of War, and the fictional man who cannot believe that his male partner is not some sort of reincarnation of his dead wife. Please be aware that there are spoilers throughout this episode; we couldn't discuss the book properly without them! Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-49-rebecca-f-john The Hay 30 list Question Index 01:09 You were named on the Hay Festival's 'Hay 30' list. Can you tell us about that? 02:23 Would you categorise this book as historical fiction or historical fantasy? 07:54 Why did you choose to include Ruby in the way you did? 10:16 Is there a connection between the pacing of the novel and what Henry's going through? 11:42 Why were Monty, Matilda, and Grayson's stories included? 14:04 Henry lives a lot of his life with fear; how much is this a book about the war? 15:57 Were the surnames, Twist and Turner, chosen for any particular reason? 16:52 Is there more to Jack than Henry's ideas - is he even a fully-fledged person? 19:28 I know it's down to reader interpretation, but who is Jack to you, as far as you're concerned? 22:21 Henry and Jack's relationship is accepted by their friends, but what would have happened if it hadn't been? 25:24 What was the treatment of single fatherhood like at the time? 27:47 Did you ever consider having Henry become comfortable as a bisexual person? 29:39 Does Henry love Jack? 30:51 What do you want readers to take away from reading this book? 32:18 Could Monty, Matilda, Grayson, and Sally, be happy together? 33:51 What's next? Purchase Links The Haunting Of Henry Twist: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters The Empty Greatcoat (January 2022): Amazon UK Fannie (February 2022): Amazon UK Waterstones Hive I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the author.

Charlie and Rosie Travers (The Theatre Of Dreams) discuss writing novels set amongst the working class of the south coast, Art Deco buildings we've lost and those we've saved, and the sporting professional heroine publishers rejected. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-48-rosie-travers My post on The Theatre of Dreams' first book launch Lee-On-Solent Pictures and memories of Old Lee Tower Reading Room Lane, Curdridge (Google Maps) The De La Warr Pavilion at Bexhill The Midland Hotel, Morcambe Bay The Facebook page for the campaign to save The Floral Hall, Belfast Zoo Question Index 00:36 As writers do you've always written but you got into it more seriously when living in California and The Netherlands. Can you tell us about your publication journey? 02:52 Why have you decided to relaunch The Theatre of Dreams? 04:57 This story was somewhat inspired by Old Lee Tower in Lee-On-Solent? 06:27 Could you have set this book in a real place; would it have worked for you? 08:21 Lee-On-Solent was going to become either a resort or residential, and ultimately it became residential. Do you think that was the right decision? 13:04 Is either of these two characters more important than the other? 14:03 Was it difficult working with such a large cast of characters? 15:31 Was setting the book amongst so many working class characters important for you? 16:55 Where does Tara in fit in terms of her being a celebrity? 18:54 Have we lost many buildings of the sort you write about? 20:27 Have you ever been involved in a campaign to save a building? 21:09 Was the mystery of Jez's death always going to be a part of the book? 22:59 What was the element you wanted to leave your readers with at the end? 24:17 A Crisis At Clifftops - you found it difficult to get published because of the heroine's career?... Purchase Links The Theatre Of Dreams: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada A Crisis At Clifftops: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the author.

Charlie and Jennifer Robson (Our Darkest Night) discuss the horrors of life as an Italian Jew during the Second World War, those who fled and those who helped them, and the people who chose to stay behind. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-47-jennifer-robson Monte Grappa San Zenone Degli Ezzelini Father Stocco Oddo's page on Yad Vashem Borso del Grappa Chiara Ponchia Rabbi Ottolenghi Question Index 00:43 What is it about the First and Second World Wars that interests you? 03:44 Your idea for Our Darkest Night was sparked by a question your son asked you?... 15:07 [Spoiler conversation] Was that Nico? 26:29 Were there many Jewish people who chose to stay behind and not leave? 30:09 How did you come to write about the farm? 33:54 What's next? Purchase Links Our Darkest Night: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the author. Credit: Natalie Brown/Tangerine Photography.

Charlie and Hazel Gaynor (The Bird In The Bamboo Cage) discuss the lives of the pupils and teachers of the Chefoo school for missionaries' children in China during the Japanese occupation, and the way being Brownie Guides helped to keep them going. We also discuss the beginnings of her career, and her collaborations with fellow historical fiction writer, Heather Webb. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-46-hazel-gaynor Heather Webb's site Question Index 00:55 Can you tell us about the story of your first publication and its bestseller status? 09:29 You have written about something not covered much - can you tell us about the story it's based on? 12:45 What was being done back home to help these people stuck under occupation? 14:33 A big theme is Brownies and Guides - why so central? 18:08 Can you talk us through the reasoning for the two narratives - Elspeth and Nancy? 23:43 Were you able to get stories from war generation to help with the book? 25:49 Can you tell us about the honeypot girls? 28:01 You look at the way these children are the children of missionaries and know nothing of China beyond the school - why was this important to explore? 30:14 If you had to choose one or two characters who were most important to the novel or what you were trying to say, who would you choose? 32:11 How is your book with Heather Webb - Three Words For Goodbye - doing? 33:52 How do you collaborate with Heather, in terms of the writing itself? Purchase Links The Bird In The Bamboo Cage/When We Were Young And Brave: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the author.