Author's Afterword
Join me each second and fourth Monday of the month, when I'll be in conversation with an author about one (occasionally more) of their books. We'll be taking a fairly deep dive, looking at the background, the topics, writing, and the nitty gritty. Expect spoilers and frequent discussions of the endings. Formally called The Worm Hole Podcast
Mon, April 14, 2025
119: Nydia Hetherington (Sycorax)
Charlie and Nydia Hetherington (Sycorax) discuss the witch Shakespeare's Prospero hates so much and Nydia's reimagining slash prequel to The Tempest. This involves conversation about chronic illness, attitudes to women in regards to the occult, and on a seemingly unrelated subject, the tendency of pirates to leave problematic people on isolated islands. A transcript is available on my site General references: W H Auden: The Sea And The Mirror Books mentioned by name or extensively: Libby Colman: Trixie - The Childhood Of Sycorax, Witch Of Algiers Margaret Atwood: Hag-Seed Marina Warner: Indigo Nydia Hetherington: A Girl Made Of Air Nydia Hetherington: Sycorax Tad Williams: Caliban's Hour William Shakespeare: The Tempest Release details: recorded 4th December 2024; published 14th April 2025 Where to find Nydia online: Website || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Website || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 01:20 The initial inspirations - theatre and Nydia's chronic condition 10:23 Research and inspirations in regards to other adaptations 12:58 More on Nydia's dedication to Shakespearean writing 13:58 Disability and women being witches put together 20:01 The good women in the book, Yemma and Zari 24:11 Including Barbarossa the pirate and the way pirates left criminals isolated 28:26 Afalkey the Beautiful and charming men 30:05 The role the Crow plays 32:48 What Nydia is writing at the moment 34:30 Nydia's William Blake novel she mentioned earlier
Mon, March 24, 2025
118: Gill Paul (Scandalous Women)
Charlie and Gill Paul (Scandalous Women) discuss Jackie Collins, Jacqueline Susann, and the way the 1960s publishing industry treated women. A transcript is available on my site General references: My other episodes with Gill are 42 and 86 The Love Machine (movie) Some of Richard Osman's words on the subject can be found here Once Upon A Time In America Lady Boss trailer Mad Men Feud: Capote Vs His Swans Cold Blooded: The Clutter Family Murders I spoke to Èric Chacour in episode 115 The three books with a Mira in them were Eliza Chan's Fathomfolk, Èric Chacour's What I Know About You, and Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing Books mentioned by name or extensively: Dale Carnegie: How To Win Friends And Influence People Gill Paul: Another Woman's Husband Gill Paul: The Second Marriage (Jackie And Maria) Gill Paul: A Beautiful Rival Gill Paul: Scandalous Women Helen Gurley Brown: Sex And The Single Girl Ian McEwan: On Chesil Beach Jackie Collins: The World Is Full Of Married Men Jacqueline Susann: Valley Of The Dolls Jacqueline Susann: The Love Machine Letty Cottin Pogrebin: How To Make It In A Man's World Truman Capote: In Cold Blood Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 11th October 2024; published 24th March 2025 Where to find Gill online: Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || TikTok Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || <a href= "https://instagram.com/charlieplacebook
Mon, March 10, 2025
117: C J Wray (The Excitements)
Charlie and C J Wray (The Excitements) discuss the WW2 women her book about fun-loving nonagenarians is based on and her views on modern and historical adoption as an adoptee herself. We also discuss the Peter Jones (John Lewis) department store, using Morse Code, and Diamond Doris, a jewel-thief who got away with quite a bit. Please note there are a couple of mild swear words in this episode. Please also note we talk of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry which is commonly shortened to FANY. A transcript is available on my site Tickets to my live show of Friday 4th April can be bought here Sign up to the Author's Afterword newsletter here General references: William Ernest Henley's Invictus poem Long Lost Family The Yoga teacher Chris mentions is Dorothea Barron. It isn't the same lady Charlie mentions, and unfortunately Charlie has been unable to find out who that was. Books mentioned by name or extensively: C J Wray: The Excitements C J Wray: Bad Influence Christian Lamb (with Chris): Beyond The Sea, A Wren At War Don Marquis: Archy and Mehitabel Pam and Jean Owtram (with Chris): Codebreaking Sisters Stella Knightley: The Girl Behind The Mask Stella Knightley: The Girl Behind The Fan Stella Knightley: The Girl Behind The Curtain W E Fairbairn's book: Hands Off! Self Defense For Women And Girls Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 26th September 2024; published 10th March 2025 Where to find Chris online: Website (as C J Wray) || Website (Chrissie Manby) || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || <a href= "https://tikto
Bonus · Mon, March 03, 2025
Live 01: Alex Hay, Lucy Barker, Stacey Thomas
Charlie is joined by Alex Hay, Lucy Barker, Stacey Thomas, and a wonderful audience at Goldfinch Books in Alton. You want a writing deep dive? You've got it! Please note that this episode has a whispered swear word in it - we were all adults! The next live event will be at P&G Wells in Winchester on Friday 4th April. Tickets are available here If you can't click the link, go to pgwells.co.uk Full show notes and a transcript to follow shortly. The video of the main conversation is on YouTube here
Mon, February 24, 2025
116: Maggie Brookes (The Prisoner's Wife)
Charlie and Maggie Brookes (The Prisoner's Wife) discuss her stunning story which was inspired by a real happening - a woman who hid in plain sight as a British soldier in a prisoner of war camp. A transcript is available on my site General references: Maggie's previous episode with me is episode 92 Now The War Is Over Time Watch All Our Working Lives The Sphinx, Maggie's poem version of The Prisoner's Wife Colditz The party episode with Maggie is Milestone 01 (also with Elizabeth Fremantle, Gill Paul, and Amanda Geard) Books mentioned by name or extensively: Charlotte Brontë: Jane Eyre Maggie Brookes: The Prisoner's Wife Maggie Brookes-Butt: Wish John Nichol and Tony Rennell: The Last Escape Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 23rd September 2024; published 24th February 2025 Where to find Maggie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 01:29 The inspiration - a woman who hid as a man in a Nazi prisoner of war camp and how real it might be 09:49 How Maggie's work as a BBC producer helped her write The Prisoner's Wife 11:49 How the book started as a poem and then Maggie's journey to Czechia to do research into the Long March 20:19 The inspirat
Mon, February 10, 2025
115: Éric Chacour (What I Know About You)
Charlie and Éric Chacour (What I Know About You) discuss Egypt in the 1970s for the Levantine community and LGBT people, the famous French-Egyptian singer Dalida, Romeo and Juliet, Éric's use of the second person, and author and translator working together on writing that had been in place for 15 years. A transcript is available on my site General references: Dalida's Helwa ya Baladi Books mentioned by name or extensively: Éric Chacour: What I Know About You Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 20th September 2024; published 10th February 2025 Where to find Éric online: Facebook || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 02:09 Éric's initial inspiration, Romeo and Juliet, for What I Know About You (he'd been writing the book for years) 05:18 The writing itself, including the use of the second person (Charlie has pointed out Éric's dedication to syllables and language) and the translation 10:31 The political backdrop, the use of it, and the decades chosen 13:29 The time period in terms of the LGBT community and Tarek's choices in that context 14:55 Entangled protons and love 16:25 Could Tarek have stayed with his family? 18:24 More on reader's interpretations and reactions 20:53 Nesrine and Mira and their importance 26:35 The servant, Fatheya 29:16 Talking of the impossibility of another point of view and the ending 31:20 Éric tells us why he included Vivienne 33:11 More about theatrical inspirations, and then we get on to how Éric wanted to be a songwriter 37:44</stro
Mon, January 27, 2025
114: Edward Carey (Edith Holler)
Charlie and Edward Carey (Edith Holler) talk at length about the arts and the theatre in the context of his book and in general. They also talk about Norwich as Edward's book is his love letter to the city. Please note there is a mild swear word in this episode. A transcript is available on my site General references: Edward's previous episode on this podcast is number 52 Wikipedia's article on Norwich Robert Louis Stevenson's essay on toy theatres is called A Penny Plain And Twopence Coloured and is available on Project Gutenberg The downloadable theatre on Edward's website (scroll down, on the left) Luigi Pirandello's Six Characters In Search Of An Author My episode with Melissa Fu is number 59 Books mentioned by name or extensively: Edward Carey: Edith Holler Gaston Le Roux: The Phantom Of The Opera Jeanette Winterson: The Passion Julian Of Norwich: Revelations Of Divine Love Robert Louis Stevenson: Memories And Portraits Xavier de Maistre: Voyage Around My Room Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 2nd September 2024; published 27th January 2025 Where to find Edward online: Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 01:29 The starting point of Edith Holler - lockdown, not being able to go to the theatre, and Brexit. We then move on to the fictional missing children
Mon, January 13, 2025
113: Chloe C Peñaranda (The Stars Are Dying)
For live show tickets, click here Charlie and Chloe C Peñaranda (The Stars Are Dying) discuss the incident wherein her heroine stabs the hero, getting around her hero's ability to run amok via deus ex machina, and becoming a hybrid author after success as a self-published writer. Please note there are brief mentions of abuse in this episode. A transcript is available on my site General references: Chloe's TikTok Books mentioned by name or extensively: Chloe C Peñaranda: An Heir Comes To Rise Chloe C Peñaranda: A Throne From The Ashes Chloe C Peñaranda: A Sword From The Embers Chloe C Peñaranda: The Stars An Dying Chloe C Peñaranda: The Night Is Defying Sarah J Maas: A Court Of Thorns And Roses Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 24th October 2024; published 13th January 2025 Where to find Chloe online: Website || Facebook || Instagram || TikTok Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 01:36 Was romantasy the genre you'd been waiting for? 02:55 The initial thought for The Stars Are Dying - Greek myths and Chloe's series An Heir Comes To Rise, and we talk about potential spin-off series 06:34 Why Chloe chose the second iteration of Nyte and Astraea's relationship to focus on instead of the first 08:04 On having a general direction or goal in mind for The Stars Are Dying 08:49 Creating Astraea and Nyte 10:26 Using a slow burn romance<br /
Mon, December 23, 2024
112: Eliza Chan (Fathomfolk)
Charlie and Eliza Chan (Fathomfolk) discuss many questions of immigration in both reality and her fantasy fiction, the different mythological creatures she used and decisions in regards to location inspiration, and Fathomfolk's controversial ending. Please note there is a spoiler in this episode for N K Jemisin's The Fifth Season. For live show tickets, click here. A transcript is available on my site General references: The Witcher Jessica Jones The Untamed Books mentioned by name or extensively: Eliza Chan: Fathomfolk Eliza Chan: Tideborn N K Jemisin: The Fifth Season R F Kuang: Babel Rhonda Parrish (ed.): Sirens Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 14th August 2024; published 23rd December 2024 Where to find Eliza online: Website || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 02:25 The initial inspirations 04:34 More about the topic of immigration 06:57 World building and the world outside of Tiankawi 09:05 Creating Mira, Nami, and Cordelia 14:56 Having started with one narrative and changing it to three 17:44 Using different countries' mythologies, originally planning to set Fathomfolk in a British city, and the possibility of historical settings 25:25 Kai's significance and his relationship with Mira 28:59 Writing and pacing 31:23 Eliza's 'use' of The Drawbacks and the response to the book<br /
Mon, December 16, 2024
Announcement: Live Show!
First live show details Guests: Alex Hay (The Queen Of Fives; The Housekeepers), Stacey Thomas (The Revels), Lucy Barker (The Other Side Of Mrs Wood) Date: Wednesday 26th February Location: Goldfinch Books, Alton, Hampshire Ticket link: https://bit.ly/3Das5kn Accessibility: Both the shop itself and the toilets are accessible.
Mon, December 09, 2024
111: Elaine Chiew (The Light Between Us)
Charlie and Elaine Chiew (The Light Between Us) discuss early 20th century Singaporean photography and its influences on Elaine's novel in depth, which involves looking at social issues and the history of the qipao. We also dive into the time travel aspects and the use of Chinese spirit-mediums. A transcript is available on my site General references: The Lake House (2006) Il Mare (2000) The Young Companion magazine In The Mood For Love Books mentioned by name or extensively: Constance Turnbull: A History Of Singapore Elaine Chiew: The Heartsick Diaspora Elaine Chiew: The Light Between Us Elaine Chiew (ed.): Cooked Up! Kevin Kwan: Crazy Rich Asians Terence Heng: Of Gods, Gifts and Ghosts Spiritual Places in Urban Spaces Viet Thanh Nguyen: The Sympathizer Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 23rd July 2024; published 9th December 2024 Where to find Elaine online: Website || Twitter || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 00:02:04 About Elaine's research into early 20th century Singaporean photographs and bringing voices that haven't had a say in fiction to the fore 00:10:28 How important is The Light Between Us's Tian Wei compared to Charlie [the character]? 00:14:48 Working out the time travel and including Charlie's family 00:21:04 How Elaine's career in the creative arts influenced the book, and how women in Singa
Mon, November 25, 2024
110: Emma Cowell (The Island Love Song)
Charlie and Emma Cowell (The Island Love Song) discuss the Greek island of Hydra, reactions from readers in regards to IVF and polyamory plot threads, early onset dementia, and the Parthenon sculptures. A transcript is available on my site General references: Leonard Cohen's Bird On A Wire The photo of the lady in shadow that Emma took The Pirate Bar, Hydra Books mentioned by name or extensively: Emma Cowell: One Last Letter From Greece Emma Cowell: The House In The Olive Grove Emma Cowell: The Island Love Song Emma Cowell: Under The Lemon Tree Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 9th July 2024; published 25th November 2024 Where to find Emma online: Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 02:20 The inspiration - the Greek island of Hydra 04:10 The conflict in the book, siblings, and how being on an island makes it more dramatic 06:04 The island as a character 07:41 Why it was important to explore sisterhood and non-chosen family 13:40 Writing Georgia in all her chaos and character progression 18:24 Ella and having to live with your ex having wrote a song about you 20:18 Emma tells us about the songs in the book (they exist!) and her musical background 24:32 Leonard Cohen's influence in terms of Hydra, and Hydra's lack of
Mon, November 11, 2024
109: Susan Muaddi Darraj (Behind You Is The Sea)
Charlie and Susan Muaddi Darraj (Behind You Is The Sea) discuss the Palestinian Christian community, her immigrant characters and their children, how she used the current conflict in her stories, and the segregation of the working class in Baltimore, Maryland. Please note this episode mentions domestic violence. A transcript is available on my site Books mentioned by name or extensively: Lawrence T Brown: The Black Butterfly Susan Muaddi Darraj: Farah Rocks Fifth Grade Susan Muaddi Darraj: Farah Rocks Summer Break Susan Muaddi Darraj: Farah Rocks New Beginnings Susan Muaddi Darraj: Farah Rocks Florida Susan Muaddi Darraj: Behind You Is The Sea Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 25th June 2024; published 11th November 2024 Where to find Susan online: Website || Twitter || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 01:49 The initial inspiration for Behind You Is The Sea - Susan's character, Marcus Salameh 05:01 How poetry runs in Susan's family 07:21 The focus on women and women's worth 09:15 Susan's choices in making most of her characters people from one family 10:36 The story Hashtag - including stories of domestic violence and murder - and how the West would see it 16:13 How Susan doesn't want to be 'nice' to her characters 18:37 The different generations and how they relate to one another, and then we move on to discuss a spin-off novel that Susan is writing 23:55 Where the title, Behind You Is The Sea, came from 26:16 How Palestinian Muslims and Palestinian Christians live peacefully together in Palestine 31:13 Segregation
Bonus · Mon, November 04, 2024
Bonus 01: Louise Morrish On Her Unusual Publishing Journey
Charlie and Louise Morrish discuss the extensive efforts the latter went to in order to be published, the networking she did prior to that, and how she's giving back to the writing community. Please note there is a very mild swear word at the end of this episode. A transcript is available on my site General references: Goldfinch Books Owner Gary is Gary Clark of The Interland series Books mentioned by name or extensively: Louise Morrish: Operation Moonlight Louise Morrish: Women Of War The Writer's And Artists' Yearbook Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 17th July 2024; published 4th November 2024 Where to find Louise online: Website || Twitter || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 01:11 The early days of Louise's writing and the Faber Academy course 03:54 The importance of networking with others 05:32 Struggling to get anywhere, submitting to the Penguin Random House First Novel Competition, and winning 12:27 Persevering in the face of rejection 14:30 Class, and, then, novels in the drawer 17:53 The process Louise used when submitting to all the agents and talking about shyness and gaining confidence 27:16 More on the writing groups Louise runs and 'giving back' 31:52 About Louise's books, Operation Moonlight, and Women Of War 37:07 Being a librarian and seeing your own books in the libraries Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose
Mon, October 28, 2024
108: Mark Stay (The Witches Of Woodville)
Charlie and Mark Stay (The Witches Of Woodville) discuss writing humour into wartime, using period-correct language as well as slang, why community is important and how much we've lost over the decades, and the metric ton of projects he has on the go. Please note there are various uses of very minor curse words. A transcript is available on my site General references: The Bestseller Experiment Claire Burgess' YouTube video about jam roly poly The Fortean Times Mark's newsletter The Witches Of Woodville website I spoke to Jacquie Bloese in episode 101 I spoke to Lucy Barker in episode 96 A Canterbury Tale (Powell and Pressburger) Went The Day Well Threads The Day After When The Wind Blows Chernobyl The Last Of Us The transcript for Scriptnotes episode 403 Ben Aaronovitch's episode on The Bestseller Experiment Unwelcome Nautilus Books mentioned by name or extensively: Becky Brown: Blitz Spirit C K McDonnell: The Stranger Times Constance Miles: Mrs Miles's Diary Dennis Knight: Harvest Of Messerschmitts Mark Stay: The Crow Folk Mark Stay: Babes In The Wood Mark Stay: The Ghost Of Ivy Barn Mark Stay: The Holly King Mark Stay: The Corn Bride Mark Stay: The End Of Magic Mark Stay: The End Of Dragons Mark Stay and Mark Oliver: Back To Reality Nella Last: Nella Last's War Buy the books: UK || <a hre
Mon, October 14, 2024
107: Jessica Bull (Miss Austen Investigates)
Charlie and Jessica Bull (Miss Austen Investigates) discuss Jane Austen! The mysteries in her books, what and how she read, her likely views on slavery, her forgotten brother, the proposals of marriage she received (there were many!), and her life in her birthplace of Steventon. A transcript is available on my site General references: Charlie said she'd find info on the yew tree, here's Jessica Bull's Instagram reel on St Nicholas' Church Books mentioned by name or extensively: Ann Radcliffe: The Mysteries Of Udolpho Charlotte Lennox: The Female Quixote Claire Tomalin: Jane Austen: A Life Daniel Livesay: Children Of Uncertain Fortune Deirdre Le Faye (ed.) Jane Austen's Letters Frances Burney: Camilla Frances Burney: Cecelia James Edward Austen-Leigh: A Memoir Of Jane Austen Jane Austen: Sense And Sensibility Jane Austen: Pride And Prejudice Jane Austen: Northanger Abbey Jane Austen: Sanditon Jessica Bull: Miss Austen Investigates (The Hapless Milliner) Jessica Bull: Miss Austen Investigates: A Fortune Most Fatal Lucy Worsley: Jane Austen At Home Henry James: Tom Jones Margaret Edgeworth: Belinda Matthew Gregory Lewis: The Monk PD James: Death Comes To Pemberley Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 29th April 2024; published 14th October 2024 Where to find Jessica online: Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 02:35 Jessica's love of and study of Jane Austen 05:30 Expanding on Jessica's statement that a lot of Austen involves mystery 10:45 Were you ever worried about how people might view your Jane Austen, her silliness? 17:15 The importance of including, in the novel, what Jane Austen was reading 21:11 Where Cowper, Austen's favourite poet, comes into it, and we begin to discuss Austen's views of slavery and abolition, and Jessica's response to such 27:04 The price of
Mon, September 23, 2024
106: Nikki Marmery (Lilith)
Charlie and Nikki Marmery (Lilith) discuss her epic tale that looks from the start of the Genesis story all the way to our present day, showing how the biblical stories did away with an all-important goddess for women - Yahweh's wife - and the consequences that has had. There is discussion, too, on the Gnostic gospels, various mythologies, and environmentalism. A transcript is available on my site General references: Jeremiah 7:18 says: "The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven, and they pour out drink offerings to other gods." About Asherah poles, which Charlie notes, there are many references in the Bible. One such is Deuteronomy 16:21: "Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build to the Lord your God." Jennifer Saint's episode where she mentions Sarah Clegg is is 95 The quote from St Paul Nikki includes is from 1 Timothy 2:12 Books mentioned by name or extensively: Francesca Stavrakopoulou: God: An Anatomy John Milton: Paradise Lost Nikki Marmery: On Wilder Seas Nikki Marmery: Lilith Sarah Clegg: Women's Lore The Bible Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 18th April 2024; published 23rd September 2024 Where to find Nikki online: Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || TikTok Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 00:01:36 The inspiration - the way the goddess Asherah, god's wife, was taken out of tradition, and the icons that have survived through time 00:04:23 Is there a way Asherah might've been able to continue as a worshipped goddess longer t
Mon, September 09, 2024
105: Natalie Jenner (Every Time We Say Goodbye)
Charlie and Natalie Jenner (Every Time We Say Goodbye) discuss the war years and 1950s Italian film industry and the Vatican's authority over it, changing working practices after being accused of discrimination, and including still-living celebrities in your book. A transcript is available on my site General references: I talked to Natalie about her previous book, Bloomsbury Girls, in episode 65 Day For Night Quo Vadis Umanità Nine Summertime Three Coins In The Fountain Roman Holiday A similar quote of Kurt Vonnegut's is "Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages." I talked to Liz Fenwick about the map girls in episode 100 Natalie's Instagram post on Ray Holland The Prince Of Foxes Natalie's episode on chapters 7-9 of Pride And Prejudice for the Rosenbach Library Books mentioned by name or extensively: Charles Dickens: Our Mutual Friend Charles Dickens: A Tale Of Two Cities Edward Bulwer-Lytton: The Last Days Of Pompeii Henry James: The Portrait Of A Lady Jane Austen: Pride And Prejudice Jane Austen: Emma Joe Klein: Primary Colors Natalie Jenner: The Jane Austen Society Natalie Jenner: Bloomsbury Girls Natalie Jenner: Every Time We Say Goodbye Natalie Jenner: Austen At Sea Sophia Loren: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow My Life Zadie Smith: The Fraud Zoe Wheddon: Jane Austen's Best Friend Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 11th April 2024; published 9th September 2024 Where to find Natalie online: Website || Twitter || <
Bonus · Wed, September 04, 2024
Name Change: I Want Your Opinions!
The poll is here Or, if your app does not show links: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8TGVG9F
Mon, August 26, 2024
104: Matt Ottley (The Tree Of Ecstasy And Unbearable Sadness)
Charlie and Matt Ottley (The Tree Of Ecstasy And Unbearable Sadness) discuss Matt's type I bipolar disorder and how it has influenced this, his latest book, and his life in general. As Matt is also a composer and illustrator and the book involves both, we also discuss in detail the creation of the music and artwork. Please note that there are mentions of child sexual abuse and attempted suicide in this episode. A transcript is available on my site General references: The Sound Of Picture Books on YouTube Film trailer for The Tree Of Ecstasy And Unbearable Sadness Tina Wilson set up the Lester Prize Books mentioned by name or extensively: Matt Ottley: The Tree Of Ecstasy And Unbearable Sadness Buy the books: UK Release details: recorded 16th April 2024; published 26th August 2024 Where to find Matt online: Website || Facebook || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 00:01:36 The whys of the book - why this story, why produce it in this way, why now (this turns into a larger discussion of Matt's bipolar disorder and how it affects him) 00:13:18 Matt's musical initiative for children, The Sound Of Picture Books 00:19:45 The artistic process of the book, the artwork 00:24:35 The image of the pregnant mother in water, Matt's painting of water in general, and the elephants 00:29:08 The animals in terms of metaphors of unreality, evolution, and mania 00:32:32 Where Matt started in illustration, music, and writing - the discussion revolves mostly around music - and also inspirations 00:42:01 All about the music - composing, recording, the
Mon, August 12, 2024
103: Kate Weston (You May Now Kill The Bride)
Charlie and Kate Weston (You May Now Kill The Bride) discuss her hilarious comedy thriller wherein a group of friends go on a hen do, one of them is murdered, but they don't stop going to hen dos... Please note there is some swearing in this episode. A transcript is available on my site General references: Below Deck Books mentioned by name or extensively: Kate Weston: Murder On A School Night Kate Weston: You May Now Kill The Bride Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: Recorded 14th March 2024; published 12th August 2024 Where to find Kate online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Where to find Charlie online: website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 01:56 The starting point/inspiration - hen dos (and Kate's own) 06:17 Why the murders? 08:01 How did you plan/write the book? 10:34 Creating the friends and their personalities 14:58 Was there a particular reason why you offed Tansy first? 16:37 Did you want the murderer to be worked out? 18:36 Have you got a favourite character? 20:00 How did you keep the balance between the bonkers and the realistic? 21:55 Jeremy's club 23:34 Could someone else have been the murderer? 25:29 Could DI Ashford and Lauren's thread ever end happily? 27:04 Transitioning from writing YA 28:59 What are you writing now? 29:29 Tell us about your st
Bonus · Mon, August 05, 2024
Milestone 05: Liz Fenwick, Emma Cowell, Ronali Collings, Tammye Huf
Celebrating 100 episodes of this podcast, Charlie is Joined by Liz Fenwick, Emma Cowell, Ronali Collings, and Tammye Huf, for a general bookish chat. We start off with an excellent conversation on the industry's use of 'women's fiction' when the genderless 'commerical fiction' would do very well. Please note there is one use of 'damn' in this episode. A transcript is available on my site General references: Leonard Cohen's Bird On A Wire The 'Women in Love' panel Liz was on was part of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2015 The Constant Gardener (film) Desert Island Discs Escape To The Country Books mentioned by name or extensively: Charlotte Brontë: Jane Eyre Elissa Soave: Ginger And Me Emily Brontë: Wuthering Heights Emma Cowell: One Last Letter From Greece Emma Cowell: the House In The Olive Grove Emma Cowell: The Island Love Song John Le Carré: The Constant Gardener Kate Atkinson: Life After Life Liz Fenwick: One Cornish Summer Liz Fenwick: The Secret Shore Paul Auster: The Brooklyn Follies Paul Auster: The New York Trilogy Ronali Collings: All The Single Ladies Sarah Winman: A Year Of Marvellous Ways Tammye Huf: A More Perfect Union Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 6th May 2024; published 5th August 2024 Where to find Liz online: Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || TikTok Where to find Emma online: Website || Twitter || Facebook || <a href= "https://instagram.com/emmalloydcowell" target="_blank" rel= "noopener"
Bonus · Mon, July 29, 2024
Milestone 04: Phillip Lewis, Melissa Fu, Amanda Geard
Celebrating 100 episodes of this podcast, Charlie is joined by Phillip Lewis, Melissa Fu, and Amanda Geard for a general bookish chat. This is a slightly quieter episode with some incredibly poignant and compelling stories. A transcript is available on my site General references: Seamus Heany's Limbo Phillip quotes from Dorothy L Sayers' Unnatural Death. The full quote is "...After all, it isn't really difficult to write books. Especially if you either write a rotten story in good English or a good story in rotten English, which is as far as most people seem to get nowadays." Melissa's episode of The Diverse Bookshelf Amanda's episode of Richard & Judy's podcast Phillip's episode of Charlotte Readers Information about Charles Ray Finch Information about Ronnie Long Netflix's The Staircase The episode of this podcast that includes Dorothy L Sayers is episode 100 with Liz Fenwick Books mentioned by name or extensively: Amanda Geard: The Midnight House Amanda Geard: The Moon Gate David S Rudolph: American Injustice Dodie Smith: I Capture The Castle Dorothy L Sayers: Unnatural Death Frances Hodgson Burnett: The Secret Garden Grace Paley: Enormous Changes At The Last Minute Judy Finnigan: Roseland Melissa Fu: Peach Blossom Spring Phillip Lewis: The Barrowfields Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 28th March 2024; published 29th July 2024 Where to find Phillip online: Website || Twitte
Mon, July 22, 2024
102: Manda Scott (Any Human Power)
Charlie and Manda Scott (Any Human Power) discuss her book in terms of its Shamanist contexts, her informed ideas for how we can change and thus improve the UK political system, and playing Dungeons And Dragons with Terry Pratchett and Fay Weldon. We also discuss Mass Multiplayer Online gaming in the context of both Manda's book and, briefly, ourselves - this is an episode wherein two gamers meet. A transcript is available on my site General references: Historical Writer's Association Accidental Gods Podcast Thrutopian Writer's Association Ursula K Le Guin's original quotation, "We live in capitalism, its power seems inescapable - but then, so did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art" is from her speech in acceptance of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, 19th November 2014 Chauvet Cave artwork The writer Charlie couldn't remember is Max Porter, his book is Grief Is The Thing With Feathers World Of Warcraft Guild Wars 2 Doom The Accidental Gods membership program Books mentioned by name or extensively: Isabel Harman: Why We Get The Wrong Politicians Manda Scott: Any Human Power Manda Scott: Boudica Max Porter: Grief Is The Thing With Feathers Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 11th March 2024; published 22nd July 2024 Where to find Manda online: Website || Twitter || Facebook Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || <a href=
Bonus · Mon, July 15, 2024
Milestone 03: Elissa Soave, Jenni Keer, Chloe Timms
Celebrating 100 episodes of this podcast, Charlie is joined by Elissa Soave, Jenni Keer, and Chloe Timms for a general bookish chat. This one is big on writing, branding, and marketing, and, if Charlie dares says herself, is one of the most fun episodes of this entire show. Please note there is a mild swear word in this episode. A transcript is available on my site General references: Confessions Of A Debut Novelist Groundhog Day Elissa episode with me is number 80 Elissa's episode on Chloe's podcast Chloe's writer's club The Lake House Books mentioned by name or extensively: Chloe Timms: The Seawomen Daphne Du Maurier: Rebecca Elissa Soave: Ginger And Me Elissa Soave: Graffiti Girls Eliza Clark: Penance Guillermo del Toro: The Shape Of Water Janice Galloway: Collected Stories Janice Galloway's The Trick Is To Keep Breathing Jenni Keer: The Secrets Of Hawthorn Place Jenni Keer: At The Stroke Of Midnight Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood: The Testaments Roget's Thesaurus Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 7th March 2024; published 15th July 2024 Where to find Elissa online: Twitter Where to find Jenni online: Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || TikTok Where to find Chloe online: Website || Twitter || Facebook || <a href="https://instagram.com/clotimms" t
Mon, July 08, 2024
101: Jacquie Bloese (The Golden Hour/The Secret Photographs)
Charlie and Jacquie Bloese (The Golden Hour/The Secret Photographs) discuss early erotic photography, Victorian erotic stage performances, and the beginnings of bicycle use for women which had a huge impact on female agency. Please note there are mentions of suicide and abuse in this episode A transcript is available on my site General references: The photograph of Marie Berin Marion Sambourne's diary I can recommend the keyword phrase 'early bicycle wear women' for lots of pictures of the outfits Jacquie describes Wikipedia's article on the history of women cycling (bicycling and feminism) Books mentioned by name or extensively: Jacquie Bloese: The Golden Hour Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 3rd April 2024; published 8th July 2024 Where to find Jacquie online: Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 01:26 The whys of this book and the inspiration, particularly in the context of the photography 03:56 More about the model written about by Linley Sambourne, who committed suicide, and how Jacquie was influenced by it 05:47 Why Jacquie chose Brighton, and why she chose the Victorian period in that context also 09:00 About the female photographer, Marie Bertin, tha
Bonus · Mon, July 01, 2024
Milestone 02: Alex Hay, Stacey Thomas, Lucy Barker
Celebrating 100 episodes of this podcast, Charlie is joined by Alex Hay, Stacey Thomas, and Lucy Barker for a general bookish chat with a concentration on the writing. The trio toured together as debuts and we get to witness just how well they work together. A transcript is available on my site General references: Downton Abbey Ocean's Eleven Mary & George (Julianne Moore) Zsolt's Instagram post on The Revels Euphoria Fear The Walking Dead Pride And Prejudice Persuasion Books mentioned by name or extensively: Alex Hay: The Housekeepers Isabella Beeton: Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management Stacey Thomas: The Revels Lucy Barker: The Other Side Of Mrs Wood Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: Recorded 18th January 2024; published 1st July 2024 Where to find Alex online: Website || Twitter || Instagram Where to find Stacey online: Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Where to find Lucy online: Website || Twitter || <a href= "http://instagram.com/lucybarkerauthor" target="_blank" rel= "noopene
Mon, June 24, 2024
100: Liz Fenwick (The Secret Shore)
Charlie and Liz Fenwick (The Secret Shore) discuss the women cartographers who were fundamental in the Allies winning the Second World War and the way women at university at the time had to choose between their career and having a family. We also discuss Liz's love of Cornwall, her use of Dorothy Sayer's Gaudy Night, and we go back a few times to the people who were involved in the secret flotillas that preceded the Normandy landings. A transcript is available on my site General references: My previous interview with Liz is episode 35 Liz's TikTok plot walk on Frenchman's Creek The Woman's Hour episode including women's intuition Books mentioned by name or extensively: Daphne Du Maurier: Frenchman's Creek Dorothy Sayers: Gaudy Night Ernie Pyle: The Best Of Ernie Pyle's World War II Dispatches Liz Fenwick: A Cornish Stranger Liz Fenwick: The Returning Tide Liz Fenwick: The Path To The Sea Liz Fenwick: The River Between Us Liz Fenwick: The Secret Shore Liz Fenwick: A Portrait Of You Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 25th March 2024; published 24th June 2024 Where to find Liz online: Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || TikTok Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 01:45 You'd wanted to write about the secret flotillas for a long time? 02:58 Women's work in cartography in the Second World War 05:48 Fu
Bonus · Mon, June 17, 2024
Milestone 01: Elizabeth Fremantle, Amanda Geard, Gill Paul, Maggie Brookes
Celebrating 100 episodes of this podcast, Charlie is joined by Gill Paul, Elizabeth Fremantle, Amanda Geard, and Maggie Brookes for a general bookish chat. We get all philosophical about genre, discuss film adaptations (Elizabeth’s Firebrand is out), whose books we wish we could have written, and best fan encounters. A transcript is available on my site General references: Firebrand - the UK release date it 14th June A Royal Affair House Of The Dragon Netflix's The Queen's Gambit Amanda's interview with me on The Moon Gate is episode 84 Elizabeth's appearance on BBC Front Row The Irish Times' article on Amanda's house (includes a photo of the room we discuss) Father Ted The Historical Novel Society 2024 Conference Books mentioned by name or extensively: Amanda Geard: The Midnight House Amanda Geard: The Moon Gate Diana Gabaldon: Voyager Dodie Smith: I Capture The Castle Elizabeth Fremantle: Queen's Gambit Elizabeth Fremantle: Disobedient Elizabeth Fremantle: The Sinners (working title) Gill Paul: The Secret Wife Gill Paul: Another Woman's Husband Gill Paul: The Manhattan Girls Gill Paul: A Beautiful Rival Gill Paul: Scandalous Women Jenny Ashcroft: Echoes Of Love Kerry Fisher: The Secret Child Maggie Brookes: The Prisoner's Wife Maggie Brookes: Acts Of Love And War Maggie O'Farrell: I Am, I Am, I Am Paula McLain: The Paris Wife Walter Tevis: The Queen's Gambit Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: Recorded 26th September 2023; published 26th February 2024 Where to find Elizabeth online: Website || Twitter || <a href= "htt
Mon, June 10, 2024
99: Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ (Dazzling)
Charlie and Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ (Dazzling) discuss Igbo mythology, the differences between polygamy and monogamy in Igbo culture, and the social impacts of colonialism and military coups in Nigeria. Chịkọdịlị also talks about having her characters bother her when she's trying to shower, finding literature in rubbish heaps, and needing a literary residency - please let her know if you've one to spare! Please note there are mentions of rape and general violence in this episode. A transcript is available on my site Books mentioned by name or extensively: Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ: Dazzling Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 7th February 2024; published 10th June 2024 Where to find Chịkọdịlị online: Twitter || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 01:43 The starting point of Dazzling 04:54 The original narratives and the hows and whys of Chịkọdịlị's choices in terms of points of view and tenses 07:41 Why Chịkọdịlị doesn't have a favourite character and how she knows her characters 09:23 Is Chịkọdịlị writing a sequel? Shhh... 14:13 Chịkọdịlị tells us about how she worked on world building, which includes information about her childhood in Nigeria and how it compared to her initial years in the UK. She also discusses colonial and Christian impacts on Igbo culture 22:03 Why it was important to include the lack of family - Chịkọdịlị talks about polygamy in her culture and the differences between that and a one-mother family 29:08 The spirits and Igbo mythology in the book 34:32 Chịkọdịlị's use of the leopard society, which is a factual society, and who they were in reality 39:47 The 'lost girls' in the book - the whys and hows and the connections to reality. And the 'use' of menstru
Mon, May 27, 2024
98: Sarah Marsh (A Sign Of Her Own)
Charlie and Sarah Marsh (A Sign Of Her Own) discuss the lesser-known aspect of Alexander Bell's work - teaching deaf children to speak - in terms of both the real history and the fictionalised character she created in order to explore the events. This includes snippets about the manufactured rivalry between the two inventors of the telephone; Bell's wife, Mabel Hubbard (who was deaf); the Deaf community in London in the late 1800s; and the way Sarah employs language - written, signed, spoken - to excellent effect. A transcript is available on my site General references: Wikipedia's page on Bell and Elisha Grey's rivalry Books mentioned by name or extensively: Reuben Conrad: Deaf School Child Sarah Marsh: A Sign Of Her Own Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 1st December 2023; published 27th May 2024 Where to find Sarah online: Twitter || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 01:55 The inspiration for A Sign Of Her Own 03:27 Alexander Bell's work with deaf children, 'Visible Speech', and the reality of it all 07:08 The Deaf community in London at the time 08:13 The locations - America and London 09:21 The characters, particularly Sarah's fictional heroine, Ellen, and where bird names as surnames come into it 11:49 Talking about Mabel Hubbard, Alexander Bell's wife, who was deaf 13:24 The rivalry between Alexander Bell and Elisha Grey 15:30 The way Sarah uses different languages in her book 18:57 The romance in the book, between Ellen and Frank 20:48 Where Sarah sees Ellen going in her life beyond the book<
Mon, May 13, 2024
97: Natasha Solomons (Fair Rosaline)
Charlie and Natasha Solomons (Fair Rosaline) discuss Natasha's interpretation of Romeo and Juliet, told from the perspective of Rosaline, wherein Romeo is a groomer and Juliet must be saved from him. We discuss as well Natasha's stylistic choices for her prose and the changes she made to the original ending. Please note that there is a lot of discussion of sexually predatory behaviour and some explicit language in this episode. A transcript is available on my site General references: Mark Scott's rephrasing of Charles Dibdin's argument can be found in his 1987 publication, Shakespearean Criticism, page 419 Susan Calman's audiobook version of Pamela Butchart's To Wee Or Not To Wee Books mentioned by name or extensively: Natasha Solomons: Mr Rosenblum's List Natasha Solomons: I, Mona Lisa Natasha Solomons: Fair Rosaline Pamela Butchart: To Wee Or Not To Wee Ros Barber: The Marlowe Papers Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 28th November 2023; published 13th May 2024 Where to find Natasha online: Twitter || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 01:39 The inspiration for Fair Rosaline - Natasha's interpretation of Romeo and Juliet as being darker than it's portrayed 06:18 How we never see Rosaline in the original, and how Natasha changes this 07:01 Shakespeare's own thoughts on his characters, and Natasha's interpretations here 10:29 How Natasha borrowed from other Shakespearean Rosalines and Rosalinds 16:32 The importance of Juliet and her relative relevance in the book, and how Natasha considered different types of readers when she wrote 19:39
Mon, April 22, 2024
96: Lucy Barker (The Other Side Of Mrs Wood)
Charlie and Lucy Barker (The Other Side Of Mrs Wood) discuss Victorian mediums both factual and fictionalised - their work, the spiritualism that led to their popularity, the social circles, the rivalry, the rumours of fraud, and the women's roles as early grief counsellors. We also talk about the early days of the Suffrage movement and various aspects of the book's ending. Please note there is a very mild swear word in this episode. A transcript is available on my site General references: The Courtauld's exhibition of Georgiana Houghton's spirit paintings A preview of Tracy Ann Oberman's audio version of The Other Side Of Mrs Wood Lucy's blog post on the postal service in Victorian times One Night At McCool's Lucy's blog post on using Notting Hill Books mentioned by name or extensively: Elizabeth Gaskell: Cranford George Gissings: The Odd Women Lucy Barker: The Other Side Of Mrs Wood Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 27th November 2023; published 22nd April 2024 Where to find Lucy online: Blog || Twitter || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 01:50 The real mediums who inspired the book: Agnes Guppy and Florence Cook 05:17 Lucy talks about how mediums in general were able to escape accusations of falsehood despite many being outed as frauds 08:53 The fickl
Mon, April 08, 2024
95: Jennifer Saint (Atalanta)
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
Mon, March 25, 2024
94: Elizabeth Fremantle (Disobedient)
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 <str
Mon, March 11, 2024
93: Kristy Woodson Harvey (The Summer Of Songbirds)
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 con
Mon, February 26, 2024
92: Maggie Brookes (Acts Of Love And War)
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
Mon, February 12, 2024
91: Stacey Thomas (The Revels)
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
Mon, January 22, 2024
90: Celina Baljeet Basra (Happy)
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 <s
Mon, January 08, 2024
89: Rachel Abbott (Don't Look Away)
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<br
Mon, December 11, 2023
88: Karen Hamilton (The Contest)
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.
Mon, November 27, 2023
87: Radhika Sanghani (I Wish We Weren't Related)
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.
Mon, November 13, 2023
86: Gill Paul (A Beautiful Rival)
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 march
Mon, October 23, 2023
85: Tasneem Abdur-Rashid (Finding Mr Perfectly Fine)
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
Mon, October 09, 2023
84: Amanda Geard (The Moon Gate)
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 w
Mon, September 25, 2023
83: Alex Hay (The Housekeepers)
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?
Mon, September 11, 2023
82: Paula Cocozza (Speak To Me)
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
Mon, August 28, 2023
81: Nicolai Houm (The Gradual Disappearance Of Jane Ashland)
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
Mon, August 14, 2023
80: Elissa Soave (Ginger And Me)
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
Mon, July 24, 2023
79: Lisa See (Lady Tan's Circle Of Women)
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.
Mon, July 10, 2023
78: Eleanor Shearer (River Sing Me Home)
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
Mon, June 26, 2023
77: Jenni Keer (The Legacy Of Halesham Hall)
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?
Mon, June 12, 2023
76: Kate Thompson (The Little Wartime Library)
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 || <a href= "https://twitter.com/carnelianvalley" target="_blank" re
Mon, May 22, 2023
75: Ronali Collings (All The Single Ladies/Love & Other Dramas)
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.
Mon, May 08, 2023
74: Kristina McMorris (Sold On A Monday; The Ways We Hide)
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 ex
Mon, April 24, 2023
73: Orlando Ortega-Medina (The Fitful Sleep Of Immigrants)
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
Mon, February 27, 2023
72: Amita Parikh (The Circus Train)
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
Mon, February 13, 2023
71: Emma Cowell (One Last Letter From Greece)
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.
Mon, October 10, 2022
70: E C Fremantle (The Honey And The Sting)
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 r
Mon, September 26, 2022
69: Cecelia Tichi (A Fatal Gilded High Note)
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 <a href= "https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-fatal-gilded-high-note-cecelia-tichi/1140927493?ean=979
Mon, September 12, 2022
68: Kate Glanville (The Peacock House)
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 <b
Mon, August 22, 2022
67: Kristin Harmel (The Forest Of Vanishing Stars)
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
Mon, August 08, 2022
66: Sally Page (The Keeper Of Stories)
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 Fi
Mon, July 25, 2022
65: Natalie Jenner (Bloomsbury Girls)
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
Mon, July 11, 2022
64: Chloe Timms (The Seawomen)
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
Mon, June 27, 2022
63: Amanda Geard (The Midnight House)
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 Cana
Mon, June 13, 2022
62: Grace D Li (Portrait Of A Thief)
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: <a href= "https://www.amazon.co.uk/Portrait-Thief-Grace-D-Li/dp/152938639X" target="
Mon, May 23, 2022
61: Yvonne Bailey-Smith (The Day I Fell Off My Island)
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</st
Mon, May 09, 2022
60: Jennifer Saint (Elektra)
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? 33:4
Mon, April 25, 2022
59: Melissa Fu (Peach Blossom Spring)
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
Mon, April 11, 2022
58: Natasha Miller (Relentless)
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
Mon, March 28, 2022
57: Kate Quinn (The Rose Code; The Diamond Eye)
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
Mon, March 14, 2022
56: Imogen Clark (Impossible To Forget)
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 <a href= "https://www.chapter
Mon, February 28, 2022
55: Patrick Gale (Take Nothing With You; Mother's Boy)
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 Causl
Mon, February 14, 2022
54: Kaia Alderson (Sisters In Arms)
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 Earley Progress 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
Mon, January 24, 2022
53: Sara Nisha Adams (The Reading List)
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 <a href= "ht
Mon, January 10, 2022
52: Edward Carey (B: A Year In Plague And Pencils; The Swallowed Man)
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 thro
Mon, December 13, 2021
51: Janie Chang (The Library Of Legends)
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? 2
Mon, November 22, 2021
50: Samantha Sotto (The Beginning Of Always)
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: <a href= "https://www.amazon.co.
Mon, November 08, 2021
49: Rebecca F John (The Haunting Of Henry Twist)
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 <a href= "https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-haunting-o
Mon, October 25, 2021
48: Rosie Travers (The Theatre Of Dreams)
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 t
Mon, October 11, 2021
47: Jennifer Robson (Our Darkest Night)
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 <a href= "https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?aff=wormholepodcast&keys=jennifer%20r
Mon, September 27, 2021
46: Hazel Gaynor (The Bird In The Bamboo Cage)
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 <a href=
Mon, September 13, 2021
45: Claire North (Notes From The Burning Age)
Charlie and Claire North (Notes From The Burning Age) discuss climate change today and into the future, sexism back of house in theatre, and how she views her books in terms of colours and shapes rather than words. 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-45-claire-north CBBC Newsround article from 2002 Peter Kenny and Claire North Audible interview Question Index 00:45 How did your first publication, as a teenager, come about? 03:33 (Discussing Claire's lighting design work) 10:46 Could you tell us about your seeing the book in terms of colour? 12:49 How would you categorise this book, genre-wise? 16:57 Where do you fall on the subject yourself in terms of the two sides, Temple and the Brotherhood? 22:50 What was it about Ven's position, as a character and in terms of his place in society, that made him the right person to be the narrator? 26:08 Does this whole thing of Ven being a regular person but not so regular extend to Yue? 28:33 Going to the extremes of what you've been saying, could your books be told by yourself through the first person, without a character narrator? 29:55 Are the kakuy open to interpretation? 33:13 What inspired the servers of all our modern day information? 37:24 Have we the power, do you think, to reverse the burning age that we're at the beginnings of? 41:23 Back to your tangent from earlier, what is the period of history you enjoy studying the most? 42:29 Could Ven ever have become a proper member of the Brotherhood? 44:45 What's next? Purchase Links Notes From The Burning Age: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada <a hre
Mon, August 23, 2021
44: Tyler Keevil (Your Still Beating Heart)
Charlie and Tyler Keevil (Your Still Beating Heart) discuss using the violence of Snow White in an adult thriller to shocking and literary effect, writing in the second person to tell a story within a story where either - or both, or none - may be 'true', and the many hearts at the heart of his novel. 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-44-tyler-keevil I was joined by Susmita Bhattacharya for episode 32 Question Index 00:54 What does your job as Director of the BA in Creative Writing entail? 09:08 Is the story we are told about Eira true or is it an attempt at writing by our struggling fictional creative? 11:48 How much of you is in this book? 15:53 Why the second person narrative? 21:12 What was behind the small exploration of what Eira can do now that her husband is gone? 23:33 How crucial is Tod's presence, or lack of presence, to the story as a whole? 25:00 The chapters are like short stories; why did you choose to write in this way? 27:34 You have a linking theme in the use of 'heart' - could you expand on this? 31:45 Is Eira and Gogol's future life good? 34:50 What was the message or takeaway you wanted to leave your readers with? 36:28 What's next? Purchase Links Your Still Beating Heart Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound <a href= "https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/your-still-beating-hear
Mon, August 09, 2021
43: Rachel Hore (A Beautiful Spy)
Charlie and Rachel Hore (A Beautiful Spy) discuss the life and work of a female spy in the years between the First and Second World Wars, the man who inspired James Bond's M, and how Rachel took care to do right in her representation of a real person. 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-43-rachel-hore Rachel Hore's The Dream House Rachel's article on Olga Gray for the Historical Writers' Association Wikipedia's article on Max Knight Wikipedia's article on Mata Hari (contains semi-nude photo) Wikipedia's article on John Buchan Wikipedia's article on Johnny Morris iTunes Podchaser Question Index 00:36 How did being an editor (HarperCollins) before becoming an author influence your writing? 01:46 Did you always know you wanted to write a book, had you always had a book in you? 12:55 This book is based on a spy, Olga Gray?... 15:30 Was it usual for people to be a spy for such a relatively short period of time? 17:28 Were there many women spies in this period of time? 18:57 Was it difficult to work with the facts and add your fiction into the story? 22:21 Was Max Knight an author in real life? 24:35 How did you expect readers to take to your fictionised Max? 26:08 How much did Minnie's relationship with her father impact her choices in these spy years? 32:23 Can you tell us about the Friends of the Soviet Union? 36:20 What's next? 37:21 A Beautiful Spy was your first novel about a real person - do you think you'd do similar again? 38:51 Do you feel you did right by Olga? Purchase Links A Beautiful Spy: Amazon UK A
Mon, July 26, 2021
42: Gill Paul (The Second Marriage)
Charlie and Gill Paul (The Second Marriage) discuss the lives and loves of Jackie Kennedy and Maria Callas from their early married years until later life, the womanising ways of the men in their lives, and the opera and celebrity that in Gill's book links them all. 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-42-gill-paul The Time article Gill references, published on 29th October 1956 Barbara Walters interviews Maria Callas for NBC's Today programme on 15th April 1974 Carly Simon's Touched by the Sun Barbara Leaming's book on Jackie Kennedy EOnline - 'Inside the Tragic Strength of Jackie Kennedy' Gill discusses how she researches a novel (in this context, The Second Marriage) Lyndsy Spence's Cast A Diva Maria Callas' Casta Diva Question Index 06:36 Why Jackie and Maria, why this idea? 10:50 Is there a significance to you having started the book with Maria? 12:10 Maria and Jackie never met?... 13:39 What are you thoughts on who Jackie was as a person? 17:09 Could you tell us more about JFK and Aristotle Onassis as people and in their relationships? 21:12 There were issues with the book's content in terms of Jackie's sister Lee?... 24:17 Why was it important to include the rumour of Maria Callas having had a child? 28:05 What is your favourite recording of Maria? 29:27 What was your research like for the operatic aspects? 31:09 What did you want readers to take away with them in regards to their thoughts on these two women? 32:04 Tell us about your next book, The Collector's Daughter Purchase Links The Second Marriage/Jackie And Maria: Amazon U
Mon, July 12, 2021
41: Rosanna Ley (The Orange Grove)
Charlie and Rosanna Ley (The Orange Grove) discuss whether one of her main characters, Ella, made the right decision with the situational contexts at hand, the viability of a shop focused on orange-related products and set up in Dorset, the Seville producers of those products, and the secrets of the flour-free cake that starts the whole thing off. 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-41-rosanna-ley Gospa Citrus Organic Orange Farm Bridport, Dorset The cake Rosanna's writing retreats Question Index 07:24 Would it be right to say that the Flamenco is an important aspect further than as itself, symbolically? 09:01 Was there a starting point for Ella's story? 10:44 Tell us about your research 13:05 Would Holly's shop be a viable business? 14:46 Where did you come across the cake? 16:58 Had you set out to include Felix's narrative from the first? 19:18 (Spoiler question) Had you considered having the 1988 Ella staying on in Seville? 21:55 Will Ella and Ingrid's relationship continue to get better? 22:55 What's next? 25:36 Tell us about your writing retreats Purchase Links The Orange Grove: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive <a href= "https://www.barnesa
Mon, June 28, 2021
40: Zen Cho (Black Water Sister)
Charlie and Zen Cho (Black Water Sister) discuss traditional Chinese beliefs, smashing up shrines, and Jane Austen. 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-40-zen-cho Jean DeBernardi's The Way That Lives In The Heart Podchaser website Question Index 08:13 Was the book always going to be comedic? 08:29 Why did you choose to make Jess American? 10:21 Can you tell us about your research in terms of what inspired Black Water Sister herself? 13:02 Are there any gods in the book that are true to the folklore and religion? 16:08 Did you ever consider extending the fantastical aspect? 17:53 You have the smashing up of a shrine - was that difficult to include? 18:31 How much are the characters, other than Jess, Ah Ma, and Black Water Sister, a device to keep Jess' development going? 19:31 You start and end the book on Jess' sexuality - why was it important to do that? 22:27 How much are Jess, Ah Ma, and the Black Water Sister the same person? 24:36 Was it always the plan to have Manglish phrasing without translations? 26:06 Favourite Jane Austen novel? 26:40 Did you ever consider having Sharanya there in person? 28:02 Is Shering's life going to be more above board going forward? Purchase Links Black Water Sister: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Chapters Ind
Mon, June 14, 2021
39: Christina Courtenay (Echoes Of The Runes; The Runes Of Destiny)
Charlie and Christina Courtenay (Echoes Of The Runes; The Runes Of Destiny) discuss what the Vikings were really like, time travellers' historical partners travelling back with them, and predictability and coincidence as plot devices. 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-39-christina-courtenay Jorvick Viking Festival, York Birka Question Index 00:35 You've been published for a long time; tell us about your past work 04:52 You say in Echoes of the Runes that the Vikings aren't quite as we think they are. Can you expand on this for us? 06:33 What research did you do for the books? 08:40 You explore disability, with the main character finding a way to communicate with Jorun. Why was this important to explore? 10:27 Did you ever have any issues with getting Haakon how you wanted him to be? 11:52 The noted predictability and coincidences between time periods - was this something you always planned to use? 13:30 What was behind the decision to have Destiny of the Runes take us to another country? 15:14 Linnea takes a good number of pages to accept she's travelled in time - what lead to this decision? 16:22 Were you always going to have the time travel in the reverse? 22:23 Linnea's possible experience or possible virginity in the context of the history - had you considered a different story here? 24:09 The forthcoming Whispers of the Runes and Tempted by the Runes - tell us about them Purchase Links Echoes Of The Runes: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble <a href= "http
Mon, May 24, 2021
38: Nicola Cornick (The Forgotten Sister; The Last Daughter)
She's back! Nicola Cornick (The Forgotten Sister; The Last Daughter) returns to discuss Amy Robsart and the mystery of her death, the relationship between Robert Dudley and Elizabeth I, and the Princes in the Tower. 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-38-nicola-cornick Our previous interview, episode 1 Lydiard House Amy Robsart Robert Dudley Thomas Seymour The portrait of young Elizabeth I Cumnor (the village) Walter Scott's Kenilworth University Church, Oxford Susanna Kearsley's The Rose Garden Francis Lovell The Princes in the Tower Josephine Tey's The Daughter Of Time The discovery of Richard III's bones Question Index 01:09 How has writing and reading been different for you during the lockdown and now? 03:13 You have a role at Lydiard House?... 04:52 Who was Amy Robsart? 06:49 Would you say that the present day narrative helped look at the historical story in a more objective manner? 07:53 The press at the time, and historians afterwards, believed Dudley killed Amy?... 09:18 Do you think Elizabeth I and Dudley were lovers? 12:11 What do you think
Mon, May 10, 2021
37: Kimberly Derting (The Body Finder)
Charlie and Kimberly Derting (The Body Finder) discuss publishing a dark YA series in the wake of Twilight, avoiding romance and family tropes, and the further lives of her characters beyond the final page. 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-37-kimberly-derting Question Index 00:45 What was it like juggling two jobs, family, and writing? 03:42 What was it like publishing a (dark, Young Adult) book in the wake of Twilight? 10:37 Was Violet's ability inspired by anything? 12:42 Family is important in the books... 13:44 What is the significance of the various imprints that you chose? 14:42 Violet goes to a school that exists in real life... 16:06 Why did you start the series with Violet and Jay's burgeoning romance, avoiding tropes and such? 18:47 Why did you include narratives of the killers, particularly in the way that you did? 20:55 Was there a particular reason for diverging from that narrative path in book two, with Megan? 22:05 Why the shift in focus in Desires of the Dead (Sara and Rafe)? 23:29 Was Violet always going to have her own imprint? 24:27 If Jay had ever got an imprint, do you think Violet would have been able to live with it? 29:28 Was Chelsea easy to write? 30:23 Beyond the series, would Chelsea continue to have an aspect in Violet's 'secret' life? 31:40 Are Violet and Jay going to be better cooks than their parents? 32:11 Do you have any regrets and is there anything you're particularly happy with? 33:58 Do you have any more YA books in the planning stages at the moment? Purchase Links The Body Finder: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound <a href= "https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en
Mon, April 26, 2021
36: Kate Forsyth (Bitter Greens; The Wild Girl)
Charlie and Kate Forsyth (Bitter Greens; The Wild Girl) discuss the story and history of Rapunzel - which was part of Kate's doctoral thesis - as well as the woman who told the Brothers Grimm many of their tales, and the progression of change those tales went through as the brothers pursued success. 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-36-kate-forsyth The page on Kate's website summarising her published academic research on Rapunzel Information on Charlotte-Rose de la Force Disney's Tangled William Morris' poem Information on Giambattista Basile Plot of Basile's Petrosinella Biography of Charles Perrault Andrew Lang Jack Zipes' Spells Of Enchantment Jack Zipes' The Great Fairy Tale Tradition Hessen-Cassel Wikipedia's page on the Brothers Grimm, including a drawing of Dortchen Information on Ludwig Grimm The 1824 English translation of the Brothers Grimm stories Biography of Herman Grimm Biography of Marie Hassenpflug <
Mon, April 12, 2021
35: Liz Fenwick (The Path To The Sea)
Charlie and Liz Fenwick (The Path To The Sea) discuss the success of spies in the Cold War who were - on the face of it - 'just' housewives, bringing new characters to more prominence and bringing past characters back from other books, and the age-old question of cream or jam first. 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-35-liz-fenwick Cape Cod Porthpean House About Time Godolphin House The SOE (Special Operations Executive) Exercise Tiger Hotel Endsleigh Question Index 00:38 You're originally from Massachusetts and settled in Cornwall. Why Cornwall? 01:51 Do you like Cornish pasties? 02:07 You first looked into publishing when you were in your early 20s?... 09:20 Boskenna is based on a real house?... 11:47 The past and present dates you look at are the same dates? 12:59 When you were planning it, did you have to keep up with events and how they were weaving into each other? 14:09 Was Diana frustrating to write? 15:07 Why first-person for Joan (compared to third-person for Lottie and Diana)? 16:12 Joan is a spy in the Cold War - were you inspired by any real life women spies of that era? 17:42 Where did Joan's hostess book come from? 24:06 Were there many people who kept Cold War secrets for life or for so long? 25:37 Why did you create a similarity between what happened to Allan and what happened to John? 26:15 What was the significance of Alex and Paul? 28:37 Why did you start the book with Lottie and Alex? 30:06 Is there a character that is the most important to you? 33:42 What happened to Salome? 34:35 Tell us more about The River Between Us 37:27 Scones - cream or jam first? Purchase Links The Path To The Sea: Amazon UK Amazon US
Mon, March 22, 2021
34: Lillian Li (Number One Chinese Restaurant)
Charlie and Lillian Li (Number One Chinese Restaurant) discuss racial prejudice in Chinese restaurants, looking at the narrative of immigrant parents and sacrifice, and how her editor pushed her to increase the impact of themes and ideas. Please note that I have not censored the swear words in this episode because the over all effect would be different 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-34-lillian-li The article Charlie quotes from: "'Customers looked right through me': what I learned working in a Chinese restaurant" The video of Lillian's event for Politics and Prose Question Index 00:57 You work at Literati. What is it like working in a bookshop as an author? 08:03 You have a few origin stories for Number One Chinese Restaurant. Is there one that's the most important to you to tell, the one that's most crucial to the book? 17:03 How did you come to decide to discuss issues of race in the way you do? 20:57 Does the title have a place in what you've been talking about? 30:08 Is Jimmy your favourite character? 32:17 Why is Nan and Pat's relationship important to the book? 36:16 There's a lot of language switching in the book - why did you decide to do this and what were your choices informed by? 38:58 Could the story have been told without Uncle Pang? 40:46 Was it always your intent to include moments of comedy? 41:37 What is the importance of food further than it's simple inclusion, so to speak, in the book? 45:39 What's next? Purchase Links Number One Chinese Restaurant: Literati (during Covid curb-side pick up in Ann Arbor) Amazon UK Amazon US <a href= "https://www.amaz
Mon, March 08, 2021
33: Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen (The Rabbit Back Literature Society; Secret Passages In A Hillside Town)
Charlie and Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen (The Rabbit Back Literature Society; Secret Passages In A Hillside Town) discuss dreams that become literature - vampires; books where words and plot points change in a sort of book plague; secret passages that wipe your memory, and many more - writing a book that's difficult for a reader to work out and not knowing yourself what the answer is, creepy and traumatic fictional games, and issuing an alternative ending to your novel in a brand new publication. Please note if you have children around that we mention people sitting together without any clothes on. 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-33-pasi-ilmari-jaaskelainen Tips to unlock the secrets in The Rabbit Back Literature Society Wikipedia's article on Jules et Jim Wikipedia's article on 2046 Wikipedia's article on In The Mood For Love Wikipedia's article on My Neighbour Totoro Question Index 01:38 How has being a literature teacher influenced your writing? 02:54 What is your role when it comes to translation; do you work with the translators? 05:03 'Nosterafu' is used in both The Rabbit Back Literature Society and Secret Passages in a Hillside Town - you're interested in vampires? 11:29 What is the importance to you of the Finnish title, Lummiko and Nine Others? 13:27 Would it be right to say you're interested in folklore? 15:11 Why did you want Rabbit Back to be difficult to understand? 16:39 You say you yourself don't know what happened to Laura White. Do you have a preference in regards to readers' interpretations? 20:03 You've got this book 'plague' where words and plots change. Where did you get the idea? 24:32 Where is The Game from? 31:22 The idea of a 'cinematic life' in Secret Passages - where did that come from? 34:49 How did you choose the films that you refer to? 36:30 Why did you use the Famous Five? 37:49 Is Ollie's lack of use of his son's name (in terms of the third person narrative) important to the plot? 39:35 Secret Passages has two endings - is there on
Mon, February 22, 2021
32: Susmita Bhattacharya (Table Manners)
Charlie and Susmita Bhattacharya (Table Manners) discuss her world-wide travel and moves abroad - including a visa-less stopover, the experiences of recent immigrants to Britain, and having your work featured and serialised on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 4 Extra. 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-32-susmita-bhattacharya Table Manners on BBC Radio 4 Extra 'Old Spice' on BBC Radio 4 Mayflower Young Writers on Artful Scribe Seacity Museum, Southampton Tudor House, Southampton In her role as Writer in Residence during spring and summer at the Word Factory, Susmita is holding 1 to 1 half hour sessions for new writers. Full details and price info are here. Question Index 01:03 How did the serialisation of Table Manners on BBC Radio 4 Extra come about? 02:18 Your first story for radio was in 2015?... 03:48 You have travelled and lived all over the world, can you tell us about it? 09:22 Is your travel and your experience of living in other places always in your mind when you're writing? 11:40 Tell us about your work with Mayflower Young Writers 17:53 Why is 'Good Golly Miss Molly' the story you've read from for us, the one you read the most? 19:21 Why did you choose to use food as you do - sometimes as an obvious support to a story, other times more vague? 21:26 When did you come up with the title for the collection? 22:50 Can you talk about the use of relationships in this book? 25:01 You have a story that features 9/11 and 7/7, a story about the social affects of Brexit, and a story where a white westerner who wants to see the Real India. Is the present day and situations important to you? 28:21 Going back to what you said about y
Mon, February 08, 2021
31: Elizabeth Baines (Used To Be; Astral Travel)
Charlie and Elizabeth Baines (Used To Be; Astral Travel) discuss writing for radio, short stories - the relative importance of their first lines and differences to novels - writing a book about trying to tell a story, and the difficulties in labelling someone complicit or a victim in the context of past societal values. 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-31-elizabeth-baines Question Index 00:38 Can you tell us about your screenplay work? 01:13 How did the vampire play come about? 01:48 Do your plays influence your prose or is it the other way around? 02:23 Do you have a preference between these three modes of writing? 09:39 All these stories were in other publications - how long in coming was the collection itself? 11:13 Tell us about the splitting of these stories into two categories 13:00 How important is the first line of a short story compared to a novel? 13:46 Did the short story 'Clarrie and You' inspire Astral Travel? 19:01 Astral Travel is a difficult read. How long did it take to write - was it difficult to write? 22:55 How far into the various drafts did the written structure (white space; chapter headings) come in? 23:55 Where is the father 'from'; what were the influences in creating him? 24:23 Is the mother complicit or a victim? 26:43 [Within and without the context of Josephine's boyfriend's family] do you think that Josephine would continue on her journey of healing? 27:50 Was the revelation about the father always in your mind? 28:30 Where on the scale between empathy and upset do you think the reader is, or should be, by the end? 29:13 What's your favourite Bronte novel? 29:50 What's next? Purchase Links Used To Be: Amazon UK Amazon US Waterstones <a href= "https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Elizabeth-Baines/Used-to-Be/17570193" target="_blank" rel
Mon, January 25, 2021
30: Katy Yocom (Three Ways To Disappear)
Charlie and Katy Yocom (Three Ways To Disappear) discuss tiger conservation in India and balancing numbers alongside human requirements for life, the importance of being diligent when writing about a culture that is not your own, and what the three ways to disappear are. 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-30-katy-yocom Katy's articles and essays: 'A Search for the Elusive Tigers in India Leads to a Novel' for Newsweek 'Muhammad Ali, my father and me' for Salon 'The Compelling Tales We Tell of Fictional Tigers' for LitHub Wikipedia's article on Born Free Wildlife Trails' website Birds of the Indian Subcontinent is a 1998 reference guide written by Richard Grimmett, Carol Inskipp, and Tim Inskipp Question Index 00:51 You graduated from Spalding University and now work there - can you tell us what you do? 02:17 Tell us about your other publications (essays in magazines and so forth) 09:01 Tell us about the starting point for Three Ways To Disappear 12:59 (Further discussion on the possibility of telling the story without Quinn's narrative) 13:40 [In the context of what we're discussing] is this where the mythical aspects of the book come in? 15:46 Can you tell us about your research trip? 21:26 How well is the place you visited doing in terms of numbers of tigers? 29:02 What are the three ways to disappear? 30:52 I found Sarah's romance to be unexpected; was it always important to include? 34:11 What affect do you want your book to leave on readers once they've finished it? Purchase Links Three Ways To Disappear: Amazon UK <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/Three-Ways-Disappear-Katy-Yoco
Mon, January 11, 2021
29: Marianne Holmes (A Little Bird Told Me; All Your Little Lies)
Charlie and Marianne Holmes (A Little Bird Told Me; All Your Little Lies) discuss procedures when children go missing, societal changes in regards to domestic violence in the 1970s, and, on a lighter note, trying not to finish books you’re not enjoying. Please note there is some noise in this episode - noise cancelling headphones are recommended (pun not intended) as they will make the vocals crisper. 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-29-marianne-holmes/ Wikipedia’s article on K M Peyton’s Flambards The act created in 1976 was the Domestic Violence and Matrimonial Proceedings Act. According to the British Library "This act enabled married women to obtain a court order against their violent husbands without divorce or separation proceedings. A court could order a man out of the matrimonial home, whether or not he owned it or tenancy was in his name. Problems arose because this protection did not apply to unmarried women." Missing People Question Index 00:35 You grew up in different countries; your father was in the RAF. Can you tell us about that? 01:05 Has your career in marketing helped with your books? 01:49 Your road to publication started with a tweet?... 03:50 Do you plan your books? 10:22 Why the heatwave of 1976? 11:47 Was Robin's reading material, Flambards, a book you read yourself? 12:26 Could you talk about the era in terms of the social changes in regards to domestic violence? 13:54 The refusal of adults to tell things to children - for A Little Bird Told Me, was that inspired by a particular event? 20:03 What, to you, is the defining element of All Your Little Lies? 21:31 Your son's reaction to a missing child influenced the book?... 24:32 (For both books) how do you incorporate the two narratives, the character as a child and as an adult? 25:39 What was your reason for writing in the third person as opposed to the first? 26:51 How much time did you need to spend developing the secondary characters for the readers' understanding of Annie to work? 28:14 Is Annie going to be able to heal from all of this? 29:20 In both books you look at the ways young girls relate to each other - this is important to you? 30:38 You have a book on the go about a little known figure... 32:21 Have you been successful in putting down books you're not enjoying reading? Purchase Links A Little Bird Told Me: <a href= "htt
Mon, December 14, 2020
28: Deborah Swift (Past Encounters; The Occupation)
Charlie and Deborah Swift (Past Encounters; The Occupation) discuss Brief Encounter at Carnforth, the experiences of prisoners of war at the time and once back home, the real life story of a Jersey woman who hid her Jewish friend, and reactions to the death of the last woman in Britain to be given capital punishment. 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-28-deborah-swift BBC Radio 4's The Poetry Pharmacy BBC's People's War website The Long March Article about Dorothea and Hedwig when the former was nominated for an Israeli honour A video about Carnforth station in the context of Brief Encounter and subsequent tourism Deborah's books set in the 1600s, in the order of publication: The Lady's Slipper The Gilded Lily A Divided Inheritance Shadow On The Highway Spirit Of The Highway Lady Of The Highway Pleasing Mr Pepys A Plague On Mr Pepys Entertaining Mr Pepys Question Index 01:01 You write poetry?... 03:25 You used to work as a costume and set designer - what productions did you work on? 04:23 Did this work influence any of your stories? 13:18 Past Encounters: who came first, Peter or Rhoda? 17:35 (Carnforth Station's cafe and museum) 19:30 What was the reception of prisoners of war when they came home? 21:32 Tell us about Lamsdorf 25:36 Why was it important to include mentions of the trial of Ruth Ellis? 35:45 The Occupation started out as two novellas?... 37:59 (About the inspiration for Celine and Rachel's story) 39:08 Rachel's quite a particular character - what were your thoughts when you were creating her? 41:00 Would you say Rachel's story, post-ending, would mirror Hedwig's? 42:46 The ending is perhaps unexpected - how did you come to write it? 44:40 Tell us about The Lifeline Purchase Links Past Encounters: Amazon UK Amazon US <a href= "https://www.amazo
Mon, November 23, 2020
27: Tammye Huf (A More Perfect Union)
Charlie and Tammye Huf (A More Perfect Union) discuss her great-great-grandparents’ relationship as an 1840s Irishman and a Black American slave, the way owners used Christianity to support their views of a racial hierarchy, and the lengths reached in order to label people by skin colour. 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-27-tammye-huf Tammye's Radio 2 interview Library of Congress audio interviews with freed people Question Index 01:02 (Discussing Tammye's recent interview on Radio 2) 02:04 Tell us about your great-great-grandparents 03:28 What made you want to tell this story, to start with your grandparents and take it further? 08:22 How important was balancing the romance with the history? 09:23 Any there are specific primary sources you used that you can highlight? 11:56 Do you feel closer to your grandparents now? 12:48 How did you go about creating Sarah? 17:52 Who is Maple; why did you include her in the story? 20:49 Did you always plan to have this 'nicer' owner? 23:32 Were there many people who were offered their freedom, didn't take it for family reasons and so forth, and were then used as a puppet? 26:35 To me Henry comes across as quite careless sometimes - did you ever consider a different bearing for him? 30:13 Could you tell us about the Potato Famine era 'tumbling'? 32:03 Do you think Red ever found his freedom? 32:54 What's next? Purchase Links A More Perfect Union: Amazon UK Amazon US Waterstones Hive I am an Amazon Associate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Likewise IndieBound. Photograp
Mon, November 09, 2020
26: Eric Beck Rubin (School Of Velocity)
Charlie and Eric Beck Rubin (School Of Velocity) discuss the representation of the Holocaust in literature, using classical music as a literary device, having a main character whose person limits the opportunity for dialogue through his obsession with another, and the reader being a writer. Please note that the first reading contains sexual content. 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-26-eric-beck-rubin Wikipedia’s article on Imre Kertész Wikipedia’s article on Georges Perec Wikipedia’s article on Jonathan Safran Foer’s Everything is Illuminated Wikipedia’s article on Ford Madox Ford’s The Good Soldier The full quote on reading and writing, by the writer Jonathan Lethem, is: “Reading and writing are the same thing; it’s just one’s the more active and the other’s the more passive. They flow into each other.” Wikipedia’s article on John Irving’s A Prayer For Owen Meany Czerny’s School Of Velocity on YouTube Eric has written many articles on cultural history – among them are: ‘Not Again’ ‘Georges Perec, Lost and Found in the Void: The Memoirs of an Indirect Witness’ (requires a JStor account to access) ‘Avoided: On Georges Perec’ ‘Sisyphus in Kertész’s Fatelessness’ (opens in a PDF) Eric’s literary podcast ‘Burning Books’ Question Index 00:41 Tell us about your PhD on the Holocaust in literature 03:13 What musical instruments do you play? 04:12 Favourite classical musician? 05:10 I know that
Mon, October 26, 2020
25: Intisar Khanani (Thorn; The Sunbolt Chronicles)
Charlie and Intisar Khanani (Thorn; The Sunbolt Chronicles) discuss working to better the health of people in Cincinnati, rewriting and exploring the Goose Girl fairy tale to stunning effect, bonkers jail-breaking heroines, and men who take a far more subtle approach than riding in on horses to save the day. 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-25-intisar-khanani BookBub Wikipedia's article on The Goose Girl Wikipedia's article on Robin McKinley's The Blue Sword Please note that some copies of Thorn do not feature The Bone Knife Question Index 00:44 Before you were a writer, you worked for the Cincinnati Health Department. May I ask what your work involved? 02:19 Did your work at the health department influence how you write? 03:54 You’re a hybrid author – where does one meet the other? 13:46 Why The Goose Girl? 16:34 Was keeping some of the poignant aspects of The Goose Girl a difficult decision? 20:37 What was behind the study of truth and honour? 24:06 Could you expand on the hows and whys of incorporating the trauma in the book? 27:57 How did you use magic to further this plot? 29:46 Can we talk about the role of the men?… 33:13 Do you see yourself writing another adaptation in future? 34:02 Tell us about the world of The Sunbolt Chronicles, how you came to create it, were there any inspirations? 38:27 Where does Hitomi’s personality come from? 49:50 Where does Val fit into the story? 52:03 How many Chronicles are we looking at? 52:23 What was the book you mentioned at the start of our Sunbolt conversation, the one fantasy book you’d read back in the day, that was diverse? 53:37 What is behind your use of religion as it is in Thorn and The Sunbolt Chronicles? 55:59 Tell us about The Theft Of Sunlight Purchase Links Thorn: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive <a href= "https://
Mon, October 12, 2020
24: Joanna Hickson (First Of The Tudors; The Tudor Crown; The Lady Of The Ravens)
Charlie and Joanna Hickson (First Of The Tudors; The Tudor Crown; The Lady Of The Ravens) discuss the royal and noble individuals of the War of the Roses, the women who made an impact, the ever-present question of who killed the princes in the tower, and, on another topic entirely, using weasels to prevent conception. Please note that the question about the fear of pregnancy and childbirth includes a couple of mentions of a weasel's particulars. 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-24-joanna-hickson John Constable Orford Castle Recent photograph of Joanna at Orford Wikipedia's article on Jackanory (Joanna's episodes were 2422-2426) Pembroke Castle Carmarthen Castle Wikipedia's article on Josephine Tey's The Daughter of Time James Butler (the 'fleeing' Earl of Wiltshire) The blog of The Ravenmaster, Chris Skaife Wikipedia's article on Joan Vaux Frank Cadogan Cowper - 'Erasmus and Thomas More Visit the Children of Henry VII' (1910) The GoodReads page for Alison Weir's book on Elizabeth of York Wikipedia's article on the Trotula Question Index 00:51 You had a holiday recently?... 01:24 Tell us about your young adult novel 04:23 Why Jasper Tudor? 09:48 How did you go about creating Jane Hywel? 12:33 You
Sun, September 27, 2020
23: Nicholas Royle ('critic') (Quilt; An English Guide To Birdwatching; Mother: A Memoir)
Charlie and Nicholas Royle (Quilt; An English Guide To Birdwatching; Mother: A Memoir) discuss killing yourself – your avatar – off in your fiction, using ‘it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife’, and sharing a name with another British writer who also writes fiction… that is also about birds… Please note that the first reading is set in a public toilet and discusses explicitly concepts around discomfort in this regard, ‘size’, and so forth. 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-23-nicholas-royle-critic Nicholas' critical and essay books are as follows: Helene Cixous: Dreamer, Realist, Analyst, Writing (2020) An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory (5th edition, 2016, co-authored with Andrew Bennett) This Thing Called Literature (2015, co-authored with Andrew Bennett) Veering: A Theory of Literature (2011) In Memory of Jacques Derrida (2009) How to Read Shakespeare (2005, new edition 2014) Jacques Derrida (2003) The Uncanny (2003) Deconstructions: A User's Guide (2000) (as editor) E.M. Forster (1999) After Derrida (1995) Elizabeth Bowen and the Dissolution of the Novel: Still Lives (1995, co-authored with Andrew Bennett) Telepathy and Literature: Essays on the Reading Mind (1990) The Guardian’s review of An English Guide to Birdwatching My review of the same The Financial Times’ review of the same The Art of the Novel on the publisher’s website Publisher’s page on Nicholas’ book on Helene Cixous Question Index 01:05 You’re a professor of English – do you have an outright favourite area of study? 02:49 You’ve written a lot of books on literary criticism and theory, but what was it that got you wanting to start writing fiction? 04:42 Have you ever had someone ask what on earth your books are about? 06:27 What is behind the theme of death? 09:3
Sun, September 13, 2020
22: Midge Raymond (Forgetting English; My Last Continent)
Charlie and Midge Raymond (Forgetting English; My Last Continent) discuss the current situation in Antarctica and the balance of keeping it clean whilst allowing research and tourism, environmental and climate changes in the same location, and being followed to the toilet by a penguin. 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-22-midge-raymond Amongst other places, Midge's fiction has appeared in TriQuarterly, American Literary Review, Bellevue Literary Review, the Los Angeles Times magazine, the Chicago Tribune, and Poets & Writers Midge's blog Ashland Creek Press The Siskiyou Prize Information on John Yunker's The Tourist Trail Information on Three Ways To Disappear by Katy Yocom The Center for Ecosystem Sentinels and their mailing list Question Index 00:50 You have a background in publishing? 01:48 What genres did you work on? 02:54 Tell us about Ashland Creek Press 06:11 You have published a couple of books on writing?... 14:39 You have lots of locations and languages in Forgetting English: are you a big traveller? 16:26 What is it about travel and life choices that got to you in terms of your short stories? 18:08 Was there a particular reason for situating the last story at the end? 27:38 Have you been to Antarctica? 30:44 How do people balance visiting and research in Antarctica with the fact that it is causing damage? 33:05 The health and lives of penguins – are we looking at something we can change, going forwards? 34:55 How did the lifestyle of birds, penguins, influence the way you constructed Deb and Keller’s relationship? 38:07 Tell us about the roles of Kate and Richard in the book 39:51 Keller has experienced a lot of losses- where did he come from? 42:11 What’s next? 43:23 If you could, would you have a penguin as a pet? Purchase Links Everyday Writing: Amazon UK Amazon U
Sun, August 23, 2020
21: Peter Ho Davies (The Welsh Girl; The Fortunes)
Charlie and Peter Ho Davies (The Welsh Girl; The Fortunes) discuss moving as a writer from Britain to the US, Welsh with English as a second language, the first Chinese Americans, Hollywood star Anna May Wong, and the impact - then and now - of the murder of Vincent Chin. 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-21-peter-ho-davies Information about the Brighton Pavillion chinoiserie panels Wikipedia’s article on The Thief of Bagdad Wikipedia’s article on Shanghai Express Anna May Wong documentary footage (what Peter used in his story) A section from the 'Who Killed Vincent Chin' 1987 documentary A selection of clips from 'Who Is Vincent Chin' Annie Tan and Helen Zia (maker of the '87 documentary) discuss Vincent's importance to Asian Americans Vincent Chin trial reenactment Question Index 00:50 Tell us about your background, your journey to publication 02:06 What courses do you teach? 06:09 Tell us about The Ugliest House In The World and Equal Love 15:32 What was it like writing the sentence beginning 'But the lights came up' (wherein an investigator for the allies considers whether he might not have joined the Nazis)? 16:45 Who was the most important character in The Welsh Girl to write about? 18:55 What led you to write about the D-Day period? 22:32 In The Welsh Girl, English is a second language - how far was this the case in reality? 24:15 (On the context of the Welsh concept of 'cynefin') 25:49 (The Fortunes - Peter talks about the novellas and short stories in the context of the format) 28:01 Why did Chinese people (first) emigrate to America? 30:49 When did things improve for the first Chinese women in America? 31:51 How widespread was chinoiserie and did people ever turn to real Chinese decorations? 36:51 Can you give us a
Mon, August 10, 2020
20: Tracy Rees (Amy Snow; Florence Grace; The Hourglass; Darling Blue; The House At Silvermoor)
Charlie and Tracy Rees (Amy Snow; Florence Grace; The Hourglass; Darling Blue; The House At Silvermoor) discuss Richard, Judy, Dickens, Austen, and Bronte - not all at once - coffee houses in Victorian times, landslides and hourglasses, changes to the Yorkshire mines in the late 1800s to early 1900s, and the inclusion of the average person in historical fiction. 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-20-tracy-rees Question Index 00:58 Tell us about Richard and Judy 02:48 You had a background in non-fiction publishing… 04:32 Dickens’ influence, or Austen, Brontë? 05:51 Who are your favourite non-classical authors? 12:03 Who came first, Aurelia or Amy? 12:36 Was including the ‘average person’ in your books always part of the plan? 13:55 Did you ever get to researching how coffee culture was in the Victorian period? 14:44 So your library has expanded vastly since you became a writer? 15:01 Do we have any idea how many children were abandoned or how many women had trouble in that period? 17:32 What was behind the idea to use Florence’s name as the title (of Florence Grace)? 18:49 What was the inspiration for the Grace family? 19:46 Houses are important in this book – where did Heron’s Watch come from? 20:47 When did you conceive the idea of a landslide as like an hourglass? 22:13 What had you deciding to look at mother-daughter relationships? 24:37 Why did you choose to tell Darling Blue over the course of a year? 25:52 The Camberwells taking in working class Delphine – were there many families in the 1920s that would have done similar? 26:54 Was the concept of the letters based on anything you’d heard before? 27:47 Did you find out anything interesting in regards to women in the 1920s becoming reporters? 31:09 Did the mining strike coverage in Darling Blue inspire The House at Silvermoor? 32:26 The House at Silvermoor contains your first male narrative – was that interesting to do? 38:20 Were there good mine owners as there are in the book? 40:09 Does the thread of owners changing the mines for the better align with the reality? 41:17 What happened to the horses – were they ever able to leave the mines? 42:15 Will you go back to any of the periods you’ve already covered? 43:06 So was your agent meaning you when she was saying someone should write about mining? 43:23 What is your favourite period to write about? 44:11 Do you ever see yourself going back further in history? 45:10 What’s next? Purchase Links Amy Snow: Amazon UK <a href="https://amzn.to/3a97ri4"
Mon, July 27, 2020
19: Sofie Laguna (One Foot Wrong; The Eye Of The Sheep; The Choke)
Charlie and Sofie Laguna (One Foot Wrong; The Eye of the Sheep; The Choke; the forthcoming Infinite Splendours) discuss beginning with acting, writing from a child’s perspective and not labelling those who are different, bad fictional parents, not liking John Wayne… and we have the inaugural reading of Sofie’s October release. 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-19-sofie-laguna Wikipedia's article on the Murray River Dean Martin: My Rifle, My Pony, and Me Question Index 01:03 You studied law, then became an actor and a playwright; tell us more about your background 04:59 Were you in pantos? 09:40 You started with children's literature - when did you decide to add adult fiction into the mix? 17:01 What is behind your decision to rarely reveal any names of conditions the characters might have? 20:47 Did you ever want to switch the main characters' parents for nice ones? 28:01 What draws you to the type of endings you write? 30:10 Tell us about the Murray River that features in The Choke 33:06 Is there a particular reason you set your books in decades past? 34:51 Tell us more about Infinite Splendours 40:47Do you like John Wayne films? Purchase Links One Foot Wrong: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Amazon Australia Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters The Eye of the Sheep: <a href="https://amzn.to/2ZA2MCa" tar
Mon, July 13, 2020
18: Abubakar Adam Ibrahim (The Whispering Trees; Season Of Crimson Blossoms)
Charlie and Abubakar Adam Ibrahim (The Whispering Trees; Season of Crimson Blossoms) discuss Nigeria at this time, publishing a novel on a very controversial subject and reactions to it, effects of grief, and looking at cultural expectations of women as the generations change. Please note: this episode includes discussion of sexual content, and the second reading includes a sex scene. There is some noise in this episode: headphones are recommended. 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-18-abubakar-adam-ibrahim Dreams and Assorted Nightmares on the publisher's page The Daily Trust Question Index 01:31 How are you all doing in Nigeria at the moment? 03:27 Tell us about your background 07:30 Tell us about your work at The Daily Trust 13:00 Do you prefer the first or third person? 15:00 Was Season Of Crimson Blossoms difficult to publish? 22:10 Was is going through Binta’s mind as she makes her decision? 23:29 Tell us about Reza’s situation in life 24:53 Tell us about the theme of grief 33:08 Was the contrast between Fa’iza and Binta, a young woman and an older woman, something you were looking at? 36:35 Tell us about Dreams And Assorted Nightmares Purchase Links The Whispering Trees: Publisher's website Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound <a href= "https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-whispering-trees/9781911115861-item.html" target="_blank" rel="noope
Mon, June 22, 2020
17: Roselle Lim (Natalie Tan's Book Of Luck And Fortune; Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop)
Charlie and Roselle Lim (Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune; Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop) discuss weaving culture, mental illness, and magic into your fiction, an aid for your eyes when chopping onions, and children you excitedly take to tourist attractions who wonder what you see in 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-17-roselle-lim Fresh Fiction's review of Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune, as quoted Question Index 02:03 Tell us about your writing background 03:45 Is Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune one big metaphor? 05:27 You have a particular love of words?... 06:09 Was Natalie always planned to be unsure of herself? 06:53 How did your relationship with your own mother influence the novel? 07:51 What's your favourite meal to make? 08:55 Have you had experience yourself of food solving, or helping to solve, a problem? 11:16 What was behind the decision to incorporate recipes into the narrative? 12:37 Does chewing mint gum help when chopping onions? 13:14 Was the thread about outsiders, trying to disrupt for their own gain, based on a particular event? 14:09 Introduce us to San Francisco's Chinatown 15:24 Do you love classical music? 16:12 Was the romance between Natalie and Daniel always in the book? 17:26 How much was filial piety in your mind when writing? 18:53 Is Vanessa Yu Miss Yu from Natalie Tan? 19:20 (We discuss Paris and London - Roselle went there to research Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop) 25:28 Did you ever wonder about using a different name to Natalie, given that that is your daughter's name? 32:25 Vanessa Yu - is it fair to say this is a very different book to Natalie Tan? 33:09 Are you writing your next book? 33:35 Natalie Tan has been optioned for a TV show... Purchase Links Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive <a href= "https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/natalie-tans-book-of-luck-and-fortune-roselle-lim/1129556677?ean=978198480
Mon, June 08, 2020
16: Isla Morley (Come Sunday; Above; The Last Blue)
Charlie and Isla Morley (Come Sunday; Above; The Last Blue) discuss growing up and travelling back to South Africa, creating a negative heroine, the 1800s medical phenomenon wherein people were literally blue, and what it's like owning five tortoises. 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-16-isla-morley Image of the Fugate family, as mentioned Cathy Trost's article 'The Blue People of Troublesome Creek' Question Index 01:03 Can you tell us more about your background in South Africa? 03:04 How did novel writing come about? 08:05 You've lived in several places - can you tell us about your journey? 11:12 Have you been back to South Africa? 13:48 Have you ever considered writing a memoir? 15:34 Come Sunday's Abbe isn't a nice person; why did you want to create her? 17:41 Why was grief important to explore? 18:19 When did you decide to incorporate Christianity? 20:19 Was narrative style always in your mind? 22:08 Why poetry? 23:38 Was African mythology, used in the book, something you experienced in childhood? 29:01 Was it daunting to have so much of Above set underground? 31:31 Would it be fair to assume that the book will continue to be an outlier as you move forward? 33:48 When did the idea of going along with Dobb's idea of what's going on come into your process of writing? 42:02 Tell us about the medical background to The Last Blue 46:48 Am I barking up the wrong tree thinking the concept of blue people as per your book has to do with commentary on racial discrimination in history? 51:31 How important is the narrative of women to you? 52:34 Is there any interesting fact you can share with us about photography in the 1930s? 55:15 What's next? 55:54 What's it like having five tortoises? Purchase Links Come Sunday: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive <a href= "https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/come-sunday-morley/1100351602?ean=9780312429
Mon, May 25, 2020
15: Terri Fleming (Perception)
Charlie and Terri Fleming (Perception) discuss looking at the further lives of Mary and Kitty Bennet, working with Austen's original stories and prose, Mr and Mrs Bennet's relationship, and organising bookshelves. 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-15-terri-fleming The Romantic Novelists' Association website Question Index 00:37 Tell us about your background - writing and Australia 00:59 Have you been able to write articles regardless of the career switch? 03:12 Why Pride and Prejudice? 04:06 Who are you other favourite writers? 04:49 How long have you been a member of the RNA? 05:50 Were your initial thoughts for your book different to how it played out? 08:41 Did it take time to get the balance between your own Mary and Austen's just right, and were you worried about the reception? 15:09 How did you go about creating the gentlemen? 17:11 Was there anything difficult about using Pride and Prejudice as a base? 24:43 What was the best part of writing Kitty's story? 27:08 Did you find anything out about Pride and Prejudice that readers may not know? 29:10 What's your opinion on the dynamic between Mr and Mrs Bennet? 32:36 How do you organise your bookshelves? 34:15 What's next? Purchase Links Perception: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble I am an Amazon Associate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the author.
Mon, May 11, 2020
14: Zoe Duncan (The Shifting Pools)
Charlie and Zoe Duncan (The Shifting Pools) discuss coping with and healing from war trauma in reality and fiction, the use and power of dreams, employing various styles and formats, and how fascinating reader interpretations can be. 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-14-zoe-duncan Interview with Danuta Kean for Mslexia magazine On Cornwall and Enanti Article in The Times about Zoe's life and work Question Index 00:46 How long have you been writing? 01:55 Favourite poet? 02:40 Tell us about your childhood (that relates to the book) 03:53 What was it like being in England? 08:32 Is there a reason for the lack of a name for the place Eve lives in? 09:41 How did you come to use Enanti as Eve's coping method? 11:08 How do you see the ending, do you have an answer for it for yourself? 12:53 Was water always to be the healing element? 14:32 The style and structure - what was the purpose of it? 19:23 Was Time something you were thinking about when writing? 21:04 What did you learn about dreams in the context of the subconscious? 24:00 Was the idea of womanhood, sisters, siblings, a theme? 31:04 There is so much hope in the book... 31:48 What did you want readers to take away? 33:47 What is the impact of long-term trauma and grief if not dealt with? 36:07 Was the book cathartic for you? 37:40 What's next? 39:56 (Given everything we've discussed) it must have been busy in your head whilst you were writing? Purchase Links The Shifting Pools: Publisher's website Amazon UK Amazon US <
Mon, April 27, 2020
13: Dan Richards (Holloway; The Beechwood Airship Interviews; Climbing Days; Outpost)
Charlie and Dan Richards (Holloway, The Beechwood Airship Interviews, Climbing Days, Outpost) discuss asking to join well-known people for lunch and producing fascinating interviews for your book, travelling the less beaten paths of your mountaineering great-great aunt, finding society in isolated places, and looking ahead to how we might continue to approach humanity's harming of nature after the benefits to scaling back have been shown by this current crisis. 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-13-dan-richards Dan’s articles at Caught by the River 'Dream ticket – the night train from Cologne to Vienna’ ‘My search for the real Moominland’ BBC Radio 4: Start the Week – Life in the Wilderness Wikipedia’s entry for Dorothy Pilley (includes photographs) Second-hand copies of Dorothy’s memoir on AbeBooks (there are a couple of 1935 and 1965 editions on there) Question Index 00:46 How did you get into writing, specifically the type you do? 02:39 The first book to be written was the second published… 03:37 Tell us about the interviewing process for The Beechwood Airship Interviews 07:43 Has this book had a knock-on affect on your further work in ways we may not pick up on? 08:56 These books are a mixture of travel/adventure (and so on) and there’s a lot of your personality there… 10:11 Tell us about mountaineer Dorothy Pilley and how she inspired you 15:00 How did the women mountaineers of the time help future generations? 18:58 Is Dorothy’s 1935 memoir available to purchase? 19:51 What was the easiest part of your Climbing Days adventure? 22:26 What did you learn about yourself? 27:27 What draws you to the wilderness? 27:57 You talk about our human destruction of nature – what do you hope will happen following this time that we’re living in right now? 31:01 Tell us about the supernatural aspect of the first outpost; did you experience anythin
Mon, April 13, 2020
12: Weike Wang (Chemistry)
Charlie and Weike Wang (Chemistry) discuss having both a scientific – in epidemiology no less! – and a writer background, making use of extracts and white space and preferring them beyond more long-form prose, the difficulties of studies and incorporating friends’ experiences in your stories, and fictional dogs who are inherently important to the text. 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-12-weike-wang Short story ‘Omakase’ in The New Yorker Short story ‘Nanjing’ in the Alaska Quarterly Review Short story ‘By the Pantheon’ in Kenyon Review Short story ‘The Poster’ in the Gulf Coast journal Weike Wang on the Privilege of Not Having to Think About Race Question Index 01:01 Your background is in Chemistry and Public Health - how have you come to mix these with writing and are you still doing Chemistry? 03:23 You wrote an introduction to Villette - does Bronte inspire your writing, and who else inspires you? 06:02 Why an unnamed narrator? 08:34 How did you come to strike the balance between the presence and the lack of a presence in regards to the narrator's boyfriend? 10:10 Was the dog always a part of the book, and can you discuss his role? 11:55 Is the dog based on your own? 18:00 Is the writing style (vignettes and so forth) something that was in your mind and something you'll continue in future? 20:46 So with this 'excess', you've potentially got lots of ideas you could use for future books? 21:23 When did the narrator first arrive in your mind, so to speak? 23:25 How did you com to strike the balance between the different cultures and how important was it to the overall effect? 25:33 Is there a lot you see in chemistry that we can learn from? 30:32 The narrator's growth in knowledge of English idioms
Mon, March 23, 2020
11: Laura Pearson (Missing Pieces; Nobody's Wife; I Wanted You To Know)
Charlie Place and Laura Pearson (Missing Pieces; Nobody’s Wife; I Wanted You To Know) discuss the process of grieving for various members of a family, writing a book about cancer when you are working through the same, and changing stories almost entirely from their beginnings. 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-11-laura-pearson The Motherload Book Club Laura’s blog ‘Breast Cancer and Baby’ Laura’s article ‘When Pregnancy and Cancer Collide’ for The Motherload Laura’s article for The Guardian Question Index 00:33 Your first book was found in your publisher's slush pile... 02:53 Were your books difficult to write? 03:54 Tell us about your bookclub 06:13 What was the inspiration for Missing Pieces? 13:07 Tell us about Bea's role in the book 15:28 The chapters specify 'days after' - did you ever consider altering it at the end, after the revelations had come out? 17:21 The use of seasons 18:44 Is there anywhere people who are in a similar situation can go? 20:13 Why Southampton? 26:30 Nobody's Wife - what came first, the characters or the plot? 27:23 The start of the book: was it always the plan to say that only three of the four people remained? 28:03 Character you like; character you dislike? 33:41 Was there a lot of difference between the first draft of I Wanted You To Know and the final book? 36:43 Was there a reason for Jess's mum to be as she is? 38:34 What was your reason for writing something so related to your own experiences? 41:37 Would you recommend that other writers write about what scares them in life? 42:45 What did you want to leave the reader thinking? 44:22 So your next book is going to be happy... Purchase Links Missing Pieces: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones <a href= "https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/missing-pieces-laura-pearson/1128933851?ean=9781912194759" ta
Tue, March 03, 2020
10: Camilla Bruce (You Let Me In)
Charlie Place and Camilla Bruce (You Let Me In) discuss the darker side of faerie, being as in the dark about answers as your readers are, survival and coping methods following trauma, and the habits of cats inspiring your 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-10-camilla-bruce Question Index 00:42 Tell us about your background and writing experience 01:12 Have you written any non-fiction before? 02:23 What authors do you admire; do you have any favourite Norwegian writers? 06:43 What inspired your book? 08:34 Have you lived in the woods? 08:53 Are houses in fiction important to you? 09:34 What was the idea behind the lack of a distinct location? 10:25 Did you draw on any folklore? 13:43 Was there a starting point for the dynamic where there's the potential for abuse, and the relationship with Tommy and the Pepperman? 16:06 Did you have a plan? 17:19 What did you want readers to take away at the end? 18:54 How important was it to only give Cassie's voice and viewpoint? 20:44 Cassie's sister Olivia - do you think there's hope for her to come to a better understanding of everything? 21:57 Was the psychiatrist's book an idea that came about during the writing, with you wanting an extra truth added to the story? 22:35 Do you have your own idea of what happened to Cassie? 23:20 Do you believe in faeries? 23:51 Do you have any rough plans for another book? Purchase Links You Let Me In: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble I am an Amazon Associate and earn a small commission on qualify
Mon, February 24, 2020
09: Fran Cooper (These Dividing Walls; The Two Houses)
Charlie Place and Fran Cooper (These Dividing Walls, The Two Houses) discuss open mic nights, current and recent sociopolitical situations in Paris (and the world), the way we talk about women and motherhood, and the complexity of relationships. 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-09-fran-cooper/ Question Index 00:33 Did you have a good time in Italy? 00:47 Who was the most interesting to study in English Literature at Cambridge? 02:24 Are there any French classics you particularly enjoy? 03:38 Are you a city or a country person? 04:16 Have you or someone you know had experience of moving to an established community? 05:05 Do you speak French? 09:48 Was there a particular event that inspired These Dividing Walls? 11:36 Was this your first foray into writing in this manner? 12:54 Are there any buildings that are important to you in the sense of a residence? 14:09 Why Paris rather than England? 15:27 The terrorism in the book 17:54 Edward and Frederique - what was the significance for you of these characters coming together and experiencing their separate griefs 20:28 Is discussing the issue of motherhood important to you? 23:13 Frederique and her husband - was there any inspiration for their living arrangement? 29:02 Was The Two Houses inspired by a scene in These Dividing Walls? 30:30 Working with foresight in the book 31:52 What is your particular interest in art? 33:03 Do you have a favourite artist? 33:54 The metaphors of broken things 35:00 Are you interested in 'smaller stories' in your own reading? 35:52 What's most important to you when exploring issues of division in relationships? 37:47 What's next? Purchase Links These Dividing Walls: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada <a href= "https://www.waterstones.com/book/these-dividing-walls/fran-cooper/9781473641563" target="_blank" r
Mon, February 10, 2020
08: Andrew Blackman (On The Holloway Road; A Virtual Love)
Charlie and Andrew Blackman (On the Holloway Road, A Virtual Love) discuss life on the road, following in Jack Kerouac’s footsteps, offline and online identity, writing an entire book about a character but never giving them a voice, current climate change activism, and withholding – for very good reason – the endings your readers expect. 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-08-andrew-blackman Andrew's round up of his travels in 2019 A list of selected articles written Question Index 00:57 You’ve been travelling for quite a few years now, can you tell us more about this? 01:57 You sold your books… 02:33 Where can we read your articles? 03:22 What was your journey to publication like? 11:07 When did you first read Kerouac’s On The Road? 11:59 Had you made a journey of the sort Neil and Jack go on? 13:34 Were you ever tempted to emulate Kerouac’s writing style? 15:42 What’s the relationship between your own characters and Kerouac’s? 17:28 Why the Holloway Road? 18:51 The ending – what did you want readers to take away with them? [vague spoilers] 21:18 How much did your experience of blogging influence A Virtual Love? 22:52 Was Jeff’s granddad inspired by your own relationship with a grandparent? 24:47 Why doesn’t Jeff have a voice in the novel? 34:38 Is there a way we can be more social in our current age? 37:40 Where did the environmental activism stem from? 40:01 How important is a sense of silence? 41:20 [Spoiler question] Can you talk about your choice not to have a big reveal? 44:27 What’s next? Purchase Links On the Holloway Road: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble <a href= "https://www.bookdepository.com/On-H
Mon, January 27, 2020
07: E C Fremantle (The Poison Bed)
Charlie Place and E C Fremantle (The Poison Bed) discuss changing pen names, a horrific murder case in the Stuart nobility, coping as a new mother in a one-of-a-kind situation, and the historical line between witchcraft and 'simple' superstition. 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-07-e-c-fremantle Liz and Charlie's previous conversation (YouTube) The painting of Frances Howard by William Larkin, included in Liz's blog post. Question Index 00:59 You’ve changed your pen name… 02:41 Are you going to be E C Fremantle for a while? 12:51 Can you tell us about the history of this story and what made you want to write about it? 15:22 Was it a difficult writing it? 16:57 Was the way Frances felt closer to the reader compared to Robert planned? 18:09 Who was Robert Carr? 21:01 Do you think there was love between Robert and Frances? 24:43 Do you think your version of Frances would have come to like her baby? 26:54 [Spoiler questions] 1) Were you ever tempted to change the history? 2) Can you tell us the story of Anne Turner? 34:23 Who was Northampton and did he work alone? 36:47 Did any other stories, films, media inspire the book? 39:02 Had you read Gone Girl? 40:24 Where did the line fall between what was witchcraft and what was not witchcraft? 43:11 What else can you tell us about your next book? 45:24 Queen’s Gambit adaptation. 46:37 They introduced themselves to us earlier – how long have you had your poodles? Purchase Links The Poison Bed: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble Queen's Gambit: Amazon UK Amazon US <a href
Mon, January 13, 2020
06: Nancy Bilyeau (The Joanna Stafford Trilogy; The Blue; Dreamland)
Charlie Place and Nancy Bilyeau (The Joanna Stafford Trilogy; The Blue; Dreamland) discuss the lifestyle of Dissolution-era nuns, using a website's 'contact me' form to great success, there being more relics than there were items, using your family's name in your work, and the grand amusement parks and luxury hotels of New York's past. 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-06-nancy-bilyeau/ Nancy will be discussing Dreamland at the Astoria Bookshop (31-29 31st Street, Astoria NY) on Thursday 16th January, 19:00-20:00 Dartford Museum's website Elizabeth Vigee Le Brun, the artist who painted Marie Antoinette Question Index 00:50 You’ve been on the staff of various magazines – did you always hope to write novels? 04:23 Where do you head to, sources-wise, when you’re first thinking about a book? 17:48 How much work was it to get around the issue of Reformation? 23:13 Was there a particular reason you wanted to focus on Catherine Howard rather than Henry’s other wives? 27:20 Is Joanna based on anyone in particular? 29:56 The Athelstan crown – is it real object or inspired by anything? 33:18 The part about the nun’s having to host a Lord for a feast – was this something that happen in convents at that time? 39:18 What was the position of women artists in the 1700s? 42:02 How much of the idea about shades and discovering what other factions were doing is based on fact? 44:13 So Genevieve’s grandfather’s surname is Billiou… 49:00 (Introducing Dreamland) 55:09 What can you tell us about The Ghost of Madison Avenue? 58:56 Do you have a favourite time period to write in out of the three you’ve used so far? Purchase Links The Crown: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Book Depository <a href= "https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/crown-nancy-bilyeau/110
Sat, December 21, 2019
05: Samantha Sotto (Before Ever After; Love And Gravity; A Dream Of Trees)
Tune in as Charlie Place and Samantha Sotto (Before Ever After; Love and Gravity; A Dream of Trees) discuss characters that join you in your car in the midst of a traffic jam, time travelling with Issac Newton, switching from your fully researched work in progress to a story that needs to be told, and... chickens? 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-05-samantha-sotto The trailer for Love and Gravity as mentioned Question Index 00:37 The story of how Sam became a writer involves traffic jams… 02:57 Did anything inspire the chicken and egg situation? 04:58 You’ve gone for lesser-known historical stories in Before Ever After, can you tell us about that? 07:41 Is there a secret ingredient for the egg and cheese dish? 08:57 Where does Doctor Who come into the story? 10:53 How was it working from the present day backwards? 12:15 Was there any particular time period you enjoyed working on? 14:40 Where did the campers first come into the story? 15:32 Where did Shelley first come into the story? 21:45 When did you have the idea to fill in the gap in Issac Newton’s story? 23:43 Where did John Maynard Keynes come in? 25:40 Issac Newton and Andrea are both motherless – was this comparison something you were working towards? 27:24 What was it like mixing science and music together in one book? 29:50 Daughter’s name being included in the book 32:13 Are your dogs [heard in the background] going to star in a book? 32:49 Do you like classical poetry? 34:29 Have you ever owned any chickens? 38:06 Why self-publish A Dream of Trees? 41:17 Is the content something you have/have developed a passion for? 44:11 Will you be returning to the Scotland fairy story book? 45:26 Sam’s recent NaNoWriMo book. Purchase Links Before Ever After: Amazon UK Amazon US <a href="https://amzn.to/37tRi5G"
Mon, December 09, 2019
04: Phillip Lewis (The Barrowfields)
Charlie Place and Phillip Lewis (The Barrowfields) discuss planning out fictional houses, the detail and beauty of classical music, books about books, and how real life in all its ups and downs makes its mark on your 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-04-phillip-lewis Question Index 00:25 You’re a litigation lawyer and used to write an online journal of criticism – tell us about your writing background 03:46 Where did this book come from? 08:00 Was there a reason for creating a fictional town (Old Buckram) related to what you’ve been saying? 09:56 What was your inspiration for the vulture house? 12:51 Tell us about the library 21:53 How important was music as a general part of the book compared to the other aspects? 26:04 How does the literature in the book relate to your own interests? 31:01 Did you ever worry that a significant number of literary references would be missed? 33:40 Was leaving until the end the mystery of what happened to Henry Senior always the plan? 42:34 Where did Bullar the dog first fit into the story for you? 45:20 What’s next? Purchase Links The Barrowfields: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble I am an Amazon Associate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with permission from the author. Copyright © Isil Dohnke.
Mon, November 25, 2019
03: Naomi Hamill (How To Be A Kosovan Bride)
Tune in as Charlie Place and author Naomi Hamill (How To Be A Kosovan Bride) discuss post-war Kosovo, using a narrative method that divides opinion, and researching Albanian folklore. 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-03-naomi-hamill Question Index 01:29 Could you expand on your time in Kosovo? 03:57 You started writing the book with a short story?... 05:46 What has the reaction in Kosovo been to your book? 07:50 What is Kosovo like today? 11:00 Have you learned Albanian? 12:25 What made you choose to tell the story through two women, the Kosovan Wife and the Returned Girl? 15:38 Tell us more about the folklore aspect in regards to its comparison to real Albanian folklore? 21:11 The second person perspective - why use it? 25:59 What's next? Purchase Links How To Be A Kosovan Bride: Publisher's website Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive I am an Amazon Associate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photo credit: Paul Cliff.
Mon, November 11, 2019
02: Orlando Ortega-Medina (Jerusalem Ablaze; The Death Of Baseball)
Tune in as book blogger Charlie Place and author Orlando Ortega-Medina (Jerusalem Ablaze; The Death of Baseball) discuss celebrity fictional reincarnation, writing short stories that don't have messages, and working with ideas that could - if misinterpreted - look like something else. 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-02-orlando-ortega-medina Question Index 00:36 Tell us about your writing background 03:09 Where do you get your ideas? 04:16 What was behind the decision not to include messages in your short stories? 06:18 How much of the content of your stories are related to your experiences? 07:48 Is Japan a place you have a particular interest in? 12:29 Why Marilyn Monroe? 15:12 Discussing choices in regards to baseball 19:03 Is Jimmy Joe Di Maggio in a different form? 19:40 The abuse in the book - what were you using it for? 21:30 The use of the cat and the blocking out of its name 23:52 Were you worried about any misunderstandings happening in regards to gender, Clyde wanting to be Monroe? 26:34 Tell us about Raphael, particularly in the context of religion and identity 38:08 Has writing a novel changed your preference for novels versus short stories? 38:51 What's next? Purchase Links Jerusalem Ablaze: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble The Death of Baseball: Amazon UK Amazo
Mon, October 28, 2019
01: Nicola Cornick (House Of Shadows; The Phantom Tree; The Woman In The Lake)
Tune in as book blogger Charlie Place and author Nicola Cornick (House of Shadows; The Phantom Tree; The Woman In The Lake) discuss burning down your place of work in fiction, every day objects of ill repute, and solving Tudor mysteries yet to be solved. 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-01-nicola-cornick/ Question Index 00:48 Regency romance to time-slip novelist 01:50 House of Shadows research and creation process 06:29 What was it like burning down your place of work in fiction and what was the reaction? 12:38 Where is your interest in everyday objects from? 14:54 Why the obscure Mary Seymour? 18:27 Was The Woman in the Lake, with its flawed characters and abusive relationships, difficult to write? 21:49 Did smuggling really happen in Swindon? Do you think you might go back to the topic in a future book? 31:36 More about The Forgotten Sister Purchase Links House of Shadows: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive The Phantom Tree: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive The Woman in the Lake: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada <a href= "https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-
Trailer · Fri, October 18, 2019
Author's Afterword: Trailer
The trailer for Author's Afterword, an author interview deep-dive show that focuses on a book (or one or two more), covering themes, characters, the ending, alternative endings, and so forth. Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok
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