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Our final episode of Season 7 is a cookbook special. But TENDERHEART is so much more than just a cook book. It's Hetty Lui McKinnon's way of processing the loss of her father aged just 15. He was the fruit n veg man, the father who left crates of exciting fresh produce in the hallway for his children to investigate. And now a parent herself to teenage boys, Hetty uses her brand new vegetarian and vegan recipes combined with an autobiographical narrative, to share her love of vegetables with us alongside the legacy of family dishes cooked at home.
This is a labour of love and for once Phil agrees with Natalie: This is a cookbook you can also read as a book!
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This week's episode is the multi best selling Irish writer, John Boyne. You will almost certainly have read The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas or The Heart's Invisible Furies and the latest venture for John is a quarter of books which he's been releasing every six months. Next year, he'll release them in one compendium called The Elements. But hot on the heels of Water and Earth, comes Fire: a disturbing novella which looks at child sexual exploitation from the point of view of a female abuser of young boys.
During our conversation, John explains that the idea for this quarter of books came after he himself was inspired to report his own abuse at the hands of one of his teachers to Police, following a high profile trial of a different abuser in Ireland.
He hopes this book - whilst a work of fiction - might help others to come forward and report their abuse.
Trigger Warning: Whilst this episode does not talk in detail about sexual abuse, there is conversation about John's first hand experience of abuse and the reporting process he went through. But there's no description of the abuse that took place and neither is there any description of the abuse depicted in the novel.
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Here are Phil and Natalie's Books of the Year for 2024.
Five picks each. You'll find all of them with links to buy each book on our website
Thanks so much for listening. Please remember to rate, review and subscribe to our podcast and don't forget to subscribe to our mailing list on our website, to hear about Season 8 exclusively...!
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This episode has it all - writing yourself into fiction, being inspired by classic literature, the joy and benefits of being a bit spiky, oh, and there is a fair amount of swearing in this. As an added bonus - depending on your point of view - Nat and Phil also divulge their favourite swear words at the end of the ep... This Motherless Land is Nikki May's story inspired by Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, but takes it to a totally different place and time and feeling. It's a joy to read and Nikki is a joy to spend time with!
Find out more about this season and Nikki's recommendations at www.bestsellerspodcast.co
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This episode is devoted to Nat and Phil's recommendations of additional books they've been loving, or that are at the top of their to-be-read pile! Choices include a love story, a thriller or two, a decent pick of celebrity memoirs (with valid reasons given!), a cookbook with soul, and a book for adults that happens to be written as if it's a kids picture book. Hope you find something in here to tickle your reading fancy... and if you enjoy this episode please rate, review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts to help other listeners discover their next favourite author too!
*spoiler here's the list*
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
Sonny Boy by Al Pacino
My Name is Barbra - the audiobook - read by Barbra Streisand
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti (a double recommendation from Jason Rekulak as well!)
The Man of Her Dreams by Sarra Manning
If Nick Drake Came to My House - Mackenzie Crook
The Waiting by Michael Connelly
Tenderheart by Hetty Lui McKinnon
For more recommendations and book joy, head to www.bestsellerspodcast.com
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There's a lot of juiciness to this episode - from how books are marketed, to the amount of research needed for historical fiction, and letting creativity flow where it needs to, which might just lead an author to the stage, or the QE2... Kate Mosse has achieved so much already and we loved being steeped in the history of her Joubert family as their story concludes in The Map of Bones - but - as ever, it doesn't matter if you're new to her stories or a longtime fan, hopefully we've got you covered!
If you like our series, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts! And to check out past episodes and author's recommendations of further books to dive into, just go to www.bestsellerspodcast.com
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Phil & Natalie were delighted to return to Chiltern Kills this year. The crime festival which raises funds for the homeless is in its second year, organised by writers Tony Kent and Paul Waters. Its a beautiful day out where crime fiction fans get to genuinely mingle with their print heroes.
Some things you need to know before listening:
*At the beginning every time we tried to introduce a guest, Tony Kent walked out onto stage, hence the laughter!
*Whilst we were doing our session, Jeffrey Archer was on the other stage, hence there's some references to him made by our author guests.
Our panel was just fabulous this year: Erin Kelly, Vaseem Khan, Tony Kent and C.L. Taylor (who you'll hear referred to as Callie in the chat)
Enjoy the live edition and we'll link to the authors' recommendations on our website bestsellerspodcast.com
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Phil and Natalie are delighted to welcome Sir Ian Rankin to BestSellers in the week where his new Rebus - the 25th Rebus thriller - goes straight in at No.1 in the Sunday Times Top Ten Hardback Fiction chart. In this ep, Ian talks about how hard this book was to write; why he's a frustrated Rock Star and why he's attracted to the darker side of the human condition.
You'll also find the books he recommends from other writers at our website: bestsellerspodcast.com
Enjoy!
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Can you believe it...? Not only are Phil and Natalie back for season SEVEN (cue Len Goodman impressions) but we have also been double nominated at this year's Independent Podcast Awards in Best Books and Best Arts & Crafts Categories.
Thank You for all of your support, virtual coffees on Ko-Fi and subscribing and downloading our podcast. It means a lot.
Enough Gushing! We're Back with a returning writer. A man whom we both love very much. It's the wonderfully modest Jason Rekulak. His new thriller sees a father receive a phone call from a daughter he hasn't spoken to for a few years, to say she's getting married. What he doesn't realise is that she's marrying the son of a billionaire and this wedding is dripping in wealth and weirdness in equal amounts...! It's such fun, will keep you guessing and you can hear Jason describe how he spent ages writing and re-writing the beginning of this novel so that he got it right; why film and tv rights can be such a laborious process and why he's doing it for the Dads...!
Enjoy. And can you help us by rating us, reviewing us and subscribing if you haven't already please. Thank you SO much.
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Tim Booth, yes that Tim Booth, singer with the band James, has a lot to say about writing his first fiction novel. He's well aware of the clichés about rock star books and is here to address them all. Nothing was off limits, so there's talk of sex and drugs and rock'n'roll, but also vulnerability and confidence and truth'n'lies. The genesis for the story came 28 years ago, but the catalyst was an LA writing group that frankly could make up the subject of an entirely different book! It's a thoughtful discussion but does get a bit sweary - goes with the rock band territory - just in case you've got young kids listening nearby.
Find Tim's reading recommendations and all past episodes of Bestsellers at www.bestsellerspodcast.com
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Phil first met Chris Whitaker on the radio during lockdown, when Chris published, 'We Begin At The End.'
His extraordinary new book, 'All The Colours of the Dark,' also features a strong teenage lead character, facing some pretty dire circumstances. Chris tells Natalie and Phil he drew on his own early years trauma to create his new hero, Patch. He also opens up about being arrested, accused of a financial crime, just as his last novel was coming out.
And he reveals he's come to love The Muppets' 'Rainbow Connection' song, since writing this book...!
All The Colours of the Dark is a superb book. Read it before you see it on TV, as Universal are currently making it as a three season event.
Trigger Warning: Chris speaks candidly about his own abuse as a child in this episode. This may be triggering for survivors of physical abuse, child abuse or domestic violence.
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Abir Mukherjee is the hugely successful writer of five historical crime novels. He created the Wyndham and Banerjee series of thrillers, starting in 1919 India, each book progressing towards Partition.
His brand new novel - Hunted - is a stand alone contemporary edge of the seat thriller which took Abir over three years to write and resulted in him forming a mentoring group with luminaries such as Val McDermid, Lee Child, Mick Herron and Ruth Ware who all gave different advice on how to craft a contemporary thriller.
Abir explains the writing process and 'turning things up to eleven,' with the action; why his starting point for his books is always his personal anger and he and Natalie bond over living in Surrey and share their fears about just how posh their kids are turning out..!
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Want even more book recommendations? We got 'em for you! There are 8 books to discover from Nat and Phil's reading stacks - ranging from an action thriller to a drama stepped in the '68 music scene, to short stories and a collaborative book featuring dozens of writers. These are all stories that have grabbed our attention, some we've read, some we're mid-read and some we've yet to start, but all sound fascinating and we hope might make choosing that summer read a little bit easier. Have a listen to discover more about:
Fourteen Days edited by Margaret Atwood and Douglas Preston
Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson
The Memo by Lauren Mechling and Rachel Dodes
Colton Gentry's Third Act by Jeff Zentner
They Dream in Gold by Mai Sennaar
The Princess of Las Vegas by Chris Bohjalian
I Love You, I Love You, I Love You by Laura Dockrill
You Like it Darker by Stephen King
Full details on where to get these books and support the podcast at www.bestsellerspodcast.com
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Mark Billingham makes a welcome return to BestSellers. This is his second book in his brand new tragic-comic series of DS Declan Miller books. Book Two - The Wrong Hands - starts with a botched briefcase robbery inside of which is a pair of severed human hands!
In this edition Mark speaks candidly about how nervous he is of putting book two out there; he reveals when Tom Thorne will return and Natalie gives him the ultimate back cover blurb!
We Love Mark Billingham and we think after this episode, you will too... if you don't already. Which you probably do.
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Mid-career as a screenwriter, adapting other people's stories, Yulin Kuang swerved to write her own book and yes, it's likely to be adapted for the screen too when she finds the time! How to End a Love Story is about Helen, who has a very good reason to detest Grant after what happened when they were at high school, but then they are put in the same writers' room. He's adapting her very successful book series for television. It's not about the destination, it's all about the journey here, and Yulin has the best journey too, starting in fan fiction, then creating her own comedy series and manifesting a brilliant career. In return, we explain what a bonkbuster is/was. Hmm, our trajectory needs work, but hope you love this conversation as much as we did!
Please note - this episode is more sweary than usual!
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How do you adapt a much-loved, bestselling book into a film, and keep fans happy? Nat and Phil spoke to Robinne Lee about her gorgeous book, The Idea of You, back in 2021. Around that time producer Cathy Schulman also read that story and set about turning it into a movie, with Michael Showalter directing and co-writing. And this, is the story of how that happened, the changes that were made, and whether it's been successful. The Idea of You, starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine, is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Bestsellers news! We have a website! So find all your book recs and past episodes one click away at www.bestsellerspodcast.com
Also, if you're able to, please do give a review of the podcast on your preferred listening platform to help others discover their next favourite read!
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You know those books that catch a moment? Jennie Godfrey’s The List of Suspicious Things is one of those happening right now. It’s a heart-warming tale of friendship immersed in late 1970s Yorkshire, where everyday life is overshadowed and ever-changed by the news of a serial killer at large. Jennie shares how there were early questions about writing the Yorkshire accent into her characters’ speech, but that her agent and publisher championed the ‘localness’ of the story. Depending on your age, you’ll either be heartened by the references to Kerplunk and swarfega, or fascinated by this as a piece of historical fiction (we won’t judge either way!). Plus Jennie shares her remarkable and well-earned tale behind the scenes to getting published, and having the confidence to follow a writerly dream.
Thanks so much for listening - Bestsellers is an independent podcast so if you are able to support the production by buying a metaphorical cuppa on ko-fi, support is always appreciated!
https://ko-fi.com/bestsellerspodcast
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Imran Mahmood is a Barrister by day; A Sunday Times Top 10 Bestselling Writer by night! He's back with his fourth book, Finding Sophie and in this chat with Natalie and Phil, Imran talks about the challenges of writing a thriller about a missing teenager as a parent himself; where to draw the line on gruesome outcomes for Entertainment, and he sprinkles in some hilarious stories about being in Court on big murder trials.
Imran is an exceptional writer, a gentleman and great company so settle in for an hour in his esteemed company.
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This Week, both Phil and Natalie received an infux of new books in the post. They're all worthy of being mentioned, but neither of them have had a chance to read any of these books yet. So that's why this episode is called Books We've Been Sent (but are yet to read)
They are:
Don Winslow - City in Ruins
Yulin Kuang - How to end a Love Story
David Nicholls - You Are Here
Andrew Hunter Murray - A Beginner's Guide to Breaking and Entering
Tony Kent - The Shadow Network
Kaliane Bradley - The Ministry of Time
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What's the difference between a love story and a romance novel? Why are some people so anti-romance in books but definitely not in life? All this and oh so much more gets discussed on this episode as author Milly Johnson joins Nat and Phil to share the process and the inspiration behind her latest bestseller, The Happiest Ever After. Starting out as a joke writer, Milly has kept that humor throughout all her writing, and it's no wonder why Hairy Biker Dave Myers was one of her biggest fans.
Thanks so much for choosing to listen! Bestsellers is an independent podcast created by, and edited by, Phil Williams and Natalie Jamieson.
If you like what we do and are able to help support the production you can say thanks with a metaphorical cuppa here:
https://ko-fi.com/bestsellerspodcast
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