Episodes
-
In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Nikkitha Bakshani about her contemporary novel Ghost Chilli. We discuss using life writing and repressed memories to inspire fiction, the difficult editing choice she made to delete an entire timeline and how she used astrology to deepen her characterisation.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Ghost Chilli: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780349727509
Follow Nikkitha: @nikkitaha
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Tawseef Khan about his contemporary novel Determination. We discuss how his personal experience working as an immigration solicitor inspired this novel, why he chose to embrace similarities between him and his protagonist to make her come alive and his advice to see characters as a Rubik’s Cube.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Determination: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781804440902
Follow Tawseef: @itsmetawseef
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
Missing episodes?
-
In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to David Goodman about his thriller A Reluctant Spy. We discuss why our huge digital footprints inspired his premise of spies borrowing civilian lives, why he loves writing stories with multiple POVs and how after years of rejection, David took one last shot to impress an editor after pitching the novel and writing 15k words over just a few days.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy A Reluctant Spy: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781035416011
Follow David: @WordsByGoodman
https://www.davidgoodman.net
Aeon Timeline: https://www.aeontimeline.com
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Lucy Jane Wood about her fantasy novel Rewitched. We discuss how 90s witchy nostalgia inspired her story, her unusual route to publication where she got an editor before an agent and how her YouTube career has helped her become a bestseller.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Rewitched: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781035045457
Follow Lucy: @LucyJaneWood
youtube.com/c/LucyWood
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Oisín McKenna about his contemporary novel Evenings and Weekends. We discuss how starting with one character and writing about the most important people in their lives gave Oisín his cast of characters, creating propulsive secrets and storylines to engage the reader and the challenge of being a debut author and receiving reviews.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Evenings and Weekends: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780008604172
Follow Oisín: @ois_mck
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Rachel Blackmore about her historical novel Costanza. We discuss how to create accessible historical dialogue, why she swears by the 8-act structure and why age should never put you off writing a novel.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Costanza: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780349131092
Follow Rachel: @rjblackmore1
Story Structure (8-Acts) book Rachel mentions: https://amzn.eu/d/7ih4PvF
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Moira Buffini about her sci-fi novel Songlight. We discuss why dystopian fiction is the best genre to explore the cataclysms of our current time, the differences between screenwriting and the expansiveness of novel writing and leaving your reader wanting more when you’re writing a series.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Songlight: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780571385669
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Josie Ferguson about her historical novel The Silence in Between. We discuss the harrowing true story that inspired this novel, her method for writing dual timeline narratives separately and why it took her four novels before she found success.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy The Silence in Between: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780857529695
Follow Josie: @Inky_Josie
https://josieferguson.com
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Roxie Key about her crime novel The Deadly Spark. We discuss why finding the right genre gave her a killer idea, the challenges of writing multiple timelines when your characters have many secrets, and Roxie’s amazing agent story which gives hope to the social media addicts among us!
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy The Deadly Spark: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780008500474
Follow Roxie: @RoxieAdelleKey
https://www.roxiekey.com
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Ina Christova about her historical novel The Fabergé Girl. We discuss how much you can play with real figures in history, taking inspiration from Russian folklore and fairytale and how she overcame the challenges of bringing characters to life.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy The Fabergé Girl: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9786190113997
Follow Ina: @Ina_Christova
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Sarah Brooks about her fantasy novel The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands. We discuss why her strange real-life experience on the trans-Siberian Express gave her the seed of an idea, how winning the Lucy Cavendish Prize changed her life and the incredible 11-way auction of publishers who wanted to buy her book.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781399607537
Follow Sarah: @Sarah_L_Brooks
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Juliana Adelman about her historical novel The Grateful Water. We discuss how a gap in her day-job research inspired her, treating the writing process as a homework assignment to get it done and what happens when an interested agent ghosts you.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy The Grateful Water: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781848409248
Follow Juliana: @adelmanjuliana
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Emma Steele about her romance novel The Echoes of Us. We discuss why a real-life tragedy and a paranormal concept inspired her to write this novel, how she originally started writing a romcom before she realised her writing leaned sadder and more serious and the unusual story of how her novel was published a year earlier in Germany before the UK.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy The Echoes of Us: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781802795332
Follow Emma: @EmmaSteele85
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Rufaro Faith Mazarura about her romantic comedy Let The Games Begin. We discuss how her love of the Olympics gave her the idea for a rom-com, why she left gaps in her first draft and wrote the witty dialogue last and why you should treat becoming a debut novelist like a wedding.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Let The Games Begin: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781405965415
Follow Rufaro: @rufarofaithh
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Ania Card about her literary novel Above Us The Sea.. We discuss how her novel began life as short stories that captured friendship, why it was so important to authentically capture the experience of Eastern-European immigrants in the UK and what it’s been like to work with a small independent publisher.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Above Us The Sea: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781915368515
Follow Ania: @aniacard
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Daniel Aubrey about his crime novel Dark Island. We discuss the importance of putting an authentic autistic character front and centre, why Orkney is the perfect place to set a crime series and the brave move Daniel made when he told his agent to pull an earlier novel from submission and start again with a new idea.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Dark Island: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780008624408
Follow Daniel: @SpacemanDan13
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to LJ Shepherd about her psychological suspense novel The Trials of Lila Dalton. We discuss how to find high concept ideas, writing what you know but with a twist and why it's important to surprise smart and savvy readers. And right at the end of the episode, in a special spoilerific section we’ll be discussing the ins and outs of her twisty ending.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy The Trials of Lila Dalton: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781782279853
Follow LJ: @LJShepherdwords
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Jack Anderson about his psychological suspense novel The Grief Doctor. We discuss exploring the concept of grief through a doctor who will go to extreme lengths to cure it, trying to scare the reader and how his writing journey began with a viral post on Reddit.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy The Grief Doctor: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781526667540
Follow Jack: @neon_tempo
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Jane Flett about her horror novel Freakslaw. We discuss why her inspiration started with bringing together her obsessions and interests, why Stephen King inspired her choice to use an omniscient narrator and how teaching and working alongside other writers helps her get through the writing slog.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Freakslaw: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780857529541
Follow Jane: @thejaneflett
https://janeflett.com
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Alan Murrin about his literary novel The Coast Road. We discuss authentically inhabiting the voices of three distinctive Irish women, why it took time to work out a fitting end for the novel and how he got the novel written by making bargains with himself.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy The Coast Road: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781526663702
https://alanmurrin.com/
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Show more
