Episodes
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In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Chris Bridges about his psychological suspense novel Sick to Death. We discuss how Chris subverted tropes of having a sick protagonist, why almost 60 rejections from agents inspired him to write a more personal story and how having MS impacts his writing.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Sick to Death: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780008698140
Follow Chris: @chrisbridgeswriter
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Niloufar Lamakan about her romance novel Aged To Perfection. We discuss changing the narrative by putting women in their 60s in the spotlight and writing them truthfully, why as a complete novice how a diary form helped her find structure and her experience working with One More Chapter, a digital first publisher who accepts unagented submissions.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Aged to Perfection: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780008685492
Follow Niloufar: @nlamakan
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Missing episodes?
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In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Kate Kemp about her crime novel The Grapevine. We discuss why she used a murder to explore a range of women in a 1970s suburban community, the challenge of writing from a 12-year-old narrator and how using social media to learn about the publishing industry helped her take the plunge to take her writing seriously.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy The Grapevine: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781399618977
Follow Kate: @kate.kemp.writer
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Hi everyone! Just to let you know Confessions of a Debut Novelist will be going on a short break while I recover from pneumonia. Thank you so much for the wonderful Jennie Godfrey for recording this announcement for me. I look forward to sharing the best new books and authors with you soon.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy The List of Suspicious Things: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781529153293
Follow Jennie: @jennieg_author
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Celia Silvani about her psychological suspense novel Baby Teeth. We discuss how her research helped her delve into the world of internet forums and cults, the challenge of writing an unbiased and empathetic approach to the radical beliefs of her characters and why you should never send out the first draft of your manuscript to agents.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Baby Teeth: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781398714410
Follow Celia: @celiasilvaniauthor
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Louise Hegarty about her contemporary novel Fair Play. We discuss how absorbing so many Poirot novels helped her get the voice right for her detective, why she wanted to explore grief using a murder mystery and a puzzle box structure, and how her published stories attracted an agent.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Fair Play: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781035036134
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Katie Buckley about her literary novel Hero. We discuss how she defines autofiction and why she loves it, what to do when you don’t have an instinct for plot and why she believes you need to be emotionally ready before you start querying agents.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Hero: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781035413072
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Bianca Gillam about her romance novel Bad Publicity. We discuss how her experience working within the publishing industry inspired her enemies to lovers romance, why she had to spend a few months away from the novel to get the ending right and why she thinks every aspiring author should think about having a clear vision for their book in terms of the cover and marketing package.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Bad Publicity: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781526676443
Follow Bianca: @biancagillam
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.
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In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Sanam Mahloudji about her contemporary novel The Persians. We discuss how this novel started life as a short story until Sanam realised there was so much more to say, why she began writing to free herself when she was working as a lawyer and how she impressed an agent at a book event by asking an insightful question.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy The Persians: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780008589042
Follow Sanam: @sanammahloudji
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.
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In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Lucy Rose about her horror novel The Lamb. We discuss how her ADHD meant she had to find her own way to write without a routine, why film-making and working with a production designer has made her a better writer and because Lucy has created a whole brand around her novel using TikTok and Instagram I wanted to ask her advice about how to use social media to build a brand if you want to.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy The Lamb: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781399619714
Follow Lucy: @lucyrosecreates
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.
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In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Salma Ibrahim about her speculative novel Salutation Road. We discuss how she explored coming of age and migration with a parallel world twist, the challenge of writing the same character from two alternate worlds and why despite several agent rejections she decided to keep the speculative element.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Salutation Road: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781035044344
Follow Salma: @salma.s.ibrahim
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.
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In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Sarah Handyside about her contemporary novel Instructions for Heartbreak. We discuss how her own heartbreak was the catalyst to write this book, why the device of including a handbook gave her a helpful way to structure the novel and how a longlisting in the Curtis Brown First Novel Award attracted her agent.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Instructions for Heartbreak: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781035032754
Follow Sarah: @sarahhandyside
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.
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In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Holly Stars about her crime novel Murder in the Dressing Room. We discuss how she wanted to showcase a different side to the drag scene and the variety of talent on show; the importance of having a non-binary main character and Holly’s experience of recording her own audiobook.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Murder in the Dressing Room: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780241683729
Follow Holly: @hollywstars
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.
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In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Jenny Morris about her crime novel An Ethical Guide to Murder. We discuss setting the rules of her high concept crime novel with a fantasy twist, exploring the moral and ethical dilemmas of life and death and why her background in psychology helps her develop characters.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy An Ethical Guide to Murder: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781398534407
Follow Jenny: dr_jennymorris
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.
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In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Rachel Bower about her contemporary novel It Comes From The River. We discuss why asking your characters simple questions can take them in interesting directions, how she represented folklore from the North of England and the psychological challenge of keeping the faith in your novel during the writing process.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy It Comes From The River: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781526672667
Follow Rachel: @rachel_e_bower
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.
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In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Catherine Airey about her contemporary novel Confessions. We discuss how she found the soul of her family saga by experimenting with different perspectives depending on her narrator, the challenge of writing about controversial topics such as 9/11 and when it came to finding an agent, how she chose between them.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Confessions: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780241675182
Follow Catherine: catherineairey
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.
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In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Holly Gramazio about her contemporary novel The Husbands. We discuss how online dating inspired her infinite husbands idea, why her background in video game design helped her figure out the rules of her magic attic and why turning 40 was the push she needed to start writing a novel.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy The Husbands: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781784745356
Follow Holly: holly_gramazio
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
(**Discoveries Prize 2025** https://www.womensprize.com/writers/discoveries/)
*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.
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In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Emma van Straaten about her literary novel This Immaculate Body. We discuss how her curiosity in a real life cleaning job inspired her, the challenge of getting into the mindset of an unpalatable character and how winning the Discoveries prize in 2021 changed her life.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy This Immaculate Body: @evswrites
Follow Emma: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780349127309
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
(**Discoveries Prize 2025** https://www.womensprize.com/writers/discoveries/)
*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.
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In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Ram Murali about his crime novel Death in the Air. We discuss how Ram never had dreams of being a writer but couldn’t let go of his novel idea, how he took inspiration from Agatha Christie and The Secret History and how he made ruthless decisions when editing his scenes
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Death in the Air: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781805460008
Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer's Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting, and Surviving Your First Book by Courtney Maum
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
(**Discoveries Prize 2025** https://www.womensprize.com/writers/discoveries/)
*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.
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In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Tom Newlands about his contemporary novel Only Here, Only Now. We discuss how homesickness in lockdown inspired this novel, why he wanted to explore the intersection between neurodivergence and poverty during adolescence and why Tom thinks avoiding all advice was the reason he finished his book.
Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*
Buy Only Here, Only Now: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781399607896
Follow Tom: tomnewlands_
https://www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/breakthrough-writers-programme
https://www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/breakthrough-mentoring-programme
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms
Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms
chloetimms.co.uk
(**Discoveries Prize 2025** https://www.womensprize.com/writers/discoveries/)
*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.
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