Episodit
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Publishing, like every other aspect of life, is not immune from the trends cycle. In fact, itâs probably far more susceptible to whatâs in vogue or not than it would like to admit. Remember when Gone Girl took the reading world by storm, and ushered in domestic noir in the process? Or that moment a few years ago with contemporary, female-focussed fiction was suddenly all being printed with covers of faceless women? If you think nobody else has influenced your reading taste, then weâre here to remind you that the Miranda Priestley cerulean sweater rule applies to books too.
And we thought it was about time we got into one of publishingâs most, well, horny trends of the moment: romantasy.
A blend of romance and fantasy genres, todayâs guest, SFF specialist literary agent Maddy Belton, explains that romantasy novels are ones in which the high stakes of a fantasy novel (two, often magical or otherworldly political factions, which may or may not be human, are fighting for good and evil) are matched by the stakes of a love affair. Fourth Wing, the first in Rebecca Yarrosâs sexy dragon saga the Empyrean series, offers a good case in point: our confused heroine is bound together, through the magic of dragons, with a man she is told wants her dead due to inherited political alliance. Furthermore: they both fancy each other.
In this episode we delve into how and why Romantasy has become such a force to be reckoned with, what it tells us about why we read what we do, and where to start if weâre curious.
And a reminder: weâve now set up an In Haste bookshop.org page - this is where you can buy all of the titles featured in the show. Weâll benefit from a tiny bit of kickback, which helps keeps the podcast in production. And if you love In Haste, we rely on substack subscriptions to exist. Weâd love it if you were able to upgrade yours today.
In Haste is hosted by Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie, and is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions. Original music by Maria Chiara ArgirĂł. Graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.
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How can you create more space for reading in your life, and rediscover the joy of it?
Itâs the run-up to publication for Charlotteâs debut novel, Bring the House Down, and the post-publication glow for Aliceâs latest book, Hark: How Women Listen, so today weâre talking about some of the weirdness that goes on the brain during the weeks before publishing a book, how weâre dealing (or not) with all of that, and how far away it all feels from the actual writing process.
And speaking of things that arenât writing, Char has a problem: sheâs been finding it unusually difficult to read, often only getting to page nine or ten before abandoning the latest book on her bedside TBR pile. Alice, on the other hand, has been blessed by abundant rains of reading inspiration, and is powering through book after book with joy. Char is after some advice for how to get back to that place.
Is it just a matter of putting away your phone, or is there more to it than that? How does what you read shape what you write? Plus, we find out the surprising book that Alice read while she was giving birth, and the most turgid book that Char has ever read when trapped in a holiday cottage.
What do you do when you find yourself reading less? How do you rediscover the joy of reading?
In Haste is presented by Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie and is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara ArgirĂł and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.
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Puuttuva jakso?
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What does it meant to be a creative animal? Writing a book and having a baby can be oddly similar experiences: both take a long time and are not exactly pain-free. Alice and Charlotte have even done both at once, and in todayâs episode we talk about what itâs like to bring a book and a baby into the world simultaneously, and to write about it along the way.
Weâre joined today by Helen Jukes, the author of Mother Animal, a memoir of pregnancy and birth and an unforgettably visceral exploration of the physical transformations of motherhood. Helen is an author and nature writer who has thought deeply about the complex physical experiences of mothering and writing. Mother Animal charts the diverse variations on mothering found in the animal kingdom, and sparks our discussion today on what else mothering can look like and what it can mean more deeply as a creative process.
How important is community to the way we nurture new life? What do we mean when we talk about ânaturalâ processes, and can a focus on nature blind us to the realities of toxicity and pollution? And how can we nurture the wild and animalistic sides of ourselves?
How do you balance the different forms of creativity in your life?
In Haste is presented by Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie, and is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions. Original music by Maria Chiara ArgirĂł and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.
Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe -
Have we got over a cultural reluctance to read literature in translation?
Alice and Charlotte have both been reading Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, and itâs got us thinking about the unique experience of reading literature from another culture. In todayâs episode, we speak to the novelist and translator Lauren Elkin about what itâs like to render a book in a different language, the scourge of bad translations, and whether translators are finally beginning to get more respect and recognition.
We also discuss the huge impact of Fitzcarraldoâs publishing on contemporary literature, the importance of good design in publishing, hip literary parties, and why some books become widely read in some languages but never find their audience in others.
In Haste is presented by Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie, and is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara ArgirĂł and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.
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What could it mean to listen more deeply? Aliceâs extraordinary new book, Hark: How Women Listen, is published this week, and in todayâs episode of In Haste, Charlotte couldnât resist the opportunity to ask her all about how it came into being.
Alice turns interviewee as Charlotte finds out more about her evolution from passionate music journalist to author enveloped in the unfamiliar soundworlds of new life, in the wake of the birth of Aliceâs first child.
We discuss how Hark explores the mystery of phantom crying, the trauma of hospital sounds, the listening done by female spies and the thrill of musical connections between women as we dive into the book that Alice has been working on ever since In Haste began, following her journey to rediscover sound as something alive, vital and restorative.
And, because this is In Haste, we also confront the realities of the writing process, and what it feels like to write about real life while in the middle of living it.
Get your copy of Hark: How Women Listen by Alice Vincent here!
In Haste is presented by Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie and is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara ArgirĂł and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.
Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe -
Introducing the second season of In Haste! We are beyond delighted to be back on your airwaves.
Today, Charlotte and Alice catch up on how their books, Bring the House Down and Hark: How Women Listen are getting on, now they are mere weeks away from publication.
And, with two books about to be released into the wild, that means confronting what's next. Namely, the novel-in-progress that Alice has sent over the sea with her husband, and the âdifficult second novelâ that Charlotte is still trying to get on with. With some wisdom from a writer who has been there, friend of the show Jennie Godfrey makes a glorious return to discuss the incredible success of her debut, The List of Suspicious Things, and how sheâs navigating its follow-up.
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For our third bonus episode of the summer, we all piled round to Aliceâs house in South London for everything bagels and blueberry pancakes, joined by the wonderful Amy Key, author of Arrangements in Blue.
Arrangements in Blue is a beautiful, complex and richly textured memoir about exploring a life without the presence of romantic love, woven through with Amy Keyâs personal relationship to Joni Mitchellâs immortal album, Blue.
Join us for chat about writing (whatâs stopping us, and whatâs keeping us going), romance, Joni, poetry and the search for the perfect candle sconce that will solve all our problems.
In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara ArgirĂł and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.
Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe -
It's our second bonus episode of the summer!
Today, Alice and Charlotte share how their writing is going as the days lengthen and the temptation to spend time having iced coffees in the sun threatens to lure them away from their writing desks. They also talk about hot summer books and what to read on holiday - from depressing Victorian classics to bonkbusters to transformative international fiction. And what about books set in the summertime â what effect does heat have on a narrative?
In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara ArgirĂł and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.
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It's a bonus episode! Authors Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie reflect on the first season of In Haste literary conversations, and, as always, discuss how their own writing is going.
So far in 2024 we've been thinking about what stops authors from writing and what keeps them coming back to the page. In this special extra episode, Alice and Charlotte talk about how their own writing is fitting into their lives right now, and what they've learned.
In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara ArgirĂł and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.
Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe -
How can a musical soundscape shape a novel?
For the final episode in this first season of In Haste literary conversations, authors Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie meet novelist Caleb Azumah Nelson, author of Open Water (which won the Costa Book Award) and Small Worlds, to discuss his writing process, as well as faith, love stories, and the importance of place. Plus, Alice and Charlotte talk about how music influences their writing.
This episode is made in partnership with Backstory, the new books magazine from the independent South London bookshop. To get your copy of the magazine, go to Backstory.London and use the code INHASTE at checkout for 10% off a subscription.
Each episode of In Haste is accompanied by an original essay on Substack by Alice Vincent or Charlotte Runcie exploring its wider themes at inhaste.substack.com.
In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara ArgirĂł and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.
Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe -
Why does it make us so uncomfortable when fiction feels like real life?
Authors Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie meet Eliza Clark, author of the gloriously dark and unforgettable novels Penance and Boy Parts, and a member of Granta's most recent selection of best young British novelists. Eliza takes us through a sharp and candid discussion about the publishing industry, authorial voice and veracity in fiction, writing about dark themes, and what happens when your book goes viral on TikTok.
Plus, as always, Alice and Charlotte discuss how their own writing is going.
Each episode of In Haste is accompanied by an original essay on Substack by Alice Vincent or Charlotte Runcie exploring its wider themes at inhaste.substack.com.
In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara ArgirĂł and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.
Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe -
How does the natural world around us shape who we are?
Authors Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie have both found themselves drawn to writing about landscapes. Today theyâre joined by the debut novelist Fiona Williams, author of The House of Broken Bricks, for a warm and inspiring discussion about Fiona's own relationship with books, gardens, food, and finding a sense of home in nature.
The House of Broken Bricks is an immersive story of a family with twin boys, who are both of dual heritage, but who look strikingly different from one another. They also each have very different relationships to the English countryside around them.
Each episode of In Haste is accompanied by an original essay on Substack by Alice Vincent or Charlotte Runcie exploring its wider themes at inhaste.substack.com.
In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara ArgirĂł and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.
Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe -
How does fiction explore deep-rooted sources of pain through history?
Today in the In Haste writing hut, Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie are joined by the international bestselling novelist Emilia Hart, author of Weyward.
Weyward is an unforgettable supernatural story about witches, but itâs also about something all too real: the suffering and violence inflicted on women across history. It's a powerful and inspiring reclaiming of a historical narrative we think we know. We hear how Emilia came to write the novel, which was a remarkable process in strange times.
Please note that this episode contains discussion of sexual violence and pregnancy loss.
Each episode of In Haste is accompanied by an original essay on Substack by Alice Vincent or Charlotte Runcie exploring its wider themes at inhaste.substack.com.
In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara ArgirĂł and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.
Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe -
How does reading and writing change you?
Joining Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie this week is the author Cathy Rentzenbrink, who doesnât like being described as an âacclaimed memoiristâ, and would rather we described her as an âhonest puzzlerâ - or something even less kind.
But she has, in fact, written many excellent memoirs and novels, and thereâs no getting around it. Her clear-eyed, truth-filled writing tackles subjects including profound grief, as well as her own very personal relationship with books and reading. In todayâs conversation, we discuss the strange otherworldliness of writing, and how sometimes an author needs to dive down into the book and away from reality:
âI get very very lonely and then actually feel a bit mad. Especially writing fiction, I think you need to submerge. You need to go down a few layers and a few levels, but then you get the bends when you're trying to jump out.â
Each episode of In Haste is accompanied by an original essay on Substack by Alice Vincent or Charlotte Runcie exploring its wider themes at inhaste.substack.com.
In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara ArgirĂł and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.
Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe -
Can books make us more patient?
In Haste is back! This week, writers Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie speak to Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of three beautiful novels (The Sleep Watcher, Starling Days, and Harmless Like You) about teaching writing, learning about writing, whether writers tend to be dog people or cat people, and patience.
âThere are some writers I see who write something, and it isnât quite what they imagined, and so they throw it out, and they write something new. Theyâre not able to sit with the discomfort of it not being quite right, and work through to something theyâre happy with.
âAnd then I see, weirdly, the opposite thing, which I think comes from the same place. Which is writers who are constantly re-editing the first five pages, because they want to get the voice right, and they stick with those first five pages and go over and over and over them. I think for most people, if they write the rest of the story, itâs much easier to figure out what those five pages need. But theyâre so impatient to have something that feels like the finished thing. If they could let themselves live with something imperfect, it would have the chance to grow.â
Each episode of In Haste is accompanied by an original essay on Substack by Alice Vincent or Charlotte Runcie exploring its wider themes at inhaste.substack.com.
In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara ArgirĂł and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.
Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe -
Whatâs the relationship between fantasy literature and real life?
Writers Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie speak to Sunyi Dean, author of the bestselling novel The Book Eaters, and co-host of the excellent Publishing Rodeo podcast.
Sunyi discusses how she came to write the book and what was going on in her life at the time, as well as her somewhat stormy publication journey, in an episode that also touches on what makes us readers of fantasy â and what makes us think of ourselves as fantasy readers.
Each episode of In Haste is accompanied by an original essay on Substack by Alice Vincent or Charlotte Runcie exploring its wider themes. Subscribers can access more episodes at inhaste.substack.com.
In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara ArgirĂł and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.
Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe -
How do you expose emotion through writing?
Writers Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie speak to Thomas Morris, whose short story suite, Open Up, was among the most widely admired literary publications of 2023.
Thomas Morris is a Welsh writer who is the former editor of Stinging Fly and has been named as one of Grantaâs Best Young British Novelists. In this episode, he talks about writing masculinity and articulating emotions, going further into a story and the pursuit of âknowing moreâ, and the strange lives of seahorses. Thomas also shares how reading defines his work as a writer.
Each episode of In Haste is accompanied by an original essay on Substack by Alice Vincent or Charlotte Runcie exploring its wider themes. New episodes are released weekly, but paid subscribers can access more episodes instantly at inhaste.substack.com, where there's a very welcoming literary community sharing our writing progress.
In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara ArgirĂł and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.
Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe -
Writers Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie meet Jennie Godfrey, debut novelist and author of The List of Suspicious things.
Jennie discusses how she wrote her novel, which has garnered a huge amount of buzz in the British publishing industry and beyond, and which has themes that draw on Jennieâs own childhood experiences growing up in Yorkshire during the strange and troubling time when the Yorkshire Ripper was at large. Alice and Charlotte share their own journeys to publication - from the rocky to the dreamlike - as well as speaking to Jennie about writing inspiration, crime fiction, what stops her from writing and what keeps her going.
Each episode of In Haste is accompanied by an original essay on Substack by Alice Vincent or Charlotte Runcie exploring its wider themes. New episodes are released weekly, but paid subscribers can access more episodes instantly at inhaste.substack.com, where there's a very welcoming literary community sharing our writing progress. Come and join in with the conversation!
In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara ArgirĂł and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.
Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe -
Can a writer ever meaningfully take a break? And whatâs it like to get the call saying youâve been longlisted for the Booker Prize?
Today on In Haste, writers Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie are joined by the novelist Sophie Mackintosh. Sophie is the Booker-longlisted author of The Water Cure, Blue Ticket, and Cursed Bread, and was named one of Granta's Best Young British Novelists of 2023.
Sophie takes us behind the scenes into her writing process and life as an author, including discussing the myths and folk tales where she finds literary inspiration. Alice and Charlotte couldnât help but notice that Sophie is also a particularly well-travelled novelist, so they had to ask: do you write when youâre on holiday? And does a writing brain ever really take time off?
Each episode of In Haste is accompanied by an original essay on Substack by Alice Vincent or Charlotte Runcie exploring its wider themes. New episodes are released weekly, but paid subscribers can access more episodes instantly at inhaste.substack.com, where there's a very welcoming literary community sharing our writing progress. Come and join in with the conversation! Ask us questions and tell us what stopped you writing this week - and what kept you going.
In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara ArgirĂł and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.
Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe -
Youâd write a great book if only you had the time. Well, there are all sort of things weâd do if we had enough time. But what if you never have enough time? Would you try, anyway? What if, in fact, right now is the most time youâll ever have?
In this episode of In Haste, authors Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie speak to Oliver Burkeman, the journalist and internationally bestselling author of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals.
Oliver joins Alice and Charlotte in the writing hut to discuss how authors find time to write and the strange ways that our perception of time shifts when we have lots of things we really want to do. Why is it that, when weâre sitting down to write something juicy and interesting, we have a strange urge to go and empty the dishwasher? And is it ever possible to feel as if weâre spending enough time with family, with work, with friends and with ourselves?
Each episode of In Haste is accompanied by an original essay on Substack by Alice Vincent or Charlotte Runcie, exploring its wider themes. New episodes are released weekly, but paid subscribers can access the first six episodes instantly at inhaste.substack.com, where there's a very welcoming literary community sharing our writing progress. Come and join in with the conversation! Ask us questions and tell us what stopped you writing this week - and what kept you going.
In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara ArgirĂł and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.
Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe - Näytä enemmän
