As well as her journalism, memoirs and a novel inspired by Daphne du Maurier, Justine has written an acclaimed biography of Coco Chanel. She tells me how she has to be 'haunted' by a story before she can write it. Her latest book, Miss Dior, tells the story of Catherine, Christian Dior’s sister and muse. A fighter in the French Resistance, she was a survivor of Ravensbruck concentration camp who received the Croix de Guerre and the Legion d’Honneur. Catherine became a rose farmer in Provence and died a dozen years ago aged 90. Justine's account of her life and her huge influence on Dior is published in September 2021.Notes: Justine on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinepicardieMiss Dior by Justine Picardie: https://www.waterstones.com/book/miss-dior/justine-picardie/9780571356522 The Wasteland by TS Eliot: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-wasteland-prufrock-and-other-poems/t-s-eliot/9781434101693 Clothes in Books: http://clothesinbooks.blogspot.com 

Prepublished

#37 Talking about the story that haunts you with Justine Picardie

I was interested to know the part that RSI played in Thomas's shift from illustrating and writing picture books to writing middle grade novels. You might think that his cover art – for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – woud be the key moment in his career, but what is truly fascinating is that it isn’t. That moment came over twenty years later, in 2018. I found it honestly inspiring. Listen out, too, for Thomas’s top tip, which corrects a mistake that many prepublished writers I know have made.   Apologies for the sound quality of this episode. The technology defeated us on the day and we had to record on Zoom. However, Thomas's story and his insights definitely merit listening until the end . NOTES: Thomas’s website: http://www.thomastaylor-author.com

#36 Talking about writing and illustrating with Thomas Taylor

In my first conversation with Sophie , we discussed her successful career as a poet and thriller writer and the support she gives to other writers through the Dream Author programme. Many listeners have already been inspired by her words about resilience and self belief in the face of repeated rejection, which is something most of us are familiar with. If you haven’t heard that episode yet, I strongly suggest you give it a listen. In part 2, as well as telling me about her writing process and using the blurb as a 'story promise', she intriguingly mentions her exclusive ‘gnocchi’ technique for planning and drafting. As she says, you can apply to her directly for this and she will send it to you for free. Sophie is hugely generous with her advice. You can see why she’s been my guest twice this season.    NOTES: Sophie’s website: https://sophiehannah.com The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-killings-at-kingfisher-hill/sophie-hannah/agatha-christie/9780008264550 Dream Author website: https://dreamauthorcoaching.com'How I Prepare to Write' by Sophie Hannah: https://sophiehannah.com/how-i-prepare-to-write/'The Four Tendencies Quiz' by Gretchen Rubin:  https://quiz.gretchenrubin.com (Turns out I'm a Questioner by the way.)The Couple at the Table by Sophie Hannah: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/sophie-hannah/the-couple-at-the-table/9781529352832/ Apples Never Fall by Lianne Moriarty: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/306/306877/apples-never-fall/9780241396087.html 

#35 Talking about writing Christie and page-turnability with Sophie Hannah, Part Two

After a false start in standup and comic strip writing, Jenny's career took off with her first novel, Amanda’s Wedding. She is one of those rare authors who has been successful from the word go.  She talks about the auction for her first book, the limo that arrived to take her to the successful publisher’s, and the importance of good timing, the Great British Bakeoff and her ‘wolverine tenacity’. Among writing about writing that she admires, I thoroughly recommend her suggestion of The Writer's Tale by Russell T Davis and Benjamin Cook, which I'm pleased to have discovered. She also gives me her tips for writing romance. They are good ones, so listen up. Links: Jenny Colgan’s website: https://www.jennycolgan.com The Martian by Andy Weir: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-martian/andy-weir/9780091956141 Hail Mary by Andy Weir:  https://www.waterstones.com/book/project-hail-mary/andy-weir/9781529100617Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason: https://www.waterstones.com/book/sorrow-and-bliss/meg-mason/9781474622974 Russell T Davis & Benjamin Cook ‘The Writer’s Tale’: https://www.waterstones.com/book/doctor-who-the-writers-tale/benjamin-cook/russell-t-davies/9781846075711 

#34 Talking about comic fiction and sci fi with Jenny Colgan

I first encountered Amanda when she was children’s book critic for The Times, and was a judge on the Times/Chicken House competition that won me my first book contract, for Threads. As a journalist and reviewer she has been a huge champion of what she calls the third golden age of children’s literature, spotting Harry Potter, His Dark Materials and The Hunger Games in their early days.  As she is also the author of nine novels, I was keen to find out about her own writing process. We also discuss the hard truths about sustaining yourself as a novelist, the importance – as always – of libraries, and what is it that makes a busy book reviewer sit up and take notice of a new fiction title.  We recorded this episode in May 2021. I hope you enjoy our conversation.   NOTES: Amanda’s website: https://www.amandacraig.comWidowland by SJ Carey: https://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/titles/c-j-carey/widowland/9781529412017/

#33 Talking about writing contemporary novels with Amanda Craig

I wanted to talk to Sophie about many things – her career as an international bestselling thriller writer of books such as Little Face, The Carrier and the Monogram Murders­, her work with the Agatha Christie estate, what got her into writing, and how she helps writers with her Dream Author coaching programme. This was more than we could fit into the time available, so we had to save crimewriting, the Christie estate and Sophie’s special tips for planning for part 2, which I’ll be releasing soon.  In part one, we discuss the essential urge to write. Sophie explains having to fight to do a typing course as a teenager, and why stuffing envelopes and cataloguing library cards were the perfect jobs for someone with powerful ambition.  She describes the good bits, such as what happened when she released a collection of rhyming poetry, and got a letter out of the blue from Trinity College Cambridge. And the tough bits, such as the years and years it took to get her first novel published.  Over those years Sophie learned a lot. She tells me about her Dream Author coaching programme: how it helps writers to deal with negative feelings and find your own self belief and validation. You will feel Sophie’s positivity, so I’m not surprised that she can help authors learn to enjoy the process, right here, right now, despite however many rejections the industry may throw your way.  Buckle up. We have a lot to talk about.  We recorded this episode in June 2021. I hope you enjoy our conversation.   NOTES: Sophie’s website:  https://sophiehannah.com Dream Author coaching: https://dreamauthorcoaching.comBrooke Castillo Life Coach School: https://thelifecoachschool.com   

#32 Talking about the writing coach with Sophie Hannah

Way back in the mists of time, when I was too scared to simply sit down and write, I did a PhD in Italian Literature. The focus was reading other people’s work, not creating my own. So I was fascinated to know how a creative writing PhD works. Why do it? Does it help you get published? What about right brain/left brain? Does studying a subject academically for three years help or hinder the creative process?  Luke is an aspiring crime writer who has published in various literary magazines and journals; Alex already has three published historical crime novels to his name. They describe how the creative writing PhD process is its a combination of the writing itself and studying an associated topic that you’ve chosen – such as the appearance and disappearance of trans characters in historical crime fiction, as in Alex's case, or the presentation of socio-political issues in hard-boiled fiction, as in Luke's. In fact, having the opportunity to investigate an area that fascinates you can feed the writing, as well as providing a welcome change from the putting on the wordcount sometimes. It was great to get their different perspectives on it. I love their tips and recommendations. Especially the exhortation NOT to do a PhD unless you’re a particular sort of person. Maybe you weren’t planning to anyway, but there is a lot in this episode about the process and the craft of writing to get your teeth into all the same. Guardian review of The Butcher of Berner Street by Alex Reeve: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/nov/20/the-best-recent-and-thrillers-review-roundupLuke Deckard: https://thecwa.co.uk/find-an-author/deckard-luke Surrey University English Literature PhD: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/postgraduate/english-literature-phdKingston University PhD: https://www.kingston.ac.uk/research/research-degrees/available-degrees/phd/Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters: https://www.waterstones.com/book/tipping-the-velvet/sarah-waters/9781860495243Collected Stories by Raymond Chandler: https://www.waterstones.com/book/collected-stories/raymond-chandler/9781857152579 Farewell My Lovely by Raymond Chandler: https://www.waterstones.com/book/farewell-my-lovely/raymond-chandler/colin-dexter/9780241954355The World of Jeeves collection by PG Wodehouse: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-world-of-jeeves/p-g-wodehouse/9780099514237The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-hero-with-a-thousand-faces/joseph-campbell/9781577315933 

#31 Talking about crime writing and PhDs with Luke Deckard and Alex Reeve

Jo is the author of the Penny Dreadful series and the Rachel Riley books, and we discuss the importance of funny books for children, and her tips on how to write them. I think her partnership with Chris Hoy and the illustrator Clare Elsom in the Flying Fergus series is the model for celebrity publishing, so listen out. It can be done well!  We discuss the habit of writing, the accountability of Zoom writing sessions in lockdown – highly recommended, even now – and getting your book made into a BAFTA-winning TV show. Does it change your life? Am I talking to Jo as she lounges by her pool in the South of France? What are the average hourly earnings for writers, by the way?  When we spoke, Jo’s latest adult novel, The Talk of Pram Town, was about to be launched. I absolutely loved this book. It’s set between the 1980s of the royal wedding, and the late 1960s, telling the story of Jean, her runaway daugther Connie and her daughter Sadie. When Connie dies, Jean takes her granddaughter back to Harlow in Essex, where Connie grew up. I think of it as a story of Essex, sex and secrets. It’s heartbreaking and funny and true. Jo’s prose is brilliant and her dialogue is spot on. It didn’t get the launch it deserved because of lockdown, so do look out for it. Links: Jo's website: https://joannanadin.com Bath Spa MA for writers for children and young adults: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/courses/pg-writing-for-young-people/ Bristol University MA Creative Writing: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/2021/arts/ma-creative-writing/ Jo All Alone TV series: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8047424/ Lollies book awards (for laugh out loud books): https://shop.scholastic.co.uk/lollies. Be Amazing! An inspiring guide to being your own champion by Sir Chris Hoy: https://www.waterstones.com/book/be-amazing-an-inspiring-guide-to-being-your-own-champion/sir-chris-hoy/9781406394733 Jo and Sir Chris Hoy talking about writing the Flying Fergus series together: https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/authors-live-on-demand/chris-hoy-and-joanna-nadin Into The Woods by John Yorke: https://www.waterstones.com/book/into-the-woods/john-yorke/9780141978109 The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-science-of-storytelling/will-storr/9780008276973 The Bestseller Experiment podcast with John Yorke as guest: https://bestsellerexperiment.com/ep034-into-the-woods-with-john-yorke/ 

#30 Talking about the habit of writing with Joanna Nadin

Michelle's titles include Carnevale, The Water’s Daughter, and The Book of Human Skin. She also helped Gemma Dowler write about her late sister Milly. Michelle's novels are usually set in Venice, which she knows intimately, and are always imbued with history, vivid imagination and an element of fantasy. She has taught Guardian Masterclasses in How to Write for Children and is a consultant editor for The Writers Workshop and The Faber Academy, as well as hosting writing boot camps of her own. Her environmentalism and work with her community were sides of Michelle’s work I didn’t know so well. She describes her campaigning against the cruise ships in Venice and the threat of a partyboat as big as a three-storey football pitch on the Thames in London, and what happened after the London Bridge terror attacks, in which she became deeply involved, bringing her writing and listening skills to bear.  Links: Michelle’s website: https://www.michellelovric.com Writers With Faces: https://www.sylviabishopbooks.com/writers-with-faces.htmlLondon Writers Salon: https://londonwriterssalon.comMy Sister Milly by Gemma Dowler: https://www.waterstones.com/book/my-sister-milly/gemma-dowler/9781405927574Detransition Baby by Torrey Peters: https://www.waterstones.com/book/detransition-baby/torrey-peters/9781788167208No Grandi Navi: http://www.nograndinavi.itWe Are Here Venice: https://www.weareherevenice.org GCAN: https://globalcruiseactivistnetwork.com/about-us 

#29 Talking about a sense of place with Michelle Lovric

Natasha has been a children’s writer for a long time, and awards such as the Costa weren’t always on the cards. You might be interested in her answer to my question about when she felt ‘safe’ as a writer – I wasn’t surprised at all.  We met through her job as a book scout for my first publisher, Chicken House. Listen to my lockdown brain failing to grapple with what exactly scouts do, despite the fact that I have first-hand experience of it.  Back to the writing, she describes taking an editor’s advice about what to write next after a difficult moment in her career, and what happened when the pressure was off to write a better a book. I love her suggestions of the books she goes to when she needs inspiration. A couple are already on my list.Links: Natasha's website: https://www.natashafarrant.com Costa book awards: https://www.costa.co.uk/behind-the-beans/costa-book-awards/book-awards Faber: https://www.faber.co.uk The Science of Storytelling by William Store: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-science-of-storytelling-why-stories-make-us-human-and-how-to-tell-them-better/9780008276973 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe-pocket-edition/9780007586325 What Ho, the Best of PG Wodehouse: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/what-ho-the-best-of-wodehouse/9780099551287 Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/journey-to-the-river-sea/9781529066197 The Greengage Summer by Rumer Golden: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-greengage-summer/9781447211013 

#28 Talking about foreign rights with Natasha Farrant

Anthony McGowan is the author of various children’s books but the one that won the Carnegie Medal was Lark, which he wrote for one of my favourite publishers, Barrington Stoke. As well as Anthony's contemporary books featuring young, male protagonists, I was curious to hear about the Carnegie Medal process and I think Anthony explains very well why the shortlist is exciting, for readers as well as for writers. The Carnegie tends to favour a certain kind of book, but he reminded me about the range of other prizes out there too, and the absolute importance of libraries.  It just takes one book to resonate with someone and turn them into a reader. Anthony talks about the book that did it for him when he was nine, and how he read it over and over, and it taught him what a novel was. You want to know what it is now, don’t you?  We recorded this episode in April 2021, before the latest winner of the CILIP Carnegie medal was announced. He is the US poet and author Jason Reynolds, for his book Look Both Ways, published by Knights Of … a small, brave, young publishing company whose success I’m happy to celebrate today. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Anthony. Links:Barrington Stoke: https://www.barringtonstoke.co.ukAnthony McGowan at Penguin Books: https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/68003/anthony-mcgowan.html Anthony McGowan at Faber & Faber: https://www.faber.co.uk/author/anthony-mcgowan/CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Children's Book Awards: https://carnegiegreenaway.org.ukCILIP: https://www.cilip.org.uk/page/AboutCILIP  

#27 Talking about the Carnegie medal with Anthony McGowan

Phil was born in Hull, where he grew up wanting to play football for Hull City. His first job was as a care worker in a children’s home. Nowadays, when he’s not writing, he works as head of sales and marketing for the independent book publisher, David Fickling Books, who publish Philip Pullman.  We talk about getting into reading through comics and graphic novels, agree on a book that’s a masterclass in structure and characterisation – a checklist of excellence, Phil calls it – and the joy of the rollercoaster of writing a story for the first time. When it comes to marketing, Phil believes in the power of the voice and is reassuringly passionate about supporting a writer through their career, and not just the debut, when they are the shiny new thing. But writers must put the work in too. Links: Phil Earle website: http://www.philearle.com When The Sky Falls: https://www.waterstones.com/book/when-the-sky-falls/phil-earle/9781783449651 David Fickling Books: https://www.davidficklingbooks.com The Outsiders by SE Hinton: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/575/57559/the-outsiders/9780141189116.html Skellig by David Almond: https://davidalmond.com/tag/skellig/ Goodnight Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/609/60993/goodnight-mister-tom/9780141362717.html Holes by Louis Sachar: https://www.waterstones.com/book/holes/louis-sachar/9781408865231 

#26 Talking about writing and marketing with Phil Earle

How many of us dream of meeting a glamorous Frenchman, finding a tumbledown house by the sea and restoring it together, whiling away our afternoons in the sparkling pool between writing sessions and heavy manual labour on crumbling walls? Well, anyway, I do. The first of Carol's Olive Farm book makes it clear that money was very tight, and while I was reading it I wanted to know how she felt when she took the risk of writing it. After all, she couldn’t be sure it would earn the money she so desperately needed.  I had thought that perhaps Carol’s acting life and writing life would be two separate things, but she is enlightening about the ways in which she brings her training as an actress into the way she writes.Links:An Act of Love: http://www.caroldrinkwater.com The Olive Farm: http://www.caroldrinkwater.com/books/theolivefarm On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King: https://stephenking.com/works/nonfiction/on-writing-a-memoir-of-the-craft.htmlOn Writers and Writing by Margaret Atwood: https://www.virago.co.uk/titles/margaret-atwood/on-writers-and-writing/9780349006246/ 

#25 Talking about acting and a sense of place with Carol Drinkwater

As we’ll hear, Julia's writing and teaching careers developed side by side. I wanted to talk to her because over 60 students on her courses at Bath Spa have gone on to be published writers, some, like Elen Caldecott and Sally Nicholls, with stellar careers.We talk about Julia’s path to teaching, and how it feeds her writing, the importance of staying grounded and keeping the day job, getting a PhD after a career and bringing up children, and the effect of lockdown on writing. We also discuss the process and the benefits of something like an MA in creative writing. They’re not for everyone, but with the focus on workshops, on experimentation, and on reading as a writer, they have a lot to offer. These are ideas you can take for your writing too, however you do it.Julia talks about the importance of keeping writing alive, rather than getting too serious about black and white lines on a screen. I like that.

#24 Talking about writing and teaching with Julia Green

After two dozen episodes of Prepublished, who's next? Sophia introduces some of her guests in the upcoming weeks and the topics they talk about, including creative writing courses. Are they worth it? What can they teach?

Season 3 intro

What does it take to get your brilliant story published? The children’s writer Sophia Bennett and her guests explore the techniques authors use to get writing and create something that agents and editors can get excited about. It can be a lonely place, working on your manuscript and never being sure if anyone will like it. If you want to hear successful writers and editors talking about how they got started, which writing tips they recommend, and what today's publishers are looking for, this podcast is for you. Don't forget, 'writing is rewriting' - but sometimes it is also listening. We hope you enjoy the conversation. You can follow us on Twitter at @prepubpodcast

hubhopper

Prepublished

hubhopper