This week on In My Good Books, I'm joined once again by author Dave Goodman, and this time we're recording in person on publication day for his brilliant new novel, Solitary Agents.

Dave first appeared on the podcast as part of my Bloody Scotland Debut Prize series before going on to win both the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize and the McIlvanney Prize. Since then, it's been a whirlwind year of book launches, awards, festivals and a brand-new book deal.

We discuss Solitary Agents, the second novel in Dave's acclaimed Legends spy series, which sees Jamie Tulloch leave behind his ordinary life and step fully into the world of espionage. We talk about the inspiration behind the novel, the fascinating world of spy training exercises, and how Dave creates the realistic tradecraft that readers love.

We also discuss:

• Why Dave recently reduced his day job to part-time
• The challenge of balancing writing with the business of being an author
• Creating fan-favourite characters including Jamie Tulloch and Sam Lee
• Researching espionage and intelligence work
• Writing cinematic action scenes
• The real-life locations that inspired the novel
• Why readers often tell Dave his books feel like TV dramas
• His newly announced science-fiction novel Shards of Starlight
• Building multiple series and creating fictional worlds

If you're a fan of spy fiction, crime thrillers, espionage novels or simply love hearing about the realities of becoming a successful author, this is a fascinating conversation.

Find Dave here: https://www.instagram.com/davegoodmanauthor/

Buy Solitary Agents: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/solitary-agents-david-goodman/b24995e441e6b289?ean=9781035434145&next=t

Rat Race by Callum McSorley: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/rat-race-callum-mcsorley/1023cf9154263b59?ean=9781805336396&next=t