Author's Afterword

Charlie and Claire North (Notes From The Burning Age) discuss climate change today and into the future, sexism back of house in theatre, and how she views her books in terms of colours and shapes rather than words.

Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-45-claire-north

CBBC Newsround article from 2002 Peter Kenny and Claire North Audible interview

Question Index

00:45 How did your first publication, as a teenager, come about? 03:33 (Discussing Claire's lighting design work) 10:46 Could you tell us about your seeing the book in terms of colour? 12:49 How would you categorise this book, genre-wise? 16:57 Where do you fall on the subject yourself in terms of the two sides, Temple and the Brotherhood? 22:50 What was it about Ven's position, as a character and in terms of his place in society, that made him the right person to be the narrator? 26:08 Does this whole thing of Ven being a regular person but not so regular extend to Yue? 28:33 Going to the extremes of what you've been saying, could your books be told by yourself through the first person, without a character narrator? 29:55 Are the kakuy open to interpretation? 33:13 What inspired the servers of all our modern day information? 37:24 Have we the power, do you think, to reverse the burning age that we're at the beginnings of? 41:23 Back to your tangent from earlier, what is the period of history you enjoy studying the most? 42:29 Could Ven ever have become a proper member of the Brotherhood? 44:45 What's next?

Purchase Links

Notes From The Burning Age: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters

I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.

Photograph used with the permission of the author.

Charlie and Tyler Keevil (Your Still Beating Heart) discuss using the violence of Snow White in an adult thriller to shocking and literary effect, writing in the second person to tell a story within a story where either - or both, or none - may be 'true', and the many hearts at the heart of his novel.

Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-44-tyler-keevil

I was joined by Susmita Bhattacharya for episode 32

Question Index

00:54 What does your job as Director of the BA in Creative Writing entail? 09:08 Is the story we are told about Eira true or is it an attempt at writing by our struggling fictional creative? 11:48 How much of you is in this book? 15:53 Why the second person narrative? 21:12 What was behind the small exploration of what Eira can do now that her husband is gone? 23:33 How crucial is Tod's presence, or lack of presence, to the story as a whole? 25:00 The chapters are like short stories; why did you choose to write in this way? 27:34 You have a linking theme in the use of 'heart' - could you expand on this? 31:45 Is Eira and Gogol's future life good? 34:50 What was the message or takeaway you wanted to leave your readers with? 36:28 What's next?

Purchase Links

Your Still Beating Heart Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters

I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.

Photograph used with the permission of the publisher.

Charlie and Rachel Hore (A Beautiful Spy) discuss the life and work of a female spy in the years between the First and Second World Wars, the man who inspired James Bond's M, and how Rachel took care to do right in her representation of a real person.

Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-43-rachel-hore

Rachel Hore's The Dream House Rachel's article on Olga Gray for the Historical Writers' Association Wikipedia's article on Max Knight Wikipedia's article on Mata Hari (contains semi-nude photo) Wikipedia's article on John Buchan Wikipedia's article on Johnny Morris iTunes Podchaser

Question Index

00:36 How did being an editor (HarperCollins) before becoming an author influence your writing? 01:46 Did you always know you wanted to write a book, had you always had a book in you? 12:55 This book is based on a spy, Olga Gray?... 15:30 Was it usual for people to be a spy for such a relatively short period of time? 17:28 Were there many women spies in this period of time? 18:57 Was it difficult to work with the facts and add your fiction into the story? 22:21 Was Max Knight an author in real life? 24:35 How did you expect readers to take to your fictionised Max? 26:08 How much did Minnie's relationship with her father impact her choices in these spy years? 32:23 Can you tell us about the Friends of the Soviet Union? 36:20 What's next? 37:21 A Beautiful Spy was your first novel about a real person - do you think you'd do similar again? 38:51 Do you feel you did right by Olga?

Purchase Links

A Beautiful Spy: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters

I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.

Photograph used with the permission of the author. Credit: Charlotte Murphy.

Charlie and Gill Paul (The Second Marriage) discuss the lives and loves of Jackie Kennedy and Maria Callas from their early married years until later life, the womanising ways of the men in their lives, and the opera and celebrity that in Gill's book links them all.

Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-42-gill-paul

The Time article Gill references, published on 29th October 1956 Barbara Walters interviews Maria Callas for NBC's Today programme on 15th April 1974 Carly Simon's Touched by the Sun Barbara Leaming's book on Jackie Kennedy EOnline - 'Inside the Tragic Strength of Jackie Kennedy' Gill discusses how she researches a novel (in this context, The Second Marriage) Lyndsy Spence's Cast A Diva Maria Callas' Casta Diva

Question Index

06:36 Why Jackie and Maria, why this idea? 10:50 Is there a significance to you having started the book with Maria? 12:10 Maria and Jackie never met?... 13:39 What are you thoughts on who Jackie was as a person? 17:09 Could you tell us more about JFK and Aristotle Onassis as people and in their relationships? 21:12 There were issues with the book's content in terms of Jackie's sister Lee?... 24:17 Why was it important to include the rumour of Maria Callas having had a child? 28:05 What is your favourite recording of Maria? 29:27 What was your research like for the operatic aspects? 31:09 What did you want readers to take away with them in regards to their thoughts on these two women? 32:04 Tell us about your next book, The Collector's Daughter

Purchase Links

The Second Marriage/Jackie And Maria: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters

The Collector's Daughter: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters

I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.

Photograph used with the permission of the author.

Charlie and Rosanna Ley (The Orange Grove) discuss whether one of her main characters, Ella, made the right decision with the situational contexts at hand, the viability of a shop focused on orange-related products and set up in Dorset, the Seville producers of those products, and the secrets of the flour-free cake that starts the whole thing off.

Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-41-rosanna-ley

Gospa Citrus Organic Orange Farm Bridport, Dorset The cake Rosanna's writing retreats

Question Index

07:24 Would it be right to say that the Flamenco is an important aspect further than as itself, symbolically? 09:01 Was there a starting point for Ella's story? 10:44 Tell us about your research 13:05 Would Holly's shop be a viable business? 14:46 Where did you come across the cake? 16:58 Had you set out to include Felix's narrative from the first? 19:18 (Spoiler question) Had you considered having the 1988 Ella staying on in Seville? 21:55 Will Ella and Ingrid's relationship continue to get better? 22:55 What's next? 25:36 Tell us about your writing retreats

Purchase Links

The Orange Grove: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Chapters Indigo

I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.

Photograph used with the permission of the author.

Charlie and Zen Cho (Black Water Sister) discuss traditional Chinese beliefs, smashing up shrines, and Jane Austen.

Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-40-zen-cho

Jean DeBernardi's The Way That Lives In The Heart Podchaser website

Question Index

08:13 Was the book always going to be comedic? 08:29 Why did you choose to make Jess American? 10:21 Can you tell us about your research in terms of what inspired Black Water Sister herself? 13:02 Are there any gods in the book that are true to the folklore and religion? 16:08 Did you ever consider extending the fantastical aspect? 17:53 You have the smashing up of a shrine - was that difficult to include? 18:31 How much are the characters, other than Jess, Ah Ma, and Black Water Sister, a device to keep Jess' development going? 19:31 You start and end the book on Jess' sexuality - why was it important to do that? 22:27 How much are Jess, Ah Ma, and the Black Water Sister the same person? 24:36 Was it always the plan to have Manglish phrasing without translations? 26:06 Favourite Jane Austen novel? 26:40 Did you ever consider having Sharanya there in person? 28:02 Is Shering's life going to be more above board going forward?

Purchase Links

Black Water Sister: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Chapters Indigo

Spirits Abroad: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Barnes & Noble IndieBound Chapters Indigo

I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.

Photograph used with the permission of EDPR. Credit: Darren Johnson.

Charlie and Christina Courtenay (Echoes Of The Runes; The Runes Of Destiny) discuss what the Vikings were really like, time travellers' historical partners travelling back with them, and predictability and coincidence as plot devices.

Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-39-christina-courtenay

Jorvick Viking Festival, York Birka

Question Index

00:35 You've been published for a long time; tell us about your past work 04:52 You say in Echoes of the Runes that the Vikings aren't quite as we think they are. Can you expand on this for us? 06:33 What research did you do for the books? 08:40 You explore disability, with the main character finding a way to communicate with Jorun. Why was this important to explore? 10:27 Did you ever have any issues with getting Haakon how you wanted him to be? 11:52 The noted predictability and coincidences between time periods - was this something you always planned to use? 13:30 What was behind the decision to have Destiny of the Runes take us to another country? 15:14 Linnea takes a good number of pages to accept she's travelled in time - what lead to this decision? 16:22 Were you always going to have the time travel in the reverse? 22:23 Linnea's possible experience or possible virginity in the context of the history - had you considered a different story here? 24:09 The forthcoming Whispers of the Runes and Tempted by the Runes - tell us about them

Purchase Links

Echoes Of The Runes: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Chapters Indigo

The Runes Of Destiny: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Chapters Indigo

Whispers Of The Runes: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Chapters Indigo

Tempted By The Runes: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones IndieBound Chapters Indigo

I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.

Photograph used with the permission of the author.

She's back! Nicola Cornick (The Forgotten Sister; The Last Daughter) returns to discuss Amy Robsart and the mystery of her death, the relationship between Robert Dudley and Elizabeth I, and the Princes in the Tower.

Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-38-nicola-cornick

Our previous interview, episode 1 Lydiard House Amy Robsart Robert Dudley Thomas Seymour The portrait of young Elizabeth I Cumnor (the village) Walter Scott's Kenilworth University Church, Oxford Susanna Kearsley's The Rose Garden Francis Lovell The Princes in the Tower Josephine Tey's The Daughter Of Time The discovery of Richard III's bones

Question Index

01:09 How has writing and reading been different for you during the lockdown and now? 03:13 You have a role at Lydiard House?... 04:52 Who was Amy Robsart? 06:49 Would you say that the present day narrative helped look at the historical story in a more objective manner? 07:53 The press at the time, and historians afterwards, believed Dudley killed Amy?... 09:18 Do you think Elizabeth I and Dudley were lovers? 12:11 What do you think happened to Amy? 13:29 Can you tell us about the sightings of Amy's ghost? 16:13 (Spoiler-ish question) Who thought of the title? 17:22 If we say time slip and time travel are two different things, do you have a preference? 18:18 Tell us about The Last Daughter 20:01 Who do you think killed the Princes in the Tower?

Purchase Links

The Forgotten Sister: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters

The Last Daughter: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters

I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.

Photograph used with the permission of the author.

Charlie and Kimberly Derting (The Body Finder) discuss publishing a dark YA series in the wake of Twilight, avoiding romance and family tropes, and the further lives of her characters beyond the final page.

Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-37-kimberly-derting

Question Index

00:45 What was it like juggling two jobs, family, and writing? 03:42 What was it like publishing a (dark, Young Adult) book in the wake of Twilight? 10:37 Was Violet's ability inspired by anything? 12:42 Family is important in the books... 13:44 What is the significance of the various imprints that you chose? 14:42 Violet goes to a school that exists in real life... 16:06 Why did you start the series with Violet and Jay's burgeoning romance, avoiding tropes and such? 18:47 Why did you include narratives of the killers, particularly in the way that you did? 20:55 Was there a particular reason for diverging from that narrative path in book two, with Megan? 22:05 Why the shift in focus in Desires of the Dead (Sara and Rafe)? 23:29 Was Violet always going to have her own imprint? 24:27 If Jay had ever got an imprint, do you think Violet would have been able to live with it? 29:28 Was Chelsea easy to write? 30:23 Beyond the series, would Chelsea continue to have an aspect in Violet's 'secret' life? 31:40 Are Violet and Jay going to be better cooks than their parents? 32:11 Do you have any regrets and is there anything you're particularly happy with? 33:58 Do you have any more YA books in the planning stages at the moment?

Purchase Links

The Body Finder: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters

Desires Of The Dead: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters

The Last Echo: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters

Dead Silence: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters

I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.

Photograph used with the permission of the author.

Charlie and Kate Forsyth (Bitter Greens; The Wild Girl) discuss the story and history of Rapunzel - which was part of Kate's doctoral thesis - as well as the woman who told the Brothers Grimm many of their tales, and the progression of change those tales went through as the brothers pursued success.

Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-36-kate-forsyth

The page on Kate's website summarising her published academic research on Rapunzel Information on Charlotte-Rose de la Force Disney's Tangled William Morris' poem Information on Giambattista Basile Plot of Basile's Petrosinella Biography of Charles Perrault Andrew Lang Jack Zipes' Spells Of Enchantment Jack Zipes' The Great Fairy Tale Tradition Hessen-Cassel Wikipedia's page on the Brothers Grimm, including a drawing of Dortchen Information on Ludwig Grimm The 1824 English translation of the Brothers Grimm stories Biography of Herman Grimm Biography of Marie Hassenpflug Kate's Cotswolds writing retreats

Question Index

01:07 You've written a plethora of books for various ages - how much does the fantasy genre crossover between them? 13:05 What is your general feeling about the witch from Rapunzel? 17:35 So you've got these three different people literally locked away, and then you've this extra subtext of you as a child... 20:11 You've mentioned your doctorate - what sort of information can we expect from the thesis as opposed to the fiction? 21:24 Why did you choose Charlotte-Rose de la Force's version of Rapunzel? 26:10 Are there any other stories by Charlotte-Rose that we know of today? 27:49 You keep detailed notebooks for your research? 30:58 We don't know how Charlotte-Rose found out about the original Rapunzel story?... 32:50 What do you think of Tangled? 47:46 The Wild Girl - you created quite a bit of Dortchen's story yourself? 52:17 (More on the changes made from the original Brothers Grimm collection) 59:26 (More on the subject of the women who told the Brothers the stories) 1:01:43 How much time did you have to spend researching the Napoleonic Wars? 1:02:29 Can you tell us about the treatments for Asthma in the early 1800s? 1:03:49 You have writing retreats in the Cotswolds every year?

Purchase Links

Bitter Greens: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Amazon Australia Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Chapters Indigo

The Wild Girl: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Amazon Australia Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound

The Rebirth Of Rapunzel: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Amazon Australia Barnes & Noble IndieBound

I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.

Photograph used with the permission of the author.