Author's Afterword

Charlie is joined by Alex Hay, Lucy Barker, Stacey Thomas, and a wonderful audience at Goldfinch Books in Alton. You want a writing deep dive? You've got it!

Please note that this episode has a whispered swear word in it - we were all adults!

The next live event will be at P&G Wells in Winchester on Friday 4th April. Tickets are available here If you can't click the link, go to pgwells.co.uk

Full show notes and a transcript to follow shortly.

The video of the main conversation is on YouTube here

Charlie and Maggie Brookes (The Prisoner's Wife) discuss her stunning story which was inspired by a real happening - a woman who hid in plain sight as a British soldier in a prisoner of war camp.

A transcript is available on my site

General references: Maggie's previous episode with me is episode 92 Now The War Is Over Time Watch All Our Working Lives The Sphinx, Maggie's poem version of The Prisoner's Wife Colditz The party episode with Maggie is Milestone 01 (also with Elizabeth Fremantle, Gill Paul, and Amanda Geard)

Books mentioned by name or extensively: Charlotte Brontë: Jane Eyre Maggie Brookes: The Prisoner's Wife Maggie Brookes-Butt: Wish John Nichol and Tony Rennell: The Last Escape

Buy the books: UK || USA

Release details: recorded 23rd September 2024; published 24th February 2025

Where to find Maggie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram

Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok

Discussions

01:29 The inspiration - a woman who hid as a man in a Nazi prisoner of war camp and how real it might be 09:49 How Maggie's work as a BBC producer helped her write The Prisoner's Wife 11:49 How the book started as a poem and then Maggie's journey to Czechia to do research into the Long March 20:19 The inspiration of Maggie's father, a prisoner of war who never spoke about his experience 26:58 What Maggie cut from the novel 28:52 Izzy's character development, language progression, and 'Algernon Cousins' 34:38 Adding in Bill's chapters later 36:53 Ralph and his fate being left open 41:24 Scotty's character and his sacrifice 43:28 The real Rosa Rauchbach and her lover 44:32 What are you writing now?

Photo credit: Lyn Gregory

Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops

Charlie and Éric Chacour (What I Know About You) discuss Egypt in the 1970s for the Levantine community and LGBT people, the famous French-Egyptian singer Dalida, Romeo and Juliet, Éric's use of the second person, and author and translator working together on writing that had been in place for 15 years.

A transcript is available on my site

General references: Dalida's Helwa ya Baladi

Books mentioned by name or extensively: Éric Chacour: What I Know About You

Buy the books: UK || USA

Release details: recorded 20th September 2024; published 10th February 2025

Where to find Éric online: Facebook || Instagram

Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok

Discussions

02:09 Éric's initial inspiration, Romeo and Juliet, for What I Know About You (he'd been writing the book for years) 05:18 The writing itself, including the use of the second person (Charlie has pointed out Éric's dedication to syllables and language) and the translation 10:31 The political backdrop, the use of it, and the decades chosen 13:29 The time period in terms of the LGBT community and Tarek's choices in that context 14:55 Entangled protons and love 16:25 Could Tarek have stayed with his family? 18:24 More on reader's interpretations and reactions 20:53 Nesrine and Mira and their importance 26:35 The servant, Fatheya 29:16 Talking of the impossibility of another point of view and the ending 31:20 Éric tells us why he included Vivienne 33:11 More about theatrical inspirations, and then we get on to how Éric wanted to be a songwriter 37:44 Dalida 39:22 Should we blame the grandmother? 41:54 Reality and fiction in terms of Rafik's narrative owing much to imagination and interpretation 45:41 What's next?

Photo credit: Justine Latour

Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops

Charlie and Edward Carey (Edith Holler) talk at length about the arts and the theatre in the context of his book and in general. They also talk about Norwich as Edward's book is his love letter to the city.

Please note there is a mild swear word in this episode.

A transcript is available on my site

General references: Edward's previous episode on this podcast is number 52 Wikipedia's article on Norwich Robert Louis Stevenson's essay on toy theatres is called A Penny Plain And Twopence Coloured and is available on Project Gutenberg The downloadable theatre on Edward's website (scroll down, on the left) Luigi Pirandello's Six Characters In Search Of An Author My episode with Melissa Fu is number 59

Books mentioned by name or extensively: Edward Carey: Edith Holler Gaston Le Roux: The Phantom Of The Opera Jeanette Winterson: The Passion Julian Of Norwich: Revelations Of Divine Love Robert Louis Stevenson: Memories And Portraits Xavier de Maistre: Voyage Around My Room

Buy the books: UK || USA

Release details: recorded 2nd September 2024; published 27th January 2025

Where to find Edward online: Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram

Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok

Discussions

01:29 The starting point of Edith Holler - lockdown, not being able to go to the theatre, and Brexit. We then move on to the fictional missing children in the book 05:22 Norwich as both a location and inspiration 12:01 Further notes on creating Edith herself, and then we discuss interpretations 18:41 More on the drawings and card theatre 21:05 The other characters 25:10 The Iron Curtain that separates theatre crew and theatre goers 29:01 The language of the novel 30:37 Was there something in particular that lead to you setting the book in the Edwardian period? 33:23 Being in Edith's head 34:27 Beetle Spread! 38:30 Did you ever consider having Edith leave the theatre? 39:20 The undercrofts and the importance of moving the story underground. We then continue on to discuss further theatrical influences on both the novel and ourselves 47:12 The photograph of a woman at the very end of the book 48:59 Edward explains why he won't tell us about what he's currently working on

Photo credit: Elizabeth McCracken

Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops

For live show tickets, click here

Charlie and Chloe C Peñaranda (The Stars Are Dying) discuss the incident wherein her heroine stabs the hero, getting around her hero's ability to run amok via deus ex machina, and becoming a hybrid author after success as a self-published writer.

Please note there are brief mentions of abuse in this episode.

A transcript is available on my site

General references: Chloe's TikTok

Books mentioned by name or extensively: Chloe C Peñaranda: An Heir Comes To Rise Chloe C Peñaranda: A Throne From The Ashes Chloe C Peñaranda: A Sword From The Embers Chloe C Peñaranda: The Stars An Dying Chloe C Peñaranda: The Night Is Defying Sarah J Maas: A Court Of Thorns And Roses

Buy the books: UK || USA

Release details: recorded 24th October 2024; published 13th January 2025

Where to find Chloe online: Website || Facebook || Instagram || TikTok

Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok

Discussions

01:36 Was romantasy the genre you'd been waiting for? 02:55 The initial thought for The Stars Are Dying - Greek myths and Chloe's series An Heir Comes To Rise, and we talk about potential spin-off series 06:34 Why Chloe chose the second iteration of Nyte and Astraea's relationship to focus on instead of the first 08:04 On having a general direction or goal in mind for The Stars Are Dying 08:49 Creating Astraea and Nyte 10:26 Using a slow burn romance 11:45 Getting around the potential deus ex machina of Nyte's powers 13:07 Deciding when to give readers answers as to Astraea's mental state and so on 14:33 The inclusion of amnesia and abuse 15:44 The Libertatum 17:55 The planning before putting pen to paper 19:21 Discussing Astrea's stabbing of Nyte 20:53 Slight notes on the crossover between The Stars Are Dying and An Heir Comes To Rise 23:54 On Cassia's role 25:06 Drystan 25:38 About The Night Is Defying 27:06 How fans of An Heir Comes To Rise have responded to The Stars Are Dying 28:38 Being, now, a hybrid author 30:13 How the traditional publishing deal came about 32:19 On getting a house and garden for her dogs following the publishing deal 33:37 Ideas Chloe is considering for her next work

Photo credit: Caroline Anne

Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops

Charlie and Eliza Chan (Fathomfolk) discuss many questions of immigration in both reality and her fantasy fiction, the different mythological creatures she used and decisions in regards to location inspiration, and Fathomfolk's controversial ending.

Please note there is a spoiler in this episode for N K Jemisin's The Fifth Season.

For live show tickets, click here.

A transcript is available on my site

General references: The Witcher Jessica Jones The Untamed

Books mentioned by name or extensively: Eliza Chan: Fathomfolk Eliza Chan: Tideborn N K Jemisin: The Fifth Season R F Kuang: Babel Rhonda Parrish (ed.): Sirens

Buy the books: UK || USA

Release details: recorded 14th August 2024; published 23rd December 2024

Where to find Eliza online: Website || Instagram

Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok

Discussions

02:25 The initial inspirations 04:34 More about the topic of immigration 06:57 World building and the world outside of Tiankawi 09:05 Creating Mira, Nami, and Cordelia 14:56 Having started with one narrative and changing it to three 17:44 Using different countries' mythologies, originally planning to set Fathomfolk in a British city, and the possibility of historical settings 25:25 Kai's significance and his relationship with Mira 28:59 Writing and pacing 31:23 Eliza's 'use' of The Drawbacks and the response to the book 37:06 The Onseon engine 39:20 Dragon pearls 42:25 The themes of motherhood and friendship 46:18 The use of gods 49:46 The controversial ending! 51:25 Book two, Tideborn 52:23 Harbour Of Hungry Ghosts 53:52 The game of Wulan

Photo credit: Sandi Hodkinson

Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops

First live show details

Guests: Alex Hay (The Queen Of Fives; The Housekeepers), Stacey Thomas (The Revels), Lucy Barker (The Other Side Of Mrs Wood) Date: Wednesday 26th February Location: Goldfinch Books, Alton, Hampshire Ticket link: https://bit.ly/3Das5kn

Accessibility: Both the shop itself and the toilets are accessible.

Charlie and Elaine Chiew (The Light Between Us) discuss early 20th century Singaporean photography and its influences on Elaine's novel in depth, which involves looking at social issues and the history of the qipao. We also dive into the time travel aspects and the use of Chinese spirit-mediums.

A transcript is available on my site

General references: The Lake House (2006) Il Mare (2000) The Young Companion magazine In The Mood For Love

Books mentioned by name or extensively: Constance Turnbull: A History Of Singapore Elaine Chiew: The Heartsick Diaspora Elaine Chiew: The Light Between Us Elaine Chiew (ed.): Cooked Up! Kevin Kwan: Crazy Rich Asians Terence Heng: Of Gods, Gifts and Ghosts Spiritual Places in Urban Spaces Viet Thanh Nguyen: The Sympathizer

Buy the books: UK || USA

Release details: recorded 23rd July 2024; published 9th December 2024

Where to find Elaine online: Website || Twitter || Instagram

Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok

Discussions

00:02:04 About Elaine's research into early 20th century Singaporean photographs and bringing voices that haven't had a say in fiction to the fore 00:10:28 How important is The Light Between Us's Tian Wei compared to Charlie [the character]? 00:14:48 Working out the time travel and including Charlie's family 00:21:04 How Elaine's career in the creative arts influenced the book, and how women in Singapore used their agency when being photographed 00:35:38 Looking at the smaller moments of war and the lead up to war. Also Elaine's inclusion of the Ghee Hin Kong Si 00:40:19 Aiko's creation and importance in the book 00:47:17 Elaine's writing style and use of punctuation which fascinated our host! 00:52:14 The use of the tangki and all that involved 01:00:59 Brief notes on what Elaine is writing now

Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops

Charlie and Emma Cowell (The Island Love Song) discuss the Greek island of Hydra, reactions from readers in regards to IVF and polyamory plot threads, early onset dementia, and the Parthenon sculptures.

A transcript is available on my site

General references: Leonard Cohen's Bird On A Wire The photo of the lady in shadow that Emma took The Pirate Bar, Hydra

Books mentioned by name or extensively: Emma Cowell: One Last Letter From Greece Emma Cowell: The House In The Olive Grove Emma Cowell: The Island Love Song Emma Cowell: Under The Lemon Tree

Buy the books: UK || USA

Release details: recorded 9th July 2024; published 25th November 2024

Where to find Emma online: Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram

Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok

Discussions

02:20 The inspiration - the Greek island of Hydra 04:10 The conflict in the book, siblings, and how being on an island makes it more dramatic 06:04 The island as a character 07:41 Why it was important to explore sisterhood and non-chosen family 13:40 Writing Georgia in all her chaos and character progression 18:24 Ella and having to live with your ex having wrote a song about you 20:18 Emma tells us about the songs in the book (they exist!) and her musical background 24:32 Leonard Cohen's influence in terms of Hydra, and Hydra's lack of technology 27:51 Emma's use of the island of Dokos and writing about researching Greek food at The Pirate Bar 34:29 Emma discusses IVF journeys, parenthood, and readers who contact her to thank her for the way she includes fertility and romantic issues. We then move on to a time in Greece where there were very problematic adoptions 40:00 The concept of twin flames 42:32 Emma's inclusion of early onset dementia 48:27 Why Emma set her 'present day' storyline in 2016 - student days and mobile phone usage 51:15 Emma's thoughts on returning the Elgin marbles/Parthenon sculptures 54:05 What's next - the book to be named Under The Lemon Tree. This morphs into a longer conversation about how Emma writes and plots 58:52 What Emma cut from The Island Love Song

Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops

Charlie and Susan Muaddi Darraj (Behind You Is The Sea) discuss the Palestinian Christian community, her immigrant characters and their children, how she used the current conflict in her stories, and the segregation of the working class in Baltimore, Maryland.

Please note this episode mentions domestic violence.

A transcript is available on my site

Books mentioned by name or extensively: Lawrence T Brown: The Black Butterfly Susan Muaddi Darraj: Farah Rocks Fifth Grade Susan Muaddi Darraj: Farah Rocks Summer Break Susan Muaddi Darraj: Farah Rocks New Beginnings Susan Muaddi Darraj: Farah Rocks Florida Susan Muaddi Darraj: Behind You Is The Sea

Buy the books: UK || USA

Release details: recorded 25th June 2024; published 11th November 2024

Where to find Susan online: Website || Twitter || Instagram

Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok

Discussions

01:49 The initial inspiration for Behind You Is The Sea - Susan's character, Marcus Salameh 05:01 How poetry runs in Susan's family 07:21 The focus on women and women's worth 09:15 Susan's choices in making most of her characters people from one family 10:36 The story Hashtag - including stories of domestic violence and murder - and how the West would see it 16:13 How Susan doesn't want to be 'nice' to her characters 18:37 The different generations and how they relate to one another, and then we move on to discuss a spin-off novel that Susan is writing 23:55 Where the title, Behind You Is The Sea, came from 26:16 How Palestinian Muslims and Palestinian Christians live peacefully together in Palestine 31:13 Segregation in Baltimore 35:53 The way Susan included the current Arab-Israeli conflict in the book 37:35 What's next - Susan's current works in progress, including her work for children

Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops