Bestsellers

It's publication day for Clare Mackintosh: A return visitor to the BestSellers Podcast. Clare's second book in her Ffion Morgan Detective series is called A Game of Lies. It centres around a fictional reality TV show called Exposure, where contestants have to battle to keep their inner secrets, secret, whilst exposing the secrets of their fellow competitors. When one of the contestants disappears into the North Wales countryside mid-show, Ffion is called in to work out if a crime has been committed and by whom.

In this episode we talk about Reality TV; How Clare was nearly the lead copper on Channel 4's Hunted and Natalie boldly suggests Clare might want to increase her HRT. It's all here...!

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Holiday reads covered! And even if you're not headed away, Nat and Phil have got 5 suggestions for books to metaphorically whisk you away. There's a book about mental fitness, fictional rich people behaving badly in a whodunnit, and a fascinating debut about language and identity from Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi. Plus in praise of Caitlin Moran's writing and Julie Cohen's lusty summer romantic drama, aptly named Summer People. Hope you find something to love, and there will be more recs coming soon!

Pass on your reading recs too on ko-fi and if you're able to support this podcast with a metaphorical cuppa then that would be lovely too:

https://ko-fi.com/bestsellerspodcast

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The brilliant Comedy Dramatist Mike Gayle returns to BestSellers. This time to tell us about his brand new nineteenth book on what is our nineteenth consecutive Episode of this season. Spooky, eh...?

The book isn't spooky. It's Mike's best yet about a newly separated teacher, Helen, whose husband has not only had the mid life affair but decides to take his new girlfriend on the family holiday Helen should've been on with their children. Whilst she stews at home, the doorbell rings and out of the blue is Ben, a boyfriend from 25 years ago who's now a world famous rock star with his own problems to run from.

Phil & Natalie talk to Mike about how he creates characters that you want to root for; his 25th anniversary as a published author and Natalie puts Mike on the Psychiatrist's Chair....!

If you love it, feel free to buy us a metaphorical brew at: https://ko-fi.com/bestsellerspodcast

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The world truly took notice of Kirstin Chen's writing with her third book, Counterfeit, which was picked up and included on influential lists by Reese Witherspoon and Roxanne Gay. A thrilling crime story centre around friendship, prejudice, and a counterfeit handbag operation, Kirstin's book hooks you in from the get-go. Based in San Francisco, Kirstin explains how a real life crime sparked this novel into life, why it became key to exploring racial injustices, and how writing and finishing a book can be success enough.

If you've enjoyed this conversation please share it and tell your friends! You can also support the author by buying their book, and support Nat and Phil to make more Bestsellers podcasts by buying them a metaphorical cuppa here:

https://ko-fi.com/bestsellerspodcast

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Daisy Upton is a Rock Star in the BestSellers Household. You'll know her better as Five Minute Mum, a former classroom assistant who's 5 min easy to set up games for kids, have come to the rescue of many an arguing home, and earned her over 250,000 Instagram followers.

Her latest book is her first targeted at children rather than parents: STARTING SCHOOL walks your child through what to expect in their first few days in a brand new environment and is packed with useful tips for children and parents alike.

In this episode Daisy explains where her five minute mum concept came from; how she's now judged by other parents and where her further writing ambitions lie.

We also talk Cocktails and Natalie mentions The Spirits substack by Richard Godwin, which she promised we'd link to in this synopsis, plus listen right to the end for Phil's story of a cocktail experience which ended in flames...!

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Way back in Episode 6 of Series 4, Cecilia's debut novel, Everything's Fine, was recommended to all of us by Curtis Sittenfeld. So we took her up on that rec, read Cecilia's book and totally fell in love with the story and her whip-smart writing style too. And lo, as if by magic, now we get to talk to Cecilia Rabess all about how she achieved that! It's a romantic comedy of errors if you like, about two people from different backgrounds with very different ideals, who meet and try to navigate their way through love.

Hope you love this one as much as we did! And if you are in a position to support the podcast, well that would be just fine and dandy too. Metaphorical coffees can be bought for Bestsellers, which we'll channel back into making these, just head to Ko-fi:

https://ko-fi.com/bestsellerspodcast

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Hollywood knows a good thing when it reads it, and TJ Newman is a very good thing whose two novels are currently in the works to become movies. Her second thriller, Drowning, once again draws on her flight expertise from a decade spent as cabin crew and it is the perfect summer, or anytime-of-year read. Proper page-turning stuff. As ever, you never quite know where these conversations might go with us, but come on the ride that'll take in some musical theatre (YES! says Natalie), love of the film Titanic, disaster epics and how 41 rejections can be spun into gold!

We loved this conversation with TJ and while Phil and Natalie await their own publishing dreams to be realized, if you're in a position to buy a metaphorical cuppa to show your support, thank you!

https://ko-fi.com/bestsellerspodcast

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What can we say about Dennis Lehane..? He's written some of the best novels of all time which people like Clint Eastwood and Martin Scorsese have seized upon for the big screen. Think MYSTIC RIVER or SHUTTER ISLAND. He was a staff writer on The Wire. He's now a major show runner for Apple TV+ with the likes of Blackbird and the upcoming Firebug, both starring Taron Egerton.

Dennis is back with his fourteenth novel SMALL MERCIES - and it's easily Phil's book of 2023. It's set amidst the School Bussing Riots in Boston of 1974 and tells the story of a hard as nails woman called Mary Pat Hennessy who's trying to find out why her daughter hasn't returned home, the same night that a black teenager is murdered in a racially motivated attack.

This is a rare opportunity to hear one of the 21st century's best story tellers talk about how he does his job; why he can't stand ego on Set and how this book poured out of him whilst he was having a nightmare shooting Blackbird...!

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Mark Billingham has done it all. He's been an actor, a stand up, a TV screenwriter and a multi award winning crime writer. He's back with his first brand new series in 20 years, with Detective Miller: He dances, he keeps pet rats and he's very sardonic. THE LAST DANCE is a departure from Billingham's award winning Tom Thorne series, with a change of tone that brings rich humour to the whodunnit genre.

Phil & Natalie love Mark's books and chatting to him. This interview is searingly honest about the pain of writing for TV; the pressures of book deadlines and if you've ever wondered where the phrase, 'blowing smoke up your arse,' comes from, Mark will tell you.

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Yep, THE Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles fame chats to Phil and Natalie about her debut fiction novel, This Bird Has Flown. Susanna explains how she started writing fiction in the '80s at the peak of her her pop fame, and has always read voraciously from childhood. She's written screenplays before now but after one of her sons questioned if she'd ever write that book she'd talked about for so many years, she thought she'd better get on with it. This is not the ghost-written celebrity project you may be thinking, this is all Susanna, writing from experience and her fun and passion is right there in the book for all to enjoy!

You can support this podcast by buying a cuppa here:

https://ko-fi.com/bestsellerspodcast

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