Confessions of a Book Collector

Before Olly Smith became one of Britain’s best known wine experts, he was writing scripts for Pingu. And now he’s turned to murder.

For the series six finale, Olly joins David Headley to talk about Death by Noir, his first “wine crime” novel. He shares how its eccentric wine shop detective came to him, why wine lovers and book collectors have more in common than you might think, plus the surprising route that took him from screenwriting to putting his own spin on the crime fiction genre.

Send Me Your Book Confessions — share your favourite books, collecting stories, questions and reactions to episodes.

Felix Mosse is a novelist, script editor and Associate Director of Criterion New Writing, one of London’s foremost programmes for emerging playwrights. Before turning to fiction, he spent 16 years as a professional actor, including playing Marius in Les Misérables.

Felix joins David Headley to discuss the unexpected pause that led him away from the stage and towards The Mistral, the first instalment in his epic fantasy trilogy and an instant Sunday Times bestseller.

He shares how more than 150 lore documents helped him construct a world powered by a mysterious natural force, why its climate change parallels only emerged through the editing process and what his years as an actor and script editor taught him about character, dialogue and rewriting.

Felix also reflects on the extraordinary response to his debut, why he believes writers should demand honesty from their editors and the biggest influences on his approach to fantasy.

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David sits down with bestselling poet and playwright Nikita Gill as she prepares for the release of Styx: The River, the latest novel in her epic reimagining of Greek mythology.

Nikita reveals why she was drawn to Styx: a powerful goddess eclipsed by her thousands of siblings, whose story allowed her to explore the very modern pressures of being an eldest daughter. From carrying everyone else’s burdens to swallowing your own rage and longing to be truly seen, Nikita explains the experiences that shaped her version of the goddess, and why Styx ultimately became a love story about sisterhood, chosen family and finding your place in the world.

She also takes David back to where the series began, with the extraordinary origins of Hekate: a story that first appeared to her as a recurring dream and refused to leave her alone until she wrote it. Nikita reveals why she scrapped her first attempt and started again in verse, why she begins her stories with the ending and works backwards, and what drives her to bring mythology’s overlooked women to the centre of their own stories.

Plus, Nikita shares what it’s been like taking her bestseller Hekate from page to stage, before revealing what’s on her collector shelf.

Send Me Your Book Confessions — share your favourite books, collecting stories, questions and reactions to episodes.

What happens when falling in love means walking away from the life you thought you were called to live?

This week on Confessions of a Book Collector, David is joined by Stephanie Sy-Quia, author of Goldsboro's Fresh Ink book of the month choice: A Private Man, to uncover the remarkable family story behind her debut novel.

Inspired by the revelation that Stephanie’s grandfather had been a Catholic priest before leaving the Church to marry her grandmother, A Private Man explores a love caught between faith and conscience, and the enormous cost of choosing a different life.

Stephanie discusses turning a painful family secret into fiction, why she wanted to take both love and religious vocation seriously, and how she made theology sexy. 

She and David also explore the upheaval of the 1960s, feminism and Vatican II, the shame surrounding those who left the priesthood, and shares her honest experience of writing your first novel. 

Send Me Your Book Confessions — share your favourite books, collecting stories, questions and reactions to episodes.

This week, David has some rather exciting news to share.

After months of work behind the scenes, Goldsboro Books is getting ready to begin not one, but two new chapters, each taking the business somewhere new, whilst staying true to the love of books, collecting and bringing readers together that has shaped Goldsboro since the very beginning.

David reflects on how far Goldsboro has come since he and Daniel started the business in 1999, why physical bookshops and spaces for readers matter more than ever, and what it means to keep looking forward in an industry (and a world) that has changed enormously.

Send Me Your Book Confessions — share your favourite books, collecting stories, questions and reactions to episodes.

With thousands of new books published every year, how do you decide what’s actually worth reading?

In this episode, Goldsboro Books co-founder and literary agent David Headley does the choosing for you, sharing 12 new and upcoming books that have caught his attention. From gripping crime and clever thrillers to ambitious debuts, historical fiction and unforgettable stories from some of the biggest names in publishing right now.

Whether you’re looking for your next page-turner, want to discover a brilliant new voice or simply need some inspiration for your reading pile, there should be something here to tempt you.

The only question is: how many will end up on your TBR pile?

Send Me Your Book Confessions — share your favourite books, collecting stories, questions and reactions to episodes.

In this special episode, we take you inside this year’s Capital Crime Festival with five brilliant panel discussions featuring some of the biggest names in crime and thriller writing.

From 2mins 15s 
The Rebels Behind The Hero: see Lee Child and Andrew Child  in conversation with Stig Abell about building and breaking the rules of crime fiction as they celebrate 31 books with Jack Reacher.

From 18mins 37s 
One of the family: Closed circles and amateur sleuths, the dark yet entertaining draw of terrible things happening to ordinary people with Janice Hallett and Jeremy Vine in conversation with Mark Edwards about the danger lurking beneath seemingly idyllic locations and creating high-stakes thrillers that race against time..

From 27mins 55s
Building A Legacy: David Headley interviews Jeffrey Archer in celebration of his 50 year career as an author and his timeless influence on the next generation of writers, readers and booksellers. Special edition copies of Jeffrey's latest book Adam & Eve are available now at Goldsboro Books.

From 47 mins 35
Closed Communities and Secrets That Fester. From insular parishes to prized garden plots, isolated coastlines to divided city streets, Jane Casey, Liz Nugent & Ardal O’Hanlon join Brian McGilloway to uncover why Ireland’s closed communities make the perfect breeding ground for crime fiction.

From 1hr 7m
Possibly our funniest panel of the weekend: From Scene to Sentence: Rob Parker, Nadine Matheson and T M Payne in conversation with Lisa Howells about the versatility of the procedural crime novel.

Early bird tickets for Capital Crime 2027 are selling fast and on sale now.

Send Me Your Book Confessions — share your favourite books, collecting stories, questions and reactions to episodes.

What makes fear contagious? Why do we cling to ritual? And can we ever really trust our memories?

Bestselling author and Capital Crime Festival Genre-Bending Book of the Year winner Erin Kelly joins David Headley for one of our most intriguing conversations yet.

Together they discuss the power of collective belief, how rituals give us a sense of control, the books that changed Erin, and the storytelling techniques behind some of today's smartest psychological suspense novels. Aspiring writers won't want to miss Erin's candid advice on plotting twists, dissecting your favourite novels and the writing techniques she's honed over her long career.

They also delve into Erin's new gothic thriller, The Night Stairs. A haunting tale of Catholic school myths, mass hysteria and the secrets we carry with us long after adolescence.

Whether you're a reader, writer or simply curious about why people behave the way they do, this is an episode that will stay with you.

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Is anyone ever truly a villain?

Stephanie Bramwell-Lawes has spent nearly two decades helping other authors find their readers. This year, it's finally her turn.

In this episode, David sits down with Stephanie to explore the darker side of Victorian England – a world where women could be institutionalised for almost anything and dangerous secrets had devastating consequences.

Inspired by her home in a former Victorian asylum, Stephanie discusses the real history behind her debut Thornby Manor, the enduring appeal of gothic fiction, and why she believes human nature is far more complicated than heroes and villains.

Plus, she shares what it was really like going from publishing professional to debut author, navigating rejection, finding an agent, and experiencing the submission process from the other side for the very first time.

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Award-winning journalist and novelist Saima Mir joins David Headley to talk about crime, justice, identity and the experiences that shaped her bestselling Jia Khan series.

Drawing on her years reporting from courtrooms and covering the aftermath of the Bradford riots, Saima reflects on what happens when communities lose faith in the institutions meant to protect them, and why she has always been interested in the forces that push people towards the choices they make.

She also discusses code-switching and the pressure to be “authentic”, creating a British Pakistani female crime boss in a patriarchal world, and why Bradford became such a powerful presence in her fiction. Plus, Saima is refreshingly candid about the realities of earning a living as a novelist, publishing’s reluctance to talk about money, and why she believes storytelling matters more than ever in the age of AI.

Send Me Your Book Confessions — share your favourite books, collecting stories, questions and reactions to episodes.