In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Eleanor Shearer about her historical novel River Sing Me Home. In this episode we discuss how she was inspired by the strength of Black women in her family, starting her research by interviewing families in the Caribbean to focus on the emotional thread of the novel and her strict writing routine of writing 500 words every day, literally every day.  

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy River Sing Me Home: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781472291363

Follow Eleanor on Twitter: @eleanorbshearer

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

chloetimms.co.uk 

*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ about her speculative novel Dazzling. In this episode we discuss how she used old forms of storytelling in this coming of age tale, layering deeper meaning within fiction and her writing routine which involves scrapping everything she’s written and starting again!  

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy Dazzling: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781472289643

Follow Chịkọdịlị on Twitter: @chemelumadu

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

chloetimms.co.uk 

*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I'm talking to Amita Parikh about her historical novel The Circus Train. In this episode we discuss how her fascination in magic and love of science inspired The Circus Train, how raising the stakes in her novel transformed it into a manuscript agents were interested in and why she adopts a healthy approach in describing writing as something she does versus it becoming who she is entirely. 

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy The Circus Train: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780349994130

Follow Amita on Twitter: @amitaparikh

https://www.amitaparikh.com

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

chloetimms.co.uk 

*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I'm talking to Jon Barton about his crime novel Dive. In this episode we discuss the challenges involved in turning his screenplay into a novel, how to approach writing an authentic voice from a woman’s perspective when you’re a male writer, and how to cope with the aspects of publishing that are out of your control. 

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy Dive: https://amzn.eu/d/6Mnq6dv

Follow Jon on Twitter: @jnbarton

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

chloetimms.co.uk 

*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I'm talking to Emilia Hart about her historical novel Weyward. In this episode we discuss adding a touch of magic to an otherwise grounded story, using themes and motifs to link multiple timelines, and Emilia shares her top tips for querying your dream agent. 

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy Weyward: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780008499082

Follow Emilia on Twitter: @EmiliaHartBooks

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

chloetimms.co.uk 

*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Emma Denny about her romance novel One Night in Hartswood. This is a really fascinating episode, not only because Emma got her book deal by successfully pitching it to Mills and Boon for their Twitter based competition, but also because she doesn’t have an agent. We also discuss building a connection in a slow burn romance, how fanfiction helped her rediscover her love of writing and find a community and her tips for writing sex scenes. 

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy One Night in Hartswood: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780008539191

Follow Emma on Twitter: @Emma_denny_

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

chloetimms.co.uk 

*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Fran Littlewood about her contemporary novel Amazing Grace Adams. In this episode we discuss how Fran wanted to counteract lazy stereotypes about middle aged women and tackle the peri menopause authentically, her method of keeping chapters interesting by “throwing a bomb into the room” and how her first two novels lacked that irresistible hook to attract editors.

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy Amazing Grace Adams: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780241548516

Follow Fran on Twitter: @_franlittlewood

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

chloetimms.co.uk 

*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Jyoti Patel about her contemporary novel The Things That We Lost. In this episode we talk about how Jyoti’s Merky Books prize win lead to publication, the importance of taking yourself seriously as a writer and how small tweaks to dialogue and using slang gave authenticity to her teenage protagonist. 

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy The Things That We Lost: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781529186338

Follow Jyoti on Twitter: @Jyoti__Patel

https://linktr.ee/jyotisbooks

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

chloetimms.co.uk 

*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Georgina Moore about her contemporary novel The Garnett Girls. Georgina speaks about what it’s like to be on the other side of book publicity and how authors can best support their publishing team. And also, why writing dialogue was the aspect she found hardest. 

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy The Garnett Girls: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780008506339

Follow Georgina on Twitter: @PublicityBooks

https://www.georginamoore.co.uk

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

chloetimms.co.uk 

*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Anindita Ghose about her contemporary novel The Illuminated. The Illuminated was published in India in 2021 but Head of Zeus acquired it for publication in 2023. So of course, I wanted to hear how that happened. We also discuss, the difficulty of moving past a very polished, beloved first chapter, a brilliant technique involving the senses which Anindita employed to make her characters’ chapters distinct and an amazing story about being bold and brave as a debut author – and contacting your writing heroes! 

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy The Illuminated: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781803289779

Follow Anindita on Twitter: @aninditaghose

https://aninditaghose.com

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

chloetimms.co.uk 

*affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.