In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Melissa Fu about her historical novel Peach Blossom Spring. In this episode we discuss how her novel evolved from a short story, the benefits of Arts Council Funding, and how inspiration comes when something stops her in her tracks.

Buy Peach Blossom Spring: https://www.waterstones.com/book/peach-blossom-spring/melissa-fu//9781472277534

Follow Melissa on Twitter: @MelissaLFu

https://melissafu.com

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Pre-order Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

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

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Keiran Goddard about his novel Hourglass. In this episode we talk about specificity when writing universal themes, Keiran’s writing routine which involves checking into grotty hotels and how an obsession with pop music led him to writing. 

Buy Hourglass: https://amzn.to/3qMjyLs

Follow Keiran on Twitter: @keirangoddard1

https://www.keirangoddard.com

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Pre-order Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

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

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I talk to Jinny Alexander about her novel Dear Isobel. In this episode we talk about writing unlikable characters, how dog walking is essential to her writing process and giving yourself time away from your writing if you’re stuck. 

Buy Dear Isobel: https://www.jinnyalexander.com/books-and-stories/

Follow Jinny on Twitter: @CeramicFairy

https://www.jinnyalexander.com/

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Pre-order Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

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

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m breaking the rules a bit and talking to Gabriella Braun about her narrative non-fiction book All That We Are. I thought it would be interesting to hear about getting into the publishing industry from a non-fiction angle. In this episode Gabriella talks about the challenge of being vulnerable and writing about herself, how storytelling is just as important in non-fiction and how the journey to publication works when you’re writing non-fiction. 

Buy All That We Are: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/all-that-we-are-9780349427300/9780349427300

Follow Gabriella on Twitter: @BraunGabriella

https://www.gabriellabraun.co.uk

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Pre-order Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

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

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Lizzie Pook about her historical novel Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter. We talk about how for Lizzie, setting comes first, how Lizzie taught herself the craft of writing without courses and the best piece of writing advice she’s learnt.

Buy Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter: https://www.waterstones.com/book/moonlight-and-the-pearlers-daughter/lizzie-pook/9781529072846

Follow Lizzie on Twitter: @LizziePook

https://www.lizziepook.com

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Pre-order Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

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

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Amy McCulloch about her thriller Breathless. We discuss what writing and mountaineering have in common, creating a big group of distinct characters and the surprise of finding out who the killer will be through the process of writing. 

Buy Breathless: https://www.waterstones.com/book/breathless/amy-mcculloch/2928377080471

Follow Amy on Twitter: @amymcculloch

Watch the story behind Breathless: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chZUd9rk5NI

https://amymcculloch.net

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Pre-order Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

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

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Sarah Smith about her historical novel Hear No Evil. We discuss using gaps in history to inspire new writing, why sensitivity readers were a key part of her writing process and the challenge of translating sign language onto the page. 

Buy Hear No Evil: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/hear-no-evil-9781529369090/9781529369090

Follow Sarah on Twitter: @truesarahsmith

https://sarahsmithwriter.com

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Pre-order Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

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

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Nita Prose about her mystery novel The Maid. We discuss the challenge of finding new way to approach to a beloved genre, the importance of studying other writers’ work and what it feels like to know a movie is being made of your novel. 

Buy The Maid: https://www.nitaprose.com/the-maid/

Follow Nita on Twitter: @NitaProse

https://www.nitaprose.com

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Pre-order Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

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

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I talk to Nikki May about Wahala, her entertaining novel about female friendship with a thriller edge. In this episode we discuss her exciting route to publication, writing about big issues with a light touch and how reading your work aloud with someone is the key to great dialogue.

Buy Wahala: https://www.nikki-may.com/wahala-2

Follow Nikki on Twitter: @NikkiOMay

https://www.nikki-may.com

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Pre-order Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

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

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I talk to Ally Wilkes about her Antarctic horror, All The White Spaces. In this episode Ally and I discuss how her trans character Jonathan brought something fresh to her historical setting, how live action role play enriched her research and the importance of setting in horror novels. 

Buy All The White Spaces: https://titanbooks.com/70684-all-the-white-spaces/

Follow Ally on Twitter: @UnheimlichManvr

https://www.allywilkes.com

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Pre-order Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

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