Dark & Stormy

The idea of reading PENNY BLACK’s introduction came from participating in TiF (Top in Fiction)’s 2026 Summit. TiF organized dozens of Substack writers to read from their works live over the weekend of January 17-19.

Thanks to TiF mastermind Erica Drayton for organizing this event!

PENNY BLACK will begin serializing in February 2026.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamiedibs.substack.com

I made this video in 2016. I was living in Paris and participated in a writer’s group. It was open to all, and met in a book-lined corner upstairs at Shakespeare & Co. every Sunday late afternoon.

Large groups are often unwieldy but this one operated smoothly, thanks to a few community leaders and the auspices of the bookshop, as finding a free and quiet place to gather for a few hours is difficult, especially in an expensive city. The store is right on the Seine, opposite Notre Dame, whose bells would occasionally interrupt our proceedings.

Groups have their own rules. In this case, writers had to print out many copies of whatever they wished to have read; for each contributor, another person volunteered or was chosen to read their work aloud, while everyone else read along; followed by comments. Each person enjoyed about 15 minutes of attention. This worked for snippets, two or three pages of text, or a poem. We could get through 10, even 15 submissions each week. Inevitably a few didn’t make it some days, but they’d get first dibs the following week.

The day’s moderator had to be skillful to keep time, ensure a lively but respectful discussion, and ensure the session was fair and constructive.

Attendees – there were many regulars, but no formal structure – were of all types, from many nations (although the language was English), and of varying degrees of experience and skill. I still remember a few who presented gorgeous, challenging work. And even a few failures that were nonetheless interesting.

While you had to prep to get a reading (ie, show up with about 20 or more printed copies), the room was open. Tourists browsing the store would often hang out and watch or listen, and sometimes they screwed up the courage to contribute an opinion. This felt very cool.

This being a bunch of writers in Paris where things close on Sundays, there was always someone in a foul mood because they couldn’t find a Kinko’s or other store to print their work in time. I liked that sense that even a bustling city like Paris will insist on a day of rest.

It was all very analog. Even then, I had no desire to attempt a writer’s group online. Four years later, we’d all get an introduction to Zoom, but I haven’t changed my mind. The point is to be analog; present; in person.

Ah, but what about ChatGPT, you say? I’ve experimented with using genAI to get feedback on my work. It always comes out bland and often missing the point. I had hoped it might throw up some surprising ideas, but so far, it’s just been a waste of time. If your goal is mediocrity, sure, stick with the LLMs. There’s no substitute for the nuance, honesty, and creativity that your fellow writers, concentrating on your work, can bring to a critique.

Some writer’s groups are duds. One toxic person, kaboom. It takes a little trial and error to find people who click, but the best sign is when everyone takes the writing seriously but not themselves.

The Paris group worked despite its large crowd, but it could only provide an opinion on a tiny slice of a novel in progress. I used my time to present the bits I was least sure of. I got a sex scene approved, that was useful.

For a more comprehensive review of a novel requires a different setup. I’ve been lucky to be part of two constructive groups that could tackle things in chapter size. I’ve also been in a few such groups that were duds. Personalities matter, but it also needs a structure. Rules matter too.

One of my two good experiences was also in Paris, an invitation-only group for more serious and accomplished writers. The Sunday gig at Shakespeare, and a Friday night open-mic at Au Chat Noir, a dive bar in the eleventh arrondissement, provided a chance to show your stuff and access the more private group. It met Wednesday nights at someone’s very boho flat, and the hostess put on a lovely spread. Write sober, edit drunk, I say.

A year or so after I left Paris, the management at Shakespeare & Co. kicked the writers out. I always thought this was petty and stupid. It created a crisis, because bookshops were going out of business and there weren’t obvious venues to go. But the group is resilient. I see they have reconstituted themselves as “AWOL Writers: The Invisible Paris Workshop”. If you are visiting Paris or spending time there, look them up - I’d suggest you start with their Facebook page.

My video is therefore an exercise in nostalgia but the message is timeless, and the advice from my friends for participating in a writer’s group is universal. I hope you enjoy this…and if you’re not with an analog group, the best thing about the digital world is that it makes it easy to find likeminded people in your community. Create your own group!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamiedibs.substack.com

Welcome to the Dark & Stormy podcast, in which I speak – writer to writer – with authors of crime fiction, thrillers, and sci-fi.

And westerns! Why not? Frank Kidd is author of MEDICINE WOMAN and it has the pace, action, and attitude of a thriller. It’s definitely “dark & stormy” material and a whole lot of fun.

Frank talks about why he loves writing westerns – although he’s also got a contemporary military thriller coming up next – and the literary inspiration behind it. He discusses the themes that underpin the story. And he talks about how he’s approached his career as a novelist, including his focus on Substack as a platform to reach his audience.

TIMECODES:

0:00 - Frank Kidd

01:55 - Why westerns? And, who else is writing these?

4:25 - The genre in literature, film and TV

7:02 - Researching MEDICINE WOMAN and native Indian cultures, and writing as an outsider

12:23 - What aspect of Frank’s personality or experience is in the book?

14:59 - Writing about spirituality and superstition within a plot

17.26 - Writing surprise

18:36 - The individual versus the community

21:21 - Setting and time

25:03 - Frank’s current projects, his commercial approach as a writer, and Substack

30:03 - When to expect the next book

LINKS:

Frank Kidd’s Substack, “Pulp West”

“Medicine Woman” on Amazon

And don’t forget to check out my work here on Dark & Stormy!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamiedibs.substack.com

Welcome to the Dark & Stormy podcast, in which I speak – writer to writer – with authors of crime fiction, thrillers, and sci-fi.

My guest is Hanna Delaney, author of THE SPIDER, first in a budding series of spooky supernatural mysteries set in Liverpool, 1892, featuring her uncanny detective, Muldoon. Hanna is a Scouse whose love and fascination with her home city and its often dramatic history infuses her ghostly tales.

She speaks with Jamie Dibs about her work, inspiration, her new book (second in the Muldoon series), the writer’s life, and how she is growing an audience built around her Substack presence.

Timecodes:

0:00 – Hanna Delaney

2:30 – Why set THE SPIDER in the year 1892?

3:35 – Why “No. Five Percy Street”? Some Liverpool history, and visiting the city

8:40 – Why write this mystery as a ghost story, and Hanna’s take on the haunted house

12:13 – How to use the horror genre

13:13 – Inventing Inspector Muldoon; and exploring his Irish identity

18:41 – Other aspects of Liverpool history to explore in this series

21:05 – Addressing Liverpool’s role in the slave trade, and its multicultural nature

25:00 – How Hanna took on book 2 in the series; thinking about making a series

28:07 – Forging a writing career while juggling family life

30:36 – How she became a writer and how she’s using Substack and other venues to market her books

35:44 – What’s next for Hanna Delaney

Links:

Hanna Delaney’s Substack, “A Work of Fiction”

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamiedibs.substack.com

Naomi is a struggling reporter in LA. Gangsters kidnap her because their boss thinks only Naomi knows what happened to his daughter.

He may be right: Naomi covers the porn industry, where all secrets lead to the king of sleaze, Bobby Feathers.

Share this! There’s nothing quite like THE BLUE JUNGLE on Substack.

Get full access to Dark & Stormy at jamiedibs.substack.com/subscribe

Naomi is a struggling reporter in LA. Gangsters kidnap her because their boss thinks only Naomi knows what happened to his daughter.

He may be right: Naomi covers the porn industry, where all secrets lead to the king of sleaze, Bobby Feathers.

Share this! There’s nothing quite like THE BLUE JUNGLE on Substack.

Get full access to Dark & Stormy at jamiedibs.substack.com/subscribe

Naomi is a struggling reporter in LA. Gangsters kidnap her because their boss thinks only Naomi knows what happened to his daughter.

He may be right: Naomi covers the porn industry, where all secrets lead to the king of sleaze, Bobby Feathers.

Share this! There’s nothing quite like THE BLUE JUNGLE on Substack.

Get full access to Dark & Stormy at jamiedibs.substack.com/subscribe

Naomi is a struggling reporter in LA. Gangsters kidnap her because their boss thinks only Naomi knows what happened to his daughter.

He may be right: Naomi covers the porn industry, where all secrets lead to the king of sleaze, Bobby Feathers.

Share this! There’s nothing quite like THE BLUE JUNGLE on Substack.

Get full access to Dark & Stormy at jamiedibs.substack.com/subscribe

Naomi is a struggling reporter in LA. Gangsters kidnap her because their boss thinks only Naomi knows what happened to his daughter.

He may be right: Naomi covers the porn industry, where all secrets lead to the king of sleaze, Bobby Feathers.

Share this! There’s nothing quite like THE BLUE JUNGLE on Substack.

Get full access to Dark & Stormy at jamiedibs.substack.com/subscribe

Naomi is a struggling reporter in LA. Gangsters kidnap her because their boss thinks only Naomi knows what happened to his daughter.

He may be right: Naomi covers the porn industry, where all secrets lead to the king of sleaze, Bobby Feathers.

Get full access to Dark & Stormy at jamiedibs.substack.com/subscribe