In this special festive edition of the podcast I welcome GB Ralph, author of the cozy Milverton Mysteries series!
We discuss:

• Slow burn romance
• Writing in scenes and converting them to chapters
• Chapter word count analysis (it gets nerdy!)
• Tips for book launches
• Tips for writing on your commute and how Gavin wrote his debut novel on his phone
• What he learned from switching from romcoms to cozy mysteries
• How he uses deadlines to motivate his writing
• And the importance of narrators for audiobooks

LINKS
GB Ralph's website
Everyone this Christmas has a Secret by Ernest Cunningham
The Holly King by Mark Stay
Only Murders in the Building
Arcane
Mini Metro game
Allie X Last Christmas
Altego Music's Wham/Chappel Roan mash-up
The Penguin
Beyond the Throne by Kristian Nairn
Rosalie Cunningham, To Shoot Another Day
December will be Magic Again by Kate Bush
Christmas at the Airport by Nick Lowe 

Edit by Kai Newton
Production assistance by Emily Stay
Jingle by Dom Currie

Support the show

Visit https://markstaycreativedifferences.com/
Join The Green Room: https://ko-fi.com/markstaywriter/tiers
Buy my books here: https://witchesofwoodville.com/#bookshop
And there's more about me at: https://markstaywrites.com/

I'm joined by Mike Shackle, author of the epic LAST WAR fantasy trilogy, and he also writes thrillers under the name Michael Dylan: we talk about the perils of writing epic fantasy when publishers are imposing word limits, the pros and cons of self publishing and traditional publishing, writing cop thriller fiction, setting a mission statement for each book, and Michael creating his own artwork!
And we're also joined by Buddy. Who has a squeaky toy that has an urgent message for the world...

LINKS

THE LAST WAR TRILOGY
THE WITCHFINDER CHRONICLES
MICHAEL DYLAN'S DI SIMON WISE THRILLERS
MIKE SHACKLE'S ART
REBECCA MILLAR EDITORIAL
ANDREW CHAPMAN (REMEMBER HIS NAME)
PRIMAL SCREAM: COME AHEAD
FURY OF THE GODS BY JOHN GWYNNE
DAY OF THE JACKAL ON SKY UK
NAUTILUS on Amazon Prime UK
THE PALIN DIARIES 1999-2009
BOBBY DAZZLE

Edit by Kai Newton
Production assistance by Emily Stay
Jingle by Dom Currie

Support the show

Visit https://markstaycreativedifferences.com/
Join The Green Room: https://ko-fi.com/markstaywriter/tiers
Buy my books here: https://witchesofwoodville.com/#bookshop
And there's more about me at: https://markstaywrites.com/

Zoë is the author of Garden of Her Heart, and host of the podcast, Write Damn It! An experienced coach with more than 35 years working on mindset, Zoë shares a ton of practical advice for writers including how to deal with self-doubt and rejection.

WE DISCUSS...

How stand up comedy helped Zoë's writing
How to rethink your attitude to resilience
Great tips for writing a synopsis
Writers' flow and getting started each day
Building characters using their childhood trauma
How to get people to show up at book events, and much more...

LINKS

Some of the following are affiliate links and may earn me commission...

GARDEN OF HER HEART

WRITE, DAMN IT! PODCAST

ZOË'S WEBSITE

SLOW HORSES ON APPLE+

HISTORY HITS WITH DAN SNOW

THE EXAMINER

TIMESTALKER

AFTER THE STORM BY GD WRIGHT

THE MOON'S A BALLOON BY DAVID NIVEN

BOA: WHIPLASH

MY BOOKS

THE GREEN ROOM

ME IN CONVERSATION WITH BEN AARONOVITCH AT OXTED LIBRARY

Thanks to: Emily Stay for production assistance, Kai Newton for the edit & Dominic Currie for the jingle

Support the show

Visit https://markstaycreativedifferences.com/
Join The Green Room: https://ko-fi.com/markstaywriter/tiers
Buy my books here: https://witchesofwoodville.com/#bookshop
And there's more about me at: https://markstaywrites.com/

My special guest on the podcast this month is LJ Shepherd, author of the stunning debut novel The Trials of Lila Dalton. We discuss first lines and opening pages, the benefits of attending festivals, the book that inspired her to choose her agent, and we get sneak peek into the notebook where she first jotted down her ideas for the novel that would become her debut. Oh, and her cat Coral pops in to say hello...

LINKS

Some of the following are affiliate links and may earn me commission...

THE TRIALS OF LILA DALTON

HOPE I GET OLD BEFORE I DIE by DAVID HEPWORTH

A GOD IN RUINS by KATE ATKINSON

THE WATCHMAKER OF FILIGREE STREET by NATASHA PULLEY

A TRIAL IN THREE ACTS by GUY MORPUSS

SCENES FROM A TRAGEDY by CAROLE HAILEY

THE CHILTERN KILLS CRIME FESTIVAL

THE HANDMAID'S TALE

THREE BODY PROBLEM ON NETFLIX

SLOW HORSES ON APPLE+

BAD MONKEY ON APPLE+

DAVID GILMOUR'S LUCK AND STRANGE

Thanks to:
Emily Stay for production assistance
Kai Newton for the edit
Dominic Currie for the jingle

Support the show

Visit https://markstaycreativedifferences.com/
Join The Green Room: https://ko-fi.com/markstaywriter/tiers
Buy my books here: https://witchesofwoodville.com/#bookshop
And there's more about me at: https://markstaywrites.com/

Welcome to the first episode of Creative Differences with my special guest SC Gowland. We discuss curating the short story anthology The Law of Consequences, how to write a short story, and Steve reveals the little things that have made a big difference to his writing career.

I also launch the GREEN ROOM: twice-monthly live Zoom sessions with me, exclusive for Green Room members on my Kofi page.

Links:
SC Gowland's website where you can get the first book in the Souls' Abyss trilogy for free: https://scgowland.com/
Grab a copy of the Law of Consequences here: https://books2read.com/u/mvzrW2
The Green Room: https://ko-fi.com/markstaywriter/tiers
Otoboke Beaver's song Yakitori.

The Following are affiliate links and I earn commission if you buy after clicking:
The Blues Brothers by Daniel De Visé
Feeding the Monster by Anna Bogutskaya
Thank you, Jeeves by PG Wodehouse

Support the show

Visit https://markstaycreativedifferences.com/
Join The Green Room: https://ko-fi.com/markstaywriter/tiers
Buy my books here: https://witchesofwoodville.com/#bookshop
And there's more about me at: https://markstaywrites.com/