Novel Experience

Award-winning author Kiran Millwood-Hargrave author of bestselling novels THE MERCIES and THE DANCE TREE were published.
Kiran chats about:

• how poetry led her away from a career in law
• early rejection not setting the bar for a career
• the myriad ways readers can discover a writer they love
• the galvanising power of a five year plan
• being yourself on social media

Guest: Kiran Millwood Hargrave Twitter: @Kiran_MH IG: @kiran_mh Books: For Adults The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave For Young Adults: The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave For Middle-Grade (8-11): The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, The Way Past Winter by Kiran Millwood Hargrave& A Secret of Bird and Bone For Children: Julia and The Shark by Kiran Millwood Hargrave & Tom De Freston & Leila and The Blue Fox by Kiran Millwood Hargrave & Tom De Freston
Host: Kate Sawyer Twitter: @katesawyer IG: @mskatesawyer Books: The Stranding by Kate Sawyer This Family by Kate Sawyer (coming May 2023. Available to pre-order now!)
Kiran’s recommendations: Books for fans of Kiran’s work: Unraveller by Francis Hardinge & The Disenchantment by Celia Bell A book Kiran has always loved: The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver A book coming soon or recently released that Kiran recommends: Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart & The Giant Dark by Sarvat Hasin

Novel Experience with Kate Sawyer is recorded and produced by Kate Sawyer - GET IN TOUCH
To receive transcripts and news from Kate to your inbox please SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER or visit https://www.mskatesawyer.com/novelexperiencepodcast for more information.

Author, screenwriter and journalist Jamie Russell, author of BOOK OF THE DEAD and the middle grade series SKYWAKE TRILOGY.
Jamie chats about:

• his background in film criticsm
• his obsession with zombies
• the impossibility of writing for 'the market'
• how he balances screenwriting with his fiction commitments
• the trap of thinking about writing rather than doing
• the responsibilities in writing for young people

Guest: Jamie Russell Twitter: @jamierussel_74 Instagram: @jamie_russell74 Books: Book Of The Dead , Skywake Invasion & Skywake Battlefield
Host: Kate Sawyer Twitter: @katesawyer IG: @mskatesawyer Books: The Stranding by Kate Sawyer This Family by Kate Sawyer
Jamie’s recommendations: A book for fans of the Skywake trilogy: Orion Lost by Alastair Chisholm, Adam 2 by Alastair Chisholm & Consequence Girl by Alastair Chisholm A book Jamie has always loved: The Time Machine by HG Wells & The Island of Doctor Moreau A book coming soon or recently released that Jamie recommends: Ministry For The Future by Kim Stanley Robinson

Novel Experience with Kate Sawyer is recorded and produced by Kate Sawyer - GET IN TOUCH
To receive transcripts and news from Kate to your inbox please SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER or visit https://www.mskatesawyer.com/novelexperiencepodcast for more information.

Debut author Sussie Anie, author of TO FILL A YELLOW HOUSE published by Phoenix Books
Sussie chats about:

• protecting the creative magic of writing
• experimenting with genre
• how short stories can be a gateway to longer form
• how writing a novel when the world is so unstable presents authors with challenges
• the power of being part of a writing group

Guest: Sussie Anie Twitter: @AnieSussie Instagram: @sussieoanie Books: To Fill A Yellow House by Sussie Anie
Host: Kate Sawyer Twitter: @katesawyer IG: @mskatesawyer Books: The Stranding by Kate Sawyer & This Family (coming May 2023.
Sussie’s recommendations: A book for fans of To Fill A Yellow House: The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki A book Sussie has always loved: The Colour Purple by Alice Walker A book coming soon or recently released that Sussie recommends: Things They Lost by Okwiri Oduor Other books that we chatted about in this episode: Piranesi by Susannah Clarke, Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake

Novel Experience with Kate Sawyer is recorded and produced by Kate Sawyer - GET IN TOUCH
To receive transcripts and news from Kate to your inbox please SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER or visit https://www.mskatesawyer.com/novelexperiencepodcast for more information.

Literary agent, screenwriter and author Abigail Bergstrom, author of WHAT A SHAME published by Hodder & Stoughton.
Abi chats about:

• her background as an editor
• how her work as an agent with Gleam and Bergstrom Studio has informed her experience of being published
• finding a way into publishing when you don't have any contacts
• burn-out and self-care
• depicting female friendship in novels and on screen
• trying to capture the disorientation of grief in her writing

Guest: Abigail Bergstrom Twitter: @abigailbergstrm Instagram: @abigailbergstrom Book: What A Shame by Abigail Bergstrom Substack: Something To Say
Host: Kate Sawyer Twitter: @katesawyer IG: @mskatesawyer Books:The Stranding by Kate Sawyer & This Family by Kate Sawyer
Abigail’s recommendations: A book for fans of What A Shame: Notes to Self by Emilie Pine A book Abigail has always loved: All My Friends Are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman A book coming soon or recently released that Abigail recommends: Rosewater by Liv Little Other books/things we chatted about that we chatted about in this episode: Every Day Sexism by Laura Bates
All books recommended and discussed in this episode are available to be purchased from the Novel Experience Bookshop.Org Shop *
If you enjoyed this show please do rate, review and share with anyone you think will enjoy it: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/novel-experience/id1615429783
Novel Experience with Kate Sawyer is recorded and produced by Kate Sawyer - GET IN TOUCH
To receive transcripts and news from Kate to your inbox please SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER or visit https://www.mskatesawyer.com/novelexperiencepodcast for more information.

Travel journalist and debut author Lizzie Pook. Author of MOONL:IGHT AND THE PEARLER'S DAUGHTER published by Mantle Books.
Lizzie chats about:

• her background and continued career in travel journalism
• putting yourself into your characters
• the power of character names
• the horror of first drafts
• the brilliance of Australian television
• the impact being published can have on your mental health
• balancing your yin and your yang
• working with a chronic illness
• taking time to rest away from the page and letting your left brain do the work!

Guest: Lizzie Pook Twitter: @lizziepook Instagram: @lizziepook Book: Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter by Lizzie Pook
Host: Kate Sawyer Twitter: @katesawyer IG: @mskatesawyer Books: The Stranding by Kate Sawyer & This Family by Kate Sawyer
Lizzie’s recommendations: A book for fans of Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter: Outlawed by Anna North A book Lizzie has always loved: Do No Harm by Henry Marsh A book coming soon or recently released that Lizzie recommends: Weyward by Emilia Hart & The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Patterson Joseph Other books mentioned in this episode: Into The Woods by John Yorke , Save The Cat Writes A Novel by Jessica Brody , On Writing by Stephen King

Novel Experience with Kate Sawyer is recorded and produced by Kate Sawyer - GET IN TOUCH
To receive transcripts and news from Kate to your inbox please SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER or visit https://www.mskatesawyer.com/novelexperiencepodcast for more information.

Polly Crosby author of THE ILLUSTRATED CHILD, THE UNRAVELLING and the forthcoming VITA AND THE BIRDS all published by HQ Stories.
Polly chats about:

• early career choices before turning to a writing career
• finding connections with other authors online
• amazing booksellers (with a big shoutout to Kate at Harris & Harris Books in Clare, Suffolk)
• being inspired by the local landscape
• the incredible enthusiasm of readers
• navigating writing when living with a chronic illness
• how not knowing what the future holds is the most hopeful way to live

Guest: Polly Crosby Twitter: @writerpolly Instagram: @writerpolly Books: The Unravelling by Polly Crosby The Illustrated Child by Polly Crosby
Host: Kate Sawyer Twitter: @katesawyer IG: @mskatesawyer Books: The Stranding by Kate Sawyer & This Family
Polly’s recommendations: A book for fans of Polly’s novels: The Illness Lesson by Clare Beams A book Polly has always loved: I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith A book coming soon or recently released that Polly recommends: The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

Novel Experience with Kate Sawyer is recorded and produced by Kate Sawyer - GET IN TOUCH
To receive transcripts and news from Kate to your inbox please SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER or visit https://www.mskatesawyer.com/novelexperiencepodcast for more information.

Author, journalist and podcaster Daisy Buchanan author of novels INSATIABLE and CAREERING
Daisy chats about:

• working on student newspapers
• the lure of the bildungsroman
• the subtleties of truthfully representing female desire
• The Girly Show
• reading for absolute pleasure and ditching the shame about what we read or what we haven't read

Guest: Daisy Buchanan Twitter: @notrollergirl Instagram: @thedaisybee Books: Careering by Daisy Buchanan, Insatiable by Daisy Buchanan, The Sisterhood by Daisy Buchanan, How To Be A Grown-Up by Daisy Buchanan, Meeting Your Match by Daisy Buchanan Podcasts: You're Booked, Daisy is Careering, Daisy is Insatiable
Host: Kate Sawyer Twitter: @katesawyer Instagram: @mskatesawyer Books: The Stranding by Kate Sawyer & This Family by Kate Sawyer
Daisy’s recommendations:A book for fans of Daisy’s novels: Sunny by Sukh OjlaA book Daisy has always loved: Brother Of The More Famous Jack by Barbara TrapidoA book coming soon or recently released that Daisy recommends: No Life For A Lady by Hannah Dolby, Seven Exes by Lucy Vine, Preloved by Lauren Bravo, Less is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer

Novel Experience with Kate Sawyer is recorded and produced by Kate Sawyer - GET IN TOUCH
To receive transcripts and news from Kate to your inbox please SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER or visit https://www.mskatesawyer.com/novelexperiencepodcast for more information.

Sunday Times bestselling debut author Joanna Quinn. Author of THE WHALEBONE THEATRE, a family saga set over the course of WW2.
Joanna chats about:

• her journey to being published via journalism, an MA, motherhood, a PHD and a pandemic
• being inspired by what you know
• whale bones
• the perils of book promotion for introverted authors

Guest: Joanna Quinn IG: @joannabquinn Books: The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn
Host: Kate Sawyer Twitter: @katesawyer IG: @mskatesawyer Books: The Stranding by Kate Sawyer & This Family by Kate Sawyer
Joanna's recommendations: Books for fans of The Whalebone Theatre: The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard, I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith, Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks, Life After Life by Kate Atkinson A book Joanna has always loved: Wolf Hall Trilogy by Hilary Mantel A book coming soon or recently released that Joanna recommends: Super-Infinite by Katherine Rundell Other books/things that came up during our chat: Arvon Writing Courses, The Village That Died For England by Patrick Wright, The Child That Books Built by Francis Spufford , Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy , The Wreckers by Bella Bathurst

Novel Experience with Kate Sawyer is recorded and produced by Kate Sawyer - GET IN TOUCH
To receive transcripts and news from Kate to your inbox please SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER or visit https://www.mskatesawyer.com/novelexperiencepodcast for more information.

Sunday Times Bestselling author, journalist and podcaster Bobby Palmer. Author of ISAAC AND THE EGG.
Bobby chats about:

• the cross-over between journalism and fiction writing
• listening to your mum's criticism
• how timing is everything when it comes to submissions
• the work that goes into bring a book into the world by people other than the author

Guest: Bobby Palmer Twitter: @thebobpalmer IG: @thebobpalmer Books: Isaac and The Egg by Bobby Palmer
Host: Kate Sawyer Twitter: @katesawyer IG: @mskatesawyer Books: The Stranding by Kate Sawyer & This Family
Bobby’s recommendations: A book for fans of Isaac and the Egg: Piranesi by Susannah Clarke A book Bobby has always loved: Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak A book coming soon or recently released that Bobby recommends: When we were birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo Other books/things that came up during our chat: American Gods by Neil Gaiman, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Heartstopper by Alice Osman, Lanny by Max Porter, Grief Is The Thing With Feathers by Max Porter , Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders , Earthlings by Sayaka Murata , Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel

Novel Experience with Kate Sawyer is recorded and produced by Kate Sawyer - GET IN TOUCH
To receive transcripts and news from Kate to your inbox please SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER or visit https://www.mskatesawyer.com/novelexperiencepodcast for more information.

Author and podcast host Chloe Timms, author of THE SEAWOMEN.
Chloe chats about:

• how there is always more to learn about writing
• how reading can support your writing
• the fear of not having an 'idea'
• learning what to focus on & what is out of your control about your book being published
• setting up a writing podcast
• mentoring unpublished writers
• making events accessible with the movement #keepeventshybrid

Guest: Chloe Timms Twitter: @clotimms IG: @clotimms Books: The Seawomen by Chloe Timms Podcast: Confessions of a Debut Novelist
Host: Kate Sawyer Twitter: @katesawyer IG: @mskatesawyer Books: The Stranding by Kate Sawyer &This Family by Kate Sawyer
Chloe’s recommendations: A book for fans of The Seawomen: The Grace Keepers by Kirsty Logan &/or The Pharmacist by Rachelle Atalla A book Chloe has always loved: Tin Man by Sarah Winman A book coming soon or recently released that Chloe recommends: Yellow Face by RF Kuang (publishing 2023) Other books/things that came up during our chat: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh, Blue Ticket by Sophie Mackintosh, Still Life by Sarah Winman, Book Lovers by Emily Henry #KeepFestivalsHybrid

Novel Experience with Kate Sawyer is recorded and produced by Kate Sawyer - GET IN TOUCH
To receive transcripts and news from Kate to your inbox please SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER or visit https://www.mskatesawyer.com/novelexperiencepodcast for more information.