Karen and Irma chat about the ins and outs of contracts.

Then Irma talks to Hilde Hinton about the way her work polarises people, how an argument with her brother (actor Samuel Johnson) led to her first novel, why Lego is an important part of her writing process, how novels can make space for important conversations about big topics like mental illness and suicide through joy rather than the sadness, how AI has revolutionised the way she researches, the ways in which writing her debut changed her feelings about her mother, why she formulated a three-book plan (and pulled it off), not being timid during the editing process, and how eating milk bottle lollies with Tony Birch in a green room led to a watershed moment.

About Hilde
Hilde Hinton’s critically acclaimed debut novel, The Loudness of Unsaid Things, made a number of bestseller lists, when it hit the shelves. Her next book was Heroes Next Door, written with her brother Samuel Johnson. Hilde’s second novel, A Solitary Walk on the Moon, was published in May 2022. She is currently head down bum up, working on her third novel, currently untitled, to be published in May 2025.