The Hobcast Book Show

A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of speaking to veteran entertainment and celebrity public relations expert and author, Peter Berry. He gave us an insight into how difficult it is to mediate between his celebrity clients and the demands of journalists. It's time to hear from the other side of things. Debut author Caroline Westbrook is an entertainment journalist who has faced the challenge of encouraging her celebrity interviewees to say something fresh and interesting, even if it's the hundredth interview of their promotional tour. Drawing extensively on her career in newspapers, magazines and the BBC, her novel Troublemaker delves into the high-pressure world of entertainment journalism and gives it a murderous twist. As Caroline, writing as C.R Westbrook explains, many of her colleagues believe they've been the inspiration behind her characters.

Also this week, Adrian and Rebecca discuss the potential impact of Donald Trump's trade tariffs on the publishing industry. Will books be harder to sell in uncertain economic times?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TROUBLEMAKER-C-R-Westbrook-ebook/dp/B0DQ16S84J

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In the second part of our interview with award-winning historical author Chris Lloyd, we discover how unexpected historical research details impact his storytelling and novels. Chris spends three months digging into the minutiae of life in wartime Paris for each of his Occupation Series novels, and is often surprised by what he finds. As he explains, his plans can change dramatically as a result.

Also this week, we discuss this year's author line-up for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Festival in Harrogate. Is it the same old faces, or can we look forward to something a bit different from this year's chair, Mick Herron?

The Occupation Series — Chris Lloyd

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Some interviews are so fascinating we decide to run them over two episodes. That was certainly the case with our guest this week, Chris Lloyd, winner of the Historical Writers' Association Gold Crown for the best historical novel of the year. The winning title, The Unwanted Dead was the opening novel in his Occupation Series, set in wartime Paris, in which Detective Eddie Giral tries to ensure justice is served despite working under Nazi occupation. In part one of this interview, Chris explains that he's learned to accept that he's a born pantser as an author, and that his best work comes when he allows inspiration to lead him, rather than a firm plan.

Also this week, we discuss the story that has dominated the minds of indie authors and publishers this week - the revelation that Facebook's parent-company Meta has used illegal pirate websites to ingest vast quantities of copyright-protected fiction and non-fiction to teach its AI models. How should authors react? And what can be done to protect their rights and incomes?

Chris Lloyd - Crime Fiction Author

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unwanted-Dead-Chris-Lloyd-ebook/dp/B086GJ2B83

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We'd like to introduce you to two words, if you haven't already discovered them, that will change your life. One is stramash, a Scottish noun for "uproar, brawl or tumult." The other, which also features in the back cover blurb of our guest Callum McSorley's second novel, is the brilliant shitemire, which we think succinctly sums up the world at present. As you'll hear, both words feature fairly heavily in our interview with Callum, who enjoyed a stellar debut with his breakthrough novel Squeaky Clean in 2023. Amongst the accolades and amazing critical reviews it received, it won the coveted McIvanney Prize for the best Scottish crime novel. Set in a car wash in East Glasgow, and inspired by Callum's experience of working in one, it's a dazzling and funny crime novel. His follow up, Paperboy, was released last week. So how has Callum coped with the pressure of second-novel syndrome?

Also this week, it's an exciting week for Hobeck Books with the release of our psychological thriller , What You See by Hilly Barmby, and Rebecca reflects on her visit to this year's London Book Fair.

callummcsorley.com

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Squeaky-Clean-Callum-McSorley-ebook/dp/B0BT8SGQLV

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Paperboy-Callum-McSorley-ebook/dp/B0DFYC9KFH

https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-You-See-page-turning-psychological-ebook/dp/B0DS44FTSG

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Finding time to write can be one of the biggest challenges for any author. That's certainly the experience of our guest this week, Jenny O'Brien, who for years had to find pockets of time in her busy career as a nurse to jot down ideas or write scenes. She tells us she always had a notebook handy, and sometimes used dictation during her breaks on the ward to add to her work in progress. Now the successful author of the popular Detective Gaby Darin series published by HQ Digital, as well as romances and psychological thrillers, her next novel published next month, The Book of Lost Children, is a departure for Jenny; it's partially set in Guernsey in 1943. Also in this inspiring interview, Jenny explains how a love of open water swimming has fueled her creativity.

Also this week, we discuss how American tariffs are scaring the U.S publishing industry, and Rebecca looks forward to her visit to this year's London Book Fair in London.

Jenny O'Brien Author | Irish writer

Detective Gaby Darin (6 book series) Kindle edition

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Lost-Children-Jenny-OBrien-ebook/dp/B0DTX81TG4

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We're always on the lookout for ways to unlock the creative juices, and our guest this week, author Cauvery Madhavan recommends an early morning round of golf to set the mood. Born in India, but based in Ireland since her early twenties, Cauvery draws inspiration from both her homeland and her adopted country for her storytelling. The author of four novels, her most recent work, The Inheritance, was published last year. Set in the stunning Beara Peninsular in south-west Ireland, it tells the story of Marlo, a young London-Irish man who moves to the area to recover from a devastating revelation. He inherits a minibus service from a neighbour, unleashing a series of surprising adventures. As Cauvery explains, she never sets out with a plan for her books, but delights in the way her characters and settings guide her work. This is a joyous interview.

Also this week, we discuss how several leading UK literary festivals are working together to survive hard times, and how arts bodies in the United States are reacting to tough new directives brought in by the Trump administration.

Cauvery Madhavan – Author, Journalist, Blogger

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inheritance-Cauvery-Madhavan-ebook/dp/B0DF93T83H

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Over the course of four years of creating this podcast we've noticed certain themes emerge, not least the challenging path many writers take to final publication. Our guest this week, author Roxie Key, is a good example. As she tells us, she faced dozens of rejections from both publishers and agents before she secured representation and finally a deal with HQ for her debut novel, The Deadly Spark. It's an inspiring tale of perseverance. Roxie also explains how a creative writing degree from Middlesex University helped her to discover her voice, but perhaps more importantly showed her which writing styles and genres suited her best. The final key moment came when she discovered the crime fiction of Jane Casey in a charity shop, and Roxie fell in love with the genre.

Also this week, we discuss how many of the UK's leading creative figures are pressuring the government not to give AI companies free-reign to use their work without compensation, and we celebrate the publication of two new Hobeck Books titles by Lin Le Versha and David Jarvis.

Roxie Key - Author | Facebook

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deadly-Spark-brand-new-addictive-psychological-ebook/dp/B0CLN33FG3

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Spots-gripping-Suffolk-mystery-ebook/dp/B0DPRCPBDY

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mongoose-Cobra-Mike-Kingdom-Thrillers-ebook/dp/B0DLQV47YV

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Regular listeners to The Hobcast Book Show will know how obsessed Adrian is about Sir Michael Caine. So imagine his excitement when he found out our guest this week has acted as the great man's P.R. Not only that, but Peter Berry has represented some of the biggest film, TV, and music stars of the past thirty years, not to mention superstar chef Jamie Oliver too. Now Peter has become an author, with the second of his crime novels featuring The Deadly Dozen, Revenge of the Deadly Dozen, published by Bloodhound last month. As Peter explains, he wanted to create a team of retired protagonists for these novels - each bringing their specialist skills to the collective. But isn't managing the storylines of so many characters a huge challenge? Listen to hear how Peter dealt with that issue, and how a certain Hollywood superstar would call him each year to wish him a happy Christmas...

Also this week, we discuss how a cyber attack has disrupted one of the UK's leading book printing companies, and ask if the UK industry is ready to follow the lead of Simon and Schuster and abandon the practice of seeking puffs or blurbs to put on book covers.

Peter Berry — Bloodhound Books

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Revenge-Deadly-Dozen-unmissable-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0DFYP926Y

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We often get a little giddy when we anticipate speaking to our guests on the show. That was certainly the case when we perused Colin Bostock-Smith's extraordinary list of comedy writing credits: The Two Ronnies, Not the Nine O'Clock News, The Clive James Show and Metal Mickey to name but a few. Now Colin has turned his hand to crime fiction. His debut novel, Sting of the Nettle was published by Diamond Books last month. It's a cosy murder mystery set in rural Devon in the 1950s, and draws extensively on Colin's childhood memories. As Colin tells us, the novel, the first in a series, came together quickly - a career of having to write rapidly for TV and radio certainly helped. This is a fascinating interview that takes you straight into the writing rooms of some of the greatest shows in British TV history.

Also this week, we discuss how the 'Big Six' UK publishers all enjoyed sales growth for their e-books in 2024, and the revelation that 90% of all e-book sales last year were sold through Amazon.

Colin Bostock-Smith ⋆ Diamond Books

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sting-Nettle-Martin-Mysteries-Book-ebook/dp/B0DSGPPYFX

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As you may be aware, we run a short-story competition alongside presenting The Hobcast Book Show and our publishing firm, Hobeck Books. The Henshaw Short Story competition has uncovered many new talented authors, and raised funds to support school libraries. So we were delighted to be contacted by author Anna Vaught who has created The Curae Prize for non-paid carers. There are millions of people in the UK alone who fall into this category, and Anna is proud that it has given so many people their first opportunity to explore their creativity despite often very difficult day-to-day circumstances. Anna herself is an accomplished published author of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Her fascination with magical realism shines through her work. She's also an editor, reviewer and English teacher. This is a fascinating, and dare we say it, magically eclectic interview!

Also this week, we welcome the decision by one Simon and Schuster executive, Sean Manning, to call for an end to the industry-wide practice of chasing authors for 'blurbs' or 'puffs' from their contemporaries. He argues that all that time spent chasing around for nice comments that can be splashed on the cover or inside pages is a waste of time, which could be better used writing more books instead. And we ask, will the new international trade tariffs imposed by President Trump signal difficult times ahead for publishing?

Anna Vaught Writes – Dr Anna Vaught: teacher, mentor, author, campaigner – Novels, short fiction, nonfiction, teaching, mentoring and editing

The Curae Prize – A writing prize – just for writers who are also carers

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