The Secret Life of Writers by Tablo

Featuring: Evie’s life and books; writing every novel very differently; where The Bass Rock came from; religion and paganism; when in doubt; paying attention to negative reviews; getting nothing done at writers’ retreats; what Australia meant to Evie as a child; the role of character and landscape; writing confronting scenes and the high body count; the exhaustion for women in constantly being vigilant; ghosts and hauntings; the links between religion and misogyny; Evie’s first reader and editor; the writers who helped teach Evie to write; the Victorian idea of a companion; behind the scenes of Review, Evie’s bookshop in Peckham; and book recommendations.

In Australia find Evie's books at all good bookshops such as Readings: https://www.readings.com.au

In the UK find Evie's books and browse many other delights at Review in Peckham http://www.reviewbookshop.co.uk

Featuring: the way books begin, the conversation between languages, on teaching and writing, untranslatable words, finding a way to get rid of excess, translating her own novel from Italian and the intense scrutiny involved, Jhumpa's upcoming book of short stories called Roman Stories, the anthology of Italian writers Jhumpa edited, those authors with whom Jhumpa feels an affinity, the machinery of publishing and the differences between countries, advice on starting out as a writer, having a threshold for uncertainty and how rejections are crucial.

* There’s background noise in a few places, apologies.

Featuring: Living in London, a fierce love of Australia, juggling work and family, bringing unspoken things into the light, strong headstrong women, on Nikki's book After and her mother’s suicide, the importance of cherishing loved ones, memories of getting published, the women in publishing who lifted Nikki up, getting outed as the writer of The Bride Stripped Bare, the pleasures of editing, and the writers who excite Nikki today.

A wide-ranging conversation throughout the' universe of Charles Yu, featuring: race in America; using humour as a compass; the roles we play; the early years coping with rejection and the benefits of having low expectations when starting out; television’s writing room etiquette and servicing a story; the editorial process; what he learnt from Wong Kar-wai; the tiny surgical cuts that lift a manuscript; and the challenges of adapting your own novel.

Featuring: wonder, silliness and how Andy has made millions of kids fall in love with reading. He talks about the early days figuring out what kind of writer he was; dealing with initial rejections; the algebra of comedy and fiction; his characteristic too-much-information detail; the joy of collaborating and the genius of Terry and Jill; the endless rewrites and hard work alongside many laughs; how deadlines are useful; why the Treehouse series went ballistic; the art of performance; working with The Indigenous Literacy Foundation and what books are coming next. There are also loads of book and film recommendations.

* You might want to listen to this interview in a few sessions as it’s much longer than usual (everything Andy said was gold so I didn't edit it down). He’s incredibly humble, generous and funny (forgive my excessive laughter) and his life story is an inspiration. Enjoy.

Featuring: Melissa’s novels and non-fiction; advice to new writers; her hit podcast that has been a balm for so many people during the pandemic; connection to place and becoming more attuned to the natural world; life in a rural village; a fascination with England; the authors Melissa reads now and read as a child; defining moments in her writing life; a love of dance music; and the dark side of nostalgia.

In this interview Melissa also discusses her new children’s book 'By Ash, Oak and Thorn' that you can now find at your local independent bookshop. The interview took place at the end of 2020.

Featuring: Giving a voice to the voiceless, observations of America today, from war zones to living Paris and New York, the concept of moral injury, ghosts from Bosnia and living with injustice, Syria and the mass exodus of refugees, investigating human rights, the nature of ‘evil’, how foreign reporting has drastically changed, the anchor of faith, and Janine's new book ‘The Vanishing: The twilight of Christianity in the Middle East’. 

*Some of the content in this conversation is disturbing as we’re talking about the reality of war.

*The film Janine recommends is ‘Quo Vadis, Aida?’ A 2020 Bosnian film written, produced and directed by Jasmila Žbanić.

Featuring: How Jenny started out; learning from the iconic British agent Deborah Rogers (who represented authors from Ian McEwan to Angela Carter); championing writers; the importance of trust and rapport; choosing the right publishers for authors; the art of contracts; and working for Lutyens and Rubinstein. This interview took place at the end of 2020. The title of Jenny’s last book recommendation is ‘Love after Love’ by Ingrid Persaud.

The first episode of season two! Featuring: Lang self-publishing her first book then getting an agent and a publishing deal; becoming a bestselling author and social media sensation; Lang’s remarkable mother; the power of words to change lives; the impact of speaking different languages (including a rare form of Chinese) on her writing; and writing to her past and future self. Lang also gives some readings of her work.

* This interview was recorded at the end of 2020. Enjoy!

Featuring: The most important nine years of his life, from class clown to double firsts at Oxford, travelling the world with UNESCO, what 'The Old Man and the Sea' showed him, the dangers of mass industrial farming, what we can learn from traditional ways, meeting Wendell Berry, rewiggling the rivers and planting trees - all of which weaves in discussion of both 'The Shephard’s Life' and James’ new book 'English Pastoral'.