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It’s episode 223 with the funny and inspiring Milly Johnson talking about her long writing journey, including writing greetings cards and being told she sounded too northern, before eventually finding huge success as an award winning, multi-million copy selling RomCom author. We also discover the book that saved her life.

Milly Johnson is a British author of romantic fiction. She has written 21 bestselling novels with over three million sales worldwide, one book of poetry, and five novellas. She was nominated for the Melissa Nathan Award for Romantic comedy in 2012, was a two-time winner of the RoNA Award for Comedy Romance in 2014 and 2016, and was also a winner of Channel 4's Come Dine With Me – Barnsley edition. She was honoured with the Romantic Novelist Association's Outstanding Achievement Award in 2020. She is also an after-dinner speaker, poet, professional joke writer, short story writer and newspaper columnist. Her latest book is The Happiest Ever After which is out everywhere right now.

Find all Milly's links at her website here.

Thinking of self-publishing and want help and a cover design? Take a look at this post on Wayne’s website.

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Don’t forget – this is YOUR SHOW so keep tweeting me, leave your comments below, check out our Facebook page and the brand new newsletter and mailing list. It’s totally free to sign up and you’ll get a FREE motivational PDF to download – ’10 Tips For Surviving NaNoWriMo, The First Draft and Beyond’ PLUS the 3 Act Story Structure Template to help you plot your story. More content coming soon, including videos, blog posts and loads of extra writing tips.

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It’s episode 222 with inspirational commercial fiction writer, Liz Fenwick talking about her Cornish novels, methods of research, her writing process and her advice for those of us struggling along the way.

Liz Fenwick is writer of commercial fiction, living in Cornwall, England. Her books have been translated into 15 languages.

She has published nine novels and two novellas taking her inspiration from Cornwall's history and landscape and in 2017 was named "the queen of the contemporary Cornish novel" by The Guardian.

Her debut novel,The Cornish House, was first published in 2012 and her latest book and ninth novel, The Secret Shore, is out everywhere right now.

Find all Liz's links at her website here.

Thinking of self-publishing and want help and a cover design? Take a look at this post on Wayne’s website.

WANT A FREE eBOOK WITH 2 CRIME STORIES? SUBSCRIBE TO WAYNE’S NEWSLETTER HERE

Don’t forget – this is YOUR SHOW so keep tweeting me, leave your comments below, check out our Facebook page and the brand new newsletter and mailing list. It’s totally free to sign up and you’ll get a FREE motivational PDF to download – ’10 Tips For Surviving NaNoWriMo, The First Draft and Beyond’ PLUS the 3 Act Story Structure Template to help you plot your story. More content coming soon, including videos, blog posts and loads of extra writing tips.

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It’s episode 221 with publishing PR legend, Alison Barrow who is PR Director at Penguin Random House and has been involved in some of the most well known campaigns around, including SJ Watson’s Before I Go To Sleep and more recently Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. She has loads of inspirational and practical advice for writers on what publishers are looking for and how you can make you and your book as marketable as possible.

Alison is an award- winning book publicist with experience launching writing careers, managing major figures and creating global brands. She’s worked on some of the biggest bestselling campaigns of the past 20 years including, Before I Go To Sleep, Lessons In Chemistry and The Girl on The Train. She’s currently a PR Director at Penguin Random House.

Follow Alison on X here and Instagram here.

Thinking of self-publishing and want help and a cover design? Take a look at this post on Wayne’s website.

WANT A FREE eBOOK WITH 2 CRIME STORIES? SUBSCRIBE TO WAYNE’S NEWSLETTER HERE

Don’t forget – this is YOUR SHOW so keep tweeting me, leave your comments below, check out our Facebook page and the brand new newsletter and mailing list. It’s totally free to sign up and you’ll get a FREE motivational PDF to download – ’10 Tips For Surviving NaNoWriMo, The First Draft and Beyond’ PLUS the 3 Act Story Structure Template to help you plot your story. More content coming soon, including videos, blog posts and loads of extra writing tips.

SUBSCRIBE NOW WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO YOUR PODCASTS

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It’s episode 220 and it’s with psychological thriller writer, Helen Cooper who I interviewed in front of a live audience at Leicester’s Central Library. It was the first Joined Up Live and I got to chat to Helen about her latest gripping book, My Darling Boy, as well as how she became a writer, what makes a great psychological thriller, why perseverance is everything and of course we will get to hear about the Book That Saved Her Life. 

Helen Cooper is a writer of psychological thrillers living in Leicester, UK.

She has taught English and Academic Writing in both Further and Higher Education and was Head of Learning Enhancement at the University of Birmingham. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Nottingham Trent University and has been published in Woman, Writers’ Forum, Mslexia, the Lincolnshire Echo, Derbyshire Life, and on the Crime Readers' Association website. She was shortlisted for the Bath Short Story Prize in 2014 and came third in the Leicester Writes Short Story Prize in 2018.

Her novels include The Downstairs Neighbour,  The Other Guest, The Couple In The Photo and now, her latest book, My Darling Boy.

She is currently president of Leicester Writers' Club. She lives in Leicester with her new husband and cat.

Find all of Helen's links on her website here.

Thinking of self-publishing and want help and a cover design? Take a look at this post on Wayne’ website.

WANT A FREE eBOOK WITH 2 CRIME STORIES? SUBSCRIBE TO WAYNE’S NEWSLETTER HERE

Don’t forget – this is YOUR SHOW so keep tweeting me, leave your comments below, check out our Facebook page and the brand new newsletter and mailing list. It’s totally free to sign up and you’ll get a FREE motivational PDF to download – ’10 Tips For Surviving NaNoWriMo, The First Draft and Beyond’ PLUS the 3 Act Story Structure Template to help you plot your story. More content coming soon, including videos, blog posts and loads of extra writing tips.

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It’s episode 219 with Merle Nyegate, TV screenwriter and novelist, returning to talk about her new espionage novel – Honour Among Spies. We talk about theme, structure and writing a sequel.

Merle is a screenwriter, script editor, screenwriting lecturer and novelist; she's worked on BAFTA winning TV, New York Festival audio drama and written original sitcoms. She previously she worked for BBC Comedy Commissioning as well as writing and script editing across multiple genres. Merle’s first novel, The Righteous Spy won the Little Brown/UEA Crime Fiction Award and is now followed up with the excellent Honour Among Spies, which I’ve read and loved. That’s out right now.

Find out more on Merle’s website here and follow her on Twitter @MerleNygate.

Thinking of self-publishing and want help and a cover design? Take a look at this post on Wayne’ website.

WANT A FREE eBOOK WITH 2 CRIME STORIES? SUBSCRIBE TO WAYNE’S NEWSLETTER HERE

Don’t forget – this is YOUR SHOW so keep tweeting me, leave your comments below, check out our Facebook page and the brand new newsletter and mailing list. It’s totally free to sign up and you’ll get a FREE motivational PDF to download – ’10 Tips For Surviving NaNoWriMo, The First Draft and Beyond’ PLUS the 3 Act Story Structure Template to help you plot your story. More content coming soon, including videos, blog posts and loads of extra writing tips.

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It’s episode 218 with the fascinating Manda Scott, talking about her new Thrutopian novel, Any Human Power, why she wanted to take a different path between dystopia and utopia, how she literally felt a calling to write this book and that all important step of trying to find your voice. We do all that and still find time to talk about the Book That Saved Her Life.

Born in Scotland, Manda was once a veterinary surgeon and is now a novelist, smallholder, contemporary shamanic trainer and host of the international chart-topping Accidental Gods podcast. Best known for the Boudica: Dreaming series, she’s been shortlisted for the Orange Prize, the Edgar and the Saltire Award, and won the McIlvanney Prize. With her wife, Faith Tilleray, she is co-creator of the Thrutopia Masterclass. Her new novel, Any Human Power is a Thrutopian political thriller woven through with Boudica-style dreaming: a new mythos for a new reality. It's out everywhere right now.

Find all Manda's links at her website here.

Thinking of self-publishing and want help and a cover design? Take a look at this post on Wayne' website.

WANT A FREE eBOOK WITH 2 CRIME STORIES? SUBSCRIBE TO WAYNE’S NEWSLETTER HERE

Don’t forget – this is YOUR SHOW so keep tweeting me, leave your comments below, check out our Facebook page and the brand new newsletter and mailing list. It’s totally free to sign up and you’ll get a FREE motivational PDF to download – ’10 Tips For Surviving NaNoWriMo, The First Draft and Beyond’ PLUS the 3 Act Story Structure Template to help you plot your story. More content coming soon, including videos, blog posts and loads of extra writing tips.

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It’s episode 217 with Samuel Burr, ex-TV executive turned author with his debut book, The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers. This is a lovely chat covering Samuel’s journey to publication, how his time spent filming in a retirement village inspired his book, pitching tips and, of course, the book that saved his life.

Samuel studied at Westminster Film School and was a freelance TV executive, where he developed and produced loads of popular-factual shows including BBC Four’s Make: Craft Britain, and the BAFTA-nominated Secret Life of 4-Year-Olds. Samuel’s writing was shortlisted for Penguin’s WriteNow scheme and in 2021 he graduated from the Faber Academy. He lives in London with his partner Tom and their cat Muriel. And his debut novel, The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers is out everywhere right now.

Find all Samuel's links on his website here.

WANT A FREE eBOOK WITH 2 CRIME STORIES? SUBSCRIBE TO WAYNE’S NEWSLETTER HERE

Don’t forget – this is YOUR SHOW so keep tweeting me, leave your comments below, check out our Facebook page and the brand new newsletter and mailing list. It’s totally free to sign up and you’ll get a FREE motivational PDF to download – ’10 Tips For Surviving NaNoWriMo, The First Draft and Beyond’ PLUS the 3 Act Story Structure Template to help you plot your story. More content coming soon, including videos, blog posts and loads of extra writing tips.

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It’s episode 216 with Matt Ottley, writer, artist, musician and all round polymath, talking about the incredible book, film and music for his project The Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness. Matt is a fascinating guest and we talk about how his previous mental health issues, art, Synaethesia and music feed into his work, why he believes ‘good enough’ is rarely good enough and we’ll find out about the Books That Saved His Life.

Matt is a multi-modal artist working across the fields of visual arts, music and literature. He is an award-winning picture book writer and illustrator, with 25 picture books published and one of Australia’s most popular children’s authors. His book and musical work for young adults, Requiem for a Beast was awarded the Children's Book Council of Australia's Picture Book of the Year in 2008, and the Queensland Premier's Award for Young Adult Literature in the same year. His latest multi-modal project is The Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness and that will be out on May 16th.

Find all of Matt's links and info over on his website here.

WANT A FREE eBOOK WITH 2 CRIME STORIES? SUBSCRIBE TO WAYNE’S NEWSLETTER HERE

Don’t forget – this is YOUR SHOW so keep tweeting me, leave your comments below, check out our Facebook page and the brand new newsletter and mailing list. It’s totally free to sign up and you’ll get a FREE motivational PDF to download – ’10 Tips For Surviving NaNoWriMo, The First Draft and Beyond’ PLUS the 3 Act Story Structure Template to help you plot your story. More content coming soon, including videos, blog posts and loads of extra writing tips.

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It’s episode 215 with best-selling psychological suspense author, AJ Campbell joining me to chat about her latest book, why and how she has taken both the indie route, as well as releasing books with a traditional publisher, and we’ll also discover the Book That Saved Her Life.

AJ is an Amazon bestselling author of six psychological suspense novels and promises stories full of twists, turns and torment. Her fourth book The Phone Call was released in July 2022, and it topped the Amazon charts for several months. It was shortlisted for the Adult Prize for Fiction at the Selfie Book Awards 2023. Her latest book, released by Bookouture, is called My Perfect Marriage (the title changed just before broadcast of the show!) and is out everywhere right now.

Find all AJ's links on her website here.

WANT A FREE eBOOK WITH 2 CRIME STORIES? SUBSCRIBE TO WAYNE’S NEWSLETTER HERE

Don’t forget – this is YOUR SHOW so keep tweeting me, leave your comments below, check out our Facebook page and the brand new newsletter and mailing list. It’s totally free to sign up and you’ll get a FREE motivational PDF to download – '10 Tips For Surviving NaNoWriMo, The First Draft and Beyond’ PLUS the 3 Act Story Structure Template to help you plot your story. More content coming soon, including videos, blog posts and loads of extra writing tips.

Exclusive Audible 30 Day Free Trial Here!

Find out more about my BIG SCREEN WORKSHOP

SUBSCRIBE NOW ON –  iTUNES   STITCHER   SPOTIFY   OVERCAST

It’s episode 214 with Sandie Jones, freelance author and now best-selling author, about her writing journey, interviewing famous people, and the desire to prove her doubters wrong. All that and of course, we’ll find out about the Book That Saved Her Life.

Sandie is the author of The Blame Game, The Guilt Trip, The Half Sister, The First Mistake and The Other Woman which is a Reese Witherspoon Bookclub Pick and New York Times bestseller. Her books have featured in Entertainment Weekly, Good Morning America, Good Housekeeping, Prima and more.  She lives in London with her husband and three children. Her latest novel, The Trade Off is out right now.

Find all of Sandie's links on her website here.

WANT A FREE eBOOK WITH 2 CRIME STORIES? SUBSCRIBE TO WAYNE’S NEWSLETTER HERE

Don’t forget – this is YOUR SHOW so keep tweeting me, leave your comments below, check out our Facebook page and the brand new newsletter and mailing list. It’s totally free to sign up and you’ll get a FREE motivational PDF to download – ’10 Tips For Surviving NaNoWriMo, The First Draft and Beyond’ PLUS the 3 Act Story Structure Template to help you plot your story. More content coming soon, including videos, blog posts and loads of extra writing tips.