Lucinda Berry is a USA Today bestselling author, who has published 9 incredibly successful novels, which have been optioned for films, and translated into several languages. She worked as a psychologist and leading researcher in childhood trauma - much of that has inspired her thrillers.

Readers are huge fans of 'The Perfect Child', also the heart-pounding 'The Best of Friends', and the unsettling truths in 'The Secrets of Us'. Her new release is an audio thriller. 'This is a Safe Space', tells the story of the therapist Jenna who, after discovering a strange text exchange on her husband's phone, comes to wonder if he might be connected to one of her clients... who has disappeared.

We discuss the gestation of an audio-only idea, how the approach was different, and whether it changed the planning, plotting and style. You can hear how she deals with the trickier writing days, also her tight working schedule, the hefty word counts, and how she handled the switch to full time.

Get a copy of her books at uk.bookshop.com/shop/writersroutine

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Caroline Corcoran is a thriller author who burst to success with her debut, 'Through the Wall' in 2019. She's been a Sunday Times bestseller ever since, translated into many languages across the world, and compared to Adele Parks and Liane Moriarty.

Caroline followed it up with 'The Baby Group', 'Five Days Missing', 'What Happened on Floor 34', and this year published, 'Tiny Daggers'. It's all about the expat Holly Jones, who is loving her new life in Miami. That is, until another Holly, from her old life in London, reconnects with her and brings up memories that have been buried for decades.

Following a career in journalism where Caroline wrote and edited for The Guardian, The Telegraph, Marie Claire, The Mirror, and many more, she's now a huge name in the world of psychological and crime thrillers.

You can get a copy of the show at uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutine

This episode is sponsored by Ulysses. Go to ulys.app/writeabook to download Ulysses, and use the code ROUTINE at checkout to get 25% off the first year of your yearly subscription.

Also, this week we're supported by the 'Quick Book Reviews' podcast. Search for brilliant bite-sized book chatter, wherever you get your shows.

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Patrick Syms started work trying to be a screenwriter, and he got ever so close, before life got in the way. He took a job in advertising, which became a 25 year long career in communications. In 2020, he gave it up to write again. This time, he took it seriously. Being accepted in to the Curtis Brown 'Writing Your Novel' course, he's just finished 'Am I The Asshole?', which is out to query as I type.

It's all about entrepreneur Richard Whitecross, who invents what he thinks is a piece of world-changing technology. But when it malfunctions and he becomes the target of a social media pile-on, he must learn to face all the facts of his situation, not just the convenient ones, before he loses his family, his livelihood and his sanity. It was inspired by an interview Patrick saw with a celebrity on TV, and being dumbfounded by the terrible way they were presenting themselves.

As the manuscript goes out to agents, Patrick has taken some unique steps of his own... and is releasing a limited batch of books, in order to spread the word and make some noise. He's printed a select set of white label books, inspired by independent record companies. He runs through the process of making that work - what's gone well and what's been trickier than imagined.

You can hear what he felt when he was trying too hard to make a point with his prose, also why he's always playing catch up, and the 5 questions that he asks in every scene.

You can find out more at patricksyms.com, and find his instagram in the show notes.

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Tom Cox has had a long and varied writing career. Over the last 25 years he has been The Guardian's youngest ever music critic, a record dealer, a golf and nature memoirist, and a unique creative writer. He's said to have 'one of the most fabulous and anarchic imaginations in literature'.

Tom finds finds magic in the everyday, from country ramblings and folklore to melancholic cats and oddball corners of the country. He's published the golf memoir, 'Bring Me The Head of Sergio Garcia', also nature books, '21st Century Yokel', and many books about cats. He's a Sunday Times Bestseller, won a Shirley Jackson Horror Writing Award, and was longlisted for the Wainwright Prize. He also banned himself from writing journalism again.

He chose to post all his writings online, and then crowd-funded a book, which did very well, very quickly. It's been a sticky year or so, as 'Unbounded' went out of business, and it's forced Tom to go back to traditional publishing.

Tom has just released the novel, 'Everything Will Swallow You', which tells the story of Eric and his confidante Carl. Their friendship is the only constant in an ever-changing world, but there's something about Carl that you'd never believe.

We discuss how he tries to keep it fun, why so much of his inspiration comes from walking, and why parts of his career have brought out the worst in social media.

You can hear why he's in a genre of one, what caused him to give up journalism, and the rule he keeps in mind when editing.

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Hazel Barkworth is creative consultant, who graduated from Oxford with an English Degree, and when she decided she'd try and write fiction... she went back to school.

She enrolled in the Curtis Brown Creative Novel Writing Course, and published her debut, 'Heatstroke', to rave reviews in The Guardian and the Evening Standard.

Hazel's newest novel is 'The Drownings'. It tells the story of Serena, who grew up dreaming of being an olympic swimmer. When a brutal training injury wrecks those chances, she heads to University. One dark night, she saves a students life, and the process leads her to learn about a dark, twisted history unseen through the campus. We discuss why Hazel was desperate to write a Campus novel, and how she managed to pull together so many ideas and themes into one book, with one ending.

You can hear about the break Hazel took between novels, and what she learned in those 4 years, also about the balance of writing and working freelance, and why her plotting technique is based on vibes.

This week's episode is supported by the 'Quick Book Reviews' podcast, and by Fleur MacDonald's brand new novel, 'The Missing'.

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A.L. Brody is the author of the novel, 'Dating and Dismemberment'. It's monster rom-com inspired by Star Wars and The Sopranos. A.L. Brody is also Jason Pinter, a multi-award nominated, bestselling writer.

Jason has published thrillers, crime novels, YA books and stuff for younger kids. He's been nominated for the Thriller Award, the Barry Away, the RT Reviewers Choice Award, and many more. His path to publication has been a winding one, going traditional, then independent, and now traditional again. We discuss how it's all worked, and what he's learn from the different forms along the way.

You can hear about the singular idea for 'Dating and Dismemberment', why it gave him opportunities to be more creative than perhaps is normal, and how he got the tone right for the target audience.

We discuss how he's improved his first drafts, how he works without the muse striking, and how he's cracked marketing himself.

You can get a copy of the book at uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutine

This week's episode is sponsored by the 'Quick Book Reviews Podcast', search wherever you get your shows. Also, by Fleur McDonald's new novel, 'The Missing'. Find out more at fleurmcdonald.com

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Antonia Hodgson is a novelist, screenwriter, former publisher and now, fantasy author. She made her name writing historical crime. Her debut, 'The Devil in Marshalsea', won the CWA Historical Dagger Award in 2014 and was shortlisted for Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year, it was a Richand and Judy, and Waterstone's Book Club pick. All in all, a huge debut.

Now, she's returning to her first love, with a brand new fantasy trilogy. 'The Raven Scholar', tells the story of Bersun the Brusque, Emperor of Orrun, who is bringing his reign to an end after 24 years on the throne. It looks at the 7 contenders to replace him... who soon become 6. It's up to Neema Kraa to investigate the killer before the Empire falls.

We discuss the tricks and tropes of fantasy, and how much you can possibly research the world you're creating. Also, you an hear why fantasy is all about asking strange questions, how much she knows about the future of the series, and how much planning can go into a sprawling, epic saga.

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Nicholas Binge has lectured in creative writing, co-hosts the 'Binge Reading Book Club' podcast, and has just published his 4th book. It's called 'Extremity'.

It follows up the success of 'Professor Everywhere', which won the Proverse Prize for Literature, 'Dissolution', and the bestselling, 'Ascension'. 'Extremity' is a time-travelling police procedural. It follows Julia Torgrimsen, brought out of retirement to investigate the murder of a billionaire she once worked with. When she finds the body... there's an identical one right next to it.

We discuss how this book came to be a novella - does the idea dictate the form? Also, you can hear why he found it tricky becoming a full-time writer, why he always tries to celebrate the small wins, and about his winding path to publication.

This episode is sponsored by IngramSpark. Try it now at ingramspark.com/learnmore

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Kelly Mullen is a creative powerhouse who has just released her debut novel, 'This Is Not a Game'. Previously, Kelly has produced in Hollywood, working on the movie 'Trumbo', and the series 'Dads' for Apple TV+. She works as a marketing consultant, helping brands achieve their creative potential, and now she's trying to realise her own.

She's been named by Cosmopolitan, The Bookseller, and the Daily Mail as 'One to Watch', and the rights to her new novel have already been snapped up in the USA and Germany.

'This Is Not a Game' is about the hard-drinking, crossword solving Mimi, who enlists her stranged granddaughter Addie to help solve a murder. It was inspired by a summer taking care of her own grandma, and dreaming of the strange scrapes they could get into.

We talk about why she wasn't trying to reinvent the wheel, what she learned from working in Hollywood, and how she made sure her characters got to her ending.

You can hear Kelly's path to publication, what she's taken from her writing career so far, and whether she's taking on too much.

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This week we're joined by Kate Kemp, occupational therapist, psychotherapist and now, author. Her debut novel, 'The Grapevine', is out now. It started life as a manuscript called 'Warrah Place', which won the Stylist Prize for Feminist Fiction, and landed her a publishing deal.

It's a gripping mystery set in 1970s Australia, about a murder in a close-kint community, and the rumours that spread like wildfire afterwards.

We discuss why her bed is so crucial for her work, and how she edits on the move. Also, you can hear how pressured she feels to make time to write when she's not really feeling it, why you should be prepared for the disappointments along the way, and her winding path to publication.

This week's episode is sponsored by IngramSpark, who let you publish like a pro. Also, this week's episode is sponsored by Quick Book Reviews Podcast.

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