Page One - The Writer's Podcast

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David Goodman is an award-winning, multi-genre author. His debut novel A RELUCTANT SPY won the McDermid Debut Award and Bloody Scotland Debut Prize in 2025 and was optioned for television by Carnival Films. The sequel SOLITARY AGENTS is out this month, June 2026. His SF debut, SHARDS OF STARLIGHT, written as David W. Goodman, is coming from Solaris Books in 2027. He also has several published short SF stories and novelettes.

We had a great time chatting with Dave again, hearing about the emotional rollercoaster of being a debut author, winning two massive debut prizes, and the plot of his highly anticipated sequel, Solitary Agents. We also talk about why release day is actually a starting gun rather than a finish line, and of course he tells us about 5 books that influenced him as an author.

Links:
Buy Solitary Agents now
Follow Dave on Bluesky
Visit Dave's website

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Page One Extra and Page One - The Writer's Podcast are brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one

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Page One Extra is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky
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Watch as a full video episode on YouTube

Callum McSorley is a writer based in Glasgow.His debut novel, Squeaky Clean, was published by Pushkin Vertigo in 2023 and won the prestigious McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year.Its sequel, Paperboy, was released in 2025 and was a finalist for the same award.His short fiction has been featured in Gutter Magazine, New Writing Scotland, and broadcast on BBC Radio 4.His latest book, Rat Race, is out now.

We had a great time chatting with Callum, hearing about his early days of mapping out fantasy epics and why he pivoted to writing crime. We also talk about the brutal realities of working grueling night shifts on the railways, and we get some interesting anecdotes about how writing a non-historically accurate Victorian serial killer book actually landed him his literary agent!

Link
Buy Rat Race now
Follow Callum on Instagram
Visit Callum's website

Come see us at Cymera: Podcast recording
Narrative Damage live show

Vote for Tariq's book The Midnight King for the Old Peculier Harrogate Crime Novel of the Year Award
Vote for Tariq's book The Midnight King for the Capital Crime Overall Crime Book of the Year Award

Support us on Patreon and get the podcast early and ad-free, along with other great benefits, including a bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone

Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one

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Page One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky
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On this week's Drafting Notes, we are talking about... talking! Writing dialogue convincingly is something a lot of writers find tricky, and we discuss things to watch out for, what makes dialogue sound convincing (not necessarily realistic), and talk about some examples of what to do and what not to do.

Drafting Notes is a series in which one award-winning writer (Tariq) and one hopefully soon-to-be-published writer (Marco) discuss various writing issues as they occur to them!

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Drafting Notes and Page One - The Writer's Podcast are brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one

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Watch as a full video episode on YouTube

This week, we're expanding on our discussion from the last episode about the depressing HarperCollins report on children's reading habits. Author and teacher Cailean Steed joins us to break down the underlying data and explain exactly how hyper-fixating on rigid literacy metrics is actively destroying the sheer joy of reading for kids. Plus, we talk about - of course - AI, as we talk about the Commonwealth Short Story Prize winner scandal, and discuss Nobel Laureate Olga Tokarczuk response to the talk of AI involvement in her work. And we find time to talk about the Guardian's "Best books of all time" list - and make Tariq talk about football again.

00:00 Intro
01:08 Literacy vs Joy: Let Kids Enjoy Reading: Cailean Steed Interview
22:15 Snake Oil Award - Prize-winning Pile On
37:50 Tokarczuk Prize - An Ignoble Use of AI?
44:02 Stranger Than Fiction - Nadine's Idea Factory
52.26 The Final Chapter - Who are books lists for?

Links:
Literacy focus ‘actively undermining’ reading for pleasure, HarperCollins finds
‘Obvious markers of AI’: doubts raised over winner of short story prize
Read The Serpent in the Grove and decide for yourself
Olga Tokarczuk has responded to the controversy over her reputed use of AI
The Guardian 100 Best Books of All Time

Adventures in Publishing-land is brought to you by STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing podcast needs, featuring Page One - The Writer's Podcast, The Conversation with Nadine Matheson and more!

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Watch as a full video interview on YouTube

Andrea Mara is a Number One Sunday Times, Irish Times, and Kindle bestselling author whose books have sold over one million copies across all formats. She has been shortlisted for six An Post Book Awards and won Irish Crime Novel of the Year for It Should Have Been You in 2025. Her 2021 novel, All Her Fault, was adapted into a critically acclaimed TV series starring Sarah Snook, which premiered on Peacock and Sky in late 2025. Andrea’s work—including hits like No One Saw A Thing and Someone In The Attic—has consistently topped bestseller lists across the UK and Ireland. Her latest gripping thriller, Such a Nice Girl, is out now.

We had a great time chatting with Andrea, hearing about her transition from a 17-year career in financial services to becoming a domestic noir sensation. We also talk about her unique "plot-first" writing process and the importance of detailed outlines, and we get some interesting anecdotes about what it was like to eat cake on a Melbourne film set with Michael Peña!

Links:
Buy Such a Nice Girl now
Follow Andrea on Instagram
Visit Andrea's website

Vote for Tariq's book The Midnight King for the Old Peculier Harrogate Crime Novel of the Year Award
Vote for Tariq's book The Midnight King for the Capital Crime Overall Crime Book of the Year Award

Support us on Patreon and get the podcast early and ad-free, along with other great benefits, including a bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone

Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one

Follow us on Facebook
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Follow us on Bluesky
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Page One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.