Writer's Routine

Fergus Craig is a stand-up comic and actor who has appeared across shows on the BBC and Disney Plus. In 2009, he was named 'Hackney Empire's New Act of the Year'. Through lockdown, he found internet fame with his videos parodying bad crime writers. He starred in both series of the BBC show 'Hoff the Record', and won a Chortle Comedy Award. He would read 'Detective Roger le Carre' stories, filled with pomp and cliche. They drew in an audience, and spawned a novel-writing career.

He published 'One Upon a Crime' and 'Murder at Crime Manor', bringing Detective Roger le Carre to life. We discuss the challenges of writing parody, where readers come for the funny, and need to stay for the plot.

His new novel is 'I'm Not The Only Murderer In My Retirement Home'.It tells the story of serial killer Carol Quinn, who is out of prison and looking to relax in her retirement home. However, when a dead body is found, she needs to find the culprit before all eyes turn on her.

We discuss why plotting is like playing snooker, also how much he knows before he starts, and why he's enjoying not having to be relentlessly funny in the novel.

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

This week's episode is sponsored by M.M. Rodeheaver's new novel, 'Minding Toby'. If you know a child who needs an inspiring new story to read, find out more at https://margaretrodeheaver.com/

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Shen Tao has always wanted to be a writer. For as long as she can remember, she's had ideas, developed characters, and written stories. It took her 9 attempts, 9 manuscripts, to finally get it done.

Her debut is 'The Poet Empress'. It's a Chinese historical fantasy, blended with a love story and a murder mystery. It tells the story of a young woman, who enters the Imperial Court as a concubine, and learns poetry-magic to try and kill the heir to the tale. We talk about how she pushed on, through the failed manuscripts, and had an idea she knew would be a winner. A winner it was, eventually being bought in a 6-way auction.

You can hear why she's prepared to chuck words away, why she writes a '0th draft', and how her routine has changed since going full-time.

We chat about the pressure of getting it right, her unique inspiration blending both Chinese and Western myths and stories, and Shen shares her strong font opinions.

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David Goodman writes edge-of-your-seat spy thrillers. His debut, 'A Relucant Spy', was published in 2024. We follow Jamie Tulloch, a successful exec at a top tech company, who has a secret... he's part of the Legend Programme. It's a secret intelligence effort to help provide backstories for undercover agents. It's simple, real people, living real lives and are willing to hand over their identities for a few weeks to help a spy blend in. Yet, when Jamie gets a tap on the shoulder, and things go wrong... he needs to play himself well enough to save the world.

It won the McDermid Debut Award at the Theakston Old Peculiar Harrogate Crime Writing Festival, also the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize, and was nominated for many more. He's publishing the second in the series, 'Solitary Agents', in June.

David is at a really interesting time of his writing life. He's in between novels, had debut success, things are being optioned for TV, and whilst still busy with the day job, has been able to give up fridays for writing. We discuss how his writing life has changed now he's firmly in the publishing business. Also, why his 'day-notes' keeps the writing muscle going. You can hear about future writing plans, juggling projects, and waking up early.

Get a copy of the book(s) - uk.bookshop.com/shop/writersroutine

This week's episode is sponsored by Philippa Hall's 'Quick Book Reviews Podcast', take a listen wherever you get your shows.

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Sam Sedgman is a 'British Book Award' winning author, who writes fantastic adventure stories for children. He started co-writing with MG Leonard, who has also been a guest on this show, working on the 'Adventures on Trains' series. She was a published author, he was a train nerd, it worked perfectly. In the process they won and were nominated for many awards. Now, he's writing on his own.

'The Galileo Heist' is the new novel in the 'Isaac Turner Investigates' series, which sees Isaac on a quest across Italy, to discover the wonder of light. Sam loves to take an interest, learn every strange fact he can about it, and then use it for a gripping adventure. In the series, he's explored time with 'The Clockwork Conspiracy', maps in 'The Forbidden Atlas', and now light in 'The Galileo Heist'. Sam has also published two non-fiction books - 'Epic Adventures' and 'Epic Cities'.

You can hear why he struggles to get things finished, also how he managed moving from co-writing to solo-writing, and why he builds words around a quirk of numbers.

If you know a child who needs to read more, you'd do well to introduce them to Sam's work. Get a copy - uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutine

This week's episode is sponsored by Philippa Hall's 'Quick Book Reviews' podcast. Take a listen wherever you've got this.

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In this week's episode, we chat to creepy thriller writer Sally-Anne Martyn.

Sally-Anne didn't grow up wanting to be a writer. She studied performing arts, working in film and TV, before working many different jobs in many different places, even a stint as a carer in one of England's last asylums. In her 40's, she had the epiphany that perhaps writing had always been waiting for her. She took that realisation very seriously, enrolling on writing courses, and life-coaching seminars, all to try and make her dream of being published come true. When it finally happened, she was shocked at how quickly the realities of being a writer set in. You can hear all about that in the chat.

She's published 'The Clinic', 'The Home', and her new novel is 'The Beauty Queen'. It's all about the journalist Zoe Kincade, who arrives in the rundown seaside town of Sunshine Sands to report on the local talent show. Within moments, it brings up memories of her sister, and the last place she was seen alive, when she was also crowned Miss Sunshine Sands.

We discuss dark thrillers, and how she's always improving her routine. You can hear why Sally-Anne is envious of old-school writers, how different jobs have influenced her novel ideas, and why she's a member of the 5am club.

Get a copy of the book - uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutine

This week's episode is sponsored by 'Whale Cemetery', the 12th instalment in the 'DCI Finnegan Yorkshire Crime Thriller' series by Ely North. Get a free book here - https://elynorthcrimefiction.com/

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