Confessions of a Debut Novelist

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Olivia Ford about her commercial novel Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame. We discuss using real people as a starting point for creating characters, her tips for finishing a novel when you work full time and the challenge of writing an uplifting novel and including sadder and serious subjects as well.Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780241638514Follow Olivia: @_OliviaFordFollow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimmsBuy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimmschloetimms.co.uk *affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Kristen Perrin about her mystery novel How to Solve Your Own Murder. We discuss playing fair with your readers when writing crime, how she used flash fiction character sketches to help flesh out her side characters and her surprise but successful move to withdraw her full manuscript from interested agents and resubmit after feedback. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy How to Solve Your Own Murder: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781529430059Follow Kristen: @Kristen_Perrinhttps://www.kristenperrin.comFollow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimmsBuy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimmschloetimms.co.uk *affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Alice McIlroy about her psychological suspense novel The Glass Woman. We discuss her world-building in a novel where the technology is slightly more advanced than our own, writing about AI before it had hit public consciousness and the impact this had on trying to sell the novel and the challenge of switching between the private writer and the public author. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy The Glass Woman: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781915523044Follow Alice: @alice_mcilroyFollow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimmsBuy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimmschloetimms.co.uk *affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Musih Tedji Xaviere about her contemporary novel These Letters End in Tears. We discuss how she was inspired by a courageous gay couple in Cameroon who stayed together despite the laws forbidding their love, the challenges of using second person and why she made the tough decision to relocate for her safety and career.  Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy These Letters End in Tears: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781914344381Follow Xaviere: @MusihXFollow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimmsBuy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimmschloetimms.co.uk *affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Miranda Pountney about her contemporary novel How to Be Somebody Else. We discuss her “un”-coming of age story, why poetry encouraged her to be experimental and why it’s important not to rush the writing process. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy How to Be Somebody Else: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781914344381Follow Miranda: @mirandapountneyFollow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimmsBuy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimmschloetimms.co.uk *affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Toby Lloyd about his literary novel Fervour. We discuss we discuss taking inspiration from Bible stories, how he tried to represent a variety of Jewish experiences and why having your work critiqued is one of the most valuable things you can do when starting out.Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy Fervour: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781399724616Follow Toby: @TobyLloyd19Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimmsBuy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimmschloetimms.co.uk *affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Jodie Matthews about her contemporary novel Meet Me at the Surface. We discuss writing the weird and creepy but keeping the world grounded, researching the Cornish folklore of where Jodie grew up and why she loves Bookstagram and thinks finding a community of readers is just as important as a writing community. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy Meet Me at the Surface: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780008585006Follow Jodie: @JodieRMatthewsJodie's Instagram: @jodierhianmatthewsHeather Parry's Substack mentioned: https://open.substack.com/pub/heatherparry/p/things-have-to-happenFollow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimmsBuy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimmschloetimms.co.uk *affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Madeleine Grey about her literary novel Green Dot. We discuss writing the "other woman" in an affair with empathy, how Madeleine's work as a critic gave her an understanding of how novels work and the importance of keeping note of overheard conversations and funny observations. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy Green Dot: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781399612760Follow Madeleine: @gray_madeleine_Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimmsBuy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimmschloetimms.co.uk *affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Emma Hinds about her historical novel The Knowing. We discuss giving her female characters agency in a Victorian era, her brilliant tips to find an agent, how she uses fanfiction as a playground and the long and difficult submission process she went through. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy The Knowing: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781915798138Follow Emma:@EmmaLouisePHhttps://emmahinds.comFollow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimmsBuy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimmschloetimms.co.uk *affiliate link - if you buy books linked to the Bookshop.org site, I may earn a commission.