Confessions of a Debut Novelist

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Kara Gnodde about her contemporary novel The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything.  In this episode we discuss how fragments of inspiration came to her like pieces of a puzzle, why she struggled with the structure of her novel and the importance of enjoying every win whilst keeping your expectations in check during publication. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781529096347Follow Kara on Twitter: @KaraGnoddehttps://www.karagnodde.co.ukFollow 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 Slater about her thriller Death of a Bookseller. In this episode we discuss how she created separate playlists, played movies in the background as she wrote and used different vocabulary lists to create the distinct narrative voices in her novel, why after years of tinkering she was able to finish the novel in a month and why she loves BookTok. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy Death of a Bookseller: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781529385328Follow Alice on Twitter: @alicemjslaterhttps://alicemjslater.com/What Page Are You On? podcast - Writing Craft EpisodeFollow 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 Ryan Love about his commercial novel Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out. In this episode we discuss writing different coming out stories to capture a variety of experiences, how lockdown was a now or never moment to achieve his novel-writing dreams and how he wrote the first draft in 3 intense weeks. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780008541200Follow Ryan on Twitter: @RyanJLFollow 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 Carole Hailey about her thriller The Silence Project. In this episode we discuss how frustration with politics inspired her theme of silence, why she’s glad her other novel didn’t sell and the strange way she found her agent, by not winning a writing competition.Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy The Silence Project: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781838956066Follow Carole on Twitter: @CaroleAHaileyFollow 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 Jessica George about her contemporary novel Maame. In this episode we talk about writing a personal story about grief, how Maame was her actually her sixth novel and second attempt at getting a book deal and how she prefers to start writing her novel by hand.Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy Maame: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781529395570Follow Jess on Twitter: @JessGeorge_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 Charlene Carr about her commercial novel Hold My Girl. Technically Charlene is not a debut novelist as she’s written 10 self-published novels, but Hold My Girl is her first traditionally published novel and I was very keen to talk to her about the transition between self and traditional publishing and the differences she’s experienced. In this episode we discuss how her self-publishing career began, how and why she decided to get a traditional publishing deal, her compelling novel premise which was based on a real-life fear and how the first thing she wrote was the novel’s closing lines. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy Hold My Girl: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781802793321Follow Charlene on Twitter: @charcarr1Follow 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 Eleanor Shearer about her historical novel River Sing Me Home. In this episode we discuss how she was inspired by the strength of Black women in her family, starting her research by interviewing families in the Caribbean to focus on the emotional thread of the novel and her strict writing routine of writing 500 words every day, literally every day.  Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy River Sing Me Home: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781472291363Follow Eleanor on Twitter: @eleanorbshearerFollow 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 Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ about her speculative novel Dazzling. In this episode we discuss how she used old forms of storytelling in this coming of age tale, layering deeper meaning within fiction and her writing routine which involves scrapping everything she’s written and starting again!  Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy Dazzling: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781472289643Follow Chịkọdịlị on Twitter: @chemelumaduFollow 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 Amita Parikh about her historical novel The Circus Train. In this episode we discuss how her fascination in magic and love of science inspired The Circus Train, how raising the stakes in her novel transformed it into a manuscript agents were interested in and why she adopts a healthy approach in describing writing as something she does versus it becoming who she is entirely. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy The Circus Train: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780349994130Follow Amita on Twitter: @amitaparikhhttps://www.amitaparikh.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.