Confessions of a Debut Novelist

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Samuel Burr about his commercial novel The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers. We discuss why his novel was inspired by an appreciation of the stories told by older people, how his hook comes first when coming up with ideas and how he deals with the buzz and hype surrounding his novel, while he tries to work on something new. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781398712300Follow Samuel: @samuelburrFollow 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 Elizabeth O'Connor about her literary novel Whale Fall. We discuss how she created a fictitious island community, her technique for overcoming problems with plotting and how she signed with an agent before she even had an idea for a novel. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy Whale Fall: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781035024728Follow Elizabeth: @ElizaroconnorFollow 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 Emily Howes about her historical novel The Painter’s Daughters. We discuss discuss using present tense in historical fiction, trying to sustain tension in the saggy middle of a novel and what theatre class taught her about writing through the body. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy The Painter’s Daughters: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781399610780Follow Emily: @EmilyHthinkshttp://www.emily-howes.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 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.