Confessions of a Debut Novelist

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Mira V Shah about her psychological suspense novel Her. We discuss subverting stereotypes of British Asian women in fiction, how she added pace to her novel and after Mira’s blog on the realities of being a debut gained traction online, she talks about how to manage expectations and look after yourself. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy Her: Follow Mira: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 Lynsey May about her contemporary novel Weak Teeth. We discuss why Lynsey wanted to write about teeth, how her inspiration began with just one striking sentence and why she chose to write an open ending. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy Weak Teeth: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781846976308Follow Lynsey: @LynseyMayFollow 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 Rajasree Variyar about her contemporary novel The Daughters of Madurai. We discuss how she was inspired by a shocking news story about infanticide which she remembered from her childhood, why her intense research trip to India made her complex characters more authentic, and finding a way to give agency to historically and culturally oppressed female characters. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy The Daughters of Madurai: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781398707269Follow Rajasree: @Raji_WarriorFollow 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 Jenny Mustard about her contemporary novel Okay Days. This is a really interesting episode because I asked Jenny if she thinks her large following had any impact on her sales and we talk a lot about social media and whether writers should worry about the size of their following. We also discuss how she wrote the first draft in eight weeks and how it took her a while to realise she was writing in the wrong genre at first.  Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy Okay Days: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781399713467Follow Jenny: @jenny_mustardhttps://www.youtube.com/@JennyMustardFollow 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 Claire Daverley about her contemporary novel Talking at Night. We discuss how the characters of her novel lived in her head for years before she found a way to put them on the page, why she made the contentious decision not to use speech marks and why this novel was third time lucky in getting an agent. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy Talking at Night: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780241604830Follow Claire: @ClaireDaverleyFollow 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 Sarah Jost about her contemporary novel One Last Chance. We discuss writing as a non-native speaker, the challenges of writing a time loop love story and how Sarah tries to practise what she calls “writers’ mindfulness” to cope with the challenges of being published. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy One Last Chance: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780349431536Follow Sarah: @swissSarahUKFollow 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 Alex Hay about his historical novel The Housekeepers. We discuss creating an ensemble cast of characters, how it took a clear idea and a story that felt fun and more “him” to attract an agent and how this novel turned him into a mega planner. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy The Housekeepers: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781472299338Follow Alex: @AlexHayBooksFollow 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 Jenna Clake about her literary novel Disturbance. We discuss using witchcraft to write about female agency, the challenges of novel writing vs poetry and how Jenna Whatsapps herself notes on the go to keep her ideas alive. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy Disturbance: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781398712072Follow Jenna: @jennaclakeFollow 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 Margaret Meyer about her historical novel The Witching Tide. We discuss why she was inspired by women who had been wiped from the history books, writing a non-verbal character and how working in male prisons taught her the power of story. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy The Witching Tide: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781399605854Follow Margaret: @Margaret_MeyerFollow 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.