Ben Aaronovitch is a science-fiction enthusiast. He started off in TV, writing for Casualty, Doctor Who, and Jupiter Moon. Then, whilst working in a bookshop in London's Convent Garden, he had an idea for a magical mystery and murder that would happen nearby. The seed became 'Rivers of London', and the first in the 'Peter Grant series'. It tracks the adventures of a young policeman who discovers he's a wizard, and the secret department of the force that takes him in. It was a completely unexpected success, and the 9 novels that have followed are consistent bestsellers. He's a 'tentpole author', which means publishers and bookshops plan their calendars around his stories. Countless novellas and graphic novels are also in the series.
His novels are - Rivers of London (2011) Moon Over Soho (2011) Whispers Under Ground (2012) Broken Homes (2013) Foxglove Summer (2014) The Hanging Tree (2016) Lies Sleeping (2018) False Value (2020) Amongst Our Weapons (2022) Stone and Sky (2025)
We talk about why he's utterly focused on his job as a writer and what it actually means, also how he plans short-term arcs for his characters which keep the series going, and why he's learned to step away from the things he's bad at. You can hear why reviews are never useful, what he's learned about keeping track of characters, and the story behind his covers.
Get a copy of 'Rivers of London' - uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutine
Support the show -
patreon.com/writersroutine
ko-fi.com/writersroutine
@writerspod
writersroutine.com
","author_name":"Dan Simpson"}