Confessions of a Debut Novelist

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Rachel Blackmore about her historical novel Costanza. We discuss how to create accessible historical dialogue, why she swears by the 8-act structure and why age should never put you off writing a novel. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy Costanza: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780349131092Follow Rachel: @rjblackmore1Story Structure (8-Acts) book Rachel mentions: https://amzn.eu/d/7ih4PvFFollow 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 Moira Buffini about her sci-fi novel Songlight. We discuss why dystopian fiction is the best genre to explore the cataclysms of our current time, the differences between screenwriting and the expansiveness of novel writing and leaving your reader wanting more when you’re writing a series. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy Songlight: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780571385669Follow 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 Josie Ferguson about her historical novel The Silence in Between. We discuss the harrowing true story that inspired this novel, her method for writing dual timeline narratives separately and why it took her four novels before she found success.Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy The Silence in Between: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780857529695Follow Josie: @Inky_Josiehttps://josieferguson.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 Roxie Key about her crime novel The Deadly Spark. We discuss why finding the right genre gave her a killer idea, the challenges of writing multiple timelines when your characters have many secrets, and Roxie’s amazing agent story which gives hope to the social media addicts among us! Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy The Deadly Spark: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780008500474Follow Roxie: @RoxieAdelleKeyhttps://www.roxiekey.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 Ina Christova about her historical novel The Fabergé Girl. We discuss how much you can play with real figures in history, taking inspiration from Russian folklore and fairytale and how she overcame the challenges of bringing characters to life. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy The Fabergé Girl: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9786190113997Follow Ina: @Ina_ChristovaFollow 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 Brooks about her fantasy novel The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands. We discuss why her strange real-life experience on the trans-Siberian Express gave her the seed of an idea, how winning the Lucy Cavendish Prize changed her life and the incredible 11-way auction of publishers who wanted to buy her book.Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781399607537Follow Sarah: @Sarah_L_BrooksFollow 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 Juliana Adelman about her historical novel The Grateful Water. We discuss how a gap in her day-job research inspired her, treating the writing process as a homework assignment to get it done and what happens when an interested agent ghosts you. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy The Grateful Water: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781848409248Follow Juliana: @adelmanjulianaFollow 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 Steele about her romance novel The Echoes of Us. We discuss why a real-life tragedy and a paranormal concept inspired her to write this novel, how she originally started writing a romcom before she realised her writing leaned sadder and more serious and the unusual story of how her novel was published a year earlier in Germany before the UK. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy The Echoes of Us: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781802795332Follow Emma: @EmmaSteele85Follow 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 Rufaro Faith Mazarura about her romantic comedy Let The Games Begin. We discuss how her love of the Olympics gave her the idea for a rom-com, why she left gaps in her first draft and wrote the witty dialogue last and why you should treat becoming a debut novelist like a wedding. Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*Buy Let The Games Begin: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781405965415Follow Rufaro: @rufarofaithhFollow 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.