The Conversation with Nadine Matheson

Barrister Jim Ross joins Nadine Matheson for her 250th episode to discuss why lawyers make natural crime writers, the real dangers of AI in the courtroom, and the remarkable story of building his wife LJ Ross's self-publishing career from a standing start to 10 million copies. He also shares his own 10-year journey to finishing his debut legal thriller Hawk's Justice and what happened when he missed his first-ever deadline.Jim Ross is a practising barrister based in Newcastle. After meeting his wife Louise (LJ Ross) at law school, he helped build her self-publishing career, managing the commercial and editorial side while she wrote the bestselling DCI Ryan series, which has sold over 10 million copies on Amazon KDP and made LJ Ross the most-read adult author in the UK on Kindle. In 2025, Penguin's Cornerstone imprint acquired the paperback rights to the series and a new prequel series. Jim's own debut legal thriller, Hawk's Justice which is out now.Buy Hawk's Justice

Author India-Rose Bower joins Nadine Matheson to discuss her debut novel We Call Them Witches, published by Penguin Michael Joseph. From growing up in a family of folk storytellers to navigating chronic illness, creative writing courses, and the publishing industry, India-Rose shares the persistence, spite, and surprising moments that led to her book deal. They also discuss zombie apocalypse plans, fairy tale horrors, and what it's really like inside the acquisitions room at a major publisher.About India-Rose Bower: India-Rose Bower is a folk horror author from the north of England. She grew up in a family of storytellers and has been writing since she could physically hold a pen. She studied literature with creative writing at the University of Manchester, where she also completed her master's. Her debut novel, We Call Them Witches, was longlisted for the Women's Prize Discoveries Prize, which led to her finding her literary agent and a publishing deal with Penguin Michael Joseph. She works at her local library. Find her on Instagram @indiarosebower.Buy 'We Call Them Witches'

Watch as a full video episode on YouTubeAfter a slightly longer than expected break between episodes, we are back to discuss - you guessed it - AI! First up, we are looking to France, where a prize for AI-written novels has been announced (), then we talk about bestselling authors teaming up with AI to make films and TV series…! Not great. Finally, we chat about Romantasy’s new entrant - a small writer named James Patterson…00:00 Intro01:21 From the Slush Pile - Listener Comments08:56 Oh là là - French Fiction AI Prize21:38 Production Prompts - Big Authors, Bad Tech35:01 Chasing the Maas Market - Patterson’s Romantasy Debut45:51 Stranger Than Fiction - Nadine's Idea Factory49:58 The Final Chapter - RIP Patrick Stewart & Entertainment Catch-up Links:New prize launches for books co-written by AIAuthors First - the new AI book-to-film studioJames Patterson is writing a romantasy with this Scottish authorAustralian woman charged with lacing colleague's curry with snail poisonAdventures in Publishing-land is brought to you by STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing podcast needs, featuring Page One - The Writer's Podcast, The Conversation with Nadine Matheson and more! Find all our shows here!Follow us on BlueskyFollow us on Instagram

Arvind Ethan David is a playwright, screenwriter, comic book writer, and novelist whose career has spanned theatre, film, television, and prose. In this wide-ranging conversation with Nadine Matheson, he traces his journey from a Malaysian childhood through UK boarding school, a strategic detour through law (to secure a work visa), and into a creative life that has included an Olivier nomination, a Broadway show, seven graphic novels, and his debut novel The Great Game. Along the way, he shares practical wisdom for aspiring writers, candid reflections on the pandemic, and a remarkable story about how Douglas Adams launched his career.About Arvind Ethan DavidArvind Ethan David is a writer working across theatre, film, television, comics, and prose. Born in Malaysia and educated in the UK, he studied law at university and qualified as a lawyer before transitioning to full-time creative work. His credits include the film The Infidel(with David Baddiel), the Audible radio play series Earworms, the Olivier-nominated stage adaptation The Boy With Wings (based on Lenny Henry's children's books), and seven graphic novels. His debut novel The Great Game, a historical thriller set in 1905 London featuring Sherlock Holmes, Winston Churchill, and a cat burglar named Bal — is published by Thomas & Mercer (Amazon Publishing). He divides his time between London and Los Angeles.Buy 'The Great Game'

Want to read books by guests of The Conversation? Find them all in my Bookshop.org shopRomance author Chelsea Curto joins Nadine Matheson to discuss her journey from flight attendant to hybrid author with 16+ books. Chelsea opens up about the lack of transparency in indie publishing, the full-time reality of self-publishing, almost quitting in 2023, and how a note scribbled during a hurricane became a New York Times bestseller.Chelsea Curto began writing during the COVID pandemic while on leave from her job as a flight attendant and has since published over 16 books, including indie titles and traditionally published works. She writes sports romance (hockey series) and weather-themed romance. Her new novel 'In Stormy Weather' about two meteorologists chasing storms in Florida became a instant New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller and marked her entry into traditional publishing. Chelsea is a hybrid author, maintaining both indie and traditional publishing careers.Follow Chelsea CurtoBuy 'In Stormy Weather'

Want to read books by guests of 'The Conversation'? Find them all in my Bookshop.org shop"I'd just finished my final draft and I was writing my letter and I'd planned who to send out to agents... and then Adolescence came on the TV. This is either gonna go one way or the other. It's either gonna be good or bad for me. I sent it out and I had three agents jump on it in 24 hours." Rebecca SpargoFormer BBC journalist and debut author Rebecca Spargo joins Nadine to discuss the road to publishing her first novel, Such a Nice Boy — the story of a feminist mother who discovers her son is part of a group sexually bullying girls at school. They explore the serendipitous timing of Netflix's Adolescence, the brutal reality of rejection in publishing, why children's online worlds demand urgent parental attention, and what success really means when you've poured years of your life into a book.Follow Rebecca SpargoRebecca Spargo is a debut novelist and former BBC journalist who spent years writing in secret while working as a broadcast journalist and copywriter. Her debut novel, Such a Nice Boy, is published on October 8th and tells the story of a feminist mother confronting the reality that her son has been involved in sexually bullying girls at their school.Buy 'Such A Nice Boy'