The Hobcast Book Show

We're always on the lookout for ways to unlock the creative juices, and our guest this week, author Cauvery Madhavan recommends an early morning round of golf to set the mood. Born in India, but based in Ireland since her early twenties, Cauvery draws inspiration from both her homeland and her adopted country for her storytelling. The author of four novels, her most recent work, The Inheritance, was published last year. Set in the stunning Beara Peninsular in south-west Ireland, it tells the story of Marlo, a young London-Irish man who moves to the area to recover from a devastating revelation. He inherits a minibus service from a neighbour, unleashing a series of surprising adventures. As Cauvery explains, she never sets out with a plan for her books, but delights in the way her characters and settings guide her work. This is a joyous interview.Also this week, we discuss how several leading UK literary festivals are working together to survive hard times, and how arts bodies in the United States are reacting to tough new directives brought in by the Trump administration.Cauvery Madhavan – Author, Journalist, Bloggerhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Inheritance-Cauvery-Madhavan-ebook/dp/B0DF93T83H

Over the course of four years of creating this podcast we've noticed certain themes emerge, not least the challenging path many writers take to final publication. Our guest this week, author Roxie Key, is a good example. As she tells us, she faced dozens of rejections from both publishers and agents before she secured representation and finally a deal with HQ for her debut novel, The Deadly Spark. It's an inspiring tale of perseverance. Roxie also explains how a creative writing degree from Middlesex University helped her to discover her voice, but perhaps more importantly showed her which writing styles and genres suited her best. The final key moment came when she discovered the crime fiction of Jane Casey in a charity shop, and Roxie fell in love with the genre. Also this week, we discuss how many of the UK's leading creative figures are pressuring the government not to give AI companies free-reign to use their work without compensation, and we celebrate the publication of two new Hobeck Books titles by Lin Le Versha and David Jarvis.Roxie Key - Author | Facebookhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Deadly-Spark-brand-new-addictive-psychological-ebook/dp/B0CLN33FG3https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Spots-gripping-Suffolk-mystery-ebook/dp/B0DPRCPBDYhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Mongoose-Cobra-Mike-Kingdom-Thrillers-ebook/dp/B0DLQV47YV

Regular listeners to The Hobcast Book Show will know how obsessed Adrian is about Sir Michael Caine. So imagine his excitement when he found out our guest this week has acted as the great man's P.R. Not only that, but Peter Berry has represented some of the biggest film, TV, and music stars of the past thirty years, not to mention superstar chef Jamie Oliver too. Now Peter has become an author, with the second of his crime novels featuring The Deadly Dozen, Revenge of the Deadly Dozen, published by Bloodhound last month. As Peter explains, he wanted to create a team of retired protagonists for these novels - each bringing their specialist skills to the collective. But isn't managing the storylines of so many characters a huge challenge? Listen to hear how Peter dealt with that issue, and how a certain Hollywood superstar would call him each year to wish him a happy Christmas...Also this week, we discuss how a cyber attack has disrupted one of the UK's leading book printing companies, and ask if the UK industry is ready to follow the lead of Simon and Schuster and abandon the practice of seeking puffs or blurbs to put on book covers.Peter Berry — Bloodhound Bookshttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Revenge-Deadly-Dozen-unmissable-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0DFYP926Y

We often get a little giddy when we anticipate speaking to our guests on the show. That was certainly the case when we perused Colin Bostock-Smith's extraordinary list of comedy writing credits: The Two Ronnies, Not the Nine O'Clock News, The Clive James Show and Metal Mickey to name but a few. Now Colin has turned his hand to crime fiction. His debut novel, Sting of the Nettle was published by Diamond Books last month. It's a cosy murder mystery set in rural Devon in the 1950s, and draws extensively on Colin's childhood memories. As Colin tells us, the novel, the first in a series, came together quickly - a career of having to write rapidly for TV and radio certainly helped. This is a fascinating interview that takes you straight into the writing rooms of some of the greatest shows in British TV history.Also this week, we discuss how the 'Big Six' UK publishers all enjoyed sales growth for their e-books in 2024, and the revelation that 90% of all e-book sales last year were sold through Amazon.Colin Bostock-Smith ⋆ Diamond Bookshttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Sting-Nettle-Martin-Mysteries-Book-ebook/dp/B0DSGPPYFX

As you may be aware, we run a short-story competition alongside presenting The Hobcast Book Show and our publishing firm, Hobeck Books. The Henshaw Short Story competition has uncovered many new talented authors, and raised funds to support school libraries. So we were delighted to be contacted by author Anna Vaught who has created The Curae Prize for non-paid carers. There are millions of people in the UK alone who fall into this category, and Anna is proud that it has given so many people their first opportunity to explore their creativity despite often very difficult day-to-day circumstances. Anna herself is an accomplished published author of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Her fascination with magical realism shines through her work. She's also an editor, reviewer and English teacher. This is a fascinating, and dare we say it, magically eclectic interview!Also this week, we welcome the decision by one Simon and Schuster executive, Sean Manning, to call for an end to the industry-wide practice of chasing authors for 'blurbs' or 'puffs' from their contemporaries. He argues that all that time spent chasing around for nice comments that can be splashed on the cover or inside pages is a waste of time, which could be better used writing more books instead. And we ask, will the new international trade tariffs imposed by President Trump signal difficult times ahead for publishing?Anna Vaught Writes – Dr Anna Vaught: teacher, mentor, author, campaigner – Novels, short fiction, nonfiction, teaching, mentoring and editingThe Curae Prize – A writing prize – just for writers who are also carers

As we start 2025's run of shows, we thought we'd catch up with one of UK crime fiction's biggest champions, Donna Morfett, who returns to the show for the third time. Donna is a prolific blogger, the founder of The Dark Side of Brighton weekend crime festival, and an author in her own right. In recent weeks though, she's revealed how she's become embroiled in a dispute with a well-known fiction editor who she offered to help by lending her PayPal account. The act, made in good faith, left Donna owing a debt recovery company £1000. Encouraged by many members of the UK Crime Fiction community, Donna launched a Go Fund Me campaign and raised enough money to cover the debt in less than three days. As she tells us, the generosity of the donors has been extraordinary, and she remains determined to ensure that others don't face the issues she has.Also this week, we pay tribute to former guest Amer Anwar (episode 118) who very sadly passed away this week. And we ask, will the potential sale of the WH Smith UK high shops change the publishing landscape?Donna Morfett - AuthorSelect tickets – The Darkside of Brighton 2025 – Old Ship Hotel