The Hot Key Podcast

In the final episode of the first season of the Hot Key Podcast Isobel Taylor looks ahead to 2021 with clips from A Throne of Swans and The Twisted Tree ahead of their sequels which are publishing in January. Hot Key Ambassador Olivia Gacka (That Fiction Life) will also be looking at the representation of female characters in fantasy.

This month Isobel Taylor introduces you to our Hot Key Ambassadors, our Ambassadors run a Cruel Prince Book Club Chat, and our audiobook is the inimitable How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black.

Patrice Caldwell, editor of A Phoenix First Must Burn, in conversation with Arvin Ahmadi about his newest novel, How It All Blew Up. Plus an audiobook extract from Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly, whose newest novel Poisoned will be out in October.

This month we have some amazing behind the scenes peeks into the publishing industry and also into literary festivals as Kate Manning speaks to Liz Vater the founder and director of the Stoke Newington Literary Festival. Sophie McDonnell takes us behind the scenes in the book design department. And finally we are sharing with you the first chapter of Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko narrated by the wonderful Weruche Opia from I May Destroy You.

This July's podcast is all about fantasy! Authors Intisar Khanani, Katherine and Elizabeth Corr, and Alexandra Christo join us for a panel on adapting fairytales for YA books, Carla Hutchinson gives us some insight into working in Editorial and some of the things she's excited for this year, and fantasy legend Garth Nix speaks to us about The Old Kingdom series and the new editions. The audiobook extract this month is from The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black.

Rutendo Tavengerwei speaks about the inspiration behind The Colours That Blind, bestselling author E. Lockhart talks to us about her newest novel Again Again, Marina Stavropoulou joins us for a day in the life in Audio Books, and Elizabeth Acevedo speaks to us about her newest novel Clap When You Land and how she decides if a novel should be told in verse. The audiobook extract this month is from Midnight's Twins by Holly Race.

We speak to Holly Race about her fantasy debut Midnight's Twins, Kerry Drewery talks about writing The Last Paper Crane, and Patrice Caldwell reads the introduction to A Phoenix First Must Burn. We also hear from Bonnier Books UK's Amy Llambias, who takes us behind the scenes of the publishing industry speaking on book marketing, taking risks, and the current changing retail climate. Plus we hear an extract from Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo.

In this episode of the Hot Key Podcast we catch up with the author of 'Thorn', Intisar Khanani, and hear about her path to publication; Jearl Boatswain interviews Patrice Caldwell, the editor of 'A Pheonix First Must Burn'; and we hear an extract from the audio book of 'The Last Paper Crane' by Kerry Drewery.