Page One - The Writer's Podcast

Watch as a full video interview on YouTubeCraig Robertson had a twenty-year career as a journalist with a Scottish Sunday newspaper before becoming a full-time author. His books such as Murderabilia, The Photographer and Watch Him Die have been nominated for numerous awards. Alexandra Sokoloff is the bestselling, Thriller Award-winning and Bram Stoker and Anthony Award-nominated author of thirteen supernatural, paranormal and crime thrillers, including the Huntress Moon Series. The Grapevine, the first in The Lost Highway series, and is their first co-written novel.We loved having Craig and Alex in the studio and catching up with them since their last (individual) visits to the podcast. We chat about what it was like to write together as a married couple (not always a great idea!) and why they felt this was a book they had to write together. Plus, we hear about their work with literary festivals such as Bute Noir and Bloody Scotland, and talk about whether writing together is something they would do again...Links:Buy The Grapevine nowFollow Craig on InstagramFollow Alexandra on InstagramSupport us on Patreon and get great benefits!: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageonePage One Extra and Page One - The Writer's Podcast are brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramFollow us on BlueskyFollow us on ThreadsPage One Extra is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky

Watch as a full video episode on YouTubeThis week, we discuss why the publishing industry is pointing fingers at libraries for declining author incomes, but we wonder about the reasons they aren't talking about. Plus, have you heard of Elias Thorne? We talk about AI's repetition problem and why that may be good news for authors. And we revisit the thorny issue of book lists - after we criticised the Guardian's first 'Best 100 books', is their Readers' list any better?00:00 Intro01:14 Declining Author Income - Libraries to Blame?14:13 Thorne in the Machine - AI Running Out of Ideas?23:38 Guardian Top 100 - Readers vs Critics30:40 Stranger Than Fiction - Nadine's Idea Factory38.23 The Final Chapter - Horrifyingly GoodLinks:Authors Guild Looks at Why Author Incomes are in DeclineChatbots Keep Telling Stories about Lighthouse Keeper 'Elias Thorne'. We Might Know WhyWikipedia may have built the best AI writing detection guideThe Guardian Readers top 100 novels of all timePokémon Go data trained AI that could assist military drones in war zonesAdventures 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

Watch as a full video episode on YouTubeJ.D. Pennington is an award-winning creative director and copywriter with over 20 years of experience in film and television advertising, creating campaigns for major studios and leading independents. The Othello Club is his first novel. It has been developed for television by Paramount+ as The Revenge Club.We had a great time chatting with J.D., hearing about his transition from a graphic design and copywriting background into the world of storytelling. We also talk about enduring 10 to 15 years of screenwriting rejection before deciding to write a novel, and we get some interesting anecdotes about the profound impact of reading Bram Stoker's Dracula at age 11, as well as his dedicated process of writing his debut book during the early mornings and weekends over two years!Link:Buy The Othello Club nowVisit J.D.'s websiteFollow J.D. on InstagramSupport us on Patreon and get the podcast early and ad-free, along with other great benefits, including a bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageonePage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramFollow us on BlueskyFollow us on ThreadsPage One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky

On this week's Drafting Notes, we tackle one of the great writing mantras: "Show, Don't Tell." What does it actually mean? And should you always follow the rule? We discuss where the mantra came from, and what we think it is trying to emphasise, while also discussing why it isn't always a rule that needs to (or should) be followed!Drafting Notes is a series in which one award-winning writer (Tariq) and one hopefully soon-to-be-published writer (Marco) discuss various writing issues as they occur to them!Support us on Patreon and get access to Drafting Notes episodes early, along with other great benefits!Drafting Notes and Page One - The Writer's Podcast are brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramFollow us on BlueskyFollow us on ThreadsDrafting Notes is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky

Watch as a full video interview on YouTubeKieron Gillen is a British comic book writer and former video game journalist. He is best known for his work on high-profile titles such as Star Wars, X-Men, and The Eternals, as well as his acclaimed creator-owned series The Wicked + The Divine and Die. He is currently working on new projects like Power Fantasy.We had a great time chatting with Kieron, hearing about his transition from video game journalism to comics, the emergent mechanics of video game narratives, and his DIY roots creating cut-and-paste fanzines. We also talk about his early doubts about writing as a viable career path, and we get some interesting anecdotes about what it's like to work on big IP projects like X-Men and Star Wars.(Note: Kieron has also appeared on our sister podcast, Narrative Damage, talking about his love of TTRPGs. You can listen to that interview here or watch it on YouTube.)Links:Follow Kieron on BlueskyVisit Kieron's WebsiteCome see us at Cymera: Podcast recordingNarrative Damage live showSupport us on Patreon and get the podcast early and ad-free, along with other great benefits, including a bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageonePage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramFollow us on BlueskyFollow us on ThreadsPage One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky

Watch as a full video episode on YouTubeDavid Goodman is an award-winning, multi-genre author. His debut novel A RELUCTANT SPY won the McDermid Debut Award and Bloody Scotland Debut Prize in 2025 and was optioned for television by Carnival Films. The sequel SOLITARY AGENTS is out this month, June 2026. His SF debut, SHARDS OF STARLIGHT, written as David W. Goodman, is coming from Solaris Books in 2027. He also has several published short SF stories and novelettes.We had a great time chatting with Dave again, hearing about the emotional rollercoaster of being a debut author, winning two massive debut prizes, and the plot of his highly anticipated sequel, Solitary Agents. We also talk about why release day is actually a starting gun rather than a finish line, and of course he tells us about 5 books that influenced him as an author.Links:Buy Solitary Agents nowFollow Dave on BlueskyVisit Dave's websiteSupport us on Patreon and get great benefits!: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageonePage One Extra and Page One - The Writer's Podcast are brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramFollow us on BlueskyFollow us on ThreadsPage One Extra is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky

Watch as a full video episode on YouTubeCallum McSorley is a writer based in Glasgow.His debut novel, Squeaky Clean, was published by Pushkin Vertigo in 2023 and won the prestigious McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year.Its sequel, Paperboy, was released in 2025 and was a finalist for the same award.His short fiction has been featured in Gutter Magazine, New Writing Scotland, and broadcast on BBC Radio 4.His latest book, Rat Race, is out now.We had a great time chatting with Callum, hearing about his early days of mapping out fantasy epics and why he pivoted to writing crime. We also talk about the brutal realities of working grueling night shifts on the railways, and we get some interesting anecdotes about how writing a non-historically accurate Victorian serial killer book actually landed him his literary agent!LinkBuy Rat Race nowFollow Callum on InstagramVisit Callum's websiteCome see us at Cymera: Podcast recordingNarrative Damage live showVote for Tariq's book The Midnight King for the Old Peculier Harrogate Crime Novel of the Year AwardVote for Tariq's book The Midnight King for the Capital Crime Overall Crime Book of the Year AwardSupport us on Patreon and get the podcast early and ad-free, along with other great benefits, including a bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageonePage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramFollow us on BlueskyFollow us on ThreadsPage One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky

On this week's Drafting Notes, we are talking about... talking! Writing dialogue convincingly is something a lot of writers find tricky, and we discuss things to watch out for, what makes dialogue sound convincing (not necessarily realistic), and talk about some examples of what to do and what not to do.Drafting Notes is a series in which one award-winning writer (Tariq) and one hopefully soon-to-be-published writer (Marco) discuss various writing issues as they occur to them!Support us on Patreon and get access to Drafting Notes episodes early, along with other great benefits!Drafting Notes and Page One - The Writer's Podcast are brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramFollow us on BlueskyFollow us on ThreadsDrafting Notes is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky

Watch as a full video episode on YouTubeThis week, we're expanding on our discussion from the last episode about the depressing HarperCollins report on children's reading habits. Author and teacher Cailean Steed joins us to break down the underlying data and explain exactly how hyper-fixating on rigid literacy metrics is actively destroying the sheer joy of reading for kids. Plus, we talk about - of course - AI, as we talk about the Commonwealth Short Story Prize winner scandal, and discuss Nobel Laureate Olga Tokarczuk response to the talk of AI involvement in her work. And we find time to talk about the Guardian's "Best books of all time" list - and make Tariq talk about football again.00:00 Intro01:08 Literacy vs Joy: Let Kids Enjoy Reading: Cailean Steed Interview22:15 Snake Oil Award - Prize-winning Pile On37:50 Tokarczuk Prize - An Ignoble Use of AI?44:02 Stranger Than Fiction - Nadine's Idea Factory52.26 The Final Chapter - Who are books lists for?Links:Literacy focus ‘actively undermining’ reading for pleasure, HarperCollins finds‘Obvious markers of AI’: doubts raised over winner of short story prizeRead The Serpent in the Grove and decide for yourselfOlga Tokarczuk has responded to the controversy over her reputed use of AIThe Guardian 100 Best Books of All TimeAdventures 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!Follow us on BlueskyFollow us on Instagram