The Waterstones Podcast

Continuing the seasonal series after Michael Morpurgo’s Spring, Val McDermid turns from crime to Winter, with its festivals, rituals and new year drive to achieve. We sat down with her to talk about the ghosts of Christmas past, holding on to tradition and why the new year is such a creative time for writing.

Salman Rushdie’s return to fiction sees him sharing a collection of stories which look at the questions that await us all at the end of our lives. We spoke with him about mortality, looking back and what the future might hold, together with what drives his creativity.

Join us for what promises to be an unmissable evening with bestselling author R.F. Kuang, as we celebrate the publication of her much-anticipated new novel, Katabasis.The internationally bestselling author of Babel and Yellowface returns with Katabasis: a sublimely dark and unputdownable tale of two rival Cambridge academics who must join forces on a rescue mission in hell itself.R.F. Kuang is now the author of six novels, with her debut novel The Poppy War written on her gap year in China and released in 2018. This was followed by The Dragon Republic (2019), The Burning God (2022), Babel (2022) and most recently Yellowface (2023).

30 years after he introduced the world to Lyra Belacqua, Philip Pullman launched the final volume in his Book of Dust series: The Rose Field. Just ahead of that event we sat down to speak with him about his feelings on finishing this epic writing task, the importance of imagination, and what he might turn to next as a storyteller.

From the moment she began her education at Oxford University, Malala Yousafzai was aware how hard it would be for her to enjoy a normal student experience. But as we discover from her new memoir and from our fascinating conversation with her about it, she was determined, for once, to throw herself fully into life at university. From clubs to dances, missed deadlines to lockdown, heartbreak to happiness - she shares with great honesty the many ways in which she forged her own path in life.

From her childhood in Islington to the red carpet at Cannes, Kathy Burke has always spoken her mind, and that strength and independence of thought is on every page of her memoir, A Mind of My Own. We sat down to speak with her about those early days in London, how they have informed her whole life, and what have been her guiding principles through it all.

Ian McEwan's masterful new novel is a piece of speculative fiction that shows a radically altered UK on the other side of climate catastrophe and global warfare. But it centres on two academics reaching back into the past to uncover the secrets behind a poem performed only once and lost to history. We spoke with him about the novel's big themes, its human focus and how to bring past and future together in the present moment.

With the arrival of Among the Burning Flowers, the majestic prequel to her classic fantasy, The Priory of the Orange Tree, we sat down with ⁠Samantha Shannon⁠ to talk about prequels, sequels, reading order, star signs, big themes, tiny books and so much more.

Back in 2017, we made Slow Horses by Mick Herron our Thriller of the Month in August and a whole host of readers found their new obsession. Now, 15 years on from its first publication, we sat down with the author of 9 novels and 5 novellas in the series to discover how it all began, what he thinks are the most important elements of his writing and where his cast of sidelined spooks find themselves in the new novel, Clown Town.

We sat down with the phenomenal A. F. Steadman to discuss all things Skandar, including emergency sandwiches, superfan events and reading for pleasure as we celebrate the heart-pounding conclusion to the iconic children's fantasy series, as Skandar and his unicorn rider friends face their deadliest ever challenge and most dangerous foe...

Already the best selling YA thriller writer, thanks to series like A Good Girl's Guide To Murder, Holly Jackson is back with Not Quite Dead Yet, her first novel for adult readers. We sat down with her to find out about how she approaches each project, finding humour in the face of death, and how she was able to write this book in just 6 weeks!

The Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2025 shortlisted authors are here! Meet Catherine Airey (Confessions), Gurnaik Johal (Saraswati), Niamh Ní Mhaolieoin (Ordinary Saints), William Rayfet Hunter (Sunstruck) Lisa Ridzén (When The Cranes Fly South) and Lucy Steeds (The Artist). Join us for a free-flowing conversation about the themes and strengths highlighted by our booksellers and some winning tips for any writers out there working on their own debut.

What do you do when you've already sold over 36 million copies of your Horrible Histories books? You write the kind of book that you, as a reader, would kill to read. And Terry Deary's first love was always murder mysteries, so this year he brings us his first: Actually, I'm Murderer. We sat down with him to discover more about the incident in 1974 that inspired it, how he found his way to writing and what keeps him inspired.

Known for her pioneering work as an intimacy co-ordinator on shows such as Normal People and I May Destroy You, Ita O'Brien has distilled her practice into a book that has something to say to anyone about the role of intimacy in their lives. In a frank and honest conversation that covers why guidance was desperately needed in the entertainment industry through to her passionate advocacy for sex education that is fit for purpose, we also find out more about the path that has led her to such a unique role.

We sat down with our beloved Waterstones Children's Laureate, Frank Cottrell-Boyce to discuss the magic of movie sets, the power of Shakespeare, the importance of reading for children and much more as we celebrate his brand new middle grade adventure The Blockbusters! A hilarious, globetrotting adventure, in which a boy bearing a striking resemblance to a huge movie star joins a film crew on location in hope of tracking down his runaway brother....

Continuing a conversation begun with his first novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, we sat down with Ocean Vuong to discuss his new book, The Emperor of Gladness, which sees a wayward young man unexpectedly caring for an elderly woman with dementia. In another fascinating conversation we see how unlikely friendship, memory and a unique look at America's working class combine in this tale of second chances.

From dismissal of symptoms to one-size-fits-all surgical solutions, women's healthcare comes under the spotlight in Naga Munchetty's important new book, It's Probably Nothing. We spoke with her about her own personal journey and the stories shared through dozens of conversations with women and men in order to better understand why women's health has been so poorly supported in the past and what might improve things in the future.

Robert Macfarlane's latest book is his most personal and political yet, asking a question which may sound simple, but which forces the reader to look at rivers in a profoundly different way to simply being matter for human use. In this conversation he takes us from the cloud forest of Ecuador, to the industrially clogged waterways of India before sending us down the white waters of Canada and returning home to the source of a chalk stream near his home. Also telling the stories of three people whose proximity to death is radically altered by their encounters with these rivers, we hope that after listening, your answer to that bold question will be a resounding yes!

Jack Fairweather brings the same rigour and narrative flair that won him the Costa Book of the Year award for The Volunteer, to his new book, The Prosecutor, which tells the story of Fritz Bauer, a gay German Jew, who retuned to West Germany on a mission to prosecute Nazi war criminals and found himself opposed on all sides in forcing the German people to reckon with their past. Join us for a fascinating conversation about personal responsibility, public prosecution, and the personal cost to a very determined man.

Completing a trilogy of outstanding books that examine the efforts to bring Nazi war criminals to account, Philippe Sands blends memoir, travelogue, detective story, and courtroom drama to stunning effect again with 38 Londres Street. We’re delighted to share his conversation with author Nick Harkaway, from their recent event at Waterstones Piccadilly, in which he shares the personal, the political and the legal facets of this intriguing journey.