The Worm Hole Podcast

Charlie and Alex Hay (The Housekeepers) discuss his meticulously planned and fast-paced 1900s heist novel wherein the entire contents of a grand house are to be removed... and the mistress of the place is in on it. Alex tells us about the successful collaboration between himself and his three editors and we discuss the various comedy aspects of the book. Sadie Jones' The Uninvited Guests Julia Laite's The Disappearance Of Lydia Harvey Alex's conversation with Sarah Penner for Always Authors Where to find Alex online Website || Twitter || Instagram Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram You can contact the show at books@carnelianvalley.com Discussions 01:25 The inspiration for The Housekeepers 06:14 Alex's extensive planning of the book and some of the changes made 10:01 Mrs Bone, Danny/Mr de Vries, and the O'Flynn family 12:54 The many narratives and including Miss de Vries in her own narrative as an 'equal' 17:20 The comedy! 21:33 The trafficking plot line 24:37 On Alice and keeping secrets 27:23 Working with three editors 31:22 Was there ever another ending in mind? 33:37 The 'What-choo' boy 34:59 Jane One and Jane Two 36:59 The reality of the smoking machine 38:11 The possibility of an adaptation 38:50 What's next?

Charlie and Paula Cocozza (Speak To Me) discuss how phones have taken the place of conversation, a number of literary Susans, and Paula tells us about her love of reading and libraries in childhood. The Guardian's story on Kirstie Allsopp smashing her daughter's IPad Susan Cain's Quiet Suze Rotolo's A Freewheelin' Time I am (happy?) to say that Susan the dog is no longer the first Susan mentioned on pages about 'Susan' on Wikipedia Hanif Kureshi's Intimacy (beware NSFW cover) The Reading Agency Paula's column, A New Start After 60 Where to find Paula online Twitter Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram You can contact the show at books@carnelianvalley.com Discussions 01:08 The inspiration and our modern phone usage 09:01 The hows of how Paula wrote the book 16:12 On the narrator's reliability 19:43 All the Susans in this book! 22:21 The Victorian terrace house, our main character's former home 24:22 Anthony 27:51 So Paula wrote some of the book with pen and paper... 29:40 The use of Shakespeare's Malvolio 31:30 Our narrator's dealings with Anthony and Kurt later in the book, and miscommunication 36:32 Our narrator's relationship with her sons 38:55 Why our narrator is a librarian - Paula's reading journey 43:40 What's next 45:39 On Paula's current feature series for The Guardian, A New Start After 60

Charlie and Nicolai Houm (The Gradual Disappearance Of Jane Ashland) discuss a unique and somewhat extreme form of coping with grief, where his characterisation blends into his own writer self, and the opening ending he left his readers with. Please note that there's some swearing and mentions of suicide in this episode. Wikipedia's article on Andersonville Prison Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram You can contact the show at books@carnelianvalley.com Discussions 01:20 The starting point of loss and trauma 07:32 Jane, family, and replacing family 12:59 Jane as a writer and how she could have written the book herself 15:35 Nicolai's use of language and how his writer self is included in the book 20:51 Everything about Ulf 24:05 The significance of the musk oxen 28:14 Continuing on the musk oxen in regards to the ending of the book 31:48 How Jane's parents affected who she is 33:03 Nicolai's travels for surfing reasons and what's next

Charlie and Elissa Soave (Ginger And Me) discuss including the working class in fiction, writing about neuro-divergence without labels, and social care and society in context. We also discuss Elissa's Greggs habit, writing about her hometown, and why her editor told her 'this is not Reservoir Dogs...' Please note that there is a mild swear word in this episode. The Primadonna Prize Laura Pearson's episode was number 11 Kazuo Ishiguru's Nobel Prize speech Gail Honeyman's Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine Where to find Elissa online Twitter Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram You can contact the show at books@carnelianvalley.com Discussions 01:27 The starting point for the book and discussing 'difference' of personality and labels 09:36 The people on the bus and exploring the lives of the working class 13:49 Ginger 15:21 Diane 17:13 Friendship and loneliness 20:23 The writing group 24:20 Uddingston 27:44 The importance of food in the novel 29:17 Wendy's parents 32:14 Social care in the book and our society 36:24 Ginger's death 40:56 Wendy not changing at the end (and including Ali Smith!) 43:53 What's next

Charlie and Lisa See (Lady Tan's Circle Of Women) discuss the medieval Chinese woman doctor Tan Yuanxian, whose book is still in use today. We also discuss, in this context, the isolation and disability of being an aristocratic woman in the time period. Please note that there is swearing in this episode. Tan Yuan Xian's Miscellaneous Records Of A Female Doctor Hildegard Von Bingen The Washing Away Of Wrongs Where to find Lisa online Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || YouTube Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram You can contact the show at books@carnelianvalley.com Discussions 00:55 About Tan Yuan Xian 06:00 Facts versus fiction, where we don't know all that much about Yuan Xian 11:21 While there were many of them, we don't know much about other women doctors in China at that time... 12:44 The importance of friendship in the novel 17:50 Being born in the year of the (Metal) Snake 22:22 The true story of a midwife who had a miscarriage in front of the empress 26:52 The focus on isolation, and foot binding 34:47 Lady Kuo 41:54 Miss Zhao 44:25 The murder mystery 49:58 The men, and in particular Yuan Xian's grandfather 51:16 What's next Photo credit: Patricia Williams.

Charlie and Eleanor Shearer (River Sing Me Home) discuss how slavery didn't really end when it was abolished, and Eleanor's experiences studying the Caribbean during this time and the knowledge she gained. We also explore different versions of freedom, and the way Eleanor's family influenced her writing. The Windrush Foundation Samuel Smith's To Shoot Hard Labour Toni Morrison's Beloved Marianne Hirsch V S Naipaul's The Loss Of El Dorado Wikipedia's extensive article on Black Nova Scotians Andrea Levy's Small Island Where to find Eleanor online Website || Twitter || Instagram Where to find Charlie online Website || Twitter || Instagram You can contact the show at books@carnelianvalley.com Discussions 00:47 The 'apprenticeships' that happened after slavery had 'ended' 02:47 About Eleanor's two 'main' inspirations 06:23 On reparations 10:23 Rachel, and Eleanor's family 15:41 The order in which Rachel finds her children 17:53 Nobody 21:21 The children's fathers 23:42 The theme of motherhood 26:36 Eleanor's wanting to use Creole languages but wanting to keep it accessible to non-Creole speakers 28:28 Mary Grace's muteness 31:59 The oral storytelling 34:34 The different versions of freedom 37:30 The theme of water 40:24 The Maroon communities and their movements 42:27 The Rising of Demerara 45:57 Eleanor's use of the search for El Dorado 47:34 What's next? Photo credit: Lucinda Douglas-Menzies.

Charlie and Jenni Keer (The Legacy Of Halesham Hall) discuss wacky puzzle houses, writing as a reader, the age gap in her book, and Rebecca-like characters who remain alive. The Winchester Mystery House, California Where to find Jenni online Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || TikTok You can contact the show at books@carnelianvalley.com Discussions 01:16 The inspiration/reason for the story 03:29 The house... and Clement Bellingham 08:16 The influence of Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca 13:52 On Phoebe ending up with Sidney, and age gaps 16:45 On what Sidney looks like 18:04 The Bellingham board game company 20:52 Sidney's choices, adolescence, and the etymology of 'teenager' 32:45 Phoebe's gaining of the house 37:43 Not needing to live an 'exciting' life in order to be an author 39:20 What's next?

Charlie and Kate Thompson (The Little Wartime Library) discuss the wartime history and community of East London's Bethnal Green - the Tube station that housed locals during the Blitz, the library that moved down into the tunnels and is now back overground, and the people that made the community what it was. We also discuss wartime reading and the measures put in place to stop women reading escapist fiction. Please note that there is a moderate swear word in this episode. Bethnal Green Library The Stepney Doorstep Society Bethnal Green Tube Station and history Pellicci's restaurant You can find photos of the underground library, tunnels, Kate in the library archives, and the quotes read, in Kate's article for Historia Magazine Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial in Budapest The event that Kate references that also led to a crush disaster was The Hillsborough Disaster Forever Amber Secrets Of The Singer Girls The Paris Library The Last Bookshop in London The Librarian Of Burned Books Where to find Kate online Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok You can contact the show at books@carnelianvalley.com Discussions 02:02 How Kate found her story 04:36 Mrs Chumbley 06:09 The framing, using the Covid lockdown each end of the story 12:57 Why Kate created fictional narrators 15:55 How the tunnels at Bethnal Green Tube Station came to be used as bomb shelters and what it was all like 21:58 The Bethnal Green Tube Disaster 29:24 The Hughes Mansions bombing 31:09 Discussing Bethnal Green Library 32:28 The attempts to stop women reading whatever they wanted 37:26 Wartime reading: Mein Kampf and Forever Amber 40:54 Kate's writing and language 43:06 What's next? 47:05 Bethnal Green Library today 48:44 Kate's forthcoming podcast Photo credit: Debbie Clark.

Charlie and Ronali Collings (Love & Other Dramas) discuss her relationship with her mother and where that influences her novel, racist comments and decisions in the workplace, and her experiences of female friendships during her IVF journey. We begin with her studies for a Masters - her supervisor was Bernardine Evaristo. The Madeline Milburn Mentorship Programme Ronali's interview on The Two Of Us Ronali's episode on Chloe Timms' Confessions Of A Debut Novelist Where to find Ronali online Website Twitter Instagram You can contact the show at books@carnelianvalley.com Discussions 01:19 On Ronali's MA for which she was supervised by Bernadine Evaristo 06:18 On the inspirations and reasons for writing Love & Other Dramas 13:10 The characters 20:11 Stephen! 22:55 The importance of Tanya remaining single at the end 27:06 Ronali's relationship with her mother and the influence on Helen and Tanya 33:46 Catholicism in Ronali's life and in the book 39:11 The micro-aggressions related to racism 43:06 Priya and Bianca's relationship 46:16 Discussing female friendships - Ronali discusses the absence of them in parts of her life and we then go on to discuss friendship in the context of her IVF treatments 56:38 What's next? Photograph used with the permission of the author.

Charlie and Kristina McMorris (Sold On A Monday; The Ways We Hide) discuss the harrowing photographs of children that inspired her last two novels, why she chose to focus - in the first book - on the news reporters rather than the children, and changing the fictional outcome of the stories. The photograph of the children for sale and an article with the basics Kristina's Facebook post about her and RaeAnn's appearance on NPR Interview with RaeAnn for North West Indiana Times Interview with David McDaniel Christina Baker Kline's Orphan Train The first sentence on Sold On A Monday ended up being: 'Outside the guarded entrance, reporters circled like a pack of wolves.' (The photograph that inspired The Ways We Hide is a photograph of some of the children who died in the Italian Hall Disaster and shows them laid out after death.) "How Monopoly Helped The Allies Win WW2" article The videos of the various MI9 tools are listed on Kristina's website Where to find Kristina online Website Twitter Facebook Instagram You can contact the show at books@carnelianvalley.com Discussions 01:21 Tell us about the photograph Sold On A Monday was inspired by 06:09 Changing the outcome for the fictional children 07:40 The book's focus on the reporters rather than the children 11:11 How Kristina's experience in media informed her writing 13:41 About the original title 17:55 The reliability of the characters 19:10 Ellis and Lily 22:33 Theme of family and motherhood 23:45 The photograph that inspired The Ways We Hide 27:17Fenna! 28:25 The four books Kristina is currently working on 32:29 Kristina introduces the extra content on her website

Charlie and Orlando Ortega-Medina (The Fitful Sleep Of Immigrants) discuss the reality for LGBT asylum seekers in the US, Orlando's own experiences as a lawyer, and same-sex marriage rights now Roe v Wade has been overturned. Orlando's law firm Authority Magazine video "How Do We Master Our Ego?" an discussion with Rabbi Joseph Dweck for J-TV Where to find Orlando online Website Twitter Facebook Instagram TikTok You can contact the show at books@carnelianvalley.com Discussions 01:33 Orlando's career as a lawyer and his own firm 03:55 How Orlando might have changed his plans for his career if he'd been able to write part time and be a lawyer part time 05:38 Creating the characters 09:08 Issac and the situation in El Salvador in the late 1990s at the time 11:22 The court hearing 15:08 Alejandro Silva! 23:11 The original version of the book 26:18 The Saint Cloud case and realities 28:06 On the same-sex marriage rights of LGBT people in the US now that Roe v Wade has been overturned 32:04 The passage about darkness and light in the context of people 34:19 Mitzpe Ramon and Orlando's use of it in his work Photograph credit: Marte Lundby Rekaa

Charlie and Amita Parikh (The Circus Train) discuss how Amita's dancing and performing experiences influenced her work, her controversial decision to have her wheelchair-using heroine learn to walk, and the Theresienstadt Ghetto (concentration camp) where prisoners led a fairly cultured life. 'Ten Fun Facts About The Circus Train' on Amita's website The Night Ferry Elizabeth Kenny The Theresienstadt Ghetto Information and links about #PublishingPaidMe Where to find Amita online Website You can contact the show at books@carnelianvalley.com Discussions 01:20 The inspiration behind the characters and the theme of illusion 04:29 The circus itself and Amita's dancing experience 07:01 Real travelling circuses of the time 08:53 Getting the balance between magic and reality 09:22 The original drafts 11:47 Back to the train aspect 13:37 The decision to have Lena learning to walk and the historical medical context for it 18:35 The Theresienstadt Ghetto 22:20 Horace! 26:31 About another book Amita has written (not published), her reaction to getting an agent, and her upcoming second book Photograph credit: Helen Tansey

Charlie and Emma Cowell (One Last Letter From Greece) discuss grief, miscarriage and expectations surrounding it, and, in keeping with her book's title, Greece and its culture. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-71-emma-cowell Methoni Cadgwith Petalidi Emma's Links: Website Twitter Facebook Instagram You can contact the show at books@carnelianvalley.com Discussions and Readings 01:30 First reading 03:56 Emma's mum 07:49 The how, when, and so forth of Emma writing One Last Letter From Greece 11:42 Emma's inclusion of Greece in the book 14:44 Second reading 18:09 All about Sophie 24:38 Discussion of friendship, miscarriage and fertility 31:32 Theo! 33:25 Emma's angling experience and its influence 35:04 Art and the art world 39:00 The paranormal elements 42:27 Lindsay and Grigor what ifs 49:36 Emma's next book, The House In The Olive Grove Photograph used with the permission of the author.

She's back! Charlie and E C Fremantle (The Honey And The Sting) discuss producing a book that is utterly devoid - and then some - of filler, Black people of the Stuart era, and the film of Fremantle's first novel, which will star Jude Law and Alicia Vikander. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-70-e-c-fremantle The Honey And The Sting George Villiers Frances Coke John Felton Eleanor Davies Miranda Kaufmann's Black Tudors Pearl diver Jacques Francis The Poison Bed Robert Carr The painting of Anne of Denmark Firebrand Artemisia Gentileschi You can contact the show at books@carnelianvalley.com Question Index 00:40 [Asking Liz about her writing choices in terms of the stripped-back style of her book] 05:43 [Reading] 13:08 Could you talk more about the creation of the sisters themselves? 16:31 Is this book moving towards the fantasy genre? 17:21 Can you talk about the bees, honey, this concept? 19:08 George Villiers - can you talk about how you included the story and why you made the choices you did? 23:45 Were James I and George Villiers lovers, in your opinion? 26:58 Can you talk about your decision to use Francis Bacon's work in your book? 28:16 Can you talk more about your research of Black people of the era and their inclusion in your book? 31:55 Your first novel has now been made into a film (called Firebrand; in post-production). What can you tell us about it at this point? 34:10 Can you tell us about your next book, Disobedient? Photograph used with the permission of the author. Credit: JP Masclet.

Charlie and Cecelia Tichi (A Fatal Gilded High Note) discuss the Gilded Age in its success and its crimes, her rebellious 1890s character who defies class, and the history of French Bulldogs. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-69-cecelia-tichi The 1897 World Expedition in Nashville Parton's, Harris', and Ronstadt's Trio Cecelia's book on country music and literature Virginia City "Boss" Tweed Jay Gould Upton Sinclair's The Jungle John Mackey Evelyn Walsh McLean (Cecelia's book on Gilded Age Cocktails) The Gilded Age Society on Facebook You can contact the show at books@carnelianvalley.com Question Index 00:58 Where do country music and literature meet for you? 07:58 [Reading] 12:09 Why the Gilded Age? 15:57 There was a lot of crime in that era?... 21:43 How did you come to create Val, the fictional aspects? 27:11 Tell us about Velvet the French Bulldog 30:50 Tell us about A Deadly Gilded Freefall 31:32 Will there be a fifth book in this series? 31:55 How is Val going to progress as a character going forward? Purchase Links A Fatal Gilded High Note: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters A Deadly Gilded Free Fall: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the marketing team.

Charlie and Kate Glanville (The Peacock House) discuss her main character who is 90 years old, and villains who aren't so villainous after all. Kate also discusses the way her dyslexia has effected her reading, and some of her thoughts on education in this vein in the context of her younger character. Please note that there are spoilers throughout the episode. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-68-kate-glanville Kate's ceramics Newton House St David's College Llandudno and Conway Bodysgallen You can contact the show at books@carnelianvalley.com Question Index 00:33 How did you first know when you wanted to write? 03:17 [Reading] 07:41 Can you tell us where the story comes from and your inspiration? 16:17 In terms of Evelyn's romance were there any wartime inspirations? 17:52 Why didn't you include Evelyn and Jack's reunion in the book? 20:34 Kind of on this, is a more pleasant cast of characters what you prefer to go for? 23:18 Tell us about the future for Tilly, Bethan, and Tom 25:20 What's next? 27:53 Tell us more about your ceramics business 29:02 [Kate talks about audiobooks and how they've helped her read] Purchase Links The Peacock House: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the author.

Charlie and Kristin Harmel (The Forest Of Vanishing Stars) discuss the true story, and Kristin's own fictional one, of a group of over a thousand Jewish people who during WW2 slowly escaped to and hid in a vast forest away from the Nazis. Please note that there are spoilers throughout the episode. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-67-kristin-harmel Quotation from Patti Callahan Henry taken from the Friends & Fiction Launch Party for The Forest Of Vanishing Stars (audio only) The Bielski Partisans Naliboki Forest Nechama Tec's Defiance Defiance (the film) The Sweetness Of Forgetting The martyrs of Nowogrodeck Vadem Sidorovich Friends & Fiction website Friends & Fiction Facebook group Mary Alice Monroe Mary Kay Andrews Patti Callahan Henry Kristy Woodson Harvey You can contact the show at books@carnelianvalley.com Question Index 01:13 As a reporter you were interested in ordinary people who were heroes and also the stories of how people got to where they were. How dd this segue into you becoming a novelist? 04:21 [Reading] 08:47 You've got Yona, who's fictional, but the history is real?... 12:32 You said twelve hundred people - how on earth did they hide all that time? 15:40 One of the Bielkski brothers was a Zus, and you have a character called Zus... 18:03 Is there a reason this fact of so many people hiding in the forest isn't well known? 23:11 Are you able to talk about the theme of stars? 27:59 Why the mysticism? 31:57 On this, what might have happened if Yona hadn't been stolen, with her father? 35:51 Why did you feel the need to have Yona die? 42:04 You weren't able to visit the forest to research it due to the pandemic. Do you think you might go to it at some point? 46:18 What's next? 47:29 Tell us about your weekly web show, Friends & Fiction, and the spin-off podcast, Writer's Block Purchase Links The Forest Of Vanishing Stars: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the author.

Charlie and Sally Page (The Keeper Of Stories) discuss story collection, the forgotten mistress of the abdicated Edward VIII, and dogs who swear something chronic! Please note that there are some spoilers throughout the episode. Please also note that there is a mild swear word in this episode. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-66-sally-page Sally's website (with info about floristry, flower books, and her painting) Libby Page Olivia Coleman's Oscar win and speech Scheherazade Marguerite Alibert Wendy Holden's The Duchess Sally's fountain pens, Plooms (I was incorrect - there *is* a mention of Marguerite on Edward VIII's Wikipedia page.) You can contact the show at books@carnelianvalley.com Question Index 01:03 Tell us about your flower shop 03:15 On this then, would you say you yourself are a keeper of stories? 04:27 You're a painter - tell us all about it 06:45 [Reading] 09:00 You never give the name of the National Treasure - is there a reason for this and what is their purpose? 10:20 Janice - can you talk about her creation and any inspirations? 12:33 In terms of this subject, were the other characters more function or important in themselves? 14:21 And Mrs B - her creation, etc...? 15:29 You use the Arabian Nights - can you talk about using this, the reasons, etc? 16:57 Janice never asks what the real name of 'Becky' was. Does this help her progression as a character? 18:58 You've mentioned it twice now so I have to ask - what's your favourite period of history to study? 19:43 How did you come to know and use the story of Margherite and what was it about it that interested you? 23:43 [Talking Decius] 27:02 Fiona and Adam - how important was their story to the overall narrative? 28:13 What's next? 29:22 What is it about needing happy endings? 30:19 Tell us about the fountain pens you sell, Plooms? 31:38 [Sally talks about her readers' responses] Purchase Links The Keeper Of Stories: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the author.

Charlie and Natalie Jenner (Bloomsbury Girls) discuss Jane Austen in all Natalie's interesting concepts, tales of related auctions she has been involved in, and the work to 'preserve and pull together' a record of the books that inspired her. They also discuss Natalie's inclusion of Daphne du Maurier in her novel, Persephone Books, and genre in its context as a label. Please note that there are (very slight) spoilers throughout the episode. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-65-natalie-jenner Persephone Books 84 Charing Cross Road (film) Sunwise Turn Madge Jemisin's memoir Lamb's Conduit Street The Second Shelf Bookshop, London Daphne du Maurier's Myself When Young: The Makings Of A Writer Emily Midorikawa: Daphne du Maurier and Oriel Malet Daphne du Maurier's The Doll Sonia Orwell Jane Wells Webb The Mummy! The Godmersham Lost Sheep Society's blog Reading With Austen McGill's Burney Centre Sample and Audible edition of Richard Armitage's narration of The Jane Austen Society Sample and Audible edition Juliet Stevenson's narration of Bloomsbury Girls Natalie's favourite Persephone book is Julia Strachey's Cheerful Weather For The Wedding You can contact the show at books@carnelianvalley.com Question Index 01:14 You owned a book shop. Tell us about it 05:40 You are obviously very interested in classical writers, Jane Austen in particular. Can you tell us where your inspiration stems from? 14:37 [Reading] 19:55 How much are the Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls related - can Bloomsbury Girls be a standalone? 21:09 Can you talk about three of your inspirations for Bloomsbury Girls - the book 84 Charing Cross Road, and the bookshops Sunwise Turn and Persephone Books? 26:17 Why as it important to you to include Daphne du Maurier? 32:51 Why Jane Wells Webb - why The Mummy, why include this author in particular? 37:20 You have auctions of books in your novel. Are auctions something that interests you and were there real life ones that inspired you? 41:40 You've mentioned genre a couple of times. Can you expand on your thoughts here? 45:51 What's next? 47:59 (Natalie talks about the British audiobook editions of her novels) Purchase Links The Jane Austen Society: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters Bloomsbury Girls: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Barnes & Noble IndieBound Indigo Chapters I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the author.

Charlie and Chloe Timms (The Seawomen) discuss Chloe's dystopian fictional religious cult in all its fantasy and reality, the major changes she made to the book as the editing progressed, and her own interpretations of the various parts of the ending. Please note that there are spoilers throughout the episode. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-64-chloe-timms The blog post that mentions the Bridport Prize, 'Fighting Self Doubt and Embracing Writing Opportunities' The Bridport Poetry Prize The Faber Academy Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale Kirsty Logan The Literary Consultancy Evie Wyld's The Bass Rock Confessions Of A Debut Novelist You can contact the show at books@carnelianvalley.com Question Index 01:01 You say on your blog you'll mention Your Bridport Prize for Poetry longlisting at every opportunity. I've introduced it - tell us about it 02:32 How did you find your agent? 05:58 [Reading] 10:49 Can you tell us about the starting point of this novel - the idea, the inspirations, etc? 13:57 Is Esta important for herself or more for what she represents? 17:04 Is what we're talking about to do with the major structural change? 19:22 Why mermaids and selkies? 22:04 The way you incorporated the seawomen, the concept etc, was that always the plan? 24:59 Did you ever consider keeping the untethered women alive? 26:24 Cal, a man, helps Esta to see what was going on. Can you talk about your use of him here, how he came to be the defining moment of that point of the book? 29:11 When in Esta's life is the narrative being written? 30:50 What are The Otherlands to you, what are they like? 33:33 What's the importance of having the men in the dark - or are they? 35:52 Should Mull be forgiven? 37:08 Where does the grandmother fit in terms of her belief and what's going on? 40:33 Does Esta survive? 42:07 What happens to Cal? 43:47 Is Esta's mother okay? 44:15 What's next? 45:41 Tell us about your podcast, Confessions of a Debut Novelist 48:02 [Chloe discusses our conversation, the detail etc] Purchase Links The Seawomen: Amazon UK Waterstones Hive I am an IndieBound affiliate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with the permission of the publisher.