This episode I chat with author Jess Kidd about death, genre and being haunted by the past. Jess Kidd is the author of HIMSELF, THE HOARDER and most recently, THINGS IN JARS. We talk through her process for writing her novels, and what she’s learned along the way. This is a great episode to listen … Read more

On today’s episode I chat to Millie Seaward, publicist for Little, Brown, about the art of getting books to readers. She answers questions like: – what kinds of books are easiest to sell? – what types of books get most reviews? – what makes a book an ‘event’? – what’s a blog tour and is … Read more

Today I take a look at a listener’s first page and suggest ways to make it better. It’s an old school Death Of 1000 Cuts ‘In The Barber’s Chair’ episode. Hurrah! I chat a bit about exposition, writing convincing dialogue, world-building in Fantasy and Science Fiction, and centring your protagonist’s conflicts. Lots of meat and … Read more

This is the first episode of Death Of 1000 Cuts, Season 3, the podcast for writers. It’s all about creative writing, and stories, and how to write more, better, and be happier as you do. In this episode I preview what I’ve got planned for the new season of the podcast this year, and share … Read more

In this episode I chat to researcher, neuroscientist and psychologist Paul J Zak about the power of narrative and what goes on in our brains when we get lost in a great story. We chat about his research into oxytocin and how it affects our decisions, how the brain responds to stories versus events happening … Read more

Today I chat to writer and performer Molly Naylor, about the basics of what makes a story work, vulnerability, and constructing a career in the Arts. Molly co-wrote the Sky comedy drama After Hours, has brought several solo shows to the Edinburgh Fringe, is a poet, playwright and runs the night True Stories Live in … Read more

This episode I chat to Australian Fantasy novelist Garth Nix. His career spans over two decades and he’s sold more than 5 million books around the world. We chat about how he got started, his love of libraries and Dungeons & Dragons, Tolkien, his time working in publishing, his breakout novel Sabriel and how he … Read more