Confessions of a Debut Novelist

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Kate Kemp about her crime novel The Grapevine. We discuss why she used a murder to explore a range of women in a 1970s suburban community, the challenge of writing from a 12-year-old narrator and how using social media to learn about the publishing industry helped her take the plunge to take her writing seriously. 

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Buy The Grapevine: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781399618977

Follow Kate: @kate.kemp.writer

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Hi everyone! Just to let you know Confessions of a Debut Novelist will be going on a short break while I recover from pneumonia. Thank you so much for the wonderful Jennie Godfrey for recording this announcement for me. I look forward to sharing the best new books and authors with you soon.

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Buy The List of Suspicious Things: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781529153293

Follow Jennie: @jennieg_author

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Celia Silvani about her psychological suspense novel Baby Teeth. We discuss how her research helped her delve into the world of internet forums and cults, the challenge of writing an unbiased and empathetic approach to the radical beliefs of her characters and why you should never send out the first draft of your manuscript to agents. 

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Buy Baby Teeth: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781398714410

Follow Celia: @celiasilvaniauthor

Follow Chloe on T...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Louise Hegarty about her contemporary novel Fair Play. We discuss how absorbing so many Poirot novels helped her get the voice right for her detective, why she wanted to explore grief using a murder mystery and a puzzle box structure, and how her published stories attracted an agent. 

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Buy Fair Play: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781035036134

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/c...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Katie Buckley about her literary novel Hero. We discuss how she defines autofiction and why she loves it, what to do when you don’t have an instinct for plot and why she believes you need to be emotionally ready before you start querying agents.

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Buy Hero: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781035413072

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

chloe...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Bianca Gillam about her romance novel Bad Publicity. We discuss how her experience working within the publishing industry inspired her enemies to lovers romance, why she had to spend a few months away from the novel to get the ending right and why she thinks every aspiring author should think about having a clear vision for their book in terms of the cover and marketing package. 

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Buy Bad Publicity: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781526676443

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Sanam Mahloudji about her contemporary novel The Persians. We discuss how this novel started life as a short story until Sanam realised there was so much more to say, why she began writing to free herself when she was working as a lawyer and how she impressed an agent at a book event by asking an insightful question.

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Buy The Persians: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780008589042

Follow Sanam: @sanammahloudji

Fol...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Lucy Rose about her horror novel The Lamb. We discuss how her ADHD meant she had to find her own way to write without a routine, why film-making and working with a production designer has made her a better writer and because Lucy has created a whole brand around her novel using TikTok and Instagram I wanted to ask her advice about how to use social media to build a brand if you want to. 

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Bu...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Salma Ibrahim about her speculative novel Salutation Road.  We discuss how she explored coming of age and migration with a parallel world twist, the challenge of writing the same character from two alternate worlds and why despite several agent rejections she decided to keep the speculative element. 

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Buy Salutation Road: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781035044344

Follow Salma: @salma.s.ibrahim

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Sarah Handyside about her contemporary novel Instructions for Heartbreak. We discuss how her own heartbreak was the catalyst to write this book, why the device of including a handbook gave her a helpful way to structure the novel and how a longlisting in the Curtis Brown First Novel Award attracted her agent. 

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Buy Instructions for Heartbreak: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781035032754

Follow Sarah: @sarahhandyside

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Holly Stars about her crime novel Murder in the Dressing Room. We discuss how she wanted to showcase a different side to the drag scene and the variety of talent on show; the importance of having a non-binary main character and Holly’s experience of recording her own audiobook.  

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Buy Murder in the Dressing Room: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780241683729

Follow Holly: @hollywstars

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy C...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Jenny Morris about her crime novel An Ethical Guide to Murder. We discuss setting the rules of her high concept crime novel with a fantasy twist, exploring the moral and ethical dilemmas of life and death and why her background in psychology helps her develop characters. 

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Buy An Ethical Guide to Murder: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781398534407

Follow Jenny: dr_jennymorris

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chlo...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Rachel Bower about her contemporary novel It Comes From The River. We discuss why asking your characters simple questions can take them in interesting directions, how she represented folklore from the North of England and the psychological challenge of keeping the faith in your novel during the writing process. 

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Buy It Comes From The River: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781526672667

Follow Rachel: @rachel_e_bower

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clot...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Catherine Airey about her contemporary novel Confessions. We discuss how she found the soul of her family saga by experimenting with different perspectives depending on her narrator, the challenge of writing about controversial topics such as 9/11 and when it came to finding an agent, how she chose between them.

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Buy Confessions: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780241675182

Follow Catherine: catherineairey

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut nov...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Holly Gramazio about her contemporary novel The Husbands. We discuss how online dating inspired her infinite husbands idea, why her background in video game design helped her figure out the rules of her magic attic and why turning 40 was the push she needed to start writing a novel. 

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Buy The Husbands: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781784745356

Follow Holly: holly_gramazio

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debu...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Emma van Straaten about her literary novel This Immaculate Body. We discuss how her curiosity in a real life cleaning job inspired her, the challenge of getting into the mindset of an unpalatable character and how winning the Discoveries prize in 2021 changed her life.

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Buy This Immaculate Body: @evswrites

Follow Emma: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780349127309

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut nov...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Ram Murali about his crime novel Death in the Air. We discuss how Ram never had dreams of being a writer but couldn’t let go of his novel idea, how he took inspiration from Agatha Christie and The Secret History and how he made ruthless decisions when editing his scenes 

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Buy Death in the Air: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781805460008

Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer's Guide to Finish...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Tom Newlands about his contemporary novel Only Here, Only Now. We discuss how homesickness in lockdown inspired this novel, why he wanted to explore the intersection between neurodivergence and poverty during adolescence and why Tom thinks avoiding all advice was the reason he finished his book.

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Buy Only Here, Only Now: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781399607896

Follow Tom: tomnewlands_

https://www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/breakthrough-writers-programme

https://www.curt...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Genevieve Wheeler about her contemporary novel Adelaide. We discuss turning a therapeutic journaling exercise into fiction, putting a mental health diagnosis authentically on the page and writing about a toxic relationship from both sides. 

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Buy Adelaide: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781035912742

Follow Genevieve: @geewheeler

https://genevieveewheeler.com

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

chloetimms.co.u...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Sarah Chamberlain about her romance novel The Slowest Burn. We discuss writing an opposites attract love story, why she used dual perspectives to help give both characters growth in the romance and why, if you like writing dialogue you should try writing first drafts like screenplays.

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Buy The Slowest Burn: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781408730195

Follow Sarah: @sarahchamberlainauthor

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Nikkitha Bakshani about her contemporary novel Ghost Chilli. We discuss using life writing and repressed memories to inspire fiction, the difficult editing choice she made to delete an entire timeline and how she used astrology to deepen her characterisation.

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Buy Ghost Chilli: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780349727509

Follow Nikkitha: @nikkitaha

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

chl...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Tawseef Khan about his contemporary novel Determination. We discuss how his personal experience working as an immigration solicitor inspired this novel, why he chose to embrace similarities between him and his protagonist to make her come alive and his advice to see characters as a Rubik’s Cube. 

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Buy Determination: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781804440902

Follow Tawseef: @itsmetawseef

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The Se...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to David Goodman about his thriller A Reluctant Spy. We discuss why our huge digital footprints inspired his premise of spies borrowing civilian lives, why he loves writing stories with multiple POVs and how after years of rejection, David took one last shot to impress an editor after pitching the novel and writing 15k words over just a few days. 

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Buy A Reluctant Spy: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781035416011

Follow David: @WordsByGoodman

ht...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Lucy Jane Wood about her fantasy novel Rewitched. We discuss how 90s witchy nostalgia inspired her story, her unusual route to publication where she got an editor before an agent and how her YouTube career has helped her become a bestseller.

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy Rewitched: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781035045457

Follow Lucy: @LucyJaneWood

youtube.com/c/LucyWood

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The Sea...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Oisín McKenna about his contemporary novel Evenings and Weekends. We discuss how starting with one character and writing about the most important people in their lives gave Oisín his cast of characters, creating propulsive secrets and storylines to engage the reader and the challenge of being a debut author and receiving reviews. 

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Buy Evenings and Weekends: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780008604172

Follow Oisín: @ois_mck

Follow Chloe o...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Rachel Blackmore about her historical novel Costanza. We discuss how to create accessible historical dialogue, why she swears by the 8-act structure and why age should never put you off writing a novel. 

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy Costanza: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780349131092

Follow Rachel: @rjblackmore1

Story Structure (8-Acts) book Rachel mentions: https://amzn.eu/d/7ih4PvF

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Moira Buffini about her sci-fi novel Songlight. We discuss why dystopian fiction is the best genre to explore the cataclysms of our current time, the differences between screenwriting and the expansiveness of novel writing and leaving your reader wanting more when you’re writing a series. 

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy Songlight: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780571385669

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

chlo...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Josie Ferguson about her historical novel The Silence in Between. We discuss the harrowing true story that inspired this novel, her method for writing dual timeline narratives separately and why it took her four novels before she found success.

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Buy The Silence in Between: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780857529695

Follow Josie: @Inky_Josie

https://josieferguson.com

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Roxie Key about her crime novel The Deadly Spark. We discuss why finding the right genre gave her a killer idea, the challenges of writing multiple timelines when your characters have many secrets, and Roxie’s amazing agent story which gives hope to the social media addicts among us! 

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Buy The Deadly Spark: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780008500474

Follow Roxie: @RoxieAdelleKey

https://www.roxiekey.com

Follow Chloe on Twi...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Ina Christova about her historical novel The Fabergé Girl. We discuss how much you can play with real figures in history, taking inspiration from Russian folklore and fairytale and how she overcame the challenges of bringing characters to life. 

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy The Fabergé Girl: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9786190113997

Follow Ina: @Ina_Christova

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chloetimms

c...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Sarah Brooks about her fantasy novel The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands. We discuss why her strange real-life experience on the trans-Siberian Express gave her the seed of an idea, how winning the Lucy Cavendish Prize changed her life and the incredible 11-way auction of publishers who wanted to buy her book.

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781399607537

Follow Sarah: @Sarah_L_Brooks<...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Juliana Adelman about her historical novel The Grateful Water. We discuss how a gap in her day-job research inspired her, treating the writing process as a homework assignment to get it done and what happens when an interested agent ghosts you. 

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy The Grateful Water: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781848409248

Follow Juliana: @adelmanjuliana

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The Seawomen: https://linktr.ee/chl...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Emma Steele about her romance novel The Echoes of Us. We discuss why a real-life tragedy and a paranormal concept inspired her to write this novel, how she originally started writing a romcom before she realised her writing leaned sadder and more serious and the unusual story of how her novel was published a year earlier in Germany before the UK. 

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy The Echoes of Us: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781802795332

Follow Emma...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Rufaro Faith Mazarura about her romantic comedy Let The Games Begin. We discuss how her love of the Olympics gave her the idea for a rom-com, why she left gaps in her first draft and wrote the witty dialogue last and why you should treat becoming a debut novelist like a wedding. 

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy Let The Games Begin: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781405965415

Follow Rufaro: @rufarofaithh

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clot...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Ania Card about her literary novel Above Us The Sea.. We discuss how her novel began life as short stories that captured friendship, why it was so important to authentically capture the experience of Eastern-European immigrants in the UK and what it’s been like to work with a small independent publisher. 

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy Above Us The Sea: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781915368515

Follow Ania: @aniacard

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotim...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Daniel Aubrey about his crime novel Dark Island. We discuss the importance of putting an authentic autistic character front and centre, why Orkney is the perfect place to set a crime series and the brave move Daniel made when he told his agent to pull an earlier novel from submission and start again with a new idea. 

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy Dark Island: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780008624408

Follow Daniel: @SpacemanDan13

Follow Chlo...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to LJ Shepherd about her psychological suspense novel The Trials of Lila Dalton. We discuss how to find high concept ideas, writing what you know but with a twist and why it's important to surprise smart and savvy readers. And right at the end of the episode, in a special spoilerific section we’ll be discussing the ins and outs of her twisty ending. 

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy The Trials of Lila Dalton: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781782279853

F...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Jack Anderson about his psychological suspense novel The Grief Doctor. We discuss exploring the concept of grief through a doctor who will go to extreme lengths to cure it, trying to scare the reader and how his writing journey began with a viral post on Reddit. 

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy The Grief Doctor: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781526667540

Follow Jack: @neon_tempo

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Jane Flett about her horror novel Freakslaw. We discuss why her inspiration started with bringing together her obsessions and interests, why Stephen King inspired her choice to use an omniscient narrator and how teaching and working alongside other writers helps her get through the writing slog. 

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy Freakslaw: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9780857529541

Follow Jane: @thejaneflett

https://janeflett.com

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chlo...

In this episode of Confessions of a Debut Novelist, I’m talking to Alan Murrin about his literary novel The Coast Road. We discuss authentically inhabiting the voices of three distinctive Irish women, why it took time to work out a fitting end for the novel and how he got the novel written by making bargains with himself.

Confessions of a Debut Novelist Bookshop*

Buy The Coast Road: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10990/9781526663702

https://alanmurrin.com/

Follow Chloe on Twitter: @clotimms

Buy Chloe's debut novel The Sea...