Writer's Routine

Benjamin Abravenel practiced medicine for 35 years, whilst in snatches of spare time, started work on a novel with a message he was passionate to get heard in the world. When he retired with something like a first draft, he hired a Professor to help him edit into something publishable - she said there was very little chance it would ever be traditionally published. Benjamin went the hybrid-route, and has spent the last few years putting the finishing touches on 'The Past, Again'.

It asks the question, what if the horrors of Jewish history could happen again in 21st Century America?'. The story tells the tale of Judah Cohen, who whilst living in sun-drenched California, stumbles upon the truth of the Holocaust, he then spends the rest of his life running from his Jewish identity.

We talk about learning from history and having a message you're so passionate about, you'd do anything to get it heard. Also, his unique road to publication, and how hard it was to act on feedback you've paid for.

You can hear about the name change that helped him tell his story, where he goes from here, and how he researched by finding real life experience.

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This week is sponsored by the 'Quick Books Reviews' podcast with Phillipa Hall. Take a listen wherever you're listening to this.

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This week, we're chatting to the million-copy bestseller, Claire McGowan. She's an Amazon bestselling crime and thriller author, with almost 30 novels. Best known for the 'Paula Maguire series', she's also known for non-fiction true crime, and has published women's fiction under the name Eva Woods. Claire was director of the Crime Writers' Association, and launched the UK's first MA program in Crime Writing, and now writes regularly for TV and radio.

Her newest novel, 'The Other Couple', tells the story of Beth and Vince, who escape to a luxurious Spanish resort for a break from the brewing tensions in their marriage. They befriend a a glamorous couple who seem perfect, but when a body is found in the water, Beth begins to wonder if everything she knows about her husband is the truth.

We discuss why Claire floats across genre, regularly writing out of contract if there's a subject she's interested in. Also, Claire joined us on the show 5 years ago, and is one of our rare returning guests, so we chat about how her life and routine has changed in that time. Plus, what she's learned about the publishing industry, and how that affects what she works on, and how much she thinks about the future.

Get a copy of the book - uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutine

This week's episode is sponsored by Faber Academy, their flagship 'Writing a Novel' course is back. Find out more - https://faberacademy.com/creative-writing-courses/fiction-writing-courses/

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This week we're chatting to one of the UK's best-selling thriller writers. Scott Mariani has published 30 novels in the 'Ben Hope series', a few more in his 'Will Bowman historical thriller adventures', and some chilling books about vampires. He writes in his sprawl of land hidden in the Welsh countryside, almost secluded with his stories.

Ben Hope is an ex-SAS soldier turned reluctant hero, who finds himself in thrilling chases across the world, all centred around an historic mystery waiting to be solved. His debut, 'The Alchemist's Secret', was a number 1 bestseller for 6 weeks, although it took quite a strange route to success. Following it up with 29 more Hope novels, Scott finally retired the character... only to be drawn back to his hero a few years later. He has announced a new one, 'The Jericho Road', due to be released in 2027.

We discuss why his routine is built around strict discipline, putting the words together much like a builder will make a house with bricks. Also you can hear about how he's learned what a reader wants, whether he's figured out any plotting tricks, and how he researches his globe-trotting adventures without the internet.

Get a copy of the debut novel here - uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutine

This week's episode is sponsored by Faber Academy's 'Writing a Novel' course, which is back. Find out more - https://faberacademy.com/

Also, we're supported by Philippa Hall's 'Quick Book Reviews' podcast. Take a listen wherever you've got this show.

Read the newsletter - writersroutine.substack.com

Support the show -
patreon.com/writersroutine
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Simon Wroe started work as a chef and still works in a kitchen. Only this time, he writes novels in them. He's worked as a journalist for The Guardian, The Economist, The Times and more, and his debut, 'Chop Chop', was nominated for the Costa First Novel Award. He also penned the screenplay for 'Sweet Dreams', a mixed-media film starring Munya Chawawa and Morgana Robinson.

His new novel is 'Ghost Month'. It tells the story of how strange a month September has become. Every year, the spirits of the dead return for 4 weeks only. The novel focuses on 4 characters and their experiences of this time, and how society has learn to live with, and profit from, the haunting month.

We talk about how it was inspired by personal, and societal, grief, also how he got into the headspace of multiple characters, and how much pressure he felt to make things chilling.

You can hear about his wide-ranging research and influences, the seeds for the idea, and why he wanted to write a novel for London.

Get a copy of the book - uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutine

This week's episode is sponsored by Faber Academy's 'Writing a Novel' course. Find out more at faberacademy.com

Support the show -
patreon.com/writersroutine
ko-fi.com/writersroutine

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Kevin Wade is a screenwriter and show-runner, behind some of the biggest films and series of recent times. After acting for a bit, he started off penning Off-Broadway plays. Kevin moved on to write on 'Working Girl', 'Meet Joe Black', 'Maid in Manhattan', before getting huge success as the exec producer and showrunner for most of the 'Blue Bloods' series. The show was a police procedural starring Tom Selleck. It ran for years, and meant Kevin and his team needed to write over 20 mysteries a season, that individually wrapped up and all contributed towards the overall was series arc.

His debut novel, 'Johnny Careless', was nominated for an Edgar Award, and he's followed that up with 'One Good Eye'. It tells the story of Police Chief Jeep Mullane, who sets off on a lonely and dangerous path to find out who attacked one of his oldest, closest friends.

We discuss the marathon of writing 20+ episodes of a show every year, and learning to hit the beats and fit the format of network television. Also you can hear why he ditched the initial idea for the novel, and why a fire isn't really exciting.

Get a copy of the book - uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutine

This week's episode is sponsored by Faber Academy's 'Writing a Novel' course. Find out more - https://faberacademy.com/creative-writing-courses/fiction-writing-courses/

Support the show -
patreon.com/writersroutine
ko-fi.com/writersroutine

Find the newsletter - writersroutine.substack.com

@writerspod
writersroutine.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.