I was delighted to be featured on the Author Interviews site for an all-new batch of questions. I reveal my favourite writing tools, the most non-writery thing I do, and my favourite scene from The Corn Bride and more. Click on my grinning mug below for the whole interview…
I’ve got stock (finally! See previous post for palaver details) and I’ll be at the Guildford Comic Con this Saturday 19th July. For tickets, click on the image below…
And here’s me waffling about it too if you prefer sound and vision with subtitles…
For more dates, visit my diary and events page…
Highlights from Cabin at the Movies on Saturday 12 July 2025 in which I was joined by novelist and screenwriter Mark Stay to find out Mark’s all-time…
Cabin at the Movies Saturday 12 July 2025
Sadly, I won’t be able to go to the Midlands comic con at the NEC centre this weekend, 12-13 July 2025. I ordered stock for the event at the end of June, but HarperCollins recently moved to a new distribution centre and it’s had ‘teething problems’, which in my case means I’m still waiting on stock! And without stock to sell, there’s not much point in me going, sadly…
However, I will be at the Guildford comic con on 19th July, and the Maidstone Museum Steampunk day on 26th July. There are more details on my diary page here.
A new short story “Elderflower Cordial” will be featured in this splendid anthology from the wonderful people at Stars and Sabers. It’s a crowdfunded project and you can get all kinds of excellent “swag” (it says here) in return for your support.
And to whet your appetite, I can reveal that the story features a character from The Corn Bride, so if one is hankering for more Woodville thrills, then this is where you will find it. Click on the image below to support the project…
Special guest Nicola Whyte, debut writer of 10 Marchfield Square, reveals how writing for herself led to a breakthrough…
TRANSCRIPT:
MARK: What’s the best happy accident of your writing career?
NICOLA: Well, it might have been that Times Chicken House one. Subbing that in at the last minute… But actually, it kind of turned me off writing for children for a bit because the subbing after that was brutal. And so I thought, I’m just, you know what: I’m done. I’m done trying to please people and do whatever… So I’m just going to write whatever makes me happy. And of course, that was Marchfield, so…
MARK: You said earlier about writing for yourself and writing super long books or whatever, but I think that’s the key to it, though, isn’t it? You’ve got to write… You can’t chase the market. You’ve got to write what you love, and what you’re passionate about. And when those stars aligned in terms of; the market’s ready for it, then great things will happen. So, I think that’s the lesson to be learned from that. And writing for kids… I’ve tried it. It’s the hardest thing ever. It really is such a such a difficult market.
Or watch it all on Youtube…
I was honoured to be asked to be a judge on this wonderful short story competition. There’s no entry fee and there’s a generous and warm spirit behind all this. Discover more here…
I’ve been at a comic con pretty much every weekend this year, and here are some of the weird and wonderful things that people have said to me as they peruse my wares…
For more comic con dates, visit… https://markstaywrites.com/diary-and-appearances/
Special guest Nicola Whyte, debut writer of 10 Marchfield Square, reveals how to look up murdering people online without drawing the attention of the authorities (and Mark has a book recommendation)…
TRANSCRIPT
MARK: As a crime writer, do you get why people will see your internet search history and incriminate yourself? Well, this I mean, I think any writer will, will worry about this. So what was the strangest thing you’ve had to look up?
NICOLA: I mean, every now and again, I will suffix it with ‘for a crime novel’ on the end, just in case. Like that gets me out of jail free. I don’t know what is the most incriminating…? I think, probably, undetectable poisons these days. I think it’s quite hard now to come up with an undetectable poison.
MARK: I bought a book called Deadly Doses, which is a really good book on poisons, so I don’t have to look it up anymore. You remember books, don’t you?
NICOLA: Yeah, offline; innocence is what you’re saying.
MARK: Yeah. Absolutely.
NICOLA: Yeah. Yeah, I think so. I found some interesting stuff….
MARK: (Holds book up) Yes. A Writer’s guide to Poisons.
NICOLA: Yeah. Okay. I’m going to get that.
MARK: Essential reading.
NICOLA: I had to do some very dodgy case study reading on antifreeze poisoning.
MARK: Right?
NICOLA: The Americans, they poison each other countries a lot. You know, I think they have a lot of, like, deserts and things that are very brightly coloured and sweet. And, yeah, there’s a lot of people trying it almost — almost ! — not quite getting away with antifreeze poisoning.
MARK: Excellent.
NICOLA: Very crime novel!
Or watch it on Youtube…
My special guest on the Creative Differences podcast, Nicola Whyte, debut writer of 10 Marchfield Square, reveals that her biggest mistake may have been querying too much…
TRANSCRIPT
MARK: What’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made in your writing career?
NICOLA: Probably querying too much… like, querying a book too much. When I knew the market wasn’t ready. But I kept querying because I was so sure that somebody would see the potential. And then, of course, what happens is the market shifts and everybody’s already seen it, and you can’t send it out again. So I think that definitely that happened to me with a cosy crime novel I wrote in 2019, and everybody was going ‘Cosy? No, we don’t… nobody publishes this. It’s got to be really dark. That’s what we like dark, dark, dark, dark. And I’d sent it to everybody and got the same (response): I really enjoyed this. I love the pitch. I love the title. But, no, we don’t publish this at all. Ooh, Richard Osman? Hello! And I had literally sent it to everyone, so it’s currently in a drawer awaiting its time.
MARK: Maybe it will have its time at some point. I still think your biggest mistake was not finishing the robot silent witness book, you know?
NICOLA: Oh, you’re gonna love it, Mark.
MARK: I am first in line. First in line for that one.
Or watch the whole interview on Youtube…
Mark Stay Writes 