There are some fun questions (and answers!) in this Q&A that I did for that most-excellent thriller writer Max Elwood on his blog. To find out what book I think should be adapted as a movie, how I organise my bookshelves, and why I think Amazon is both the best and worst thing to happen to publishing, click on the image below…
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…
We kick off 2025 with a brilliant special guest! Nicola May is a hugely successful bestselling author renowned for her heartwarming and humorous …
Join Nicola May on the Creative Differences livestream
I’ve done a fair few podcast interviews, but I’m in a strangely reflective mood in this one. I’m interviewed by the excellent Chris Deacy, and in lieu of finding a studio to record in we did this in my car (hence the occasional gentle whoosh of passing motors) and it was recorded the night before the US election. My favourite bit is my thesis that nostalgia is a slippery slope to fascism… Yes, I was in one of those moods! Do please enjoy…
My special guest on the podcast this month is LJ Shepherd, author of the stunning debut novel The Trials of Lila Dalton. We discuss first lines and …
Episode 2 with LJ Shepherd
I had an absolute blast chatting with the two Christophers on the Writing Community Chat Show last night! We covered all kinds of stuff about writing, publishing, which fictional character I’d like to slip into the Witches of Woodville series and, indeed, why Mr Tickle needs to go on a course. Urgently. You can watch the replay here…
If you want to support the two Christophers, then pop over to Substack (where I think you can get a 7-day free trial, so what’s stopping you??).
I was delighted to be kidnapped and dragged down into the Red Rabbit Hole by Lisa & Nicky for their splendid podcast. We talk about terrifying scarecrows, getting bellringing right in fiction, and my high fibre diet (that’s more interesting than I make it sound… probably). And I believe there’s a second instalment coming next week! But have a listen to part one by clicking on the image below…
I was delighted to chat with Sunyi and Scott on the splendid Publishing Rodeo podcast. We focused on trying to be positive in what can be a challenging industry, and I discuss the contradictions of publishing by contradicting myself several times! Just do as I say, don’t do as I do…
I was delighted to take part in a festive Q&A with Mai’s Musings. Find out what I’m hoping to find in my Christmas stocking this year here…
I saw a blog by a writer recently declaring that we should all aim for perfection. Their point being that once the book is out there, then you don’t have an opportunity to change it (which isn’t strictly true) and that we should all aim to make any book we write the best it possibly can be.
I agree that I want anything I write to be the best that I can do, but perfection…? Not sure it exists. And it can be the enemy of creativity, especially when you’re starting out. The idea of creating something as polished and perfect as your favourite author’s latest tome is intimidating at best, crippling at worst. Over time I’ve discovered that creating is a process of failing a little less each time. With each draft, each book, each script I’ve learned something that helped make the next one a little better. But it’s never perfect.
There’s a moment in this week’s interview with the brilliant Harriet Muncaster where she says she held off from starting a project because she wanted it to be perfect. Which meant for a long time she didn’t do anything at all. Then she eventually realised that, ‘If you don’t start something, then it never really develops.’ So if you’ve been putting off that novel, script, artwork, whatever, because you were worried that it wouldn’t be perfect then today’s the day to start it. It won’t be perfect. Nothing ever is. But as you work on it you will discover that it just might be better than you ever imagined.
Also in this week’s episode me and Mr D discuss being child-like and end up being very childish. And in the extended version I finally talk about my role in the Nautilus TV series and what’s happened at Disney+. You can listen to that by becoming a Chart Topper supporter here.
Mark Stay Writes 