JS Monroe on the Bestseller Experiment

For me, the most intriguing part of this week’s Bestseller Experiment interview with JS (Jon) Monroe is when he talks about the development of his novel Dead Spy Running into a movie written by Stephen Gaghan (Traffic, Syriana) and directed by McG… But if you’re thinking, ‘Hang on, I’ve not seen that movie,’ then you’re not alone. After spending five years and ten million dollars on developing the film, Warner Bros decided they weren’t going to make it. Such is the insanity of Hollywood, this is not an uncommon story. Jon takes it all with good humour and is generous with advice for writers when it comes to the rest of his extraordinary career.

By the way, check out the difference in running time between this regular episode and the extended episode that we record for our Patrons and Academates. There’s an extra 42 minutes of me and Mr D discussing unique book launches, composite characters, self belief and rejection, ending consultants, the benefits of a Marmite novel, and why you should want to have your books burned and banned and much more! You can get all this and hundreds of hours of extra material when you support the podcast as a Chart Topper Supporter on Patreon here, or join the Bestseller Academy.

Getting Confessional with Nadine Matheson

There’s something about chatting with bestselling thriller author and podcaster Nadine Matheson that made me all confessional! We talk about all sorts, including being made redundant, dealing with Amazon, being skint, being old and going for job interviews, why I insisted on getting a proper lunch break and much, much more! This is one of my favourite new podcasts, and I was honoured to be a guest. It’s available on all the usual podcast providers, or you can click on the link below…

Disney’s Black Hole Warped My Mind

I was delighted to be invited on the Fifty Years of Shit Robots podcast to discuss one of my favourite robot movies, Disney’s The Black Hole. This film really messed with my mind when I was a kid (still does now, to be honest) and I had a great laugh chatting with hosts Matt Brown and Stephen Murray through our favourite and not-so-favourite bits. Click here for links to listen to the podcast and click on the Tweet below for a slap-happy sample of what we discuss (best enjoyed with the sound on!)…

Ghost of Ivy Barn readings on Bookable Space

I was delighted to be invited by Yvonne Battle-Felton to read three extracts from The Ghost of Ivy Barn on her splendid podcast Bookable Space. I reveal the real locations that inspired the Witches of Woodville and why the series might not be as cosy as it first looks.

Download from your preferred podcast provider, or click on the link below to listen…

My Conversation with Dave McKean

Back in January I was lucky enough to be asked to interview Dave McKean for an event at Waterstones, Canterbury. He gave an amazing talk on his career working as an artist in comics, film, theatre, music and more. It was filmed by the folk at Waterstones and you can watch it here…

Redcaps versus Witches… Who would Win?

I had a great fun answering the questions in an interview with the good folk over at Gingernuts of Horror, where — among other things — I reveal who would win in a fight between the Redcaps of Unwelcome and the Witches of Woodville. Click here for the full interview…

Discussing the E.T. novelisation on the Authorized Novelizations Podcast…

I had so much fun discussing William Kotwinkle’s extraordinary novelisation of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial with the gang on the Authorized Novelizations Podcast. This is in-depth stuff and full of surprises. The delightful and often bizarre choices that Kotwinkle makes elevates this book above the average movie tie-in. Settle in for a rollercoaster ride. It’s on all the usual podcast providers, but here’s a link to Apple podcasts.

Hear an exclusive reading from The Ghost of Ivy Barn on my BBC Radio Kent interview with Dominic King…

I was delighted to pop on the Dominic King show on BBC Radio Kent last night. I read an exclusive bit from The Ghost of Ivy Barn and discussed how the magic ritual featured in the book is based on one that actually happened.

Click here for the show and skip forward to 2 hours 15 minutes for my bit.

Just two weeks to go till The Ghost of Ivy Barn is published! Have you got yours on order? There are links here.

https://witchesofwoodville.com/#ghostofivybarn

Talking Scary Things with the Talking Scared Podcast

I had a great time chatting with Neil McRobert of the Talking Scared Podcast about how my writing has been influenced by a warped childhood of Bagpuss, Camberwick Green, Chorlton and the Wheelies, Dennis Potter and more. You can listen on all the usual podcast providers here.

Me Chatting to Olly Smith

I had a great time chatting to the delightful Mr Olly Smith for the Media Lunch Club podcast. We discuss the differences between writing novels and screenwriting, how Star Wars ruined me, and the thing that Olly and I have in common. Listen here…