Karen Storey is the award-winning author of the brilliant debut novel THE APPROVAL OF SHEEP. Karen is a prolific short story writer, and and her memoir pieces have been published in The New York Times and the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and… her newsletter is written by her cat Tiffany. We’re going to discuss why you should set up a website and newsletter before you’ve finished your debut novel and much more…
Join us live: MONDAY 13TH APRIL, 8PM BST
Or join us on Youtube…
When I was a young, chubby, little bright orange haired child, I vividly remember playing in the garden with my sister. My mum would be pottering …
Start them while they’re young!
I’ll be chatting to Julie Wassmer, author of the brilliant Whitstable Pearl series, and screenwriter for shows likes EastEnders about her incredible career live and in person at the Staines Library Hub on Saturday 14th March from 3pm!
If you want to know about writing for TV, writing a series that gets made into a TV series (surely the Holy Grail for every novelist!) then join us before the tickets sell out! Like, now!! Click on the big picture below…
Who is this Mark Stay person, anyway? A quick hello/introduction to any news followers after that libraries vid went a bit popular…
5 a.m. was an early wake-up for me to join the Mysterious Murders short story competition winners call this morning, but totally worth it to …
Mysterious Murders short story competition winners announced
How about a final round of Things That People Say to Authors at Comic Cons for 2025…?
Local novelist and screenwriter Mark Stay joins me for this latest edition of Cabin at the Movies to choose his favourite horror movies. They include…
Cabin at the Movies Saturday 1 November 2025
A few weeks ago, I wrote about a rising and extremely prolific marketing scam that I’ve been able to trace back to operators in Nigeria. 1,560 more …
Return of the Nigerian Prince Redux: Beware Book Club and Book Review Scams
Lucy Strange is an award-winning children’s author whose books feel like classic children’s literature, but are written in a style that is engaging and accessible for today’s younger readers.
Most recently she’s collaborated with artist Pam Smy on their spooky, funny new series Lockett & Wilde’s Dreadfully Haunting Mysteries! Often inspired by folklore and fairy tales, Lucy combines historical settings with touches of magic and fantasy to create utterly convincing worlds in which anything might happen.
And before becoming a professional writer, Lucy worked as an English teacher for fifteen years. Having also trained and worked as an actor, Lucy narrates her own audiobooks, winning the 2019 Audie Award for The Secret of Nightingale Wood.
Collaborating with illustrators
What Lucy learned from abridging Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Writer’s Block and how to deal with it
And how scary is too scary when writing for children?
And much more!
Or watch it on Youtube…
Lucy’s Website: https://www.lucystrange.org
The Episode with GB Ralph: https://markstaycreativedifferences.com/2024/12/12/episode-5-with-gb-ralph-share-the-excitment/
Essex Serpent, Sarah Perry: https://serpentstail.com/work/the-essex-serpent/
Instead of a Letter, Diana Athill: https://granta.com/products/instead-of-a-letter/
Once Upon a River, Diane Setterfield: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/437745/once-upon-a-river-by-diane-setterfield/9781784163631
Death at the Sign of the Rook, Kate Atkinson: https://www.kateatkinson.co.uk/books/death-at-the-sign-of-the-rook/
Buckingham Nicks: https://www.roughtrade.com/product/lindsey-buckingham-and-stevie-nicks/buckingham-nicks
Superstore: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstore_(TV_series)
Robert Redford: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Redford
A huge thanks to Emily for production assistance, to Kai Newton for the edit, and Dominic Currie for the jingle.
Creative Differences, the monthly podcast where I talk to writers about the little things that make a big difference to their writing process, is a year old today! It’s been such a treat to chat to authors, and to have writers and readers like your good selves joining us on the livestreams and asking such excellent questions of the guests.
If you’ve not dipped in, then there’s never a better time to start. I’ve interviewed bestselling and award-winning authors like Sarah Pinborough, Nadine Matheson, Gareth L Powell, Tracy Buchanan, Rowan Coleman and Nicola May, and debut authors and writers that I just really like. You can find them all on Youtube or on your favourite podcast provider…
Or you can watch them all on this Youtube playlist…
And there are bite-size clips here…
Twice a month, I run live sessions on Zoom where you can ask me questions about the craft of writing, your WIP, or the business of publishing. The sessions are fun and informal and chatty. You can send me questions in advance. They’ll be recorded live and saved on Kofi for exclusive access to Green Room supporters.
I’m running this via Kofi, where you can join by clicking on the Green Room membership tier for £20 a month. There’s no long term commitment. With Kofi, you can support for just a month, or for as long as you like.
My goal is to be able to give supporters advice that will make a real difference to their writing and career, because the way I see it: having worked in this industry as a salesperson, bookseller and author for over 30 years, I’ve made every mistake, so you don’t have to.
Thanks again to everyone who has supported the podcast by listening, sharing or leaving a rating/review with their podcast provider. It makes a huge difference!
Mark Stay Writes 