This month’s special guest Gareth L Powell reveals how he keeps track of story ideas when they come late at night… and then we’re interrupted by a digital overlord.
MARK: How do you remember that idea that you have it, say three in the morning?
GARETH: I always have my phone next to the bed. And I can say, “Hey, Siri,” take a note, and just dictate it to the phone.
SIRI: (Interrupting) And then what do you want it to say?
(LAUGHTER)
MARK: I was waiting for that!
SIRI: I created you a note. It’s called BRA.
MARK: Oh. That’s priceless. Thanks for that, Gareth.
GARETH: I thought, my phone is off. I’ll be safe saying this, and I forgot it’s on the damn computer as well… I will go through that process — that I just demonstrated — and then in the morning, because it’s synched up with my desktop, the I just open my notes file and the notes are there waiting for me.
MARK: A comment from Usman here: “22:32. Siri gained sentence.” It’s the end times, people. Oh, fantastic.
10 years ago today this baby was published, meaning I’ve been a published author for 10 years which is a bit of a pinch me moment… Yeah, amazing. I want to thank Jon Wright who asked me to co-write the film, but for the book I really want to thank Gillian Redfearn the editor at Gollancz who held my hand through the whole publishing process and editorial process, Lisa Rogers the amazing copy editor who I still beg to be my copy editor today because she’s just the best in the business, and also Genn McMenemy in marketing who uh still has lots of embarrassing outtakes of me floundering and trying to sell the book on on camera, and everyone who read it and said nice things about it. Thank you, everyone. Like I say I am really proud of it. The Authorized Podcast did a 10th anniversary special where they talked about the book and then I talk about how it was made and everything in a lot more detail… But there are things in here, you know, there’s uh there’s the short story in the back, The Mediator Prototype, I also have my shoot diaries about the making of the film and also put the name of every member of the cast and crew in the hope that they would all buy a copy which I’m sure they did. 10 years today, still in print, which probably says something… I don’t know what, but if you want a signed copy you can get one from my store, if not I think it’s ridiculously cheap on eBook as well the audiobook… Rupert Degas reads the audio! Terrific. Anyway 10 years. Wow. Gotta get a cup of tea.
I’ll be at the MCM Comic Con in London all weekend, flogging and signing my wares! As well as the Witches of Woodville books, I’ll also have paperbacks of The End of Magic with the new artwork by Alejandro Colucci, and maybe a few surprises!
Merry Christmas! That’s if you celebrate, if not then Happy Monday! Mondays have been ‘New Podcast Day’ for the last seven and a bit years, and today marks the release of my last ever episode of The Bestseller Experiment as co-presenter. Why am I leaving? I explain myself in full here. And rest assured that this isn’t the end of the podcast: Mr D will continue and it’s going to be amazing.
What will I be up to in the meantime? Well, stand by for an update in the New Year. Until then, here’s our special Christmas episode where I share some of my favourite moments, outtakes, and we get a visit from a very special elf…
Can’t think of a better author to wrap up 2023 on the Bestseller Experiment with than Mike Gayle. He’s celebrating 25 years of his amazing debut novel My Legendary Girlfriend and he’s got a new one out, A Song of Me and You. We chat about keeping warm in the winter (we’re middle aged writers, so this is relevant!), how to make unlikeable characters engaging, and the really important lesson he learned from being the agony uncle for the teen magazine Bliss in the 90s…
Yup. After seven years, 480+ episodes, 500+ authors and countless hours of award-winning waffle I’ve decided to hang up my podcasting headphones. Why would I do such a thing? Well, I need to spend more time focusing on my writing. The podcast can take up to half of my working week, and I’ve currently got four big writing projects on the go with more on the horizon and I need every spare minute I can get.
I announce it here at 51:41…
I’ve tried to pre-empt what questions listeners might have and answered them below, but if you have any other questions then do please pop them in the comments section below…
When am I leaving? The last episode I’m recording is the Christmas Day special. I have recorded a few author interviews that will go live in January, so you’ll hear those, but I won’t be recording the usual before and after chat with Mr D.
Will the podcast continue? You betcha! Mr D has some very exciting plans for the Bestseller Experiment. I have no doubt that it’ll be bigger and better than ever.
Are you leaving the Bestseller Academy? Yes. But again, there are hours and hours of my pearls of wisdom (aka writerly waffle) in the academy archive and my courses are still there. And, like the podcast, Mr D has some great plans for the academy going forward. I’ll leave it to him to reveal them in his own time, but it’s still a great place to find a wonderful writing community.
Will you start your own podcast? I don’t have any immediate plans to do so, but I love speaking with authors and who knows what the future holds. I won’t rule it out, but it won’t be happening soon. I might even take a wee step back from social media for a bit. But I’ll always be here on the blog.
Have you and Mr D had a falling out? Is this like the break up of the Beatles!? Definitely not! I love that man and wish him only happiness. Chatting with him every week has been a delight. Though I should make it clear that we don’t live together like Morecambe and Wise or Bert and Ernie…
What if I want advice on writing? Can you still look at my novel and script? Definitely! Just drop me a line here and we can get the ball rolling.
The podcast has been a huge part of my life these last seven years and I’ve loved every minute of it. It’s been a privilege speaking to so many amazing authors and publishing folk, and there’s no question that it’s made me a better writer. There’s a wonderful cliche in storytelling that the real prize is the friends we made along the way, and that’s never been truer than with the podcast: Mr D, and all the members of the BXP Group and the Academy, I now have the honour of calling my friends. It’s been a joy getting to know them all and see their writing blossom in so many different ways. And I will always look back on the podcast with a huge sense of pride and joy. It’s goodbye from Mark Two…
Mark Stay Writes 