This week, we chat to the historical fiction author and academic, Steven Veerapen. He's best known for his Anthony Blanke series, set in the Tudor period, about the son of a black trumpeter, John Blanke, who was a real figure in the court of King Henry VIII. There's 'Of Blood Descended' and 'Of Judgement Fallen', which are out in print and just released as audiobooks. He's also written 3 in the 'Simon Danforth' series, and a few about the playwright Christopher Marlowe as a spy.

We talk about the balance of writing academia and finding time for novels. Also about the mordib curiosity which gives him ideas, and why we all love the Tudors.

You can hear about his sparse writing environment, how he plans a busy year, and what Tudor fiction needs to have in it.

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Alex Pavesi spent a long time writing many debut novels. He would write a few thousands words, get struck by a brilliant new idea, get bored, stop writing and the cycle would continue. Finally, he landed upon a way of storytelling that allowed him to write a finished book. That became 'Eight Detectives', which was a Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year and a smash-hit.

He's followed it up with 'Ink Ribbon Red'. It tells the story of a group of old friends who meet for an annual birthday weekend away, deep in the English countryside. One of them suggests a parlour game in which they write murder mystery stories about each other... what happens when murders really start happening. Will you be able to tell the real murder, from the ones they're writing? It's a brilliant way of telling stories within stories, and twisting the murder mystery genre even further.

We discuss how he landed on a writing routine that helped him finally get published, also how the success of the first novel changed what his second had to be, and why he's obsessed with pen and paper.

You can hear about accidentally becoming a full-time writer, about the balance of plot and character, and why he doesn't agree with a classic piece of writing advice.

If you'd like a copy of 'Ink Ribbon Red', please do take a look at our dedicated Writer's Routine bookstore at - uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutine

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Sarah Easter Collins is an all-round creative. Alongside being a painter, she's just published her debut, 'Things Don't Break on their Own'. It tells the story of Willa, whose life shattered into tiny pieces when her sister disappeared on the way to school, and she has never been able to put them back together again. Willa sees Laika everywhere: on buses, at parties, in busy streets. It’s been twenty-five years, and the only thing that has kept her going is her belief that her sister is alive, somewhere. But when a dinner party conversation about childhood memories spirals out of control, a shattering revelation from one of the guests forces Willa to rethink everything she thought she knew about her past.

It was inspired by many things - travelling around Africa and Thailand, teaching in the South West of England, the first dog in space, and also an obnoxious dinner party guest.

We discuss bringing those themes together, also the art of showing without telling, and how her painting inspires her writing... and vice versa.

You can hear how she knew the beats of a genreless novel, why she wakes up shockingly early, and how poetry helps her focus on prose.

Get a copy of the book - uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutine

Support the show:

patreon.com/writersroutine

https://ko-fi.com/writersroutine

writersroutine.com

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