Showing results by author "Holly Newson" in All Categories

In this interview we spoke to Alastair about all three of his audiobooks and how things have changed for him over the years. Along the way we covered would he rather be too hot or too cold, adventure with a friend or alone, and even if it works to be married to someone with a different perspective on his travels.

The Zen Buddhist teacher and writer Haemin Sunim visits the Audible Studios to discuss The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to Be Calm in a Busy World. With over three million copies of his book sold worldwide and more than a million followers on social media, Haemin Sunim is one of the world's most influential Buddhist teachers. He shares his journey from South Korea to Harvard and back again in his own words and explains why life at a slower pace would be better for us all.

With a multichampionship-winning career in motorcycle racing, team management and truck racing, Steve Parrish, who is also renowned for his practical jokes, published his autobiography, Parrish Times: My Life as a Racer in May 2018. Steve Parrish talks to us about writing his autobiography and his motorcycle career, driving a truck without a license and what he gets up to with his collection of emergency service vehicles.

Author of the New York Times best-selling Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy and National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor is a master of young adult fantasy. Following on from Strange the Dreamer, Laini has now published its sequel, Muse of Nightmares, released in October 2018. Laini Taylor talks to us about the protagonists in her new book, how much emphasis she puts on world building and whether or not she actually enjoys writing.

Simon Hooper, social media star, businessman, author and father of four, brings us his debut audiobook, Forever Outnumbered: Tales of Our Family Life from Instagram’s Father of Daughters. Opening a window into real-life parenting through the eyes of a modern-day dad, the audiobook is a comical yet equally emotionally heartfelt ode to family life. Here we talk to Simon about using social media for good, his views on shared parental leave and his favourite parenting moments to date.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo tells the story of Nuri, a beekeeper, and Afra an artist, who are warmly surrounded by friends and family in the beautiful city of Aleppo in Syria. Their world changes in an instant when war destroys everything they've known and loved and serves them unendurable heartbreak. In this interview we spoke about Lefteri's experiences in refugee camps in Athens, how these weighed on her, and thus her motivations for writing The Beekeeper of Aleppo. We also spoke about learning about beekeeping, PTSD and asylum.

The New York Times number one international best-selling author of 19 thrillers including Orphan X, The Tower and Tell No Lies, Gregg Hurwitz is the master of his genre and has published the third installment of his breakthrough Orphan X series, Hellbent. Gregg Hurwitz talks to us about protagonist Evan Smoak, his very hands-on research and writing comics.

O'Leary began his career in broadcasting over two decades ago, starting out as a disc jockey and runner, before appearing on screen in Channel 4's T4 and Big Brother's Little Brother. He has since hosted shows for BBC and ITV, such as and The X Factor, The One Show and This Morning, as well as presenting charitable events such as Comic Relief and Children in Need. O'Leary is also a bestselling author of children's fiction, with his critically acclaimed series, Toto the Ninja Cat, based on his own blind cat.

Cameron's global film making spans art, fashion, music, female empowerment and global warming and has worked with major international brands such as Nike, Adidas, Converse and YouTube. Growing up in the notorious cult, Children of God, has clearly not held her back. In fact, after leaving the cult, Cameron travelled across America to investigate other cults, ultimately leading to her memoir, Cult Following, which delves into her childhood in the Children of God and details Cameron’s road trips as she attempts to confront the trauma she faced as a child.

Award-winning author of A Secret Garden and A Summer at Sea Katie Fforde talks to us about her new and highly anticipated audiobook, A Country Escape. A self-confessed addict of romantic fiction, Katie discusses her influences, research strategies and top tips for writing a truly gripping love story, including how to create the perfect protagonist.

Joining us in the Audible Studios is one of our very own: Robin Morgan-Bentley. Robin is a Senior Manager at Audible and now also an author with his debut thriller, The Wreckage. You may also recognise his voice as the interviewer on some Audible Sessions. Robin has worked for Audible since 2014, and whilst he loves being part of the audio publishing process, he has always loved writing, too, so the ambition to create a novel seemed like the natural next step.

Joining us at Audible Studios is Ransom Riggs, the author of the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series, to speak to us about the newest installment in the series: A Map of Days. This book, the fourth in the series, tells of Jacob and his friends back in Florida, exploring the legacy of Abe, Jacob’s grandfather. Their adventures begin with a subterranean bunker and delve deeply into the peculiar unlike anything they’ve experienced before.

Best-selling author, scriptwriter and former journalist James Swallow joins us to discuss his explosive new action thriller, Ghost. The highly anticipated third instalment in the Marc Dane Trilogy, Ghost sees Dane take on his most terrifying case yet as a terrible threat emerges from the depths of the dark net and a devastating betrayal is uncovered at the heart of a covert strike force. In this interview, we talk to James about writing the beloved MI6 field agent Marc Dane, how audio differs from words on a page, and his award-winning career writing video games, tie-ins, audio dramas and more.

Robert Peston is the presenter of ITV's politics show, Peston, and has been ITV News' political editor since 2015, having previously worked as BBC's business editor for a decade. We spoke with Peston about his latest venture, a novel titled The Whistleblower, his first work of fiction. Holly Newson asked him about this foray into fiction and his everlasting interest in the world of politics, and heard which parts of the book are based on his own life.

Epic fantasy writer and New York Times best seller Brandon Sanderson joined us in the Audible Studios to discuss Oathbringer, the third book in his Stormlight Archive, and he revealed his process for getting his books just right. Brandon also spoke about how others can sometimes discover that they're writing in the wrong genre and told us about the books he has unpublished.

Joining us at Audible Studios is scientist and broadcaster Adam Rutherford. Rutherford is the presenter of BBC Radio 4's Inside Science, as well as author of a number of books, including How to Argue with a Racist. Adam Rutherford spoke to us about his latest publication, How to Argue with a Racist, and we discussed the history of genetics, race being a social construct, his thoughts on ancestry testing kits and more.

Joining us in the Audible Studios to talk about his latest book and autobiography, A Better Me, is lauded British singer, songwriter and record producer Gary Barlow. Best known as the lead singer of British boy band Take That and head judge of The X Factor UK from 2011-2013, Gary Barlow is one of the UK’s most successful songwriters, with 14 number one singles, 24 top 10 hits and three number one singles as a solo artist. Gary Barlow’s official autobiography, A Better Me, was published in October 2018.

In 2008, Cain began playing football for Coventry City but in 2012 he had to give up football after an injury put an end to his career. Cain then pursued reality TV, and appeared in shows such as Ex on the Beach, The Challenge and, more recently, SAS: Who Dares Wins. In 2020, life changed for Cain. His 8-week-old daughter, Azaylia, was diagnosed with cancer and passed away aged 8 months. Cain has done his utmost to raise awareness of childhood cancers and raise money, putting himself through grueling physical challenges.

Rising to fame as a pop star as part of The Communards, Richard Coles has had a very varied career - he has worked as a vicar for several parishes after finding religion later in life, has appeared on many panel shows. He shared his life through his memoirs, including details of his civil partnership and grief following the death of his partner. Coles has begun writing fiction – the Canon Clement Mystery series – starting with Murder Before Evensong, and is with us to talk about the second in the series, A Death in the Parish.

Fearne Cotton is a familiar voice on our radios, becoming the first regular female presenter of the Radio 1 Chart Show, which she hosted alongside Reggie Yates. She has since presented her own Radio 1 show and on Radio 2. Cotton began her own podcast in 2018, titled Happy Place, following the success of her best-selling book, Happy. The podcast shares advice from experts on how to find joy in the everyday and unlock inner happiness.