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At the Page One Podcast, we talk to writers of all kinds (authors, screenwriters, comic writers and so on) to learn about how they go about creating their stories.

Each new episode is a deep dive into that guest’s writing history, including how they broke into the industry and what their writing process is. We also explore their work, and try and eke out any exciting forthcoming tales!

Each new episode is posted here, but the podcast is also available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Pocketcasts, and most other podcast apps. Make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

Get in touch by emailing us at podcast@writegear.co.uk, tweet us @write_gear, or leave a message on our Facebook page.

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S2 E1

David Baldacci

Welcome to a new season of The Page One Podcast!

We kick off this season in great style with a chat with world-renowned and bestselling thriller writer, David Baldacci. Since releasing his first book, Absolute Power, in 1997, David has gone on to create iconic characters like King & Maxwell, Amos Decker and Will Robie. With 130 million books sold, David is still at the top of his game and earlier this year released his latest novel, One Good Deed, a 1940s set thriller with new character, Aloysius Archer.

We had the pleasure of talking to David about how he began his writing career, how he got his big break and what keeps him writing. We also learned that breaking the rules can help you progress, and talk about what it felt like to have his very first book turned into a blockbuster movie with Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman.

S1 E10

Peter James

Peter James is a UK No. 1 bestselling author, best known for writing crime and thriller novels, and the creator of the much-loved Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. He has sold over 19 million copies to date, and has been translated into 37 languages. His latest book in the Roy Grace series, Dead at First Sight, went straight in at No. 1.

We had a great chat with Peter about his career and how a start in TV led to him becoming a published author. We also learn about his his collaboration with the police leads to ideas for the Roy Grace novels, and also hear about how a mysterious phone call 28 years ago lead to his last bestseller, Absolute Proof.

S1 E9

Tim Lebbon

Tim Lebbon is a New York Times-bestselling horror, thriller, sci-fi and fantasy writer. He has written over 30 novels, including several in collaboration with Christopher Golden, as well as dozens of novellas and many short stories. One of his books, The Silence, was recently adapted as a Netflix movie.

We had a great chat with Tim, learning how he managed to escape the world of work to become a full-time writer, what it’s like writing novelisations and tie-ins to well-known franchises, and what it’s like having your book adapted into a movie on Netflix. We also discussed how he writes novels with Christopher Golden, as well as what the best TV shows of all time are…

S1 E8

Mark Billingham

One of the UK’s most acclaimed and successful crime novelists, Mark Billingham has seen each of his novels feature in the top ten of The Sunday Times bestseller list. Sales of his novels featuring London-based detective Tom Thorne have topped over 4.5 million in over 25 countries, and he is the first author to win the Theakstons Old Peculier Award for Crime Novel Of The Year twice, for his novels Lazybones and Death Message. His latest novel, Their Little Secret, is just out in hardback.

Our chat with Mark was great fun, learning about his background in acting and comedy before he turned to writing, and discussing how he keeps coming up with ideas for macabre crimes for Tom Thorne to investigate! He also provides some great insights into his writing process – and tells us what he thinks the greatest crime show on TV is…

S1 E7

Helen Fitzgerald

Helen Fitzgerald is the author of books including The Cry, recently adapted to acclaim on the BBC, and Worst Case Scenario, her latest novel featuring a darkly comic tale involving criminal social justice, murder and the #metoo movement!

We had a great time chatting to Helen, hearing about her writing process, and how the adaptation of The Cry came to be. We also chat about Worst Case Scenario (out in paperback on May 16) and how you balance telling a serious story about abuse with dark comedy.

S1 E6

M R Carey

Mike Carey is a writer of many talents! His work on comics like Lucifer, Hellblazer, X-Men and The Unwritten is legendary, and he has also received acclaim for his novels, such as The Girl With All The Gifts, Fellside and Someone Like Me. He is also a screenwriter, having written the screenplay for The Girl With All The Gifts.

We had a really fun chat with Mike, learning about how he broke into comics and the differences between writing for comics, novels and film. We hear about how writing across these different media helps him grow as a writer, and find out what inspired his acclaimed creator-owned series, The Unwritten. We also find out just how you write the novel and screenplay for the same story at the same time!

S1 E5

Ed James

Ed James is the prolific author of many crime novels, including the DS Scott Cullen Mysteries and the DI Fenchurch series. His latest book, Kill the Messenger, is the sixth entry in the Fenchurch series.

We had a great chat with Ed about how he manages to write four (yes, four!) books a year, including the in-depth planning that goes into each novel, and also discuss how he made a success of self-publishing and moved into the “conventional” publishing world. We also discuss the narrative writing in video games, as well as how you go about writing a novel with another author!

S1 E4

Adrian J Walker

Adrian J Walker is the author of speculative fiction novels, including the highly (and deservedly!) praised The End of the World Running Club, which featured on the Radio 2 Book Club. Adrian has just announced the sequel, The End of the World Survivors Club, will be out later this year!

We had a great time chatting to Adrian, learning about his path from self-published author to appearing on Radio 2 with Simon Mayo to discuss The End of the World Running Club, and what it feels like when one of your literary heroes (Stephen King!) praises your book! We also discuss The End of The World Running Club, what we can expect from the sequel, and get a sneak preview of his next book, Human Son.

S1 E3

Sergio Casci

Sergio Casci is a screenwriter whose credits include American Cousins (2003), which saw him nominated for BAFTA Best Newcomer, The Caller (2011) and The Lodge (2019), which has been getting rave reviews at Sundance and other film festivals. His diverse portfolio also includes writing for Scottish soap opera (or “continuing series”, as Sergio tells us) River City and children’s TV programme, Katie Morag.

Our fun chat with Sergio includes discussing how he got started in screenwriting, what really happens when you don’t win an award, how he writes his screenplays – and his cameo in his debut feature film, American Cousins.

S1 E2

Roz Watkins

Shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association’s Debut Dagger Award, Roz Watkins is the author of the DI Meg Dalton series of novels, The Devil’s Dice, and the about-to-be released Dead Man’s Daughter.

In this week’s podcast, we chat about what led Roz to give up her career as a patent attorney and turn to writing fiction, how her previous career helped her pen her first novel, explore the themes of The Devil’s Dice, and discuss who might play DI Meg Dalton in any TV adaptation (hint – it’s not Will Smith… or is it?)

S1 E1

G J Moffat

Gary Moffat is the author of the Logan Finch series of novels, starting with Daisychain. They begin in much the same way as Gary’s other career (he somehow juggles being a high-flying lawyer with his writing), set in a busy Glasgow legal firm, but they soon explode into action thrillers that take him to the US.

In the podcast, we chat about how Gary managed to juggle the twin careers of being a lawyer and an author, and explore the rather unusual route he took into publishing. We also discuss his most recent novel, Blackwater, set in small-town America.

Thanks to Simon Stokes for his production assistance.