The Hobcast Book Show

107: Creating a ’cult’ book - with Cailean Steed

We're delighted to focus on another debut author this week on The Hobcast Book Show. Caileen Steed's first novel, Home, a dark tale of a woman escaping the pernicious grip of a cult, has been showered with critical praise. Heat magazine calls it "highly engrossing," and The Scots Magazine says Home is "masterfully written, both enthralling and disturbing in equal terms." Praise indeed. So how does Cailean find the time to write between teaching in a secondary school and busy family life? We speak to them from their home on the banks of the Clyde, in Helensburgh, Scotland.
Also this week, we get excited about the prospect of watching Hobeck's own Robert Daws on stage in his latest one-man show, and Rebecca has a go at replacing Adrian as an audiobook narrator - with interesting results... 
Cailean Steed Author

106: How Plottr might ease your writing pain - with Troy Lambert

The Hobcast Book Show team would happily describe themselves as 'pantsers' when it comes to writing. Perhaps the politer and more politically correct term would be 'discovery writers,' exploring our muse and seeing where the story goes. That's not to say we don't envy authors who have the ability to map out their plots and story beats before they commit to a first draft. Perhaps a recently developed piece of software called Plottr could help? It promises to make plotting a breeze, with popular story structures already set up for every conceivable fiction genre, and a suite of features to aid the series author to manage the details of the worlds they create. We're joined by one of the team behind Plottr, author and educator Troy Lambert to explain more.
Also this week, we discuss how hardback sales are dropping as the cost of living crisis bits, and how we had a shock at Hobeck Books when we received a quote for a reprint of one our titles - a 25% increase in costs in just 15 months!
https://plottr.com/
Telling Stories, Changing the World - Troy Lambert (troylambertwrites.com)

105: From firefighter to thriller author - with David Beckler

It's no surprise to us at The Hobcast Book Show that thrillers remain one of the most enduring and successful genres in fiction. Sharing the danger with our heroes is one of the key elements that attract readers, especially when the author is writing from experience to back up their creative imagination. Our guest this week, David Beckler, knows all about the courage and camaraderie that helps people face extreme situations. A firefighter for almost twenty years, mostly in Manchester, he draws on his experiences to inspire his novels. He has two series to his name: His Sterling and Mason series features two ex-Royal Marines, one of whom is now a firefighter, and his Antonia Conti series features a journalist uncovering corruption in a dystopian near-future setting. 
Also this week, we tot up the sales of Spare as Prince Harry's memoir smashes sales records, and we look ahead to the launch of our latest Hobeck book - Cut and Shut by Jonathan Peace.
DAVID BECKLER AUTHOR – DISCOVER MY WRITING

104: Drawing on life to inspire your writing - with Anne Coates

One of the joys of writing is using every experience you have to feed your creativity. That's certainly the belief of our guest this week, journalist and crime-author Anne Coates. She has vast experience to draw on too from her career as a journalist in some of the UK's most popular magazine titles, and as an editor for Reader's Digest. As she tells us, that's armed her with some valuable knowledge of how to structure a story, and perhaps most importantly, what to leave out as much as what to leave in. Anne is the author of the Hannah Weybridge series of novels published by Red Dog Press, and her most recent title, Stage Call, is inspired by her lifelong passion for attending the Old Vic Theatre in Waterloo, London.
Also this week, Rebecca challenges Adrian to name the UK's Top 5 cosy crime authors in 2022, and they also discuss what job cuts at Amazon might signify.
Anne Coates – Author, editor (annecoatesauthor.com)

103: Creating a sense of place - with J M Simpson

Happy New Year! We start 2023 with our guest, UK drama and suspense author J M Simpson, whose Castleby series of suspense novels has built a loyal following recently. Castleby is loosely based on the Pembrokeshire resort of Tenby, but Jo draws widely on her upbringing in Devon and Cornwall to embellish the seaside setting. As she admits, the fictional town has taken on a life of its own. 
Also this week, Adrian and Rebecca reflect on the most popular UK books of 2022, and they critique Apple's latest venture into audiobook narration using AI technology.
J.M. Simpson | Author of drama and suspense novels (jmsimpsonauthor.co.uk)

102: Voodoo dolls and Victorian Asylums - with Sally-Anne Martyn

We often take a trip to the dark side on The Hobcast Book Show. It comes with the territory of being crime publishers after all. But this week's episode is darker than most, as we meet Sally-Anne Martyn who admits to developing a love and fascination of horror and the paranormal from childhood. It's that background that fueled her debut novel for Joffe Books, The Clinic which was published in October, as well as the experience of working in one of the UK's fabled and feared Victorian-built asylums shortly before they were all closed and sold off. 
Also this week, we discuss changes at Penguin Random House, and how the UK postal strike is creating issues for publishers. 
Sally-Anne Martyn | Author of Dark Thriller Book 'The Clinic' (sallyannemartyn.com)

101: Last Tango In Halifax - with Matthew Smith

The Hobcast Book Show has been on its travels again, braving snow and fog to attend Halifax Noir at the invitation of our former guests and great friends, R C Bridgestock. It was a chance to talk all things crime and books, and take a realistic look at the state of the UK publishing market as we approach Christmas. We also caught up with Matthew Smith, who recently made the switch from publisher to literary agent. As he tells us, it's a tough world out there.
Also this week, as a major survey reveals a huge drop in author incomes, Adrian and Rebecca ask if there's anything that can be done to help writers make a living from their work?
Home - Exprimez

100: The 100th episode special - with Elly Griffiths

Well, we made it! Welcome to the 100th episode of The Hobcast Book Show! This week is a celebratory show, complete with a fabulous interview with one of the UK's most celebrated crime authors, Elly Griffiths. Elly has written almost 30 novels, including 15 in the brilliant Ruth Galloway series set in Norfolk. Her most recent novel, Bleeding Heart Yard is the third in her Harbinder Kaur series, and was released in September this year.
So, settle in as Adrian and Rebecca celebrate 100 episodes of The Hobcast Book Show...
Welcome - Elly Griffiths
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bleeding-Heart-Yard-Breathtaking-Galloways-ebook/dp/B09KMYJ4YY

99: The power of editing - with Rebecca Millar

When four of our previous guests all paid tribute to the same person, we knew we had to speak to them on The Hobcast Book Show. Rebecca Millar has edited the work of a huge range of authors including Simon McLeave, Lucy Hooft, Morgan Greene and Cat Yaffe. Starting her career within both indie and traditional companies, a move to Australia forced Rebecca to become freelance. It was a challenging switch but allowed her to focus on her first love - crime fiction. In this revealing interview, Rebecca shares the range of skills and judgement she's developed to help both established authors and first-time writers to deliver their best work.
Also this week, Adrian and Rebecca breathe a sigh of relief that Amazon have finally published The Un Family by Linda Huber after two weeks of stress, and they reveal the identity of the special guest of the 100th episode of the podcast next week.
Rebecca Millar Editorial – Fiction developmental and line editor and proofreader specialising in crime, thriller and suspense

98: Thrillers, Travel and Giant Kelp - with Lucy Hooft

Our guest this week, Lucy Hooft, wins our unofficial award for being our most remote guest yet. She joined us from the tiny coastal town of Luderitz in Namibia, where it rains just 17 days a year on average, and a shopping trip can involve a 260-mile round trip for the basics. But adventure and challenges are no stranger to Lucy and her husband Daniel. They met in the Georgia, and the Caucasus provide the inspiration for Lucy's first thriller The King's Pawn which was published by Burning Chair Publishing last week. Lucy has worked for the British Government in many exciting and challenging countries, but together with Daniel is now involved in Kelp Blue, a company focusing on harnessing the benefits of Giant Kelp forests - which could play a major role in solving many of the world's environmental issues. Writing is all part of the mix for Lucy, who describes herself as a "juggler". She has to be with three young children to look after whilst launching a new school in the local area. 
Also this week, Adrian and Rebecca reflect on a tough week both in the Hobeck office and outside, and yet more issues with the Amazon beast ... 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kings-Pawn-Sarah-Black/dp/1912946300
Spy Fiction | Lucy Hooft