Bestselling author Manda Scott tells us about Thrutopia, an extraordinary project designed to challenge writers to rethink how they write in order to rebuild the future. It begins with the Thrutopia masterclasses that dive into idea generation, narrative incubation and the power of community.

Veronica Henry returns to the podcast with her latest bestseller The Impulse Purchase, where a mother, daughter and grandmother run a pub together. Veronica talks about writing across the generations, whether or not to include Covid in her novel, and — after over twenty novels — if she’s getting the hang of writing yet.

Veronica Henry returns to the podcast with her latest bestseller The Impulse Purchase, where a mother, daughter and grandmother run a pub together. Veronica talks about writing across the generations, whether or not to include Covid in her novel, and — after over twenty novels — if she’s getting the hang of writing yet.

Lizzie Pook is a long-time listener of the podcast and Patreon supporter whose debut novel Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter was inspired by her time in north-western Australia researching the pearl-diving industry. The novel is being published by three major publishers on three continents with three very different covers, but the road to publication was a long slog, with Lizzie facing life-changing events with her health and career. Also, the Two Marks get distracted by their memories of the glorious town of Leatherhead in Surrey. Yes, really.

Jeevani Charika (aka Rhoda Baxter) is an award-nominated author of women’s fiction with heroines of colour. Her latest novel, Playing for Love, is set in the world of online gaming, giving the classic mistaken identity romcom story a fresh makeover. We discuss how to write a convincing rom com, and why 2022 could be her year! And the Two Marks get into the pros and cons of Wordle, the joys of cosplay, and how one young lad got his book into a local library.