Podcast – Holly Seddon Author

Podcast

The best crime and drama podcasts… according to me

7th September 2018

black-and-white-blood-creepy-8578 I’m a sucker for a podcast, and not just my own. My podcast habit started, as I think it did for many, with the first series of Serial. Serial offered the kind of compelling water cooler moments that used to happen with linear once-a-week TV. Writing my own crime drama podcast is very much on my to-do list when I finish my latest book but in the meantime, here are a selection of the podcasts I’ve enjoyed the most recently.

The Teacher’s Pet

I’ve only just started this and I’m utterly hooked.

In 1982, devoted mother Lyn Dawson went missing. Her husband, high school sweetheart and former sports star Chris, claims she joined a cult. Just a few days later, Chris – a P.E. teacher – moved his teenaged babysitter (and pupil) into the house. Two separate coroners have ruled the Lyn was killed by Chris and yet no one has been arrested for her murder. This is a terribly sad and incredibly compelling story expertly woven by seasoned journalist Hedley Thomas.

Listen now

Podcast

What makes a great books podcast?

24th July 2018

The Honest Authors (Gillian McAllister on the left, me on the right)

There are dozens of book podcasts out there – but those aimed at aspiring authors are less common, and almost entirely skewed towards the self-publishing market. One notable exception is the Honest Authors podcast, created last year by authors Holly Seddon (Try Not To Breathe, Don’t Close Your Eyes, Love Will Tear Us Apart) and Gillian McAllister (Everything But The Truth, Anything You Do Say, No Further Questions). Aiming to highlight everything you’ve ever wanted to know about being a author but were too afraid to ask, Honest Authors claims to be “the only podcast recorded by bestselling, traditionally-published commercial authors being transparent about this brilliant, terrifying life.”

A year and a half in, with 26 episodes under their belt, we asked the pair about fighting for attention, finding your niche and keeping your audio content fresh.

Read the rest on The Bookseller

Podcast, Writing

Useful resources for planning a page turner

14th April 2018

This week, I’ve been planning out my next book idea… I’ve not put pen to paper yet (well, fingers to keys) because I’m working on the intricacies of the plot before I jump in. I’m using a whiteboard and index cards to plan out the structure and layer possible scenes and I’ve never done so much ‘thinking’ before writing before.

I’ve also been reading a lot about different techniques for planning and structuring, a lot of which I did (and I think a lot of authors) do instinctively, but an equal amount I have tended to do afterwards, through big edits, bigger glasses of wine and a lot of headaches. So if you’re also at the planning stage, here are some links and resources I’ve found useful.