Shows
Head GameHow Fitness & Faith Saved Aussie Hip-Hop Star 360In 2017 Matt Caldwell, better known to music fans as 360, was riding high on the success of his third top five Australian album. On the outside, he had the fame, the money and the success he'd always wanted. But deep inside, the people pleaser in him was deeply insecure. Chasing that euphoria of success, he'd turned to drugs. Just two years later, Matt's addiction would result in him collapsing from an overdose during his biggest tour to date, forcing its cancellation. In this episode of Head Game, 360's candid conversation about how addiction gripped him for so many...
2025-07-1553 min
The ForthWrite PodcastEp. 10 – 360’s Album Is Out, The Tour Is On, And They’re Just Getting Started | TFP360’s new album is out, tour is coming, and this episode ties a bow on everything Season One has built toward.They talk about real friendship, spiritual growth, industry pressure, and what it means to keep showing up honestly — even when people push back.PEZ shares about parenting through grief, 360 reflects on speaking truth without apology, and they both agree: whatever this is, it’s not done. It’s just warming up.
2025-07-141h 03
The ForthWrite PodcastEp. 09 – 360 Handles a Solo Q&A (While PEZ Calls in Crook) | TFPWith PEZ off sick, 360 flies solo for a fan-fuelled Q&A — talking food, weight loss, Ozempic, approval, faith, and how he’s thinking about sharing truth into the future.It’s a relaxed, open conversation about belief, growth, and saying what matters without trying to control the outcome.PEZ joins briefly from the sickbed, and the episode closes with a quiet nod toward next week’s Season 1 finale.
2025-07-0748 min
The ForthWrite PodcastEp. 08 – PEZ and 360 Revisit Their Worst Jobs, Separate Paths & Coming Full Circle | TFPBefore the music took off, there were Hungry Jack’s shifts, fake sickies, and drive-thru disasters. In this episode, PEZ and 360 look back on their worst jobs — and how the chaos of those early years shaped them.They reflect on the stretch of time when everything looked great on the surface — fame, money, momentum — but underneath, they were drifting apart and losing touch with why they started making music in the first place.They also talk about why The ForthWrite album never came when it was meant to… and why now, it just might.A funny...
2025-06-3046 min
The Hoist360 | The Hoist with Molly and ElishaMonday night hosts Molly and Eilsha sat down with ARIA Award-winning and multi-platinum Australian rapper 360. They spoke all things about his upcoming album ‘Out Of The Blue’ alongside his huge brand new tour of the same name. Also chatting about his brand new podcast ‘The Forthwrite Podcast’.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2025-06-2609 min
The ForthWrite PodcastEp. 07 – How PEZ Found Faith Unexpectedly & Why It Changed Everything | TFPPEZ opens up about the moment Jesus changed everything.He shares how an unexpected encounter with Christ led to a complete shift in how he sees the world, himself, and his purpose. It’s a testimony about identity, peace, and letting go of the pressure to control it all.360 joins with curiosity and respect, offering his own thoughts and asking the questions many people wonder but never say out loud.A personal, powerful episode about faith, transformation, and finding truth in a way that actually sticks.
2025-06-231h 32
The ForthWrite PodcastEp. 06 – 360 & PEZ on Talking Truth Without Losing Friends | TFP360 and PEZ take things deeper this week — from faith and free speech to food conspiracies and media spin. They open up about losing friends over opinions, the backlash of speaking about Christ, and the blurred lines between truth, science, and control. It’s raw, reflective, and at times hilarious — a no-holds-barred chat about belief, censorship, and carving your own path in a polarised world.
2025-06-161h 00
The ForthWrite PodcastEp. 05 – 360 & PEZ talk COVID Chaos, Political Divide & The Dim Sim Club | TFPThis episode dives deep into COVID-era chaos, the fallout from mandates and censorship, the fractured left/right political landscape, and the rise of digital echo chambers. PEZ and 360 get raw on personal health, fatherhood, and the psychological toll of the last few years—before lightening the mood with fish & chips, dim sims, and a secret club you might just want to join.
2025-06-091h 01
The ForthWrite PodcastEp. 04 - 360 and PEZ revisit Utopia, the Eminem Tour & Reconnecting with Music | The ForthWrite PodcastIn the most honest episode yet, 360 and PEZ pull back the curtain on the Utopia era—and everything that came with it. From major label pressures to breaking points, drug addiction, spiritual reckoning, and falling out of love with music, this one cuts deep.They reflect on the highs of fame, the darkness that followed, and how they’re rebuilding life and creativity on their own terms. It’s raw, redemptive, and real.
2025-06-021h 10
The ForthWrite PodcastEp. 03 – PEZ & 360 on “The Festival Song” & Reuniting After Chaos | The ForthWrite PodcastPEZ & 360 sit down for a scorcher of an episode—literally. From sweaty pits and savage kids to the hilarious truth of fading hairlines, this one starts with laughs and ends with legacy. They unpack the wild story behind Festival Song, the birth of solo albums What You See Is What You Get and Mind of My Own, and the magic that made them. From synchronicities to radio snubs, memory loss to emotional breakthroughs, this is an unfiltered deep dive into creativity, friendship, and what it means to come full circle.
2025-05-2644 min
The ForthWrite PodcastEp.02 - How 360 & PEZ Became Forthwrite: From Battles to Festival Stages | The ForthWrite Podcast360 & PEZ rewind the clock to where it all began—basketball dreams, battle raps, du-rags, and dusty demos. They share how they became Forthwrite, their early influences (Biggie, Eminem, Aussie rap), and the moments that shaped their sound and identity. From the Festival Song to wild gigs and performance anxiety, this one’s full of laughs, honesty, and behind-the-scenes gold.
2025-05-1956 min
The ForthWrite PodcastEp. 01 - 360 & PEZ on Fame, Fear, and Finding Their Voice Again | The ForthWrite PodcastAussie rappers 360 and PEZ sit down for the first time on the podcast mic together to reflect on 15+ years of music, fame, personal battles, and creative rebirth. From Festival Song to Falling & Flying, from rehab to rediscovery, this is a raw, honest look at what it means to lose your spark — and get it back.They talk mental health in music, industry pressure, regrets, faith, and learning how to create from a place of peace.Produced by Colossal Studios.Follow us on Instagram: @forthwriteofficial
2025-05-1252 min
The Brighton Book ClubFrances Quinn, D.E White's Crime Writing Workshop, Forthwrite Festival, The First Graphic Novel Award and Brooke Robinson's attempt to write in every cafe in BrightonIn this month's jam-packed show, we talk to Brighton-based Fran Quinn about her new book THE LOST PASSENGER; to D.E. White about her crime-writing workshop in Horsham on March 27th; to Anna and Sam from Forthwrite Festival which takes place in Brighton and Crawley in March; to Brighton-based graphic novelists Myf and Corinne from the First Graphic Novel Award and to new-to-Brighton thriller writer, Brooke Robinson.
2025-02-221h 00
ForthwriteJO MIDDLETONListen to this bonus festive episode with Jo Middleton author of Happy Bloody Christmas! We talk about her incredibly speedy novel writing process, challenges going from blog to book, and her brilliant advice to just get cracking!
Follow Jo @jomiddletonauthor
Jo Middleton is a writer, bookshop manager, creative writing teacher and mum of two daughters. She lives in Somerset with her three cats, all named after fictional detectives, and a goofy golden retriever. Happy Bloody Christmas is her second novel.
2024-12-1329 min
ForthwriteLIZZIE DAMILOLA BLACKBURNThis week we are in conversation with brilliant Lizzie Damilola Blackburn, on all aspects of her creative writing process, watching reality TV as research and fitting the writing in around everything else.
Follow Lizzie @lizziedamiblackburn
Lizzie Damilola Blackburn is a British-Nigerian charity worker turned author who grew up in south London and now lives with her husband and young son in Milton Keynes. Her bestselling debut novel, Yinka, Where is your Huzband? was selected by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai as a Literati book club pick and was...
2024-12-0631 min
ForthwriteROSANNA AMAKAThis week Anna and Sam chat creative writing with wonderful author Rosanna Amaka. Tune in for our conversation about writing to a deadline (or not), finding inspiration in unexpected places and writing your way out of a creative block.
Follow Rosanna @rosannaamaka
Rosanna Amaka is a writer from London, and is of African and Caribbean heritage. Her debut novel ‘The Book of Echoes’, was shortlisted for The Authors’s Club First Novel Award, The RSL Christopher Bland Prize and The HWA Debut Crown Award. Her second novel ‘Rose and the Burm...
2024-11-2928 min
ForthwriteRESHMA RUIAIn this episode Anna and Sam chat with fabulour author Reshma Ruia. We talk about her writing from poetry, to short stories to novels and not forgetting her PhD. Reshma shares her wisdom on the writing process.
Follow Reshma @reshma_ruia_writer
Dr. Reshma Ruia is a Manchester based British writer of Indian origin. She has a PhD and Master’s in Creative Writing from Manchester University. Her first novel, Something Black in the Lentil Soup, was described in the Sunday Times as ‘a gem of straight-faced comedy’. She has publishe...
2024-11-2234 min
ForthwriteKATE MORRISONIn this episode Anna and Sam chat with the lovely Kate Morrison about researching her novel it before and after the dawn of the internet, having a slow process and the different experience of writing historical vs 1990s fiction.
Follow Kate @katecmorri
Kate Morrison's debut historical novel A Book of Secrets was published in 2019 by Jacaranda Books and longlisted for the Historical Writers Association Debut Crown Awards and the Diverse Book Awards 2020. She has taught historical fiction writing courses & workshops for the British Library and Writing Around the Kids...
2024-11-1531 min
ForthwriteDISHA BOSEThis week Anna and Sam speak with fabulous author Disha Bose. We talk about writing with a young baby, finding inspiration in parenting forums and when to follow the shiny new idea.
Follow Disha @dishabossy
Disha Bose was born and raised in India. She worked in the tech industry for a few years before deciding to pursue her dream of writing a novel. She lives in Ireland now, her first novel Dirty Laundry was published in 2023 and her second I Will Blossom Anyway is due May 2025.
2024-11-0830 min
ForthwriteKATE SAWYERThis week we talk to brilliant author Kate Sawyer, about killing your darlings, doing character development work by watching reality TV and breaking your novel down into manageable chunks.
Follow Kate @mskatesawyer
Kate Sawyer worked as an actor and theatre and events producer, before writing several short films and then turning her hand to fiction. Her debut novel, The Stranding, was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, won the East Anglian fiction prize, was adapted for BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime and is being developed for TV by...
2024-11-0136 min
ForthwriteREBECCA RYANThis week we chat with ever so lovely Rebecca Ryan about prioritising her writing, her way into being published and the cost of a tin of beans.
Follow Rebecca @becsryanauthor
Rebecca Ryan is the author of two uplifting fiction novels. My (extra) Ordinary Life was out last year and The Philosophy of Love is her more recent work. She left a career in teaching to write full time and lives in Bradford. She's a single mum to her three children and mostly, she spends her days fetching them snacks...
2024-10-2533 min
ForthwriteEFFIE BLACKIn this episode Anna and Sam talk to Women's Prize longlisted author Effie Black about how it felt for her debut In Defense of the Act to be nominated and her route to writing it. Plus she helps Sam out with her book group homework.
Follow Effie @effie_black_
Effie Black is a London-based writer with a background in science. She enjoys writing from a queer perspective and she likes bringing a spot of science into her fiction too. Effie's short stories have appeared in Litro and the époque press é-zine. Effie's debut novel, In De...
2024-10-1831 min
ForthwriteCHIKODILI EMELUMADUThis week Anna and Sam chat to Chikodili Emelumadu about her brilliant book Dazzling and the process of writing it. Also the wisdom of leaning into your stage of life.
Follow Chikodili @chikodiliemelumadu
Chikọdịlị Emelụmadụ was born in Worksop, Nottinghamshire and raised in Awka, Nigeria. Her work has been shortlisted for the Shirley Jackson Awards (2015), the Caine Prize for African Literature (2017 & 2020) and has won a Nommo award (2020).
In 2019, she emerged winner of the inaugural Curtis Brown First Novel prize for her manuscript 'Dazzling’. Her debut novel by the same name was published...
2024-10-1135 min
ForthwriteLOLA JAYEThis week Anna and Sam chat to Lola Jaye about her writing process, from finding inspiration in the National Portrait Gallery, to interviewing family members and making time to write.
Follow Lola @lola.jaye
Lola Jaye is a critically acclaimed author, registered psychotherapist and speaker who has penned six novels and a self-help book.
She was born and raised in London, England and has lived in Nigeria and the United States. She has written for CNN, Essence, HuffPost and the BBC. She is passionate about mental health...
2024-10-0431 min
ForthwriteELLA FOOTEIn this episode Anna and Sam chat to Ella Foote, about all things writing. Dive in to hear how Ella turned her passion for open water swimming into a career writing about it, how she juggles writing around her busy life and the importance of a deadline.
Follow Ella @ellachloeswims
Ella Foote is an author, editor and outdoor swimming expert. She is Editor at Outdoor Swimmer magazine, the world’s only monthly magazine dedicated to outdoor swimming. Ella’s first book, How to Wild Swim: What to Know Before Taking the Plunge was...
2024-09-2737 min
ForthwritePAM WILLIAMSWelcome to a brand new series of Forthwrite, the podcast formerly known as Writing Around The Kids. In this episode Anna and Sam talk with Women's Prize long-listed authour Pam Williams, about finding the right way to tell her family's story, the value of feedback and how she squeezes writing into her busy schedule.
Find Pam @pamwilliamsauthor
Pam is a Grenadian heritage writer born in London. She studied fashion at prestigious St. Martin’s School of Art, graduating in 1984. For two decades Pam worked as a fashion journalist, magazine Fashio...
2024-09-2031 min
ForthwriteMIRA SHAHSam and Anna chat to Mira Shah about writing her debut novel during the pandemic and working around a full time job.
Mira V Shah is a #1 bestselling author and legal writer who lives in North London with her husband, three good dogs and a mediocre cat. She studied History at the University of Warwick before practising as a City lawyer. During the pandemic, Mira wrote her first ever novel, HER, a psychological drama, which explores themes of flawed perception, trauma, race and class.
HER is a #1 ebook bestseller and was published by Hodder & Stoughton in March 2023, with the paperback t...
2023-12-2236 min
ForthwriteHANNAH EATONThis week Anna and Sam dive into a brilliant chat with graphic novelist Hannah Eaton. We find out her process of drawing and writing stories, including making time to write and the importance of reality TV! Plus an exclusive reading from Hannah’s short story Senior Boys.
Hannah Eaton has written and illustrated two acclaimed graphic novels: Naming Monsters (MyriadEditions, 2013) was shortlisted for the First Graphic Novel Prize and the Ninth Art Award, andBlackwood (Myriad 2020), a folk horror murder mystery of middle England, was featured in theGuardian’s Books of the Year 2020. She is curr...
2023-12-1532 min
ForthwriteLUCE BRETTAnna and Sam talk to Luce Brett about writing from personal experience and becoming an advocate for women's health.
Luce is the author of PMSL the first incontinence memoir. It was published by Green Tree an imprint of Bloomsbury in 2020. PMSL was her first book and has been influential with healthcare professionals as well as patients and many women and men have contacted her to say it made them feel seen and heard for the first time. As well as being an author and journalist Luce international advocate for women's health. She has a strong history of saying the unsayable...
2023-12-0839 min
ForthwriteUJU ASIKAIn this episode Sam and Anna speak with the wonderful Uju Asika, about her love of 'wild' writing, how much of yourself to put into your work and the joy of bringing a picture book into the world, plus Uju reads from her brilliant book Raising Boys Who Do Better.
Uju is a multi-award nominated blogger, writer, speaker and creative consultant. She is the creator of the popular family blog Babes About Town and the author of three books including her acclaimed debut Bringing Up Race: How To Raise a Kind Child in a Prejudiced World. Hailed as 'timely and...
2023-12-0134 min
ForthwriteCATHY HAYWARDAnna and Sam speak to Cathy Hayward about her writing process, getting up early and running an independent
bookshop. Plus enjoy a reading from her novel The Girl in the Maze.
Cathy trained as a journalist and edited a variety of trade publications, several of which were so niche they were featured on Have I Got News for You. She then moved into the world of PR and set up an award-winning communications agency before ten years later, giving up the world of PR to become a bookseller. She took over Kemptown Bookshop in May 2022 with the aim of developing...
2023-11-2430 min
ForthwriteNICOLA GILLThis week Anna and Sam chat with Nicola Gill about her writing process, her road to getting published and how it felt to get published during the pandemic. Plus a reading from her latest novel Swimming For Beginners.
Nicola lives in London with her husband and two sons. At the age of five, when all the other little girls wanted to be ballet dancers, she decided she wanted to be an author. Her ballet teacher was very relieved. Nicola is the author of The Neighbours, We Are Family and Swimming for Beginners.
2023-11-1730 min
ForthwriteJACQUELINE CROOKSAnna and Sam chat to Women's Prize 2022 short-listed author Jacqueline Crooks about her creative process, keeping her writing free and we hear a reading from her novel Fire Rush.
Jacqueline was born in Jamaica and grew up in 70s and 80s Southall, part of London's migrant community, carving out a space through music, where she raved at dub reggae dances. She has carved out a career for herself in the community sector working with Black and minoritised charities. Her stories have been longlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, the Wasafiri New Writing Prize and the BBC National Short...
2023-11-1030 min
ForthwritePHILIPPA EASTThis week we chat to fabulous Philippa East, about balancing her writing and psychology practices, creating great characters and we hear a reading from I'll Never Tell.
Philippa grew up in Scotland and originally studied Psychology and Philosophy at the University of Oxford. After graduating, she moved to London to train as a Clinical Psychologist and worked in NHS mental health services for over ten years.
Philippa now lives in the Lincolnshire countryside with her spouse and cat, and alongside her writing she continues to work as a psychologist and therapist.
Her debut novel Little White Lies was longlisted for...
2023-11-0335 min
ForthwriteELIZABETH HAYNESOn our episode this week we chat with wonderful Elizabeth Haynes. Our chat takes in NaNoWriMo, writing across genres and the freedom that can be found writing without a plan. Plus a reading from her latest novel You Me And The Sea.
Elizabeth is a former police intelligence analyst who lives in Norfolk with her husband and son. Her first novel, Into the Darkest Corner, was Amazon’s Best Book of the Year 2011 and a New York Times bestseller. Now published in 37 countries, it was originally written as part of National Novel Writing Month (Na...
2023-10-2734 min
ForthwriteNICOLA WILLIAMSIn this episode Anna and Sam chat to the brilliant Nicola Williams about writing in a busy schedule and serendipity, plus a reading from her novel Until Proven Innocent.
Nicola is a part-time Crown Court Judge, author, and sits on numerous boards as a non executive director.
She has been listed as one of the 100 most influential Black people in the UK.
After a successful career at the Bar (including as a legal commentator on the OJ Simpson verdict) she served as an Ombudsman both in the UK and internationally, including as a Commissioner at the Independent Police Complaints Commission an...
2023-10-2034 min
ForthwriteANNIE GARTHWAITEThis week Anna and Sam chat to wonderful Annie Garthwaite, about her long journey to writing, her process and whether she thinks its ok to make things up in historical fiction. Episode also includes reading from her book Cecily.
Annie Garthwaite grew up in a working-class community in the north east of England. She studied English at the University of Wales before embarking on a thirty-year international business career working with multi-national companies and eventually establishing her own communications consultancy. In 2017 she studied for an MA in Creative Writing at Warwick University and, during two years of study, wrote her...
2023-10-1333 min
ForthwriteKIT DE WAALJoin us for this brand new series of Writing Around The Kids Podcast, to kick us off we chat with the ever so wonderful Kit de Waal. Listen for her reading from My Name Is Leon and a valuable insight into what makes her tick as a writer.
Kit de Waal, born to an Irish mother and Caribbean father, was brought up among the Irish community of Birmingham in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Her debut novel My Name Is Leon was an international bestseller, shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and won the Kerr...
2023-10-0630 min
ForthwriteSHARON DUGGALThis week Anna and Sam chat to Sharon Duggal.
Sharon writes novels and short stories. Her second novel, Should We Fall Behind (2020, Bluemoose Books) was shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature’s 2021 Encore Award, selected for Between the Covers, BBC television’s flagship book show and chosen as a Prima Magazine Book of the Year. Her debut, The Handsworth Times was The Morning Star’s Fiction Book of the Year 2016 and selected as the Brighton City Reads in 2017. Her short fiction appears in various anthologies including The Book of Birmingham and Love Bites: Fiction Inspired by Pete Shelley and Buzzco
2023-06-0232 min
ForthwriteJOSIE LLOYDAnna and Sam talk to Josie Lloyd about writing, sea swimming and landing a huge book deal for her debut novel.
Josie Lloyd is the best selling author of over 20 novels and several parodies which she co-wrote with her husband, Emlyn Rees including 'We're Going On A Bar Hunt' and 'The Very Hungover Caterpillar'. Also with Emlyn she wrote the nineties rom-hit Come Together which was published in 26 languages and made into a Working Title Film. In 2018, after going through breast cancer, she wrote the novel 'The Cancer Ladies' Running Club' which is currently in development as a film with Li...
2023-05-1932 min
ForthwriteLOUISE FEINThis week Anna and Sam chat to Louise Fein about writing historical fiction and where she finds her inspiration. Find her Tik Tok series on writing tips here https://www.tiktok.com/@louise.fein.author
Louise writes twentieth century historical fiction, based around unheard voices, or from unusual perspectives. Her debut novel, People Like Us (entitled Daughter of the Reich in the US/Canada edition) was first published in 2020 into 13 territories and is set in 1930’s Leipzig. The book was shortlisted for the RSL Christopher Bland Prize 2021 and the RNA Historical Novel of the Year Award, 2021.
Louise's second novel, The Hid...
2023-05-1230 min
ForthwriteJACQUELINE ROYJacqueline Roy was born and raised in London. Her father was Jamaican and her mother was English and she comes from a family of writers. She hated the pressure to conform at school and left early, so she did her degrees as a mature student and moved to Manchester to take up a full-time teaching post at Manchester Metropolitan University.
She lectured in English for many years, specialising in postcolonial literatures. She also taught creative writing at MMU’s Writing School.
She is particularly interested in exploring racial identities and the ways in which those who are marginalised find strategies for...
2023-05-0633 min
ForthwriteLISA JEWELLOn this week's episode Anna and Sam chat to fabulous Lisa Jewell, about her amazing career, her creepy characters and writing by the seat of her pants. As well as a reading from her novel The Family Remains.
Lisa Jewell is a New York Times and Sunday Times No 1 bestselling author who has been published worldwide in over twenty-five languages. Lisa has written a number of dark psychological thrillers, beginning with Then She Was Gone, The Family Upstairs, The Night She Disappeared and The Family Remains - all of which were No 1 Sunday Times bestsellers. She has been likened to...
2023-04-2831 min
ForthwriteANDREINA CORDANIWriting chat with this week’s guest Andreina Cordani, about writing for young adults and her dubious browser history.
Before writing her first novel, Andreina Cordani was a senior editor and writer for women’s magazines including Good Housekeeping and Cosmopolitan, where her assignments included interviewing gun-toting moms on the school run, ordering illegal DIY Botox online and learning to do the splits in eight weeks.
She lives on the Dorset coast with her family where she reads voraciously, occasionally makes TikTok videos and swims in the sea. She is the author of two dark thrillers for young adults, The Girl...
2023-04-2131 min
ForthwriteGILLIAN HARVEYWe talk to Gillian Harvey about how she writes around her five children.
After graduating from university in 2000 with a degree in English literature, Gillian Harvey trained as a secondary school teacher. She worked in the profession until 2009, when she decided (on the spur of the moment) to move to France with husband Ray.
It was there she began working as a freelance writer and has since built a career writing features, opinion pieces and short stories for national titles including Woman’s Weekly, People’s Friend, the Independent, Guardian and Metro.
Gillian also...
2023-04-1428 min
ForthwriteKATE LEEAnna and Sam talk to Kate Lee about what it is to write for different age ranges and how she finds inspiration for her novels.
Kate is the author of six books for children including the best-selling Santa's Suit which sold 291,000 copies in 7 languages and the popular Snappy pop-up series. Her short stories and poetry have won awards at Shoreham Litfest, the WRITE Festival and the Bath Flash Award and have been published in anthologies including Restore to Factory Settings. Kate enjoys supporting other writers through her work as a freelance editor and mentor. As a carer, she understands how c...
2023-04-0730 min
ForthwriteLORRAINE BROWNWe chat to Lorraine about writing in lockdown and using your neighbours for inspiration.
Lorraine lives in London with her partner and their 10-year-old son. She previously trained as an actress and has recently completed a postgraduate diploma in psychodynamic counselling. THE PARIS CONNECTION is her debut novel and was published in the UK by Orion Fiction in February 2021 and in the US by G.P. Putnam's Sons in August 2021. Her second novel, SORRY I MISSED YOU, was published by Orion Fiction on 1st September 2022.
2023-03-3128 min
ForthwriteLAURA WILKINSONAnna and Sam talk to novelist Laura Wilkinson about her process as well as hearing her read from her novel, Crossing the Line.
Laura Wilkinson is a feminist and lover of ginger hair. A resident of a shabby quarter of Brighton, she likes to write stories which entertain and provide food for thought. Her novels are Crossing the Line, The Family Line, Redemption Song and Skin Deep. Crossing the Line was a Welsh Books Council book of the month and her latest, Skin Deep, has been widely praised, including a longlisting for Not the Booker Prize. Alongside w...
2023-03-2731 min
ForthwriteCATHERINE COOPERCatherine Cooper chats to Sam and Anna about her process and setting her books in glamorous places.
Catherine Cooper is Sunday Times Bestseller of thrillers The Chalet and The Chateau, her new book The Cruise was published by Harper Collins this autumn and she is currently working on a fourth thriller set in the Maldives. Her children are aged 20 and 18 and they all live in the South of France.
2023-03-1731 min
ForthwriteVICTORIA DOWDJoin Anna and Sam for this chat with Victoria Dowd, journey with us into Victoria's brilliant/bonkers writing process.
Victoria is the award-winning author of the No.1 bestselling Smart Woman’s Mystery series. Her debut novel, The Smart Woman’s Guide to Murder, won The People’s Book Prize for fiction 2021 and was named In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel’s Book of the Year 2020. Victoria was awarded the Gothic Fiction prize for her short fiction and her work has been published in many literary journals. She is also the author of the Adapting Agatha series which ha...
2023-03-1029 min
ForthwriteJUDITH BRYANIn the first episode of season two, Anna and Sam chat to Judith Bryan.
Judith Bryan’s short fiction, non-fiction and poetry appear in various magazines and anthologies including publications by Penguin, Bloomsbury and Peepal Tree. Her debut novel, Bernard and the Cloth Monkey, won the 1998 Saga Prize – republished in 2021 for Penguin’s inaugural Black Britain: Writing Back series, curated by Booker-prize winner Bernardine Evaristo. Judith’s play, ‘A Cold Snap’, was shortlisted for the Alfred Fagon Award. She has over twenty years experience teaching creative writing including running an MA programme. She has two historical novels in progress a...
2023-03-0330 min
ForthwriteLOU TONDEURAnna and Sam chat to Lou Tondeur about her process and inspiration, Lou shares some brilliant tips for writing including how traffic lights can help you manage your time. Lou reads from her book of short stories Unusual Places, the reading includes references to sex.
After doing a Creative Writing MA at The University of East Anglia in the noughties, Lou Tondeur published The Water’s Edge and The Haven Home for Delinquent Girls with Headline Review, did a PhD, travelled around the world, started a family, and became a Creative Writing lecturer. Since then she has supported countless numbers of...
2022-09-3029 min
ForthwriteSUSAN ALLOTTIn this episode Anna and Sam talk to Susan Allott about writing a thriller and how Australia has influenced her writing.
Susan Allott grew up on the south coast of England, then moved north to study English at Leeds University. In her late twenties she travelled to Australia, where she found work and settled for a while, despite her overwhelming homesickness. When she eventually returned to the UK, by strange coincidence, she met an Australian man who she went on to marry.
Susan’s debut novel, The Silence, is a literary thriller set in Australia, in...
2022-09-2327 min
ForthwriteVICTORIA SCOTTThis week Anna & Sam chat to the lovely Victoria Scott
Victoria has been a journalist for two decades, working for outlets including the BBC, Al Jazeera, Time Out and the Telegraph. She lives on a Thames island with her husband, two children and a cat called Alice, and when she's not writing she works as a university lecturer and copywriter. She has a degree in English from King's College London and a Postgraduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from City University, London. Victoria's debut novel, Patience, was a Booksellers' Association Book of the Month. Her new book Grace...
2022-09-1623 min
ForthwriteHOLLY RACEIn this episode Anna and Sam talk to Holly Race. Holly reads from the first of her trilogy, Midnight's Twins.
Holly is an author and script editor, and has worked for companies including Working Title Films, Aardman Animations and Red Planet Pictures. She is a Faber Academy graduate, and her Young Adult trilogy, Midnight’s Twins, A Gathering Midnight and A Midnight Dark and Golden, is published by Hot Key Books. Having studied English at Oxford University, she now lives in her hometown of Cambridge, where she enjoys baking, trying not to kill plants, and travelling at sho...
2022-09-0926 min
ForthwriteNIKKI SMITHThis week Anna and Sam are chatting with Nikki Smith.
Nikki studied English Literature at Birmingham University, before pursuing a career in finance where she worked for companies including an investment bank and a trampoline park. Following a ‘now or never’ moment, she applied for a Curtis Brown Creative course where she started writing her debut novel All In Her Head which was pre-empted by Orion in a two book deal. It went on to be an Amazon bestseller, was nominated for the Guardian ‘Not The Booker Prize’ and has been optioned for TV. Her second novel, Look What You Made Me...
2022-09-0227 min
ForthwriteROSIE WALKERin this episode Anna and Sam talk to Rosie Walker about her process, writing with a young baby and what's on her bookshelf, as well as hear her read from her novel, The House Fire.
2022-08-2622 min
ForthwriteZOË SOMMERVILLEIn this episode Anna and Sam have all the writing chat with Zoë Sommerville, including a reading from her novel The Marsh House and some gentle advice about not being too hard on yourself when you've lost writing mojo.
Zoë Somerville is a writer and English teacher. Her debut novel, The Night of the Flood, was published in September 2020 by Head of Zeus. It is inspired by her home county, Norfolk and the devastating flood of the 1950s. Her second novel, The Marsh House: set in the same austere seascape of the Norfolk coast, was published in November - it is...
2022-08-1934 min
ForthwriteKILEY DUNBARIn this episode Anna and Sam talk to Kiley Dunbar. Kiley reads from her novel, The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday and we discuss her writing and the power of romantic fiction.
Kiley Dunbar had published 6 contemporary romantic comedies with her publisher Hera Canelo. She is Scottish and lives in the North of England with her partner and two children. Her debut, One Summer’s Night, was nominated for the Joan Hessayon Award for New Writing, and its sequel, One Winter’s Night, was shortlisted for the RNA’s Romantic Comedy Novel Award 2021. Kiley is a senior lecturer at the...
2022-08-1226 min
ForthwriteJO CLEGGThis week Anna and Sam are chatting all things writing with Jo Clegg. Listen to hear Jo read an extract from her brand new book, as well as how writing is like decorating the kitchen and for a wonderful tip for getting yourself unstuck.
Jo’s brief stint as a stand-up comic ended when a promoter told her she was really funny until she got on stage. After ten years as a producer in TV and radio comedy, Jo became a scriptwriter. She writes for children’s TV shows including BAFTA and Emmy-award winning Hey Duggee.
He...
2022-08-0527 min
ForthwriteREBECCA LEYThis week Anna and Sam chat to Rebecca Ley and she reads from her new novel The Trip, which is out now as an Ebook.
Rebecca has been a journalist for twenty years after starting her career at The Times Magazine and then moving to staff roles at other newspapers. Since going freelance in 2009 she’s written for a wide variety of outlets, including a column in The Guardian’s now-defunct Family section about her father’s vascular dementia, obituaries for The Times and regular scripts for the animation company Scriberia. She also recently ghosted Hope Not Fear, a...
2022-07-2925 min
ForthwriteLISA ALLEN AGOSTINIWelcome to the very first episode of our podcast. In this episode we chat to Women's Prize for Fiction 2022 shortlisted author the very fabulous Lisa Allen Agostini.
Lisa Allen-Agostini is a writer, editor and stand-up comedian. Her books include The Bread the Devil Knead (Myriad Editions UK), Home Home (Delacorte Press), Swallowing the Sky (Cane Arrow Press) and Trinidad Noir (Akashic Books). She is the mother of two daughters and two dogs. She lives in Trinidad and Tobago. Her most recent novel The Bread the Devil Knead was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction, and Lisa na...
2022-07-2228 min
ForthwriteEVE AINSWORTHIn this episode Anna and Sam chat to Eve Ainsworth. Eve reads chapter 1 of her latest book Duckling and we talk all things writing.
Eve Ainsworth is an award-winning and Carnegie nominated children’s author, for both middle grade and teen readers. She has vast experience working as a public speaker and creative workshop coordinator for schools, libraries and other events both nationally and internationally. Eve was born and raised in Crawley, West Sussex and is one of seven children. After her degree, she had a varied background working within HR and Recruitment roles, before landing a job...
2022-07-2231 min
ForthwriteBETH MILLERIn this episode Beth Miller reads an extract from 'The Woman Who Came Back to Life' and chats to Anna and Sam about the nuts and bolts of her writing process.
Beth has published eight books with four different publishers: one of the Big Five, an indie, a digital first publisher, and a commercial non-fiction pile ’em high press. She has bumped across genres, from women’s commercial and reading group to psychological thriller to comedy. She had an agent, then managed to lose the agent. But she has brokered three book deals on her own since then...
2022-07-2229 min
2022-03-0300 min
Small Spark Theory: a marginal gains approach to new business and marketingEP58: How to be a new business catalyst | Louisa Clarke & David KeanIn my work with agencies I witness a great deal of discomfort about the new business process. Of course there are brilliant, natural new business professionals out there who thrive on networking and relationship building, but for many, the possibility of rejection looms large and the process of prospecting or, shudder, ‘selling’, feels wholly unnatural.
This realisation was the basis for starting Gunpowder as a consulting business almost a decade ago and latterly, the understanding that taking a marginal gains approach could ease the some of that discomfort, the premise for launching this podcast.
Hot off...
2021-11-0100 min
Absolute Advantage PodcastEpisode 6: Live Your Life on Your Own Terms, with Wendy KellerWendy Keller is an award-winning former journalist, a respected literary agent, an author, speaker and acclaimed book marketing consultant. She got her first job as a newspaper reporter as a 16-year-old college freshman. Since then, Wendy worked for PR Newswire; the Knight-Ridder newspaper chain; as managing editor of Dateline magazine; and as associate publisher of Los Angeles then-second-largest Spanish-language weekly, La Gaceta. She founded what is now Keller Media, Inc. as ForthWrite Literary Agency in 1989. She has sold an astonishing 1,500 rights deals worldwide, including 17 New York Times best-sellers and 9 international best sellers. Wendy was 26 when...
2016-08-2344 min