Caimh McDonnell is the author of the Bunny McGarry trilogy (not a trilogy) and the Stranger Times series (definitely a series) and his latest RING THE BELLS is one of my favourite books of the year.

In this festive special, we discuss:

• How travel triggers story ideas
• The value of short stories
• Why calling something a trilogy is a bad idea
• And why it's crucial to take note of when you're writing good stuff, and much more!

LINKS
Caimh's website: https://whitehairedirishman.com

Joe Abercrombie backlist: https://joeabercrombie.com
Down Cemetery Road: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_Cemetery_Road
Raye: Where is my husband? https://youtu.be/rK5TyISxZ_M?si=MrCHrv-qT5utGNGp
Scriptnotes book: https://scriptnotesbook.com
Death by Lightning: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_by_Lightning
Wish You Were Here 50th Anniversary: https://youtu.be/K6qj09OHvjw?si=yy0U7jHlvzIDqUgu

A huge thanks to Emily Stay-Newton for production assistance, to Kai Stay-Newton for the edit, and Dominic Currie for the jingle.

Support the show

Visit https://markstaycreativedifferences.com/
Join The Green Room: https://ko-fi.com/markstaywriter/tiers
Buy my books here: https://witchesofwoodville.com/#bookshop
And there's more about me at: https://markstaywrites.com/

Gavin G Smith writes gripping science fiction and his latest is ALIEN CULT, a terrific murder mystery noir set in the ALIENS universe.

We Discuss:
Writing for other people's IP, including games and film novelisations
The crucial difference between a consistent universe and fan service
Why he might enjoy research too much
And why it's more important than ever for authors to value their work

LINKS
Gavin's website: https://www.gavingsmith.com/
Pre-Order The End of Gods paperback: https://witchesofwoodville.com/product/the-end-of-gods-paperback/
Mark's comic con playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLo_4ntDELMUt20rTdaXBuENcRk5y4wtQX&si=--4DAUYlIHdEYzR1

WHAT'S GIVING US JOY
Baldur’s Gate 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldur%27s_Gate_3
Where Eagles Dare: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_Eagles_Dare
Bond: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Your_Eyes_Only_(film)
Paddington: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddington_(film)
The Holiday: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holiday
Die Hard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Hard
Young Sherlock Holmes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Sherlock_Holmes
Roofworld: (I earn commission if you buy via this link) https://amzn.to/4aloBKv
The Holly King by Kate Rusby: https://youtu.be/cGHkq2rE57M?si=9L2x-1S4FmVo0Rjb
The Holdovers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holdovers
The Beatles Anthology: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles_Anthology_(TV_series)


A huge thanks to Emily Stay-Newton for production assistance, to Kai Stay-Newton for the edit, and Dominic Currie for the va-jingle.

Support the show:

Support the show

Visit https://markstaycreativedifferences.com/
Join The Green Room: https://ko-fi.com/markstaywriter/tiers
Buy my books here: https://witchesofwoodville.com/#bookshop
And there's more about me at: https://markstaywrites.com/

Jeevani Charika writes award nominated romantic women’s fiction and romcoms. She’s written books on how to write romcoms, and sustaining a career as a writer and she also has an amazing YouTube channel teaching authors how to use Canva to make marketing graphics Her latest book How Can I Resist You is out now!

We Discuss:

• What she's learned from her love of Korean dramas
• How 'writing tighter' has been good for her prose style
• How oversleeping led to a breakthrough in her career
• Why she enjoys doing funky things with Canva and much more...

LINKS
Jeevani's website: www.rhodabaxter.com
Jeevani's Canva Tips Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/@UC749tq7uAOIPC_AHT6kGueQ
Jeevani's Substack: https://substack.com/@canvatips4author

What's Giving Us Joy...

A Merry Little Ex-mas (Netflix): https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81735104
T Kingfisher's books with the Paladins (I earn commission if you click on this link): https://amzn.to/49ZV358
A Mind of My Own, Kathy Burke (I earn commission if you click on this link): https://amzn.to/4ovrNGJ
Cole Haddon’s 5am Storytalk: https://colehaddon.substack.com
50 Years of Shit Robots: https://shows.acast.com/fifty-years-of-shit-robots
Film Stories: https://filmstories.co.uk/category/podcast/
Pluribus: https://tv.apple.com/gb/show/pluribus/umc.cmc.37axgovs2yozlyh3c2cmwzlza

A huge thanks to Emily for production assistance, to Kai Newton for the edit, and Dominic Currie for the jingle.

Support the show

Visit https://markstaycreativedifferences.com/
Join The Green Room: https://ko-fi.com/markstaywriter/tiers
Buy my books here: https://witchesofwoodville.com/#bookshop
And there's more about me at: https://markstaywrites.com/

Support the show

Visit https://markstaycreativedifferences.com/
Join The Green Room: https://ko-fi.com/markstaywriter/tiers
Buy my books here: https://witchesofwoodville.com/#bookshop
And there's more about me at: https://markstaywrites.com/