What happens when a dedicated poet decides to try their hand at fiction? For Krystelle Bamford, it led to a four-publisher auction and her stunning debut novel, Idle Grounds.

Our conversation delves into the peculiar contradictions of the publishing world, how everything happens both excruciatingly slowly and startlingly fast, how validation feels wonderful yet fleeting, and how imposter syndrome persists regardless of success.

Whether you're a writer navigating the publishing landscape or simply curious about creative journeys, this conversation offers honest reflections on finding your path, managing expectations, and discovering what truly matters in artistic pursuits. Listen now and join the conversation.

Idle Grounds

As always with these things it started with a birthday party.

On a bright summer day in 1989 New England, Abi, three years old, vanishes from her aunt’s secluded home. Upstairs, her young cousins are looking out of the window. Something is unfolding in the distance at the edge of the forest – something sinister that is watching them back.

The adults don’t seem to notice that the youngest of the group has disappeared. Too busy bickering over politics and reminiscing about the family’s domineering late matriarch, Beezy, they leave the children with no choice but to get Abi back themselves. As the cousins embark on a quest through their grandmother’s sprawling estate, buried family secrets come to light and long-awaited plans are set in motion. Will they lose themselves while trying to find her?

Follow Krystelle Bamford

Send us a text

Support the show

"Enjoying 'The Conversation'? Support the podcast by buying me a cup of coffee ☕️! Every contribution helps keep the show going.
https://ko-fi.com/nadinematheson

Don't forget to subscribe, download and review.

You can purchase books by the authors featured in our conversations through my affiliate shop on Bookshop.org. By using this link, you’ll be supporting independent bookstores, and I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Follow Me:
www.nadinematheson.com

BlueSky: @nadinematheson.com Substack: @nadinematheson Instagram: @queennads
Threads: @nadinematheson Facebook: nadinemathesonbooks
TikTok: @writer_nadinematheson

Sunday Times Bestselling author, Dorothy Koomson, is joining me for a 'Coffee Break' to talk about her new short story, 'Beach Hut 512'.

Dorothy reveals how a simple walk along the beach sparked the idea for this tightly-crafted mystery that explores what happens when a woman named Sims finds her sanctuary violated in the most horrific way.

Buy Beach Hut 512

When vandals destroy beach hut 512 on Brighton’s iconic seafront, they reveal a dead body that has apparently lain undisturbed for two months. But according to the hut’s owner, Sims, its locks rusted shut three months ago and she hasn’t had access to it since. So how could the man have got in, and why is there no evidence of the murderer?

Sims has spent the past three years recovering from the trauma of being targeted by a serial killer and narrowly escaping with her life. But this grim discovery feels like too much of a coincidence: could the person who put the body in her hut be the same man who wants her dead? In a desperate race against time, can she uncover the truth behind beach hut 512 before a murderer with a chilling obsession strikes again?

Follow Dorothy Koomson

Send us a text

Support the show

"Enjoying 'The Conversation'? Support the podcast by buying me a cup of coffee ☕️! Every contribution helps keep the show going.
https://ko-fi.com/nadinematheson

Don't forget to subscribe, download and review.

You can purchase books by the authors featured in our conversations through my affiliate shop on Bookshop.org. By using this link, you’ll be supporting independent bookstores, and I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Follow Me:
www.nadinematheson.com

BlueSky: @nadinematheson.com Substack: @nadinematheson Instagram: @queennads
Threads: @nadinematheson Facebook: nadinemathesonbooks
TikTok: @writer_nadinematheson

Twenty years after her critically acclaimed novel 'Labyrinth' catapulted her to international recognition in her mid-40s, bestselling and award winning author, Kate Mosse reflects on why finding success later in life can be advantageous. The conversation explores the fascinating dichotomy between what writers can and cannot control. While commercial success depends largely on timing, market conditions, and luck, the quality of one's writing remains entirely within the writer's domain.

Whether discussing the myths of effortless writing, establishing the 'Women's Prize' and her new novel, 'The Map of Bones', this conversation offers invaluable insights for writers at any stage.

The Map of Bones

No word, no story, no grave . . .

Olifantshoek, Southern Africa, 1688. Suzanne Joubert, a Huguenot refugee from war-torn France, journeys to the Cape of Good Hope in search of her notorious cousin, Louise Reydon-Joubert – who vanished without trace half a century ago.

Franschhoek, Southern Africa, 1862. Nearly six generations later, Isabelle Joubert Lepard follows in her footsteps, determined to investigate the lives of her ancestors – and to honour their memory – only to discover that the evils of the past, though hidden, are far from buried.

And that her life, too, is under threat . . .

Follow Kate Mosse

Send us a text

Support the show

"Enjoying 'The Conversation'? Support the podcast by buying me a cup of coffee ☕️! Every contribution helps keep the show going.
https://ko-fi.com/nadinematheson

Don't forget to subscribe, download and review.

You can purchase books by the authors featured in our conversations through my affiliate shop on Bookshop.org. By using this link, you’ll be supporting independent bookstores, and I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Follow Me:
www.nadinematheson.com

BlueSky: @nadinematheson.com Substack: @nadinematheson Instagram: @queennads
Threads: @nadinematheson Facebook: nadinemathesonbooks
TikTok: @writer_nadinematheson