This episode of the Love Your Library podcast features an interview with debut novelist Eva Verde about her latest release, Lives Like Mine. Lives Like Mine is an honest exploration of the themes of family relationships, motherhood, race and identity as it focuses on the life of Monica, who wonders whether her roles as wife, mother, daughter and woman are all there is. Hattie caught up with Eva to discuss this insightful and entertaining look into what it means for a woman to occupy all of these identities,...

Our guest on this episode is queen of historical fiction Philippa Gregory, who is talking about her latest novel Dark Tides, which takes the reader between London, New England and Venice in the 17th Century. This is the sequel to her bestseller Tidelands, which introduced Alinor and her family. In her conversation with Kate, Philippa talks about characters which take writers by surprise, how she goes about the research for her novels, and why no woman should want to have been born before 1960. Philippa is the author...

In this mini episode, BBC technology guru, Rory Cellan-Jones talks to Kate Price McCarthy about his new book Always On: Hope and Fear in the Social Smartphone Era, which captures his experiences and reflections on the relentless ascent of technology over the last 15 years. Rory has met and interviewed visionaries like Mark Zuckerberg, Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Tim Berners-Lee. And he was in the room where it happened when Steve Jobs revealed the first iPhone, famously announcing ‘We’re going to make some history’. In...

Thriller writer and million copy bestseller T.M. Logan was our guest for this edition of the podcast. He joined Lisa Barfoot in our virtual studio to talk about his new book Trust Me. Lisa runs Hampshire Libraries’ online book club which recently had T.M. Logan as its guest speaker. T.M. Logan says he writes the kind of books he loves to read: tense psychological thrillers where bad things happen to regular people. All his books have been bestsellers but he’s probably best known for The Catch, about a...

This mini episode features an interview with Emma Kennedy: comedian, TV presenter, actor, scriptwriter, author and Twitter star. Emma’s latest novel, The Never-Ending Summer is set in the summer of 1971 when best friends Agnes and Bea decide on one last adventure before their adult lives begin. And while Agnes heads off to London, her mother Florence, sets off on her own voyage of self-discovery into Europe. Emma talks to Kate about how her own teenage life provided the inspiration for the book and about the impact of...

Claire Fuller, who has just been longlisted for this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction, is our guest author for this month’s episode. Making the most of social distancing rules, Kate met up with Claire at a local park to chat about her new book Unsettled Ground, a beautifully written celebration of the natural world, with long-hidden family secrets to be unearthed. It’s not the first time Claire’s writing has been spotlighted by the publishing industry: her debut novel, Our Endless Numbered Days, picked up the prestigious Desmond Elliot...

If you’ve been riveted by tv shows like Mindhunter and Criminal Minds which focus on the work of FBI profilers, you’ll be gripped by Helen Fields’ new book The Shadow Man. Set in Edinburgh, the book follows the work of outsiders Dr Connie Woolwine, a profiler from the FBI, and the very English DI Brodie Baarda, a kidnapping specialist, who team up to solve the disappearance of a young mother from the city. In this interview, Helen talks about the real life FBI profiler who provided insight for...

Six times Sunday Times bestselling author CL Taylor joins Kate in our virtual studio to talk about her new thriller Her Last Holiday. She’s probably best known as the author of Sleep – one of Richard and Judy’s picks from 2019 – and Strangers which came out last year. She has also written two Young Adult thrillers, The Treatment and, more recently, The Island which came out in January this year. Her latest book which comes out next month (April 2021) delves into the world of self-help gurus and wellness...

This episode of the Love Your Library podcast features an interview with Mandy Robotham, author of The German Midwife and The Secret Messenger. Hattie spoke to Mandy about her latest release – another brilliant historical novel, this time set in the heart of a Berlin on the brink of war. Mandy’s no stranger to an exciting and varied career – having worked as both a journalist and a midwife before settling (for now!) on a career in writing. The Berlin Girl follows Georgie, a foreign correspondent reporting on...

Contemporary romantic novelist Katie Fforde was our guest author in this episode of the Love Your Library podcast. She came into our virtual studios to chat with us about her new novel A Wedding in the Country, which is published on 18 February.  Katie’s latest book has been described as her most autobiographical to date and is, unusually for this author, set in 1960s London. It truly is the perfect escapist novel for a dismal winter. Katie also talked about the unusual research she undertook for her earlier novel Summer of Love. You’ll...