This time Derek chats with fantasy and science-fiction author Carol Browne about her books, creative inspiration, bringing characters to life, folklore and enchantment, and what it's like to resume writing after taking a break. Carol's books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B0034P87QC

This time, Derek reflects (talks to himself) on the publication of Death in Wiltshire - the third DS Craig Wild crime mystery, and also his tenth published novel. He considers how his idea of success has changed over time, what readers can do to help authors, and what authors can do to help themselves. Spoiler: hiding in a cupboard and hoping your book does well on its own is not recommended. https://www.amazon.co.uk//dp/B0GGV345QV

This time, Derek speaks with Scott Fortune about his debut book - Parody or Prophecy: A dark British satire of control, corruption, and the collapse of common sense. We also discuss critical thinking on social media platforms and in real life, refer to current news events, talk about the importance of word-of-mouth marketing, lift the lid on Scott's creative process, and generally put the world to rights.** THIS EPISODE CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE. **Scott's book can be found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FY1B5ZCQ

Derek shares a couple of traditional ghost stories, as well as the other sort that only writers know about. Don't have nightmares!

This time we get under the skin of imposter syndrome, and why it may not always be a bad thing. Contains adult language.Recommended reading afterwards: https://johnnybtruant.substack.com/p/the-universe-doesnt-give-a-flying

This time, Derek is joined by Matt Shewbridge to talk about the Stoic approach to writing and to living (through the four virtues of Wisdom, Courage, Temperance and Justice). Matt shares his personal journey to Stoicism and we consider character and writers, and the value of emotional and rational responses to life. We also discuss consumerism, feelings, and whether ET was a good film. Matt's website is: http://www.shewbridgecoaching.com/

In this mini episode, Derek reviews the success (or not) of his recent endeavours, shares some vital statistics about authors and publishing, reveals the probability of a regional arts council grant for literature, and quotes an AI answer about the environmental impact of AI (you could call it Meta meta!).

Derek and Lynn are back in conversation together. This time we talk about Lynn's decision to stop writing for a while, consider whether authors choose a genre because of their own wiring, stretch Derek's 'bus' metaphor to breaking point and find a common element to all his books, and revisit the challenges of writing from personal experience. This episode contains reference to abuse.

Trigger warning. This recording involves discussion about mental health and suicide.In this episode Derek chats with Charlotte Crocker, a prolific author (under the pen name D. E. White) who made a radical decision that transformed her health and set her on a completely different career path. We talk about the challenges for authors in the digital age, mental health and creativity, the realities of writing books for a living, and the importance of talking and listening to find a way through it all.If you are experiencing any of the issues raised in this podcast edition, help is available. You can contact The Samaritans on 116 123.D. E. White on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Daisy-White/author/B009IE86RIWriting Retreat link: https://bluepiercreative.co.uk/ MIND: https://www.mind.org.uk/ Instagram: areyouokayhunni?Substack:https://areyouokayhunni.substack.com/

In this episode Derek chats with Jess Lovibond, a Systemic Practitioner, about the importance of story in her work with children, parents and families. We also discuss the origin and aims of 'The Story Step' - Jess's online initiative where men record stories for children and parents.More about Jess: https://www.jltsfamilyservices.org.uk/Derek's story - The Ball that went to Sea:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITjwGB_GcZQ