This year has been full of lots of non-writerly things for me – some good and some absolutely not. As a writer, sometimes I have to accept when ‘life’ happens and disrupts plans for writing and releasing new books. I don’t like it – and I never will! However, from a writerly perspective, I had some excitement I certainly didn’t expect. I have been involved in a new project that I never, in a million years, would have expected to do: I’ve been a guest, not once but twice, on the Crime Board Podcast, a podcast by authors for authors (but it’s just as fascinating for readers who love behind-the-scenes info!).
I’m going to be honest. I’m not the kind of person who has previously gone out of her way to put her face and voice all over the Internet. But when my wonderful friend and talented crime author, Sam West, invited me to open her new podcast with her, I jumped at the chance. Why? Because it meant I could talk about books! Not only that, I could talk about my passion: being an author. Sam is an amazing podcast host, and when she invited me back again to wrap up the first series of her podcast, I immediately said yes, knowing how much fun we had recording the very first episode.
In Episode 1, Sam encouraged me to talk about myself and my work (for an introvert, this should have been really difficult, but I definitely had plenty to say – I put it down to the many hours’ worth of conversation Sam and I had, both before and after recording!). If you don’t know much – or anything – about me, how I started writing or about my work, then Episode 1, and my candid discussion with Sam, is a good place to start, because I didn’t start out writing suspense fiction or novels – at all.
Episode 10 was a fabulous episode to record. Readers don’t always know what goes on behind the scenes, and authors – particularly aspiring or new authors – have such a wealth of information to digest and follow that it can be overwhelming, knowing whether to follow ‘this’ advice or ‘that’ way of doing things. Ultimately, I have found what works for me. And that’s important, because not everything works for everyone, whether it’s ways of writing, what to write, how and where to publish, and what to do once people can actually buy your book. What works for me may or may not work for you, but I’m very much an advocate of, yes, listening to and trying out the advice, but also adapting it to your way of working based on your own personality, situation and a myriad of other factors that affect us as individuals. I hope that you are encouraged to do things how they work best for you, if you listen to Episode 10.
What I really hope you discover about me from these podcast episides is this: If being someone who makes up stories did not bring me joy, then I wouldn’t do it. If no one in the world ever bought a book of mine again, would I stop writing? Absolutely not. Writing is my beating heart, and always has been.
Listen to Series 1, episode 1 – introducing Claire Ladds – on Apple Podcasts
Listen to Series 1, episode 10 – be your own author – on Apple Podcasts
The podcast episodes are also available on Spotify and on other podcatchers. Just search for The Crime Board Podcast. Don’t forget to listen to the other episodes, too!
I’m very excited because series 2 is already in planning – and I’m being invited back as a guest again. But this time it’s thrilling in a different way because I’m also going to be doing some co-hosting, too. I hope you’ll want to listen!
If you’d like to get more of my reader news, blog posts and thoughts on books and writing directly in your inbox, you can subscribe to my blog below:
