Debut novelists, Jo Browning Wroe and Miranda Cowley Heller go head to head in a war of the words... They discuss their books, "A Terrible Kindness" and "The Paper Palace" - as well as their writing journeys and inspirations. Miranda also discusses her former career at HBO - where she worked on shows such as The Sopranos and The Wire, whilst Jo explains how she came to the idea for her novel and how she approached such a sensitive subject. They also recommend some of the books they have been reading and enjoying recently - and pitch us a book that they both love in the Book Off. In this episode, we see J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord Of The Rings" go up against "A Manual For Cleaning Women" by Lucia Berlin...but which one will win??? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.