This episode is sponsored by Reedsy. Anita Chapman is a self-published author. Her first book, The Venice Secret, came out in March 2023, and in its first six months reached number one in four Amazon UK Kindle charts, including Historical Fiction, and made it into the top one hundred in the overall Amazon UK Kindle chart. It’s also had 2.5 million Kindle Unlimited page reads and reached almost 2000 ratings/reviews during that time. Website and social media links: Website:...

This episode is sponsored by REEDSY. Kate Sawyer, author of The Stranding and This Family, shares her top writing advice for authors. Find Kate on Instagram: @MsKateSawyer Kate Sawyer website More about our sponsors Reedsy is a publishing eco-system for writers at any stage in their publishing journey. We provide a wealth of free educational resources, encourage writers to build a creative habit with our short story contest, and offer a high-quality marketplace to find the perfect...

Today my second Lit Chick is Kate Sawyer, author of The Stranding and This Family. She is also the host of the podcast Novel Experience, where she talks to authors across forms and genres. In her life before writing, Kate worked as an actor—also as an event and theatre producer, yoga teacher, shop-keeper, and as a waitress. Kate trained in acting at Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and was a founding ensemble member of the award-winning theatre company The Faction. She also had her own...

How well do you know your royalty in literature? If you're anything like Julia, not very well! But this is a fantastic quiz, written by Marguerite Kaye and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York.  As usual, let us know what you scored on social media. Keep in touch Order Chasing the Light, Julia's sequel to Shooters, here. I love our listeners, and I want to hear from you. Please leave a review on one of my podcast platforms and chat with me on social media: Twitter: @twolitchicks Instagram:...

This episode is sponsored by REEDSY. In this episode, Julia speaks with the writing duo, Sarah Ferguson (a.k.a. the Duchess of York) and her creative partner, Marguerite Kaye, about the process of "collabo-writing". Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, a bestselling author, philanthropist and public speaker. The Duchess has published over 70 books including two autobiographies and other titles dealing with health, empowerment, history, art, as well as novels and children's stories.  Her debut...

Our week of Jo Lyons is almost finished (boo), but she’s here to test our knowledge of her favourite subject: RomComs! Let us know you did on socials.  Find Jo Lyons on: Twitter: @J0Lyons Instagram: @hinnywhowrites Amazon: Books by this author Website: www.jolyonsauthor.com Keep in touch Order Chasing the Light, Julia's sequel to Shooters, here. I love our listeners, and I want to hear from you. Please leave a review on one of my podcast platforms and chat with me on social media: Twitter:...

This episode is sponsored by REEDSY. We're back again with self-pub author Jo Lyons,  whose first book Benidorm, Actually  was shortlisted for the Comedy Women in Print prize in 2021. Jo gives us perhaps the most practical, actionable advice we've had so far.  Have a listen and make sure you have a pen and notebook at the ready. You can sign up to her newsletter and visit her website at www.jolyonsauthor.com for a behind the scenes look at how she cobbles together her books, get free...

This episode is sponsored by BookFunnel. Jo Lyons is a huge wine and cheese enthusiast as well as the author of three bestselling romantic comedies including ‘Benidorm, actually’ which was shortlisted for the Comedy Women in Print Awards 2021. Jo spent years working in Turkey as a holiday rep, in the Alpes working at a ski resort and in the south of France trying not to put a vineyard out of business before, eventually arriving in Spain to administer some poor linguistic skills on the...

It's the final face off! Who will reign victorious in the end of season quiz - Ed or Julia? All the questions are on the main episodes of this series, so regular listeners, the challenge is also on... but even if you haven't heard all the eps, fear not, for the magic of multiple choice is (mostly) here to give us all (and especially Ed) a helping hand. And stay on at the end for a frankly bizarre speech from Ed and a musical tribute to Ed (at least we think it's a tribute) from the ever...

Alex Hay is back for some writing advice! The author of one of the year's most exciting debuts - Edwardian mansion heist The Housekeepers - returns to let us know, among other things, how he researches his history; what comes first, the characters or the research; what the Curtis Brown Creative writing course he attended was like; and what it's like to be given the star debut treatment from your publisher. You can order Alex's fantabulous debut The Housekeepers here, and if you don't we'll...

Alex Hay grew up in Cambridge and Cardiff and has been writing for as long as he can remember. He studied History at York University and wrote his dissertation on female power in royal courts, combing the archives for every scrap of drama and skulduggery he could find. He has worked in magazine publishing and the charity sector and is a graduate of the Curtis Brown Creative Write Your Novel course. The Housekeepers is his debut novel and won the Caledonia Novel Award 2022. Alex lives with his...

Melissa Addey challenges the chicks with her Startling Quiz! What does that mean? Simply that the questions are based on literary things that are startling. Just go with it. It's a good quiz and there are lots of great book recommendations woven through it, too. Melissa Addey Bio Melissa Addey writes historical fiction set in Ancient Rome, medieval Morocco and 18th century China. She is a fulltime self-published author and runs workshops for authors wanting to be entrepreneurial. Her...

Join us in a chat with Melissa Addey, who aside from writing historical fiction, also campaigns with The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), who focus on ethics and excellence in self-publishing.  ALLi recently commissioned a survey into the income of self-published authors and the results are very interesting. Melissa takes Julia and Ed through the results and Ed brings up AI...again. You can check out the full data dump here. If you're interested in joining ALLi, here is Julia's...

Hold onto your prams, this one is a doozy! We are joined again by psychological thriller author, Katherine Faulkner, to quiz us on all things Mum Noir--a subject she knows very well. This is also a great quiz for book recommendations, so make sure to check out our blog post for the whole list. Katherine Faulkner is a novelist and journalist. After studying History at the University of Cambridge, she completed a postgraduate diploma in journalism and spent a decade working for national...

Katherine Faulkner is back! After talking us through her book choices on Monday (and her thrilling journalist background), now she is ready to impart some valuable writing advice, discuss how she explores women's friendships in her books, whether the label "mum noir" really applies to her books and the power of putting location front and centre... Order Katherine's newest thriller The Other Mothers here Order Katherine's previous thriller Greenwich Park here Keep in touch We love our...

This episode is sponsored by IngramSpark, the online self-publishing company that allows you to print, globally distribute, and manage your print and ebooks Vote for Two Lit Chicks You can vote for us in the Listeners' Choice Award category of the British Podcasting Awards here. It only takes a second, and we would really appreciate it, thank you! Underdog for the win. Katherine Faulkner is a novelist and journalist. After studying History at the University of Cambridge, she completed a...

After our wonderful chat with Uju Asika in Wednesday's Book Bite, she is back to challenge the chicks with her Boys in Books Quiz. Let us know how you did on our socials! Uju Asika is a popular blogger, writer and speaker with a background in journalism and TV screenwriting. She is the author of Bringing Up Race: How To Raise a Kind Child in a Prejudiced World and the picture book A World for Me and You. Her new book Raising Boys Who Do Better: A Hopeful Guide for a New Generation was...

Uju Asika is a popular blogger, writer and speaker with a background in journalism and TV screenwriting. She is the author of Bringing Up Race: How To Raise a Kind Child in a Prejudiced World and the picture book A World for Me and You. Her new book Raising Boys Who Do Better: A Hopeful Guide for a New Generation was published by DK this month. Born in Nigeria, Uju grew up in the UK and has worked in London, New York and Lagos. She lives in north London with her husband Abiye and two teenage...

A quiz for all you romantic comedy lovers out there! In the final episode of our week of Kelk, Lindsey challenges the chicks with her romcom quiz. Who will win: Julia or Ed? Can you beat the high score? As ever, let us know how you did on social media.  Keep  in touch We love our listeners, and we want to hear from you. Please leave a review on one of our podcast platforms and chat with us on social media: Twitter: @twolitchicks Instagram: @two_lit_chicks TikTok: @two_lit_chicks Email:...

More Kelk than you can shake a stick at! She's back, and she's got writing advice for everyone, including her thoughts on sex scenes,  spice scales, and minotaur milking. And we discuss the important question: is rimming noisy? Pre-order Lindsey's new Book Love Me Do here Listen to the wrestling podcast Lindsey co-hosts Tights and Fights here Keep in touch We love our listeners, and we want to hear from you. Please leave a review on one of our podcast platforms and chat with us on social...

This episode is sponsored by IngramSpark, the online self-publishing company that allows you to print, globally distribute, and manage your print and ebooks Lindsey Kelk is the author of books including I Heart New York, On a Night Like This, On a Christmas Wish, and One in A Million. Her next book, Love Me Do, is out in July and is available to pre-order now. As well as writing books, she co-hosts Tights and Fights, a pro-wrestling podcast on the Maximum Fun Network. She also hosts and...

For this week's quiz, we are joined again by Lucy Hooft. If you haven't listened to our Book Bite interview with her about how she turned her extensive and exotic travels into a fictional spy series, then do so now...Okay, done? Now Lucy is testing us on our knowledge of places in fiction. Can you name the place, title and author based on an  excerpt from the book?  About Lucy Hooft Lucy is the author of the Sarah Black spy series. Originally from the UK, she has spent most of the last 20...

Today we discuss the importance of place in fiction with somebody who's used her travels as the inspiration for her spy novels. Make sure you listen to the end and hear all about her amazing kelp farm. About Lucy Hooft Lucy is the author of the Sarah Black spy series. Originally from the UK, she has spent most of the last 20 years living and working around the world in different locations that have served as inspiration for the books. She now lives with her family in Luderitz, Namibia,...

The Trilogy of Swan pods concludes with a Richard Swan sci-fi quiz. You've heard the bestselling fantasy and sci-fi author talk about the books that changed him; you've heard him give his writing advice and dish his publishing secrets. Now take on the test of a lifetime, or at least of your Friday, and see if you can answer the mercurial nerd's most testing of speculative questions. Remember: there's no money at stake. Just a lifetime's worth of delicious pride. Hmmm, pride. Keep  in...

Back by popular demand, and also because we've already recorded this, today's Book Bites features the return of Sunday Times-bestselling SFF author Richard Swan. You heard about his own book and book influences on the main pod, now hear about his tips for writing, or more accurately, his tips for not following tips for writing. He also delves into the secrets of publishing and pulls back the curtain for us on what makes a book a bestseller, as well as, uh, kind of revealing the end of his...