The Conversation with Nadine Matheson – Details, episodes &amp; analysis

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Amy Jordan: Navigating the Dark Hours

Season 4 · Episode 155

lundi 8 septembre 2025 • Duration 01:18:11

Welcome to Season Four of The Conversation with Nadine Matheson!

In this episode, I’m thrilled to welcome author Amy Jordan, whose gripping new novel, The Dark Hours, is making waves in the literary world. Join us as we delve into Amy's fascinating writing journey, exploring the twists and turns that led her to become a published author.

Amy shares her insights on the realities of the publishing industry, the importance of resilience, and the unexpected challenges that come with crafting compelling narratives. We discuss how personal experiences shape storytelling and the significance of trusting your creative instincts, even when the path seems uncertain.

In The Dark Hours, we meet Julia Hart, a retired detective drawn back into a chilling case that has haunted her for decades. As a copycat killer emerges, Julia must confront her past and the shadows that linger from her career. Amy reveals the inspiration behind her characters and how real-life experiences have influenced her writing.

With candid reflections on the highs and lows of being a writer, this episode is a treasure trove of advice for aspiring authors and seasoned writers alike.

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Summer Rewind with Karen Swan: "I sit down and stare at the screen until my eyeballs bleed"

Season 3 · Episode 146

lundi 4 août 2025 • Duration 01:21:59

Welcome to the Summer Break Rewind!

While The Conversation takes a short summer break, I’ll be sharing fan-favourite episodes from Season Three, along with brilliant conversations from Page One: The Writer’s Podcast. Season Four returns in September until then, enjoy the rewind!

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Sunday Times bestselling author Karen Swan, takes us on a journey through her unexpected path to authorship, from journalism to becoming a bestselling novelist. She recounts how an innocuous library visit revealed her innate storytelling gift, challenging her preconceived career notions.

We talk about the critical balancing act between creativity and professionalism in publishing, diving into the realities of the editing process and her new novel.

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Buy: The Midnight Secret

*First Broadcast: 3 December 2024

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Erin Young: A Writers Journey From Battlefields to Corn Fields.

Season 2 · Episode 57

mardi 5 mars 2024 • Duration 01:10:35

This week my guest Erin Young and I peel back the curtain on the publishing world's highs and lows, sharing the tenacity required to navigate rejection and the emotional fortitude to absorb critiques even after topping the charts. From embracing a tough exterior to the strategic shifts like adopting a pen name for different genres, we explore the nuanced decisions that shape an author's career, especially when crossing from the world of historical fiction to contemporary thrillers.

Erin Young is the author of the Riley Fisher series and lives and writes in Brighton, UK. Her debut contemporary thriller novel, The Fields, was inspired by an article in 'The Guardian' about the menacing power of Big Agriculture on rural communities in Iowa and drew comparisons with Mare of Easttown and True Detective. Her second novel, Original Sins has been described as 'Bold, gritty and deeply immersive.'

However, Erin Young is no stranger to the publishing world. Erin Young is the pseudonym of acclaimed historical novelist, Robyn Young, author of eight internationally bestselling novels. She has been published in 20 languages in 23 countries, selling over two million books worldwide.

Original Sins
It's a brutal winter in Des Moines, Iowa, and the city is gripped by fear. A serial attacker known as the Sin Eater is stalking women and has just struck again. It's a tough time and a tough place for Riley Fisher, a former small-town sergeant, to be reporting for duty as an FBI agent on her first assignment.

Teamed with a man she's not sure she can trust and struggling to prove herself - while fighting the pull of her old life and family dramas - Riley is tasked with investigating a vicious death threat against the newly elected female state governor. Gradually, she traces a disturbing connection between this case and the hunt for the Sin Eater. Through snow, ice, violence and lies, Riley Fisher is drawn towards a terrifying revelation.

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Tim Glister: Character Is A Thing

Season 2 · Episode 56

mardi 27 février 2024 • Duration 01:03:20

Tim Glister is a novelist who wishes he was a spy. Tim's debut novel, Red Corona, was published in 2021 and was the first novel in the Richard Knox spy series and won 'The People’s Book Prize First Time Author Award'. The second novel in the series, A Loyal Traitor, was a 'The Times Thriller of The Month' and was long listed for the Crime Writers Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger 2023 award. The third novel in the series, A Game of Deceit, is available now.

A Game of Deceit

In this crackerjack Cold War thriller, MI5 faces a deadly threat, one only Richard Knox can avert. But he only has six days and the clock is ticking fast.

How long can you survive in the shadows?

Richard Knox, freshly returned to active duty after a year out of the field, is ordered to uncover the invisible enemy that’s infiltrated the Service in his absence.

His quest takes him to Hong Kong, a city on the brink of chaos, where he discovers the lines between friend and foe have never been more blurred.

Who is behind the assault on MI5? How long have they been operating in the shadows? And what is their endgame?

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Martine Bailey: A Sharp Scratch and choose A, B or C

Season 2 · Episode 55

mardi 20 février 2024 • Duration 01:09:57

Martine Bailey is a crime fiction author. Martine studied English Literature while playing in bands on the Manchester music scene. She qualified in psychometric testing and over her career assessed staff for a top security psychiatric hospital. Martine's earlier novels, The Almanack and The Prophet were historical fiction and her new novel
Sharp Scratch is set in the more recent past of the 1980's.

Sharp Scratch
Six candidates. One job. A killer prepared to murder their way to the top.

Salford, 1983. Lorraine Quick is a single mum, a member of a band going nowhere fast and Personnel Officer at Salford’s Memorial Hospital. A new General Manager position is being introduced, someone to steer the institution towards Margaret Thatcher’s lofty vision for the NHS. Lorraine will be pivotal in selecting the successful candidate, thanks to her recent training in psychometric testing.

However, the deliberate substitution of a flu vaccine for a lethal dose of anaesthetic reveals a killer is at work. Lorraine’s suspicions turn towards the top brass vying for the new role - could the personality tests lead her to the killer?

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Dorothy Koomson: Queen of the Big Reveal

Season 2 · Episode 54

mardi 13 février 2024 • Duration 01:20:25

Dorothy Koomson is an international bestselling and award winning author. Dorothy's twenty year career began in 2023 with the publication of her debut novel, The Cupid Effect. Her third novel, My Best Friends Girl, was a Richard and Judy Summer Reads Book Club pick and her novel, The Ice Cream Girls was adapted for TV and shown on ITV in 2013.

Dorothy Koomson has been hailed as the Queen of the Reveal and her 19th novel, Every Smile You Fake, will be published on 15 February 2024.

Every Smile You Fake
Please take care of my baby. But don't try to find me. You'll put him in danger. x

Profiler and therapist Kez Lanyon is shocked when she finds a baby on the backseat of her car, with an unsigned note asking her to take care of him.

Kez has a pretty good idea who the mother is - Brandee, a popular social media star with a troubled background, who once lived in Kez's house.

Brandee recently dropped out of the limelight and if the internet rumours are true, Kez knows Brandee's life is in danger.

Kez is torn. Should she simply take care of the baby as she's been asked, or should she risk her whole family by using contacts from her previous job to save this young woman?

Time is running out for Brandee. Can Kez find her before it's too late?

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Katy Brent: Do You Really Want To Be In My Book?

Season 2 · Episode 53

mardi 6 février 2024 • Duration 01:17:26

Katy Brent is the bestselling author of 'How To Kill Men And Get Away With It' which has been described as a A deliciously dark, hilariously twisted story about friendship, love, and murder.

Katy is a freelance journalist who started work in women's magazines back in 2005. She works on every millennial's favourite teenage magazine, Sugar and in 2006 won a PTA award for 'New Journalist Of The Year'. 'How to Kill Men And Get Away With It' was published in 2022 and quickly became a runaway success. Her second novel, 'The Murder After The Night Before' was published on 1 February 2024.

The Murder After The Night Before

Something bad happened last night.

I’ve woken up with the hangover from hell, a stranger in my bed, and I’ve gone viral for the worst reasons.

But I can’t remember a thing…

My best friend Posey is dead. The police think it was a tragic accident. I know she was murdered.

There’s only one thing stopping me from dying of shame. I need to find a killer.

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Orlando Murrin: Author. The Masterchef, Parmesan Biscuits and Knife Skills for Beginners.

Season 2 · Episode 52

mardi 30 janvier 2024 • Duration 01:06:59

Orlando Murrin is a food writer, broadcaster and now a novelist with his debut novel, Knife Skills for Beginners. Orlando's culinary adventures began when he was a Masterchef semi- finalist in 1992 which led to life as a chef, restaurateur and writer. Orlando writes for Waitrose Weekend, has written six cookbooks and is the co-host of the BBC Good Food Podcast.

Orlando's debut novel, Knife Skills for Beginners, is available from 1 February 2024.

Knife Skills for Beginners

A recipe for disaster.
When chef Paul Delamare takes a job teaching at an exclusive residential cookery school in Belgravia, the only thing he expects his students to murder is his taste buds. But on the first night, the unthinkable happens: someone turns up dead...

The school rests on a knife-edge.
The police are convinced Paul is the culprit. After all, he’s good with a blade, was first on the scene – and everyone knows it doesn’t take much to push a chef over the edge. To prove his innocence, he must find the killer. Could it be one of his students? Or the owner of the school – a woman with secrets and a murky past?

It all boils down to murder.
If Paul can’t solve the mystery fast – as well as teach his students how to make a perfect hollandaise sauce – he’ll be next to get the chop.

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Ashley Tate: Author. Gen X and 27 Minutes

Season 2 · Episode 51

lundi 29 janvier 2024 • Duration 58:57

This is a bonus episode to celebrate my birthday and the first anniversary of 'The Conversation with Nadine Matheson Podcast.'

Ashley Tate worked for over a decade as an editorial writer and editor for various publications as well as Canada's first online magazine. Her debut novel, Twenty Seven Minutes has been described as 'truly gripping and deeply satisfying' and she's been hailed as a new voice in literary suspense , She lives with her husband, two children, and their dog, in Toronto, Canada. Twenty Seven Minutes will be published on 1 February 2024.

Twenty Seven Minutes

THE QUESTION
For the last ten years, the small town of West Wilmer has been struggling to answer one question: on the night of the crash that killed his sister, why did it take Grant Dean twenty-seven minutes to call for help? If he'd called sooner, Phoebe might still be alive.

THE SECRET
As the anniversary of Phoebe's death approaches, Grant is consumed by his memories and the secret that's been suffocating him for years. But he and Phoebe weren't the only ones in the car that night. Becca was there too - she's the only other person who knows what really happened. Or is she?

THE TRUTH
Everyone remembers Phoebe, but local girl June also lost someone that night. Her brother Wyatt has been missing for ten years and, now that her mother is dead, June has no one left - no family, no friends. Until someone appears at her door. Someone who knows what really happened that night. And they are ready to tell the truth.

With a shocking twist that will leave you breathless, Twenty-Seven Minutes is a gripping story about what happens when grief becomes unbearable, dark secrets are unearthed, and the horrifying truth is revealed.
___________

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