Mid-career as a screenwriter, adapting other people's stories, Yulin Kuang swerved to write her own book and yes, it's likely to be adapted for the screen too when she finds the time! How to End a Love Story is about Helen, who has a very good reason to detest Grant after what happened when they were at high school, but then they are put in the same writers' room. He's adapting her very successful book series for television. It's not about the destination, it's all about the journey here, and Yu...
Jun 12, 2024•1 hr 17 min
How do you adapt a much-loved, bestselling book into a film, and keep fans happy? Nat and Phil spoke to Robinne Lee about her gorgeous book, The Idea of You, back in 2021. Around that time producer Cathy Schulman also read that story and set about turning it into a movie, with Michael Showalter directing and co-writing. And this, is the story of how that happened, the changes that were made, and whether it's been successful. The Idea of You, starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine, is now ...
May 02, 2024•36 min
You know those books that catch a moment? Jennie Godfrey’s The List of Suspicious Things is one of those happening right now. It’s a heart-warming tale of friendship immersed in late 1970s Yorkshire, where everyday life is overshadowed and ever-changed by the news of a serial killer at large. Jennie shares how there were early questions about writing the Yorkshire accent into her characters’ speech, but that her agent and publisher championed the ‘localness’ of the story. Depending on your age, ...
Mar 28, 2024•1 hr 5 min
Imran Mahmood is a Barrister by day; A Sunday Times Top 10 Bestselling Writer by night! He's back with his fourth book, Finding Sophie and in this chat with Natalie and Phil, Imran talks about the challenges of writing a thriller about a missing teenager as a parent himself; where to draw the line on gruesome outcomes for Entertainment, and he sprinkles in some hilarious stories about being in Court on big murder trials. Imran is an exceptional writer, a gentleman and great company so settle in ...
Mar 21, 2024•1 hr 6 min
This Week, both Phil and Natalie received an infux of new books in the post. They're all worthy of being mentioned, but neither of them have had a chance to read any of these books yet. So that's why this episode is called Books We've Been Sent (but are yet to read) They are: Don Winslow - City in Ruins Yulin Kuang - How to end a Love Story David Nicholls - You Are Here Andrew Hunter Murray - A Beginner's Guide to Breaking and Entering Tony Kent - The Shadow Network Kaliane Bradley - The Ministr...
Mar 14, 2024•32 min
What's the difference between a love story and a romance novel? Why are some people so anti-romance in books but definitely not in life? All this and oh so much more gets discussed on this episode as author Milly Johnson joins Nat and Phil to share the process and the inspiration behind her latest bestseller, The Happiest Ever After. Starting out as a joke writer, Milly has kept that humor throughout all her writing, and it's no wonder why Hairy Biker Dave Myers was one of her biggest fans. Than...
Mar 07, 2024•1 hr 12 min
Nicci French are husband and wife writing team Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. They've been together 33 years and have co-authored novels for 27 of those years. Their latest is a stand alone about a mother who fails to turn up to her husband's 50th birthday party back in 1990. Set across two timelines, the book follows the search for Charlotte Salter and features a true crime podcast trying to outpace a failing Police investigation, to discover where she might be. In this Ep we talk about writing...
Feb 29, 2024•1 hr 23 min
It's the return of WWBR! Will the acronym catch on? Let's see... Anyway, this is what Phil and Nat have been reading, or have bought and haven't had the chance to read yet, but still a delicious teetering pile of books to recommend. From the upcoming Anthony Horowitz whodunnit, to a sun-drench cinematic epic story, and Nat's gone rogue with a cookbook again. Hopefully there's something here to tempt you too... As an independent podcast, made from a love of reading (instead of cash), if you enjoy...
Feb 22, 2024•30 min
Cate Quinn precedes her brand new novel by telling us: "This is the first book I've written sober." From her brilliant mind comes THE CLINIC - a novel about a high end rehab center with dark secrets inside. It's told from the perspective of Meg, a casino security guard, who thinks her sister has died in the rehab and Cara, who's poached to run the centre. It's terrific. In this Episode, Cate tells Phil and Natalie about utilising her own experiences in rehab for this novel; why the people that r...
Feb 15, 2024•1 hr
Two writers for the (free) price of one, as author Charmaine Wilkerson talks about adapting her book, Black Cake, into a TV series with show runner Marissa Jo Cerar. It's a thriller and a family drama, straddling the past and the present, and yep, the black cake of the title - a Caribbean rum cake - features heavily too! Charmaine and Marissa talk about the key things to think about, and get right, when changing it up for 8 episodes for Disney Plus. Thank you so much for listening and if you'd l...
Feb 08, 2024•29 min
If you're new to SA Cosby's writing, have a listen to what to expect from All The Sinners Bleed, and then race to get the book at your local library or book store! It's that good. This is a thriller, a southern noir, about the first Black sheriff to preside in a small southern town, investigating a murder. But that's the tip of the iceberg... SA Cosby writes with such lyricism and empathy about this community, both Natalie and Phil found the story irresistible, and hope you do too. If you're abl...
Feb 01, 2024•1 hr 14 min
This is a Bonus Ep, it's under 15 mins and it's Natalie grilling Terry Hayes on the ending of his latest thriller THE YEAR OF THE LOCUST. You should only hear this, once you've read the book, but it's a fascinating explanation of how he arrived at a genre busting ending and the huge amount of research which went into it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 04, 2024•14 min
For our first Ep of 2024, Natalie and Phil speak to Screenwriter turned Novelist, TERRY HAYES. You may've read I Am Pilgrim: It sold over five million copies. But the realisation of a dream for the Mad Max writer to become a published author took it's toll. Over a decade followed before Terry was able to deliver his second novel. In this hugely entertaining episode Terry talks about delivering a million words to his publisher; why his love of cricket inspired one of the characters in this book a...
Jan 04, 2024•1 hr 11 min
We all need a Danyah Miller in our lives - that's the conclusion after spending an hour in her company which is why Phil and Natalie are thrilled to introduce you to her debut book. It's fiction and non-fiction in one neat package - Seven Secrets of Spontaneous Storytelling - stuffed with helpful ways to navigate how we share stories and the connections we make in telling them. Danyah's lived many creative lives already in many guises, and shares how vital graphic novels have been to her reading...
Dec 28, 2023•1 hr 12 min
It's the 2023 edition of Phil and Natalie's books of the year! These are the stories they've enjoyed reading the most over the year, simple as that; the books that have been un-put-downable, the ones that made them smile, or gasp, or want to share with you. It's a mix of thrillers, dramas, comedies, and hopefully some surprises to inspire your reading lists as well! There are lots more episodes to come, but in the meantime, if you are in a position to offer some support towards the production co...
Dec 21, 2023•44 min
On the 7th October 2023, Phil and Natalie recorded their first EVER live Episode at the first EVER Chiltern Kills Crime Festival. Chiltern Kills was created by ace crime writer, Tony Kent, with all proceeds going to the homeless charity, Centrepoint. Sharing the stage with Phil & Natalie are: IMRAN MAHMOOD MARK BILLINGHAM TONY KENT CLARE MACKINTOSH In this live recording, they discuss everything from writing series versus stand alones; the peril of the end Acknowledgements and whether crime ...
Dec 14, 2023•57 min
We're back, BABY! And who better to ring in Season 5 of BestSellers than MICHAEL CONNELLY - the multi award winning writer and creator of the Harry Bosch, Lincoln Lawyer, Renée Ballard series of books. Michael is back with book 38: Resurrection Walk. A brilliant new Lincoln Lawyer story in which Mickey Haller must overturn a wrongful conviction, but in doing so he faces the opposite of the usual legal maxim, innocent till proven guilty. Michael tells Phil and Natalie how becoming a lawyer was wa...
Dec 07, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Steve Cavanagh is King of the Hook. His previous taglines include, "The serial killer isn't on trial. He's ON THE JURY," and, "His client is innocent. His wife is guilty." His brand new ninth novel is a stand alone called, "Kill for Me Kill for You." It pays homage to Strangers on a Train and explores what would happen if two strangers meet by chance and agree to murder the other one's nemesis, leaving no clues to a likely suspect as to all intents and purposes it appears to be a random killing....
Aug 02, 2023•1 hr
You know we love books, but do you also have that pile just waiting to be read, always?! The TBR pile can be a glorious thing, a teetering stack of books, full of ideas and stories that made us pick them, awaiting our full attention when the mood is right. Phil & Natalie run through their summer TBR stacks - 3 each - in the hope that a story will jump out at you and demand to be added to your pile. Happy reading! If you enjoy this podcast, you can buy us a metaphorical cuppa here and tell us...
Jul 26, 2023•33 min
It's publication day for Clare Mackintosh: A return visitor to the BestSellers Podcast. Clare's second book in her Ffion Morgan Detective series is called A Game of Lies. It centres around a fictional reality TV show called Exposure, where contestants have to battle to keep their inner secrets, secret, whilst exposing the secrets of their fellow competitors. When one of the contestants disappears into the North Wales countryside mid-show, Ffion is called in to work out if a crime has been commit...
Jul 19, 2023•1 hr 7 min
Holiday reads covered! And even if you're not headed away, Nat and Phil have got 5 suggestions for books to metaphorically whisk you away. There's a book about mental fitness, fictional rich people behaving badly in a whodunnit, and a fascinating debut about language and identity from Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi. Plus in praise of Caitlin Moran's writing and Julie Cohen's lusty summer romantic drama, aptly named Summer People. Hope you find something to love, and there will be more recs coming soon! ...
Jul 12, 2023•26 min
The brilliant Comedy Dramatist Mike Gayle returns to BestSellers. This time to tell us about his brand new nineteenth book on what is our nineteenth consecutive Episode of this season. Spooky, eh...? The book isn't spooky. It's Mike's best yet about a newly separated teacher, Helen, whose husband has not only had the mid life affair but decides to take his new girlfriend on the family holiday Helen should've been on with their children. Whilst she stews at home, the doorbell rings and out of the...
Jul 05, 2023•1 hr 6 min
The world truly took notice of Kirstin Chen's writing with her third book, Counterfeit, which was picked up and included on influential lists by Reese Witherspoon and Roxanne Gay. A thrilling crime story centre around friendship, prejudice, and a counterfeit handbag operation, Kirstin's book hooks you in from the get-go. Based in San Francisco, Kirstin explains how a real life crime sparked this novel into life, why it became key to exploring racial injustices, and how writing and finishing a bo...
Jun 29, 2023•1 hr 8 min
Daisy Upton is a Rock Star in the BestSellers Household. You'll know her better as Five Minute Mum, a former classroom assistant who's 5 min easy to set up games for kids, have come to the rescue of many an arguing home, and earned her over 250,000 Instagram followers. Her latest book is her first targeted at children rather than parents: STARTING SCHOOL walks your child through what to expect in their first few days in a brand new environment and is packed with useful tips for children and pare...
Jun 21, 2023•1 hr 7 min
Way back in Episode 6 of Series 4, Cecilia's debut novel, Everything's Fine, was recommended to all of us by Curtis Sittenfeld. So we took her up on that rec, read Cecilia's book and totally fell in love with the story and her whip-smart writing style too. And lo, as if by magic, now we get to talk to Cecilia Rabess all about how she achieved that! It's a romantic comedy of errors if you like, about two people from different backgrounds with very different ideals, who meet and try to navigate th...
Jun 14, 2023•1 hr 5 min
Hollywood knows a good thing when it reads it, and TJ Newman is a very good thing whose two novels are currently in the works to become movies. Her second thriller, Drowning, once again draws on her flight expertise from a decade spent as cabin crew and it is the perfect summer, or anytime-of-year read. Proper page-turning stuff. As ever, you never quite know where these conversations might go with us, but come on the ride that'll take in some musical theatre (YES! says Natalie), love of the fil...
Jun 07, 2023•58 min
What can we say about Dennis Lehane..? He's written some of the best novels of all time which people like Clint Eastwood and Martin Scorsese have seized upon for the big screen. Think MYSTIC RIVER or SHUTTER ISLAND. He was a staff writer on The Wire. He's now a major show runner for Apple TV+ with the likes of Blackbird and the upcoming Firebug, both starring Taron Egerton. Dennis is back with his fourteenth novel SMALL MERCIES - and it's easily Phil's book of 2023. It's set amidst the School Bu...
May 31, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Mark Billingham has done it all. He's been an actor, a stand up, a TV screenwriter and a multi award winning crime writer. He's back with his first brand new series in 20 years, with Detective Miller: He dances, he keeps pet rats and he's very sardonic. THE LAST DANCE is a departure from Billingham's award winning Tom Thorne series, with a change of tone that brings rich humour to the whodunnit genre. Phil & Natalie love Mark's books and chatting to him. This interview is searingly honest ab...
May 24, 2023•1 hr 6 min
Yep, THE Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles fame chats to Phil and Natalie about her debut fiction novel, This Bird Has Flown. Susanna explains how she started writing fiction in the '80s at the peak of her her pop fame, and has always read voraciously from childhood. She's written screenplays before now but after one of her sons questioned if she'd ever write that book she'd talked about for so many years, she thought she'd better get on with it. This is not the ghost-written celebrity project you ma...
May 17, 2023•1 hr 16 min
It's Joanne Harris on today's Ep. She's such a magnificent writer, held in high esteem by everyone in publishing. Her new book, BROKEN LIGHT, chronicles the life of Bernie: A menopausal woman who appears to have a superpower to change people's thinking and behaviours. There's a nod to Stephen King's Carrie in here, it's a great twisty thriller which also opens the eyes to some of the male attitudes around menopause and menstruation. This episode contains Blood...! Phil and Natalie both love Joan...
May 10, 2023•1 hr 8 min
