‘I wanted to write a suburban Reacher’: Richard Osman talks to Lee Child about class, success and the secret to great crime writing

The two bestselling authors who both started in TV discuss writing as a second career, natural justice – and what they really think of literary fictionIn the four years since Richard Osman published his first Thursday Murder Club novel he has consistently topped the bestseller lists, and now his quartet of retirement-age detectives will be portrayed on screen by a cast including Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan. Having grown up in Sussex, Osman started out in TV, where he created and co-hosted the gameshow Pointless. His forthcoming novel We Solve Murders – the start of a new series – features a writer billed as the world’s bestselling novelist, “if you don’t count Lee Child”. Child, the creator of former military police officer Jack Reacher, has enjoyed phenomenal popularity since he left his career – also in TV, where he worked on shows including Brideshead Revisited, The Jewel in the Crown and Cracker – and started writing, with his first novel published in 1997. Raised in Birmingham, he moved to the US in 1998 and now lives between Manhattan and rural Wyoming. He wrote 24 Reacher novels before announcing in 2020 that he would be handing the series to his brother Andrew.Lee Child I feel that writing is always a second-phase career, or at least should be. It’s that rare thing that not only can you do it when you’re older, but you should do it when you’re older. Pick your cliche: your gas tank is full, your database is compiled. You are a person. You are ready to write.... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2024-09-14 09:00:23 UTC ]
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Jon Fosse Wants to Say the Unsayable

The prolific Norwegian is the rarest of recent literary prize winners: an author and playwright in thrall to the divine. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-12-07 21:43:26 UTC ]
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Richard Sarnoff, Madeline McIntosh Among New Simon & Schuster Board Members

Following the purchase of Simon & Schuster by private equity firm KKR, the publisher has named its new board of directors, which includes S&S CEO Jonathan Karp, industry veteran Richard Sarnoff, and former Penguin Random House US CEO Madeline McIntosh. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-07 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #madeline mcintosh #simon schuster #penguin random house


Christopher Paolini Wanted a Job Involving Dragons, So He Created One

Paolini, a best-selling author of young adult fantasy novels, has a new book out, “Murtagh.” In it, he returns to the world of “Eragon” and the adventures he began creating as a teenager. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-12-02 10:02:30 UTC ]
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Would I use AI to write my novels? I'd get better results from a monkey with an iPhone | Monica Ali

I asked ChatGPT to improve my latest novel and lost no sleep over the results. But I do worry about diverse voices being crowded out This summer two worlds – literature and technology – collided. News stories began appearing about authors suing OpenAI and Meta for using their works to train... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-12-01 06:00:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #black box #monica ali #english pen #writing north #full version #pen transmissions


Secrets of the Mega Book Series of the ’80s and ’90s

Series like the Baby-Sitters Club and Animorphs produced dozens — sometimes hundreds — of books in the '90s. How did they do it? Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-11-30 11:36:00 UTC ]
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Richard Charkin: It’s a Smaller World Now

Richard Charkin sees in David Shelley's US-UK Hachette CEO appointment a chance for more commitment to world English rights. The post Richard Charkin: It’s a Smaller World Now appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-11-26 15:56:44 UTC ]
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Rebecca Yarros to Write Two More Romance Novels for Montlake

The 'Fourth Wing' author will pen two contemporary romances for the Amazon Publishing romance imprint, which will be published in 2025 and 2026. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #rebecca yarros #romance novels #fourth wing #contemporary romances #amazon publishing


Arundhati Roy calls the siege of Gaza “a crime against humanity.”

In a video address to the Munich Literature Festival yesterday, the human rights activist and Booker Prize-winning author of The God of Small Things Arundhati Roy made a powerful speech in solidarity with the Gazan people, and with the millions around the world marching for a ceasefire. Roy—who... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-17 17:42:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #powerful speech #prize-winning author #literature festival


God’s Gift of Emotions: PW Talks with Jennie Allen

Jennie Allen, a bestselling author and founder of an annual gathering of evangelical Christian women designed to charge them up to disciple others, discusses her forthcoming book, 'Untangle Your Emotions: Naming What You Feel and Knowing What to Do About It' (WaterBrook, Feb. 2024). Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Zeke Caligirui on the Incarcerated Writers Who Edited An Anthology on Class

Writer and editor Zeke Caligiuri joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss American Precariat: Parables of Exclusion, a new collection of essays on class he co-edited along with eleven other incarcerated writers. The volume’s contributors include Eula Biss, Kao Kalia... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-16 09:08:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #incarcerated writers #kiese laymon #anthology


Book Review Podcast: Talking Rebecca Yarros and Barbra Streisand

Alexandra Alter talks about her profile of the best-selling author behind “Fourth Wing” and Alexandra Jacobs discusses her review of “My Name is Barbra.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-11-10 18:47:36 UTC ]
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John le Carré’s son to write new George Smiley novel

Nicholas Cornwell will return his father’s best-loved spy to the page in a new novel set between The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier SpyFans of thriller writer David Cornwell – better known by his pen name John le Carré – may have thought they had seen the last of... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-11-10 14:00:10 UTC ]
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Jenna Bush Hager and Her Sister Barbara Discuss Writing Their New Book

The twin sisters Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush published their third picture book this week. They sat down to discuss fighting, writing and chosen family. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-11-09 10:02:26 UTC ]
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Stephanie Land on the Routine That Helped Her Write Her New Book in a Month

Stephanie Land’s new book, Class: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education, is out today, so we asked her a few questions about her routine, writing advice, and how she deals with writers block. Who do you most wish would read your book? Anyone who has authority over a person who... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-07 09:50:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #stephanie land #higher education #writing advice #writers block #memoir


Writing Discipline Envy: Tracy K. Smith Wakes Early and Meditates

Tracy K. Smith’s To Free the Captives: A Plea for the American Soul is available tomorrow, so we asked her a few questions about her readers, when she writes, and her favorite book to recommend to others. * Who do you most wish would read your book? People who are weary of the limits of […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-06 09:56:46 UTC ]
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Adweek Podcast: NBA Champion Matt Barnes on the Evolution of Locker Room Talk

Retirement typically leads to rest, relaxation and enjoying the fruits of one's labor. But for athletes like NBA Champion Matt Barnes, it can open the door to another world of opportunities and ventures. In the latest episode of Yeah, That's Probably An Ad, community editor Luz Corona is joined... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2023-11-03 15:27:09 UTC ]
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Sharing the Gospel of Silence: PW Talks with Sarah Anderson

Sarah Anderson, who founded the Travel Bookshop in London before becoming a writer and painter, discusses the value of quiet in 'The Lost Art of Silence' (Shambhala, Dec.). Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-01 05:00:00 UTC ]
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A Black Father Illustrated the Importance of “The Talk” in His Graphic Memoir

Darrin Bell didn’t set out to write his much anticipated graphic memoir, The Talk. He’d initially sold another project delving into the lives of three generations of men in his family, all descendants of an enslaved man named Addison Bell, in a two book deal to Henry Holt and Co. But as he was... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-10-30 11:00:00 UTC ]
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BuzzFeed in Advanced Talks to Sell Complex, Backtracking on Digital Media Bet

BuzzFeed is negotiating a sale of much of Complex Networks for under $140 million, less than half of what it paid to acquire it two years ago. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-10-27 16:26:21 UTC ]
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Britney Spears' memoir is a reminder of the stigma and potential damage of child stardom

Britney Spears’ memoir illustrates once again the potential lifelong damage that can be caused by being a child star. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2023-10-27 11:37:38 UTC ]
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