Showing results by author "Holly Newson" in All Categories

Omar El Akkad joins us in the Audible Studios to discuss his debut novel, American War. Having spent 10 years as a journalist reporting on subjects such as the war in Afghanistan and military trials in Guantanamo Bay, Omar has turned his attentions to dystopian fiction in American War. Set in 2074, the novel portrays a world where climate change and political uprisings have transformed everything as we know it - and civil war has broken out in America.

Mike Brooks joins us in the Audible Studios to chat about his Keiko series and the latest instalment, Dark Deeds. He tells us how he juggles a full-time job with writing and what we can expect of protagonist Captain Ichabod Drift and paints us a picture of the world in the books - set in space in the future.

Max Brooks, the New York Times best-selling author of The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z, talks to Audible about his latest release, Minecraft: The Island. As a true fan of the world of Minecraft, Brooks discusses his creative journey and the highlights of writing this highly inventive take on a classic and hugely celebrated game.

Morgan is a prolific writer, and after a career spanning over 20 years, she shows little signs of slowing. Known for her television works such as The Split and The Hour, as well as the films The Iron Lady, Shame and Suffragette, Morgan's plays are regularly performed in theatres around the country. Now her name will be found on bookshelves too: Morgan's book, This Is Not a Pity Memoir, documents the havoc wreaked on her life over the last few years with her husband in a coma and her own treatment for breast cancer.

Launching to fame after the infamous 2013 'Blurred Lines' music video, Emily Ratajkowski has made a name for herself as a formidable fashion model, walking for Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu and Versace, to name but a few. She has regularly been listed as 'sexiest female', 'woman of the year' and 'hottest sex symbol', but Ratajkowski is far more than her appearance. She is a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood, and a political activist, endorsing Bernie Sanders. She has also starred in several feature films, such as Entourage, Welcome Home, and Gone Girl.

Cameron's global film making spans art, fashion, music, female empowerment and global warming and has worked with major international brands such as Nike, Adidas, Converse and YouTube. Growing up in the notorious cult, Children of God, has clearly not held her back. In fact, after leaving the cult, Cameron travelled across America to investigate other cults, ultimately leading to her memoir, Cult Following, which delves into her childhood in the Children of God and details Cameron’s road trips as she attempts to confront the trauma she faced as a child.

Fearne Cotton is a familiar voice on our radios, becoming the first regular female presenter of the Radio 1 Chart Show, which she hosted alongside Reggie Yates. She has since presented her own Radio 1 show and on Radio 2. Cotton began her own podcast in 2018, titled Happy Place, following the success of her best-selling book, Happy. The podcast shares advice from experts on how to find joy in the everyday and unlock inner happiness.

Joining us at Audible is Alastair Campbell, British journalist, broadcaster and former political aide. Campbell's latest book, Living Better, takes an in-depth look at his lifelong battle with depression.

Joining us in the Audible Studios to talk about his narration of the classic Charles Dickens novel Martin Chuzzlewit is lauded British actor and stage director Derek Jacobi. With a commanding stage presence, Jacobi has had a hugely successful stage and screen career, which includes his appearance in productions such as Hamlet and Oedipus the King. Twice awarded the Laurence Olivier Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Tony Award, Derek Jacobi now narrates the audio version of Charles Dickens’ Martin Chuzzlewit.

Creator of the hit BBC Radio 4 show, Deborah Frances-White Rolls the Dice and host of the podcasts The Guilty Feminist and Global Pillage, Deborah packs a busy schedule along with her seminar work talking about charisma, diversity and inclusion. Her latest book is The Guilty Feminist, a frank and funny look at modern feminism. Deborah Frances-White talks to us about the formation of her well-loved Guilty Feminist podcast, we speak about getting to know refugees, and she shares what she hopes readers will take away from the book.

Colfer, born and raised in Wexford, Ireland, alongside his four brothers, earned a degree from Dublin University before returning to Wexford to work as a teacher. After releasing some children's books that went down well in Ireland, he wrote the first draft of Artemis Fowl, and, on reading it, his family demanded he get himself an agent. Artemis Fowl allowed Colfer to leave his teaching job to write full time, and he has never looked back, gaining international recognition and regularly appearing in best seller lists.

In this interview we spoke to Alastair about all three of his audiobooks and how things have changed for him over the years. Along the way we covered would he rather be too hot or too cold, adventure with a friend or alone, and even if it works to be married to someone with a different perspective on his travels.

Joining us at Audible Studios is English comedian, novelist and actress Jenny Eclair. Jenny's most recent novel is called Inheritance. The book, set in Cornwall, centres around the mansion Kittiwake, which has seen many pass through its doors since it was bought by American heiress Peggy Carmichael 70 years ago. Over the decades, the keys have been handed down through the family, and now it’s where Lance will be celebrating his 50th birthday, and Bel is invited. But in going back to Kittiwake, Bel will be returning to the place where it all began....

Why do we feel anxiety? How can we get past imposter syndrome? How can we be successfully creative? How do we effectively deal with grief? In this interview Robin Ince touches on some of these questions, looks back at how childhood experiences still affect him and enthuses about the latest books he’s read. He also explains why most of us have imagined dropping a baby and why writing the book put him in therapy.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo tells the story of Nuri, a beekeeper, and Afra an artist, who are warmly surrounded by friends and family in the beautiful city of Aleppo in Syria. Their world changes in an instant when war destroys everything they've known and loved and serves them unendurable heartbreak. In this interview we spoke about Lefteri's experiences in refugee camps in Athens, how these weighed on her, and thus her motivations for writing The Beekeeper of Aleppo. We also spoke about learning about beekeeping, PTSD and asylum.

Joining us at Audible Studios is Professor Richard Wiseman, Britain’s first Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology. His newest book, Shoot for the Moon, gives listeners eight key principles on how to live their lives with the same mind-set of the Apollo mission crew, who put a man on the moon. He explains how pessimism is key to success and how you can transform fear into hope and tragedy into optimism.

Audible Studios welcomes back Dr Julia Shaw to discuss her latest non-fiction book on psychology and the mind - Making Evil: The Science Behind Humanity’s Dark Side. Julia talks about why humans are fascinated with evil, what research she’s done on the topic, how this links with her study of memory, and her personal feelings on the term evil. In Making Evil: The Science Behind Humanity’s Dark Side, Dr Julia Shaw uses psychology, science and philosophy to look at why humans do the evil things they do.

Author of the New York Times best-selling Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy and National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor is a master of young adult fantasy. Following on from Strange the Dreamer, Laini has now published its sequel, Muse of Nightmares, released in October 2018. Laini Taylor talks to us about the protagonists in her new book, how much emphasis she puts on world building and whether or not she actually enjoys writing.

After beginning her television career as a researcher, Humble later began presenting shows such as Animal Park, Tomorrow’s World and Extreme Wives, to name only a few. Known as a familiar face on the BBC, specialising in wildlife and science, Kate Humble published her new book, Thinking on My Feet, in October 2018. Kate Humble talks to us about the beauty of woods in winter, where we’ll see her and her dog, Teg, next and why walking makes a great first date.

Joining us in the Audible Studios to discuss his Echoes of the Fall trilogy is award-winning fantasy and sci-fi writer Adrian Tchaikovsky. He visited us on the release of the third and final book in the series, The Hyena and the Hawk. A prolific writer who has published over 16 novels, Tchaikovsky sets the bar high with his sheer imagination. In this interview, Adrian Tchaikovsky introduces us to the different tribes in this latest series, talks about how he goes about creating a world and explains how writing sci-fi and fantasy feels very different.