The Worm Hole Podcast

Charlie Place

3.5 (2)
BOOKS
UPDATED BIWEEKLY

The Worm Hole Podcast Podcast

Join me each second and fourth Monday of the month, when I'll be in conversation with an author about one (occasionally more) of their books. We'll be taking a fairly deep dive, looking at the background, the topics, writing, and the nitty gritty. Expect spoilers and frequent discussions of the endings.

2 DAYS AGO

105: Natalie Jenner (Every Time We Say Goodbye)

Charlie and Natalie Jenner (Every Time We Say Goodbye) discuss the war years and 1950s Italian film industry and the Vatican's authority over it, changing working practices after being accused of discrimination, and including still-living celebrities in your book. A transcript is available on my site General references: I talked to Natalie about her previous book, Bloomsbury Girls, in episode 65 Day For Night Quo Vadis Umanità Nine Summertime Three Coins In The Fountain Roman Holiday A similar quote of Kurt Vonnegut's is "Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages." I talked to Liz Fenwick about the map girls in episode 100 Natalie's Instagram post on Ray Holland The Prince Of Foxes Natalie's episode on chapters 7-9 of Pride And Prejudice for the Rosenbach Library Books mentioned by name or extensively: Charles Dickens: Our Mutual Friend Charles Dickens: A Tale Of Two Cities Edward Bulwer-Lytton: The Last Days Of Pompeii Henry James: The Portrait Of A Lady Jane Austen: Pride And Prejudice Jane Austen: Emma Joe Klein: Primary Colors Natalie Jenner: The Jane Austen Society Natalie Jenner: Bloomsbury Girls Natalie Jenner: Every Time We Say Goodbye Natalie Jenner: Austen At Sea Sophia Loren: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow My Life Zadie Smith: The Fraud Zoe Wheddon: Jane Austen's Best Friend Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 11th April 2024; published 9th September 2024 Where to find Natalie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 00:01:52 The different inspirations for the book - old films, Natalie's character Vivian from her previous book, Bloomsbury Girls, the WW2 refugees that lived at the Cinecittà movie studies and then used as extras (this turns into a longer discussion) 00:10:58 More about Cinecittà itself 00:13:08 The Vatican's past authority over the Italian film industry 00:17:59 How Natalie researches her books, and her love of Rome 00:29:30 John Lassiter, urgh! 00:34:20 The importance of Tabitha's story and how a reader's criticism changed how Natalie wrote 00:38:25 La Scolaretta and the stafetta - the young women messengers and assassins in WW2 Italy 00:44:45 Natalie's knowing, and the life of, Ray Holland, film-maker Jack Salvatori's son 00:52:28 Writing as characters celebrities who are still with us, with a focus on Sophia Loren 00:59:16 All about Natalie's forthcoming next book, Austen At Sea, which Charlie reckons will end up being her favourite of all Natalie's books 01:08:59 Natalie tells us why she likely won't write about Jane Austen herself Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops

1h 13m
6 DAYS AGO

Name Change: I Want Your Opinions!

The poll is here Or, if your app does not show links: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8TGVG9F

1 min
AUG 26

104: Matt Ottley (The Tree Of Ecstasy And Unbearable Sadness)

Charlie and Matt Ottley (The Tree Of Ecstasy And Unbearable Sadness) discuss Matt's type I bipolar disorder and how it has influenced this, his latest book, and his life in general. As Matt is also a composer and illustrator and the book involves both, we also discuss in detail the creation of the music and artwork. Please note that there are mentions of child sexual abuse and attempted suicide in this episode. A transcript is available on my site General references: The Sound Of Picture Books on YouTube Film trailer for The Tree Of Ecstasy And Unbearable Sadness Tina Wilson set up the Lester Prize Books mentioned by name or extensively: Matt Ottley: The Tree Of Ecstasy And Unbearable Sadness Buy the books: UK Release details: recorded 16th April 2024; published 26th August 2024 Where to find Matt online: Website || Facebook || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 00:01:36 The whys of the book - why this story, why produce it in this way, why now (this turns into a larger discussion of Matt's bipolar disorder and how it affects him) 00:13:18 Matt's musical initiative for children, The Sound Of Picture Books 00:19:45 The artistic process of the book, the artwork 00:24:35 The image of the pregnant mother in water, Matt's painting of water in general, and the elephants 00:29:08 The animals in terms of metaphors of unreality, evolution, and mania 00:32:32 Where Matt started in illustration, music, and writing - the discussion revolves mostly around music - and also inspirations 00:42:01 All about the music - composing, recording, the orchestra, choir, and so on 00:52:01 [An extract of music from the score, courtesy of Matt] 00:58:34 Discussing the narration and narrator, Matt's wife, Tina Wilson 01:02:04 The book's text - starting point and so on 01:04:38 Matt tells us about his childhood, family, and experience of bipolar growing up 01:09:34 What's next? (A variety of projects are discussed.) Photo credit: Tina Wilson Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops

1h 16m
AUG 12

103: Kate Weston (You May Now Kill The Bride)

Charlie and Kate Weston (You May Now Kill The Bride) discuss her hilarious comedy thriller wherein a group of friends go on a hen do, one of them is murdered, but they don't stop going to hen dos... Please note there is some swearing in this episode. A transcript is available on my site General references: Below Deck Books mentioned by name or extensively: Kate Weston: Murder On A School Night Kate Weston: You May Now Kill The Bride Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: Recorded 14th March 2024; published 12th August 2024 Where to find Kate online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Where to find Charlie online: website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 01:56 The starting point/inspiration - hen dos (and Kate's own) 06:17 Why the murders? 08:01 How did you plan/write the book? 10:34 Creating the friends and their personalities 14:58 Was there a particular reason why you offed Tansy first? 16:37 Did you want the murderer to be worked out? 18:36 Have you got a favourite character? 20:00 How did you keep the balance between the bonkers and the realistic? 21:55 Jeremy's club 23:34 Could someone else have been the murderer? 25:29 Could DI Ashford and Lauren's thread ever end happily? 27:04 Transitioning from writing YA 28:59 What are you writing now? 29:29 Tell us about your stand-up career Photo credit: Joanna Bongard Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops

30 min
AUG 5

Milestone 05: Liz Fenwick, Emma Cowell, Ronali Collings, Tammye Huf

Celebrating 100 episodes of this podcast, Charlie is Joined by Liz Fenwick, Emma Cowell, Ronali Collings, and Tammye Huf, for a general bookish chat. We start off with an excellent conversation on the industry's use of 'women's fiction' when the genderless 'commerical fiction' would do very well. Please note there is one use of 'damn' in this episode. A transcript is available on my site General references: Leonard Cohen's Bird On A Wire The 'Women in Love' panel Liz was on was part of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2015 The Constant Gardener (film) Desert Island Discs Escape To The Country Books mentioned by name or extensively: Charlotte Brontë: Jane Eyre Elissa Soave: Ginger And Me Emily Brontë: Wuthering Heights Emma Cowell: One Last Letter From Greece Emma Cowell: the House In The Olive Grove Emma Cowell: The Island Love Song John Le Carré: The Constant Gardener Kate Atkinson: Life After Life Liz Fenwick: One Cornish Summer Liz Fenwick: The Secret Shore Paul Auster: The Brooklyn Follies Paul Auster: The New York Trilogy Ronali Collings: All The Single Ladies Sarah Winman: A Year Of Marvellous Ways Tammye Huf: A More Perfect Union Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 6th May 2024; published 5th August 2024 Where to find Liz online: Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || TikTok Where to find Emma online: Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram Where to find Ronali online: Website || Twitter || Instagram Where to find Tammye online: Website || Twitter || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 04:02 What is your genre? (The authors discuss labels in terms of gender expectations and marketing in this vein.) 08:25 How do you books do overseas? 10:40 If you wrote in another genre, which would it be? 15:14 If your book was turned into a film or TV show, who would you want cast in it? 20:33 If you could've written someone else's book, whose would you choose? (Some interesting discussions on individual writing styles here.) 26:01 What is the best fan or reader encounter you've had? 31:50 What do you wish you'd known before you became a published author? (Turns into a longer conversation about the difficulty of writing to a deadline.) 41:28 Can you remember any particularly interesting fact that you discovered in your research that couldn't be included in the book? 44:54 Tell us about what you're currently writing Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops

51 min
JUL 29

Milestone 04: Phillip Lewis, Melissa Fu, Amanda Geard

Celebrating 100 episodes of this podcast, Charlie is joined by Phillip Lewis, Melissa Fu, and Amanda Geard for a general bookish chat. This is a slightly quieter episode with some incredibly poignant and compelling stories. A transcript is available on my site General references: Seamus Heany's Limbo Phillip quotes from Dorothy L Sayers' Unnatural Death. The full quote is "...After all, it isn't really difficult to write books. Especially if you either write a rotten story in good English or a good story in rotten English, which is as far as most people seem to get nowadays." Melissa's episode of The Diverse Bookshelf Amanda's episode of Richard & Judy's podcast Phillip's episode of Charlotte Readers Information about Charles Ray Finch Information about Ronnie Long Netflix's The Staircase The episode of this podcast that includes Dorothy L Sayers is episode 100 with Liz Fenwick Books mentioned by name or extensively: Amanda Geard: The Midnight House Amanda Geard: The Moon Gate David S Rudolph: American Injustice Dodie Smith: I Capture The Castle Dorothy L Sayers: Unnatural Death Frances Hodgson Burnett: The Secret Garden Grace Paley: Enormous Changes At The Last Minute Judy Finnigan: Roseland Melissa Fu: Peach Blossom Spring Phillip Lewis: The Barrowfields Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 28th March 2024; published 29th July 2024 Where to find Phillip online: Website || Twitter || Instagram Where to find Melissa online: Website || Instagram Where to find Amanda online: Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 04:10 What does your genre do and what it is for? 09:48 Where do you write, and where do you like to read? 16:46 What's the nicest thing anyone's said about your books, or the nicest review? 20:29 Tell us about a time when you were a guest on another podcast 25:38 What did you do before you were a published author or what do you do alongside your writing? 33:06 You can have a coffee morning with three other authors. Who are you choosing? 39:44 What bookish event or personal bookish event are you looking forward to within the next few years? Photo credit: Isil Dohnke, Sophie Davidson, Amanda Geard Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops

44 min
JUL 22

102: Manda Scott (Any Human Power)

Charlie and Manda Scott (Any Human Power) discuss her book in terms of its Shamanist contexts, her informed ideas for how we can change and thus improve the UK political system, and playing Dungeons And Dragons with Terry Pratchett and Fay Weldon. We also discuss Mass Multiplayer Online gaming in the context of both Manda's book and, briefly, ourselves - this is an episode wherein two gamers meet. A transcript is available on my site General references: Historical Writer's Association Accidental Gods Podcast Thrutopian Writer's Association Ursula K Le Guin's original quotation, "We live in capitalism, its power seems inescapable - but then, so did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art" is from her speech in acceptance of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, 19th November 2014 Chauvet Cave artwork The writer Charlie couldn't remember is Max Porter, his book is Grief Is The Thing With Feathers World Of Warcraft Guild Wars 2 Doom The Accidental Gods membership program Books mentioned by name or extensively: Isabel Harman: Why We Get The Wrong Politicians Manda Scott: Any Human Power Manda Scott: Boudica Max Porter: Grief Is The Thing With Feathers Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 11th March 2024; published 22nd July 2024 Where to find Manda online: Website || Twitter || Facebook Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 01:50 What was the very initial thought or kernel of this book? 08:52 What Manda would like to see happen in order to start accomplishing the environmental and political goals put forth in Any Human Power 14:13 Lan - why is she dead? 18:00 About the 'spirit guides' in the book, discussing crows 22:02 Lan not stopping the story thread in which Kaitlyn dies 25:42 Manda delves into all the political change in the book and her thoughts on our real UK world in this context 37:10 How far we're meant to like/connect with the characters and how flaws are important 41:16 At the end we have the sense of cycles; do we see a chance for things to change for Lan later on? 43:43 Manda talks about one of her influences, Taiwan's government system 46:22 Talking Manda's use of World Of Warcraft (WoW) in the book, which devolves into a short gaming conversation 50:21 Manda played D&D with Terry Pratchett and Fay Weldon - details 53:07 About Manda's podcast, Accidental Gods 56:30 What Manda's writing now, including book 2 Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops

58 min
JUL 15

Milestone 03: Elissa Soave, Jenni Keer, Chloe Timms

Celebrating 100 episodes of this podcast, Charlie is joined by Elissa Soave, Jenni Keer, and Chloe Timms for a general bookish chat. This one is big on writing, branding, and marketing, and, if Charlie dares says herself, is one of the most fun episodes of this entire show. Please note there is a mild swear word in this episode. A transcript is available on my site General references: Confessions Of A Debut Novelist Groundhog Day Elissa episode with me is number 80 Elissa's episode on Chloe's podcast Chloe's writer's club The Lake House Books mentioned by name or extensively: Chloe Timms: The Seawomen Daphne Du Maurier: Rebecca Elissa Soave: Ginger And Me Elissa Soave: Graffiti Girls Eliza Clark: Penance Guillermo del Toro: The Shape Of Water Janice Galloway: Collected Stories Janice Galloway's The Trick Is To Keep Breathing Jenni Keer: The Secrets Of Hawthorn Place Jenni Keer: At The Stroke Of Midnight Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood: The Testaments Roget's Thesaurus Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 7th March 2024; published 15th July 2024 Where to find Elissa online: Twitter Where to find Jenni online: Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || TikTok Where to find Chloe online: Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 02:21 What is your genre and what does it do, what's it for? 11:31 If you wrote in another genre, which would it be? 17:47 How is your social media strategy? 27:22 What's the best reader or fan encounter you've had? 33:01 If you could have written someone else's book, which book would you choose? 37:17 What is the best writing advice you've ever been given? 43:56 All three tell us what they're currently writing, soon publishing (in two cases), and Elissa also tells us about her November 2024 release Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops

48 min

10/08/2019

The Worm Hole Podcast: Trailer

The trailer for The Worm Hole Podcast, an author interview deep-dive show that focuses on a book (or one or two more), covering themes, characters, the ending, alternative endings, and so forth. Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok

10/08/2019

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1 min

3.5

out of 5

2 Ratings

Join me each second and fourth Monday of the month, when I'll be in conversation with an author about one (occasionally more) of their books. We'll be taking a fairly deep dive, looking at the background, the topics, writing, and the nitty gritty. Expect spoilers and frequent discussions of the endings.

Creator

Charlie Place
Years Active

2019 - 2024
Episodes

112
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© All rights reserved
Show Website

The Worm Hole Podcast