I first encountered Amanda when she was children’s book critic for The Times, and was a judge on the Times/Chicken House competition that won me my first book contract, for Threads. As a journalist and reviewer she has been a huge champion of what she calls the third golden age of children’s literature, spotting Harry Potter, His Dark Materials and The Hunger Games in their early days. 

 

As she is also the author of nine novels, I was keen to find out about her own writing process. We also discuss the hard truths about sustaining yourself as a novelist, the importance – as always – of libraries, and what is it that makes a busy book reviewer sit up and take notice of a new fiction title. 

 

We recorded this episode in May 2021. I hope you enjoy our conversation. 

 

 

NOTES:

 

Amanda’s website: https://www.amandacraig.com

Widowland by SJ Carey: https://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/titles/c-j-carey/widowland/9781529412017/