Appearing On Live Radio For The First Time

Over the weekend, I appeared on Hannah’s Bookshelf, which plays on North Manchester FM every Saturday. Hosted by Hannah Kate, the show is about the world of writing and publishing. Hannah runs an independent press called Hic Dragones, and it was a pleasure to go on live radio for the first time.

Initially, I was a little nervous going on a live show, but Hannah was great at taking me through the process. We started by talking about the YA fantasy novel I’d recently finished for my Creative Writing MA, called The Things We Carry. This lead into a wider discussion about the YA genre and fantasy as a whole.

Then, the conversation moved to talking about subgenres like grim dark fantasy and weird westerns. This gave me the chance to speak about my dark western novelette called Shadows At Dawn. The story is about a witch-hunter named Rueben McNab who has to choose between love or duty and face the consequences of his actions.

Next, we spoke about a lack of diversity in the fantasy genre. As a fantasy writer, I like to incorporate people of colour into the worlds I create. Examples of this can be found in my short stories To Thine Own Self and The Wind Rider, which feature protagonists from different ethnic backgrounds.

In the latter hour of the show, Hannah brought up The Library At The End Of Days segment. This is where I had to choose three books that I’d want to save in the event of an Apocalypse. I chose Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien De Castell, American Gods by Neil Gaiman and The Island Of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells. As an animal lover, The Island Of Doctor Moreau means a lot to me, and I was happy that Hannah shared my appreciation for it.

Appearing on the show was a valuable opportunity. Hannah was a fantastic host and her questions were enjoyable to answer.

You can listen to my appearance on the show here.