The First Guest on Books With Hooks is Publishing! & The Protagonist as an Outsider
About this episode
Bianca Marais interviews debut authors Ruth Newton and Jackie McMahon about their publishing journeys and the craft of writing.
In part one of this week’s episode, Bianca Marais chats with debut author Ruth Newton about the journey from being the very first Books with Hooks guest to publishing her novel, ‘ The Carrier’ . Ruth shares how a chance glimpse of a truck sparked the book’s high-concept premise, why speculative fiction gave her the freedom to explore complex emotional themes, and how competitions, deadlines, and feedback helped shape her path to publication. They discuss worldbuilding, working through major editorial revisions, balancing concept with character, and the fascinating real-world science behind the novel’s exploration of emotion, trauma, and the gut microbiome. In part two of this week’s episode, Jackie McMahon joins Bianca Marais to discuss her debut historical mystery, ‘ The Cloak and Dagger Club’ . Jackie shares the surprising path that led from a Books with Hooks critique and an unpublished manuscript to a two-book deal with Berkeley, proving that every project can open unexpected doors. The conversation explores the real-life detection club that inspired the novel, the appeal of setting mysteries in the golden age of crime fiction, and the craft behind managing multiple POVs, a…
People in this episode
Host: Bianca Marais
Guests: Ruth Newton, Jackie McMahon
Topics covered
- publishing journey
- speculative fiction
- worldbuilding
- historical mystery
- multiple POVs
- emotional themes
Keywords
- debut author
- emotional trauma
- gut microbiome
- murder mystery
- golden age of crime fiction
- editorial revisions
- literary history
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Wendy Sherman Associates, P.S. Literary Agency
Books & works: The Carrier, The Cloak and Dagger Club
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