26. History & lies (part 1): We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan chat & laugh with Subhadra Das, writer, historian, broadcaster, comedian & curator, about her book, Uncivilised: Ten Lies That Made The West. Subhadra looks at the relationship between science & society. She specialises in the history & philosophy of science, particular…

25. History & lies (part 2): We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan chat & laugh with Subhadra Das, writer, historian, broadcaster, comedian & curator, about her book, Uncivilised: Ten Lies That Made The West. Subhadra looks at the relationship between science & society. She specialises in the history & philosophy of science, particular…

24. History & lies (part 3): We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan chat & laugh with Subhadra Das, writer, historian, broadcaster, comedian & curator, about her book, Uncivilised: Ten Lies That Made The West. Subhadra looks at the relationship between science & society. She specialises in the history & philosophy of science, particular…

23. Announcing the new IGF Archer-Amish Award for Literature: We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan hear from bestselling authors and prize judges Jeffrey Archer & Amish Tripathi about the new IGF (India Global Forum) Archer-Amish Award for Literature. The prize is $25,000 & it's not just for Indians - but listen carefully to hear the …

22. We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Jonathan Kennedy interview stars of Indian & Irish literature and film making at the 2024 Jaipur Literature Festival at the British Library in London. (It's possible that Paul repeatedly referred to it as the Jaipur Literary Festival, but let's not quibble.) We hear from the man who is at every Indian gather…

21. Khushwant Singh Lit Fest: Indian, Pakistani & Bangladeshi authors - In this special We'd Like A Word India episode at the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival, co-hosts Paul Waters & Jonathan Kennedy (standing in for Stevyn Colgan) hear ideas from top authors of fiction, non-fiction, memoir & poetry & other experts. WARNING - one of our interviewe…

20. John Hegley at Milton's Cottage: The BBC radio & Edinburgh Fringe favourite, British national treasure, poet, musician & comedian, John Hegley joins We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan to perform & chat in front of an intimate live audience inside Milton's Cottage in Chalfont St Giles, where John Milton wrote his epic poem Paradi…

19. Mark Ecob on book cover design (part 1): The award-winning book cover designer, Mark Ecob, aka Mecob, tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how he does it. We also talk about in this 3 part episode: Ben Okri & Tiger Work, Alexander McCall Smith, Piers Torday, sustainable publishing & the Society of Authors, Roald Dahl, Amazon…

18. Mark Ecob on book cover design (part 2): The award-winning book cover designer, Mark Ecob, aka Mecob, tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how he does it. We also talk about in this 3 part episode: Ben Okri & Tiger Work, Alexander McCall Smith, Piers Torday, sustainable publishing & the Society of Authors, Roald Dahl, Amazon…

17. Mark Ecob on book cover design (part 3): The award-winning book cover designer, Mark Ecob, aka Mecob, tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how he does it. We also talk about in this 3 part episode: Ben Okri & Tiger Work, Alexander McCall Smith, Piers Torday, sustainable publishing & the Society of Authors, Roald Dahl, Amazon…

16. Chiltern Kills crime writing festival with Frederick Forsyth & many more top authors: Thriller writing icon Frederick Forsyth tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about his legacy & his first ever appearance at a literary festival in this one-part episode. It was recorded (mostly) live at the Chiltern Kills festival in Gerra…

Jeffrey Archer on storytelling (part 1): The globally bestselling (more than 300m books sold) storyteller Jeffrey Archer tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how he does it. Jeffrey takes research to extremes - he been to prison, been an MP and is now in the House of Lords. He reads from his latest rip roaring thriller is Traito…

Jeffrey Archer on storytelling (part 2): The globally bestselling (more than 300m books sold) storyteller Jeffrey Archer tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how he does it. Jeffrey takes research to extremes - he been to prison, been an MP and is now in the House of Lords. He reads from his latest rip roaring thriller is Traito…

Jeffrey Archer on storytelling (part 3): The globally bestselling (more than 300m books sold) storyteller Jeffrey Archer tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how he does it. Jeffrey takes research to extremes - he been to prison, been an MP and is now in the House of Lords. He reads from his latest rip roaring thriller is Traito…

Win a Google Pixel Fold phone + Ajay Chowdhury on AI & writing books (part 1): Crime author & tech entrepreneur Ajay Chowdhury tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about how he uses artificial intelligence tools to help him write his excellent Detective Kamil Rahman series. Plus answer a question in this 3-part podcast for a cha…

Win a Google Pixel Fold phone + Ajay Chowdhury on AI & writing books (part 2): Crime author & tech entrepreneur Ajay Chowdhury tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about how he uses artificial intelligence tools to help him write his excellent Detective Kamil Rahman series. Plus answer a question in this 3-part podcast for a cha…

Win a Google Pixel Fold phone + Ajay Chowdhury on AI & writing books (part 3): Crime author & tech entrepreneur Ajay Chowdhury tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about how he uses artificial intelligence tools to help him write his excellent Detective Kamil Rahman series. Plus answer a question in this 3-part podcast for a cha…

Amish (part 1) on writing Indian history as fiction: Diplomat, TV star & author Amish tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about writing new versions of classic Indian epics like the Ramayana. He shares how he creates bestselling series that sell millions of copies faster than any others in India. But how does he keep it excitin…

Amish (part 2) on writing Indian history as fiction: Diplomat, TV star & author Amish tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about writing new versions of classic Indian epics like the Ramayana. He shares how he creates bestselling series that sell millions of copies faster than any others in India. But how does he keep it excitin…

Amish (part 3) on writing Indian history as fiction: Diplomat, TV star & author Amish tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about writing new versions of classic Indian epics like the Ramayana. He shares how he creates bestselling series that sell millions of copies faster than any others in India. But how does he keep it excitin…

Romance (part 1): Movie star Michael Douglas, authors Georgina Moore & Becky Hunter tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about writing romance, authors supporting other authors, & reading to counter depression. Hollywood star & double-Oscar-winning Michael Douglas has had a string of hit films including Basic Instinct, Fatal Attr…

Romance (part 2): Movie star Michael Douglas, authors Georgina Moore & Becky Hunter tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about writing romance, authors supporting other authors, & reading to counter depression. Hollywood star & double-Oscar-winning Michael Douglas has had a string of hit films including Basic Instinct, Fatal Attr…

Romance (part 3): Movie star Michael Douglas, authors Georgina Moore & Becky Hunter tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about writing romance, authors supporting other authors, & reading to counter depression. Hollywood star & double-Oscar-winning Michael Douglas has had a string of hit films including Basic Instinct, Fatal Attr…

Climate Change Fiction (part 1): Peter May & Paul Hardisty tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about bringing our climate emergency into mainstream popular fiction. Peter May's new crime thriller A Winter Grave (published by riverrun), & is set in Scotland in 2051. Paul Hardisty's adventure thriller The Forcing (published by Ore…

Climate Change Fiction (part 2): Peter May & Paul Hardisty tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about bringing our climate emergency into mainstream popular fiction. Peter May's new crime thriller A Winter Grave (published by riverrun), & is set in Scotland in 2051. Paul Hardisty's adventure thriller The Forcing (published by Ore…

Climate Change Fiction (part 3): Peter May & Paul Hardisty tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about bringing our climate emergency into mainstream popular fiction. Peter May's new crime thriller A Winter Grave (published by riverrun), & is set in Scotland in 2051. Paul Hardisty's adventure thriller The Forcing (published by Ore…

Writing dynasties (part 1): Felix Francis, Andrew Child/Grant & Rajmohan Gandhi tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about taking on a big book brand or carrying on a family writing tradition. It's different from continuation novels, they say, like when Anthony Horowitz took on Ian Fleming's James Bond character (see episode 4, s…

Writing dynasties (part 2): Felix Francis, Andrew Child/Grant & Rajmohan Gandhi tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about taking on a big book brand or carrying on a family writing tradition. It's different from continuation novels, they say, like when Anthony Horowitz took on Ian Fleming's James Bond character (see episode 4, s…

Writing dynasties (part 3): Felix Francis, Andrew Child/Grant & Rajmohan Gandhi tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about taking on a big book brand or carrying on a family writing tradition. It's different from continuation novels, they say, like when Anthony Horowitz took on Ian Fleming's James Bond character (see episode 4, s…

Writing dynasties (part 4): Felix Francis, Andrew Child/Grant & Rajmohan Gandhi tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about taking on a big book brand or carrying on a family writing tradition. It's different from continuation novels, they say, like when Anthony Horowitz took on Ian Fleming's James Bond character (see episode 4, s…

Writing history & India (part 1): Shashi Tharoor & William Dalrymple tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about how they write history, how they got started, why history is important, how history is used as a weapon in today's culture wars, & who has the right to write a country's history. Shashi tells us about his least favourit…

Writing history & India (part 2): Shashi Tharoor & William Dalrymple tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about how they write history, how they got started, why history is important, how history is used as a weapon in today's culture wars, & who has the right to write a country's history. Shashi tells us about his least favourit…

Writing history & India (part 3): Shashi Tharoor & William Dalrymple tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about how they write history, how they got started, why history is important, how history is used as a weapon in today's culture wars, & who has the right to write a country's history. Shashi tells us about his least favourit…

Diversity & short story anthologies (part 1): Authors Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how they edited their recently published short story anthologies. Vaseem is co-editor (With Maxim Jakubowski) of The Perfect Crime: 22 Crime Stories from Diverse Cultures Around the World, published by Harper Collins…

Diversity & short story anthologies (part 2): Authors Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how they edited their recently published short story anthologies. Vaseem is co-editor (With Maxim Jakubowski) of The Perfect Crime: 22 Crime Stories from Diverse Cultures Around the World, published by Harper Collins…

Diversity & short story anthologies (part 3): Authors Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how they edited their recently published short story anthologies. Vaseem is co-editor (With Maxim Jakubowski) of The Perfect Crime: 22 Crime Stories from Diverse Cultures Around the World, published by Harper Collins…

53. Independent Bookshop Week with Conn Iggulden, Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow: In this one-part minisode of the We'd Like A Word books & authors podcast, hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan hear from writers Conn Iggulden, Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow about their favourite indie bookshops, and visit Sheryl Surville, owner of the Chorleywood and Gerrards Cross…

52. Cult author Will Carver (part 1) joins We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan to discuss the nature of evil, in front of a live audience inside the historic & beautiful Milton's Cottage in Chalfont St Giles, where John Milton dictated the epic poem, Paradise Lost. This event was for a select audience as part of the Chalfont St Giles…

51. Cult author Will Carver (part 2) joins We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan to discuss the nature of evil, in front of a live audience inside the historic & beautiful Milton's Cottage in Chalfont St Giles, where John Milton dictated the epic poem, Paradise Lost. This event was for a select audience as part of the Chalfont St Giles…

50. Cult author Will Carver (part 3) joins We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan to discuss the nature of evil, in front of a live audience inside the historic & beautiful Milton's Cottage in Chalfont St Giles, where John Milton dictated the epic poem, Paradise Lost. This event was for a select audience as part of the Chalfont St Giles…

49. Rachael Blok (part 1) joins We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, & a live audience inside the historic & beautiful Milton's Cottage in Chalfont St Giles, where John Milton wrote (or dictated) the epic poem, Paradise Lost. We're inside this little living museum because Rachael's new book, The Fall, is inspired by Paradise Lost. It…

48. Rachael Blok (part 2) joins We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, & a live audience inside the historic & beautiful Milton's Cottage in Chalfont St Giles, where John Milton wrote (or dictated) the epic poem, Paradise Lost. We're inside this little living museum because Rachael's new book, The Fall, is inspired by Paradise Lost. It…

47. Rachael Blok (part 3) joins We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, & a live audience inside the historic & beautiful Milton's Cottage in Chalfont St Giles, where John Milton wrote (or dictated) the epic poem, Paradise Lost. We're inside this little living museum because Rachael's new book, The Fall, is inspired by Paradise Lost. It…

46. Writers in Pakistan & India (part 1): Awais Khan, Amitav Ghosh & Vikram Chandra join presenters Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan on the We'd Like A Word books & authors podcast, with insights into how they write, advice for new authors & books they love. Awais Khan, from Lahore in Pakistan, is the author of two novels - In The Company of Strangers (…

45. Writers in Pakistan & India (part 2): Awais Khan, Amitav Ghosh & Vikram Chandra join presenters Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan on the We'd Like A Word books & authors podcast, with insights into how they write, advice for new authors & books they love. Awais Khan, from Lahore in Pakistan, is the author of two novels - In The Company of Strangers (…

44. Writers in Pakistan & India (part 3): Awais Khan, Amitav Ghosh & Vikram Chandra join presenters Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan on the We'd Like A Word books & authors podcast, with insights into how they write, advice for new authors & books they love. Awais Khan, from Lahore in Pakistan, is the author of two novels - In The Company of Strangers (…

43. The mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie (part 1): Nina de Gramont, author of The Christie Affair, tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters and Stevyn Colgan what might have happened when the famous murder mystery writer disappeared for 11 days in 1926. Nina talks about the original real life disappearance, the various theories and her o…

42. The mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie (part 2): Nina de Gramont, author of The Christie Affair, tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters and Stevyn Colgan what might have happened when the famous murder mystery writer disappeared for 11 days in 1926. Nina talks about the original real life disappearance, the various theories and her o…

41. Death In Paradise (part 1) with Robert Thorogood, author of The Marlow Murder Club: In this episode of We'd Like A Word, recorded in front of a live audience at Wycombe Arts Centre in support of Wycombe Food Hub (& the Arts Centre), presenters Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan hear from Robert Thorogood about how he created the long-running very popu…

40. Death In Paradise (part 2) with Robert Thorogood, author of The Marlow Murder Club: In this episode of We'd Like A Word, recorded in front of a live audience at Wycombe Arts Centre in support of Wycombe Food Hub (& the Arts Centre), presenters Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan hear from Robert Thorogood about how he created the long-running very popu…