100: Kathryn Sharman on The Second Home, Psychological Suspense and Small-Town Secrets

104: Dave Goodman on Solitary Agents: Secrets, Spies and Second Chances

This week on In My Good Books, I'm joined once again by author Dave Goodman, and this time we're recording in person on publication day for his brilliant new novel, Solitary Agents. Dave first appeared on the podcast as part of my Bloody Scotland Debut Prize series before going on to win both the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize and the McIlvanney Prize. Since then, it's been a whirlwind year of book launches, awards, festivals and a brand-new book deal. We discuss Solitary Agents, the second novel in Dave's acclaimed Legends spy series, which sees Jamie Tulloch leave behind his ordinary life and step fully into the world of espionage. We talk about the inspiration behind the novel, the fascinating world of spy training exercises, and how Dave creates the realistic tradecraft that readers love. We also discuss: * Why Dave recently reduced his day job to part-time * The challenge of balancing writing with the business of being an author * Creating fan-favourite characters including Jamie Tulloch and Sam Lee * Researching espionage and intelligence work * Writing cinematic action scenes * The real-life locations that inspired the novel * Why readers often tell Dave his books feel like TV dramas * His newly announced science-fiction novel Shards of Starlight * Building multiple series and creating fictional worlds If you're a fan of spy fiction, crime thrillers, espionage novels or simply love hearing about the realities of becoming a successful author, this is a fascinating conversation. Find Dave here: https://www.instagram.com/davegoodmanauthor/ Buy Solitary Agents: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/solitary-agents-david-goodman/b24995e441e6b289?ean=9781035434145&next=t Rat Race by Callum McSorley: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/rat-race-callum-mcsorley/1023cf9154263b59?ean=9781805336396&next=t

103: Bloody Scotland 2026 Programme Launch Special | Exclusive Interviews and Festival Highlights

In this special bonus episode of In My Good Books, Susie heads to the launch of the Bloody Scotland 2026 programme to bring listeners an exclusive preview of Scotland's biggest international crime writing festival. Taking place in Stirling from 18–20 September 2026, Bloody Scotland returns with an outstanding line-up of bestselling authors, international guests, world-premiere events and one of the strongest debut prize shortlists in the festival's history. Susie speaks to this year's Guest Programmer, Denise Mina, about bringing authors including Lee Child, Jane Harper, Tana French and S.A. Cosby to Stirling, why Bloody Scotland has become such a special event on the international crime fiction calendar, and the world premiere stage adaptation of her novel Rizzio. She also catches up with Bloody Scotland founders Alex Gray and Lin Anderson, who look back on the festival's beginnings in 2012, share the story behind the name Bloody Scotland, and reflect on how their ambitious idea grew into one of the world's leading crime fiction festivals. Programme Director Bob McDevitt joins the podcast to discuss this year's headline events, the impact of having Denise Mina as Guest Programmer, and the panels he believes crime fiction fans should add to their schedules immediately. Finally, Susie sits down with four of the five authors shortlisted for the 2026 Bloody Scotland Debut Prize: Frances Crawford (A Bad Bad Place), Kirsty Lockwood (We Know What You Did), Linda Duncan McLaughlin (Original Sins), and Mae Rinaldi (Liar Thief). The authors discuss their reactions to being shortlisted, the stories behind their novels, and what they're most excited to experience at this year's festival. The fifth shortlisted author, Zoe Rankin (The Vanishing Place), also features in a special clip from her previous appearance on the podcast. Whether you're already booked for Stirling or thinking about attending for the first time, this episode is your essential guide to Bloody Scotland 2026.

102: Out BookFest: Scotland's First Queer Book Festival

In this episode of In My Good Books, I’m joined by Jasmine from The Book Nook Stirling and Scott from Stirling Pride to discuss Out BookFest, Scotland’s newest book festival and the country’s first festival dedicated entirely to celebrating queer authors and LGBTQ+ voices. Taking place at the Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum on 17th October, Out BookFest brings together an incredible line-up of authors, historians, podcasters and literary voices for a day of discussion, storytelling and celebration. We chat about how the festival came to life, the challenges of organising a brand-new literary event, and why creating a welcoming space for queer authors felt so important. Plus, Jasmine and Scott recommend some fantastic books, including John of John, Exodus, The Unfamiliar, The Young Team and Yesteryear. If you love book festivals, discovering new authors, Scottish literature, queer storytelling and conversations about the publishing world, this episode is for you. Follow Out BookFest for festival updates: https://www.instagram.com/out_bookfest/ Buy tickets here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/outbookfest?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGnayh6hwsYo0VHIre3XogxVg-wacSMR16nWJMnhY8nMUDDRdInaZTcoBeKQCs_aem_jqWxq-Tpqw0TmtbOkgQMJg

101: Matt Cain: The Castle of Stories, LGBTQ+ Fiction & Pansy Publishing

This week on In My Good Books, Susie is joined by bestselling author, journalist and LGBTQ+ advocate Matt Cain to kick off Pride Month with a warm, funny and thought-provoking conversation about storytelling, identity, publishing and queer history. Matt chats about his uplifting new novel The Castle of Stories, a beautiful story set in a real-life Italian castle inherited by his husband’s family. The novel follows a newly blended family spending the summer restoring the crumbling property, only to uncover hidden secrets from the past through old letters and photographs. The conversation also explores LGBTQ+ history and the importance of preserving stories that were often erased or hidden. Matt shares how his role as a patron of LGBTQ+ History Month has influenced his writing and explains why fiction can help fill in the gaps left behind by history. Matt also opens up about his experiences in publishing and why he decided to launch his own independent LGBTQ+ publisher, Pansy Publishing. He talks candidly about the challenges queer authors still face in commercial fiction, the importance of making books accessible to everyone and why reading should never feel elitist or intimidating. There’s also plenty of behind-the-scenes chat about Matt’s new Substack diary project, where he plans to share the realities of life as an author and publisher — including plenty of publishing industry gossip. You can subscribe here: https://substack.com/@mattcainwriter Books discussed in this episode include: The Mercy Step by Marsha Hutchinson Human Animal by Seth Insua Fruit Fly by Josh Silver Plus, Matt gives a sneak peek at the historical fiction project he’s currently working on. Whether you’re looking for your next Pride Month read, interested in the future of queer publishing, or simply love uplifting conversations about books and creativity, this is an episode you won’t want to miss. You can follow Matt Cain online and find out more about The Castle of Stories and Pansy Publishing here: https://www.mattcainwriter.com/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGn9eSVxN6Rul1iD7752aFdpwsE2-obMOPJPfsNqJg_7YGh0LNtQvGkXYtDJ7s_aem_6Z57qPJofLY0rKJLGGRarQ https://pansybooks.co.uk/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGnXu5j1NNnoyex3a1OvBRgrBhxVOw_-Lk1claV4LHy1MD3upzp28YJkxzO_64_aem_GdKvKWv53eRoK_ubjlmt4g You can buy The Castle of Stories here: https://pansybooks.co.uk/linktree/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGnEcdmz3Tk5qjfQ1woMaVWjHDF9G7CZASZ2Oq8I46n2g03E47mKBLCEvILNw8_aem_QOGAEdeFkVxlaiE1zlbD7w

100: Kathryn Sharman on The Second Home, Psychological Suspense and Small-Town Secrets

In this episode of In My Good Books, I’m joined once again by bestselling psychological thriller author Kathryn Sharman to chat about her brilliant new novel, The Second Home. Following the success of The Family at Number 23, Kathryn returns with another domestic suspense novel — this time set in a coastal community where simmering tensions around tourism, second homes and privilege threaten to boil over. We discuss the inspiration behind the story, including Kathryn’s own holiday experience that sparked the initial idea, and why she wanted to explore the complicated reality of tourism in seaside towns. We also chat about creating morally complex female characters, why homes and property have become such a strong part of Kathryn’s author brand, and how she builds atmosphere and setting into her thrillers. Plus, we discuss: * The nuance of second-home ownership and Airbnb culture * Writing characters readers don’t always know whether to trust * The strange experience of friends and family reading your work * Kathryn’s new two-book deal If you love psychological thrillers packed with secrets, tension, family drama and beautifully observed social commentary, this is an episode you won’t want to miss. Find Kathryn here: https://www.instagram.com/kathryn.sharman/ Buy The Second Home: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-second-home-an-addictive-page-turning-psychological-thriller-with-a-killer-twist-kathryn-sharman/c1fb19de27735b09?ean=9781399747189&next=t Books recommended in this episode: Home Sweet Home: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/home-sweet-home-a-twisty-new-domestic-thriller-from-the-author-of-the-perfect-guest-ruth-irons/4cc7baa88a9b75da?ean=9781785307553&next=t Connie: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/connie-charlotte-duckworth/7954481?ean=9781529430639&next=t