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Lisa Rookes: The Chaos and Glory of a Writer's Journey

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Manage episode 497117778 series 3428806
Content provided by Nadine Matheson. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Nadine Matheson or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

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Buy Me A Cup of Coffee and exclusive 'The Conversation' Merch

Ever wondered what happens after you land that dream literary agent? Award-winning journalist and novelist Lisa Rookes pulls back the curtain on publishing's hidden realities in this eye-opening conversation with Nadine Matheson.
Lisa shares her journey from early agent excitement (receiving eight offers of representation!), the sobering reality when her manuscript didn't sell and her new novel, The Empty Cradle. Through candid storytelling, Lisa dismantles the myth that good writing automatically leads to publishing success, explaining how timing, market trends, and commercial factors often matter more than quality.

The Empty Cradle

Amy's so sure that her husband, Joel, is deeply invested in their future together. After all, it's his dream of a family together that has them trying so hard to have a baby, despite a series of disappointments. It's this certainty that leaves Amy absolutely floored when she learns of Joel's affair with her best friend.
Heartbroken and horrified, Amy flees to a dilapidated cottage in a Yorkshire village, a place she'd bought with dreams of making it feel homey and warm. In the new village, she feels like a clear outsider, but a group of local women soon take her under their wing. They gather for a routine book club, they say. Before Amy knows it, these women are in her life, and in her home.
Amy wakes one night to find herself outside in the fields. Strange offerings seem to be left on her doorstep. And the surveillance camera she installs shows shapes creeping around her house in the night. Strangest of all, she suddenly finds she's pregnant. A pregnancy that feels like a cruel joke.
The book club is incredibly invested in Amy's pregnancy. And it might just be in Amy's mind, but the women's interest doesn't always seem safe. What do the women want with her? And what do they want with her baby?

Support the show

"Enjoying 'The Conversation'? Support the podcast by buying me a cup of coffee ☕️! Every contribution helps keep the show going.
https://ko-fi.com/nadinematheson
Don't forget to subscribe, download and review.
You can purchase books by the authors featured in our conversations through my affiliate shop on Bookshop.org. By using this link, you’ll be supporting independent bookstores, and I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Follow Me:
www.nadinematheson.com

BlueSky: @nadinematheson.com Substack: @nadinematheson Instagram: @queennads
Threads: @nadinematheson Facebook: nadinemathesonbooks
TikTok: @writer_nadinematheson

"Enjoying 'The Conversation'? Support the podcast by buying me a cup of coffee ☕️! Every contribution helps keep the show going.

https://ko-fi.com/nadinematheson


Don't forget to subscribe, download and review.


You can purchase books by the authors featured in our conversations through my affiliate shop on Bookshop.org. By using this link, you’ll be supporting independent bookstores, and I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  continue reading

Chapters

1. Lisa Rookes: The Chaos and Glory of a Writer's Journey (00:00:00)

2. [Ad] The Not What I Thought Podcast (00:11:59)

3. (Cont.) Lisa Rookes: The Chaos and Glory of a Writer's Journey (00:12:49)

151 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 497117778 series 3428806
Content provided by Nadine Matheson. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Nadine Matheson or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Send us a text

Buy Me A Cup of Coffee and exclusive 'The Conversation' Merch

Ever wondered what happens after you land that dream literary agent? Award-winning journalist and novelist Lisa Rookes pulls back the curtain on publishing's hidden realities in this eye-opening conversation with Nadine Matheson.
Lisa shares her journey from early agent excitement (receiving eight offers of representation!), the sobering reality when her manuscript didn't sell and her new novel, The Empty Cradle. Through candid storytelling, Lisa dismantles the myth that good writing automatically leads to publishing success, explaining how timing, market trends, and commercial factors often matter more than quality.

The Empty Cradle

Amy's so sure that her husband, Joel, is deeply invested in their future together. After all, it's his dream of a family together that has them trying so hard to have a baby, despite a series of disappointments. It's this certainty that leaves Amy absolutely floored when she learns of Joel's affair with her best friend.
Heartbroken and horrified, Amy flees to a dilapidated cottage in a Yorkshire village, a place she'd bought with dreams of making it feel homey and warm. In the new village, she feels like a clear outsider, but a group of local women soon take her under their wing. They gather for a routine book club, they say. Before Amy knows it, these women are in her life, and in her home.
Amy wakes one night to find herself outside in the fields. Strange offerings seem to be left on her doorstep. And the surveillance camera she installs shows shapes creeping around her house in the night. Strangest of all, she suddenly finds she's pregnant. A pregnancy that feels like a cruel joke.
The book club is incredibly invested in Amy's pregnancy. And it might just be in Amy's mind, but the women's interest doesn't always seem safe. What do the women want with her? And what do they want with her baby?

Support the show

"Enjoying 'The Conversation'? Support the podcast by buying me a cup of coffee ☕️! Every contribution helps keep the show going.
https://ko-fi.com/nadinematheson
Don't forget to subscribe, download and review.
You can purchase books by the authors featured in our conversations through my affiliate shop on Bookshop.org. By using this link, you’ll be supporting independent bookstores, and I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Follow Me:
www.nadinematheson.com

BlueSky: @nadinematheson.com Substack: @nadinematheson Instagram: @queennads
Threads: @nadinematheson Facebook: nadinemathesonbooks
TikTok: @writer_nadinematheson

"Enjoying 'The Conversation'? Support the podcast by buying me a cup of coffee ☕️! Every contribution helps keep the show going.

https://ko-fi.com/nadinematheson


Don't forget to subscribe, download and review.


You can purchase books by the authors featured in our conversations through my affiliate shop on Bookshop.org. By using this link, you’ll be supporting independent bookstores, and I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  continue reading

Chapters

1. Lisa Rookes: The Chaos and Glory of a Writer's Journey (00:00:00)

2. [Ad] The Not What I Thought Podcast (00:11:59)

3. (Cont.) Lisa Rookes: The Chaos and Glory of a Writer's Journey (00:12:49)

151 episodes

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