When you think all is lost as an aspiring writer, hearing how other authors have succeeded is sometimes the pick-me-up you need. With so many podcasts around, who should crime writers listen to?

As an aspiring writer, looking to be published, there are times when you wonder why you bother. You might just be having an off day, feel out of luck, or, when thinking about the journey to being published, you feel like Sisyphus pushing the idea of being a writer uphill without ever getting to the top. And those feelings are compounded by the effort in/results out ratio being skewed the wrong way, the constant self-doubt and the rejection of years of work.

Sometimes you need a pick-me-up. Something to reinvigorate and reenergise you. Something that helps you to believe it’s possible. 

My power-up comes in a podcast by Nadine Matheson. The Conversation with Nadine Matheson is the podcast where authors (predominantly crime fiction) tell their writing story, explore the challenges they’ve experienced and offer advice to other writers.

As the author of the Inspector Anjelica Henley series, Nadine engages in conversation with other authors with a lot of miles on the road of her own journey. Despite having been a published author since 2021, she remains empathetic to the concerns and challenges of aspiring writers. With a wonderfully easy style and approach, she teases gems of insight and inspiration from her guests that, to me, have been invaluable.

Her guests have ranged from debut authors to established best-sellers, and I have benefited from the interviews at both ends of the scale. Some of my favourite guests have been Sarah Vaughan (Anatomy of a Scandal), Dom Nolan (Vine Street), MW Craven (Washington Po series), Remi Kone (Innocent Guilt) and Linwood Barclay (No Time for Goodbye). And that’s only in the last year or so. With over 200 episodes, there are so many others that have been a brilliant listen.

The S.A. Cosby interviews, however, are episodes I could return to again and again. Not only is there a fantastic rapport between two great writers, but they both impart great advice and insight from their experiences. Both the 2024 and 2025 interviews are well worth a listen. Cosby is a delight as he discusses his books Blacktop Wasteland, Razorblade Tears, All the Sinners Bleed and King of Ashes in such an open, honest and candid way.

Not all 200 episodes are gold. There’s the odd writer who bemoans having to write for a living when, I suspect, a large proportion of the listenership would kill to jack in the day job and write crime fiction all day. That said, those episodes are few and far between.

Because of Nadine’s personality and generosity, it feels like she does care about how aspiring writers feel, develop and grow. Perhaps that’s why I take so much from her podcasts. They energise, encourage and empower me to continue writing. Most importantly, they give me hope.

The most impactful for me, an aspiring writer in my early fifties, is listening to other late bloomers and hearing that it is possible to get a book away when you’re older. It’s encouraging, too, to hear about how many times people have been rejected yet still succeed, and how luck has played such a huge part in a lot of the writers’ journeys to being published.

There have been days (more than I realised, when I think on it), where I have felt like all the effort, all the hours, and all the energy have been for nothing. Listening to The Conversation has often helped lift me from my slump. It’s not a miracle cure, but Nadine has helped slow the fall and, sometimes, been the soft landing before I crawl back up.

I’ve met Nadine only once. And I made a right pickle of saying ‘thank you’. I hung around and waited, like a bad smell, until she finished chatting with readers before I made a clumsy approach. I had, in my head, so much I wanted to say, but it came out so badly I may as well have said, “I carried a watermelon” (Dirty Dancing reference). I think I mumbled something about thank you and inspiration before leaving in a rush. It was a car crash, an embarrassment and a reminder of why she’s a presenter on a podcast and I’m not.

So, if you’re an aspiring crime fiction writer and you’re asking why you bother doing what you’re doing, have a listen to The Conversation. It will help you pick up your pen and give you hope.

Listen to The Conversation with Nadine Matheson here.

Nadine Matheson’s debut book, The Jigsaw Man, is a great read and well worth investing in.