<p>I first encountered Amanda when she was children’s book critic for The Times, and was a judge on the Times/Chicken House competition that won me my first book contract, for Threads. As a journalist and reviewer she has been a huge champion of what she calls the third golden age of children’s literature, spotting Harry Potter, His Dark Materials and The Hunger Games in their early days. </p><p> </p><p>As she is also the author of nine novels, I was keen to find out about her own writing process. We also discuss the hard truths about sustaining yourself as a novelist, the importance – as always – of libraries, and what is it that makes a busy book reviewer sit up and take notice of a new fiction title. </p><p> </p><p>We recorded this episode in May 2021. I hope you enjoy our conversation. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>NOTES:</p><p> </p><p>Amanda’s website: <a href="https://www.amandacraig.com/">https://www.amandacraig.com</a></p><p>Widowland by SJ Carey: <a href="https://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/titles/c-j-carey/widowland/9781529412017/">https://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/titles/c-j-carey/widowland/9781529412017/</a></p>