The monthly update and reflection on my creative projects…

It’s been a busy few weeks since my last progress report. So much so that I’ve had to place a couple of projects on the back burner, where they’ll sit until I have time to give them my full attention. But this leaves the question – how have I been getting on with the projects I prioritised?

The Dale Hurst Writing Show – Season 3

The big one for this month, of course, is the launch of the third season of my podcast, The Dale Hurst Writing Show. Having learned from previous mistakes, I started production on this back in April. Including interviewing my first guest of the series, the novelist Awais Khan. For a couple of episodes, at least, I’ve gone for a more serious vibe; discussing how to research and write more challenging themes like knife crime and honour killings. That episode kicked the season off on Thursday 3 August. Listen now if you haven’t already.

As always, I’ve loved producing the show; not least because I get to meet such interesting creative people. Whether that’s brilliant young screenwriters, experienced novelists and academics, or actors in an Italian theatre company.

You Can Hear Chopin from the Attic

While the podcast had to take precedence, I still made time to work on my ongoing first draft of You Can Hear Chopin from the Attic. For any new visitors, this is my third novel, a World War II thriller set in a Berlin hotel. In my last progress report, I mentioned that my protagonists had hit pivotal points in their arcs. My hotelier Heinrich is now making plans for a dangerous escape from the city; meanwhile his deputy manager Cordelia mourns a fallen comrade and hopes for a chance of redemption after her failures put everyone at greater risk. The stage I’m at now, is when the net is closing in.

I’ve also taken the occasion to inject a bit of true history into the storyline. I only do this sparingly in my historical works. The history should be for backdrop primarily; I would only ever use specifics when relevant to character or plot development. And so I’m including the real-life bombing of the Hotel Kaiserhof in November 1943 to advance character traits, mainly in Heinrich.

Find out more about You Can Hear Chopin from the Attic.

Other projects

As I said, I’ve had to put pins in the other work I had going on. I’m on course to finish a draft of the third book by December. But I am hoping to work on short pieces in between.

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A message to fans, writers and storytellers alike… the wait is over. The Dale Hurst Writing Show Season 3 is on its way…

When the first season of our podcast The Dale Hurst Writing Show came to a close, there was some debate over whether we’d return for a second. But our fanbase appreciated enough to request Season 2, which we delivered last year. The feedback during that second season was overwhelmingly positive and so The Dale Hurst Writing Show Season 3 was a no-brainer. Had to be done. And now, we can reveal it is due for launch in the next couple of weeks. Listen to the trailer now.

What can listeners expect?

Listeners and guests alike have praised the show’s format, referring to it as easy to listen to, informative, and in many ways different to other writing podcasts. With this in mind, we’ve tried to go with more of the same. A new episode released every fortnight leading up to Christmas. Guests on The Dale Hurst Writing Show Season 3 will range from traditionally published authors to up-and-coming screenwriters; from filmmakers with huge followings to members of the publishing industry. As usual, we tried to deliver a mixture. All of them discussing topics and issues from the worlds of writing, publishing and storytelling.

This season will include a couple of episodes that tackle more serious issues from a writing standpoint. Themes including the cost of living crisis, female honour, and knife crime. Other topics include the role of the commissioning department in publishing, how much magic is too much in fantasy, and scripting a TV series from start to finish.

Another small addition to the proceedings is a focus on advice for aspiring and new writers and storytellers. Those who may be starting out on their careers or even just toying with the idea. This season, our guests offer tips and advice, warn of traps and bust myths, based on their own experiences.

Who will feature in The Dale Hurst Writing Show Season 3?

As with previous seasons, Season 3 will comprise ten episodes, including a Christmas special to serve as a finale. And as previously mentioned, we have invited a mixture of writers and storytellers from a variety of backgrounds, genres and areas of the industry to discuss topics relating to their own expertise.

In one episode, we talk to novelist Awais Khan, whose work No Honour deals with the serious subject of female honour and honour killings. Meanwhile, fellow author Ashley Hickson-Lovence also features this series. In his episode, he discusses the themes of knife crime and county lines prevalent in his upcoming novel Wild East.

Poet Winston “Mayor” Lindsay, filmmaker Bertie Brosnan, playwright Justin McDevitt, publishing professional Abbie Rutherford, author E.B. Hunter, and screenwriter Ryan Avery also feature on this year’s programme.

Irish filmmaker, actor and author Brosnan commented on how important it is for writers of any stage of their careers to have a platform like this podcast to discuss their work:

“Discussing your craft at any stage of your development is vitally important because that’s how you reflect on what you’ve learned. It is also a way of seeing objectively where you are, if you can look at what you’ve achieved from an eagle-eye perspective. That inadvertently helps the listener, too, because they are listening to the processes of the craft.”

Where can we listen, and when?

Season 3 will launch on Thursday 3 August 2023, with new editions releasing every two weeks thereafter. They’ll be available in full on Spotify, Google Podcasts and Amazon Music. This is also where you can catch up on the first two seasons if you haven’t caught them before. Listen to the trailer now.

Want to find out more about the podcast? Or maybe you have an idea for a guest or topic for an episode? Get in touch with us via Facebook and Instagram.