The Dale Hurst Writing Show – Season 2

In 2022, after some deliberation, Dale decided to bring his podcast, The Dale Hurst Writing Show, back for a second season. Following the same format as its first series, Dale debated more topics that fascinate and frustrate in the worlds of writing, storytelling and publishing; expanding the variety of his guests in doing so. This time around, he brought along singer-songwriter Calum Lintott, crime author Jason R. Vowles, horror writer Alex Colvin, actor Conor Ó’Cuinn and director Tazy Harrison-Moore, and international bestselling thriller novelist Avanti Centrae.

Find out a bit more about the Season 2 episodes and guests below.

To do something a bit different to kick off the second season, Dale grilled Southampton singer-songwriter superstar Calum Lintott for his drives and inspirations as a songwriter, and what any aspiring lyricists should look out for when telling stories in song form. He also found out a bit about his upcoming debut album Sunshine Moonlight.

If you fancy giving Calum a listen, head over to him on Spotify.

We’re in familiar territory with crime fiction this time as we look to go against some of the “advice” of Internet reviewers and Redditors. How is best to construct the modern-day crime story? A veteran of the genre and author of the DC Daniel Hudson series, Jason R Vowles, joins us for the discussion.

Read on to find out more about Jason and his work on his website.

After listening to his… well… listeners…  Dale decided to deliver an episode themed around the basics fundamentals of poems and poetry writing. Acclaimed poet T. H. Carrington joins for an in-depth discussion about the poetry writing process, overused and underrated devices, and more. Plus, stay to the end for a reading of one of her own sonnets.

It’s something that has annoyed Dale for years and years… with such a wealth of character backstory and visual inspiration to draw from, why are adaptations of video games to film and TV generally so hit-and-miss? What led to the flops in the early years? What is being done now to ensure the growing successes? Writer Sam Randall joined to discuss further.

With only a shred of training in screenwriting himself, Dale brings screenwriter Daniel Riccio on to the show to explain more about the layout and format of screenplays, and how to bring a story to life from script to screen. What is the process (if there is one set in stone)? What are the basic fundamentals? We also find out what should be on the page, and what shouldn’t? All these questions and more answered in this edition.

If you’re an independent and/or self-published author and you really don’t know your Tweets from your TikTok, then this episode will be right up your street. Jack Newman from UKB Marketing dishes on a load of tips and tricks for setting up, managing and maintaining social channels and brands.

At the point when the spookiest time of year was approaching, Dale thought he’d dedicate an episode to talking about horror stories, how to scare readers, and interpretations of the monster. Joining all the way from Canada was author Alex Colvin, whose second book Unquestionably Monstrous deals with these topics in great depth.

Keep up to date with Alex’s news and work on his website.

From published short stories set on French boulevards to his ongoing project in a hotel in Nazi Germany, setting stories outside of his native England is hardly a new battle for our host. But this experience and expertise is eclipsed by special guest, international bestselling thriller writer Avanti Centrae. Speaking to her from Florida, Dale explores with Avanti the research methods and considerations required to successfully set a story in foreign parts.

Read on for more about Avanti’s work and latest news.

Fresh off of their run at the King’s Head Theatre, London, playwright and actor Conor Ó’Cuinn and director Tazy Harrison-Moore join Dale for a chat about their play Looking For Fun? and explore its greater theme of hook-up culture.

Stay on top of the latest news from Looking for Fun on Twitter.

To end Season Two with a festive treat, Dale invited back some old friends from the first series of The Dale Hurst Writing Show, to catch up with what they’ve been getting up to over the last year or so. Spy novelist Collin Glavac, award-nominated poet and rapper S.P. Thane, and Nels Challinor and Dale Hall from Great Ape literary journal all brought news and readings. Plus our host picks their brains for their favourite Christmas stories.

The Dale Hurst Writing Show is a fortnightly, seasonal podcast. To get in touch about topics and guests for future seasons, or for more author news and views, refer to Dale’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Also, to check our latest updates, head over to the blog page.