We'd Like a Word

On the latest episode of We’d Like a Word – the first to be recorded in lockdown conditions due to Coronavirus – Paul and Stevyn talk to thriller writer Tony Kent via the magic of social media.

Tony is a renowned English writer of mystery, thriller, and crime fiction novels, a barrister and a former boxer. He is particularly famous for his book Killer Intent, which became one of the must-reads of 2018. It was followed by Marked for Death and, just released, Power Play.

He also has one of the most colourful back-stories of any author who has been interviewed on the podcast. Tony grew up in a close-knit Irish family in London and studied law in Scotland. He is a top-ranking barrister and former champion boxer who brings a wealth of detail and personal insight to his unputdownable thrillers. A regular at London’s Old Bailey, Tony’s case history includes prosecuting and defending many high-profile, nationally reported trials. Before his legal career, Tony boxed internationally as a heavyweight and won a host of national amateur titles.

Like many authors, Tony has been hit by the Covid-19 virus. However, in his case, it was a double punch – he actually had the virus and recovered and then saw all of the plans for the launch of Power Play go down the pan.

Another author in the same boat is thriller-writer Judith O’Reilly, author of Killing State and Curse the Day. She pops in to tell us about it and about her favourite bookshop (the boys hope to have her on the podcast for a proper chat sometime soon).

And, in our regular bookshop visit segment, Paul went to Waterstones, High Wycombe (before the current restrictions) to chat to Ben Churchill about the current and future state of the book business. Ben is responsible for a number of branches across Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.

We wish you all well in these difficult times and, if it’s possible to get new episodes out to you fortnightly, we will do so. Meanwhile, there’s our back catalogue to listen to!

Find us on iTunes, Spotify, Anchor and wherever good podcasts are hosted.

Hello m’lovelies.. Paul and Stevyn here.

Are you an author whose book launch and/or tour was cancelled/postponed because of the Coronavirus pandemic? That sucks and, as authors ourselves, we feel for you.

We can’t hope to replace what you’ve lost but we’d like to help, in some small way, if we can.

Over the next few weeks our (nearly award-winning – we were so close!) podcast WE’D LIKE A WORD is offering you another platform to tell the world about your new book.  All we need from you is a short audio clip telling us:

• Who you are;
• The title of your book;
• A brief summary of what it’s about;

And because we also want to support small indie bookshops in these troubled times …

• The name of a bookshop that’s dear to you.

You can record it any way you like – your smartphone has a pretty good record function. Then email your file to us at [email protected] and we’ll do the rest.

As sound files can be quite large, we recommend using the free service WeTransfer.com to send us files over 20mb in size. Other services are available, of course.

We can’t guarantee to play every single one though we will do our best!

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WE’D LIKE A WORD is written and presented by authors Stevyn Colgan and Paul Waters and is available fortnightly on Wednesdays from iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor, Podcast FM and most other podcast platforms. Former guests have included Graham Norton, Denise Mina, Anthony Horowitz, Asia Mackay, Joel Morris, Helen Cullen, Peter May, Dr Erica McAlister, Adrian McKinty, Alison Finch, Will Dean, Isi the Scribe, Belinda Bauer and many more. It was shortlisted for the 2020 London Book Fair Books Podcaster of the Year Award.

Well, the day started well with the excellent news that We’d Like A Word has not only been nominated for ‘Best Books Podcast’ by those lovely people at the London Book Fair, but has made the final six! Consequently Paul and Stevyn were invited to the awards ceremony at the LBF, hosted by Cressida ‘How to Train your Dragon’ Cowell.

But then, just as the boys were finishing their happy dance, came the news that the London Book Fair has been cancelled due to many exhibitors pulling out (including the ‘Big Five’ British publishers and many major overseas buyers) due to travel issues and concerns over the spread of Coronavirus Covid-19. And we guess that it’s probably sensible – there’s a lot of worry about this issue. It’s even leading people to do things like this on public transport:

Oh the humanity!

Still, it’s lovely to be nominated.

Watch this space …

This episode of We’d Like A Word features spoken word performance poet Isi ‘The Scribe’ Adeola who reads us several of his poems and one brand new poem written in 24 hours and constructed from suggestions sent to us by our listeners.

And you guys were cruel. CRUEL.

He had to incorporate phrases like ‘I tawt I taw a puddy tat’ and ‘Broken Britain’ as well as ‘unicorns’ and ‘serendipity’. But he prevailed, it’s a great poem and here it is! (reproduced with Isi’s kind permission):

Why do I do this to myself?

I give myself concrete deadlines and then feel crushed beneath the slate

I’m punching well above my weight.

I get inspired because I wish to be the change you want to see, but then deflated as it turns out I’m just chasing unicorns.

Fictional figments of a wandering monkey mind that points out useless distractions on an internet safari of daydreams and cat videos.

Destination procrastination is where I’m headed. It’s why I medicate the pain of loneliness and mad times in broken Britain

My semantics may sound dramatic but that’s genuinely how I feel under self-imposed pressure.

My monkey mind calls the shots now screaming at clip after ridiculous clip.

A TED talk about how to tie your shoes

Is Janice Chandler’s soulmate?

I tawt I taw a puddy tat!

You bet you taw a puddy tat – the six hundredth puddy tat from my YouTube playlist

Because I have taken on too much, I am doing the impossible, like ice skating through Hades

Swimming through a swamp of demands and giving myself reprimands for not meeting them

Just before I give up and curl up in the foetal position, serendipity swoops me off my feet, with a fresh breath and grace catches me before I hit the ground

They warm my face with a smile and say, “We’d like a word”. I laugh out loud, because I know I’m in good hands – my brow softens and I listen to receive and understand.

The wisdom of evolution says change and design happen, incrementally.

We know your load is great, but you’ll get through it, eventually.

We’ll come through when you least expect it – little incremental breadcrumbs of inspiration will fall at your feet when you feel lost at the start of your journey.

All you have to do is show up!

We also hear work by Jo Bell, and poems from a couple of excellent young poets and from Paul’s dad.

It’s a grand show. So do listen in.

Isi ‘The Scribe’ Adeola is a spoken word performance poet and zoologist. He’s an Outreach Development Officer at the Royal Veterinary College and a Discovery and Learning Officer at ZSL London Zoo. He has an MSc in wild animal biology too … but we’re just delighted he writes and performs great poetry.

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Or just click here!

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