Authors in Mallorca

Detroit-born Suzi Quatro made her distinctive mark on the glam rock scene in the '70s and has been in the music business ever since, as a singer, songwriter, and musician. She's also presented radio and TV shows and acted - playing  Leather Tuscadero in 'Happy Days', the lead role in 'Annie Get Your Gun' in London's West End, and parts in several British TV series including 'Midsomer Murders' and 'Absolutely Fabulous'. Her 58-year career - so far - continues with a European concert tour this year, kicking off in April at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Writing is a passion for Suzi and, as well as penning lyrics, she has also authored five published books: 'Unzipped' - autobiography (Hodder) 'Through My Eyes' - first of a series of illustrated coffee-table books (New Haven Publishing)'The Hurricane' - a novel (New Haven Publishing)'Through My Words' - 2nd in series of coffee-table books (New Haven Publishing)'Through My Thoughts' - 3rd in series (New Haven Publishing)During Suzi's recent visit to Mallorca (where she and her husband have a home), we met in Puerto Portals to chat about her writing life - and more.  We talk about the writers who have influenced her; her writing methods; the two books she's just finishing (a second novel and a collection of poetry); the effects of the Covid lockdown on her work and life, and more. For Suzi Quatro's website and 2022 tour dates, see here.  Click here for tickets for Suzi's April 2022 concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London.PODCAST THEME TITLE: “Lifestyles”COMPOSER: Jack WaldenmaierPUBLISHER: Music Bakery Publishing (BMI)The novel ‘Daughter of Deià’ by podcast host Jan Edwards is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. 

Simon Kenion Shears describes himself as a ‘fitness polymath’. Born in Manchester, he moved to Mallorca as a young boy. He attended boarding school in Dublin and graduated from the University of St Andrews in Scotland with an MA in Philosophy.He worked as a scientific research technician for the Centre for Whale Research of Western Australia before moving to Germany. He started writing his book ‘Working (it) Out’ in 2015 in Hamburg, where he also began CrossFit coaching.Since returning to Mallorca four years ago, Simon has continued to work on his debut book, alongside being a personal and group trainer and a fitness mentor. He writes a regular column for the ‘Majorca Daily Bulletin’ and contributes articles to the website 'Medium'.Simon is now in the process of seeking a literary agent with a view to publication of his book. In this episode he talks about his writing process, the book he may write next, and more. For more information about Simon’s book ‘Working (it) Out’, see his website.Read articles by Simon Kenion Shears published on ‘Medium’ and in the ‘Majorca Daily Bulletin'. With thanks to the Mallorca Academy of Performing Arts for allowing ‘Authors in Mallorca’ to record this interview at their studio in Santa Maria, Mallorca. PODCAST THEME TITLE: “Lifestyles”COMPOSER: Jack WaldenmaierPUBLISHER: Music Bakery Publishing (BMI)The novel ‘Daughter of Deià’ by podcast host Jan Edwards is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats.   

Retired interior designer and now a Mallorca-based contemporary artist and children’s author, Christine Greenslade has just published her illustrated book ‘Flying Lessons’ – suitable for children aged two to six. Englishwoman Christine has been storytelling for many years and already has a wealth of animal stories soon to be published, with a Spot The Rabbit book (the first of a series about Spot) expected to be out for Easter 2022. In this episode, the author talks about her love of writing for children, her diverse animal characters, finding an illustrator, dealing with technology, and subjects that need special care and attention when writing for youngsters. She also talks about the adult memoir she’s penning, and finding support from the local writing community. And you can bring out your inner child for a few moments as Christine reads you a brief extract from ‘Flying Lessons’ – the tale of a family of baby blackbirds learning to fly. This interview was recorded on a beautiful February day in Mallorca, beside the swimming pool at the boutique hotel Ten Mallorca.‘Flying Lessons’ by Christine Greenslade is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Christine’s website:  https://www.spottherabbitandfriends.comCheck out the setting for this podcast interview here: https://www.tenmallorca.comPODCAST THEME TITLE: “Lifestyles”COMPOSER: Jack WaldenmaierPUBLISHER: Music Bakery Publishing (BMI)‘Daughter of Deià’ by podcast host Jan Edwards is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats.     

This episode’s guest has experienced the authentic, wilder side of Mallorca for some twenty years. Lizzie Graham lives off-grid here and, as an excursion guide, introduces tourists and locals to special and secret parts of the island.Lizzie’s more likely to be found hiking, wild swimming, or sitting on a horse, than leaning over a laptop – but that hasn’t stopped her becoming an author.Lizzie and her Scotland-based photographer/journalist sister, Anna Deacon, have created a new guidebook for the English company Wild Things Publishing. ‘Wild Guide Balearic Islands’ is published on March 1st and reveals the hidden adventures that can be enjoyed in Mallorca and sister islands Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera.I chatted to Lizzie at Naturacavall – a Mallorcan family project that rescues and rehabilitates horses and offers riding-in-nature experiences. You’ll hear Lizzie’s passion for the horses and the natural outdoor lifestyle in our conversation.‘Wild Guide Balearic Islands’ is published by Wild Things Publishing in the UK. It will be available in bookshops from March 1st, 2022 and can also be purchased online in paperback from Amazon. http://www.wildthingspublishing.com/product/wild-guide-balearics/Find out more about Naturacavall here:  https://naturacavall.com/en/about-us/PODCAST THEME TITLE: “Lifestyles”COMPOSER: Jack Waldenmaier PUBLISHER: Music Bakery Publishing (BMI)The Mallorca-based novel 'Daughter of Deià'  by podcast host Jan Edwards is available from Amazon in Kindle and paperback formats.

Like my last guest on 'Authors in Mallorca', the author Dr Timothy Ashby is another American who now lives in Mallorca. He's passionate about writing and history, combining these in his literary work. He's had four books published in the States (three of them historical thrillers) and his next book to hit the shelves is a non-fictional biography of a fascinating ancestor of his. 'Elizabethan Secret Agent: The Untold Story of William Ashby (1536-1593)' will be published by Scotland Street Press in Edinburgh in March 2022. He's also  just completed the 18th-century action/adventure novel, 'The King's Black Ranger'.Timothy's CV includes top-secret clearance work for the US State Department and counter-terrorism and counter-narcotics operations in Latin America and the Caribbean. He's also been a successful entrepreneur, has worked and lived in different places around the world, and is still a licensed attorney in Florida and Washington DC.In this episode, Timothy talks about: his enthusiasm for history; being mentored as a teen by two well-known authors in Grenada; an unusual motorcycle tour that attracted the attention of Spanish police; his writing and editing process, and more.https://www.timashbybooks.com(Website by Studio Mallorca)PODCAST THEME TITLE: “Lifestyles”COMPOSER: Jack Waldenmaier PUBLISHER: Music Bakery Publishing (BMI)The Mallorca-based novel 'Daughter of Deià'  by podcast host Jan Edwards is available from Amazon in Kindle and paperback formats.

Alice LaPlante is an award-winning American writer and editor,  who taught Creative Writing at Stanford and San Francisco State Universities for more than twenty years. Alice now lives on the island of Mallorca, where she still writes extensively and runs a local writing group.Her acclaimed debut novel Turn of Mind - a literary work of psychological suspense - was published in 2011. A New York Times bestseller, it also won the Wellcome Prize that year and became the first work of fiction to do so. Three further psychological suspense novels - A Circle of Wives, Coming of Age at the End of Days, and Half Moon Bay - were published in 2014, 2015, and 2018.Alice also writes non-fiction business and academic books. Her book The Making of a Story has been described as “almost a complete writing course”.  We talk about her writing process, teaching, her Silicon Valley work, poetry, and how Alice started her writing group in the Mallorcan town of Pollensa.   Find out about Alice's books on her website.     PODCAST THEME TITLE: “Lifestyles”    COMPOSER: Jack Waldenmaier    PUBLISHER: Music Bakery Publishing (BMI)Daughter of Deià by Jan Edwards is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats.

For this first episode of series two, I chatted with the German writer Stephanie Schulz, a long-term resident of Mallorca. Stephanie and her British author and photographer friend, Mark Julian Edwards, worked collaboratively to create the recently published book Faces of Mallorca, published in four languages by Triangle Books of Barcelona.The sumptuous book features Mallorcan people from all walks of island life - their stories told in words and images by Stephanie and Mark.  It's been endorsed by some prominent people, including Andreu Serra, Tourism Minister for Mallorca, and Tony Wheeler, founder of The Lonely Planet guides. Stephanie reveals how the project came about, how the collaboration worked, some of the Mallorcans she interviewed for the book, and what's next for her and her creative friend, Mark.  Find out more about Faces of Mallorca on the website here. Faces of Mallorca is also on Facebook & Instagram. The book is available internationally from  Amazon and most bookstores in Mallorca. Thanks to Ca n'Alexandre hotel in Palma, where we recorded our conversation.My novel Daughter of Deià - set in Mallorca - was published in September and is  available on Amazon here. 

Have you ever scrolled with a touch of envy through Instagram, seeing influencers flaunting fabulous freebies and their aspirational lifestyles? The reality of an influencer’s life is not always as it may seem, as my guest in this episode knows too well.  In 2015, when comedian and writer Bella Younger created her alter ego Deliciously Stella - parodying clean-eating Instagram influencers - she had no idea it would lead to 150,000 followers ... and a spell in The Priory clinic. Bella performed sell-out stand-up shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, authored the spoof ‘Deliciously Stella’ cookbook, and was twice named one of the Evening Standard’s most influential Londoners. Today she lives a very different life in rural Mallorca, where she finished writing her second book last year. Her mental-health memoir is very funny but is also essential reading for anyone who thinks they (or a family member) may be spending a little too much time on Instagram. ‘The Accidental Influencer: How My Need to Get Likes Nearly Ruined My Life’ was published by Harper Collins on May 13th.Hear Bella talking about her unusual route into the BBC, her process for her current fictional work in progress, finding peace and inspiration in Mallorca for her writing, snail racing … and more.   ‘The Accidental Influencer: How My Need to Get Likes Nearly Ruined My Life’ is available now in bookshops and from Amazon, in Kindle and hardback formats. It's also available on Audible, narrated by Bella.  Instagram @deliciouslystellaTwitter @bellayoungerPODCAST THEME TITLE: “Lifestyles”COMPOSER: Jack WaldenmaierPUBLISHER: Music Bakery Publishing (BMI)AUTHORS IN MALLORCA will be back in the autumn, after the hot summer break.  Jan Edwards has been working on her novel  - 'Daughter of Deià' - now published on Amazon.

With a writing career spanning more than twenty years, Josie Lloyd knows a lot about the writing and publishing processes. Josie's written solo and with her husband Emlyn Rees, but also in another genre as Joanna Rees. Her loft in Brighton groans  under the weight of her and their many foreign versions of published books.  Josie's new novel The Cancer Ladies' Running Club draws on her own experiences of going through breast cancer diagnosis and treatment in 2017.  Despite the subject, it's an uplifting story of friendship and hope that also reveals Josie's sense of humour.  In our conversation, Josie talks about their holiday home in Mallorca, how she met Emlyn, working collaboratively, their parodies, writing in a different genre as Joanna Rees, and how the lockdown impacted on her work. Hear about the music that helped with one of her novels, her views on agents and publishing, the new novel, and more. The Cancer Ladies' Running Club is available to pre-order on Amazon, with a publication date of the thirteenth of May, 2021. PODCAST THEME TITLE: “Lifestyles”COMPOSER: Jack WaldenmaierPUBLISHER: Music Bakery Publishing (BMI)

Debut novelist Pete Davies spent thirty years in the police force in England, then became an executive coach. Now retired, he’s turned his hand to writing and become a full-time author. Pete chose his favourite holiday island as the main setting for his first novel – a pacey crime thriller called ‘The Mallorcan Bookseller’ – published in December 2020.Among other subjects, the author talks about researching locations and procedures, writing a series, and the actors he could imagine playing his characters in a screen version of the book. He also shares some of his successful tips for marketing a self-published book. And, if you’re in Mallorca or planning to visit, listen out for some of his  favourite places to eat in the town of Llucmajor.'The Mallorcan Bookseller' is available from Amazon, in both e-book and paperback formats.Following Pete Davies on Instagram: the_mallorcan_bookseller.On Facebook: The Mallorcan BooksellerOn Twitter: @TheMallorcan PODCAST THEME TITLE: “Lifestyles”COMPOSER: Jack WaldenmaierPUBLISHER: Music Bakery Publishing (BMI)