Author Spotlight: Simone Soltani | Author Interview

In this episode of Reading Materials, we’re joined by Robyn from Happily Ever After Bookshop to go beyond the bookshelves and explore the world of independent romance bookselling.We chat about discovering the right books for readers, championing indie romance authors, the wonderful (and sometimes surprising) world of romance subgenres, and building a community through TikTok Lives and shared reading experiences. We also get into the realities of running a specialist bookshop and why romance deserves to be taken seriously.

We're going Beyond the Bookshelves!In the first instalment of our new Reading Materials interview series, we're joined by Caz, the founder of Roaming Reads Bookshop, to discover what happens when you combine a love of reading with a dream of bringing books directly to readers.We chat about the inspiration behind Roaming Reads, the plans for a bookshop on wheels, the realities of building an independent business, curating the perfect selection of books, supporting indie authors and finding community through a shared love of reading.

This week on Reading Materials we dive into Devour Me by Emily Rath!We're unpacking the three main characters, debating whether the insta-lust had us hooked or reaching for the brakes, and sharing our thoughts on the magic system. But the conversation doesn't stop there! We also tackle a bigger question: how young is too young to be reading books with sexually explicit content, and where should the responsibility lie?

This week on Reading Materials, we’re talking about Porcupines by Fran Fabriczki — a story that takes us through complicated mother-daughter relationships, school trips, and lives unfolding across different timelines.We chat about the messy realities of family relationships, how the past can shape the present, and whether jumping between timelines adds to a story or leaves us scrambling to keep up. Plus, we revisit the unique chaos of school trips and all the questionable decisions that seem to come with them.

It has been a minute since we did a review episode but this week, we dive into The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives by Elizabeth Arnott and explore the complicated women living in the shadows of some very dangerous men. We discuss marriage, murder, secrets, suspicion, and the uncomfortable question of just how much you can really know about the person beside you.

On this week's episode of the Reading Materials Podcast, we are joined by debut author N.J. Hatton to chat about his upcoming psychological thriller 'Truth Will Out', to be released on September 10th 2026.We had a great time hearing about how Nick went from creating children's content on Youtube to writing thrillers for adults, his advice for an author just starting out, and the collaborative process of choosing a book's title.

This week on the Reading Materials Podcast, we are so excited to be chatting with Simone Soltani, author of the Lights Out F1 series, whose newest book Crash Into You will be released on the 27th of August, 2026.Join us for this lovely chat and hear all about how Simone originally intended to self-publish before getting picked up by a traditional publishing house, about why sensitivity readers are so important to her, and about her bad luck with choosing book titles.

This week on the Reading Materials Podcast, we are very happy to welcome back bestselling author Emily Rath to talk about her newest release - 'Devour Me'.Join us to hear about why Zodiac signs are an important element of all her characters, how she is managing to juggle multiple writing projects, and her love of character art.

This week on Reading Materials we are chatting with debut author Hannah Bicknell, whose tennis rom-com 'Her Advantage' was released on July 2nd, 2026.Join us to hear how Hannah went from indie author to being picked up by Pan MacMillan, her experience of sitting in on the audiobook recording, and how her love of tennis and luxury hotels and F1 inspired her story.

This week on Reading Materials, we are joined by Gill Perdue, author of the psychological thriller 'All of Them Lied'.Join us for a lovely chat about the unique challenges that come from writing books for adults versus books for younger audiences, the difference between Scandinavian and other crime novels, and how a hike with her husband formed part of the inspiration for her newest release!