From Rejection to Reward: Natalie Chandler on Finding Her Voice

🎧 The Write Place Podcast – Episode 241
Guest: Natalie Chandler – Author of The Voices

Hi, I'm Wayne Kelly, a writer, podcast host and coach. I love to help writers develop their skills and get their books and stories out into the world. And this week’s guest is no exception…

Natalie Chandler joins me to talk about her new psychological thriller, The Voices – her third novel and her first hardback release. We chat about the dream that sparked her chilling high-concept premise, what it’s like to write from the perspective of a character in a coma, and why Scrivener might just be the plotting tool you didn’t know you needed.

But Natalie’s story isn’t all smooth sailing. She opens up about the tough road to publication, her experience with rejection, and how stepping away from writing for years helped reignite her passion. We also touch on the importance of finding your own voice, even if that means starting out by plagiarising Roald Dahl at the age of seven!

In this episode, we discuss:

• The inspiration behind The Voices and how a vivid dream shaped the entire book
• The challenges of writing from a locked-in perspective
• Why publishing a hardback felt like validation from her publisher
• The struggle of writing Book Two and the pressure that comes with early success
• Her experience switching publishers and signing with HarperNorth
• Growing up with a love of stories and being surrounded by books from a young age
• How her background in sport and teaching fed into her writing
• The moment she almost gave up – and what brought her back to the page
• Why reading with a highlighter helps her develop her craft
• The books that changed her life – including Shantaram and Louise Candlish's Those People

Links from the episode:

• 📚 Grab Natalie Chandler’s The Voices from your local bookshop, online retailers or support indie gems like Serenity Booksellers in Romiley
• ✍️ Sign up to my Write or Die monthly newsletter and get your FREE Writer’s Survival Kit: Sign up here
• 📖 Haven’t read Safe Hands or The Call Back yet? Grab them on Kindle, in paperback or read for free via Kindle Unlimited
• 📨 Want to say hello or share your writing struggles? Drop me a line: wayne@waynekellywrites.com

Thanks for listening!

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Until next time – happy writing and take care.
 — Wayne