logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2026
1 h

Sarah Vaughan, author of 'Based on a Tru...

DAN SIMPSON
About this episode

Sarah Vaughan worked as a reporter and correspondent for The Guardian for years, before finally starting a novel on her 40th birthday. She published 'The Art of Baking Blind' and 'The Farm at the Edge of the World', aimed at book-clubs, which in her words, 'didn't really trouble the bestsellers list'.


Then, out of contract, she wrote, 'Anatomy of a Scandal', and everything changed. It was a smash-hit and inspired a Netflix series which was viewed hundreds of millions of times. She's since published, 'Little Disasters', which was made into a Paramount+ show, and released, 'Reputation'.


Her new novel is, 'Based on a True Story'. It tells the tale of Dame Eleanor Kingman, the nation's most loved storyteller, with an entire generation growing up on her stories.... but now, someone wants to reveal the truth about who she really is.


We discuss whether streaming success has changed how she thinks through a plot, and whether knowing what might land on screen has altered what ideas she takes on.


Also you can hear about starting late and finally getting success, why she's switched to write scenes, and her journeys through genre and writing out of contract.


Get a copy of the book - uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutine


Read the newsletter - writersroutine.substack.com


This week's episode of the podcast is sponsored by Philippa Hall's 'Quick Book Reviews Podcast'.


Support the show -

patreon.com/writersroutine

ko-fi.com/writersroutine


@writerspod

writersroutine.com


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Oct 15
Laurell K. Hamilton, author of 'A Glimmer of Death' - Romantasy writer discusses splitting an entire book in half, finishing a series, and her late ADHD diagnosis
Laurell K. Hamilton is a pioneer of romantasy and urban fantasy. One of the biggest names in the genre, Sarah J. Mass has cited Laurell as an enormous inspiration. She's published more than 40 novels and has sold over 20 million of them. She's a Number 1 New York Times bestseller ... Show More
1h 6m
Oct 8
Elif Shafak, author of 'In One Brief Moment All Eternity' - Bestselling writer discusses why writing is at the core of humanity, how it damages your health, and why you need to ask childish questions
Elif Shafak is an incredibly successful and influential author. Born in France to Turkish parents, Elif was raised by her single mother and traditional grandmother. She spent her childhood moving across the world, living in Madrid, Cologne, Amman and Istanbul. Her debut 'Pinhan', ... Show More
1h 4m
Oct 1
Jenna Helwig, author of 'The Foreign Correspondent's Wife' - Cookbook writer discusses turning to mysteries, being focused with research, and the recipe for a perfect thriller
Jenna Helwig is a food editor, a cookbook evangelist, and now novel writer. She's a culinary school graduate, and in 2025 launched, the Cookbookery Collective, a very successful Substack for cookbook lovers. Jenna has published 5 cookbooks herself focusing on everything from feed ... Show More
42m 33s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2019
#227 Dawn O'Porter: Is Anyone's Life As Perfect As It Looks?
It's been a Dawn O'Porter themed week! I hosted Q&A event with Dawn at Foyles which was so fun, we then recorded the podcast, and then her launch party!Dawn is the author of 6 books including the award-winning YA books Paper Aeroplanes and Goose, her first adult novel The Cows wa ... Show More
29m 58s
Mar 2021
Dawn O'Porter (REPLAY): The Freedom of Writing Fiction
This is a replay of a previous episode with Dawn O’Porter. Dawn has actually come on this podcast 3 times, but this is a replay of the latest conversation we had in 2019, about her brilliant novel So Lucky. She is the author of 6 books including the award-winning YA books Paper A ... Show More
28m 37s
Mar 2022
#373 Daisy Buchanan: When A Dream Job Turns Toxic
My guest today is Daisy Buchanan, an award winning journalist, author and broadcaster. She has written for every major newspaper and magazine in the UK and hosts the brilliant bookish podcast You're Booked, where she interviews legendary writers from all over the world about how ... Show More
38m 35s
Oct 2020
#290 Jacqueline Wilson: The Joy Of Writing For Young Adults
This week’s episode is with one of my biggest writing inspirations: Dame Jacqueline Wilson. Her 111th novel Love Frankie is out now. We talk about her journey into being one of the nation's most loved writers, her writing process, why she's always wanted to discuss deeper issues ... Show More
33m 31s
Nov 2018
#160: E.Lockhart on How To Write A Novel
E. Lockhart is a New York Times bestselling author of ten novels, including We Were Liars, which was a New York Times bestseller and Zoella Book Club pick, and the novel Genuine Fraud, soon to be a film produced by Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner of HBO series Girls.In this episode ... Show More
31m 47s
Oct 2016
#41 Lisa Owens (Author): So What Do You Do?
Lisa Owens is a writer who quit her job as an editor at independent publisher Profile Books to study creative writing at the University of East Anglia. Her debut novel Not Working was published last year by Picador about a girl called Claire who quits her job to “find herself”. W ... Show More
31m 39s