For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to writer Frances Crawford to talk all about her debut novel A Bad, Bad Place, which is published on the Bantam imprint of Penguin Books.

Frances gives a brief description of the book (avoiding spoilers), before talking about why this was the story for her first novel, and the long and winding road to publication.

The two then discuss the two central characters of 12-year-old schoolgirl Janey and her Nana Maggie and how the nature of their relationship drives events, how they have changed and developed through time, the challenge of populating the novel with secondary characters, the importance of place (in this case, Glasgow’s Possilpark in 1979), why representation is vital, and the terrible event which kick starts everything.

The conversation also turns to the enduring appeal of Punk, creative writing courses, the value of constructive criticism and feedback, favourite authors, and the unexpected elements of getting published.

Already considered one of the most exciting debuts of recent times, it was such a pleasure to be able to talk to Frances about A Bad, Bad Place, her journey to get to this point, and what’s coming next. It’s an inspirational conversation which will have an appeal way beyond those interested in crime fiction.

Full details, and all the ways to listen, are over at scotswhayhae.com