Behind the glamour of Hollywood and writing about writers with Pip Drysdale

Pip Drysdale writes ‘sexy-cool’ thrillers with a dash of witty humour. She grew up in Africa, Canada, and Australia, became an adult in New York and London, and lives on a steady diet of coffee, dreams, and literature. Her books — The Sunday Girl, The Strangers We Know, The Paris Affair and The Next Girl — have been bestsellers. She currently lives in Sydney and we're chatting about The Close Up.

Our interview begins at  15.00

We've got a Substack publication now! On the last day of the month, we share recommendations for two things we reckon you should read/watch/listen to. The beauty of Substack is you can revisit all our old editions and comment on our episode updates to share your thoughts. Come say hi!

Caitlin recommends: Lovestruck by Laura Jane Williams

A very enjoyable Sliding Doors-style concept romance, where a woman manifests her dream life. But which life is the right one?

Michelle recommends: Rare Singles by Benjamin Myers*

A gem of a novel about an ageing American singer whose trip to a fading English seaside town reveals more than he expected. A heartwarming character-driven novel.

In this interview, we chat about:

• The inspiration for Pip's new novel, The Close Up
• Why she wanted to set it in LA and the importance of research trips
• How Pip visualise while writing (and how we read)
• How Pip uses scent to help her writing
• Pip's process for plotting and writing

Books and other things mentioned:

• Listen to our previous interview with Laura Jane Williams
• How to Build a Life with Laura Jane Williams on Substack
• The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
• A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
• Nobody Wants This (TV show)
• Melrose Place (TV show)

Follow @pipdrysdale on Instagram

The Close Up is available in Australia and the US now. Thank you to the publisher for providing us with copies of the book to prepare for the interview.

Please note that we choose podcast guests independently of Caitlin's job at HarperCollins Publishers. Although her job does help put us in touch with authors, we choose our guests based on what we've enjoyed reading and think you'd find interesting.

Connect with us on Instagram: @betterwordspod