Stig Abell, author of 'A Twist in the River' - Breakfast Show host discusses golden age crime fiction, why planning sets you up for failure, and why AI will kill culture

Stig Abell is a media polymath. He's worked for The Sun and LBC, was the editor of the Times Literary Supplement, and now hosts the breakfast show on national Times Radio. He's just published the fourth novel in the Jake Jackson series, 'A Twist in the River'. His debut fiction novel, 'Death Under a Little Sky', won the Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award' and CrimeFest 2024. Since then, he's published 'Death in a Lonely Place' and 'The Burial Place'. He's written non-fiction, 'How Britain Really Works', and 'What to Read Next'. 'A Twist in the River', tells the story of Jake Jackson, an ex-detective who is hoping for peace in the countryside, but finds himself deep into an investigation when a young nurse disappears on the riverbank. We talk about how a writing day looks when you need to get up at 2.45am to be on the radio. Also, you can hear why planning sets you up for failure, and why for Stig, writing is all about momentum. Stig talks about his wide-interests, and balancing different projects while finding time to write. Also about looking up words, and why AI is coming for culture. Get a copy of the book - uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutine Support the show - patreon.com/writersroutine ko-fi.com/writersroutine Read the newsletter - writersroutine.substack.com writersroutine.com @writerspod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Stig Abell, author of 'A Twist in the River' - Breakfast Show host discusses golden age crime fiction, why planning sets you up for failure, and why AI will kill culture is an episode from Writer's Routine by Dan Simpson.

This episode is 47:03 long.

This episode was published on Apr 9, 2026.

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