The Stories That Changed My Life

Daisy Buchanan is my guest for this bonus episode to mark the end of Series 1 of The Stories That Changed My Life. We chat about Daisy's fascination with love stories, moving to Margate and the book which inspired her to become a socialist.

At first view it could look seem Zing Tzeng is bit of an overachiever - the box-ticker with a Cambridge degree where of course she worked on the university’s varsity newspaper, and even won a Guardian Student Media award. And then a journalism masters from City University, of course. Writing about music, fashion and culture, she’s worked as an editor at titles such as Wonderland and Dazed, and freelanced for the likes of Buzzfeed and The Guardian. Most recently, she’s been UK Editor of Broadly since it launched back in 2015. In short: a woman determined not to be forgotten - which is, in fact, the title of her series of books, looking at the notable leaders, artists, writers and scientists who have become overlooked by society.

The career that 75% of children would like? Forget doctors, pilots, teachers and engineers, today a massive three quarters of kids would like to be a YouTuber. Anna Newton is one of a small number of people who is actually living that very dream. No office hours, commuting or HR policies - Anna runs her own show with half a million subscribers tuning in to her videos. Her next move? Something much more traditional - publishing a book! Although Anna’s channel was originally focused on beauty, her book - An Edited Life - is all about organisation. We caught up with Anna to hear more about her favourite life stories and literary stories, plus uni romances, getting tattooed and the empowered women in her family.

In this episode of The Stories That Changed My Life, we meet Elizabeth Day: the enigmatic author behind acclaimed novel, The Party. A quick scan of her Instagram and you'll see Elizabeth Day in skincare ads, doing boxing training, drinking tequila, living in Los Angeles for a few months, and of course, interviewing people for her somewhat ironically titled, incredibly successful podcast How To Fail. Conclusion? She's one of the coolest people you'll meet in publishing. From angry donkeys and getting lost in the desert to forgotten novelists, we're delighted to have Elizabeth sharing the stories that changed her life.

It's the first time we've featured someone who's a writer, but not a novelist. The Acting Deputy Editor of ELLE, Alice-Azania Jarvis, is, however, very much an important figure on London's literary scene - as host of the coolest books event in town: the Sunday Salon. Taking place each month, Alice has played host to an extraordinarily exciting collection of writers since the salon first launched. In this episode of The Stories That Changed My Life, we discuss racism and diversity, the power of humorous writing and how life-changing events can alter your perspective.

"The first great Instagram novel". Impressive praise for your debut novel, right? But with critical acclaim from the likes of The Guardian, Vogue and the New Yorker, it's perhaps no surprise that Olivia Sudjic's Sympathy would gain such praise. Olivia is such an engaging, thoughtful writer - and one who really explores what fiction means today. In this episode of The Stories That Changed My Life, we take in why writing is like dating, why you should revisit books you've hated, taking Sympathy Powder and the inspiring importance of feeling 'other'.

What WOULD The Spice Girls Do? it's a question we've been pondering for quite some time - and one that writer Lauren Bravo has finally found an answer to in her brand new book, cleverly named.... What Would The Spice Girls Do! Lauren's life stories and literary stories range from the ultimate secret you NEED to know when in comes to taking trains, to the most impossibly romantic family tale. There's also feminism aplenty, a small German boy, the joys of being read to and competitive grandmas.

This episode, we're speaking to Molly Flatt, a name that some of you may know thanks to her work as an author and journalist. Molly is Associate Editor of The Bookseller’s FutureBook which showcases the exciting people, ideas, businesses and trends shaping the future of publishing. She’s also the Digital Editor of Phoenix magazine, and has been known to write for the likes of The Guardian, The BBC, The Evening Standard and The Pool. And this year, Molly published her first book: The Charmed Life of Alex Moore, a debut novel to have won over critics and readers alike.

This week, we're speaking to prolific writer and journalist Sarra Manning - the author of September's Reading in Heels book: The Rise and Fall of Becky Sharp, a modern retelling of Vanity Fair. From tragic Russian emigres and Jack The Ripper connections to grungey 90s YA novels and every writer's bete noire rejection - Sarra is a fascinating guest and a true raconteur.