Page One - The Writer's Podcast
Two Scottish writers, one published and one aspiring, interview authors about the craft, business, and reality of a writing career.
A grounded, practical podcast about the writing life, hosted by two friends at different stages of their own careers. One host, Tariq, is a published, award-winning thriller author, while the other, Marco, is an aspiring novelist, creating a dynamic of peer and mentor. Episodes are a mix of long-form author interviews, craft-focused discussions ('Drafting Notes'), and on-location chats from literary festivals like Capital Crime.
“The host dynamic is unique, pairing a published author with an aspiring one, which shapes the conversation to be both aspirational and deeply practical. Unlike purely inspirational shows, it consistently digs into the business side, from getting an agent to the financial realities of a writing career.”
Who hosts this show
Page One is a weekly podcast hosted by award-winning author Tariq Ashkanani and aspiring writer Marco Rinaldi. They interview writers from various fields—including novelists, screenwriters, and comic book creators—to deconstruct their careers, creative processes, and big breaks. The show is an extension of their brand, Write Gear, which creates notebooks specifically designed for writers.
Credentials & credits
- Tariq Ashkanani: Bloody Scotland Debut Award winner
- Tariq Ashkanani: CWA New Blood Dagger nominee
- Tariq Ashkanani: Solicitor
- Marco Rinaldi: Bloody Scotland Pitch Perfect 2025 winner
- Marco Rinaldi: Author of historical fiction and thrillers
Other ventures
- Write Gear (Co-founders)
- STET Podcasts (Podcast Network)
- Rigore! - The Italian Football Podcast (Marco Rinaldi, Co-host)
- Adventures in Publishing-land (Podcast with both hosts)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- uk
When new episodes drop
- 01
- 02Inside Capital Crime 2026: Chatting with some of today's top crime writersJun 24, 2026 · 51 min
- 03The Queen of Grimdark Anna Smith Spark on Autism, Writing, & Epic FantasyJun 19, 2026 · 1h 07m
- 04
- 05
- 06
- 07Should you always "Show" Rather Than "Tell"?Jun 10, 2026 · 19 min
- 08Kieron Gillen on moving from Games Journalist to Comic Book WriterJun 5, 2026 · 1h 11m
Notable episodes
- 01The Queen of Grimdark Anna Smith Spark on Autism, Writing, & Epic Fantasy
A deep dive into how neurodivergence can shape a unique writing process, recorded live at the Cymera Festival, showcasing the show's ability to have candid, personal conversations.
- 02Inside Capital Crime 2026: Chatting with some of today's top crime writers
Highlights the 'Page One Extra' format, featuring rapid-fire interviews with multiple authors on-location at a major festival, giving a sense of the writing community.
- 03Should you always "Show" Rather Than "Tell"?
A prime example of the 'Drafting Notes' segment, where the hosts directly tackle a common piece of writing advice, demonstrating the show's value as a practical craft resource.
What you'll be asked on this show
Interviews are anchored by co-host Marco Rinaldi's signature opening question, "Did you always want to be a writer?", which he uses to establish a guest's origin story. [Eig9BWPjC6M] From there, the conversation flows organically, with both hosts following up on threads raised by the guest, covering a mix of personal history, creative process, and the business of publishing. They allow guests ample time to elaborate on their answers, often probing deeper into specific writing techniques (like discovery writing vs. plotting) or the emotional side of the career, such as dealing with fear and rejection. The tone is supportive and collegial rather than confrontational.
The show is conversational and friendly, with a clear rapport between the two hosts who often open with a brief chat before introducing the guest. Standard episodes are long-form interviews, but they also release special formats like 'Drafting Notes' craft discussions, industry news roundups, and multi-guest festival episodes. Many interviews are recorded live at festivals like Cymera. [Eig9BWPjC6M]
Questions the host keeps coming back to
11 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when the host reaches for it.
origin
1- Q.01
“Did you always want to be a writer?”
This is the signature opening question, used in almost every interview to establish the guest's origin story. [Eig9BWPjC6M]
craft
3- Q.01
“What kind of stuff were you writing when you were younger?”
A common follow-up to the opening question, used to trace the evolution of the guest's style and interests.
- Q.02
“How does your writing process work for a series or trilogy?”
A craft-focused question to understand how a writer's method scales for long-form, multi-book projects.
- Q.03
“What is your new book about?”
A direct prompt for the guest to pitch their latest work to the audience.
future
1- Q.01
“What are you working on now?”
A standard question asked later in the interview to give the guest a chance to discuss their upcoming projects.
advice
1- Q.01
“How did you get your agent/first book deal?”
This question seeks practical, actionable advice for aspiring writers in the audience.
process
2- Q.01
“How does your personal experience, like your day job or neurodivergence, inform your writing?”
Used to connect the guest's life outside of writing to their creative process and output.
- Q.02
“How do you decide which idea is worth pursuing?”
This question delves into the guest's creative decision-making and filtering process.
industry
1- Q.01
“What's the draw of literary festivals for you?”
Asked during on-location festival episodes to explore the community and business aspects of the industry.
mindset
1- Q.01
“Do you still have the fear of not being able to write another book?”
This question explores the psychological challenges and mindset of a professional writer.
money
1- Q.01
“Do you write on spec or do you need a contract first?”
This question addresses the financial and business realities of how a professional author operates.
Signature segments
- · Signature opening question: "Did you always want to be a writer?"
- · "Drafting Notes" episodes on specific craft topics
- · "Page One Extra" episodes from literary festivals
- · Host intro chat before the interview
- · Live recordings at festivals like Cymera and Capital Crime
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
The show books a wide range of professional writers, with a strong focus on UK-based genre authors (crime, thriller, fantasy, horror). Guests range from high-profile, bestselling names like T.M. Logan to debut novelists like Benedict Anning. [cMOJqSutw98, XNGAMKqejRI]
- Benedict Anningon The Art of Twisty Horror and Crafting Atomic Coffin with horror author Benedict Anning
- T.M. Loganon Inside Capital Crime 2026: Chatting with some of today's top crime writers
- Anna Smith Sparkon The Queen of Grimdark Anna Smith Spark on Autism, Writing, & Epic Fantasy
- Craig Robertsonon Crime Writers Craig Robertson & Alexandra Sokoloff on writing together as a married couple
- J.D. Penningtonon How 15 Years of Screenwriting Rejection Created a Fiction Author (with a TV deal!) | J.D. Pennington
- Kieron Gillenon Kieron Gillen on moving from Games Journalist to Comic Book Writer
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The podcast is primarily sponsored by Write Gear, the hosts' own company that produces 'Page One - The Writer's Notebook'. They also have a Patreon for listeners who want ad-free episodes and bonus content. [Eig9BWPjC6M, cMOJqSutw98]
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
Pitch this show
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People also ask
- Who are the hosts of Page One?
- The podcast is co-hosted by Tariq Ashkanani, an award-winning author, and Marco Rinaldi, an author and the winner of Bloody Scotland's 2025 Pitch Perfect competition.
- What is the format of the show?
- Most episodes are long-form interviews with writers. They also have special formats like 'Drafting Notes' for craft discussions, industry news episodes, and 'Page One Extra' with shorter interviews from literary festivals.
- Is the podcast still running?
- Yes, new episodes are released weekly.
- What is Write Gear?
- Write Gear is the company founded by the podcast hosts, which creates and sells 'Page One - The Writer's Notebook,' a notebook designed specifically for writers. The podcast is brought to you by the company.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The podcast is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most other podcast apps.
- How can I pitch to be a guest?
- The official website provides an email address, [email — gated], for getting in touch.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Page One - The Writer's Podcast | Write Gearwritegear.co.uk
- [02]Tariq Ashkanani - Author Websitetariqashkanani.com
- [03]Marco Rinaldi - Author Websitemarcorinaldi.co.uk
- [04]Tariq Ashkanani Biography | Fresh Fictionfreshfiction.com
- [05]Tariq Ashkanani | Books from Scotlandbooksfromscotland.com
- [06]Write Gear Official Sitewritegear.co.uk
- [07]Page One - The Writer's Podcast | Acastshows.acast.com
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