I recently met author Tom Bridge, whose first novel One Last Chance is being published by Pegasus today (at time of launching this video). As I’m also in the process of writing my own first novel, it seemed far too good an opportunity not to sit down and compare notes.
This turned into a completely unscripted conversation about what actually happens when you write fiction: inventing characters, building believable backstories, fixing plot “logic bombs”, researching real places and history, choosing titles, approaching publishers – and that slightly strange moment when your characters begin to feel like real people.
Tom talks about the process behind One Last Chance, his experience finding a publisher and what happens between finishing a manuscript and seeing an actual book appear. I also talk about my own experience writing a novel – including becoming rather more emotionally involved with my imaginary people than I ever expected!
Neither of us claims to be an expert. We’re simply two first-time authors comparing experiences – and discovering that quite a few of them were remarkably similar.
If you’ve ever had a story rattling around in your head and wondered whether you could actually turn it into a book, you may enjoy this.
Tom Bridge – One Last Chance
Publication date: 27 August 2026
Order:
https://pegasuspublishers.com/book/one-last-chance
and
https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Last-Chance-T-L-Bridge/dp/1836715706