Emma Cowell, author of 'Under the Lemon Tree' - Escapist fiction author discusses getting places right, finding joy in the tough times, and how acting affects your character
Writer's Routine
Dan Simpson
4.9 • 599 Ratings
🗓️ 30 July 2025
⏱️ 46 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Emma Cowell wrote her debut novel, 'One Last Letter from Greece', through the pandemic to come to terms with losing her mother. Since then, she's published more novels and been translated into 9 languages. They're inspired by Greece and its islands. We discuss how she gets the places right. Who does she speak to? How does she learn? Where does she travel to tell the island's story authentically?
The new novel is 'Under the Lemon Tree'. Here's the blurb -
Shattered by the sudden loss of her twin, Nik, Kat is lost in grief. The comfort of family feels both soothing and suffocating, but everything changes when she inherits a house on the breathtaking Greek island of Agistri from a mysterious uncle she’s never met. Arriving on Agistri, Kat is mesmerized by its crystalline waters, lush pine forests, and the citrus-scented air. Among the white-washed houses and warm, welcoming locals, she begins to feel her heart heal. The island offers more than solace, sparking courage in Kat to face her loss ― and maybe even embrace the spark of unexpected love… But as she unearths her family’s buried past, Kat must also confront her own fears of belonging, forgiveness ― and the possibility of rediscovering happiness in the shadow of heartbreak…
We discuss her previous work as an actor and news presenter, and how they have impacted the way she tells stories. Also, you can hear how she knows when to stop, how she pulls herself through tricky writing times, and we run through Emma's path to publication.
This episode might make you want to go on holiday.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, this week on Rice's routine. We're looking inside the day of Emma Cowell, whose new novel is |
| 0:14.9 | Under the Lemon Tree. Emma's work has been translated into nine languages and is inspired by the |
| 0:20.7 | historic glory and the beauty of the Greek islands. |
| 0:23.6 | We talk about her path to publication and how she tries to find joy in the trickier times. |
| 0:29.6 | I just don't want to make myself miserable about it because it's so important. |
| 0:34.6 | And as you say, I love it and it means everything. So finding the joy even in the |
| 0:41.1 | dark roller coaster moments, it's what I want to do. So puts yourself in the best frame of mind |
| 0:48.4 | and set yourself up for as much success with that writing session as possible. If you're not into it, just yeah, do something |
| 0:56.1 | else that feeds your soul. Also, you can hear how she's not really sure how it all happens. |
| 1:01.3 | And then I'm not quite sure how the characters manifested themselves. And I never do. And I wish |
| 1:08.9 | I did because I could write it out and follow that template for the next one. |
| 1:14.1 | I have no idea how the themes and the characters emerge. |
| 1:19.0 | I'm grateful that they do. |
| 1:20.9 | Otherwise, I would be driving myself potty. |
| 1:24.5 | But I suppose I'm drawn to grief, clearly. It's how my writing journey started. It's all on |
| 1:30.7 | the way with Emma Cowell in a brand new writer's routine. Yes, welcome along to the show. This is |
| 1:43.2 | writer's routine. It's where we take a look inside an author's working day. We see how they plan everything to give them the best chance of getting words on the page, when, where, and how do they do it? My name is Dan Simpson. Thank you very much for being there. This week we're with Emma Cowell, whose first novel |
| 2:03.0 | was written to make sense of her mother's death. She gave herself a few years to percolate and to |
| 2:10.1 | let it shift under the surface before, like so many people, that she wrote it in lockdown. It gave |
| 2:17.0 | her that moment. That one was |
| 2:19.1 | last letter from Greece and then over the last five years. Well, it's really, really steamrolled. |
| 2:26.2 | Her books have been translated across the world and Emery's back with a new one. It's called |
... |
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