Hello, I'm Rihanna Dillon and you're listening to Ask Penguin, the podcast series from

Penguin Books. As regular listeners know, every episode, we tackle a different books-based

subject from prize-winning novels to page-turning reads we want to introduce our book clubs to,

and we try and answer your listener questions as well. So if you're looking for your next read or if you have a

question about any aspect of publishing, this is the place to send it. We love a challenge. So visit

our Instagram page at Penguin UK Books and subscribe to our broadcast channel for the chance to participate

in the show. Penguin's a place where you can find some of the world's best known and best

loved authors, not to mention the iconic Penguin classics. But even those world famous titles

had to start somewhere. Penguin is an absolute champion of new writing talent,

helping authors in all genres take their first wobbly steps into the publishing world and their

books into the hands of readers. Unsurprisingly, it's a subject that we're asked about a lot.

So today, I'm delighted to welcome three very exciting debut authors of

2025 to the Penguin podcast to find out more about how they got to this point and their

fantastic must-read novels. Catherine Aerey's novel Confessions is a captivating exploration of

family dynamics and coming of age.

Opening with Cora Brady, a 16-year-old in New York, who finds herself orphaned in the aftermath of 9-11,

were drawn into a sweeping account of Cora's family and the life-changing events that have shaped their lives, from the early 60s to the present day.

After quitting what she describes as a sensible job,

Catherine moved from London to Cork, Ireland,

and began writing her novel in between volunteering and repairing a boat.

Fisa Sade MacLinn read history at Oxford University and had a brief career in finance before spending the next 12 years

helping the bereaved as part of her work as a complementary therapist.

...