What are the must read debut novelists of the year? (2025)

Which childhood books might have shaped the stories you tell? Is ten years too long to spend writing your first book? Should your friends be worried that something they say might end up in your novel? And is planning really the secret to avoiding writers block?

This week on Ask Penguin, Rhianna is joined by three of 2025’s most exciting debut authors: Catherine Airey (Confessions), Fiza Saeed McLynn (The Midnight Carousel), and William Rayfet Hunter (Sunstruck)

Together they explore the real emotions that find its way into fiction, how writers transform their experiences into stories, and why even the darkest subjects can sit alongside love, beauty and magic.

Explore the full list of the books discussed on this episode and read the transcript by visiting: Season 2, Episode 3: Debut Books

Send us a question: [email protected].

Website: www.penguin.co.uk/podcast

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