Changing up the Christmas episode come season finale format, we're joined by acclaimed author and journalist A.J. West for a chat about everything that went into his novel, The Betrayal of Thomas True, plus a mutual love of Dickens, and, of course, a little bit of Christmas.

***

For more on A.J. and his work, explore his website at ajwestauthor.com or on Instagram @ajwestauthor.

***

Follow us on social media:

• INSTAGRAM: @dale_hurst_writing_show | @dalehurst_author
• FACEBOOK: Dale Hurst - Author
• TIKTOK: @dalehurst_author

***

• THE BOURNEMOUTH JOURNAL: thebournemouthjournal.com

After nearly five whole series, we've finally ticked something off our topic bucket list. How does one go about writing scripts for video games? What does a video game script even look like? And how easy is it to get into games publishing?

These are just a handful of the questions put to our guest for this edition, games writer and creator of Heartsworn, Noe Sawaya.

***

Follow us on social media:

• INSTAGRAM: @dale_hurst_writing_show | @dalehurst_author
• FACEBOOK: Dale Hurst - Author
• TIKTOK: @dalehurst_author

***

• THE BOURNEMOUTH JOURNAL: thebournemouthjournal.com

From Choose-Your-Own-Adventure stories all the way to Black Mirror's "Bandersnatch", where do we start when it comes to crafting immersive and interactive stories? Can we take it beyond the page, and indeed, even beyond the realms of fiction?

Our guest expert for the episode is Dr Bradford Gyori, leader of MA Creative Writing and Publishing at Bournemouth University; Editor-in-Chief of The Bournemouth Journal, and author of a book examining this very topic: "Creating the Interactive Digital Narrative: An All-At-Once Guide to Collaborative Planning, Production and Beyond" (releasing February 2026).

***

Follow us on social media:

INSTAGRAM: @dale_hurst_writing_show | @dalehurst_author

FACEBOOK: Dale Hurst - Author

TIKTOK: @dalehurst_author

***

THE BOURNEMOUTH JOURNAL: thebournemouthjournal.com

In time for spooky season, it's our annual trip into the horror genre. Or rather, on this occasion, the gothic. Specifically the part of gothic that centres around Cypriot folklore. For this, we look into the defining text, "Motherwitch", a film by our first guest, writer and director Minos Papas.

However, this is a two-part special, with the second half examining the role of the actor in the storytelling process, archetypal characters in the horror genre, and more, in the company of "Motherwitch" cast member Jordan Walters.

***

For more on our guests and texts, follow on Instagram:

• Minos Papas: @cyprianfilms
• Jordan Walters: @jordanwalters_actor
• Motherwitch: @motherwitch_movie

***

Follow us on social media:

• INSTAGRAM: @dale_hurst_writing_show | @dalehurst_author
• FACEBOOK: Dale Hurst - Author
• TIKTOK: @dalehurst_author

***

• THE BOURNEMOUTH JOURNAL: thebournemouthjournal.com

In this bonus edition, we catch up with performance poet Zayden Lindsay, tapping into his experiences as a poet writing specifically for performance.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains performances of poetry that tackle themes that some listeners may find distressing.

Forgive us in advance: a lot of James Bond talk is incoming...

Author Terrance Layhew discusses the keys to a successful piece of espionage fiction, the need for a flawed protagonist, for cars, cocktails and casinos, and more.

CONTENT WARNING: Contains some strong language.

***

For more on Terrance and Suit Up! follow @tlayhew and @suitup.author on Instagram

***

Follow us on social media:

INSTAGRAM: @dale_hurst_writing_show | @dalehurst_author

FACEBOOK: Dale Hurst - Author

TIKTOK: @dalehurst_author

***

THE BOURNEMOUTH JOURNAL: thebournemouthjournal.com

A milestone for The Dale Hurst Writing Show, as we present this, our 50th episode. Former podcasting pals James Boxall and Aaron Hayes kick Dale out of the presenter's chair and into the guest hotseat for a special interview, looking back on the podcast as it stands, and find out more about the upcoming collection, Silhouettes.

James and Aaron aren't the only ones posing questions, as other former guests of Dale's pipe up with their own enquiries.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussions relating to mental health and references to suicide and other adult themes.

***

Follow us on social media:

INSTAGRAM: @dale_hurst_writing_show | @dalehurst_author

FACEBOOK: Dale Hurst - Author

TIKTOK: @dalehurst_author

***

THE BOURNEMOUTH JOURNAL: thebournemouthjournal.com

Just to note, this isn't an episode advising how to achieve social media stardom. Rather, we're examining how influencers and social media "personalities" can be used as characters and what narrative opportunities they can present.

We're joined by the award-winning filmmaker, director and writer Max James Walker, whose film The Façade looks at two such characters and explores the duality between social media and reality.

***

Follow us on social media:

INSTAGRAM: @dale_hurst_writing_show | @dalehurst_author

FACEBOOK: Dale Hurst - Author

TIKTOK: @dalehurst_author

***

THE BOURNEMOUTH JOURNAL: thebournemouthjournal.com