In Episode 8, we interview award-winning author Yasmin Angoe about the riveting first page of her debut spy thriller, Her Name is Knight, published by Thomas & Mercer November 1. If you’re looking for a fresh new character, a fierce, female Ghanaian assassin, the story of Nena Knight (otherwise known as Echo) will leave you breathless and eager for Angoe’s sequel. Stolen from her Ghanaian village as a child, Nena Knight has plenty of motives to kill. Now an elite assassin for a powerful business syndicate called the Tribe, she gets plenty of chances. But while on assignment in Miami, Nena ends up saving a life, not taking one. She emerges from the experience a changed woman, finally hopeful for a life beyond rage and revenge. Tasked with killing a man she’s come to respect, Nena struggles to reconcile her loyalty to the Tribe with her new purpose. Yasmin Angoe is a bold and beautiful new voice in popular fiction and will inspire you to never give up on the writing process.
Page One, produced and hosted by author Holly Lynn Payne, celebrates the craft that goes into writing the first sentence, first paragraph and first page of your favorite books. The first page is often the most rewritten page of any book because it has to work so hard to do so much—hook the reader. We interview master storytellers on the struggles and stories behind the first page of their books.
About the guest author:
Yasmin Angoe is the 2020 recipient of the Eleanor Taylor Bland Award for Emerging Writers of Color from Sisters in Crime. She is a first-generation Ghanaian American who grew up in two cultural worlds and currently lives in South Carolina with her blended family. Her debut novel, Her Name is Knight, was published by Thomas & Mercer, November 1, 2021.
You can find Yasmin Angoe on Twitter, Goodreads and Instagram.
About the host:
Holly Lynn Payne is the CEO and founder of Booxby , a startup helping authors succeed. Holly is also an internationally published novelist in ten countries whose work has been translated into nine languages. Her most recent novel, Damascena:The Tale of Roses and Rumi, has been optioned for a film series. She is the founder of Skywriter Books, an award-winning small press, publishing consultancy and writing coaching service. She lives in Marin County with her daughter and enjoys mountain biking, surfing and hiking with her labrador retriever, Lady Gaia. To learn more about her books and writing coaching services, please visit hollylynnpayne.com or follow her on Instagram.
As an author and writing coach, I know that the first page of any book has to work so hard to do so much—hook the reader. So I thought to ask your favorite master storytellers how they do their magic to hook YOU.
After the first few episodes, it occurred to me that maybe someone listening might be curious how their first page sits with an audience, so I’m opening up Page One to any writer who wants to submit the first page of a book they’re currently writing.
If your page is chosen, you’ll be invited onto the show to read it and get live feedback from one of Page One’s master storytellers. Page One exists to inspire, celebrate and promote the work of both well-known and unknown creative talent.
You can listen to Page One on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Stitcher and all your favorite podcast players.