Steph’s novel next move
TV PRESENTER Steph Mcgovern is set to follow in the footsteps of publishing phenomenon Richard Osman after writing a crime thriller already tipped to be a bestseller.
But the star of Steph’s Packed Lunch says the author of the Thursday Murder Club series does not have to worry about her stealing his crown.
She said: “The thing about Richard is everything he touches turns to gold but he’s also one of the nicest people in the industry. Everyone loves him.
“I’ve worked with him on a lot of things and he knows audiences like nobody else. He is super clever and funny, and I am none of those things.
“I am not going to be the next Richard Osman. I bow down to his success but I wrote this book because I have been a fan of crime fiction and have stalked authors for years.
“I love coming to festivals like Harrogate and I have reached a stage in my career where I am financially secure and can just do what I enjoy.”
It was fitting Richard, 53, helped Steph announce her publishing deal with Pan Macmillan yesterday at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Festival in the North Yorkshire spa town, which is supported by the Sunday Express.
The Pointless creator said: “I am desperate to read Steph’s novel.
“We live in a golden age of books but I am incredibly excited for this one, as it’s from someone who has been immersed in crime fiction for years.”
Steph, 42, revealed her debut novel Deadline, which she finally penned during the pandemic after 15 years of “impostor syndrome”, is about a female reporter being blackmailed while doing a live TV interview with one of the UK’S most powerful men.
The star, who has a four-year-old daughter, told the festival: “My characters are a mix of a lot of people. So you might read it and go, ‘oh, that’s that politician’.”
Her next task is to interview Wire in The Blood author Val Mcdermid, 69, at the Edinburgh Festival next month.