TGE's Current Read

On this episode of TGE’s Current Read, we sit down with Mpho Boshego — author, communications strategist and former South African diplomat — to unpack her bold and compelling debut novel, Diplomatic Ties.Drawing on more than 20 years of experience in diplomacy, stakeholder relations and corporate communications – including her time as a South African diplomat in Belgium – Boshego lifts the veil on the rarely spoken-about underbelly of international diplomacy. Through the eyes of Mbali, an ambitious young graduate from Mamelodi, Diplomatic Ties explores what happens when personal history collides with political influence.In this episode, we delve into:– The author's real-life diplomatic experience and how it shaped the novel– Writing sex, power, and corruption without flinching– The contrast between township life and diplomatic opulence– Feminism, integrity and feeling tainted as a woman– Why fiction offers freedom in writing– What it means to be South African on a global stageWe also talk about Mpho’s creative writing journey, the discipline behind finishing a debut novel, and unforgettable passages from the book. Naturally, we chat about the potential for a second novel on the horizon and get a reading from the author herself.If you’re interested in African literature, political fiction, women’s stories, or power dynamics behind closed doors, DO NOT sleep on this conversation.🎧 Welcome to TGE’s Current Read — where books meet bold conversation.__🖤 LISTEN 💛 LIKE 🖤 SHARE 💛(and let us know what you think of the episode!)#TGEsCurrentRead #DiplomaticTies #MphoBoshego #SouthAfricanAuthors #AfricanLiterature #PoliticalFiction #WomenInWriting #Diplomacy #PowerAndPolitics #FeministLiterature #BookPodcast #LocalVoices #AfricanStories #LiteraryPodcast #SouthAfricanPodcasts

On this episode of TGE’s Current Read, we welcome Irish novelist Chloe Michelle Howarth. Best known for her debut novel Sunburn — a tender, searing portrait of queer adolescence and forbidden love — Chloe captured readers with her ability to balance delicacy and emotional intensity.Sunburn was shortlisted for the 2024 Polari First Book Prize, the 2024 Book Awards: Discover Award, and the 2023 Nero Book Award for Debut Fiction, earning its place as a quiet cult classic among contemporary literary readers.But in this episode of Current Read, we turn our attention to her second novel, Heap Earth Upon It — a multi-perspective family drama set in 1960s rural Ireland. Retaining Howarth’s poetic lyricism while stepping away from the teenage nostalgia of her debut, this novel dives into themes of repression, longing, and the shadows of family history, pulling readers into a darker, more atmospheric world with the intrigue of a literary thriller.Chloe joins us to talk about her writing process, the atmospheric Irish countryside that shapes her fiction, and the thematic threads she wanted to explore in Heap Earth Upon It.And as always on TGE’s Current Read, we get:🖤 A special reading from the author🤍 A peek at what’s on her current TBR🖤 A hint of what Chloe is working on next🎙️ Subscribe to TGE’s Current Read for more conversations with today’s most exciting authors.__🖤 LISTEN 💛 LIKE 🖤 SHARE 💛(and let us know what you think of the episode!)__#ChloeMichelleHowarth #HeapEarthUponIt #Sunburn #IrishFiction #LiteraryFiction #QueerFiction #BookPodcast #WritersLife #TheGreatEqualizer #CurrentRead #BookTube #BookLovers #ReadingCommunity #AuthorInterview #NewBooks #IrishWriters #LiteraryPodcastThis episode of TGE’s Current Read was brought to you in part by Jonathan Ball Publishers.

On this episode of TGE’s Current Read, hosts Sam and Charlene sit down with bestselling author Katherine Faulkner: journalist-turned-novelist and the mind behind Greenwich Park, The Other Mothers, and her latest psychological thriller, The Break In.After a decade at The Times, London, as an investigative journalist and editor, Katherine has become one of the sharpest voices in modern domestic suspense – a master at throwing “ordinary women into extraordinary, what-would-you-do situations” (as you deftly put by author Abigail Dean.In this episode, we chat about:🖤 Katherine’s transition from newsroom to novelist life🤍 The short story inspiration behind The Break In  🖤 The intersection of motherhood, domesticity and danger in Katherine’s work🤍 The psychology of safety, secrecy and suspense within the home🖤 How Katherine manages to write while raising two kids (spoiler alert: with difficulty!)About the book:The Break In follows a London mother who kills an intruder in self-defence, only to find that nothing about the man, or her own life, is as it seems. A chilling, twist-filled exploration of guilt, privilege, and how well we really know the people closest to us.🎙️ Subscribe to TGE’s Current Read for more conversations with today’s most exciting authors.__ 🖤 LISTEN 💛 LIKE 🖤 SHARE 💛(and let us know what you think of the episode!)__#KatherineFaulkner #TheBreakIn #DomesticThriller #PsychologicalThriller #MumNoir #BookPodcast #CrimeFiction #CurrentRead #TGERadio #BookLovers #AuthorInterview #WomenWriters #BookTube #ReadingCommunity #SuspenseFiction #TheOtherMothers #GreenwichPark

On this episode of TGE’s Current Read we welcome back international bestselling author Cecelia Ahern, who is currently promoting her latest novel, Paper Heart.Paper Heart is a story about dreams, having the courage to turn them into a reality, and being brave enough to open your heart to the possibility of love and truly living.We meet Pip – a passenger in her own story – whose life has been grounded and largely uneventful since she had her daughter, Bella, at 16. Having shamed her parents by being a pregnant teen, Pip hands over the reins to her controlling mother, becoming trapped in a life empty of the hopes and dreams she once aspired to.Much like the origami poems Pip so diligently writes and folds away, Pip is made smaller by circumstance, but begins to unfold over the course of the novel, opening herself up to realise that the world is bigger than her small-town setting, that life has so much more to offer her. Cecelia chats with Sam about what inspired Pip’s character, what made the author weave in the golden thread of origami art, and what motivated her to write a novel about the many ways we dig – ‘physically into the earth, mentally and spiritually into the sky and universe, and emotionally into our own hearts’.We’re also treated to a reading by the author and get a sneak peek into what Cecelia is currently reading and, of course, what she’s working on next.__🖤 LISTEN 💛 LIKE 🖤 SHARE 💛 SUBSCRIBE#CeceliaAhern #PaperHeart #AuthorInterview #BookPodcast #BookTube #FictionBooks #ContemporaryFiction #CurrentReadPodcast #BookDiscussion #ReadersLifThis episode of TGE’s Current Read was brought to you in part by Jonathan Ball Publishers.

On this episode of TGE’s Current Read, Sam Herbst welcomes award-winning Indian-British author Gurnaik Johal for an in-depth author interview. No stranger to fiction, Gurnaik won the Somerset Maugham Award in 2022 for his short story collection, We Move, among other accolades.Now venturing into the realm of longform fiction, Gurnaik’s debut novel Saraswati has been listed among Observer’s Best Debut Novels for 2025 and was a finalist for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize.Described as “an ambitious panoramic portrait” (The Guardian) and a “roaring deluge of a novel” (Jon McGregor), Saraswati connects the lives of seven distant relatives whose ancestors were all named after different tributaries of Northern India’s holy Saraswati river.In this conversation, Gurnaik shares the genesis of Saraswati – the seed that sprouted this sprawling story. He also reflects on his passion for folktales in fiction, his place within the Indian diaspora literature tradition, the sociopolitical themes his work explores, and how the dystopian elements in Saraswati became a self-fulfilling prophecy.As with every Current Read episode, we enjoy a live author reading and chat about Gurnaik’s latest inspirations and creative process.Join us for this literary podcast discussion, and let us know what you think of the episode.__🖤 LISTEN 💛 LIKE 🖤 SHARE 💛 SUBSCRIBE#GurnaikJohal #SaraswatiNovel #AuthorInterview #ContemporaryFiction #CurrentRead #DebutNovels2025 #IndianDiasporaLiteratureThis episode of TGE’s Current Read was brought to you in part by Jonathan Ball Publishers.