麻豆约拍

Former principal with The Royal Ballet, Deborah Bull, takes us behind the footlights and velvet curtain and talks about revealing the private world of a ballet dancer in her new book.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again: esteemed screenplay writer and children's author Frank Cottrell Boyce discusses taking Ian Fleming's creation and writing the further adventures of the four-fendered flying car.

Scotland's National Poet is having a busy autumn: Liz Lochhead discusses A Choosing, her new volume of selected poems, and talks about juggling her involvement in two new theatre productions with her commitments as Makar.

We speak to the author of a recent example of crossover fiction, Laini Taylor, and discuss whether books that appeal to both adults and young adults are growing in popularity.

And, as a new project launches that sends famous authors to visit hospitals, we ask whether reading stories to sick children can prove more than a welcome diversion during a long stay on a ward. Might it even aid recovery?

Producer: Serena Field

Books mentioned on the programme:

The Everyday Dancer- Deborah Bull
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again- Frank Cottrell Boyce
A Choosing: Selected Poems- Liz Lochhead
Daughter of Smoke and Bone- Laini Taylor.