NK Chats To… Jack Jewers

Published September 3, 2026 | By Laura

Hi Jack. Thank you for joining me today. Can you tell us about your latest novel, Seething Lane and what inspired it?

Hi Laura, and thank you for asking! Seething Lane is the follow-up to my first novel, The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys, which imagines what the most famous diarist in English history did after he finished writing his diary. In my version of events, he becomes a reluctant investigator working for the crown. Seething Lane begins when a strange young man turns up at Pepys’s office asking for help. He turns the boy away – an act with far-reaching consequences, which he soon comes to regret. Events lead him from the backstreets of London to the glamorous world of the theatre, where he is tasked with catching a killer. It’s part-adventure, part-murder mystery, and the theatrical world around which the story swirls was partly inspired by my own childhood, as the son of two actors.

What drew you to the historical fiction genre and why this time, place and person in particular?

Samuel Pepys kept his diary for nearly a decade, between 1660 and 1669. He had a front row seat at some of the biggest events in English history, such as the Great Fire of London, and some of his writing makes for gripping reportage. It’s also indiscreet, tender, and often very funny. Then, in the summer of 1669, he just stopped. When I first read his diaries, I was shocked to discover that he actually lived for over 30 years after that, and the little bits we know about his later life hint at a man whose adventures were just getting started. How tantalising that he didn’t keep a diary during those times too. But what if he did? Sounds like a good idea for a book!

What are the challenges when writing a historical fiction novel? What has been the highlight?

The main challenge is not to fall into the trap of making your characters speak and act like they’re living through historical events the whole time. The moment I realised that truth and accuracy are not necessarily the same thing was the moment I unlocked how to truly enjoy writing historical fiction. You can get at the fundamental truth of an historical event, or time period, while taking liberties for dramatic reasons – indeed, I would argue, to do so is usually more powerful. It’s a very tricky balance, of course, and there are lines that must not be crossed, but it’s immensely satisfying when you feel you’ve pulled it off. Which I hope I’ve done with Seething Lane.

Jack’s Writing Space

What’s your typical writing day like and do you have any daily rituals? (Coffee, silence? A particular place to write?)

In the mornings I tend to do anything else but write, then I’ll start by revising what I’ve written the day before. Not only does this help me edit as I go, but it refreshes my memory and gets me back into the world of the story. And at least once, I make myself a proper pot of tea. There’s something about the ritual of it all – the selection of the tea, the assembling of the different parts, and being patient while it brews – that calms and focuses the mind.

If you could add a modern playlist to your novel, which songs would you include?

Music is essential to me when writing. I have a Spotify playlist that’s filled with dozens, if not hundreds of film and TV soundtracks – everything from classic movie soundtracks, through crime thrillers, sci-fi, Agatha Christie adaptations – and of course, historical dramas. You name it, if it’s propulsive and atmospheric, it’s probably on there already.

Which elements do you think make up a good historical fiction novel?

Firstly, a sense of place. I don’t just want to be told a story – I want to feel like I’ve been transported back in time. I want to know how a place looks, sounds, smells; I want to taste the food and hear the birds in the trees. Secondly, it’s essential that I believe in the characters as people of their time. That doesn’t mean they have to sound flawlessly ‘olde-worlde’. Sometimes it’s not even necessary to modify the dialogue from modern speech, though that’s a hard thing to pull off (Christopher Nolan’s script for The Odyssey is a recent example of how this can work). But I absolutely must believe that these are real people, and not merely ciphers for our understanding of an historical period.

Do you have any advice on handling writers’ block?

Go and do something else. Even if you’re on a deadline – especially then, in fact – you need to stop staring at a computer screen, trying to make the words come. That just makes it worse. Writers’ block is your brain’s way of telling you it needs to rest and do its own work without you bothering it. Go for a walk, watch a film, go see some art – anything that stimulates your imagination in a different way. A friend calls it ‘refilling the well of creativity.’ It’s amazing how often – and how quickly – the solution to whatever it is that’s got you blocked just pops into your head when you allow yourself to do this.

What’s your favourite word and why?

What a wonderful question! I think it’s ‘serendipity,’ because most of the time that’s how the best experiences happen. A wrong turn on a country drive that leads you to an idyllic medieval church. A randomly-chosen restaurant on the backstreets of some foreign city that turns out to be the best lunch of your life. Or an idea that comes from nowhere and gives you inspiration for a book. Mind you, I once had a friend whose favourite word was ‘spatula’, which admittedly does have a ring to it, if not quite the same romance.

What was your route to publication and what advice would you give for people wanting to explore a similar path?

My initial way in was that I was invited to write and submit my first novel after informally pitching the idea to an agent. But that’s quite unconventional, and I was already established in a different sphere, as a filmmaker who had also written several scripts. Everyone has their own path and my main piece of advice is not to compare your own journey with anyone else’s. Even well-meaning advice can end up feeling like gatekeeping to aspiring authors, because they worry that they haven’t written enough, read enough, even suffered enough, in order to be taken seriously in their craft, and that’s silly. There are rules to be followed, of course, particularly when it comes to things like submitting manuscripts, but those are to do with publishing as a business, and absolutely nothing to do with your right to be a writer. So give yourself permission. Tell yourself you belong. Because guess what? You do.

Are you able to tell us a little about what you’re currently working on?

It hasn’t been announced yet but my next project is actually a bit of a departure for me. I can’t say much, other than that it’s to do with poetry. It links back to some history-related themes that I have explored in a series of films called inVerse, which have been going since 2021. The last set was quite well covered in the media, a couple of years ago, because we sent a portrait of Shakespeare into space! The latest series is just entering production. I’m also working on two historical novels, both standalones set in different time periods, and of course there’s the possibility of a third Pepys novel. I really hope people love Seething Lane as much as I do, because then I get to do more!

Would you rather –

Have the ability to see into the future or be able to visit the past?

Visit the past, hands down. Nobody thought Cassandra looked like she was having a good time.

Have the ability to move things with your mind or read minds?

Move things. After getting banned from all the casinos, the novelty of reading minds would wear off when you knew what everybody really thought of you at all times.

Sing or dance to your favourite song for the rest of your life?

What, like, constantly? What wayward spirit did I anger to receive such punishment? Sing, I think. At least then I could have a sit down.

Have money or power?

Can you have power without money in 2026? Unless, of course, it was some sort of superpower. Now you’re talking! But then you’ve already given me the ability to travel in time and move objects with the power of my mind. All I need is the costume.

Would you rather have the ability to communicate telepathically or know every single language on the planet?

I consider it a genuine failing on my part that, with the exception of French at the level of what I might call a moderately clever village idiot, I have never properly learned another language. But then if I could communicate telepathically, would I even need to? Hmm, maybe telepathy then.

Be able to have a one-minute conversation with your past self or future self?

Future self. He can warn me how not to abuse all these new powers I’ve got.

Live in a world where it is constantly snowing or always raining?

Well, I grew up in England, so rain doesn’t bother me. I love snow but I would imagine that it wouldn’t take long to outstay its welcome.

Live in a world without music or movies?

That is literally the hardest question I’ve ever been asked. I’ll be disbarred from BAFTA for this, but I’d say movies. Music is the only truly universal language we have as a species and the world would be so grey without it. And besides, we’d still have the theatre.

Take part in a dating show or a survival show?

Well, I’m very happily married, but a survival show sounds ghastly. So I’ll pick the dating programme, so long as it’s one of those gentle ones where they just go and have a nice dinner. Please don’t send me to Love Island.

NK: Thank you for all your brilliant answers, Jack and happy publication day. P.S, I might be slightly in love with your cat.

About Jack Jewers –

Jack Jewers is a filmmaker and writer. His 2022 debut, The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys, was named one of the Sunday Times’ historical fiction books of the year, and a book of the month by The Independent and Financial Times. His career has been spent telling stories across multiple media formats and his work includes film, TV, and digital media.

His films have been shown at international film festivals, including Cannes, New York, Marseille, Dublin, and London’s FrightFest, garnering multiple accolades, including an award from the Royal Television Society and a nomination from BAFTA Wales for Best Short Film. Jack’s passion for history has led him to many unexpected places, from uncovering hidden love stories in 3000-year-old poetry, to sending a portrait of Shakespeare into space.

Seething Lane is Jack Jewer’s second novel.

Say hello to Jack via his website and Instagram.

About Seething Lane –

January 1670. London is enduring its worst winter in decades.

But for Samuel Pepys, the darkest days are yet to come. Reimagining one of Britain’s greatest historical figures through a 21st century lens, Seething Lane sees the return of infamous diarist Samuel Pepys, complete with his trademark audacious wit, keen eye for observation and gripping historical adventure.
When a strange young man turns up at his office on Seething Lane asking for help, Samuel Pepys is too distracted to take him seriously. Nell Gwyn is about to make her scandalous return to the stage and he wouldn’t miss it for all the world.

But in the cold of a winter’s dawn, tragedy strikes. Called upon to investigate the brutal murder of a libertine aristocrat, Pepys discovers that the dead man is connected to his mysterious visitor in the most shocking way possible.

A trail of secrets leads Pepys from the backstreets of London to the glamorous world of the theatre, where nothing is quite as it seems. But whatever the dangers, he may find that the deadliest threat lies closer to home…

Seething Lane was released by Moonflower Books on 3rd September 2026. Click to buy on Amazon UK, Amazon US, Barnes & Noble and Waterstones.