Ellie Marney is an award-winning, internationally successful YA crime writer and passionate Australian YA advocate who has multiple titles to her name. Her latest novel, 'None Shall Sleep' (published by Allen & Unwin) was utterly gripping. A spine-chilling, edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller that kept me turning pages late into the night. I was delighted to welcome Ellie to the podcast a little while ago to talk about her inspiration for this FBI-themed novel and how she managed going ...
Dec 15, 2020•35 min
Joanna Nell is the best-selling Sydney-based author of "The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village" (2018) and "The Last Voyage of Mrs Henry Parker" (2019). Her new novel "The Great Escape from Woodlands Nursing Home" was released in October and much like hilarious Peggy Smart from The Single Ladies fame, retired nature writer and reclusive spinster Hattie Bloom is not interested in growing old gracefully. This book is an hilarious, but poignant and ultimately hopeful exploration of agein...
Dec 08, 2020•40 min
Petronella McGovern is a Sydney-based author whose debut novel 'Six Minutes' was published to critical acclaim in 2019. Variously described as 'addictive', 'impossible to put down' and 'thrilling', it had hit the right mark for Australian fiction readers - becoming an instant best-seller. This year, Petronella has backed up her remarkable debut with a second tension-filled, page-turning read in 'The Good Teacher'. And I was lucky enough to have the chance to chat with this quiet achiever recentl...
Dec 03, 2020•22 min
Monica McInerney is an international, number-one Australian best-selling author of thirteen novels. With titles that include 'The Alphabet Sisters', 'Lola's Secret', 'Hello from the Gillespie's' and 'Those Faraday Girls', Monica has often claimed the number one best-seller spot in Australia and been voted one of Australia's Top Ten Authors on no less than four occasions. Diving into one of her books is like being drawn into a warm embrace. Her new book, 'The Godmothers', was released by Penguin ...
Nov 26, 2020•39 min
'All our Shimmering Skies' is the much-anticipated follow-up novel from one of Australia's newest literary stars, Trent Dalton. Released in September earlier this year by HarperCollins, Trent's new book takes us away from the surburban setting of "Boy Swallows Universe" and catapults us into Australia's Top End - where some of Australia's harshest and most interesting landscape is on show. A beautiful story of courage and hope that I believe all Australians should read. I was absolutely gob-smac...
Nov 19, 2020•54 min
Victoria Purman is a USA-Today best-selling Australian author whose latest novel "The Women's Pages" offers up a fascinating insight into life in Sydney at the end of WWII. A riveting examination of what life was like for women who stepped up to the plate to fill the gaps left by the men who went off to war and how they coped when their loved ones returned home changed by all they had seen and experienced. This book shines a light on an important chapter of Australian women's struggle for equali...
Nov 13, 2020•28 min
Benjamin Stevenson is an award-winning stand up comedian and author whose first novel, Greenlight was shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award in 2019. He is one-half of a hugely popular comedy show called "The Stevenson Experience" which has had sold out appearances at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, various comedy festivals around Australia and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. His second novel, "Either Side of Midnight" was released by Penguin Random House Australia on the 1st of Septemb...
Nov 09, 2020•32 min
Amelia Mellor is a secondary high school English teacher who hails from regional Victoria. Her brilliant and magical debut novel "The Grandest Bookshop in the World" was recently published by Affirm Press. Aimed at the middle grade reader, it's a fantastical adventure set in an iconic Melbourne establishment known as the Coles Book Arcade and which was reputedly once the world's largest bookstore. Set in 1893, it gives readers a glimpse into a by-gone era and offers some insight into the history...
Nov 02, 2020•33 min
Monique Mulligan is a Perth-based author, interviewer and founder of the Stories on Stage Program. She is a former journalist, news-editor and publisher who combines her work at an arts-centre with freelance editing and novel writing. Her debut novel, "Wherever You Go" was released by Pilyara Press in September 2020 and let me say listeners, it's a novel you will need to keep the tissues handy for. Beautifully written, poignant and heart-achingly real in its portrayal of grief and guilt, this st...
Oct 20, 2020•33 min
**Please be Advised this Episode Contains Discussion of Mature Themes and Content and May not be Suitable for Young People** Queensland-based Amy Andrews is an award-winning USA-Today best-selling author who has written over seventy contemporary romances and sold over 3 million books. She has written for both traditional and digital markets and her books have been translated into more than a dozen different languages. Her stories have all the feels and range from the sassy, comical and quirky to...
Oct 12, 2020•41 min
Belinda Alexandra is a much-loved international best-selling Australian author whose novels are steeped in history and intrigue, adventure and exotic locations - shedding light on some of our society's most difficult issues. Her eighth novel "The Mystery Woman" was released by HarperCollins in early September this year. It's a spellbinding thriller set against the backdrop of a small coastal town in 1950s Australia. A rich story, filled with passion, intrigue, scandal and secrets. I read it in a...
Oct 06, 2020•35 min
Megan Mayfair is a Melbourne-based award-winning author whose books she describes as "stories with a dash of family intrigue, a sprinkling of humour and a spoonful of romance." In 2019, Megan won Romance Writers of Australia's coveted Ruby Award in the Romantic Elements category for her novel "Tangled Vines" and earlier this year was shortlisted for a number of nominations in the Australian Romance Readers Awards. In this fun chat, Megan and I chat about her sensational novel, "The Things We Lea...
Oct 01, 2020•27 min
In an interview that has been in the making since October 2018, I chat to international best-selling, award-winning Australian author Jane Harper on the eve of the release of her brand-new thriller, "The Survivors" (Pan Macmillan). I can't tell you how excited and proud I am of this wonderful interview where Jane and I chat about her inspiration and research for this compelling novel, along with her thoughts on the popularity of Australian crime fiction and her role in that wave of interest as w...
Sep 22, 2020•35 min
Tony Park is an Australian-born international best-selling author of 18 African thriller novels. His latest, 'Last Survivor' was released in July 2020 by Pan Macmillan Australia. In 1995, a trip to southern Africa with his wife, Nicola, changed Tony's life. He's been back almost every year since that first trip where he spends 6 months of each year researching and writing his books. 'Last Survivor' is the first Tony Park novel I've read, but it most certainly won't be the last. Gritty, pacy and ...
Sep 16, 2020•43 min
Kerry McGinnis is a much-loved Australian author of nine best-selling outback suspense novels. Her latest book, "Croc Country" (Penguin) was a gripping, atmospheric read that had me itching to learn more about Australia's Top End and in particular, the Gulf Country about which Kerry writes so beautifully. Join Kerry and I as we chat about her early life as a drover, her inspiration for this story and the amazing experiences that led her to become one of Australia's favourite story-tellers
Sep 07, 2020•19 min
Kyle Perry's debut novel, "The Bluffs" (Penguin), has all the ingredients of a truly unsettling, page-turning thriller. Astonishing in its emotional depth and complexity, this novel balances myth and reality, traversing a range of themes that include teenage cyber-crime, bullying, addiction and family trauma. It is as much about the place in which the action takes place as the characters that inhabit it. 🏔 A remarkable debut, which I highly recommend. 👌🏻
Aug 26, 2020•40 min
Meredith Appleyard is the author of five books and loves writing about the layers of complexities in small rural communities. Her latest book, 'When Grace Went Away', was released by Harlequin Australia in May of this year. It's a tale of an Australian farming family fractured by grief - a grief which is compounded by the harshness of life on the land and the struggle to keep a family legacy viable. A wonderful, heartwarming read for rural fiction fans.
Aug 18, 2020•29 min
Léonie Kelsall is a South Australian author who divides her time between a professional counselling practice and her childhood farm - a place which provides inspiration for many of her stories. Earlier this year, Allen & Unwin published the first of what looks set to be a series of rural fiction romances called "The Farm at Peppertree Crossing". A beautiful, captivating story filled with well-developed characters and a strong sense of place. There's a reason why rural fiction is going gangbu...
Aug 11, 2020•19 min
Michelle Dalton is an award-winning, best-selling author who dedicates her story-telling to shedding light on social issues as well as providing her readers with a healthy dose of romance and happy ever afters. Originally from South Africa, Michelle's stories are odes to the essence of being South African. They are about redemption, overcoming adversity, about hope and most importantly, about love. Deeply evocative, her books will transport you to another place. Join Michelle and I as we chat ab...
Aug 03, 2020•26 min
Anna Downes has landed on the Australian literary scene with an almighty bang! Her debut novel, psychological thriller, The Safe Place, released earlier this month here and in the UK, has drawn widespread critical acclaim. A novel which explores the lengths to which people will go to keep a secret, it leads you in gently, lulling you into a false sense of security whilst gradually winding up the tension until its inexorable, heart-stopping conclusion. A gripping read! Join me as I chat to Anna a...
Jul 21, 2020•35 min
Kayte Nunn is the author of five books which include the international best-selling titles "The Botanist's Daughter" and "The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant". A former book and magazine editor, Kayte made her mark on the Australian literary scene with her rich prose and cleverly woven tales that hark back through history. "The Silk House" published by Hachette is a haunting mystery that draws the lives of three very different women together. It was a thoroughly illuminating and compelling r...
Jul 09, 2020•18 min
Karen Turner is an award-winning Melbourne-based writer who has authored many short stories along with an incredible trilogy of sweeping historical sagas - of which the most recent instalment is "Stormbird" (Fisher King Publishing, 2019). This book chronicles the life of young mother and war-widow Jessica Barrow who's life on an old farm outside of Leeds suddenly changes course when she finds an injured German Luftwaffe pilot hiding in her barn. It's a high-stakes story of forbidden love. A Down...
Jul 01, 2020•29 min
Lisa Ireland is a best-selling author of six-books. A former teacher, Lisa lives in a seaside town on Victoria's Bellarine peninsula where she writes full time. Her latest novel is called "The Secret Life of Shirley Sullivan" (Penguin) and follows the story of near-80 year old Shirley who busts her 83 year old husband Frank from the nursing home he's been living in and takes him on the holiday he always dreamed of having. The novel was everything I loved in a good book: rich with detail and mult...
Jun 22, 2020•37 min
Imbi Neeme is Melbourne-based author whose debut novel, "The Spill" won the 2019 Penguin Literary Prize. She's an award-winning short-story writer and was the recipient of a fellowship for excellence in short story writing in 2019 in addition to being selected for a prestigious manuscript development program in 2015. 'The Spill' was an intelligent, thought-provoking read with a brilliant structure which I thoroughly enjoyed. Tune in to this fun and lively interview as Imbi and I chat about her i...
Jun 15, 2020•30 min
Katherine Firkin is a Melbourne-based journalist who works with CBS New York and Ten News First. During her early career, she covered some of Victoria's most notorious criminal affairs. More recently, she has been in New York covering the Harvey Weinstein trial and she was on the ground when COVID 19 sent the city into lockdown. This week Katherine's debut novel is released into the world. Called "Sticks and Stones" (Penguin) this book is a thrilling insight into the dangerous minds of criminals...
Jun 02, 2020•20 min
Leah Swann's debut adult fiction novel "Sheerwater" has got to be one of the most emotional, compelling, kick-in-the-guts novels I have read in a while. A book that explores the lengths a mother will go to protect her children. A high-stakes story that delves in the psyche of fear. Oh my! If you read only one book this year . . .make it this one. It had me gripped from start to finish. Join Leah and I as we talk about her inspiration for writing this novel, her writing process, and much more. A ...
May 26, 2020•22 min
Danielle Binks is a Melbourne-based writer, reviewer, agent, book blogger and youth literature advocate. In 2017, she edited and contributed to an anthology of Australian young adult stories inspired by the LoveOZYA movement for which she is a passionate advocate. And now, she has written a YA novel entitled 'The Year The Maps Changed' (Hachette). A compelling and beautifully written middle-grade coming of age story from which we can all learn about kindness and empathy through an examination of...
May 18, 2020•37 min
Katherine Scholes in an Australian best-selling author based in Hobart. She has sold over two million novels globally which have been translated into a number of languages. Many of her novels have been set in Tanzania, Africa. The place of her birth. Her new novel, set in Tanzania, is called "The Beautiful Mother". It's an exquisitely told tale of one woman's experience of motherhood, what it means to be a mother and . . . what it means to be human. On the eve of Mother's Day in Australia, join ...
May 09, 2020•31 min
Jennifer McKenzie Dunbar is an Adelaide based author whose debut novel "Vivaldi's Lost Concerto" is a surprising and fascinating exploration of love, music, of what it means to be marginalised as well as the power of friendship. With dual timelines spotlighting 21st century Australia alongside 18th century Scotland and Italy, it's an epic story inspired by true historical events. I loved reading this book and learnt a great deal in the process. Join Jennifer and I as we chat about Vivaldi, his l...
May 01, 2020•17 min
Sarah Clutton is a lawyer turned author who writes novels best described as a mixture of mystery, family secrets and drama. Her first novel "Good Little Liars" released last year was a runaway success. Emotionally gripping and filled with a cast of nuanced characters, the success of this debut was unsurprising. This year, Sarah is back with a brand new novel. "The Daughter's Promise" is another drama with a deep, dark secret at its heart and which delivers another page-turning read. I loved it. ...
Apr 24, 2020•25 min
