Pam chats to best selling author Joanna Nell about the evolution of the plot and characters in her new release Mrs Winterbottom Takes a Gap Year, A witty and touching tale about mismatched expectations and living life in the moment, Joanna provides a fascinating insight into her creative process, talks about the disappointment of an initial draft being rejected by her publisher and how she picked herself up and got on with the job to produce the final (fabulous!) manuscript. Pam and Jo also talk...
Nov 15, 2023•56 min•Season 4Ep. 37
This week's episode is a solo episode featuring podcast host Pamela Cook answering listener questions on the craft of writing. What do you do when the ideas aren't flowing? What comes first, plot or character? How do I stop adding new words at the revision stage? How do you get through your darkest times as a writer? What if a book with a similar plot or idea comes out while you're still working on yours? What are your top three writing craft books? Pam also has news about 2024 courses and a ret...
Nov 09, 2023•41 min•Season 4Ep. 36
Join us as we unravel the creative process behind author Freya Marske’s queer historical fantasy series, The Last Binding in this wide-ranging chat with guest host, Jo Riccioni . Freya guides us through her unique magic system, based on the concept of 'cradling', inspired by an activity she loved as a child. She further explores the underlying inequalities and social assumptions embedded in her magic system and gives us a peek behind the curtains on how she developed her characters Edwin and Rob...
Nov 02, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 35
What happens when you blend the potent cocktail of creativity, storytelling, and raw human emotions? You get an engrossing conversation with Holly Ringland, a writer, storyteller, and television presenter whose work has traversed the globe and screens alike. Holly joins us to shed light on her creative journey, from the conception of her internationally best-selling debut novel, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, to its transformation into an Amazon Prime series. She also unwraps her new nonfiction...
Oct 12, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Season 4Ep. 34
In this episode of Writes4Women , host Pamela Cook introduces an exciting collaboration with four renowned anthologists for the upcoming book A COUNTRY VET CHRISTMAS . Featuring contributions from Pamela herself, Alissa Callan , Penelope Janu , Lily Malone , and Stella Quinn , this anthology celebrates a collection of novellas with a festive touch, all beautifully packaged with a gorgeous cover by HQ HarperCollins. Originating from diverse writing backgrounds, each contributor brings their uniqu...
Oct 05, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 4Ep. 33
Are you curious to uncover the secrets behind crafting a captivating debut novel? What about the art of weaving fantasy, history, and fairy tales into a spellbinding narrative? Today, we're thrilled to have debut novelist Kell Woods on the Convo Couch, painting a vivid picture of her journey from a childhood filled with magic to becoming the author of AFTER THE FOREST. The book is a fascinating amalgamation of love, magic, history, and a retelling of the Hansel & Gretel fairy tale—promising ...
Sep 28, 2023•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 32
Ever wondered about the journey from journalism to fiction writing? Allow us to introduce you to the awe-inspiring author, Carrie Cox, who has skilfully navigated this transition. Carrie opens up about the evolution of her writing career, sharing the source of inspiration for her novels Afternoons with Harvey Beam and Storylines . She delves deep into the themes of the human condition that she boldly explores in her writing and offers a peek into the narrative arc of her debut novel. In this tho...
Sep 21, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 4Ep. 30
Vanessa McCausland is a Sydney based author, and she was last on the podcast not long after her second novel, The Valley of Lost Stories , came out, when she spoke to Pam about writing dual timelines. Since then, Vanessa has published two subsequent books, The Beautiful Words and Dreaming in French. Like many writers, books were her magical escape portals, and she spent her early years soaking up as many as she possibly could. Writing provided a similar escape, and now she loves nothing more tha...
Sep 14, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 29
In this double-up episode guest host Australian rural fiction author Maya Linnell chats to international best selling author Paige Toon , before Maya hops into the hot seat to talk to Pam about her latest release. Paige grew up between England, Australia and America and has been writing books set in sun-drenched locations around the world since 2007. She has written sixteen women's fiction novels, a three-part spin-off series for young adults and a collection of short stories. Her novels have so...
Sep 07, 2023•56 min•Season 4Ep. 28
Guest host Meredith Jaffé chats to Tulmur author and publishing all-rounder Melanie Saward about her debut novel, Burn , her bumpy path to publication, writing intergenerational trauma, sensitivity reading and more. Melanie was born in a little town called Burnie in lutruwita (Tasmania), grew up in an even smaller town called Perth (also in lutruwita) and was dragged kicking and screaming (sorry Mum and Dad) to the Brisbane suburb of Bracken Ridge when she was fifteen. She has worked in one of t...
Sep 01, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Season 4Ep. 26
Writes4Women is back! And not with one rom com author, but four fabulous romantic comedy authors. Award winning Romance author Penelope Janu (In at the Deep End) chats to three debut rom-commers about their new releases: Lucy Lever (Mystic Ridge), Amy Hutton (Sit Stay Love) and Karina May (Duck L'Orange for Breakfast). A great chat about writing inspiration, path to publication, process and more. All three authors are working on their next books and are well and truly establishing themselves as ...
Aug 24, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 4Ep. 25
Guest host Meredith Jaffé interviews Suzanne Leal, author of the novels Running with Ivan , The Teacher's Secret, Border Street , and The Deceptions. A regular presenter at literary, corporate, community and school events, she is the former chair of the fiction and poetry panel for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards and is a board member of BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival. From 2017 to 2019, she was the senior judge for the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. A lawyer experienced in child protect...
Jul 18, 2023•51 min•Season 4Ep. 24
A special Convo Couch episode featuring guest host Rachael Johns talking to best selling UK thriller author Lisa Jewell . Lisa's first novel, Ralph’s Party , was the bestselling debut novel of 1999. Since then she has published another sixteen novels, most recently a number of dark psychological thrillers, including The Girls and Then She Was Gone (both of which were Richard & Judy Book Club picks) as well as I Found You and Watching You . Lisa is a top ten New York Times and number one Sund...
Jul 14, 2023•50 min•Season 4Ep. 23
Ashley Kalagian Blunt is a writer, speaker and podcaster. Her bestselling psychological thriller, Dark Mode , is out now in Australia and the UK, and forthcoming in Germany. She is the author of two previous books, How to Be Australian , a memoir, and My Name Is Revenge , a thriller novella and collected essays. Her writing appears widely across Australian and international publications. Ashley is a frequent speaker and panel moderator, and co-hosts a podcast, James and Ashley Stay at Home, on w...
Jul 09, 2023•53 min•Season 4Ep. 22
Guest host Meredith Jaffé chats to novelist Gina Perry about the publication of her debut novel My Father the Whale. Factual writer by day, novelist by night, Gina is an award-winning author, science historian, and former psychologist whose feature articles, columns, essays and short stories have been published in newspapers and magazines, including The Age, The Australian Cosmos, and New Scientist. Gina is the author of two books of nonfiction, the acclaimed Behind the Shock Machine , and The L...
Jul 01, 2023•46 min•Season 4Ep. 21
Kelly Rimmer is an Australian author who almost needs no introduction. She has sold over 2 million books worldwide and many of her 13 novels have been translated into dozens of languages and have appeared on bestseller lists around the world, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and U S A Today. Kelly has appeared multiple times on Writes4Women because she's such a wonderful writer and always has so many illuminating things to share about the writing process. Her new release is T he...
Jun 22, 2023•49 min•Season 4Ep. 20
Guest host Meredith Jaffé chats to journalist and novelist Naima Brown about her debit fiction title The Shot. Naima holds degrees in Middle Eastern studies, anthropology and religious studies. Her non-fiction has appeared in Vogue Australia, The Guardian Australia, and more. She has spent over a decade working in news, current affairs and documentary, save for her brief stint in reality television, which inspired her new novel. Naima was born and raised in Northern California before living and ...
Jun 18, 2023•57 min•Season 4Ep. 19
This week's guest is internationally published author of contemporary women's fiction and romantic comedy novels, Jannette Paul. Janette is the altar ego of award-winning suspense author Jaye Ford. Her first novel won two Davitt Awards for Australian women crime writers and her books have been translated into nine languages. Janette's latest novel is The Summer Place , a women's fiction novel about three women returning to the summer place of their youth for a beach wedding, each of them grappli...
Jun 08, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 4Ep. 18
This week's episode is a solo ep featuring Writes4Women Host Pamela Cook answering listener questions on writing and publishing. After putting a call out on social media Pam had a long list of questions to kick off the Q&A. With 23 years as a writer and 10 years as a published author, Pam has a wealth of experience to share with other writers In this week's episode she answers questions on author branding, writing across genres, the importance of professional edits for indie publications, de...
Jun 02, 2023•48 min•Season 4Ep. 17
Phillipa Nefri Clark is a USA Today best selling author. She writes mystery, love and suspense, and she really writes from the heart about all those things that are so important. Love, dreams, secret, discovery, and the sea feature in her books. She loves happy endings, heart pounding suspense, and characters who stay with you long after the final page has been turned. Phillipa has written 28 books across the mystery, romance and suspense genres. She's largely independently published and has rec...
May 18, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 16
A special On The Convo Couch episode featuring Guest Host Rachael Johns chatting to NYT best selling author Patti Callahan Henry. Patti Callahan Henry is a New York Times, Globe and Mail, and USA Today bestselling author of seventeen novels, including her newest, The Secret Book of Flora Lea . She is the recipient of The Christy Award “Book of the Year”; The Harper Lee Distinguished Writer of the Year and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year for Becoming Mrs. Lewis. She is the co-ho...
May 15, 2023•52 min•Season 4Ep. 16
Guest host Cassie Hamer chats to Sydney based author Sandie Docker about her latest release T he Red Gum River Retreat and the writing life. Sandie writes about love, loss, family and small country towns. Her debut novel, The Kookaburra Creek Café , was released in 2018, The Cottage at Rosella Cove in 2019, the German edition of The Kookaburra Creek Cafe - Das kleine Café der großen Träume, was released in Jan, 2020, The Banksia Bay Beach Shack in 202O, The Wattle Island Book Club in 2021 and he...
May 07, 2023•48 min•Season 4Ep. 15
Guest host Rachael Johns chats to West Australian author Anthea Hodgson about her new release The War Nurses . Rachael is a regular guest host on Writes4Women, and a best selling author of more than 18 rural romance and women's fiction titles, her most recent being The Work Wives . Anthea grew up in the wheatbelt of WA, surrounded by paddocks, wheat, sheep and her parent’s books. In a previous life she worked as a radio producer in commercial radio and at the ABC. Her first novel , The Drifter ,...
Apr 28, 2023•58 min•Season 4Ep. 14
Amie Kaufman is a New York Times, USA Today and internationally best selling author of science fiction and fantasy. Her multi-award winning work has been translated into over thirty languages and several of her series are currently in development for film and television. Amie lives in Melbourne and is host of the podcast Amie Kaufman on Writing. Her upcoming release is the first of a series featuring magic, romance and the clash of slumbering Gods. Jo Riccioni is a novelist and short story write...
Apr 21, 2023•57 min•Season 4Ep. 13
Guest host Meredith Jaffé chats to fiction author Emilia Hart about her debut release, Weyward. Weaving together the stories of three women across five centuries, Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world. Meredith chats to Emelia about the writing of the novel, developing the themes of misogyny and female power, writing during lockdown, the power of landscape in her writing and being a graduate of the Curtis Brown Creative three month...
Apr 13, 2023•43 min•Season 4Ep. 13
Thriller author Rae Cairns joins host Pamela Cook to talk about the writing of her second novel Dying To Know . Regular listeners to the podcast will remember Rae as a Writes4Women Emerging Author from the early days of the podcast, and more recently as a guest host. Rae writes C rime with Heart – thrillers featuring everyday people facing extraordinary circumstances. Her debut novel The Good Mother was published by Harper Collins in 2022 and Dying To Know is receiving rave reviews from early re...
Apr 06, 2023•43 min•Season 4Ep. 12
Debut fiction author Diane Yarwood joins guest host Cassie Hamer on The Convo Couch to talk about Dianne's novel The Wakes. The Wakes is a bittersweet and irresistibly readable novel that perfectly blends laugh-aloud humour with poignant reflections on life and death and what really matters. It's s a book about living, drawing on Dianne's near-death experience and it's imbued with her lifelong passion for story-telling. Dianne is a Sydney based author who took up writing after a long illness tha...
Mar 31, 2023•49 min•Season 4Ep. 11
Guest host, best selling historical fiction author Victoria Purnam chats to literary legend Jackie French about her new release Becoming Mrs Mulberry. Victoria is an Australian top ten and USA Today bestselling fiction author. Her 2022 novel, The Nurses’ War, followed her 2019 book, The Women’s Pages , was an Australian bestseller, as were her novels, The Land Girls and The Last of the Bonegilla Girls . Her earlier novel The Three Miss Allens was a USA Today bestseller. She is a regular guest at...
Mar 23, 2023•40 min•Season 4Ep. 9
Join Pam on the Writes4Women Convo Couch as she chats to three authors who feature in It’s All Connected , an anthology of Feminist Fiction and Poetry published by Spinifex Press. Spinifex Press was established in March 1991 by Susan Hawthorne and Renate Klein. Over 30 years later and with well over 200 titles in print and most available as eBooks, Spinifex Press continues to produce award-winning, innovative and controversial feminist books. Lizz Murphy, Angela Costi and Susan Midalia chat abou...
Mar 17, 2023•55 min•Season 4Ep. 9
Thriller author and guest host Rae Cairns chats to debut author Kerryn Mayne about her new release Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder Kerryn is an author, former wedding photographer, current police officer and terrible (but enthusiastic) tennis player. When not at work attempting to solve crime, she is writing about it or preparing an endless stream of snacks for her four children. Kerryn lives in the bayside suburbs of Melbourne with her husband, children and a highly suspect lovebird. She only...
Mar 12, 2023•49 min•Season 4Ep. 8
