Australian noir has become a huge sub-genre in the world of fiction and UK-based author Emma Styles brings it to the beaches of Western Australia in her latest novel, The Shark. In this episode, Emma shares her inspiration for writing the book, the pressure of completing her latest adult novel and the process of putting the dual (sometimes unreliable, sometimes unlikeable) narratives together. She also explores the publishing journey and shares a top tip for writers.

00:00 Welcome
05:33 Writing tip: Don’t put off your writing dream
08:28 WIN!: The Writers Retreat by Victoria Brownlee
11:15 Word of the week: ‘Shallop’
13:04 Writer in residence: Emma Styles
14:42 Inspiration for the book
18:00 Crafting characters
21:21 Writing unlikable women
24:30 Complex crime characters
25:19 Why two young women?
28:02 Alternating POV method
29:22 Planning vs pantsing
32:22 Adult crime not YA
34:18 Landing The Shark book deal
36:11 The supportive publishing world
37:39 Writing about Australia from UK
40:38 The setting for her next book
43:10 Trusting your instincts
44:16 Final thoughts

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With 20 books now to her name and a slew of accolades and bestseller titles under her belt, crime author Candice Fox has gone with something a little different for her latest novel, Redbelly Crossing. Inspired by a real-life family reminiscence, she has reimagined elements of two actual Sydney cold-case murders – and in this episode, Candice discusses how she balanced the sensitivity of a real case (including speaking with the victim’s husbands) with her creative storytelling instincts and a genuine desire to solve the case.

00:00 Welcome
06:56 Writing tip: Set an Intention
09:51 WIN!: Astral Library by Kate Quinn
11:49 Word of the week: ‘Ylem’
13:52 Writer in residence: Candice Fox
14:41 Crossing the line into a true-crime inspired novel
16:25 Candice’s mum’s encounter with a possible killer
20:30 Rabbit Holes and why she didn’t make a true-crime podcast
26:07 Similarities in the cold cases: one killer or two?
26:44 Writing real tragedy into fiction: meeting the husbands & making hard edits
28:50 Pitching the project to her agent
32:23 The novel’s elevator pitch
34:22 Ending a fictional case when the real one is unsolved
37:02 What readers should take away
39:55 Career reflections – 20 books in 12 years
42:19 Candice’s writing routine and finding ideas
45:25 Top tips for crime writers
47:39 Final thoughts

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Derek Pedley was a young newspaper journalist in the 1990s when bank robber Brenden Abbott became well known throughout Australia as escaped prisoner ‘The Postcard Bandit’. One capture, break out and recapture later, Derek gained exclusive access to Abbott and wrote an account of his story. Now, 20 years later – with Abbott still in prison – a Warner Brothers documentary and six-part drama series have put the story back into the spotlight, and Derek has released an updated version of his book, The Postcard Bandit. In this episode, Derek shares the timeline and why it made sense to update the story now.

00:00 Welcome
06:03 Writing tip: Breaking down a novel into sessions
08:28 WIN!: Iluka by Cassie Stroud
10:08 Word of the week: ‘Stochastic’
12:54 Writer in residence: Derek Pedley
15:27 The story of Brenden Abbott – the ‘postcard bandit’
18:30 Brenden’s bank robbing style
19:51 How Derek became involved in Brenden’s story
23:00 Frustrations writing the first account
24:10 Gaining access to Abbott
26:16 Frustrations publishing the second account
28:59 20 years later – returning to the project
30:30 A new angle to the story
32:10 Turning it into a TV series and documentary
36:45 Updates with the new book
40:55 Finally meeting Brenden
42:10 Why change the book’s name?
43:23 Derek’s tip for writing crime stories
46:30 Future book projects
47:43 Final thoughts

Read the show notes

Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook
Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.