Do you love historical fiction? I have to admit to being a sucker for a different time and place – and both are on offer in Mary-Lou Stephens’ latest novel, The Hobart Hotel. In this episode, Mary-Lou discusses her unique approach to research and the challenges of writing about Uruguay in the 1940s, as well as why she loves writing historical fiction so much.

00:00 Welcome
06:03 Writers in the Wild
10:08 Writing tip: Find balance in your creative life
13:15 WIN!: The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives by Elizabeth Arnott
15:07 Word of the week: ’Patalous’
15:45 Writer in residence: Mary-Lou Stephens
17:19 Describing The Hobart Hotel
19:16 Inspiration and research
20:57 The dual timeline process
22:36 Capturing the Uruguay wartime vibe
27:24 Why Historical Fiction?
30:32 Mary-Lou’s ‘slow travel’ writing life
34:40 Writing while traveling
37:17 Memoir and meditation
43:10 What’s next?
44:58 Promoting her books
46:07 Final thoughts

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OMG, I adored Katie Hoskins’ debut novel, When the Party’s Over! In so many ways, it’s the PERFECT book – nailing structure and narrative to tell a nuanced and contemporary story. In this episode, Katie talks about the path that took her from beginner to a two-book Pan Macmillan deal, including the AWC courses that helped her hone her structure, subplot, distinct voices and more.

00:00 Welcome
09:33 Writing tip: Don’t avoid the tough scenes
11:43 WIN!: When Lemons Give You Life by Anna Johnston
14:12 Word of the week: ’Imprimatur’
14:45 Writer in residence: Katie Hoskins
16:12 Plot and inspiration for When the Party’s Over
20:23 Dreaming of being an author
21:16 From journalism to fiction
22:58 AWC courses that sparked the shift
25:01 Writing her novel
26:22 The usefulness of workshopping
27:11 Nailing story structure
29:57 Balancing subplot arcs
33:01 Distinct voices
36:06 Landing the book deal
39:30 Advice for aspiring writers
42:29 Final thoughts

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Australian bestselling crime author Sarah Barrie has a dozen books to her name, with her latest standalone thriller Dark Sanctuary, exploring the nuanced world of mental health support, prisons and more. In this episode, Sarah shares the serendipitous inspiration for this novel, the research process and POV choices she made, as well as turning back the clock to give insights into her equally serendipitous start into the world of writing!

00:00 Welcome
07:35 Writing tip: Put your writing out there!
10:20 WIN!: The Couples Retreat by Mercedes Mercier
13:06 Word of the week: ’Crepuscular’
13:38 Writer in residence: Sarah Barrie
14:49 Dark Sanctuary overview
15:46 Inspiration and themes
17:59 Three POV structure
19:11 Podcast character angle
20:49 Setting and research
21:45 Prisons – psychology and programs
24:34 Research and the findings
25:30 Writing the detective character
27:47 Editing and deadlines
28:20 Farm life writing
30:07 Mental health themes
32:59 Sarah’s origin story
34:56 Publishing breakthrough
38:50 Advice for writers
40:16 What’s next?
41:29 Final thoughts

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British writer and librarian India-Rose Bower’s folk horror debut novel, We Call Them Witches explores the concept of ‘eldritch’ creatures in a surreal post-apocalyptic world. In this episode, India-Rose discusses her surprising inspirations for the novel, what ‘eldritch’ actually means and a unique writing tip we should all try!

00:00 Welcome
06:45 Writing tip: Don’t use AI for a pitch!
08:05 WIN!: The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glenn Dixon
9:57 Word of the week: ‘Mélange’
10:17 Writer in residence: India-Rose Bower
11:04 What is her book, We Call Them Witches about?
12:22 Origins of the story
15:02 Designing the eldritch ‘witches’
17:02 Creating the first draft
18:42 Entering a competition and securing an agent
21:07 Selling yourself and the book
22:21 Publicity and author life
23:35 Writing around work and health issues
25:29 Next book and research habits}
28:41 India-Rose’s unique writing tip
30:58 Final thoughts

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Some kids dream of being a zookeeper when they grow up. Others dream of becoming a writer. Well, author and animal conservationist Tina Strachan ended up doing both! In this episode, she shares her passion for wildlife and how she ended up scoring a book deal for her Wilder Zoo series – with book 3, Neeka and the Great Search out now. She also shares her writing routine and experience working with a professional illustrator.

00:00 Welcome
06:45 Writing tip: Carry a tiny book around
11:26 WIN!: The Angry Wives Club by Gabbie Stroud
12:57 Word of the week: ‘Spicate’
13:22 Writer in residence: Tina Strachan
15:09 Wilder Zoo series overview
17:20 Tina’s favourite koala fun fact
18:19 Wildlife career origins
21:54 The role of zoos and conservation
25:05 Turning point to getting into writing
27:02 Building a daily habit
27:37 Entering a CYA competition
31:22 Connecting with a publisher
33:03 From samples to a series
35:12 Courses and gaining confidence
36:55 Building her author website
38:25 Writing routine and its evolution
42:07 School visits and writing festivals
42:57 Illustrator collaboration
44:52 Next books
47:08 Tina shares some writing advice
49:11 Final thoughts

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Would you like fries with that? Playwright and author George Kemp’s debut novel, Soft Serve, follows a particular day at a regional McDonalds restaurant and the various characters who work there. In this episode, George shares his influences and some of the curious choices he made in writing the book, as well as his writing routine and differences between novel and script writing.

00:00 Welcome
10:51 Writing tip: Focus on positive feedback
15:00 WIN!: Click by Sarah Bailey
17:29 Word of the week: ‘Mensal’
18:06 Writer in residence: George Kemp
18:44 What his book Soft Serve is all about
19:47 Origins and influences
21:54 Novel versus script
23:27 The differences between the two
27:21 Defining the age range
30:48 Small town limitations
34:41 Unconventional dialogue and POV choices
37:01 Acting skills in writing
39:43 George’s writing routine
42:54 The publication process
45:54 Editing collaboration
48:25 A writing tip
50:13 Next projects
51:03 Final thoughts

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Two questions: Where do new mothers meet new people? And ‘What Rhymes with Murder?’ – the latter being the title of author Penny Tangey’s cosy crime novel, inspired by her own experiences as a new mother at her local library’s story time! In this episode, Penny shares insights on making the switch from YA to adult stories, her writing routine and whether you need to know who did it before writing the end of the book!

00:00 Welcome
04:26 Writing tip: Listen to your characters
08:00 WIN!: The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke
10:37 Word of the week: ‘Weltschmerz’
11:30 Writer in residence: Penny Tangey
12:07 Penny describes the book What Rhymes with Murder?
12:52 Real-life inspirations for the book
14:39 The quirky title
15:32 The decision to write her first adult book
17:36 The writing process and plotting
18:38 Librarian life in the novel
20:31 Building a cosy cast
21:07 The timeline of writing the book
21:50 Penny’s writing routine
22:30 The biggest challenge
23:41 Having for researching the book
24:16 Finding an agent and new publisher
27:58 Editing and sprinkling clues
29:39 The overall themes of the book
31:29 Next projects ahead
32:02 Genre switching advice
33:33 Cosy crime specific advice
34:28 Librarian book pick
35:58 Final thoughts

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

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