What happens when your job results in PTSD, forcing you into unexpected retirement? You write a memoir, of course! At least, that's what Dr Hilton Koppe did when he suddenly had to leave his practice as a rural GP. 

Hilton speaks to James and Ashley about his PTSD diagnosis, the secret of work/life, how he turned to creative writing as a form of therapeutic intervention, and seeking permission to share his patients' stories in his memoir. 

Hilton Koppe is a writer, workshop facilitator, podcaster and doctor living on Bundjalung land on the east coast of Australia. He co-hosts the podcast Dementia In Practice, and is the author of One Curious Doctor: A Memoir of Medicine, Migration and Mortality. 

Visit Hilton's website to learn more and get your copy of One Curious Doctor. 

Books and authors discussed in this episode:

• The House of God by Samuel Shem;
• Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales;
• Dear Memory: Letters on Writing, Silence, and Grief by Victoria Chang;
• The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill 

You can pre-order Dark Mode in Australia and in the UK, from these links or your favourite bookshop.

James' novel Denizen is out now! Learn more about it and get your copy here. 

Upcoming events:

• Make 2023 the Year You Write Your Book with Ashley: Monday 30 January, 7:45-9pm AEDT, online via Zoom
• Launch of Taken with Dinuka McKenzie in conversation with Ashley: Sunday 5 February, 4pm, Better Read Than Dead, Newtown; free, RSVP
• Dark Mode launch – Melbourne: Ashley in conversation with author JP Pomare, Thursday 9 March, 6.30 to 7.30 pm, Readings Carlton, 309 Lygon St. Free, bookings essential

Get in touch!

• ashleykalagianblunt.com
• jamesmckenziewatson.com
• Twitter: @AKalagianBlunt + @JamesMcWatson
• Instagram: @akalagianblunt + @jamesmcwatson