We've made it to episode 98! Author Imbi Neeme joins James and Ashley to discuss life with misophonia, a hypersensitivity to sounds that she describes as 'like a cheese grater against the brain'. Imbi speaks both about how she discovered that her personal experiences are shared by others, and how she's explored the condition in her latest novel, 'Kind of, Sort of, Maybe but Probably Not.' They also discuss the challenge of second books and developing a writing career in an industry obsessed with debuts. 

Imbi Neeme won the 2019 Penguin Literary Prize for The Spill, which was published by Penguin Random House in 2020. She blogged for many years at Not Drowning, Mothering, which won the 2010 Bloggies Award for best ANZ Weblog. She lives in Melbourne.

Books and authors discussed in this episode:

• Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami
• Ghost Cities by Siang Lu
• On Our Best Behaviour by Elise Loehnen
• The Writer's Room by Charlotte Wood
• Katherine Collette (from ep 55)
• Kate Mildenhall (from ep 13)

Get your copy of Kind of, Sort of, Maybe but Probably Not from Booktopia or your local bookshop.

Upcoming events 

• Ashley is teaching Pathways to Publication for Writing NSW on Saturday 15 June, 10am-4pm
• Ashley is in conversation with Petronella McGovern to launch her new novel on Monday 1 July, 6pm
• Ashley is in conversation with Lisa Kenway to launch her debut thriller on Thursday 1 August, 6.30pm

Learn more about Ashley's bestselling psychological thriller Dark Mode and get your copy here or from your local bookshop.    Learn more about James' award-winning novel Denizen and get your copy here or from your local bookshop.

Get in touch!

• ashleykalagianblunt.com
• jamesmckenziewatson.com
• Instagram: @akalagianblunt + @jamesmcwatson