Better Words

Abigail Bergstrom has written for national publications and worked in the publishing industry for a decade. She has edited and represented countless bestsellers, building some of today’s biggest book brands and working with some of the industry’s most prominent voices. She was nominated for Literary Agent of the Year 2020 at the British Book Awards and is an intersectional feminist campaigner who co-founded the campaign ‘This Doesn’t Mean Yes’ which was covered in the media internationally. She lives in London with her boyfriend and her Italian Greyhound, Luca. Today we’re discussing her debut novel, What A Shame.

Our interview begins at  00:18:00

Caitlin recommends: Now That I See You by Emma Batchelor

In intriguing and heartfelt autofiction that explores changes in a relationship when one person comes out as trans.

Michelle recommends: Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Knives Out, a delicious family murder mystery that really plays into the tropes of the genre.

In this interview, we chat about:

• Writing about 'under the surface' shame women experience
• To what extent are we showing the truth online (and are we comfortable with that projection?)
• Abigail's experience with severe burnout and how this has influenced her life, writing life and ambitions
• The liminal spaces in our lives
• Explore different portrayals of female friendships
• How Abigail got her book deal and her experience as an agent (with tips for those who want to be published)

Books and other things mentioned:

• Australia's Got Talent
• Moulin Rouge (musical)
• Mary Poppins (musical)
• Rick & Morty (TV series - One Crew over the Crewcoo's Morty)
• Thursday Murder Club by Richard Oseman
• Abigail's piece on liminal spaces
• Notes to Self by Emilie Pine
• Sheila Heti
• Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan
• Ottessa Moshfegh
• Fix the System, Not the Women by Laura Bates
• Girl Crush by Florence Given

Follow Abigail on Instagram @abigailbergstrom and check out her Substack Something to Say.

What a Shame is available now in the UK and Australia. Thank you to Hachette Australia for sending us copies in preparation for the interview.

Connect with us on Instagram: @betterwordspod

Lauren Draper is a Melbourne-based writer and marketing professional. She is a graduate of RMIT’s Professional Writing and Editing program and now works in children’s publishing—she loves nothing more than a story infused with magic, hijinks and a touch of nostalgia. The Museum of Broken Things, her debut novel, was acquired after it was shortlisted for the 2020 Text Prize. Her work has also been longlisted in the 2019 Richell Prize and has appeared in various non-fiction publications. She grew up in Western Australia, mostly on land but often in water. She now lives in Melbourne with a struggling coffee machine and moderately behaved golden retriever.

Our interview begins at  00:15:40

Caitlin recommends: Friends: a musical parody

Caitlin enjoyed this satirical musical romp through all 10 seasons of Friends.

Michelle recommends: a trio of podcasts

• Unreal: A Critical History of Reality TV
• Bi People Pride Month special from Bad People
• Redhanded: Episode 248 – R Kelly: The Pied Piper of R&B

In this interview, we chat about:

• The medical artefact that inspired part of the storyline
• Bringing Nana Blackwell to life even though she dies before the book begins
• Exploring Reece's grief through the novel and dealing with grief in real life
• The sibling relationships at the heart of the novel
• Why Lauren wanted to "write a book about grief that wasn't sad"
• Lauren's journey into working in publishing and getting her book deal

Books and other things mentioned:

• Shameless podcast
• Bi by Dr Julia Shaw
• You're Wrong About (episodes on Toya Harding)
• The Wellcome Collection in London
• Recreating the book cover with a rescued chair for Instagram
• Younger (TV series)

Follow Lauren on Instagram @laurendraperwrites

The Museum of Broken Things is out now! Thanks to Text Publishing for providing us with copies of the book to prepare for the interview.

Connect with us on Instagram: @betterwordspod

Mary Watson is from Cape Town and now lives on the west coast of Ireland. She’s worked as an art museum guide, library assistant, theatre duty manager, and an actor in children’s musicals. She has a PhD from the University of Cape Town where she taught for many years. She won the Caine Prize in 2006, and the Philida Award in 2022. She writes short stories, young adult fantasy and thrillers. Her YA debut, The Wren Hunt, was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards. Today we are discussing her new YA novel, Blood to Poison.

Our interview begins at  00:12:00

Caitlin recommends: Book Lovers by Emily Henry

A fun read that plays on (and twists) our favourite romance tropes.

Michelle recommends: One Ordinary Day at a Time by Sarah J Harris

A moving and beautiful contemporary novel about two unlikely friends who have the power to change each other's lives.

In this interview, we chat about:

• How Mary's own family curse and grief inspired the novel
• Female anger, shame and intergenerational anger
• The joy Mary found in writing about her South African homeland after writing about Ireland in her previous YA books
• The magic Mary invented for the novel and the 'real strange' found in South Africa
• Mary's publishing journey and moving from adult literary books to YA after a career as an academic

Books and other things mentioned:

• Beach Read and You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry

Follow Mary Watson on Instagram @Marym_watson

Blood to Poison is available now. Thank you to Bloomsbury for sending us copies of the book to read in preparation for the interview.

Connect with us on Instagram: @betterwordspod

Sarah Ayoub is a journalist, bestselling author and academic with a PhD in migrant Australian YA literature. She is a Stella Schools Program ambassador, has mentored the youth curators of The Sydney Writers' Festival YA program, contributed to the anthology Arab, Australian, Other: Stories on Race and Identity and most recently been a judge for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards. Sarah was elected to the board of the Australian Society of Authors in 2021 and is currently working on her first novel for adults as the writer-in-residence of Sweatshop Literacy Movement. She regularly appears at writers festivals and schools, discussing her novels Hate is Such a Strong Word and The Yearbook Committee. We are discussing her debut picture book, The Love that Grew, and new YA novel inspired by her PhD research called The Cult of Romance.

Our interview begins at  00:11:30

Caitlin recommends: The Yearbook by Holly Bourne

An engrossing contemporary YA novel exploring high school and how we remember it.

Michelle recommends: The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex

A slow-burning mystery about mysterious disappearances from an off-shore lighthouse in the 1970s.

In this interview, we chat about:

• How Sarah's experiences visiting Lebanon influenced Natalie's story in The Cult of Romance
• Why do people get married young?
• Positioning older YA/New Adult books in the market
• Sarah's choice to move away from writing YA novels
• Sarah's first picture book, The Love That Grew
• How Sarah came to write her first novel, Hate is Such a Strong Word
• Why feature writing is still Sarah's first love
• Sarah's study into multiculturalism in Australian YA and how The Cult of Romance developed as part of her PhD

Books and other things mentioned:

• The Handover by David M Barnett (Michelle originally recommended here)
• History Extra: The Mystery of the Vanishing Lighthouse Keepers
• It Only Happens in the Movies, Pretending and How Do You Like Me Now? by Holly Bourne
• Shameless Podcast asks "How much have you changed in 5 years?" (here's the ep)
• Loner by Georgina Young
• Libby Lawrence is Good at Pretending by Jodi McAlister
• Does My Head Look Big In This? by Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah
• Laurinda by Alice Pung

Follow Sarah on Instagram @bysarahayoub

The Cult of Romance is available now.

Connect with us on Instagram: @betterwordspod

Please note that we choose podcast guests independently of Caitlin's job at HarperCollins Publishers. Although her job does help put us in touch with authors, we choose our guests based on what we've enjoyed reading and think you'd find interesting.

Mhairi McFarlane was born in Scotland (which is why her unnecessarily confusing name is pronounced Vah-Ree). After working as a journalist, Mhairi started writing novels. She lives in Nottingham with a man and a cat. Today, we're discussing her (totally bloody wonderful) eighth novel Mad About You.

Our interview begins at  00:22:00

Mini book club: This is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch by Tabitha Carvan*

When was the last time you felt unapologetic and obsessive joy for something? We loved the way this book explored joy and passions and encouraged us to pursue that – however strange it may seem to some.

Fun facts: We learn Michelle went through an Elvis phase after watching Lilo and Stitch as a child and Caitlin has added to IMBD trivia about Friends. And they both make themselves lists of things to read while on holidays because they can't not be productive.

*Thank you to Harper Collins Publishers for providing a copy for Michelle for review. Caitlin's position at HCP did not influence our discussion.

In this interview, we chat about:

• Weddings and the wedding industry: why Mhairi wanted to explore this in Mad About You
• How Mhairi manages to tackle tricky subjects (like emotionally abusive relationships) while keeping the humour and lighthearted rom-com feel of her work
• How Mhairi approaches plotting out her stories
• Mhairi's advice for her past self (and aspiring writers)
• How it feels to get endorsements from iconic writers like Marian Keyes
• Mhairi's work as a journalist and her journey to publishing
• Why Mhairi still finds it hard to call herself a writer
• Why Mhairi sets her books in the north of England

Books and other things mentioned:

• Sunderland 'Til I Die (TV series)
• The public proposal at the Adele concert
• To All the Boys I've Loved Before (Film)
• One Day by David Nicholls
• On Writing by Stephen King

Follow Mhairi on Instagram @mhairimcf

Connect with us on Instagram: @betterwordspod

Mad About You is available now in Australia and the UK.

Please note that we choose podcast guests independently of Caitlin's job at HarperCollins Publishers. Although her job does help put us in touch with authors, we choose our guests based on what we've enjoyed reading and think you'd find interesting.

Katherine Collette is a novelist, podcaster and engineer living in Melbourne. Her debut novel, The Helpline, was published in the US, UK, Germany and Italy. Her second novel The Competition was published in February 2022. She also co-hosts the writing podcast The First Time.

Our interview begins at  00:12:20

P.S listen out for who next week's guest is!

Caitlin recommends: Blood Moon by Lucy Cuthew

An emotional and moving YA verse novel about cyberbullying and periods.

Michelle recommends: The No-Show by Beth O'Leary

A brilliant, fun and heartfelt contemporary novel about three women and the man who stood them up. (We've previously interviewed Beth, listen to that here)

In this interview, we chat about:

• The joy (and curiosity) of Toastmasters and how this inspired the novel
• Katherine's experience with the club and visiting the international Toastmasters conference
• Wrangling the book's structure and choosing the perspectives to write from (there's a lot of killing your darlings here!)
• Katherine's co-hosted podcast, The First Time
• The mystery of publishing a book
• The surprises of publishing for the second time
• Katherine's work in engineering and the combination of working in both industries
• How Katherine wrote her first book in between work and parenting

Books and other things mentioned:

• Sarah Crossan (author)
• Hard Quiz (TV show)
• Mastermind (TV show)
• Liane Moriarty (author)
• Wahala by Nikki May
• Ben Law (author)
• Cecelia Ahern (listen to our interview)
• Bri Lee (listen to our interview)
• Louise O'Neill (listen to our interview)
• Stephanie Yeboah (listen to our interview)
• Animal by Ella Baxter

Follow Katherine at @katherinecollettewriter and The First Time Podcast @thefirsttimepod

The Competition is available now. Thanks to Text Publishing for sending us copies of the book in preparation for this interview.

Connect with us on Instagram: @betterwordspod

Claire Kohda is a writer and musician. She reviews books for publications including the Guardian and the TLS, specialising in books from and about East Asia. Her essay, Portraits, about her experiences growing up mixed-race, also features in East Side Voices: Essays celebrating East and Southeast Asian identity in Britain, edited by Helena Lee and published by Sceptre. As a violinist, she has played with Jessie Ware, Pete Tong, the London Contemporary Orchestra, and on various film soundtracks including The Two Popes and The Matrix Resurrections

Our interview begins at  00:12:30

Mini book club: Heartstopper

Gush, gush, gush. Basically that's what you can expect from this chat. This series is perfect. Watch it. That's all we have to say. *PS, YES Stephen Fry IS the Truham headmaster we hear on the speakers.

Listen to our original chat about Heartstopper graphic novels and interview with Alice here.

In this interview, we chat about:

• Why Claire wanted to explore the complications and tropes of the vampire in a new way
• The degree to which food helps us bond as humans and the role it plays in racism
• The way Western culture has such stringent book genres and generations (and why Claire was surprised Woman, Eating has been called a millennial novel)
• How Claire wrote the book during lockdown after her career as a musician was halted thanks to Covid
• The complex mother-daughter relationship explored in the book

Books and other things mentioned:

• Derry Girls (TV show)
• What We Do In The Shadows (film and TV show)
• Buffy (TV show)
• Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• The Radleys by Matt Haig
• Father May Be an Elephant and Mother Only a Small Basket by Gogu Shyamala (short story collection)

Follow Claire @clairekohda

Woman, Eating is available now. Thanks to Hachette Australia for sending us copies of the book in preparation for this interview.

Connect with us on Instagram: @betterwordspod

Carly Nugent lives in Bright, Victoria. Her short fiction has featured in numerous publications, including the Bellevue Literary Review and Award Winning Australian Writing. Her first novel, The Peacock Detectives, won the Readings Children's Book Prize, was a CBCA younger readers Honour Book, and was shortlisted for the Text Prize, the Australian Book Design Awards and the Sisters in Crime Davitt Awards. But today we are discussing Sugar, her first novel for young adults.

Our interview begins at  00:16:15

Caitlin recommends: All My Mothers by Joanna Glen

A sweeping familial drama exploring all the motherhood relationships a woman experiences throughout her life. 

*Caitlin received a PR copy through her role at Harper Collins Australia.

Michelle recommends: The Long Drop by Denise Mina

A fascinating blend of fact and fiction imagining lost hours in the life of Glasgow serial killer Peter Manuel.

In this interview, we chat about:

• How Carly’s experience with Type 1 Diabetes inspired Persephone’s story
• The way language and numbers help tell the story in a unique way including in the opening pages
• Why Carly decided to include some difficult and traumatic moments in Persephone’s story, rather than just exploring how she lives with Diabetes
• How Carly felt writing for an older audience after her debut middle grade novel, The Peacock Detectives
• The journey to publication, including a special Text Publishing signing

Books and other things mentioned:

• Redhanded episode 230: Peter Manuel: The Beast of Birkinshaw
• All Killa No Filla episode 80: Peter Manuel
• The Babysitter’s Club
• Something Rhymes With Purple (podcast)
• Vikki Wakefield's writing (all brilliant)
• Sick Bay by Nova Weetman 

Follow Carly @carly_nugent

Sugar is available now. Thanks to Text Publishing for sending us copies of the book in preparation for the interview.

Connect with us on Instagram: @betterwordspod

Lizzie Damilola Blackburn is a British-Nigerian writer, born in Peckham, who wants to tell the stories that she and her friends have longed for but never seen. In 2019 she won the Literary Consultancy Pen Factor Writing Competition with the early draft of her debut novel, which she had been writing alongside juggling her job at Carers UK. She has been at the receiving end of the question in the title of her novel many times and now lives with her husband in Milton Keynes. Today we're chatting about her debut, Yinka, Where is your Huzband?

Our interview begins at  00:21:30

Mini book club: Magpie by Elizabeth Day

*Skip this part of the episode if you don't want any spoilers!*

Magpie is a moving contemporary novel exploring relationships between mothers and daughters. We chat a lot about our impressions of this and expectations: it sounds like a domestic noir thriller at first glance, but you'll probably feel disappointed if you go into the novel expecting that...

Note: Caitlin read a PR copy through her position at Harper Collins Publishers.

In this interview, we chat about:

• Why Lizzie was drawn to the rom-com genre to explore serious issues and the importance of joyful Black stories
• The pressure we feel from family and society to be in a relationship
• How faith is included in Yinka’s story
• Exploring colourism throughout the novel
• Researching the therapy sessions incorporated into the story
• How Yinka started as a short story on Lizzie’s blog and the journey to publication
• The surprises of the editing and publishing process and how Lizzie has grown throughout it

Books and other things mentioned:

• Louise Candlish
• Beth O’Leary (listen to our interview)
• The Best Man (film)
• Brown Sugar (film)
• Love Jones (film)
• Story Engineering by Larry Brooks

Follow Lizzie @lizziedamiblackburn

Connect with us on Instagram: @betterwordspod

Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? is available now. Thank you to Viking for providing us with copies of the book.

Kimberley Allsopp has had her work appear in Kidspot, The Sunday Telegraph and WHIMN (now Body & Soul) and she co-hosts the rom-com podcast, Meet Cute, which allows her to justify some of her otherwise questionable life choices. Kimberley has worked in bookselling and publishing since 2008. Today we're discussing her debut novel, Love & Other Puzzles.

Our interview begins at  00:13:50

Caitlin recommends: Camp by L. C. Rosen.

A fun queer summer camp novel where Randy attempts to catch the eye of Hudson.

Michelle recommends: The Handover by David M Barnett

A heartwarming contemporary about two museum security guards whose lives start to intertwine. Perfect for fans of Freckles by Cecelia Ahern (listen to our interview).

In this interview, we chat about:

• Crosswords and why they’re such an important part of the book and Rory’s life (with a diversion into Wordle, of course, because it’s 2022)
• How Kimberley fell in love with rom-coms and why she wanted to pay homage to them in Love and Other Puzzles
• What it feels like to be published by the company Kimberley works for
• The surprises that came with being an author, even after working in the industry for years
• The podcast Kimberley co-hosts, Meet Cute

Books and other things mentioned:

• The Bold Type (TV show)
• Younger (TV show)
• Singing’ in the Rain (film)
• You’ve Got Mail (film)
• Scream (film)
• 'Well dressed and distressed' article by The Guardian on book cover trends
• Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (listen to our interview)
• Blank Check (podcast)
• Love Actually (film)
• Sense and Sensibility (film)
• Bridget Jones’ Diary (film)
• Clueless (film)
• As If!: The Oral History of Clueless as told by Amy Heckerling and the Cast and Crew
• I Want You Back (film)
• Starstruck (TV show)
• Love Life (TV show)
• Emily in Paris (TV show)

Follow Kimberley @kimberleyallsopp

Connect with us on Instagram: @betterwordspod

Love & Other Puzzles is available now.

Please note that we choose podcast guests independently of Caitlin's job at HarperCollins Publishers. Although her job does help put us in touch with authors, we choose our guests based on what we've enjoyed reading and think you'd find interesting.