Conversations With Writers

Jay Kristoff has consistently topped the New York Times Bestseller list with his Science Fiction and Fantasy works, often using the genres to address real world issues of slavery, race, class divide and political injustice.

Jay's latest series is LIFELIKE, a fast-paced action tale set in a post-apocalyptic world, questioning the ethics of giving life to robots and demanding they live to serve.

In conversation we discuss the responsibility of building worlds; the value of sensitivity readers; how not to swear; and the power of science fiction to call for social change.

Jay is the author of the Lotus War series, Nevernight series and co-author of the phenomenally successful Illuminae series with Amie Kaufman. Lifelike is the first in a new YA Sc-Fi trilogy.

Jay can be found on twitter @misterkristoff

Journalist Bridie Jabour's debut novel "The Way Things Should Be" is a fierce & amusing deconstruction of millennial angst & mother issues, questioning what it takes to get, be & stay married amid a family in constant disarray. In conversation we reflect on Bridie's own family; becoming a hashtag when the Prime Minister tells you to "calm down"; the bad wrap of the millennial generation; and the influences that have forged her journalism career. 

You can find Bridie's writing at the Guardian Australia and follow her on Twitter: @bkjabour

Professor Toby Walsh is one of the world's leading researchers in Artificial Intelligence & recently returned from lobbying the UN to ban lethal autonomous weapons, aka Killer Robots.

In his book "It's Alive", Toby considers the broader societal and philosophical questions of what happens when robots think and will they really fill our battlefields, take our jobs and eventually rule the world. You can follow Professor Toby Walsh on Twitter @tobywalsh

Journalist Eileen Ormsby was accused of running the world's most successful Murder-For-Hire website, following her investigation into the scams, drug markets and hurtcore sites of the Dark Web. Working with white-hat hackers, Eileen has become an authority on the darkest areas of this hidden online world, exposing the vices, blackmail and murders conducted away from the spying eyes of the global security services. Everything is true. Eileen's book The Darkest Web is available now and Eileen can be found at her website www.allthingsvice.com

Journalist and author Caroline Baum's memoir 'Only' is a fascinating insight into growing up an only child in a world of privilege to controlling parents. In conversation Caroline shares the conspiracy of being the lost child of JFK; how MI5 & the KGB came to sit outside her London home; & the challenges of being the precious cargo of immigrant parents escaping their own secretive worlds of grief. This is an intimate and long conversation exploring Caroline's life and the techniques used to capture it.

Jack Heath is the author of more than 20 novels, with his most recent thriller "Hangman" an international success. Featuring a cannibal working for the FBI, Jack explains the fine line between anti-hero and deplorable. In conversation, we explore his publishing career writing for children; what he learned from Brett Easton Ellis; a date at the morgue; and the many influences driving him to break with tradition wherever he reads it. You can find Jack on Twitter: @jackheathwriter

Robert Lukins' debut novel The Everlasting Sunday is an eloquently sorrowful tale of a manor house for troubled boys, set within London's great freeze of December 1962. In conversation, Robert shares the driving forces of his need to create something beautiful from shadowy ruins, his use of rare and evocative language, and the powerful isolation and compulsion of a life spent writing. Robert can be found on Twitter @robertlukins

Up to 80 gay men were murdered along Sydney's beaches during the 70s, 80s & 90s, with their cases remaining unsolved or excused as suicides. Duncan McNab's award winning 'Getting Away With Murder' digs into the stunningly dark history of a homophobic NSW Police Force & the numerous cases of poor judgement, lost evidence & miscarriages of justice committed at a peak of anti-gay violence in the harbour city. Duncan is a former police officer, journalist and the author of 10 non-fiction true-crime tomes to date. Duncan can be found on Twitter @duncanmcnab

Author & Walkley Award winning journalist Catherine Fox outlines the economic benefits & societal need for equality in the workplace. Her deeply researched & optimistic book "Stop Fixing Women" challenging the belief corporate women haven't 'leaned in' & taken advantage of their opportunities. In conversation we discuss: the daughter syndrome; the #MeToo movement; the unconscious bias of employment practices; & the leaders forcing genuine change across industry & the Australian Defence Force. 

Follow Catherine on Twitter at: @corporatefox

Walkley Award winning political correspondent Michael Brissenden's first fictional work 'The List' is a dark tale of domestic terrorism, tapping into the racist flashpoint of the Cronulla riots & the increasing threat of Sydney-raised jihadists. In conversation we discuss his life in Moscow covering the insanity of the Yeltsin regime; the draw of young Australians to the Yugoslav wars; the balance between media & Government agendas; and the need for absolute truth in reporting.