Final Draft - Great Conversations

The Final Draft podcast is all about books, writing and literary culture. We're dedicated to exploring Australian writing, looking into the issues that drive our storytelling to discover more from the books you love.

These are the stories that make us who we are.

Emily Maguire is the author of seven novels and has been shortlisted for the Stella, the Miles Franklin and many more awards. You’ve met her on Final Draft before and it is a pleasure to welcome her back with her new novel Rapture. 

The life of a young woman in ninth century Europe is fraught at best.

Under her father’s roof Agnes is indulged in her reading and stands out for her intelligence and wit. But this is no life for a girl, let alone a woman and so Agnes must hide herself and her sex to enter a Benedictine monastary and embark on a most remarkable career.

Final Draft is produced and presented by Andrew Pople

Want more great conversations with Australian authors?

Discover this and many more conversations on Final Draft every week.

Get in touch with Andrew and Final Draft. We love to hear about what you’re reading!

Twitter - https://twitter.com/finaldraft2ser 

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Ann Liang is a New York Times bestselling author of YA novels This Time It’s Real, If You Could See the Sun, and I Hope This Doesn't Find You. Ann’s new novel is A Song to Drown Rivers.

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In the fractured kingdom of the Yue, Xishi is regarded as a peerless beauty.

Her beauty is famous across her homeland and leads her to be sought out by the advisor to the king. The Yue have suffered terrible defeats at the hands of the Wu. This humiliation and the threat of ongoing war has lead the king to try a desperate plan. With Xishi’s help they will infiltrate the Wu king’s court, win his heart and overthrow his tyrannical rule. 

Thrust deep into the heart of the enemy Wu kingdom, Xishi must use all her skills, not only to survive but to bring justice for her people.

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A Song to Drown Rivers is based on the ancient Chinese story of  Xishi, one of the four famed beauties of legend. From this source material Liang weaves a compelling tale that blends political intrigue with the all too human story of Xishi.

The conceit that Xishi is valued only for her beauty is tested against the development of the character as she prepares to enter the enemy Wu kingdom. Early on Xishi is shown to be jaded by her reputation as a beauty and longs to find more purpose than that found at the end of a man’s gaze.

Through her training and then in the court of the Wu King Fuchai Xishi is challenged to be bold and clever if she is to rise above the level of concubine.

The novel works hard to explore the inner world of Xishi and build on the legend that exists through history. We see Xishi questioning the rituals of the court and comparing them to the practicality of her village life. Xishi must confront that the tragedy of her family's life and loss through the war is mirrored in many other families, including those of the Wu.

Xishi is also embroiled in an impossible love story that can only be further complicated by her mission to seduce the king.

A Song to Drown Rivers works to complicate the romance and spectacle of so many epic tales of Kingdom’s clashing. Xishi is both an ethereal figure of legend and a kind of every person, struggling to find a morality that can encompass the brutal world she finds herself in.

Ann Liang’s writing takes in the source material and embellishes it both for our times and with a sense of pacy, engrossing storytelling. Xishi’s tale rockets forward even as we feel the encroaching moment where she must make a decision about who she is  after so long living a lie.

This book is a must read, ready to appeal to lovers of epics, history, war and romance. It hits its beats in thoughtful and  engaging ways and had me hanging on to the last page.

Maeve Marsden is a writer, producer and theatremaker. She is also the Creative Director of Varuna the National Writers’ House and Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival.

Blue Mountains Writers Festival brings together incredible minds and exciting new talent set against the stunning backdrop of the Blue Mountains. 

The Final Draft podcast is all about books, writing and literary culture. We're dedicated to exploring Australian writing, looking into the issues that drive our storytelling to discover more from the books you love.

These are the stories that make us who we are.

Stephen Downes is a writer and a journalist with an expansive career in news, TV and radio. His debut novel The Hands of Pianists was shortlisted for the 2022 Australian Prime Minister’s Literary Awards. He joins us today with his new work Mural.

What drives a person to commit unspeakable acts?

At the request of his psychiatrist ‘D’ is recording his thoughts. Held ‘at her majesty’s pleasure’ D has little else to occupy his time. 

But is D complying with Dr Reynold’s humble request and if so what should we make of this strange journey into the mind of a self confessed madman? 

Final Draft is produced and presented by Andrew Pople

Want more great conversations with Australian authors?

Discover this and many more conversations on Final Draft every week.

Get in touch with Andrew and Final Draft. We love to hear about what you’re reading!

Twitter - https://twitter.com/finaldraft2ser 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/finaldraft2ser/ 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/finaldraft2ser/ 

Lauren Keegan is a psychologist and writer. Her debut novel is All the Bees in the Hollows.

All the Bees in the Hollows takes place in a remote beekeeping community in 16th century Lithuania. With the death of her husband, Maryte must take care of the family’s hollows. She is not alone, although her daughter Austeja has always fiercely resisted her family's vocation as beekeepers.

The death of their father is compounded when Austeja discovers the Hollow Watcher dead beneath an abandoned hollow. As the representative of the Duke he was not a beloved man but his sudden death, alongside the disappearance of the bees, does not bode well for the upcoming harvest.

Their little community is small and not used to outsiders and so suspicion turns inward and onto the families. Maryte and Austeja must learn to rely on each other, and they must trust to the bees. Because bees don’t sting good people.

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All the Bees in the Hollows is a pleasing mix of genres and a fascinating exploration into a way of life that has been changed utterly by our modern world.

It was interesting to read this novel at the onset of our spring, as the bees gathered in my garden and everywhere I turned they were working to collect pollen. Our relationship to bees is so very fundamental to our entire ecosystem and is also one of the most precarious relationships we have with our natural world.

In the novel we are treated to the traditions of Hollows Beekeeping, where swarms are attracted to the hollows of trees and the families manage their development and are careful to harvest only the barest necessity to maintain their livelihoods.

The questions of production and how the profits of the bees are used emerges as a theme when Maryte and Austeja must confront the upcoming spring without their beloved husband and father. Maryte is proud of her skills as a beekeeper but worries at how she will be accepted by the community. There is also the question of the encroaching influence of the church that threatens the practices that have supported the community and their hives for generations.

All the Bees in the Hollows explores the impact of colonial forces in the form of religion and economics at the point when the communities ways are most tested. The sixteenth century was a turning point for beekeeping in Lithuania and so the novel takes advantage of the stakes in this history.

By focussing on the family and the wider biciulyste (the community of beekeeping families) we have both the satisfaction of a contained narrative and the ability to closely observe the psychology of each of the players. That there is a murder mystery in the mix adds an extra frisson driving the narrative forward.

Between the thematic reach and the character driven tension, All the Bees in the Hollows is a wonderfully entertaining read. Even if you don’t share my fascination with bees, you’ll undoubtedly find something to hook you in this tale.  

The Final Draft podcast is all about books, writing and literary culture. We're dedicated to exploring Australian writing, looking into the issues that drive our storytelling to discover more from the books you love.

These are the stories that make us who we are.

Lauren Crozier won the 2023 Text Prize for her debut novel The Best Witch in Paris.

Luna has three loving aunts and a whole lot of questions. Being raised in a witch family comes with all the familiar trappings; an out of control broom, charms & curses and a whole lot of black.

Luna hasn’t found her familiar yet and so it’s with trepidation and surprise that she greets the offer of a Boobook Owl from a shadowy figure in the Forgotten Forest.

Sounds legit doesn’t it?

Luna’s about to find out…

Final Draft is produced and presented by Andrew Pople

Want more great conversations with Australian authors?

Discover this and many more conversations on Final Draft every week.

Get in touch with Andrew and Final Draft. We love to hear about what you’re reading!

Twitter - https://twitter.com/finaldraft2ser 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/finaldraft2ser/ 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/finaldraft2ser/ 

The Final Draft podcast is all about books, writing and literary culture. We're dedicated to exploring Australian writing, looking into the issues that drive our storytelling to discover more from the books you love.

These are the stories that make us who we are.

Our guest today is possibly Australia’s best loved storyteller and science communicator.

Dr Karl Kruszelnicki has been many things in his life from a physicist, a roadie and a taxi driver, but that’s not my story to tell, because today Dr Karl, who is the author of nearly fifty books, is joining Andrew with his latest, the book only he could write. A Periodic Tale - My Sciencey Memoir is the Dr Karl story.

Final Draft is produced and presented by Andrew Pople

Want more great conversations with Australian authors?

Discover this and many more conversations on Final Draft every week.

Get in touch with Andrew and Final Draft. We love to hear about what you’re reading!

Twitter - https://twitter.com/finaldraft2ser 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/finaldraft2ser/ 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/finaldraft2ser/ 

The Final Draft podcast is all about books, writing and literary culture. We're dedicated to exploring Australian writing, looking into the issues that drive our storytelling to discover more from the books you love.

These are the stories that make us who we are.

Maryam Master is a screenwriter, playwright and author. Her novels Exit Through the Gift Shop and No Words were both critically acclaimed gaining listings and prizes and today Maryam joins Andrew with her new novel Laughter is the Best Ending.

Zee would rather drink a maggot smoothie than have to attend a youth camp during the holidays. But Zee’s parents are worried she hasn’t made any friends in their new town and Zee’s worried they’ll resort to more mortifying tactics if she doesn’t at least give it a go.

Camp doesn’t offer much for a Oscar Wilde loving loner, but Zee’s about to go on a wild adventure and make a friend who just might change her life!

Final Draft is produced and presented by Andrew Pople

Want more great conversations with Australian authors?

Discover this and many more conversations on Final Draft every week.

Get in touch with Andrew and Final Draft. We love to hear about what you’re reading!

Twitter - https://twitter.com/finaldraft2ser 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/finaldraft2ser/ 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/finaldraft2ser/ 

The Final Draft podcast is all about books, writing and literary culture. We're dedicated to exploring Australian writing, looking into the issues that drive our storytelling to discover more from the books you love.

These are the stories that make us who we are.

Lisa Kenway is an Australian writer and anaesthetist. Her debut novel, All You Took From Me, was longlisted for the 2020 Richell Prize

When Clare wakes in a bed in the hospital where she works as an anesthetist she has only questions.

When doctors inform her she was in a car accident, that it took the life of her beloved husband, she realises how much she has lost.

Clare can’t remember a thing about the accident. Why were they on the deserted road? Why was Ray wearing chainmail armour? And why is a towering figure stalking Clare, leaving her threatening warnings?

Final Draft is produced and presented by Andrew Pople

Want more great conversations with Australian authors?

Discover this and many more conversations on Final Draft every week.

Get in touch with Andrew and Final Draft. We love to hear about what you’re reading!

Twitter - https://twitter.com/finaldraft2ser 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/finaldraft2ser/ 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/finaldraft2ser/ 

The Final Draft podcast is all about books, writing and literary culture. We're dedicated to exploring Australian writing, looking into the issues that drive our storytelling to discover more from the books you love.

These are the stories that make us who we are.

Publisher Mills & Boon are famous, sometimes infamous and definitely synonymous with romance. Their  novels are published in more than 150 countries, in over 30 different languages, with a book sold every two seconds, worldwide. 

This year Mills & Boon are celebrating their 50th year in Australia (we were their first country outside the UK)

I’m a reader but no expert on romance and so to help me celebrate this literary milestone I’m joined by three Mills & Boon writers Clare Connelly, Ally Blake and Melanie Milburne to talk all things romance.

Final Draft is produced and presented by Andrew Pople

Want more great conversations with Australian authors?

Discover this and many more conversations on Final Draft every week.

Get in touch with Andrew and Final Draft. We love to hear about what you’re reading!

Twitter - https://twitter.com/finaldraft2ser 

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Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/finaldraft2ser/