Belinda Lyons-Lee is an Australian historical fiction author whose latest novel is a page-turning gothic mystery based on the events that inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Belinda loves books. Stories. Tales and Adventures. Those that are ‘true’, and those that aren’t. She teaches English, Literature and creative writing in secondary schools and enjoys inspiring young people to connect with their own creativity. In this episode of Not the Plot she chats with host Teena Raffa-Mulligan about why she wrote The Haunting of Mr and Mrs Stevenson, the responsibility of writing about well-known actual characters, and the pressure to ‘get it right’.  

Thank you for listening.

Find out more about Not the Plot host Teena Raffa-Mulligan at https://www.teenaraffamulligan.com or follow her FB author page https://www.facebook.com/TeenaRaffaMulligan You can also sign up for her occasional newsletter at http://bit.ly/2gqsJz3

Robbie Coburn is an Australian poet and author of the young adult verse novel The Foal in the Wire, released in June by Hachette Australia. His poems have appeared widely in magazines and anthologies, and he has published four full-length poetry collections. Robbie grew up on a farm in Regional Victoria. He began writing poetry at the age of fourteen and his first publication was three years later. 

In this episode of Not the Plot, he speaks with host Teena Raffa-Mulligan about dealing with early success, drawing inspiration from life, and poetry as breath.

Find out more about Robbie Coburn at https://robbiecoburn.com/

Thank you for listening.

Find out more about Not the Plot host Teena Raffa-Mulligan at https://www.teenaraffamulligan.com or follow her FB author page https://www.facebook.com/TeenaRaffaMulligan You can also sign up for her occasional newsletter at http://bit.ly/2gqsJz3

Lee Battersby is an award-winning author of science fiction, fantasy, and horror fiction. At various times in his life, he has been a stand-up comic, tennis coach, cartoonist, poet, tax officer and an arts and culture coordinator for a local council. Lee admits to an obsession with Lego, Nottingham Forest Football Club, dinosaurs and Daleks. In this episode of Not the Plot he chats with host Teena Raffa-Mulligan about returning to writing after a break, the best advice he was given on living a creative life, and the purity of the process when writing for the joy of it without thought of the outcome. 

Thank you for listening.

Find out more about Not the Plot host Teena Raffa-Mulligan at https://www.teenaraffamulligan.com or follow her FB author page https://www.facebook.com/TeenaRaffaMulligan You can also sign up for her occasional newsletter at http://bit.ly/2gqsJz3

Tracy Ryan has taught literature, creative writing and film at various universities in Australia and England, and worked as a bookseller, editor and translator. Her poetry has won many awards and she is the author of six critically acclaimed novels. Tracy’s most recent novels focus on the Queens of Navarre. In this Episode of Not the Plot Tracy shares her inspiration behind these novels, the challenges of writing carefully researched historical fiction that is an engaging story for today’s readers, and the positivity of creativity. 

Thank you for listening.

Find out more about Not the Plot host Teena Raffa-Mulligan at https://www.teenaraffamulligan.com or follow her FB author page https://www.facebook.com/TeenaRaffaMulligan You can also sign up for her occasional newsletter at http://bit.ly/2gqsJz3

Jennifer Bagg is an award-winning artist creating work at the intersection of theatre, dance and performance art. She is based between Estonia, the United Kingdom and Australia, and having called multiple cities around the world home, cultural contrast is often the starting point for her work. In this episode of Not the Plot, Jennifer chats with host Teena Raffa-Mulligan about puppeteering, her passion for creating live performance experiences, and the challenges of funding a creative life. 

Thank you for listening.

Find out more about Not the Plot host Teena Raffa-Mulligan at https://www.teenaraffamulligan.com or follow her FB author page https://www.facebook.com/TeenaRaffaMulligan You can also sign up for her occasional newsletter at http://bit.ly/2gqsJz3

Gretchen Shirm was a Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelist and two of her novels were shortlisted for the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction in the NSW Premier’s Awards. Her short fiction and literary criticism have been published widely. Gretchen worked as a public law lawyer for more than a decade, and now teaches creative writing. 

In this episode of Not the Plot, Gretchen shares her thoughts on the power of narrative and storytelling, the ways in which law writing are both about language, and the challenge of finding readers for literary fiction in a crowded marketplace. 

To find out more about Gretchen and her writing, visit her website at https://gretchenshirm.com/

Thank you for listening.

Find out more about Not the Plot host Teena Raffa-Mulligan at https://www.teenaraffamulligan.com or follow her FB author page https://www.facebook.com/TeenaRaffaMulligan You can also sign up for her occasional newsletter at http://bit.ly/2gqsJz3

Alyssa Curtayne is a passionate storyteller, writer, and researcher who is on a mission to breathe new life into forgotten fairy tales and the ancient art of storytelling. With a deep love for the old stories and the timeless lessons they hold, she is dedicated to reviving these tales and the traditions of the original tale-tellers, ensuring they continue to inspire and encourage imagination, creativity and wonder for future generations. A former journalist and English teacher, she has a strong commitment to inspiring creativity, fostering self-expression and cultivating connection through her writing, teaching and art.

In this episode of Not the Plot, host Teena Raffa-Mulligan chats with Alyssa about the importance of fairy tales, how stories connect us, and the challenges of funding a creative life.

You can find out more about Alyssa’s storytelling, books and writing services on her website at https://www.alyssacurtayne.com/

Thank you for listening.

Find out more about Not the Plot host Teena Raffa-Mulligan at https://www.teenaraffamulligan.com or follow her FB author page https://www.facebook.com/TeenaRaffaMulligan You can also sign up for her occasional newsletter at http://bit.ly/2gqsJz3

James Foley is a writer, illustrator and cartoonist who started his career in primary school drawing cartoons for the school newspaper. He is now an award-winning children’s books creator with a growing collection of picture books, middle grade novels and graphic novels to add to his author-illustrator bookshelf. His favourite part of the job is presenting workshops at schools and libraries around the country.

In this episode of Not the Plot James chats with host Teena Raffa-Mulligan about his path to becoming an author/illustrator and how he balances the demands of family life and a busy speaking calendar with making space to create new work. He also highlights the importance of taking a playful, experimental approach to creativity and offers some helpful advice to aspiring illustrators.

You can find out more about James’ books and school presentations on his website at 

https://jamesfoley.com.au 

Thank you for listening.

Find out more about Not the Plot host Teena Raffa-Mulligan at https://www.teenaraffamulligan.com or follow her FB author page https://www.facebook.com/TeenaRaffaMulligan You can also sign up for her occasional newsletter at http://bit.ly/2gqsJz3

Sandi Parsons describes herself as a book nerd, cystic fibrosis warrior, mother, transplant recipient and unicornologist who lives and breathes stories, as a reader, writer and storyteller. She shares her home with her favourite husband, some problem puppies and many teetering stacks of books. 

In this episode of Not the Plot host Teena Raffa-Mulligan chats with Sandi about unicorns, the power of storytelling, why she writes, and the reader she has in mind when creating her stories.    

 Visit Sandi’s website at https://www.sandiparsons.com/ to find out more about her books, writing, author presentations and storytelling. 

Thank you for listening.

Find out more about Not the Plot host Teena Raffa-Mulligan at https://www.teenaraffamulligan.com or follow her FB author page https://www.facebook.com/TeenaRaffaMulligan You can also sign up for her occasional newsletter at http://bit.ly/2gqsJz3

Katrina Kell’s recent novel, Chloe, was inspired by one of Australia’s most iconic paintings, which has graced the walls of Young and Jackson Hotel since 1909. ‘Having a drink with Chloé’ has been a good luck ritual for Australian soldiers since WWI, a tradition that has continued throughout the decades. 

In this episode of Not the Plot, host Teena Raffa-Mulligan chats with Katy about how she came to write Chloe’s story, the research she undertook about the model who posed for the painting, and what kept her creatively inspired about the project during its long evolution from lucid dream to published novel.

Visit Katrina’s website at https://katrinakell.com/ to find out more about her writing and presentations.

Thank you for listening.

Find out more about Not the Plot host Teena Raffa-Mulligan at https://www.teenaraffamulligan.com or follow her FB author page https://www.facebook.com/TeenaRaffaMulligan You can also sign up for her occasional newsletter at http://bit.ly/2gqsJz3