We're kicking off our Summer Series -- a chance to catch up on some episodes you may have missed out on the first time around.

If you listened to the seas 6 finale, you'll now that The First Time is taking a break in it's current format in 2024 BUT! Don't delete the feed just yet, Katherine will be back flying solo in March with something new. It'll feature interviews with writers but also creatives, comedians and entrepreneurs.

Finally, to celebrate six years of the pod and to kick off the coach-sulting (coaching/consulting) work she'll be doing this year (see here), check out Katherine's tips on interviewing and being interviewed (via Instagram).

This episode Katherine speakers to Sydney based author and podcaster Jessie Stephens. Jessie Stephens is an Executive Editor at Mamamia, Australia's largest independent women's media company. She co-hosts Mamamia's flagship podcast and winner of Australia's Best Podcast Series, Mamamia Out Loud. Jessie's debut book Heartsick based on three true stories was an international bestseller and her first novel Something Bad Is Going to Happen came out in September this year.

Jessie and Katherine discuss:

* Jessie's early writing life, including how Mia Freedman discovered her and sister Clare Stephen's work

* How Jane Harper helped her get a US agent

* Writing about (often bad) romantic relationships in your early twenties

* An interview with Jessie on the podcast How to Be Happy hosted by Clare Stephens   

* The career/life tension between ambition and content

* How she writes down the things she wants to achieve and often they come true

* Jealousy - both as she experiences and when she is the subject of other's jealousy

Jessie recommends Love and Virtue by Diana Reid and My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com  or get in touch via Instagram @katherinecollettewriter, @kmildenhall or @thefirsttimepod.