What effect has the internet, social media and AI had on language? Should you judge a book by its cover? This week, linguistic legend and British OBE recipient David Crystal joins us to discuss all things words, idioms, dialects and the curious facts he found while researching his latest publication, Bookish Words.

00:00 Welcome
10:07 Writing tip: ‘Write your Why’
12:47 WIN!: Audition by Katie Kitamura
14:09 Word of the week: ‘Testudo’
16:37 World of Words: ‘One Fell Swoop’
18:06 Writer in residence: David Crystal
19:19 David’s love of words
21:30 The wonders of different dialects
22:30 Language and change
27:16 Discussing his latest title, Bookish Words
33:00 Judging a book by its cover
36:05 British and American English differences
37:59 The Influence of Sports on Language
40:18 David and Dean discuss puns
42:11 Nat’s question corner: balancing form and meaning
46:33 The role of technology and social media
49:30 Language in a world of AI
51:34 The impact of COVID-19 on language
53:14 Tips on making your writing engaging
55:27 David reading preferences
01:05:00 Final thoughts

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How much research is too much when writing historical fiction? This is just one of the topics that bestselling author Emilia Hart discusses in this episode as she shares details of her latest novel, The Sirens – a blend of nautical history and fantasy across two stories separated by time and distance.

00:00 Welcome
04:23 Writing tip: ‘The Most Dangerous Writing App’
07:25 WIN!: The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs
08:51 Word of the week: ‘Luthier’
11:01 Writer in residence: Emilia Hart
12:48 Inspirations for the books two timelines
19:45 Writing about Australia during the pandemic
20:24 Exploring the themes of distance and journey
22:17 Researching convict history
25:00 Note taking methods
25:59 The importance of her day job in her writing 
28:11 Deleting 300,000 words
30:00 There’s no such thing as a perfect draft
30:32 Learning to sail for the book
31:20 The book deal and publishing process
32:50 Balancing writing with public engagement
35:10 Emilia’s writing tips
37:29 Final thoughts

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Should all picture books rhyme? Why use animals as characters? And what’s the deal with working with an illustrator? Picture book author (of more than 15 books) Rory H. Mather joins the podcast in this episode to discuss all of these things, as well as his own journey into the industry, and his latest titles, Laugh in the Bath and Mumma Bear.

00:00 Welcome
04:20 Writing tip: Learn to play an instrument (sort of)
08:23 WIN!: The CIA Book Club by Charlie English
11:40 Word of the week: ‘Psephology’
12:30 The world of words: Capitalising the seasons
14:05 Writer in residence: Rory H. Mather
15:00 Rory explains his love of writing picture books
18:45 How Rory got his start
22:55 Where he gets his ideas from
26:30 Why writing animals can be a good thing
27:47 The importance of curiosity
29:40 A discussion about picture books that rhyme
31:39 Who is the picture book audience?
32:30 Working with illustrators
37:00 Selling books to publishers
40:48 Remembering the first book he signed
41:30 The economics of picture book writing
42:30 Telling succinct stories
45:05 Writing longer books
47:33 More books coming up
49:30 Final thoughts

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How important is it to have a unique author voice? Hugely important, says author Mandy Beaumont while discussing her late 1980s true-crime inspired novel The Thrill of It. Mandy discusses her inspiration for the book, unique stylistic and narrative choices she made, and more.

00:00 Welcome
03:04 Writing tip: What to do while ‘changing eyeballs’
06:38 WIN!: The Wrong Daughter by Dandy Smith
08:07 Word of the week: ‘Falderal’
11:23 Writer in residence: Mandy Beaumont
12:20 Overview of The Thrill of It
13:10 Mandy’s true crime inspirations
17:55 Choosing a unique narrative style
20:13 Researching and organising the details
24:50 The publishing journey with Hachette
28:17 Mandy’s writing process and routine
32:13 Balancing writing with other jobs
33:26 Short stories versus novels
35:08 Publicity and promotion
37:14 Upcoming projects and inspirations
38:56 Mandy’s writing tips
41:14 Final thoughts

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They always say ‘write what you know’, right? Well, authors Gareth and Louise Ward (two British ex-cops who moved to New Zealand and opened a bookshop) fully leaned into it with The Bookshop Detectives series – all about, you guessed it, British ex-cops who move to New Zealand and open a bookshop! The murders are fiction though – and they join the podcast to share their experience writing book 2 in the series.

00:00 Welcome
02:56 Writing tip: yWriter app
04:47 WIN!: Whisky Valley by Joan Sauers
06:04 Word of the week: ‘Moiety’
07:26 The world of words: 'Jail' vs ‘Gaol’
09:28 Writers in residence: Gareth and Louise Ward
10:35 Gareth’s other writing and magician life
12:36 Buying a bookshop together
15:17 Leaning into ‘write what you know’
18:18 The collaboration process
21:38 Incorporating local culture and the setting
24:12 Real-life inspiration for the book 2 climax
25:37 Advice for aspiring cosy crime writers
28:24 Tips on co-writing a book
30:10 The value of constructive feedback
31:27 Future projects and adventures
35:15 Final thoughts

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What kind of life-spanning damage can parents do to their children? Award-winning author Barry Jonsberg explores this and themes of masculinity in his latest YA novel, Darkest Night, Brightest Star. Barry joins the podcast to share his inspiration for the story and insights into his writing process.

00:00 Welcome
04:18 Writing tip: Supporting other writers
07:32 WIN!: Best Left Buried by Neil A. White
10:04 Word of the week: ‘Hyperborean’
11:39 Writer in residence: Barry Johnsberg
12:12 Describing of Darkest Night, Brightest Star
17:00 Writing quieter characters like Morgan
20:54 The theme of toxic masculinity
22:04 Understanding Morgan's father
23:38 Crafting Three-Dimensional Characters
25:10 The writing process from draft to publication
27:26 Challenges of commissioned writing
30:04 Writing for Young Adults
34:09 Balancing full-time writing and life
36:50 Current and future projects
39:57 Advice for aspiring writers
42:34 Final thoughts

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A lighthouse on the gloomy shores of 1921 is where we take you in this episode, as we meet AWC alumna and author Camille Booker and her gothic historical mystery, The Woman in the Waves. Camille shares her inspirations and experience writing the book and the AWC course that helped her weave the stories together in this specific world.

00:00 Welcome
04:25 Writing tip: Pacemaker Planner app
05:44 WIN!: My Name is Emelia Del Valle by Isabel Allende
09:31 Word of the week: ‘Loquacious’
10:56 The world of words: Story vs Storey
12:09 Writer in residence: Camille Booker
14:12 Camille’s inspirations for The Woman in the Waves
15:30 Choosing the timeframe
19:55 Techniques Camille used to create the mood
22:00 Populating the world of the novel
23:20 The mechanics of writing – software and notes
24:40 Inspired by Kate Forsyth’s ‘History, Mystery and Magic’ course
25:57 Creative writing advice
27:44 Camille’s publishing journey her novel
30:34 On being a manuscript reader and judge
32:14 Promoting the book
34:55 Historical fiction writing tips
37:00 Final thoughts

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What is a ‘palate cleanser’ book? Author Lynette Noni has written one – pivoting from writing fantasy to a stand-alone contemporary YA romance Wandering Wild, and in this episode she discusses why she chose to write it, her experience researching its plot, her process and more.

00:00 Welcome
03:38 Writing tip: Public Domain Review
05:44 WIN!: All the Perfect Days by Michael Thompson
07:31 Word of the week: ‘Sequacious’
08:45 Writer in residence: Lynette Noni
09:23 Lynette’s journey to writing Wandering Wild
12:23 Moving from fantasy to this book
19:32 Writing in dual POV and real-world building
22:00 Researching adventure and survival
25:18 Balancing fiction and reality
26:45 Character development
29:57 The importance of writing healthy friendships
35:06 Lynette’s full time writing routine
37:14 Engaging with readers through events
41:18 Upcoming projects
43:43 Lynette’s top tips for writers
45:38 Final thoughts

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What does homelessness look like to you? In this episode, author Michelle Prak tells her latest story – thriller novel Barren Cape – through the lens of the housing affordability crisis. Michelle chats to us about the book's inspiration, her own writing beginnings and much more!

00:00 Welcome
03:20 Writing tip: Visit museums for inspiration
06:24 WIN!: Invisible Woman by Katia Lief
08:15 Word of the week: ‘Koan’
11:27 The World of words: Compliment vs complement
13:31 Writer in residence: Michelle Prak
14:33 Overview of the novel Barren Cape
16:20 The explosion of the Aussie crime genre
17:21 Author inspirations
19:32 The little red typewriter
21:39 Balancing writing and life responsibilities
23:25 Exploring themes of homelessness in Barren Cape
27:54 Inspiration behind the setting and characters
31:04 Writing multiple perspectives
33:10 On writing younger characters
36:57 Michelle’s daily writing habits and process
39:16 Upcoming projects
40:35 Advice for aspiring thriller writers
41:52 Final thoughts

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Ever wondered what an 18th century mashup of two fairytales would look like? AWC alumna and fantasy author Kell Woods did – and the result is her latest adult fantasy novel, Upon a Starlit Tide. Kell discusses her experience writing the book, online tools, research trips and more!

00:00 Welcome
04:27 Writing tip: Don’t aim for perfection
05:58 WIN!: Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang
07:21 Word of the week: ‘Geologise’
09:10 Writer in residence: Kell Woods
10:15 Describing her latest book, Upon a Starlit Tide
12:45 Mixing the ‘Cinderella’ and ‘The Little Mermaid’
16:20 A very busy year – book one to book two
19:00 Overcoming impostor syndrome
20:45 The publishing experience
24:22 Balancing writing and promoting
25:40 Writing to deadlines
28:30 Kell’s research and writing tools
30:44 Becoming a ‘bestselling author’
32:31 The impact of book subscription services
35:12 Research and using libraries
38:54 International research trips and using video
43:14 Balancing writing and marketing
44:11 Future projects and writing timelines
51:08 Advice for aspiring writers
53:47 Final thoughts

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Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook
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