What secrets do you have hiding in YOUR family tree? Every family has them, and in AWC graduate Kate Horan’s new mystery, The Inheritance, DNA-testing shines a light on two women and previously unspoken truths. Kate shares her experience writing the book including inspirations and real life research.

00:00 Welcome
05:21 Writing tip: StoryGraph app
09:28 WIN!: Twist by Colum McCann
11:10 Word of the week: ‘harbinger’
12:51 Word Insights with Dean Koorey: ‘hone vs home’
15:55 Writer in residence: Kate Horan
18:00 On writing two very different characters
20:11 Geographic and DNA inspirations
24:20 The many meanings of ‘inheritance’
26:13 Inspiration from Who Do You Think You Are?
26:40 Complicated family dynamics
28:19 Kate’s writing process and balancing life
29:18 Managing time and prioritising as a writer
31:15 Journey to publication via an agent
35:00 Importance of structural edits
37:09 AWC courses and learning the craft
40:09 Kate’s writing tips and investing in your skills
41:33 Building a writing community
44:18 Surreal experience of getting published
45:17 Upcoming projects and future plans
47:45 Final thoughts

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Capturing the nostalgia of ’90s horror flicks, This Stays Between Us is the latest novel by Margot McGovern. In this episode, Margot shares her inspiration for telling this kind of story, writing her cast of characters and her experience publishing the novel.

00:00 Introduction
09:13 Writing tip: Scheduling time for reading
13:53 WIN!: 2 Sisters Murder Investigations by Candice Fox and James Patterson
15:28 Word of the week: ‘Lycanthrope’
17:00 Writer in residence: Margot McGovern
19:40 The attraction of horror stories
21:00 Representing and reflecting young people’s worlds
23:11 The differences between 2000 and today
25:26 School camp inspirations
27:38 Nostalgia for ’90s horror films
28:49 Writing multiple points of view
30:23 Drafting and editing process
34:20 Publishing journey with Penguin
38:07 Publicity and the social media landscape
39:56 Upcoming projects
44:26 Margot’s tips for aspiring writers
45:48 Final thoughts

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How do you go about writing a deeply personal story? In this episode, Sonia Orchard discusses her memoir, Groomed, and the process of writing about a traumatic childhood experience. She also shares tips for others looking to write their own memoir.

00:00 Introduction
03:15 Writing tip: It’s never too late to start
06:53 WIN!: Best, First and Last by Amy T. Matthews
09:07 Word of the week: ‘Grok’
11:18 Writer in residence: Sonia Orchard
15:33 Deciding whether to tell such a vulnerable story
17:00 Writing it vs not writing it
19:25 How Sonia compiled the memoir
23:12 “Write for yourself and edit for others”
24:20 Choosing what details to remove in the story
26:55 Navigating the justice system
28:08 The therapeutic power of writing
33:55 Memoir vs fiction: Similarities and differences
44:31 What Sonia hopes people take away from this book
46:30 Top tips for writing your own memoir
48:41 Final thoughts

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How do you write about a subject not often represented in fiction? In this episode, Sean Wilson shares his latest novel You Must Remember This and his unique journey bringing a story of dementia to the page.

00:00 Introduction
07:36 Writing tip: Goodreads trolling
09:36 WIN! Perspectives by Laurent Binet
11:40 Word of the week: ‘Leaguer’
12:18 Writer in residence: Sean Wilson
14:25 Why Sean wanted to tell this story
15:40 Writing child characters
17:00 Self-care while writing
19:06 Crafting authentic secondary characters
21:01 Storytelling the challenges of ageing
23:09 How Sean drew inspiration from real life events
25:35 The prevalence of dementia
27:48 From play to novel: The writing journey
31:19 Crafting a nonlinear narrative
35:37 Publishing journey and future projects
38:45 The art of writing across different forms
42:34 Future projects
46:37 Final thoughts

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Author Emma Pignatiello wondered why romance novels didn’t have more murders in them – so she wrote her own! In this episode, she discusses her book Last Shot, the inspiration behind it and the Australian Writers' Centre course that helped her get there.

00:00 Introduction
02:57 Writing tip: Follow the guidelines
10:33 WIN! Headcases by John McMahon
12:30 Word of the week: ‘Redolent’
15:43 Writer in Residence: Emma Pignatiello
17:20 Emma’s inspiration for the story
24:20 Mapping out the plot points and character arcs
25:49 The writing process
29:42 Balancing her day job and parenting with writing
32:11 The publishing journey
40:51 Two amazing things happen in one day
41:40 Receiving the “yes” from her agent
44:53 Pitching two books to publishers
50:25 Future projects
52:32 How the Australian Writers' Centre Romance Writing course helped her
55:41 Top tips on finding publishing success
1:00:51 Final thoughts

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Belle Gibson fooled the world as a health influencer who lied about having brain cancer. In this re-released conversation, we speak with Beau Donelly – co-author of the book that inspired the hit Netflix series, Apple Cider Vinegar.

00:00 Introduction
02:41 Nat Newman’s writing tip: Write what you want to write
07:57 WIN! You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego
09:55 Word of the week: ‘Tintinnabulation’
12:41 Re-release conversation: Beau Donelly
18:50 Beau’s first connection with the scandal
22:55 Initial research on Belle’s story
26:00 Fundraising fraud
27:25 Archiving social media
30:30 Categorising the information
32:49 Turning the story into a book
35:11 Dividing the workload between two authors
40:25 Exposing the ‘wellness’ influencer phenomenon
41:42 Painting a picture of Belle’s parents
46:20 The biggest challenge of writing the book
54:20 Belle Gibson’s lack of remorse
55:34 Final thoughts

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A ‘folk horror’ that spans 40 years – awash with intrigue, magic and dark secrets! That’s what awaits you in this episode as we meet British author Olivia Isaac-Henry and discuss her latest suspense novel, Sorrow Spring. Olivia shares what inspired the location and themes, how she blended historical events with fiction, and the challenges of straddling two time periods and different character narratives.

00:00 Introduction
02:22 Nat Newman's writing tip: You’re not ‘bad’
10:17 WIN! The Last Days of Kira Mullan by Nicci French
12:10 Word of the week: ‘Wolver’
15:41 Writer in residence: Olivia Isaac-Henry
18:47 Olivia’s inspiration for her story and themes
19:59 Setting the scene: Time periods and locations
21:35 Character backgrounds and motivations
23:40 Crafting distinct voices for characters
26:03 Incorporating real-life events into fiction
26:58 Writing process and challenges
28:19 Upcoming projects and future plans
32:37 Olivia’s tips for aspiring writers
33:56 Final thoughts

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Feeling cosy? Then you’ll love meeting author Alexandra Almond, as she shares her cosy fantasy novel, Thoroughly Disenchanted. Alexandra unpacks how she built her distinct characters, the role of magic in everyday life and her experience in finding an agent and getting published, along with advice for aspiring writers.

00:00 Introduction
04:08 Words at dawn: a unique writing practice
09:55 Nat Newman’s writing tip: change things up
13:43 WIN! Chickenpox by Remy Lai
15:33 Word of the week: ‘diaphanous’
18:16 Writer in residence: Alexandra Almond
21:17 Character origins and development
23:42 The unexpected romance
26:21 Magic in everyday life
27:44 The historical setting and character evolution
32:05 Alexandra’s writing process and challenges
36:28 Finding an agent and publisher
40:22 Advice for aspiring writers
43:01 Current and future projects
43:57 Final thoughts

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Crafting a novel is one thing, but author Kate Solly loves crafting ‘crafty’ novels – including her latest title, The Paradise Heights Craft Store Stitch-up. Kate shares her journey from casual writing in her family group chats to getting her first publishing contract, as well as how she manages to stay accountable and fit writing in while bringing up six kids! 

00:00 Introduction
05:37 Nat Newman’s writing tip: overcoming ‘the doldrums’
10:28 WIN! The Last Fashion House in Paris by Renee Ryan
12:52 Word of the week: ‘ravel’
14:11 Writer in residence: Kate Solly
15:34 Getting started in writing
17:11 How she kept accountable
20:04 Kate’s inspiration for her first book
22:30 Writing the next book
26:14 Pre-kids career and charity work
28:40 Getting the first novel published
34:29 The second novel: process and challenges
35:30 Balancing writing with family life
42:15 Editing and future plans
45:25 Building an author platform
47:42 Final thoughts

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From the halls of Australia’s Parliament House to the dark corners of the Vatican! In this episode, author Sophie Clark talks about her writing process and how she pitched her debut ‘romantasy’ novel, Cruel is the Light. She chats about her political background and how walking the ‘halls of power’ influenced her writing, as well as offering tips for aspiring writers.

00:00 Introduction
03:06 Nat Newman's writing tip: systematic editing
09:02 WIN! Death in the Arctic by Tom Hindle
10:47 Word of the week: ‘disputation’
12:29 Writer in residence: Sophie Clark
14:25 Defining ‘romantasy’
15:49 Inspiration for her book
18:35 Researching on location
22:29 Writing action and fight scenes
24:28 Drafting and experience in Pitch Wars
26:24 Mentorship and guidance
27:38 Securing an agent
30:11 Sophie’s writing process and challenges
34:30 Political influence in writing
36:31 Building a writing community
39:13 Publicity and promotion
41:17 Asking “who’s my audience?”
45:38 Sophie’s top tips for aspiring writers
48:04 Final thoughts

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