Meet Sandhya Parappukkaran, a picture book author with four wonderful books that have all been shortlisted or have won Premier’s Literary awards. This is a huge achievement for this former food technologist who started writing picture books on a whim not that long ago! Sandhya discusses her journey to becoming an award-winning writer, the inspiration behind her stories, and shares valuable tips for aspiring picture book writers.

00:00 Introduction to the podcast
00:20 Special series on children's authors
01:48 Weekly app tip: Submittable
07:53 Interview with Sandhya Parappukkaran
09:14 Sandhya's journey to writing picture books
14:40 The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name: From idea to book deal
23:55 Exploring Sandhya's recent works
33:12 Tips for aspiring picture book writers
37:59 Conclusion

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Meet Lisa Kenway, author of the psychological thriller All You Took From Me. Lisa shares insights on how her medical background influenced her novel, the exhaustive research involved in writing about medieval reenactment, and the persistence required to secure a publishing deal after three years of pitching.

00:00 Introduction
02:25 Nat Newman's creative insights
05:43 Writing tips and techniques
10:22 Giveaway: Klim by Michael Klim
12:20 Word of the week: triskelion
15:19 Interview with Lisa Kenway, author of All You Took From Me
23:20 NaNoWriMo success strategies
25:54 Researching for authenticity
30:03 Crafting twists and red herrings
32:41 The journey to getting published
44:11 Balancing writing with a medical career
47:19 Top tips for aspiring writers
50:42 Conclusion and final thoughts

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Meet Bec Nanayakkara who discusses her journey to becoming a published picture book author. Bec reveals how she got her book deals, her writing techniques, the illustration process, and much more. Also discover how our app recommendation can help you keep track of submissions.
00:00 Introduction to the Podcast
00:20 Special Series on Children's Authors
01:55 App Tip of the Week
06:56 Course Spotlight: Writing Picture Books
09:07 Interview with Bec Nanayakkara
09:53 Bec's Journey to Publication
10:32 The Book Star: Inspiration and Process
16:02 Grow Big Little Seed: Themes and Illustrations
23:15 Future Projects and Final Thoughts

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Meet Sandie Docker, who shares her journey and strategies for ensuring longevity in your author career. Sandie emphasises the importance of networking, connecting with readers, and seeking help in areas outside of one’s expertise. She also discusses her role in starting the Northern Beaches Readers Festival and how it has benefited her career.

00:00 Introduction
00:19 Upcoming webinar on avoiding infringement in fiction writing
03:38 Nat Newman's lighthouse residency experience
07:27 Writing tips from Nat Newman
12:45 Exciting book giveaway: The Oxenbridge King by Christine Paice
16:07 Word of the week: Gravamen
17:45 Interview with author Sandie Docker
27:06 Establishing an author career
28:47 Building industry relationships
33:40 Connecting with readers
37:02 The role of an agent
41:06 Starting a literary festival
48:35 Writing routine and final thoughts

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Cassy Polimeni discusses her journey to becoming an author, the process of writing and publishing her books The Garden at the End of the World and Ella and The Amazing Frog Orchestra, and valuable insights into writing for the children's market.

00:00 Introduction to the podcast
02:02 Writing tips with Nat Newman
09:46 Interview with Cassy Polimeni
11:21 Writing and publishing children's books
13:34 Crafting Ella and The Amazing Frog Orchestra
20:25 Cassy’s writing process and routine
27:28 Future plans and final thoughts
28:53 Conclusion and course promotion

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Meet memoirist Louise Southerden about her book Tiny, which details her experience building a tiny house while going through a challenging relationship. Louise shares her journey into travel writing, the dynamics of writing personal stories, and techniques for capturing the essence of travel experiences.

00:00 Introduction
04:16 Nat Newman’s writing tip
13:15 Book giveaway: Girl Falling by Hayley Scrivenor
15:06 Word of the week: Piscatorial
17:12 Writer in residence: Louise Southerden
17:36 Introduction to Louise and her memoir Tiny
18:11 The emotional journey of building a tiny house
19:39 Deciding to write the memoir
20:58 Challenges and process of writing
24:38 Pitching and publishing the memoir
35:16 Insights on travel writing
41:49 Defining a tiny house
43:08 Conclusion and final thoughts
43:35 Fun fact and farewell

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Children’s author Carla Fitzgerald is author of the middle-grade novel How to Break a World Record and Survive Grade 5. Carla shares insights into writing compelling stories for children and offers five must-do tips for aspiring middle-grade authors. Additionally, Nat Newman provides a practical app tip about the benefits of using Google Docs. And more.

00:00 Introduction to the podcast
00:19 Spotlight on children's authors
01:27 Weekly app tip with Nat Newman
01:55 Google Docs: A writer's best friend
06:24 Course advertisement: Writing children's novels
07:16 Interview with Carla Fitzgerald
12:28 Five must-do's for writing middle grade novels
25:23 Building a sustainable author career
32:50 Conclusion

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In this special episode, we bring you an edited version of the recent webinar featuring bestselling author Kate Forsyth. The episode is jam-packed with insights, focusing on five essential lessons from different genres that can improve your writing. Kate Forsyth delves into historical fiction, crime and mystery, romance, fantasy, and magic realism, sharing her top tips for writing compelling and immersive narratives. Additionally, the episode features a Q&A session where Kate answers questions on writing routines, character development, publishing, and more. The episode offers practical advice and inspirational insights for aspiring and established writers.

00:00 Introduction and welcome
00:16 Special episode announcement
01:04 Competition announcement
02:39 Word of the week
03:18 Webinar introduction
05:20 Kate Forsyth's writing journey
08:59 Lessons from historical fiction
11:30 Lessons from crime and mystery
14:44 Lessons from romance
16:46 Lessons from fantasy
19:28 Lessons from magic realism
24:30 Q&A session
31:37 Exploring new writing territories
32:15 Top magic realism books
32:39 Advice for unpublished authors
33:51 Creating memorable characters
34:41 Understanding Psyche's motif
35:13 Knowing when editing is done
35:52 Starting your writing journey
36:40 Musicality in writing
37:42 Balancing originality and familiarity
38:36 Imagining your protagonists
40:02 Publishing your first book
40:42 Inspiration from lyrical authors
41:31 Setting your novel apart
42:27 Establishing a writing routine
44:08 Crafting the perfect ending
46:13 Incorporating writing tips
48:26 Maintaining writing motivation
49:43 Finding time to read
50:27 Defining historical fiction
51:14 Choosing character names
51:59 Condensing your story
52:46 Crafting satisfying endings
53:41 Final thoughts

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Meet Deborah Frenkel, author of four picture books including her most recent: 100 Schools Days and The Truck Cat. Deborah reveals her journey to publication, her creative process and tips for aspiring authors.

00:00 Introduction to the podcast
00:19 Special series on children's authors
01:34 Nat Newman's app tip of the week
10:43 Interview with Deborah Frenkel
19:29 The journey to getting published
20:18 The impact of writing courses
22:27 Pitching The Sydney Harbour Fairy
24:19 Creating 100 School Days
26:15 Showcasing published works
31:37 Upcoming projects and writing routine
35:12 Tips for aspiring authors
37:28 Conclusion and final thoughts

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JP Pomare on writing gripping crime thrillers and his latest novel 17 Years Later. JP discusses his writing process, research methods, and experiences with book adaptations into TV series. The episode features insights on maintaining creativity, the importance of method writing, crafting captivating crime narratives, and tips for aspiring writers. JP highlights the intricacies of plotting and characterisation in crime fiction, his unique approach to developing a story, and how he navigates the darker aspects of true crime.

00:00 Introduction and upcoming event
02:06 Creative catch-up with Nat Newman
05:48 Writing tip of the week
08:46 Book giveaway: Precipice by Robert Harris
10:19 Word of the week: Cantillate
11:55 Interview with J.P. Pomare
28:12 Challenges of writing crime fiction
29:50 Balancing plotting and pantsing
32:21 Crafting memorable scenes
35:46 Daily writing routine
39:16 From book to TV series
51:12 Handling dark themes in writing
55:24 Future plans and advice for writers
01:01:19 Conclusion and fun fact

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