Collaborative writing is fairly rare in the world of publishing – and writing while working alongside each other in a bookshop cafe is even rarer! But that was exactly how friends and workmates Clayton Zane Comber and Conor McCammon went about co-authoring their new junior fiction illustrated adventure, The Marvellous Submarine. In this episode, they share their experience creating the story together, illustrating it and getting it published.

00:00 Welcome
05:32 Writing tip: Using paintings as a writing prompt
06:54 WIN!: The Verifiers by Jane Pek
09:27 Word of the week: ‘Blatherskite’
10:40 The world of words: ‘Thank you’
12:25 Writers in residence: Clayton Zane Comber and Conor McCammon
13:40 Describing The Marvellous Submarine
14:30 The inspiration for the project
17:33 Writing for a particular age group
19:59 How sharing the writing worked
24:53 The inconsistencies of bizarre worlds
25:49 Conor on illustrating the book
29:27 The defining moment of the project
31:49 Their publishing journey
35:30 The book promotion experience
39:53 Advice for aspiring authors
42:45 Upcoming projects
44:44 Final thoughts

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Arrrr me hearties! That’s right, landlubbers – this week we walk the plank to delve into the intriguing real history of female pirates as Francesca de Tores discusses her new historical fiction novel, 'Saltblood.' Francesca goes into her meticulous research process, spanning everything from nautical details to the lives of real historical figures, plus shares a surprising ‘Comic Sans’ tip for writers!

00:00 Welcome
07:36 Writing tip: Social media for writers
11:15 WIN!: When We Were Monsters by Jennifer Niven
12:55 Word of the week: ‘Virga’
16:19 Writer in residence: Francesca de Tores
17:07 Francesca outlines ‘Saltblood’
18:20 What drew her to writing about female pirates
19:42 The public perception of pirates
21:55 Francesca’s pirate research for the book
25:21 Nautical research and influences
28:23 Transition to historical fiction
30:37 Publishing journey and challenges
33:45 Using a different pen name
36:32 Writing routine and tips
38:34 Upcoming projects and inspirations
41:37 Francesca shares her writing tips
44:38 Final thoughts

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Have you noticed how everything Korean is so hot right now? From Squid Game to KPop Demon Hunters, the world is enamoured. Of course, for bestselling Korean-Kiwi author and AWC graduate Graci Kim, trends had nothing to do with her choice to mix stories from childhood with fantasy in her new novel, Dreamslinger. In this episode, Graci discusses the many experiences and inspirations that led her to this point, her writing process, advice and much more!

00:00 Welcome
03:29 Writing tip: Reread a book you hated
07:02 WIN!: We’ll Prescribe You Another Cat by Syou Ishida
09:01 Word of the week: ‘Pantechnicon’
10:40 The world of words: ‘Practice vs Practise’
12:38 Writer in residence: Graci Kim
13:30 Graci’s fascinating pre-writing lives
21:07 Her relationship with writing over the years
22:59 Rediscovering childhood stories and purpose
25:40 Embracing her Korean name and heritage
27:19 Graci’s journey into writing YA Fantasy
31:21 Discovering a community through AWC
32:00 The value of the Novel Writing Essentials course
33:54 How Graci went about getting an agent
37:13 Joining ‘Rick Riordan Presents’
38:54 Introducing her new book, Dreamslinger
40:35 What she did differently in this series.
42:22 Graci’s world-building process
43:33 Fun extras and connecting with fans
48:06 Her writing routine and her creative process
49:50 Advice for aspiring writers
53:23 Final thoughts

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What if you could be locked away simply for having disturbing dreams? That’s part of the premise in internationally acclaimed author Laila Lalami’s latest novel, The Dream Hotel. In this episode, Laila discusses the themes that inspired and eventually mirrored her book, along with her background in writing, her daily routine, writing tips and more.

00:00 Welcome
04:50 Writing tip: Avoid clichés!
07:58 WIN!: A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan
09:35 Word of the week: ‘Apophenia’
10:03 Writer in residence: Laila Lalami
11:02 Laila outlines The Dream Hotel
12:17 Speculative Fiction and real-world parallels
14:20 The language of this near future world
19:40 Dreams and their cultural significance
21:58 Speculative Fiction and dreams as data
22:50 Researching the novel
27:17 The role of algorithms in society
30:11 Laila’s journey to becoming a writer
34:33 Balancing teaching and writing
37:27 The challenges of book promotion
39:20 Future writing projects
40:59 Laila’s writing tips
42:43 Final thoughts

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With more than 35 books under her belt, Australian author Christine Keighery has written across a range of age groups and genres. In this episode, she shares some insights from that time, along with details about writing her latest adult thriller, We’re Not Us Without You – all about modern day cults.

00:00 Welcome
03:58 Writing tip: ‘Your best friend’s work’
07:58 WIN!: The Bourne Escape by Brian Freeman
10:55 Word of the week: ‘Desideratum’
11:28 The world of words: Riband vs. Ribbon
13:33 Writer in residence: Christine Keighery
15:15 Christine’s fascination with cults
17:17 Getting to know her characters
20:20 Writing four perspectives
22:00 Having great editors
23:40 Religion vs cults
25:20 The ingredients of a good thriller
26:13 Balancing character and plot
27:05 Transitioning from junior fiction to adult fiction
28:27 Writing the Go Girl series
33:02 The importance of character in all writing
36:21 Christine's writing process
40:56 Advice for aspiring writers
45:28 What's next for Christine?
47:04 Final thoughts

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Do you love true-crime podcasts? Author A.L. Tait got obsessed with them for a while and pulled those themes into her latest middle-grade crime-thriller novel Danger Road. She joins us to discuss her experience writing and publishing this one, along with her busy year of writing, her process and how she found her unique voice.

00:00 Welcome
02:51 Writing tip: ‘Geolocating writing prompts’
06:26 WIN!: Lights, Camera, Love by Natalie Murray
09:36 Word of the week: ‘Objurgate’
10:13 Writer in residence: A.L. Tait
12:00 The inspirations for Danger Road
16:41 Creating distinctive voices
20:07 A busy year of writing.
23:48 The importance of continuous writing
24:41 Challenges of underwriting
27:21 How Tait found her storytelling voice
30:09 The ‘Your Kid’s Next Read’ community
34:43 On writing nonfiction and ghostwriting
36:00 Say yes to new writing avenues and genres
38:18 Final thoughts

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How do you go about adapting a stage play into a compelling murder mystery novel? For acclaimed actor and playwright Toby Schmitz, this was his challenge in creating his debut, The Empress Murders – set on the high seas amid the glamour and clamour 1920s. In this episode, Toby shares his inspirations, aspirations and perspirations in bringing his story to the page.

00:00 Welcome
02:29 Writing tip: ‘Magazine apps to combat doomscrolling’
07:32 WIN!: Arcana Academy by Elise Kova
10:30 Word of the week: ‘Vicissitude’
11:11 The world of words: Tack vs. Tact
12:59 Writer in residence: Toby Schmitz
14:02 Toby describes The Empress Murders
16:06 Storytelling in the 1920s
18:11 Themes of colonialism
20:19 How the story started as a play
22:05 Defining what an Australian story is
26:17 The journey from play to novel
27:01 Finding freedom in novel writing
27:22 Crafting the story with index cards
28:13 Maintaining the playwright's touch
29:32 Exploring colonial guilt
30:30 Switching genres throughout
32:32 Inspirations for Toby
35:36 Navigating historical authenticity
37:16 The research process
39:11 The emotional experience of publishing
43:10 Reflections on feedback and notes
45:08 Hopes for the reader's experience
46:36 Acknowledging influences and support
49:19 Final thoughts

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When award-winning author Demet Divaroren decided to write a fantasy novel, she went down a completely different path first, before finally arriving at what would become Blood Moon Bride. In this discussion, Demet shares the inspiration for this YA fantasy novel, the creative freedom of writing in this genre and how motherhood changed her perspective on storytelling.

00:00 Welcome
04:51 Writing tip: ‘Tinder for writers’
08:45 WIN!: A Passion for Passion by Alice Fraser
11:53 Word of the week: ‘Kickshaw’
12:25 Writer in residence: Demet Divaroren
16:00 Starting with a different book
19:45 Creating a fantasy world
22:13 Writing for young adults
25:42 Balancing writing and life
26:12 How motherhood changed her writing
29:14 The publishing journey
32:07 The magic of writing
33:08 Promoting the book
35:16 Future projects 
37:00 Demet shares a writing tip
38:05 Final thoughts

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When Toby Walsh wrote his first book on AI, he figured he’d said all he had to say. But just a handful of years later, this British computer scientist and current Chief Scientist at UNSW Sydney’s AI Institute is here to discuss his FIFTH book, The Shortest History of AI – how it came about and some of the challenges around explaining this subject to a general audience.

00:00 Welcome
10:05 Writing tip: ‘Just start writing’
12:52 WIN!: The Midnight Estate by Kelly Rimmer
14:39 Word of the week: ‘Psithurism’
15:09 Writer in residence: Toby Walsh
15:55 Explaining The Shortest History of AI
17:00 Deciding on the six ideas for the book
18:25 How Toby developed his writing voice
20:06 Balancing the academia and hysteria
22:37 The purpose of writing AI books
23:24 The challenges of writing for the public
25:00 On becoming an accidental science communicator
28:03 The secret circle of science communicators
29:58 Untimely deaths in the timeline of AI
30:30 Adding his expertise to the ‘Shortest’ series
32:20 On designing his book cover and subtitle
35:48 The role of great editors in writing
37:24 Toby’s late night writing process
38:55 His next book project
39:59 A pivot to writing fiction?
42:07 Toby’s tip for writers
43:23 Final thoughts

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Self-confessed writing course junkie and former lawyer Sarah Clutton’s central character literally appeared at the door while she was busy writing another book at the end of the world. In this episode, Sarah elaborates on this unusual inspiration and her writing process for her new novel, The Remarkable Truths of Alfie Bains.

00:00 Welcome
05:54 Writing tip: ‘Number your pages!’
09:35 WIN!: Chinese Parents Don't Say I Love You by Candice Chung
11:09 Word of the week: ‘AA Lava’
13:09 The world of words: ‘Filling out vs Filling in’
14:46 Writer in residence: Sarah Clutton
15:35 Explaining The Remarkable Truths of Alfie Bains
17:30 Sarah’s early years
19:00 Getting started as a writer via lawyering up
22:01 Taking courses with the Australian Writers’ Centre
24:37 On creating Alfie Bains: inspirations and challenges
27:09 Turning 50 and crafting a witchy thriller in Tasmania
31:08 Alfie comes knocking at the door
34:51 Sarah’s writing process – have a deadline!
37:58 What it’s like living in a book town
39:07 Sarah’s next book: a sneak peek
40:06 Themes and messages of the book
41:43 Final thoughts

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