Talking Aussie Books

JP Pomare is a bestselling, award-winning author originally from New Zealand and who now lives in Australia. 

His first novel, 'Call Me Evie', published in 2018, won the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel, while 'Tell Me Lies' - his third novel, became a #1 Audible Bestseller and was shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Best Crime Novel award along with the Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction. 

This month JP’s brand new novel, '17 Years Later’ will hit shelves across Australia and NZ.

And listeners what a novel it is!

Published by Hachette Australia '17 Years Later' sets a cracking pace, with lots of twists and turns.

It’s an enthralling, nail-biting, propulsive read that will leave you reeling - with an ending you didn’t see coming.

I was delighted to welcome JP back to the podcast recently to chat about it.

Courtney Collins is an accomplished author screenwriter producer and podcaster.

Her first novel, 'The Burial' was published back in 2012 in ten countries and shortlisted for multiple prizes  - including the NSW Premiers Literary award and the Stella Prize.

Courtney’s second novel, ‘Bird’ has just been released by Hachette Australia. 

To say that this is a novel like no other I’ve read would be an understatement. It’s other worldly and yet so real in its exploration of themes that include misogyny and exploitation of women.

Set between the Himalayas in an unspecified time period and Darwin in the present day, 'Bird' follows the story of a young girl who is determined to live life on her own terms. 

It’s a story of resilience, hope and above all - a story about connection. 

I was delighted to chat with Courtney recently about this wonderful novel.

Listeners, some of you may recall back in March of this year, I decided to mix things up a little on the podcast, by interrogating a panel of bookish experts about what they were reading. 

Because, let’s face it, as much as I would like to think of myself as an authority on what Australians read, the truth is - my reading is mostly guided by what I’m doing for the podcast or events I have coming up. 

SO it was then I decided to chat with a reader, an author and a bookseller in an attempt to gain greater insight into reading tastes of the Australian public. 

I’m pleased to say that episode was hugely popular with listeners. So much so, I’ve decided to do it again (or something similar). 

Tune is as I chat to bestselling Aussie author Cassie Hamer ('After the Party', 'The End of Cuthbert Close' and 'The Truth About Faking It') along with bookseller, Georgia Wye from Harry Hartog's Warringah.

Few of us who have a keen interest in history and literature - particularly  Australian history and literature - will not have heard of Henry Lawson and his short story - 'The Drover’s Wife'.

First published in 1892, Lawson’s story centres on an unnamed woman living in the outback, in an isolated hut, with her four children while her husband is away droving.

One day, she and the children spot a snake disappearing under the house.  To keep her children safe, she puts them to bed on top of the table and with her faithful snake-dog ‘Alligator’, keeps vigil, waiting for  the snake to re-appear so she can kill it. 

During the long dark hours of night, she reflects on her life in the time since her marriage to the drover - giving us a glimpse into the hardships endured by women like her; fighting against the elements, loneliness and other dangers in order to protect her family and home while her husband is away. 

It’s a story that’s inspired several adaptations - including 'The Story Thief' by debut novelist Kyra Geddes.

Published this year by Affirm Press 'The Story Thief' is a poignant, clever story that explores the space between fact and fiction through Lillian Taylor: a woman born in the very year Lawson published his much-celebrated story. 

I was delighted to have the chance to chat with Kyra about her novel on the podcast recently.

The best kind of YA novels are the ones that appeal to a broad audience.  Ones that teenagers, younger and older adults alike can relate to on a multitude of levels.

In my time as a podcaster I’ve been fortunate to encounter some truly engaging, highly relevant YA stories that offer a glimpse into the lives of young adults and the issues they face making their way out into the world. 

So when I heard about Troy Hunter’s novel, ‘Gus and the Missing Boy’, a part-detective, part coming of age story, I was intrigued. And I knew I wanted to learn more. 

Troy is a Melbourne-based writer of both adult and YA fiction.  His work has appeared in a variety of publications which include Visible Ink, Nocturnal Submissions and Outrage Magazine. 

'Gus and the Missing Boy' (published by Wakefield Press) is Troy’s debut novel. 

I was thrilled to have the chance to speak with him on the podcast recently. 

Sandie’s sixth novel, 'The Lyrebird Lake Ladies Choir' (Penguin) is a moving and empowering story about three women set between 1973 and the present day. 

It explores deeply emotional and confronting issues in a heartfelt, sensitive and hopeful way - in true Sandie Docker style. 

Sandie’s debut novel 'The Kookaburra Creek Cafe' was published back in 2018, closely followed by 'The Cottage at Rosella Cove', 'The Banksia Bay Beach Shack', 'The Wattle Island Book Club' and then 'The Red Gum River Retreat' last year. 

Spotlighting the joys and challenges of living in small communities as well as little known or overlooked historical events, Sandie’s novels weave past and present timelines to create charming, compelling stories that leave their emotional imprint long after you’ve finished reading - making her one of Australia’s bestselling and much-loved authors. 

Someone, I’m lucky enough to call friend. 

And on that note, I was more than delighted to welcome Sandie back to the podcast today to chat about ‘The Lyrebird Lake Ladies Choir’.

Nicola Moriarty’s brand new novel ‘Every Last Suspect’ has just been released by HarperCollins Australia. And what an absolute cracker it is!!

For those who are not familiar with Nicola or her writing, she is a Sydney-based novelist and copywriter whose previous works include: 'Those Other Women', 'The Fifth Letter', 'The Ex' and 'You Need to Know'. 

'Every Last Suspect' is as intriguing and dark as it is compulsive. A book with compelling everyday characters - who may or may not...have a motive to kill. 

A rollercoaster ride of tension and menace, I would say this is Nicola’s best book yet. 

And was delighted to welcome Nicola back to the podcast recently to chat about this thrilling new book. 

It's been a long five years since I last chatted with BM Caroll. In the time since, she has written another four novels - one of which is her newest release 'One of Us is Missing' published by Affirm Press.

A thoroughly gripping novel that follows the O'Sullivan family after the unimaginable happens: one of them goes missing during a a Cold Play Concert in Sydney.

Thrilling and terrifying in equal measures, I couldn't put this one down.

I was delighted to have the chance to welcome Ber back to the podcast recently to chat about her terrific new novel.

Barbara Sumner is a writer and filmmaker from New Zeleand who’s debut novel, The Gallows Bird has just been published by Pantera Press.

Whilst The Gallows Bird is Barbara’s debut foray into fiction, she  is no stranger to storytelling. 

Barbara’s career has covered production of three highly acclaimed feature documentaries, stints in journalism and television as well as the publication of her memoir, Tree of Strangers back in 2020.  

Barbara started writing The Gallows Bird on a trip to Australia almost 20 years ago, feeling a compulsion to look into stories of convicts and their heroic survival - only to realise most of these were men’s stories. 

It is in the pages of this remarkable novel that Barbara sets out to write Australia’s convict women back into the history of this violent and oppressive time and what it took to survive - not only the journey, but to overcome their pasts and make a new life for themselves far from everything they knew. 

Set between London and Sydney in the early nineteenth century, this is a remarkable story of the best and worst of humanity; of tenacity and survival against all odds. 

I was delighted to have the chance to speak with Barbara on the podcast recently.

‘To Sing of War’ is a novel by Catherine McKinnon - the Miles Franklin Award shortlisted author of Storyland- set in the final months of WW2.  

An epic story that examines the events in the lead-up to the United States’ decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki - ending the war in the Pacific and leading to Japan’s surrender. 

Taking us from the Allied campaign in New Guinea, to Los Alamos in New Mexico (where Oppenheimer and a team of scientists were involved in a project to build a weapon to stop all war) and then far away to the sacred island of Miyajima in Japan, we are privy to the lives of those caught in that period of time. 

Alive with breathtaking and heart-wrenching detail, this is a book about conflict, death, sacrifice, friendship, love and forgiveness. 

An unforgettable story from a remarkable story-teller.