Talking Aussie Books

Fiona McIntosh is an Australian world-class, international best-selling author whose work spans number of different genres: from fantasy to sweeping historical adventures and gritty crime.

I have been following Fiona's career for some years now, devouring each new novel as it hits the shelves and getting my "Fiona fix" every year as she embarks on her demanding national book tour.

Sadly, there was no tour this year, but we were fortunate enough to see her brand new exquisite novel released into the world.

"The Champagne War" published by Penguin is arguably her best, most heart wrenching novel yet.

And I was thrilled to be able to speak with Fiona in mid-November about this gorgeous book.

Join us in the final episode of 2020 as we chat about Fiona's research, her serendipitous meeting with the woman who would become the inspiration for her avant-garde character Sophie Delancré, champagne-making, baking, writing tips and so much more.

Sophie Masson is a much celebrated French-Australian author with over seventy books for children, young adults and adults to her name. Growing up in France and Australia, Sophie has always had a strong interest in fairy tales. In fact, a number of Sophie's books are based on fairy tales. 'Scarlet in the Snow' - which is a retelling of the classic 'Beauty and the Beast' along with 'Carabas' - based on 'Puss in Boots' are her most notable examples.

So, I guess it was no surprise to learn that Sophie turned her mind to another fairy tale project which culminated in the publication of her new book 'French Fairy Tales'. Published by Serenity Press, 'French Fairy Tales' is a divine collection of five French fairy tales as translated and retold by Sophie and gorgeously illustrated by Lorena Carrington.

This is an enchanting book that will delight readers young and old.

I was delighted to chat with Sophie ahead of the release of this book in November.

Poppy Gee is a Brisbane-based author whose brand new novel "Vanishing Falls" was recently released here in Australia by Booktopia Editions - the publishing arm of Australia's online book retailer.

Like some other notable Australian thrillers at the moment, Poppy's book is set in Tasmania. In a fictional town deep in the rainforest - which makes for a superbly atmospheric read.

I caught up with Poppy recently to chat all things Tasmania, what US readers like about our island State, about history, writing trauma and addiction along with Poppy's top tips for aspiring writers.

Hot on the heels of his success with 'Scrublands' and 'Silver', Chris Hammer is back with a third novel entitled 'Trust' - which sees the return of Martin Scarsden, a journalists with a penchant for landing himself in troublesome situations involving murder and intrigue!

Unlike 'Scrublands' and 'Silver', 'Trust' moves away from Martin's story to focus on his partner, Mandalay Blonde, and what happened to her in the ten years between leaving Riversend as a teenager and returning to care for her dying mother.

This is an explosive novel which explores the dark underbelly of organised crime, collusion and corruption in a big city. I loved it for all its twists and turns and its nail-biting climax. Utterly gripping!

Join Chris and I in this wonderful chat where we talk about his inspiration for this novel, writing a female character like Mandalay Blonde, the demise of the golden years of journalism, 'Scrublands' on the screen, writing tips and much, much more.

Ellie Marney is an award-winning, internationally successful YA crime writer and passionate Australian YA advocate who has multiple titles to her name. Her latest novel, 'None Shall Sleep' (published by Allen & Unwin) was utterly gripping. A spine-chilling, edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller that kept me turning pages late into the night.

I was delighted to welcome Ellie to the podcast a little while ago to talk about her inspiration for this FBI-themed novel and how she managed going back in time, dealing with the notable absence of the internet and mobile phone technology amongst other things. A truly fascinating chat that you won't want to miss if you love crime fiction like I do.

Joanna Nell is the best-selling Sydney-based author of "The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village" (2018) and "The Last Voyage of Mrs Henry Parker" (2019). Her new novel "The Great Escape from Woodlands Nursing Home" was released in October and much like hilarious Peggy Smart from The Single Ladies fame, retired nature writer and reclusive spinster Hattie Bloom is not interested in growing old gracefully. This book is an hilarious, but poignant and ultimately hopeful exploration of ageing and life in aged care. A delightful, uplifting read which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I was delighted to welcome Joanna back to the podcast to talk about her inspiration for this book, about all things ageing and writing in this episode.

Petronella McGovern is a Sydney-based author whose debut novel 'Six Minutes' was published to critical acclaim in 2019. Variously described as 'addictive', 'impossible to put down' and 'thrilling', it had hit the right mark for Australian fiction readers - becoming an instant best-seller. This year, Petronella has backed up her remarkable debut with a second tension-filled, page-turning read in 'The Good Teacher'.

And I was lucky enough to have the chance to chat with this quiet achiever recently on the podcast.

Monica McInerney is an international, number-one Australian best-selling author of thirteen novels. With titles that include 'The Alphabet Sisters', 'Lola's Secret', 'Hello from the Gillespie's' and 'Those Faraday Girls', Monica has often claimed the number one best-seller spot in Australia and been voted one of Australia's Top Ten Authors on no less than four occasions.

Diving into one of her books is like being drawn into a warm embrace.

Her new book, 'The Godmothers', was released by Penguin back in September. It was everything I expected and more. And so I was delighted to welcome her to the podcast recently to chat about this new book, about walking compost bins, family secrets, superstitions and rituals.

A warm and funny chat you won't want to miss.

'All our Shimmering Skies' is the much-anticipated follow-up novel from one of Australia's newest literary stars, Trent Dalton. Released in September earlier this year by HarperCollins, Trent's new book takes us away from the surburban setting of "Boy Swallows Universe" and catapults us into Australia's Top End - where some of Australia's harshest and most interesting landscape is on show. A beautiful story of courage and hope that I believe all Australians should read.

I was absolutely gob-smacked by the opportunity to speak with this incredibly gifted story-teller recently.

Laugh along with Trent and I as we chat about his phenomenal success, pesky fire alarms, his long-steeping inspiration for Molly Hook's story, the screen adaptation for "Boy Swallows Universe" and so much more.

Victoria Purman is a USA-Today best-selling Australian author whose latest novel "The Women's Pages" offers up a fascinating insight into life in Sydney at the end of WWII. A riveting examination of what life was like for women who stepped up to the plate to fill the gaps left by the men who went off to war and how they coped when their loved ones returned home changed by all they had seen and experienced.

This book shines a light on an important chapter of Australian women's struggle for equality in the face of extreme patriarchy - but in the context of a gloriously rich story peppered with nostalgia, humour and hopefulness.

I was delighted to welcome Victoria to the podcast recently. And what a delightful chat we shared! Everything from her walking tour of Sydney. . .to bum-glue and the joy of owning a puppy in these strange times.