Anne Vines is a Melbourne-based fiction writer. Her novel, The Ship Wife was published in 2023. Her short stories have won a slew of awards including the Boroondara Award in 2014 and the Keith Carroll Award in 2020. She was also commended in the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript in 2008, and in the Varuna HarperCollins Award in 2007. She was also short-listed for the Alan Marshall Award, The Age Short Story Award and the international Wasafiri New Writing Prize. Anne has worked on both her novels at Varuna Writers’ Centre.

She completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne in Literature and History, and taught in secondary schools and adult education in Victoria and London, which led her to co-write the VCE English and Literature courses.

Flight is her latest novel. 

In the 183rd episode of The HYBRID Author Podcast host Joanne Zara Ellen Morrell, author of young adult fiction, women's fiction and short non-fiction for authors chats to Anne about:

Jesse McNeilly is the Founder of Rescue Connect and also mentors Industrial Emergency Response departments. Having trained over 20,000 students with his work globally, Jesse is passionate about sharing knowledge so rescue teams can be safer, more capable and better prepared. Jesse holds a Medical Science Masters Degree in Disaster and Emergency Response. He has dedicated his professional life to his vocation of emergency response and rescue. Jesse has worked in eight countries in a range of military, private security, disaster response, training and leadership roles. Jesse continues to develop his industry networks so rescue workers can learn from and help each other.

In the 182nd episode of The HYBRID Author Podcast host Joanne Zara Ellen Morrell, author of young adult fiction, women's fiction and short non-fiction for authors, chats to Jesse about:

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1764099400?psc=1&smid=ANEGB3WVEVKZB&ref_=chk_typ_quicklook_seeDetailsToDp

Sarah Susak is a full-time working mum. A commercial lawyer with over two decades of experience, Sarah has led the legal function of some of the world’s most iconic brands, including Coca-Cola and Colgate-Palmolive across the South Pacific and Europe.

She is also a lifetime supporter of the Wayside Chapel for the homeless in Sydney. In 2017, shortly after becoming a mother, Sarah was diagnosed with a rare and deadly head and neck cancer. Her journey through major facial reconstructive surgeries, intensive radiation treatment and ongoing medical challenges led her to discover the ancient practice of Vedic meditation, which became a cornerstone of her recovery and inspired her to train as a Vedic meditation teacher. In 2023 she launched Medi Steady Go®, a business dedicated to sharing the wisdom and techniques that she credits with saving her life.

After being in remission from cancer for almost seven years while completing YOURU in 2024 Sarah was diagnosed with a metastasis to the lung. Though the lesion on her lung was safely removed, she developed a rare autoimmune condition which saw her on life support and hospitalised for almost three months. With the help of holistic health practices and her daily meditation routine, Sarah made a remarkable recovery, defying medical expectations. She is now living a joyful and purpose-filled life in Sydney with her husband and daughter. YOURU is her first book.

In episode 181 of The HYBRID Author Podcast host Joanne Zara Ellen Morrell, author of young adult fiction, women's fiction and short non-fiction for authors chats to Sarah about:

www.sarahsusak.com/my-book

Jeanette Stampone was born in a spooky three-hundred-year-old house in the English countryside. She grew up with stories of local legends, pixies, ghosts, and fairies. These childhood experiences inspire Jeanette to write fun, imaginative and quirky stories. A country girl at heart, Jeanette now lives in regional Western Australia with her husband and two boys.  

In 2022, Jeanette’s debut picture book, 'Shadow and the Girl' was released by Red Paper Kite. Her second book, 'The Dragon Guest Handbook' was published by Wombat Books in 2024.

This year, Jeanette was thrilled to release her new junior fiction book 'Terry Fide and the Bakery Ghost', published by About Kids Books.

Jeanette is an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and is passionate about sharing and creating books for kids of all ages.

In episode 180 of The HYBRID Author Podcast host Joanne Zara Ellen Morrell, author of young adult fiction, women's fiction and short non-fiction for authors, chats to Jeanette about:

Cathryn deVries is an award-winning fantasy and sci-fi author who explores themes of restorative justice, empowerment, connection with earth and spirit and finding the true self in her work—all wrapped up in an epic package of immersive world-building and sweet romance. A former Air Force engineer and recovering perfectionist, she now home-schools her children, two of whom are on the autism spectrum. She and her family live in the Gold Coast Hinterland of Australia, where she enjoys living in a rainforest and pretending she’s an elf.

In episode 179 of The HYBRID Author Podcast host Joanne Zara Ellen Morrell, author of young adult fiction, women's fiction and short non-fiction for authors, chats to Cathryn about:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eclectaperennial/son-of-osivirius

In episode 178 of The HYBRID Author Podcast host Joanne Zara Ellen Morrell explores the art of hybrid writing craft—blending genres, forms and creative disciplines to elevate your storytelling and expand your publishing opportunities. Discover how combining fiction with nonfiction, prose with poetry, or novels with screenplays can unlock new creative potential and help future-proof your writing career. Whether you’re traditionally published, indie or somewhere in between, this episode will inspire you to experiment, diversify and embrace the full range of your writing skills.

Dmetri Kakmi was born to Greek parents in Turkey. He is the author of The Dictionary of a Gadfly (under the pseudonym of The Sozzled Scribbler), The Door and Other Uncanny Tales, Mother Land and When We Were Young (as editor). Mother Land was shortlisted for the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards in 2008, and is published in England and Turkey.  His short story ‘The Boy by the Gate’ was first published in England in The New Gothic and reprinted in Australia in The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 2013.

‘Haunting Matilda’ was published in the horror anthology Cthulhu: Deep Down Under and shortlisted for Best Fantasy Novella in the Aurealis Awards, 2015. His essays and short stories appear in various Australian and overseas anthologies.

Dmetri has more than 30 years’ experience in various aspects of publishing, including editing, lecturing, teaching and mentoring. For 15 years, he worked as a senior editor at Penguin Books. As well, he was secretary and fiction/non-fiction co-editor of the online literary journal Kalliope X.

Dmetri’s monthly column ‘101 Horror Movie Nights’ appears in the US based Drunken Odyssey literary website.

Dmetri Kakmi is a highly respected writer in the literary and speculative fiction fields.

His forthcoming gothic novel, 'The Woman in the Well' has been described by one editor as ‘an astonishing mix of literary horror and folklore.’Dmetri is currently working on the psychological crime novel 'The Perfect Room'. He lives in Melbourne.

In the 177th episode of The HYBRID Author Podcast host Joanne Zara Ellen Morrell, author of young adult fiction, women's fiction and short non-fiction for authors chats to Dmetri about:

Alejandra Martinez is an Australian-Uruguayan writer based in the Blue Mountains of NSW. She migrated to Australia at the age of seven with her family, as a military dictatorship was about to take over the country. Her stories have been published in a range of anthologies and magazines, including Best Australian Stories (BlackInc.), Girls Talk and Puentes Review. She has also written short plays, one of which was performed at the Riverside Theatre in Parramatta. An extract from her debut novel. Salsa in the Suburbs was the winner of the 2022 Newcastle Writers Festival Fresh Ink Emerging Writer Prize.

In the 176th episode of The HYBRID Author Podcast host Joanne Zara Ellen Morrell, author of young adult fiction, women's fiction and short-nonfiction for authors, chats to Alejandra about:

Peter Gunn is a U.S. Air Force vet, avid bodybuilder, coffee connoisseur and poet who strives to bring epic poetry back from the past. Peter reinvents this narrative style in his masterpiece The Amazons.

In the 175th episode of The HYBRID Author Podcast host Joanne Zara Ellen Morrell, author of young adult fiction, women's fiction and short non-fiction for authors chats to Peter about:

Can you believe we are mid-way through 2025! Where does the time go. But as always, we'll celebrate with a mashup of the fabulous guests we've had on The HYBRID Author Podcast since January!