Words and Nerds: Authors, books and literature.

Date with a Debut is a podcast hosted by writer Nick Wasiliev: shining a light on debut authors, their incredible books, and their journeys to publication.

The main show will return next week for the final two episodes of the main series before we finish 2026 with three Debut Revisited specials, but to bridge the gap please enjoy a sneak peek of my newsletter show exclusive, Second Date, where authors return for a second round of rapid-fire questions.

Check out a historical fiction/romance special as I go spoiler heavy with Lenny Robinson and Bryony McGuinness, and if you like it, sign up below!

WARNING: this episode contains coarse language.

I have a special deal currently where if you sign up to the newsletter, you can have 50% off a monthly or yearly VIP subscription for the next twelve months. That's $3 a month, or $25 a year!

Sign up to the newsletter here (you can also get a free version too!): https://nickwasiliev.substack.com/

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Enjoy the show? Drop us a review, it really helps the show out!

Check out our brand new podcast website: https://dwad.podpixels.com/

Check out the 2026 sponsor of the podcast, Pod Pixels: https://bit.ly/4cbG1Zt

Subscribe on Podbean to never miss an episode: https://www.podbean.com/site/podcatcher/index/blog/3mRME5IMoSJx

Date with a Debut is featured as part of the Australian literary platform Words & Nerds. Check out all shows on the platform here: https://danivee.com.au/podcasts/

MAIN EPISODES:

Lenny Robinson: https://dwad.podpixels.com/ep/series-4-episode-13-and-in-the-morning-by-lenny-robinson/

Bryony McGuinness: https://dwad.podpixels.com/ep/series-4-episode-17-violet-town-by-bryony-mcguinness/

BOOKS:

Debut Features:

And in the Morning / Lenny Robinson: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/JkWKNE

Violet Town / Bryony McGuinness: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/QYv6Ba

Other Books Mentioned:

Land / Maggie O’Farrell: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/m4J737

Middlemarch / George Eliot: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/L0yQqV

Mansfield Park / Jane Austen: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/4axb51

The Scarlet Letter / Nathaniel Hawthorne: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/m4JARD

The Handmaid’s Tale / Margaret Atwood: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/5kD6bn

Villette / Charlotte Bronte: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/rEqZnB

David Copperfield / Charles Dickens: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/VOvEyk

Crown of Midnight / Sarah J. Maas: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/VOvEyk

Crescent City / Sarah J. Maas: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/OYvgRG

The One Remaining / Paula McLean: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/yZP02y

Alchemised / SenLinYu: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/qWLJ4O

The Book Thief / Markus Zusak: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/gRej10

The Iliad and The Odyssey / Homer, Samuel Butler (Translator): https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/WOvnqn

PRODUCTION NOTES:

Host: Nick Wasiliev

Guests: Lenny Robinson & Bryony McGuinness

Editing & Production: Nick Wasiliev

Podcast Theme: ‘Chill’ by Sakura Hz

Production Code: 4:X2

Additional Credits: Dani Vee (Words & Nerds), Jean Smith, Siena Johnstone, Sarah Valle (UQP Press), Bakers Lane Books, Julia Ferracane (Righteous PR)

FOLLOW NICK WASILIEV (+ DATE WITH A DEBUT):

A LITTLE IDEA PODCAST: Feed

SUBSTACK: nickwasiliev.substack.com

WEBSITE: www.nicholaswasiliev.com

YOUTUBE: @NickWasiliev_Official

INSTAGRAM: @nickwasiliev

TWITTER/X: @Nick_Wasiliev

FACEBOOK: Nick Wasiliev

TIKTOK: @nickwasiliev

© 2026 Nick Wasiliev and Breathe Art Holdings

‘Date With A Debut’ is a Words and Nerds and Breathe Art Podcasts co-production recorded and edited on Awabakal Country, and we pay our respects to all elders past and present.

⭐️ Episode 832 Bridie Jabour - Ordinary, Funny, Tragic and creativity ⭐️ Published by Harper Collins

Dear book lovers,

This week I talk to Bridie Jabour about her new book

Ordinary, Funny, Tragic 🩷

I love, love, love Bridie’s work!

We chat about

✅ The challenge of writing comedy

✅ The important relationship between siblings

✅ Complexity of mother daughter relationships

✅ Parenting

✅ Scheduling creativity

✅ Writing process

✅ Publishing journey

✅ Leaning into her voice

Support the industry by hitting play and reading books 💫

Dani 💋

⭐️ Episode 831 Carla Fitzgerald - How to Make the World Cup and writing middle grade ⭐️ Published by UQP.

Dear middle grade readers,

This week I talk to Carla Fitzgerald about her third book in this series.

We chat about

✅ Being inspired by women’s sport

✅ Writing middle grade stories to engage kids

✅ Interesting research

✅ Writing process

✅ The challenge of the editing process

✅ Switching from middle grade to picture books

Support the industry by hitting play and reading books 💫

Dani 💋

QWS S5E6 Thomas Vowles and Troy Hunter

TEXT 🎙️ New QWS Podcast Episode! 🌈✨

In QWS S5E6, Troy talks to Thomas Vowles, author and screenwriter, whose incredible debut psychological thriller OUR NEW GODS came out last year

While discussing OUR NEW GODS, Tom and Troy also talk about crime and thriller tropes, about how Tom’s screenwriting helped inform his novel, about moving to a new city, about writing sex, and about the joy of being queer, among heaps of other things.

Books and authors discussed in this episode:

- Dead Ends by Samantha Byres (see the ep with her QWS S5E1)

- A Fairly Honourable Defeat and The Sea The Sea by Iris Murdoch

- James Baldwin

- Garth Greenwell

- Brandon Taylor

You can find Tom on the Gram at @thomasvowles and at www.thomasvowles.com and via his substack thomasvowles.substack.com

You can find Troy on the Gram @troyhunterwriter and at www.troyhuntwriter.com Troy is the author of Gus and the Missing Boy and Gus and the Burning Stones and the upcoming Gus and the Climate Killer

#Gayauthor #Queerwriting #adultfiction #WordsandNerds #LGBTQIABooks

⭐️ Episode 830 - Dani Vee and Amy Coomer - Ravensbourne, teen life and writing process ⭐️ Published by Bakers Lane.

*Please note this episode discusses drug taking

Dear music festival lovers,

In this episode I chat to Amy Coomer about her brand new YA novel Ravenbourne.

A mystery, a tragedy and a music festival that changes everything.

We chat about:

💋 The risks of being a teenager,

💋 How the book changed since Amy started writing it when she was a teenager herself,

💋 Empowering teenagers,

💋Writing process and the lens of maturity,

💋 Exploring dark themes,

💋 How screenwriting informed the book,

Support Aussie books, authors and publishers. Hit play and grab this book 🔥

Dani 💋

⭐️ Episode 829 - Dani Vee and Rebecca Higgie - The Book of the After ⭐️ Published by Fremantle Press

In this episode we discuss the big issues in this epic book!

We chat about:

⭐️ The afterlife,

⭐️ The book as a political love story,

⭐️ Extensive research,

⭐️ What is takes to spend 6 years writing a book,

⭐️ The publishing journey,

⭐️ Extensive post-it note planning.

Support Aussie authors, hit play and read this book!

Dani 💋

Date with a Debut is a podcast hosted by writer Nick Wasiliev: shining a light on debut authors, their incredible books, and their journeys to publication.

In our 15th episode of series four, Nick chats with Stephanie MacFie, discussing her delightful romcom, Once Upon a Breakfast Show.

Enjoy the show? Drop us a review, it really helps the show out!

You can also subscribe to our new monthly newsletter, and get access to exclusive show Second Date: https://nickwasiliev.substack.com/

Sign up to the free Instagram Date with a Debut Writing/Reading Crew: https://bit.ly/4pyCx9u

Check out our brand new podcast website: https://dwad.podpixels.com/

Check out the 2026 sponsor of the podcast, Pod Pixels: https://bit.ly/4cbG1Zt

Subscribe on Podbean to never miss an episode: https://www.podbean.com/site/podcatcher/index/blog/3mRME5IMoSJx

Date with a Debut is featured as part of the Australian literary platform Words & Nerds. Check out all shows on the platform here: https://danivee.com.au/podcasts/

BOOKS:

Debut:

Once Upon a Breakfast Show / Stephanie MacFie: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/dyrbGk

Additional books mentioned:

The Wedding Forecast / Nina Kenwood: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/NGEnb2

Side Character Energy / Olivia Tolich: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/yZonkW

The Boyfriend Clause / Bridie Blake: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/QYKVaz

PRODUCTION NOTES:

Host: Nick Wasiliev

Guest: Stephanie MacFie

Editing & Production: Nick Wasiliev

Podcast Theme: ‘Chill’ by Sakura Hz

Production Code: 4.15

Episode Number: #73

Additional Credits: Dani Vee (Words & Nerds), Cora Roberts (Text Publishing)

FOLLOW NICK WASILIEV (+ DATE WITH A DEBUT):

A LITTLE IDEA PODCAST: Feed

NEWSLETTER: nickwasiliev.substack.com

WEBSITE: www.nicholaswasiliev.com

YOUTUBE: @NickWasiliev_Official

INSTAGRAM: @nickwasiliev

TWITTER/X: @Nick_Wasiliev

FACEBOOK: Nick Wasiliev

TIKTOK: @nickwasiliev

© 2026 Nick Wasiliev and Breathe Art Holdings

‘Date With A Debut’ is a Words and Nerds and Breathe Art Podcasts co-production recorded and edited on Awabakal Country, and we pay our respects to all elders past and present.

⭐️ Episode 828 - Dani Vee and Alex Sawyer - Rat Daniels, psychology & male friendship ⭐️ Published by Hachette

Dear lovely listeners,

⭐️ The importance of male friendship

⭐️ Winning the Richell Prize to publication,

⭐️ The psychology of characters,

⭐️ Moral ambiguity of characters actions,

⭐️ How much do you write for an audience?

We also delve into psychology …

🔥 How to we explain ourselves to ourselves?

🔥 Is journaling really good for your mental health?

🔥 Self-awareness and checking in with yourself

Support Aussie books and hit play!

Dani 💋

⭐️ Episode 827 - Dani Vee and Samantha Wheeler - The Lost Island and connecting kids to nature through reading ⭐️ Published by UQP.

Dear nature loving listeners,

In this episode I chat to Samantha about her new release The Lost Island, inspired by her PhD in connecting kids to nature through fiction.

We chat about …

⭐️ Finding magic in nature wherever you are,

⭐️ Surviving in the wild,

⭐️ The frustrating process of being a pantser,

⭐️ Exploring the story through writing rather than planning,

⭐️ The publishing contract journey.

A fun and honest chat about writing, research and accepting the writer inside you.

Support Aussie books by hitting play or reading this book!

Dani 💋

Dear kid lit lovers,

This week I chat to Allison about her new book inspired by the stories she was told by her highly respected Elder grandparents.

If you love publishing stories, you will not believe this one!

We chat about:

🩷 The importance of storytelling and nostalgia

🩷 A very interesting publishing journey

🩷 How teaching informed her writing

🩷 The importance of kids seeing themselves

🩷 Challenges of writing humour

Support Aussie creatives and hit play or read a book!

Dani 💋