Crime writer Sarah Bailey joins the Words and Nerds NaNoWriMo in their third week of working towards 50k. Did we get to 37k? How does pudding help? And is tough love the way to go?

Our usual NaNoWriMo update on Sunday has been delayed so Dani and Adrian bring you a quick update on the week ahead.

Elliot Perlman chats to Dani Vee.

Elliot Perlman is the recipient of the Queensland Premier’s award for Advancing Public Debate and has been described by the Times Literary Supplement (UK) as ‘Australia’s outstanding social novelist’, by Le Nouvelle Observateur (France) as the ‘Zola d’Australie’ and by Lire (France) as ‘the classic of tomorrow’, one of the ‘50 most important writers in the world’.

Catvinkle and the Missing Tulips, a novel for children and a sequel to The Adventures of Catvinkle, is scheduled for publication in October 2020.

Little Jiang, a rollicking middle-grade caper about evil morticians, thousand-year-old fox spirits, Bagua Masters with laser blasters and a pint-size hopping Chinese vampire is OUT NOW in Australia!

Books + Publishing says “It’s impossible to adequately sum up the untameable punk spirit that thrums between the lines of Little Jiang; simply put, this book slaps.”

Anna Chiu has her hands pretty full looking after her brother and sister and helping out at her dad’s restaurant, all while her mum stays in bed. Dad’s new delivery boy, Rory, is a welcome distraction and even though she knows that things aren’t right at home, she’s starting to feel like she could just be a normal teen.

But when Mum finally gets out of bed, things go from bad to worse. And as Mum’s condition worsens, Anna and her family question everything they understand about themselves and each other.

Join our NaNoWriMo journey,

Maya Linnell was recently shortlisted as the ARRA 2019 Favourite Debut Author and Favourite Australian Romance Author for her rural romance debut Wildflower Ridge. Bottlebrush Creek is her second novel, and both stories gather inspiration from her rural upbringing and the small communities she has always lived in and loved.

A former country journalist and PR writer, Maya now prefers the world of fiction over fact and blogs for Romance Writers Australia. She loves baking up a storm, tending to her rambling garden, and raising three little bookworms. Maya lives on a small property in country Victoria with her family, her menagerie of farm animals and the odd snake or two. Follow her on Instagram or Facebook @maya.linnell.writes

From nineteenth century London to remote outback Australia, two sisters – pulled apart by love – are brought together by tragedy.

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When Harriet Cameron follows her beloved sister, Sarah, to the harsh Australian outback – as dangerous as it is beautiful, as mysterious as it is wild – she is alienated by the casual violence and great injustices of outback life.

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Harriet’s recovery from this alienation begins with her growing friendship with an Aboriginal stockman and her increasing love for the landscape.

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But this fragile happiness is soon threatened by murders at a nearby cattle station and by a menacing station hand who is seeking revenge...

On Thursday 12 November we’ll celebrate Australian Reading Hour. You’re invited to stop what you’re doing for an hour, pick up a book and read to yourself or the children in your life.

Join us and unwind, get inspired and find joy in books! From islands, blue shores, bushland to red heart – Australia Reads.

Join NaNoWriMo buddies Adrian Beck, Tristan Bancks, Julianne Negri & Dani Vee with special guest Fleur Ferris as we talk about our NaNoWriMo journey, obstacles, challenges and writing process.