Amanda Hampson talks about the writing process for her novel The Tea Ladies, a wickedly witty cosy crime novel set in Sydney in the swinging sixties, ideal for fans of Richard Osman.  Amanda talks about the importance of making the novel the best experience possible for the reader, how a comment in Facebook provided the initial inspiration for The Tea Ladies, why she displays her index cards inside the pantry door, how she handled the three different plot lines and the challenges of writing the second novel in a series. She also reads through some of the structural notes from her editor which was such a useful insight into the editorial process.

You’ll find links to buy both paperback and ebook versions of The Tea Ladies here.

ABOUT AMANDA HAMPSON

Amanda Hampson grew up in rural New Zealand. She spent her early twenties travelling, finally settling in Australia in 1979, and now lives in Melbourne. Writing professionally for more than 20 years, she is the author of two non-fiction books, numerous articles and novels The Olive Sisters, Two for the Road, The French Perfumer, The Yellow Villa, Sixty Summers, Lovebirds and The Tea Ladies.

Website: https://www.amandahampson.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandahampsonauthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amanda.hampson

To enter this month’s competition, head to Instagram or Facebook and look for the giveaway post.

Order The Tea Ladies by Amanda Hampson here.

Order Dying to Know by Rae Cairns here.

This podcast is recorded on the beautiful, unceded lands of the Garigal people of the Eora nation.

Full show notes available at writersbookclubpodcast.com

Rachael Mogan McIntosh talks about the writing process for her memoir Pardon My French, a candid, hilarious love letter to family life and France with three valuable lessons for overcoming adversity: make home a beautiful nest, lean into the tough lessons and look for the comedy in everything.  In our chat we discuss everything from how you protect your friends and family from your writerly tendency to mine their lives for material, how to structure a memoir in terms of narrative and character arcs, how to hone your own voice on the page, the importance of adding specific detail to create authenticity and avoid cliche, and how to balance your penchant for absurdity and humour with pathos and vulnerability. 

You’ll find links to buy both paperback and ebook versions of Pardon My French here.

ABOUT RACHAEL MOGAN MCINTOSH

Rachael Mogan McIntosh is a mum of three, crisis counsellor and community trainer from the south coast of NSW. Her writing has appeared in publications across Australia, France and the USA. Rachael loves books, baths, coffee, podcasts, TV and Terry’s Chocolate Orange; consuming them simultaneously whenever possible. Pardon My French is her first book.

Website: http://mogantosh.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mogantosh/

Questions this month were from:

Penelope Janu - https://www.penelopejanu.com/

A’Mhara McKey - https://www.amharamckey.com/

To enter this month’s competition, head to Instagram or Facebook and look for the giveaway post.

Pre-order The Tea Ladies by Amanda Hampson here.

This podcast is recorded on the beautiful, unceded lands of the Garigal people of the Eora nation.

Full show notes available at writersbookclubpodcast.com

EPISODE SHOW NOTES

In this episode, Kate Forsyth takes us through the writing process for a selection of her works including The Crimson Thread, Bitter Greens, The Wild Girl, The Blue Rose and more.

Kate shared a veritable wealth of information about her writing process and philosophies; you’ll definitely want to take notes during this episode! She talked about:

- helping people find their own faith in themselves and their stories

- the constellation of ideas that combine to inspire a novel

- the two categories aspiring writers fall into

- how she overcomes the ‘paralysis of perfectionism’

- the importance of both thematic and narrative structure

- the elements of surprise and suspense

- using description to quicken pace instead of slowing things down

- the critical role of ‘emotional resonance’

- why she always writes in deep point of view

- how she writes a scene

- how she uses the phases of the moon to structure her writing schedule

Blog posts and articles referred to in the episode:

Kate’s Crimson Thread Diary, including image of Cretan women holding guns during WW2

Kate’s Writing Journal

Kate’s article about Marilyn Monroe ‘The m-m-m-m girl: Marilyn Monroe and I shared a secret struggle’ Sydney Morning Herald

Kate’s one-page plan from her notebook for her novel-in-progress Psykhe.

You’ll find links to buy both paperback and ebook versions of Kate’s books here.

ABOUT KATE FORSYTH

Dr Kate Forsyth is an award -winning author, poet, and storyteller. She has a Doctorate of Creative Arts in fairy tale studies which has led to an amazing body of novels inspired by fairy tales and myths. But definitely NOT as you know them. 

Her most recent novel is The Crimson Thread, a reimagining of ‘The Minotaur in the Labyrinth’ myth. It’s set in Crete during the Nazi invasion and occupation of World War II.

Her other historical novels include Beauty in Thorns, a reimagining of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ told in the voices of four women of the Pre-Raphaelite circle of artists and poets;  Then we have The Wild Girl, the story of the forbidden romance behind the Grimm brothers’ fairy tales which was named Most Memorable Love Story of 2013; and Bitter Greens, a reinvention of ‘Rapunzel’ which won the 2015 American Library Association award for Best Historical Fiction.

Kate has also written non-fiction books, books for middle-grade children and picture books, many of which have garnered awards. husband, three mostly-gorgeous heroes-in-training, two ravenous cats, a cantankerous bird and a very badly-behaved dog.

Website: https://kateforsyth.com.au/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kate_forsyth_

Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/kateforsythauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KateForsyth

This podcast was recorded on the beautiful, unceded lands of both the Garigal people of the Eora nation and the lands of the Bundjalung people.

Full show notes available at writersbookclubpodcast.com

THIS EPISODE CONTAINS SPOILERS.

In this episode, Rachael Johns takes us through the process behind writing her novel The Work Wives. 

Rachael very generously decided she was more than happy to discuss the twists and turns of the novel so that all you writers out there could learn from this novel. She also takes us through her physical notebook for the novel - the original character outlines and plot points - so we can really see how this novel took shape from its inception. Rachael also read through the detailed developmental and structural notes from her editors which was such a terrific insight, not only into how a novel is edited, but how the publication process works.

This episode is a real masterclass in crafting a piece of contemporary, commercial fiction. 

You’ll find links to buy both paperback and ebook versions of The Work Wives here.

ABOUT RACHAEL JOHNS

Rachael Johns is an English teacher by trade, a mum 24/7, a Diet Coke addict, a cat lover and chronic arachnophobe. She rarely sleeps and never irons. She is also the bestselling, ABIA-winning author of The Patterson Girls and a number of other romance and women’s fiction books, including her recent bestseller, Something to Talk About. Rachael is currently Australia’s leading writer of contemporary relationship stories around women’s issues, a genre she has coined ‘life-lit’.

Rachael has finaled in a number of competitions, including the Australian Romance Readers Awards. Jilted (her first rural romance) won Favourite Australian Contemporary Romance in 2012, and The Patterson Girls won the 2016 Romance Writers of Australia RUBY Award and also the 2015 Australian Book Industry Award for General Fiction. She continually places in Booktopia’s Top 50 Aussie Authors poll.

Rachael lives in the Swan Valley with her hyperactive husband, three mostly-gorgeous heroes-in-training, two ravenous cats, a cantankerous bird and a very badly-behaved dog.

Website: https://www.rachaeljohns.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachaeljohnsauthor/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachaelJohnsRomance 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rachaeljohnsauthor

Questions this month were from:

Deb Jordan - https://www.instagram.com/deb_jordan_writer/ 

Renae Black - https://www.instagram.com/renae_black_writes/

Links to writing craft books mentioned by Rachael:

The Bestseller Code by Jodie Archer, Matthew Jockers

The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes

by Caro Lafever, Tami D Cowden and Sue Viders

Rachael Johns’ Book Club Retreat

Writes4Women Podcast: Rachael Johns & Sally Hepworth in conversation

To enter this month’s competition, head to Instagram or Facebook and look for the giveaway post.

This podcast is recorded on the beautiful, unceded lands of the Garigal people of the Eora nation.

Full show notes available at writersbookclubpodcast.com

In this episode, Caroline Overington takes us through the process behind writing her novel The Cuckoo’s Cry. Caroline talks about how the novel began its life as an audiobook commissioned by Audible, the process of turning it into a paperback novel, and the wonderful knock-on effect on her backlist of novels. We also discussed character development, the power of the opening first page, Caroline’s writing process and the two things that motivate her to get words down on the page fast.

You’ll find links to buy both paperback and ebook versions of The Cuckoo’s Cry here.

ABOUT CAROLINE OVERINGTON

Caroline Overington is one of Australia's most successful writers and journalists.  She has twice won the Walkley Award for Investigative Journalism; she has also won  the Sir Keith Murdoch award for Journalistic Excellence; Australia's richest prize for business writing, the Blake Dawson Prize; and the Davitt Award for crime writing. 

She has written fourteen books, including the runaway bestseller, The One Who Got Away.  

 Caroline has worked as a journalist for The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, and The Australian Women's Weekly, where she has profiled many of the world's most famous women, including Oprah Winfrey and Hillary Clinton.

Her books have earned critical and commercial success: two of Caroline's novels - I Came To Say Goodbye and The One Who Got Away -  were short-listed for Book of the Year at the Australian Book Industry Awards; her book about the UN oil for food scandal, Kickback has been optioned for film. Her most recent works include a thriller, The Cuckoo's Cry; and the true crime story, Missing William Tyrrell , an investigation into the disappearance of a three-year old foster child from the village of Kendall in NSW.

Website: https://www.carolineoverington.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/overingtonc/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolineoverington

Questions this month were from:

Maya Linnell - https://www.instagram.com/maya.linnell.writes/

A’Mhara McKey - https://www.instagram.com/amhara_mckey_writer/

To enter this month’s competition, head to Instagram or Facebook and look for the giveaway post.

This podcast is recorded on the beautiful, unceded lands of the Garigal people of the Eora nation.

Full show notes available at writersbookclubpodcast.com

In this episode, Mark Smith takes us through the process behind writing his novel The Road to Winter.  Mark talked about finding his writing voice in short stories, why and how he packs backstory into the first chapter, why he wrote the novel in first person present tense, the importance of pacing, dialogue, setting and keeping the writing process simple, and the writing mantras he lives by, including ‘What do I know and care about?’

You’ll find links to buy both paperback and ebook versions of The Road to Winter here.

ABOUT MARK SMITH

Mark Smith is the author of four young adult novels, including his critically acclaimed Winter Trilogy.. The Road to Winter was shortlisted for multiple awards and is taught in schools around Australia. The sequel, Wilder Country won the 2018 Australian Indie Book Award for YA. 

An award-winning writer of short fiction, Mark’s work has appeared in Best Australian Stories, Review of Australian Fiction, The Big Issue, The Victorian Writer, Island and The Australian.

Mark is also an in-demand speaker at schools and an experienced facilitator at festivals and book launches.

Website: https://www.marksmithwriter.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marksmithauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/marksmith0257

For information about the Your Author Website course, go to https://www.writerscentre.com.au/store/courses/your-author-website/

To enter this month’s competition, head to Instagram or Facebook and look for the giveaway post.

This podcast is recorded on the beautiful, unceded lands of the Garigal people of the Eora nation.

Full show notes available at writersbookclubpodcast.com

In this episode, John Purcell takes us through the process behind writing his novel The Lessons.  We had one of those wonderful long meandering chats, not just about John’s novel, but about lots of other books. We discovered a mutual love for EM Forster’s A Room with a View and why it’s such a perfect novel. And John shared the fascinating method he used to learn from the classics. And of course we talked about the creation of his novel The Lessons - how he wrote the 4 first person narratives, how he overcame a lifelong aversion to spreadsheets to help structure the novel and the importance of talking to yourself, preferably while wandering over the Kent downs or your locale of choice. John also shared the thrills and spills of the editing process for this novel - in a word, brutal - as well as differentiating between the character voices and how to end a chapter.

You’ll find links to buy both paperback and ebook versions of The Lessons here.

ABOUT JOHN PURCELL

While still in his twenties, he opened a second-hand bookshop in Sydney – imaginatively called 'John's Bookshop' – in which he sat for ten years reading, ranting and writing. Since then he has written (under a pseudonym) a series of successful novels and, as part of his previous role as Director of Books at Booktopia, interviewed hundreds of writers about their work. John’s 2018 novel, The Girl on the Page was a bestseller, and a film adaptation is in the works. He now lives in the English countryside with his wife, three dogs, four cats and his overlarge book collection.

Website: https://www.johnpurcellauthor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnpurcellauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookeboy/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bookeboy

For information about the Your Author Website course, go to https://www.writerscentre.com.au/store/courses/your-author-website/

To enter this month’s competition, head to Instagram or Facebook and look for the giveaway post.

This podcast is recorded on the beautiful, unceded lands of the Garigal people of the Eora nation.

Full show notes available at writersbookclubpodcast.com

* THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THIS EPISODE*

In this episode, Michael Robotham takes us through the process behind writing his novel Lying Beside You. Lying Beside You is Michael’s 17th novel, the third in his Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac series and it’s honestly a masterclass in how to write a psychological crime thriller.  We talked about the difference between creating surprise and suspense, a couple of Michael’s favourite mantras he applies to his writing, finding new ways to describe the same characters after 9 novels in a series and how to balance how much information you give away in each book in a series. Other topics include writing believable dialogue, creating memorable characters that we care about, the importance of adding a little humour in a psychological thriller and subverting the reader’s expectations.

*SPOILERS* There are spoilers in this episode so if you haven’t yet read the novel and you hate spoilers, make sure you read the book before listening.

You’ll find links to buy both paperback and ebook versions of Lying Beside You here.

ABOUT MICHAEL ROBOTHAM

Before becoming a novelist, Michael Robotham was a former feature writer and investigative reporter working in Britain, Australia and America, and with clinical and forensic psychologists as they helped police investigate complex, psychologically driven crimes. His debut thriller, The Suspect, introduced clinical psychologist Joe O'Loughlin and sold more than a million copies around the world. The first of a nine-book series, The Suspect is being adapted for the screen by World Productions (makers of Line of Duty and Bodyguard), starring Aidan Turner. Michael's standalone thriller The Secrets She Keeps was adapted for TV by Network 10 and the BBC. The second series is out now.

Michael is the only Australian to twice win the UK's prestigious Gold Dagger Award for best crime novel, for Life or Death and Good Girl, Bad Girl as well as the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for When She Was Good. His latest Book, Lying Beside You, is the third book in his bestselling Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac series.

Michael lives in Sydney.

Website: https://www.michaelrobotham.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelRobothamAU

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelrobotham/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/michaelrobotham

For information about the Writers Unleashed festival in Sydney on 3 September 2022, click here. 

To enter this month’s competition, head to Instagram or Facebook and look for the giveaway post.

This podcast is recorded on the beautiful, unceded lands of the Garigal people of the Eora nation.

Full show notes available at writersbookclubpodcast.com

In this episode, Pamela Cook takes us through the process behind writing her novel All We Dream. We talked about the differences between traditional and independent publishing and Pam gave some fabulous tips on things like cover design and advertising and marketing. Pam also, very generously, ran through some of the before and after changes to the novel between its two editions and how those changes improved the novel. I was also really keen to talk to Pam about two writing craft aspects she is really knowledgeable about and actually teaches to other writers - how to write in deep point of view and how to, as she calls it, turn up the tension in your writing to keep your readers turning the page. We also discussed the importance of visiting the place you’re writing about if possible and how she works with her agent.

You’ll find links to buy both paperback and ebook versions of All We Dream here.

ABOUT PAMELA COOK

Pamela Cook is an author, podcaster, writing teacher and mentor. Her best-selling debut novel Blackwattle Lake (2012) was published by Hachette Australia in 2012 followed by three rural fiction titles. Her latest releases Cross My Heart (2019) and All We Dream (2020) have taken her writing in an exciting new direction.

Pamela writes page-turning contemporary women’s fiction, delving deep into the psychology of her characters and the complexity of relationships in all their forms. She explores the impact of trauma, grief and generational conflict, drawing on the resilience and courage she finds in inspirational women. Her writing is imbued with a deep love of the natural world and its power to heal. 

Producing and hosting Writes4Women, a weekly podcast that supports women writers and celebrates women’s writing, is one of Pamela’s not-so-guilty pleasures. She is also a Writer Ambassador for Room To Read, a not-for-profit organisation promoting literacy and gender equality in developing countries.

An experienced teacher, Pamela tutors at Writing NSW and the Australian Writers’ Centre and loves to mentor emerging authors. When she’s not writing or reading, she wastes as much time as possible riding her handsome quarter horse Rio, hanging out with her three adult daughters and menagerie of animals on her dream-come-true rural property in the beautiful Illawarra region of NSW, and dreaming of a road trip in Virginia, her vintage caravan.

Website: https://pamelacook.com.au/

https://www.writes4women.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamelaCookAuthor

Instagram: @pamelacookwrites

Twitter: @PamelaCookAU

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/pamelacookwrites/

LINKS TO RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE

Donald Maass - The Emotional Craft of Fiction

Lisa Hall-Wilson - Deep Point of View

Watch Pam talk with Lisa Hall-Wilson on Writes4Women podcast

Margie Lawson - Editing System (colour coded)

Turn Up the Tension - Course at Writing NSW (released soon)

This podcast is recorded on the beautiful, unceded lands of the Garigal people of the Eora nation.

Full show notes available at writersbookclubpodcast.com

This month my guest is Nigel Featherstone, chatting about the writing of his latest novel My Heart is a Little Wild Thing.

Even though he’s already such an accomplished writer across different genres and formats, Nigel learned some new things writing this novel including the importance of leaning into setting, being more ambitious with the writing and about harnessing the concept of duende - the trickster muse that encouraged him to be less cautious, less polite and to go to places with his writing that he’d normally shy away from.

We talked about structure and his approach to backstory, how he harnessed the voice of memoir to capture character and we also discussed sex scenes - the who, the what and most importantly, the why.

So much great stuff in this interview. Enjoy!

You’ll find links to buy My Heart is a Little Wild Thing below.

ABOUT THE BOOK

My Heart is a Little Wild Thing tells the story of Patrick who has always considered himself a good son. Willing to live his life to please his parents, his sense of duty paramount to his own desires and dreams. But as his mother’s health continues to deteriorate and his siblings remain absent, he finds the ties that bind him to his mother begin to chafe.

After an argument leads to a violent act he travels to a familiar country retreat to reflect on what his life could be – and through a chance encounter with a rare animal and an intriguing stranger Patrick starts to wonder if perhaps it is not too late to let his heart run wild.

ABOUT NIGEL

Nigel Featherstone is an Australian writer who has been published widely.

His latest novel, My Heart is a Little Wild Thing, is out now from Ultimo Press (Hardie Grant).

Nigel’s war novel, Bodies of Men, was published by Hachette Australia in 2019. It was longlisted for the 2020 ARA Historical Novel Prize, shortlisted for the 2020 ACT Book of the Year, shortlisted in the 2019 Queensland Literary Awards, and received a 2019 Canberra Critics Circle Award.

Visit Nigel Featherstone’s website - https://www.nigelfeatherstone.com.au/

Buy My Heart is a Little Wild Thing by Nigel Featherstone paperback or ebook.

A big thank you and shout out to Joanna Nell and Laura Boon for your lovely reviews of the podcast. Check out both authors here:
Joanna Nell - https://www.joannanell.com/
Laura Boon - https://www.lauraboon.com/

This podcast is recorded on the beautiful, unceded lands of the Garigal people of the Eora nation.

Full show notes available at writersbookclubpodcast.com