Talking Aussie Books

In an interview that has been in the making since October 2018, I chat to international best-selling, award-winning Australian author Jane Harper on the eve of the release of her brand-new thriller, "The Survivors" (Pan Macmillan). I can't tell you how excited and proud I am of this wonderful interview where Jane and I chat about her inspiration and research for this compelling novel, along with h...

Tony Park is an Australian-born international best-selling author of 18 African thriller novels. His latest, 'Last Survivor' was released in July 2020 by Pan Macmillan Australia. In 1995, a trip to southern Africa with his wife, Nicola, changed Tony's life. He's been back almost every year since that first trip where he spends 6 months of each year researching and writing his books. 'Last Survivor...

Kerry McGinnis is a much-loved Australian author of nine best-selling outback suspense novels. Her latest book, "Croc Country" (Penguin) was a gripping, atmospheric read that had me itching to learn more about Australia's Top End and in particular, the Gulf Country about which Kerry writes so beautifully. Join Kerry and I as we chat about her early life as a drover, her inspiration for this story...

Kyle Perry's debut novel, "The Bluffs" (Penguin), has all the ingredients of a truly unsettling, page-turning thriller. Astonishing in its emotional depth and complexity, this novel balances myth and reality, traversing a range of themes that include teenage cyber-crime, bullying, addiction and family trauma. It is as much about the place in which the action takes place as the characters that inha...

Meredith Appleyard is the author of five books and loves writing about the layers of complexities in small rural communities. Her latest book, 'When Grace Went Away', was released by Harlequin Australia in May of this year. It's a tale of an Australian farming family fractured by grief - a grief which is compounded by the harshness of life on the land and the struggle to keep a family legacy viabl...

Léonie Kelsall is a South Australian author who divides her time between a professional counselling practice and her childhood farm - a place which provides inspiration for many of her stories. Earlier this year, Allen & Unwin published the first of what looks set to be a series of rural fiction romances called "The Farm at Peppertree Crossing". A beautiful, captivating story filled with well-deve...

Michelle Dalton is an award-winning, best-selling author who dedicates her story-telling to shedding light on social issues as well as providing her readers with a healthy dose of romance and happy ever afters. Originally from South Africa, Michelle's stories are odes to the essence of being South African. They are about redemption, overcoming adversity, about hope and most importantly, about love...

Anna Downes has landed on the Australian literary scene with an almighty bang! Her debut novel, psychological thriller, The Safe Place, released earlier this month here and in the UK, has drawn widespread critical acclaim. A novel which explores the lengths to which people will go to keep a secret, it leads you in gently, lulling you into a false sense of security whilst gradually winding up the t...

Kayte Nunn is the author of five books which include the international best-selling titles "The Botanist's Daughter" and "The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant". A former book and magazine editor, Kayte made her mark on the Australian literary scene with her rich prose and cleverly woven tales that hark back through history. "The Silk House" published by Hachette is a haunting mystery that draws...

Karen Turner is an award-winning Melbourne-based writer who has authored many short stories along with an incredible trilogy of sweeping historical sagas - of which the most recent instalment is "Stormbird" (Fisher King Publishing, 2019). This book chronicles the life of young mother and war-widow Jessica Barrow who's life on an old farm outside of Leeds suddenly changes course when she finds an i...

Lisa Ireland is a best-selling author of six-books. A former teacher, Lisa lives in a seaside town on Victoria's Bellarine peninsula where she writes full time. Her latest novel is called "The Secret Life of Shirley Sullivan" (Penguin) and follows the story of near-80 year old Shirley who busts her 83 year old husband Frank from the nursing home he's been living in and takes him on the holiday he...

Imbi Neeme is Melbourne-based author whose debut novel, "The Spill" won the 2019 Penguin Literary Prize. She's an award-winning short-story writer and was the recipient of a fellowship for excellence in short story writing in 2019 in addition to being selected for a prestigious manuscript development program in 2015. 'The Spill' was an intelligent, thought-provoking read with a brilliant structure...

Katherine Firkin is a Melbourne-based journalist who works with CBS New York and Ten News First. During her early career, she covered some of Victoria's most notorious criminal affairs. More recently, she has been in New York covering the Harvey Weinstein trial and she was on the ground when COVID 19 sent the city into lockdown. This week Katherine's debut novel is released into the world. Called...

Leah Swann's debut adult fiction novel "Sheerwater" has got to be one of the most emotional, compelling, kick-in-the-guts novels I have read in a while. A book that explores the lengths a mother will go to protect her children. A high-stakes story that delves in the psyche of fear. Oh my! If you read only one book this year . . .make it this one. It had me gripped from start to finish. Join Leah a...

Danielle Binks is a Melbourne-based writer, reviewer, agent, book blogger and youth literature advocate. In 2017, she edited and contributed to an anthology of Australian young adult stories inspired by the LoveOZYA movement for which she is a passionate advocate. And now, she has written a YA novel entitled 'The Year The Maps Changed' (Hachette). A compelling and beautifully written middle-grade...

Katherine Scholes in an Australian best-selling author based in Hobart. She has sold over two million novels globally which have been translated into a number of languages. Many of her novels have been set in Tanzania, Africa. The place of her birth. Her new novel, set in Tanzania, is called "The Beautiful Mother". It's an exquisitely told tale of one woman's experience of motherhood, what it mean...

Jennifer McKenzie Dunbar is an Adelaide based author whose debut novel "Vivaldi's Lost Concerto" is a surprising and fascinating exploration of love, music, of what it means to be marginalised as well as the power of friendship. With dual timelines spotlighting 21st century Australia alongside 18th century Scotland and Italy, it's an epic story inspired by true historical events. I loved reading t...

Sarah Clutton is a lawyer turned author who writes novels best described as a mixture of mystery, family secrets and drama. Her first novel "Good Little Liars" released last year was a runaway success. Emotionally gripping and filled with a cast of nuanced characters, the success of this debut was unsurprising. This year, Sarah is back with a brand new novel. "The Daughter's Promise" is another dr...

Cassie Hamer is a best-selling Australian author who has recently released her second book into the world. "The End of Cuthbert Close" is a fabulous, fun and insightful novel about friendships and romance with a dash of intrigue thrown in for good measure. If you like Liane Moriarty's books, you will love "The End of Cuthbert Close" as well as Cassie's debut title "After the Party". Join Cassie an...

Vanessa McCausland's debut novel "The Lost Summers of Driftwood" is another shining example of the quality of Australian fiction on offer at the moment. A novel redolent of long, lazy summers and days gone-by, this novel made me nostalgic for my own childhood. Of days before smart phones and the internet. . .when being bored meant heading outside to play instead of being glued to a device. Tune in...

Candice Fox is the international best-selling crime writer with a swag of title and awards to her name. Her new book, "Gathering Dark" (Penguin) is a gritty, clever and compulsive tale about an unlikely group of women who band together to find a missing girl. The result is a thrilling read which made me wonder anew at the inner machinations of a crime writer and what inspires them to write such ta...

Sandie Docker is the best-selling author of "The Kookaburra Creek Café" and "The Cottage at Rosella Cove". A novelist whose star is definitely on a stratospheric rise. Her new novel, "The Banksia Bay Beach Shack" has just been released. And she returns to the podcast today to chat to me about first loves, last chances and secrets that rocked a small Australian seaside town in the 1960s. Tune in to...

Anna Romer is the author of four books published by Simon & Schuster and writes stories that evoke our unique Australian landscape. Stories that uncover dark family secrets, old rambling houses and characters who are haunted by their past. Her latest book, 'Under the Midnight Sky' (2019) had a generous dash of all these elements. A beautiful tale that explores the underbelly of trauma and grief in...

Kerri Turner is a Sydney-based author of two historical fiction titles. Her latest, "The Daughter of Victory Lights" (HQ Fiction) is a meticulously researched exploration of the difficulties faced by women after the end of the second World War, about wartime sacrifice and of its lasting impacts on those who survived and those who came after them. An illuminating, compelling read to say the least....

In the very first episode of Talking Aussie Books for 2020, I chat to Kelly Rimmer - a USA Today best-selling author of seven contemporary fiction titles. Kelly has sold over a million books which have been translated into more than 20 language, her titles include "Me Without You", "Before I Let You Go" and "The Things We Cannot Say". Kelly's books explore themes and dilemmas that test the strengt...