Published...Or Not

Fiona Wood's book 'Cloudwish' is told through a Vietnamese school girl as she learns about herself: scholarship winner, dutiful daughter, artist with beautiful Caucasian boyfriend.  Is it really true or just a wish? Tony Birch takes us down a primal water force in 'Ghost River'.Fiona Wood and Tony Birch also talk about their association with the Stella Prize.

Paul Dalgarno faces the challenges of relocation, employment, marriage and children in his memoir, 'And You May Find Yourself'.Shirley Barrett gives the true story of whales and whalers from Twofold Bay a fictional bent in 'Rush Oh!'

Charles Bean carried a pen and not a rifle in the World war One trenches. He became an active and respected historian documenting Australia's role in that great conflict. Peter Rees delves into the life, experience and achievements of this remarkable man in his book, 'Bearing Witness'.

When is a boy not a boy? Read David Astle's 'Riddledom' to find out.'Hope Farm' should be a self sufficient happy hippy commune. Peggy Frew writes about a 13 year old daughter and her realisation that she wants a  different life circumstance to her mother.             

Lesley and Tammy Williams tell about their lives with each achieving so much from the United Nations, Michael Jackson and the Queensland Parliament. Jenny Ackland's 'The Secret Son' links Ned Kelly and Turkey.  Read it to find out how!

Tania Chandler has written a pschological thriller, a domestic noir ripper with 'Please Don't Leave Me Here'Cassandra Atherton's prose poetry is a delightful diversion in 'Trace'.

William dies suddenly and secrets are revealed about him which effect all who love him, in Marion Halligan's 'Goodbye Sweetheart'.Annitta S.W. has written about her son and friends growing up with technology in 'My Five iFriends'.

'Boyhoodlum' is Anson Cameron's eulogy to his mis-spent childhood. Nikki has a good job in Hollywood but The Guy is elusive in Lisa N Edwards romance, 'Can't Fight Fate'.

Eka Kurniawan has written about Indonesia's political and cultural history in the epic, disguised as a family saga, 'Beauty is a Wound'. It is written very cleverly and is most readable even the ghosts are believable. Antonia Hayes combines physics and emotion in her novel, 'Relativity'.

Penny Hueston talks about the translating of 'The Little Jewel', a book written by Patrick Modiano.  A French writer and winner of 2014 Nobel Prize for Literature. Lisa Dempster talks about some of the authors and issues in this years Melbourne Writers Festival.

Honey Brown has six interconnecting short stories with six different couplings of sex in a most readable and enjoyable 'Six Degrees'.Joel Deane documents the power plays and personalitiies of the Brumby/Bracks Victorian Sate Government in 'Catch and Kill'.

Is writing a love story easier than living one? Author Claire Varley has her character Oliver, sharing insights in the very funny 'The Bit in Between'.Abigail Ulman's short story collection 'Hot Little Hands' explores women confronting contemporary life.

Sophie Laguna follows up from an earlier interview on Published or Not having won the Miles Franklin Award for her novel, 'The Eye of the Sheep'.The South Australian coastal area of Coorong, is the location of this family drama 'Salt Creek' set  over 100 years ago. Lucy Treloar has her characters, both European and Ngarrindjeri, question what it is to be civilised.

Tegan Bennett Daylight's 'Six Bedrooms' are short stories of adolesent happenings but allow reflection from a more mature reader.

Liam Pieper writes with humour about his eventful like in'Mistakes were made'.  It is one of the Pengun Specials, designed to be read in a single sitting. Lisa Joy knows in real life what it is like to work for a celebrity chef. 'Yes, Chef' is a fictional, fun story where it isn't just cooking going on in the kitchen.

Rebecca Lim has Sophie being challenged, not just by her own peers, but by a paranormal presence who requires her to find her killer in 'Afterlight'.Alex Hammond's crime novel 'The Unbroken Line' explores corruption violence and the ethical boundaries of the law.

Leonie Binge writes about her famly history and why her grandmother sent her mother and aunt to an orphanage in 'Nellie's Vow'.Jane Harrison raises issues and assumptions about being indigenous just as her teenage character does in 'Becoming Kirralli Lewis'

Lucy Sussex's meticulously researched biography provides insights into author, Fergus Hume, and his novel, The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, which became a world wide publishing phenomena. 

The contemporary challenges of women living in an ordinary suburb that has been touched by the spirit of Jill Meagher is the focus of 'On Brunswick Ground' by Catherine de Saint Phalle. These are concerns that touch us all.

Published or Not is one of the many shows on 3CR that rely on donations to remain on air. Community radio plays an important role in keeping an independent voice on the airwaves. The discussion between the appeals centred on publishing, publicity and writing in general.

Rod Jones traces the arc of social change towards women and the challenges of pregnancy in his novel, 'The Mothers'. His own history as an adopted child contributes to the dynamic of the story.

The 'Life of Houses' delves into the shared history of a mother and daughter who are both trying to reconcile themselves with each other and the future.

Peter Millett talks about the challenges of writing for nine year olds and the first instalment of his Johnny Danger spy series. Sam Twyford_Moore talks about the authors and events at this year's Emerging Writers Festival.

Jennifer Scoullar's 'Turtle Reef' is a romance set in tropical Queensland. Krissy Kneen read a lot of erotic fiction and researched William Reich's orgone accumulator while writing 'The Adventures of Holly White and the Incredible Sex Machine'.  Holly White is a sci-fi super hero with a climatic difference!

Maggie Alderson's 'Secret Keeping for Beginners' is much more than a romance story.  Her characters are dependent on social media but do they really want everything about them to be told? Should some secrets never be told? Vogel award winner, Murray Middleton, talks about his short story collection 'Where there is nowhere else to run'.