Talking Aussie Books

Kit Haley is a queer author who describes himself as an obsessive tennis fan and an obsessive romance fan. Which in the case of their new book ‘In Your Court’ published by Hachette Australia and released in paperback on the 1st of September 2026 makes a successful and highly readable combination.  ‘In Your Court’ follows tennis players Matteo Russo - an underdog from Australia whose once bright fu...

Monica McInerney is the international bestselling author of 14 novels. Titles that include ‘The Alphabet Sisters', 'Lola’s Secret', 'Hello from the Gillespies' and 'Those Faraday Girls'.  All published internationally and have been translated in more than 12 languages.  Last month, Monica's new book 'When Sullivan Met Lola' was released by Penguin Books Aust...

Bridie Jabour is the Head of Multimedia at Guardian Australia who previously worked as a journalist reporting on social affairs, politics and regional issues. Bridie is the author of a book of essays - Trivial Grievances: On the contradictions, myths and misery of your 30s as well as the 2018 novel The Way Things Should Be. And this year Bridie has a new novel out.   Called ‘Ordinary Funny Tragic’...

Award-winning journalist, former television presenter and author Whitney Fitzsimmons who is best known for her work at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has just released her debut novel. ’The Rising’ published by Ventura Press  is set in a small northern NSW town plagued by floods. When the flood waters recede and the cleanup begins, a decades old mystery is unearthed and a journalist...

I was thrilled to welcome the uber talented Karen Brooks back to the podcast recently to discuss her brand new novel.  Called ‘The Extraordinary Florence Stoker’ this book is both fascinating and enthralling in equal measures.  A book that follows the life of Dubliner Florence Balcombe, a witty and beautiful woman, who marries Bram Stoker - the man who would become best-known for his gothic horror...

'All Her Beautiful Deaths' is the new historical gothic mystery by author extraordinaire Allison Rushby. Allison is the author of more than 30 books across junior, middle age and YA fiction as well as adult fiction. 'All Her Beautiful Deaths' published by HQ Fiction in Australia this year is a dual timeline novel centred around Victorian death photography - a macabre, yet popular p...

Nicola Marsh could be one of Australia’s most prolific and successful authors.  With 90 books to her name, Nicola is a USA Today bestselling, multi-award winning author whose books traverse a range of genres that include romance, domestic suspense, women’s fiction and fantasy - netting Nicola millions of sales across the globe. Her books have been translated into 25 languages and this year alone l...

Much loved Aussie author crime author Dinuka McKenzie has a brand new novel out. 'She Lied First' (HarperCollins) is Dinuka’s first stand alone novel after the highly successful Detective Kate Miles trilogy which included her award-winning debut novel ‘The Torrent’. This twisty psychological thriller takes Dinuka’s writing in a new, but exciting direction.  Exploring sibling relationships,...

Emma Babbington's second novel 'The Gardens' (HQ Fiction) was released in Australia at the end of July. A stunning follow-up to her gripping 2025 debut 'The Neighbours'. Talking Aussie Books co-host Cassie Hamer recently chatted to Emma about her childhood home in Hampstead in London and how this place became the inspiration for 'The Gardens', about cults and intentiona...

Back in 2021 I was privileged to interview the 2018 winner of the prestigious Richell Prize - Ruth McIver - about her thrilling novel ‘I Shot the Devil’ and today I have the honour of talking to the 2023 winner , Alex Sawyer. Alex is a psychologist, a volunteer firefighter, father, short story writer and now published novelist. Alex’s award-winning novel ‘Rat Daniels’ was published at the end of J...

Shannon Kelly-White is a former nurse who made her claim to fame as an irreverent, hilarious, often potty-mouthed blogger, then cookbook, parenting and lifestyle writer.  She wrote four non-fiction books -books that included the bestselling, award-winning breakout ‘Shannon’s Kitchen’, as well as Shannon Does Dinner, Parenting for Legends and the hilariously titled account of outrageous medical sto...

Lillian Telford's debut novel 'Lovesick' was published by HQ Fiction recently and is, in every sense of the word, a labour of love. More than ten years in the making, 'Lovesick' is the culmination of not only Lillian's hard work and determination, but an array of experiences that she has been able to funnel into this intense story about a couple falling in and out of love a...

Kayte Nunn is the internationally bestselling author of 8 novels - novels that include 'The Botanist's Daughter', 'The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant' , 'The Silk House' and 'The Palazzo' just to name a few.  This year Kayte is back with a twisty, locked room style thriller that had me totally hooked from start to finish.  A book which lovers of the reality...

Ayesha Inoon was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka and worked as a journalist in Sri Lanka before migrating to Australia in 2013.   Her debut novel, Untethered, which draws partly on her own journey as a migrant muslim woman won the 2022 ASA/HQ Commercial Fiction Prize and was awarded a Highly Commended in both the 2024 ACT Book of the Year and the ACT Literary Awards for Fiction.  This year listeners, A...

Many avid readers and authors both here and abroad are familiar with Australia’s largest online reading community - Better Reading. Launched by Cheryl Akle back in 2014, Better Reading has become a staple feature of the Australian literary landscape - reaching over 1 million readers each month.  A testament to Cheryl’s passion and dedication to reading and her standing in   the Australian book ind...

In part 2 of this special collaboration episode, Nick Wasiliev and I chat about challenges for the Australian publishing industry and what challenges in particular writers themselves are facing and what the future holds. We also discuss some of the trends we're seeing (and loving) especially relation to debut novels We wrap up the conversation with a quick fire round of questions for each of u...

Tune into this special episode with Talking Aussie Books friend Nick Wasiliev and host of the wonderful podcast Date with a Debut. Like me, Nick is a seasoned podcaster as well as an author and facilitator.  Date with a Debut is currently in it’s fourth season of production and in it, you may know, Nick interviews debut authors, shining a light on their books and journey to publication.  And in Pa...

Lawyer-turned author Sarah Clutton was last on the podcast back in 2020 when we were discussing her second novel ‘The Daughter’s Promise’ - a thrilling drama dealing with a deep family secret set in the rugged wilds of Tasmania.  Since that episode was recorded, Sarah’s star has blazed even brighter with the publication of two further novels with Allen & Unwin. The first, published in early 20...

**Discussion of mature/explicit themes.** The idea that we should grow old gracefully - particularly that women should grow old gracefully - is a theme that often appears in contemporary fiction. A theme which -  now that I’m in my mid-fifties - I’m more and more intrigued by.  It's also something Rachel Fox McLeod has explored to great effect with her brilliant, insightful and highly entertai...

The last time Dianne Yarwood was on the podcast, we chatted about her then debut - the tender-hearted, funny, life-affirming novel 'The Wakes' - published in 2023. This year Dianne has released a second novel, 'Margaret, Are You Leaving' (Hachette). Another warm and witty read that celebrates the messiness and beauty of life. Dianne chatted with Cassie Hamer recently - giving us so...

Camille Booker is a Sydney-based award-winning author, an editor, teacher, literary judge and current PhD candidate.  Her debut novel ‘What If you Fly’ was longlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize in 2019 and published by Hawkeye Publishing in 2021.  In an interesting twist, this novel underwent a revamp and was re-released this year by Haweye Publishing as ‘Code Name Funnel Web’.  A dark,...

Kirsty Manning is a Melbourne based author who grew up in Northern NSW and who now has seven novels to her name.  Her first novel 'The Midsummer Garden' was published back in 2017, followed by the 'The Jade Lily', then 'The Lost Jewels', 'The French Gift'  and 'The Hidden Book'. In 2022, Kirsty’s writing took a slightly different direction when she launched...

The last time I interviewed award-winning, international bestselling author Dervla McTiernan was in February 2024.  Back then we were chatting about Dervla’s new release ‘What Happened to Nina’ which of course went on to win the General Fiction Book of the Year at the 2025 Australian Book Industry Awards.  And that same book is now currently in development for a screen adaptation - which is super...

Belinda Alexandra is a much-loved international bestselling Australian author whose novels are steeped in history, intrigue and adventure. History with mystery at its finest. Belinda is the daughter of a Russian mother and Australian father and describes herself as someone with passion for travel, culture, dancing as well as a lover of all creatures.  She is the author of novels that include '...

Katie Hoskins is a Sydney-based author whose debut novel ‘When the Party’s Over’ (Pan Macmillan) and has officially been on the shelves around the country since 31 March.   An astutely crafted novel about motherhood and the power of female friendships with a clever twist at the end that totally blew me away.  I enjoyed a wide-ranging chat with Katie recently about her writing journey, inspiration,...