Talking Aussie Books

Paige Toon's latest book "Someone I Used To Know" (Penguin) was released here in Australia in June 2021. A tender, passionate and romantic story that was both heartbreaking and heartwarming at once. I absolutely loved it. Set in North Yorkshire, this book captured my imagination and was everything you love in a contemporary romance. I was thrilled to welcome Paige to the podcast earlier this year.

It's always a thrill for me to discover the work of authors I haven't read before. Especially crime writers. So, you can imagine how excited I was to find Tim Ayliffe's books. Tim is a Sydney-based author and journalist who works as the Managing Editor of Television and Video for ABC News. A few years ago, he decided to try his hand at novel writing and has now penned three novels featuring former...

Sandie Docker is an author whose books are now highly anticipated amongst the band of loyal readers she has amassed over the last few years - characterised as they are by their idyllic settings, relatable characters and long-held mysteries. Titles which include "The Kookaburra Creek Cafe", "The Cottage at Rosella Cove" and "The Banksia Bay Beach Shack" demonstrate Sandie's knack for writing intrig...

Rob McDonald also known as RWR McDonald is the award-winning author of the 2019 novel "The Nancys". A murder-mystery featuring 11 year-old Nancy Drew fan, Tippy Chan, who teams up with her babysitter uncle and his boyfriend to form their own amateur detective club to solve a high-profile murder case. This year Rob released a follow-up called "Nancy Business" (Allen & Unwin). Tippy along with her U...

Tania Farrelly's debut novel "The Eighth Wonder" (Penguin) is one of those books I found so brilliant it left me amazed and envious in equal measures! It was inspired, nuanced, thought-provoking and intelligent - so much so, it's difficult to fathom that it's a debut. It's book that takes readers on a journey through New York in the early 20th century. A time of great contradictions and one that p...

Two years ago I had the great fortune to chat with Kaneana May on the release of her debut novel, "The One" (Harlequin, 2019). A story that took us behind the scenes of a popular reality dating show and the lengths someone will go to to find their one true love. This year Kaneana is back with another fabulous novel. A beautiful and moving story about friendship, love and loss. Something that I kno...

"Girl, 11" is the explosive, incredible debut novel written by Melbourne-based author, Amy Suiter Clarke. For lovers of true crime and the podcasts that shine a spotlight on cold cases, this book was a nail-biting page-turner that I devoured. I had a terrific time chatting with Amy on the podcast a little while ago.

Rachel Givney is an international best-selling author and film-maker with a list of TV and film credits to her name. In 2020, Rachel added novel-writing to her impressive list of achievements with her runaway success break-out novel, 'Jane in Love '. A romantic comedy that fans will no doubt be delighted to learn has been optioned by Amazon Studios and Di Novi Pictures for a film adaptation. This...

Maya Linnell and I connected via social media when her first book, 'Wildflower Ridge' was about to be published back in 2019. Almost two years to the day, we had our first podcast chat. In that time I have watched Maya's rising star with awe and amazement. She is a force to be reckoned with. A talented writer, home-baker, garden guru, social media and marketing whizz, avid reader, book reviewer an...

"Lovebirds" (Penguin) is the latest release from Sydney-based novelist, Amanda Hampson. A heart-warming story about the power of love and family that sensitively deals with a number of heavy themes. It was the first of Amanda's novels that I've had the good fortune to read. Now I'm itching to go through her backlist. Titles that include "The Olive Sisters", "Two For the Road", 'The French Perfumer...

Kelly Rimmer is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of ten novels. Her titles include, "Before I let you Go", "The Things We cannot Say" and "Truths I Never Told You." Her brand new novel, "The Warsaw Orphan" was released by Hachette Australia at the end of April this year. And what an incredible story of courage, resilience and survival it is. Meticulously resea...

Lawrence McMahon is a Melbourne-based author whose writing career began as a medical student some thirty years ago. He has won multiple national and regional short story awards and somewhere in and around his medical career and position as Professor of Nephrology at Monash University, Lawrence has written an astonishing debut novel - drawing on his experiences as a doctor both in Australia and abr...

Nicola Moriarty is a Sydney-based novelist and copywriter whose works include bestselling novels, "The Fifth Letter", "Those Other Women" and "The Ex". Her brand new novel, "You Need to Know" was released by HarperCollins in early April this year and I have to tell you listeners, this is one you will not want to miss. A thrilling, compulsive page-turner, this book had me breathless til the last pa...

Cassandra Austin is the author of three novels and describes herself as a homesick Australian who lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. Before deciding to pursue a career in writing, she worked as a criminologist and a documentary film-maker. Cassandra's new novel "Like Mother" (Penguin), is a captivating and compelling addition to a growing body of work known as "domestic noir"....

Best-selling author of "The Hating Game" and "99 Per Cent Mine" Sally Thorne has recently released her third novel - "Second First Impressions" (Hachette Australia). A deliciously charming, funny and oh-so-sexy book that I absolutely loved. I was delighted to welcome Sally to the podcast earlier this year to chat about this funny love story, the upcoming movie adaptation of "The Hating Game", writ...

Josephine Taylor is a Perth-based writer and editor who worked as a psychotherapist and educator until a debilitating condition over took her life. In 2004, Josephine began writing about her experiences with this condition, later earning her PhD in writing from Edith Cowan University in 2011. She is now an Associate Editor at Westerly (the University of Western Australia), and an Adjunct Senior Le...

'From Where I Fell' (Allen & Unwin) is Susan Johnson's eighth novel. A book that explores an unlikely friendship formed between two women on opposite sides of the world with different cultural backgrounds. Although I haven't read any of Susan's work before, this was one heck of an introduction. A book the explored grief, motherhood, the power of friendship as well as new beginnings. An incredibly...

Two years on from the release of her best-selling debut novel, "A Lifetime of Impossible Days", Tabitha Bird is back with another heart-wrenching, but no less captivating story about love, loss and grief. Called "The Emporium of Imagination", it's a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets Harry Potter type tale set in the tiny Queensland town of Boonah. A magnificent story that I absolutely loved....

Susan Midalia is an award-winning Perth-based novelists, freelance editor and former academic who has published three collections of short stories and two novels. Her first novel, "The Art of Persuasion" was published in 2018 and in March of this year, her new novel, "Everyday Madness" was published by Fremantle Press. "Everyday Madness" was a poignant, hopeful story about marriage, family and new...

Andrew Mackie is an Australian film distributor and producer whose debut novel is based on one of the biggest events in Australian history: newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth's royal tour of Australia in 1954. As a fan of the British Royal Family, the "The Tour" (released by Penguin) was utterly fascinating to me. It's got everything you love in a period drama: scandal, intrigue and characters you love...

Emma Young is an award-winning journalist and former bookseller whose debut novel, "The Last Bookshop, was recently released by Fremantle Press. It's a heart-warming story that delves into many of the hardships facing small business, the book-selling industry along with real-estate pressures in modern cities. Such a timely, wonderful story that I thoroughly enjoyed. I was delighted to have the cha...

Esther Campion is an Irish-Australian author of three novels - 'Leaving Ocean Road', 'The House of Second Chances' and most recently 'A Week to Remember'. Released by Hachette Australia earlier this year, 'A Week to Remember' is a heartwarming story that has the warmth and satisfaction of a Maeve Binchy or Monica McInerney novel. Set between Ireland and Australia, it's a hopeful story about family...

Jessica Dettmann is a Sydney-based writer, a blogger and former editor turned novelist. Earlier this year her second novel "This Has Been Absolutely Lovely" (HarperCollins) was released. A wonderfully charming multigenerational tale that takes a witty and relatable look at parenthood and families that will have you hooked from start to finish. I was delighted to have the opportunity to speak with...

'The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman' is Julietta Henderson's debut novel. It's an exquisite, tenderly written novel which slowly draws you in before delivering a well-placed kick in the guts and breaking your heart. A book that stimultaneously fills you with so much joy that you find yourself cheering triumphantly. Heartwarming, poignant and incredibly funny, too. This book has it all. I was del...

Kelli Hawkins is a Newcastle-based author who landed with an almighty splash onto the Australian literary scene when she signed a rare four-book deal with HarperCollins Australia in September 2020. Her debut novel, "Other People's Houses" is an emotionally gripping, rollercoaster ride of a story packing a proverbial punch that will leave you stunned! Exploring themes of grief, abuse and the highly...