Talking Aussie Books

Just over four years ago, I had the very great fortune to interview an outstanding debut novelist. I was relatively new to the world of podcasting then, still finding my way and, consequently, feeling like I’d won the lottery when I was handed the opportunity to speak with this brilliant author. Listeners, I know you will feel my joy and nerves in equal measures when I tell you that author was Hol...

Emma Harcourt is a Sydney-based writer who works a researcher and journalist as well as an author. After completing the Faber Academy course in 2011, Emma began writing historical fiction. The result was two novels: the first being the critically acclaimed international best-selling title 'The Shanghai Wife' published in 2018 and now 'The Brightest Star' released earlier this year by HQ Fiction. W...

Eliza Henry-Jones is a Victorian author, freelance writer, Phd candidate and flower farmer whose previous novels have been listed for multiple literary awards. Her work has been published in a variety of places - including The Guardian, Country Style and The Age amongst others. In 2017, a trip to the remote Orkney Islands of Scotland highlighted Eliza’s preoccupation with hauntings and the interpl...

I love reading all types of books.  Crime, thriller, domestic noir, family drama, YA, magical realism and romance.  You name it, I probably have it on my shelf.   But there's nothing quite like reading a rom-com for pure escapism and sheer joy.  And that's what reading Nina Kenwood's 'Unnecessary Drama' was for me.  Published by Text Publishing earlier this year, 'Unnecess...

Jackie Bailey is a writer who holds a PhD in creative writing from the University of NSW and whose work has appeared in a variety of publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, ScreenHub, ArtsHub and the Australian Journal of Human Rights.  Jackie's debut novel 'The Eulogy' was published by Hardy Grant earlier this year. A work of auto-fiction (drawing heavily on Jackie's own life and e...

Tori Haschka is a published cookbook author who has appeared on TV programs like The Today Show and Adam Liaw's The Cook Up and has written for a variety of publications including The Times, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Guardian.   Her first novel 'Grace Under Pressure', published in 2021, heralded a new genre of food fiction - combining her love of the gastronomic with her experiences o...

Vikki Petraitis is the author of the best-selling true crime books "The Frankston Murders" and "The Phillip Island Murder" as well as a podcaster - making two highly successful podcasts with Case File Presents: series which have topped charts around the world and enjoyed millions of downloads.  More recently, Vikki won the inaugural Allen & Unwin Crime prize with her first work of fiction...

Denise Picton's debut novel "The Family String" (Ultimo Press) is a poignant, beautifully written novel about a difficult mother-daughter relationship which explores mental health issues in the context of a faith that could not understand such issues along with the way children cope with family dynamics. An uplifting, but at times heart-breaking novel capturing the unique, irrepressible voice of i...

Mercedes Mercier is author of the electric debut novel "White Noise" published by HarperCollins Australia earlier this year. Drawn from Mercedes' real-life experiences working in the Australian corrections system for almost a decade, "White Noise" is a triumph of a novel.  I was utterly mesmerised by the world Mercedes created - exploring the ongoing effects of trauma and addiction and offeri...

Rachael Johns has been described as the 'undisputed queen of Australian women's fiction' and with a whopping 29 titles under her belt to date, I'm sure you'll agree it's an apt title.  An award-winning author with her own online bookclub - membership of which has now reached some 5000 members - Rachael is a force to be reckoned with.   I was more than a little delighted to have the chanc...

Katharine Pollock's debut novel 'Her Fidelity' (published by Penguin) is a wonderfully insightful book that takes a humorous look at the record industry from the point of view of female retail worker. A sharply-drawn snapshot of contemporary Australian society and exploration of what it means to be a woman working in a male-dominated industry, 'Her Fidelity' was funny and sobering at the same time...

From the author of 'The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman' comes another warm and humorous story populated with a cast of delightful characters.   Julietta Henderson's 'Sincerely, Me' (Penguin) is a brilliant, hopeful read that shines a light on families of all shapes and sizes along with the debilitating effects of grief. Another must-read from a supremely talented writer. I was simply deligh...

Petronella McGovern is a Sydney based author of three novels - all born of her fascination with people - what makes us tick, how we view the world and the lies we tell each other and ourselves. She exploded onto the literary scene with her brilliant debut, Six Minutes in 2019 and quickly followed it up with The Good Teacher in 2020. This year she’s back with another fabulous novel. A gripping, edg...

Victoria Purman is an Adelaide-based author whose books tend to be on the automatic-buy list for many readers - and with good reason.  'The Nurses' War' is Victoria's latest novel - released earlier this year by HarperCollins Australia.  A stunning examination of the battle fought by Australian nurses against despair and death amid the carnage and bloodshed of World War 1.   Such a...

In 2013, British-Australian writer Lucy Christoper published her debut novel 'Stolen'. An award-winning YA novel, 'Stolen' is the story of 16 year-old Gemma Toombs who is kidnapped from Bangkok Airport and held captive in the Australian outback by her capture Tyler McFarlane.  This year, the long-awaited companion to this incredible story was published by Text Publishing.   'Release' exp...

Early last year I chatted with debut novelist Greg Woodland about his thrilling crime novel, 'The Night Whistler' (Text Publishing). I’d met Greg at a crime fiction festival the year before and heard about his book and how it was inspired by events from his own childhood. Clearly I wasn't the only person who though this novel was terrific - since 'The Night Whistler' went on to be shortlisted for...

7 of the Talking Aussie Books/Writes4Women Collaboration arising out of the Romance Writers of Australia Conference in Fremantle earlier this year, I am joined by four fabulous authors:  Ally Blake, Leanne Lovegrove, Kaneana May and Tanya Nellestein.  We chat about their recent releases, what they love about the RWA, favourite author crushes, how they continue to hone their craft and muc...

Not only do books help us escape our everyday lives, but enable us to see ourselves reflected in them.  Stories represent human experiences and showcase situations we are familiar with.  So when we read about characters we're familiar with or who may look and act the same way, it helps us understand how we fit in. Reading Alex Sarkis's debut novel, "Something Blue" (Ultimo Press) did thi...

Many of you will know or have heard of Dani Vee through her prolific and energetic podcast, Words and Nerds. Through this podcast, Dani has championed hundreds of authors and their work, interviewed other podcasters like me, supported festivals and garnered much respect and admiration from all who have had the very great fortune to find themselves in her orbit. Earlier this month, Dani’s debut fic...

Jules Van Mil is a Sydney-based author with a long and varied career that, in 2020 finally culminated in her realising her dream to be a published author. Her first book, a middle-grade story for 8-12 year olds was called “Gemma Riley and the Fashion Fiasco” - a delightful story that most certainly was spawned from Jules’s own experiences as a teacher and fashion designer. Fast forward two years a...

**Trigger warning: this episode contains discussion of domestic abuse, family violence and coercive control and may be distressing to some listeners.** After listening to Melbourne-based Lyn Yeowart read an extract from the Prologue of her debut novel. "The Silent Listener" (Penguin) at the BAD Sydney Crime Festival last year, I knew I just had to find out more about her inspiration for writing it...

"Crime Writer" by Brisbane author Dime Sheppard is unlike any other book I have read.   A gripping novel about an author suffering severe writer's block when faced with the task of writing her 16th novel. She doesn't quite know how to overcome this, but when the characters that usually live in her head start appearing in her apartment and voicing their own opinions about what she should do......

Talking Aussie Books and Writes4Women have joined forces in a podcast collaboration. Recorded at the recent Romance Writers of Australia Conference in Fremantle, the lovely Pamela Cook and I chatted to a bunch of fabulous Aussie authors about all things Romance writing. Over 8 weeks this collaboration will uncover what various Australian authors think about writing Romance, their most memorable or...

Australian women crime writers are some of the biggest names on the Australian literary scene at the moment.  And Sulari Gentill is one of them. Former lawyer turned writer, Sulari is the author of 10 novels in the Rowland Sinclair Mysteries (a series of historical crime novels set in the 1930s) along with a fantasy series and a few stand-alone novels.  Sulari's work has been shortlisted...

Carly Nugent is the author of two novels and numerous pieces of short fiction.  Her first novel, "The Peacock Detectives" (2018) won the Readings Children's Book Prize and was shortlisted for the Text Prize, the Australian Book Design Awards along with the Sisters in Crime Davitt Awards. Earlier this year, Carly's second book - her first YA title - was published by Text Publishing.  "Sug...