Words and Nerds: Authors, books and literature.

Dani Vee and Melissa Manning chat about her new book Frogsong published by UQP and how Melissa captures the sensual aching years of young life along with its confusion and exuberance. They chat about nostalgia, the things that haunt us and the impact of addiction on those around us. They examine setting, character, the writing process and the path to publication. They also discuss the impact of co...

Date with a Debut - S4, E1 - Live at the 2026 Newcastle Writers Festival with Nick Wasiliev, Alejandra Martinez, Sam Elliott and Emma Pei Yin Date with a Debut is a podcast hosted by writer Nick Wasiliev: shining a light on debut authors, their incredible books, and their journeys to publication. Our Series 4 opener sees Date with a Debut live at the 2026 Newcastle Writers Festival, as Nick sits d...

Dani Vee and Mohammed Massoud Morsi chat about his new novel The Hair of the Pigeon, the importance of humanity in dark times and interesting pathways to publishing. The Hair of the Pigeon is an epic tale of exile, survival and love. They talk about the character development, how we respond to violence when we have no control over our world. Mohammed shares his self-doubt as a writer and an intere...

New Episode #796 Dani Vee and Helena Pantsis discuss her unique and dark collection of short stories Mother Salad. They talk about the chaos and complexity of being a woman, the fact that women should not comply to society’s expectations and the challenging the perceptions of women. They talk about vibes, how to write short stories and the path to publication. Mother Salad unravels the image of th...

Dani Vee and Frances Whiting , a senior feature writer and award winning journalism chat about the brilliant The Nocturnals. They chat about: ⭐️ The power of nostalgia. ⭐️ How far would you go to protect the people you love? ⭐️ How does a career in journalism impact writing fiction? ⭐️ Whether they were cool, gla or dangerous as teenagers. ⭐️ Working full time and writing. From the bestsellin...

🩷 NEW EPISODE 🩷 Catch this brand new episode with Dani Vee and Zoe Gaetjens, not her first time on the Words and Nerds podcast (she was part of a Takeover with Amy Adeney back in 2024. This time Dani chats to Zoe about her new YA novel Drawing Nudes While Making Other Plans published by Penguin Random House. They chat about: ⭐️ Continuing to reinvent who you are. ⭐️ The path to publication in...

Dani Vee and award winning investigative journalist Louise Milligan chat about her new book Shellybanks. A novel about buried secrets and unimaginable trauma. Published by Allen and Unwin. They chat about the impact of cross-generational relationships between women, and working through trauma through a feminist lens. Louise chats about her Irish influence, humour and the impact of trauma as an inv...

Meet Jayne McIntyre, debut author of the trilogy The Feathers of Farwood, published by Riveted Press. In this episode we chat about: ⭐️ The long pathway to publication. ⭐️ Balancing parenting and passions. ⭐️ Why the fantasy genre resonates with readers, and how it’s a great way to explore serious issues in a gentle way. ⭐️ The amount of research needed in a fantasy trilogy. ⭐️ Developing a t...

Dani Vee and Ian Kemish chat about Two Islands, balancing fiction and non-fiction and finding the goodness in characters. They talk about inherited trauma, political landscapes and the importance of setting. Two Islands (March 2026) is a debut thriller novel by former Australian diplomat Ian Kemish, focusing on Niko, a Balkan war survivor hiding from pursuers on a remote Scottish island. The story...

QWS S5E2 Kemper Donovan and Troy Hunter 🎙️ New QWS Podcast Episode! 🌈✨ In QWS S5E2, Troy chats with USA crime author Kemper Donovan, creator of the bestselling Ghostwriter mystery series: The Busy Body, Loose Lips, and the upcoming Sweet Spot. Kemper talks about his path to publication with his first novel The Decent Proposal, as well as his move into mystery writing. He also discusses how his q...

Dani Vee and Laura Brooke Robson chat from Sydney to New York about her new book Love is an Algorithm! They chat about the timely nature of AI interrupting relationships, technology vs chemistry and human connection and how involving AI in your romantic life might just make it more complicated. They talk about red flags, why everyone says relationships are hard work and why there is more chance of...

In this TAKEOVER episode Rory H Mather chats to author Renae Hayward and illustrator Susan Joy Lu about their beautiful new picture book What Can I Get For Mother's Day? They chat about the creative process of picture book development, taking inspiration from reading to their children, unpacking rhyme, the illustrative process and bringing picture books to life. Listen now!

Dani Vee and Emma Styles chat about her new crime novel The Shark, a darkly unique thriller from an author who writes contemporary Australian noir about young women taking on the patriarchy. They chat about the importance of teenage girls at the centre, creating disturbing characters and how to write a thriller. Listen now!

Dani Vee and Julianne Negri explore the devastating impact of youth suicide through the verse novel The Belly of a Wolf. They chat about art as medicine, the publishing industry, the importance of friendship, and the challenges of writing a verse novel. Listen now!

Dani Vee and best selling author Ashley Kalagian Blunt chat about her new crime novel Like, Follow, Die. They chat about tapping into a parent's fear, multiple perspectives, writing crime and exploring the darker side of the web. They also chat about managing health conditions and creativity. Listen now.

Dani Vee and Niraj Lal chat about his new book Behind the Screens and how we can keep our kids safe. Giving your teenager a phone is a big deal, they suddenly have access to the world their parents didn't have before them, so how do we keep them safe? We chat about how the internet is one of the most life changing inventions in history and how it has changed human behaviour, how tech uses its cons...

Dani Vee chats to author and YKNR host A.L. Tait and Affirm Press publisher Tash Besliev about their brand new collaboration on a children's series set to engage kids in reading. They chat about how the idea emerged, how the books help parents and librarians select books that engage kids and encourage them to read for pleasure. The series is written and illustrated by a variety of Aussie creatives...

Dani Vee and Pip Knight chat about her new book Pip Wants to Die. This is not your average vampire novel. A female vampire who wants to be human. Dani and Pip chat about vampire culture, tropes and inspirations from The Lost Boys to True Blood, and they talk about the impossibility of writing and taking risks. Listen now!

QWS S5E1 Samantha Byres and Troy Hunter New season, brand new episode! In QWS S5E1, Troy chats with Samantha Byres about her debut novel DEAD ENDS, a fantastic, dark, hilarious, queer, horny book about being trapped in the past in your 30s, being stuck with your family, about loss, and making many bad decisions while looking for a second chance. They chat about how Sam manages to write comedy and...

Dr Helen Edwards and Dani Vee chat about her new book A Light on the Rocks, a historical fiction novel with a little magic. They chat about anxiety and bravery, the importance of kids seeing themselves in stories, living and writing with anxiety and ADHD and writing process.l Listen now!

TOP 30 COUNTDOWN BEST OF SERIES 2025 Dani Vee chats to bestselling author and superstar Trent Dalton about his new novel Gravity Let Me Go. They chat about being obsessed with art, an impossibility of achieving life work balance, writing the darkest part of themselves, parenting and testicles (you read that right!) LISTEN NOW!

TOP 30 COUNTDOWN BEST OF SERIES 2025 TAKEOVER: Rory H Mather chats to Sarah Speedie, Sharna Carter and Toni D'Alia in this picture nook special about writing, publishing and why picture books are special. Listen now!

TOP 30 COUNTDOWN BEST OF SERIES 2025 Superstar Adrian Beck chats to Dani Vee about his new middle grade book VILLAIN. The switch board lit up like Taylor Swift at a Chiefs game (enjoy my footy reference ADRIAN!) and we heard from 7 special and not at all planted creative guests who asked questions that ranged from the ridiculous (Adam Wallace) to the profound ... um someone did ask something profo...

TOP 30 COUNTDOWN BEST OF SERIES 2025 In this episode Dani Vee chats to Tina Strachan about the maths ins storytelling and pantsing vs plotting when writing a manuscript. We chat about Tina’s unique writing processes including Save The Cat and Story Grid methods The conversation turns to self-care and listening to the connection between our brain and body, making space for creativity, and how writi...

TOP 30 COUNTDOWN BEST OF SERIES Dani Vee and George Ivanoff chat about the publishing industry and how to deal with rejections as an established author. They chat about dinosaurs and his new book You Choose Mega: Prehistoric Peril. Listen now!