Madeleine Cleary talking 'The Butterfly Women'

Kate Mildenhall on 'The Hiding Place'

Teacher, podcaster and novelist, Kate Mildenhall, joined me to chat about her latest novel, ‘The Hiding Place’. We talked about: - The idea that started ‘The Hiding Place’ - or rather a real estate advert - and Kate’s own experience with her camping group. - Why some of us romanticise and yearn for a little slice of nature to call our own - from our youths and right through adulthood. - How sensible and intelligent people can so willingly and fully commit to something as dicey as buying up a property with a bunch of friends and family. - Children and their perceptiveness and how parents allow themselves to pretend they don’t see absolutely everything going on. And so much more! Biggest thanks to Kate for talking with me about ‘The Hiding Place’ - get your copy now! Kate, I am so keen to be on a panel with you at the upcoming Newcastle Writers Festival! #podcast #pod #episode #chat #interview #discussion #talk #contemporary #crime #thriller #setting #pageturner #writer #author #novel #writer #writing #author #novel #book #story #contemporary #creative #social #fiction #Australian #chat #discussion #podcast #program #episode #read #crime #thriller #contemporary #psychological #mystery #suspense #social #fiction #Australian #chat #discussion #podcast #program #episode #read #crime #thriller #Australia #setting #noir #mystery #suspense #discussion #podcast #program #episode #read

Madeleine Cleary talking 'The Butterfly Women'

Writer and fellow podcaster, Madeleine Cleary, dropped in to talk about her debut novel, ‘The Butterfly Women’. Topics discussed included: The origins of ‘The Butterfly Women’ - including Madeleine’s great-great-great grandmother’s story. A pervasive attitude of ‘women remembering their place’ - and how it had impacted all women from all classes (i.e. the gilded cage, was still a cage). The importance of capturing the agency that sex workers had in the era. The problems with ‘primary’ sources of the time written (almost exclusively) by (misogynistic) men. Investigators apathy - how history can oftentimes repeat itself, even 160+ years later. Accepting when your novel isn’t working and the willingness to start all over again - Madeleine’s journey to writing ‘The Butterfly Women’. And a whole bunch more! Thanks heaps to Madeleine for discussing all things ‘The Butterfly Women’ with me - get your copy now!

Christian White talks 'The Long Night'

Author and screenwriter Christian White, joined me to talk about his latest novel, ‘The Long Night’. Topics discussed included: - The suitably spooky origins and scenario that lead to ‘The Long Night’. - Stone Tape Theory and how we are tethered by trauma and stories to certain physical places/spaces. - Seeing the world and a scenario through the eyes of a creative. Em with her horror buff lens, Jodie with her painting. - Horror - the freedom it affords Christian/creatives and how it allows us to tell relatable and realistic stories. - Types of fear explored within the novel - from those typically found within a horror novel (the unknown lurking in the dark, a masked attacker) to those found within normal/everyday lives (male aggression, abused becoming abusers, related intergenerational trauma). - And heaps more! Thanks so much to Christian for talking with me about ‘The Long Night’ and everything else!

Michael Brissenden on 'Dust'

Former journalist and writer, Michael Brissenden discussed his latest novel, ‘Dust’ with me on the show. Topics included: - How Dust came to be - its real-world, real location inspiration. - Communities turning on one another during a crisis - how the finger-pointing/blame-shifting can happen so quickly and how factions can form so easily. - The role media and media coverage plays, even in small, local community issues and what lasting, widespread impact it can have. - Forms of self-radicalisation and how they are shown in the novel. - And a ton more! Thanks be to Michael for discussing Dust with me on the show!

Seth Robinson introduces 'Unfolded' - a unique storytelling podcast with The University of Melbourne

Writer, producer, and academic, Seth Robinson, joined me to discuss ‘Unfolded’ - the University of Melbourne’s new podcast that he co-hosts with writer and novelist, Tony Birch. Topics we talked about include: - How ‘Unfolded’ started with one unique idea - bringing a writer’s stories to life with actors - and interviewing the writers about their work and their reaction to this vision of their work. - Collaborative work - how ‘Unfolded’ is a creative community working together to produce something unique - and the positive experiences of that. - The differences in imaginations and interpretations - how writers can be surprised by their own work through its interpretations by other creatives. - How we as individuals can connect so easily, so completely, with audio storytelling. - And heaps more! Thanks very much to Seth for chatting with me about Unfolded on the show. You can listen to all current episodes on Apple podcasts and Spotify. Here’s the Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Z8DDtqdQ6QD2dVE88FqQL?si=273e272f0836461b