Ashley Kalagian Blunt on novel structure, strategic selling and compartmentalising when researching

Ashley Kalagian Blunt on novel structure, strategic selling and compartmentalising when researching

Natasha Rai interviews author Ashley Kalagian Blunt about her thriller Like, Follow, Die. Blunt shares an elevator pitch: a Sydney mother, known as “the most hated woman in Australia,” faces a homicide detective at her door as three narratives (mother, cop, and son ages 12–19) converge around whether she reveals secrets about her teenage son. She discusses the novel’s origin as an Audible Original, how removing a key twist reshaped the story, and why this book was easier to draft than Cold Truth, for which she discarded a full manuscript. Blunt also describes researching the manosphere and education for boys, her move from genocide-focused nonfiction to crime for strategic and creative reasons, her path to publication and agents, and tips for writers: maintain momentum (even one word a day), join a strong writers group, and prioritize structure. 00:00 Podcast Intro 00:56 Meet Ashley Blunt 02:00 Like Follow Die Pitch 03:24 Building The Detective 05:00 Audible Origin Story 07:17 Writing Process And POVs 10:13 Manosphere And Policy 13:16 Schools And Respect Crisis 15:12 Staying Sane In Dark Research 17:50 From Memoir To Crime 25:35 Early Writing And Ego 29:08 Illness And Finding Craft 32:21 First Publishing Contract 36:16 Novella Becomes Debut Book 39:54 Switching Publishers 42:50 Rejection and Resilience 44:01 Affirm Press Breakthrough 45:53 Going Agented 49:14 US Subagent Reality Check 53:41 Two Book Deal 57:35 Writing With Chronic Illness 01:02:55 Momentum Writers Groups Structure 01:08:40 Why Structure Is Rarely Taught 01:13:35 Final Thanks and Wrap Join our Patreon community [https://www.patreon.com/thebookdealpodcast/] for less than the cost of a coffee per month and support the pod! Your contribution will go to directly paying our sound producer, Brogan, and to help us bring you the conversations with industry professionals you love. Follow The Book Deal podcast on Instagram The Book Deal podcast (@the_book_deal_podcast) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/the_book_deal_podcast/] You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here: Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/td_strachan/] Tina Strachan children's book author [https://www.tinastrachan.com/about-tina-strachan-childrens-book-author] Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/madeleineclearywrites/] Madeleine Cleary | Author [https://www.madeleinecleary.com.au/] Natasha Rai (@raiwriting) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/raiwriting/] Natasha Rai | Author | Mentor [https://www.raiwriting.com.au/] If you want to stay in the know, sign up to Madeleine, Tina and Natasha's newsletters for the latest news first. Madeleine: Subscribe here [https://madeleinecleary.substack.com/?r=5df0no&utm_campaign=pub-share-checklist]...

Bookstagram, community, events, reviews and reading with Brooke Michie (a.k.a @bmichie31)

Brooke Michie is a lifelong reader and passionate supporter of Australian authors. She works in public libraries and loves nothing more than matching readers with their perfect book. As one of Australia’s most influential Bookstagrammers she reads and reviews hundreds of books every year and spends much of her time attending author events and raving about her favourite reads.  Make sure you follow Brooke for all her recommendations on Instagram at @bmichie31 [https://www.instagram.com/bmichie31/].  Madeleine chats with Brooke about how she first started her Instagram seven years ago and is now one of Australia's most influential Bookstagrammers. Find out how Brooke reads 20-25 books each month and how authors can work with Bookstagrammers! Brooke recommends: * Sasha Wasley’s The Society of Literary Marauders * Leearna Shaw’s A Farm in Golden Clouds, and * Mark Mupotsa-Russell’s A Wolf Who Cried Boy. Our Debut in the Spotlight is Lorena Otes, with her memoir, Solo Mum by Choice (Hawkeye Publishing, May 2026).  [https://hawkeyebooks.com.au/products/solo-mum-by-choice] 00:56 Brooke Michie 03:23 What Is Bookstagram 09:24 Reading 25 Books Monthly 10:29 Social Media Focus Struggles 11:43 Choosing books to read 15:31 Honest Reviews  18:03 Author-Bookstagrammer Etiquette 25:03 Paid Review Scams 27:34 Debut Crew Support 29:04 Aussie Books  30:50 Author Social Media 33:41 Content Burnout 35:02 Book Events  37:38 Bookstagram Community 39:30 Book Recommends 42:49 Top Tip  44:19 Podcast Wrap Up Join our Patreon community [https://www.patreon.com/thebookdealpodcast/] for less than the cost of a coffee per month and support the pod! Your contribution will go to directly paying our sound producer, Brogan, and to help us bring you the conversations with industry professionals you love. Follow The Book Deal podcast on Instagram The Book Deal podcast (@the_book_deal_podcast) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/the_book_deal_podcast/] You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here: Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/td_strachan/] Tina Strachan children's book author [https://www.tinastrachan.com/about-tina-strachan-childrens-book-author] Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/madeleineclearywrites/] Madeleine Cleary | Author [https://www.madeleinecleary.com.au/] Natasha Rai (@raiwriting) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/raiwriting/] Natasha Rai | Author | Mentor [https://www.raiwriting.com.au/] If you want to stay in the know, sign up to Madeleine, Tina and Natasha's newsletters for the latest news first. Madeleine: Subscribe here [https://madeleinecleary.substack.com/?r=5df0no&utm_campaign=pub-share-checklist]...

Jacqueline Harvey: inside the world of one of Australia's most popular kidlit authors, and the rocky road it took to get there

Tina Strachan interviews bestselling children’s author Jacqueline Harvey about her 20+ year publishing career, including nearly 70 books, 40 audiobooks, and Alice-Miranda adaptations. Harvey discusses her latest middle-grade series, The Girl and the Ghost, inspired by meeting a prince in a Singapore bookshop and research at Versailles that led her to make Louis XVII the story’s ghost. She explains how travel sparks ideas across her series, how Alice-Miranda took off after years of rejections and a publisher change, and why she values testing manuscripts with young readers. Harvey shares practical advice on celebrating releases, planning while allowing story surprises, using simple tools (notebooks, whiteboard, Word), building loyal relationships with publishers and booksellers, being generous on social media, managing burnout through scheduling and saying no, and not quitting a day job too soon. 00:00 Podcast Intro 00:56 Meet Jacqueline Harvey 02:21 New Release Spotlight 02:53 Prince in the Bookshop 07:40 Travel Sparks Stories 10:35 Celebrating Book Launches 12:37 From Teacher to Author 15:27 Rejections and Ugly Covers 19:28 Backing Alice Miranda 22:37 Kid Readers as Testers 22:58 Kid Feedback Before Print 23:39 Editors Over Beta Readers 24:35 One Publisher Loyalty 27:10 Plotter Meets Pantser 30:01 Tools Word Notebooks Whiteboard 31:46 Marketing Teamwork Reality 32:31 Bookshops And Booksellers 35:00 Social Media Generosity 38:30 Avoiding Burnout Planning 42:49 Top Tips And Farewell Join our Patreon community [https://www.patreon.com/thebookdealpodcast/] for less than the cost of a coffee per month and support the pod! Your contribution will go to directly paying our sound producer, Brogan, and to help us bring you the conversations with industry professionals you love. Follow The Book Deal podcast on Instagram The Book Deal podcast (@the_book_deal_podcast) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/the_book_deal_podcast/] You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here: Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/td_strachan/] Tina Strachan children's book author [https://www.tinastrachan.com/about-tina-strachan-childrens-book-author] Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/madeleineclearywrites/] Madeleine Cleary | Author [https://www.madeleinecleary.com.au/] Natasha Rai (@raiwriting) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/raiwriting/] Natasha Rai | Author | Mentor [https://www.raiwriting.com.au/] If you want to stay in the know, sign up to Madeleine, Tina and Natasha's newsletters for the latest news first. Madeleine: Subscribe here [https://madeleinecleary.substack.com/?r=5df0no&utm_campaign=pub-share-checklist]...

The Writing Deal: Natasha, Tina and Madeleine discuss 'stalking' story ideas, bookstore bravery, and 'who are you really writing for'?

Hosts Tina Strachan, Madeleine Cleary, and Natasha Rai reconnect after a busy few months. Natasha begins major structural edits on a 120,000-word second novel with tight timelines and a tip to rewrite editorial notes in her own words. Madeleine describes how edits revealed deeper issues, advises asking for deadline extensions, and discusses proactively visiting bookshops, introducing yourself to booksellers, and signing stock to boost visibility and sales. Tina reports starting an exciting new project after a beach break, discusses “stalking ideas” from the Jack Heath interview, and suggests naps can help solve plot problems. Cassie Stroud introduces her debut novel Iluka, about siblings uncovering letters from their missing mother. 00:00 Podcast Intro 00:56 Hosts Catch Up 07:44 Natasha Structural Edits 12:02 Editing Tips and Mindset 15:47 Madeleine Deadline Extension 20:20 Tina New Story Spark 26:32 Stalking Ideas Discussion 28:00 Story Idea Sparks 28:35 Channeling the Muse 29:37 Naps and Liminal Breakthroughs 32:04 Cassie Stroud Iluka 33:30 Jack Interview Takeaways 36:15 Write for Publishers 42:54 Author Marketing Reality 46:52 Bookseller Hand Selling 53:46 Cold Calls and Signings 56:52 Top Tips and Wrap Join our Patreon community [https://www.patreon.com/thebookdealpodcast/] for less than the cost of a coffee per month and support the pod! Your contribution will go to directly paying our sound producer, Brogan, and to help us bring you the conversations with industry professionals you love. Follow The Book Deal podcast on Instagram The Book Deal podcast (@the_book_deal_podcast) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/the_book_deal_podcast/] You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here: Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/td_strachan/] Tina Strachan children's book author [https://www.tinastrachan.com/about-tina-strachan-childrens-book-author] Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/madeleineclearywrites/] Madeleine Cleary | Author [https://www.madeleinecleary.com.au/] Natasha Rai (@raiwriting) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/raiwriting/] Natasha Rai | Author | Mentor [https://www.raiwriting.com.au/] If you want to stay in the know, sign up to Madeleine, Tina and Natasha's newsletters for the latest news first. Madeleine: Subscribe here [https://madeleinecleary.substack.com/?r=5df0no&utm_campaign=pub-share-checklist]...

Jack Heath on novel ideas, writing practice and building a writing career

Natasha Rai interviews award-winning author Jack Heath (49 novels, published in 10 languages) about his YA thriller 'I Know What You’re Hiding'. Heath gives an elevator pitch: after a house fire kills one sister, survivor Jamie receives a blood-written note saying “I know what you’re hiding,” and teen true-crime podcaster Zoe investigates the blackmail. Heath discusses writing for ages 12–16, the book’s long development from an earlier pitch that spun into the 'Liars' series, and why Zoe returned after 'If You Tell Anyone You’re Next'. He explains lessons about series vs sequels, selling manuscripts to publishers, balancing promotion with writing, his daily process and project management, outlining, differences between adult and kids fiction, idea “odd sock drawer” blending, embracing negative feedback, and joining nonprofit writing groups. The Debut Spotlight features Lisa Moule’s debut 'The Mother of All Calamities'. 00:00 Podcast Intro 00:42 Meet Jack Heath 01:44 Elevator Pitch 03:28 Writing Dark YA 05:42 Origins of the Novel 10:04 Odd Sock Ideas 11:35 Series Lessons 14:15 Selling to Publishers 18:28 Promotion Pressures 21:43 Writing Routine 25:45 Word Count Planning 27:45 Editing and Reading Style 30:12 Editing Versus Drafting 31:44 Guest Introduction 32:15 Outlining To Sell Books 36:41 Adult Versus Kids Writing 45:44 Ideas And Book Mashups 50:33 Sustainable Career Lessons 54:04 Embracing Negative Feedback 58:47 Advice And Writing Communities 01:01:25 Wrap Up And Credits Join our Patreon community [https://www.patreon.com/thebookdealpodcast/] for less than the cost of a coffee per month and support the pod! Your contribution will go to directly paying our sound producer, Brogan, and to help us bring you the conversations with industry professionals you love. Follow The Book Deal podcast on Instagram The Book Deal podcast (@the_book_deal_podcast) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/the_book_deal_podcast/] You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here: Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/td_strachan/] Tina Strachan children's book author [https://www.tinastrachan.com/about-tina-strachan-childrens-book-author] Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/madeleineclearywrites/] Madeleine Cleary | Author [https://www.madeleinecleary.com.au/] Natasha Rai (@raiwriting) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/raiwriting/] Natasha Rai | Author | Mentor [https://www.raiwriting.com.au/] If you want to stay in the know, sign up to Madeleine, Tina and Natasha's newsletters for the latest news first. Madeleine: Subscribe here [https://madeleinecleary.substack.com/?r=5df0no&utm_campaign=pub-share-checklist]...