After a first-hand experience with a witch, author and AWC graduate Inessa Jackson started researching the real world Wiccan community, and the result was her debut crime/thriller novel, Devil Mountain. In this episode, Inessa generously shares her quirky writing process, her experience learning the craft, publishing timeline and more!

00:00 Welcome
04:17 Graduate spotlight
10:21 Writing tip: Name your characters
14:07 Writers in the wild
16:35 WIN: The Divorce by Freida McFadden
18:11 Word of the week: ‘Derrick’
18:58 Interview with: Inessa Jackson
20:00 Inessa describes Devil Mountain
21:13 Inspirations for the book
23:00 Themes of the novel
24:30 Researching witches for the book
26:04 The timeline to writing the novel
28:00 What drew Inessa to the crime-thriller genre?
29:30 Inessa’s experience with AWC
30:47 Her Write Your Novel experience
32:22 Crime and structure courses
33:22 Post-It note plotting
34:53 Daily writing routine
36:52 Getting the publishing deal
41:34 What readers take away
44:29 Inessa’s writing tip
46:53 Book recommendations
48:28 Final thoughts

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Is food your love language? It certainly is for bestselling author and AWC graduate Anna Johnston – brought to life through her new novel, When Lemons Give You Life. In this episode, Anna dishes up the inspiration and character creation for this latest book and the challenges, strategies and superpowers of being an author with ADHD. She also shares how she deals with writing tough scenes, her writing workflow, and advice for writers.

00:00 Welcome
11:18 Writing tip: Cut the Starting Scene
13:24 Writers in the wild
14:51 WIN: The Bookshop of Buried Pasts by Sarah Clutton
16:42 Word of the week: Jakes
17:14 Writer in residence: Anna Johnston
18:16 Anna explains new book, When Lemons Give You Life
20:21 Story themes and origins
24:02 Research and authenticity
27:10 POV structure and flashbacks
29:22 Editing and deadlines
32:45 What she learned from AWC courses
35:20 ADHD writing strategies
38:06 Letting characters go
41:34 Organising notes and workflow
43:25 Balancing writing life
44:39 Publicity and events
46:40 Next book plans
47:26 Anna’s advice for writers
49:28 Final thoughts

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Australia is experiencing a golden age of crime and thriller writing right now and Christine Gregory is a part of that. Her latest novel, The Informant, explores the world of bikie gangs, and in this episode, Christine discusses how she went about researching this subject, and how she balances dark themes as an author. And we love that she is an AWC graduate!

00:00 Welcome
04:25 Writers in the wild
05:52 Writing tip: Cut the first paragraph!
07:14 WIN!: Out of the Blue by Penelope Janu
09:15 Word of the week ‘Plicate’
10:02 Writer in residence: Christine Gregory
10:53 Plot of new book, The Informant
12:28 Why bikey gangs fascinate
14:28 On-location research
16:20 Standalone sequels and balancing story
18:39 Writing process and deadlines
20:06 Why Australia suits crime
23:46 Challenges writing the book
24:02 Taming story rabbit holes
24:51 Choosing the right POV
25:29 How she became an author
27:17 Courses that improved her skills|
29:13 A realistic writing routine
31:14 Day job and dark themes
33:16 Writing without lecturing
35:55 Practical advice for writers
37:57 Book recommendations
39:33 What‘s next?
40:28 Final thoughts

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Do you spend your weekends visiting cliffs with your child to find out which ones would be deadliest? Well, that’s something Fiona Hardy did in researching her new ‘cosy crime’ novel, Old Games! In this episode, Fiona joins us to discuss the inspiration for this latest book, her own writing process and how she went from kids to adult fiction!

00:00 Welcome
06:31 Writers in the wild
11:06 Writing tip: Metrics of success
14:31 WIN!: The Clueless Guide to Solving a Mystery by Samera Kamaleddine & Hykie Breeze
16:10 Word of the week: ’Obstreperous’
16:57 Writer in residence: Fiona Hardy
17:50 What is her new book ‘Old Games’ all about?
20:09 Plotting and pitching this second novel
23:25 Cosy crime without a murder
26:19 Writing fight scenes
27:41 Realistic consequences
28:28 Setting the story in Victoria
30:23 Researching crime and cliffs
32:42 Balancing bookselling and writing
34:11 Daily writing process and goals
35:31 Publicity, creating socials and anxiety
39:17 How Fiona moved from kids to adult books
40:34 Future projects
43:39 Writing tip
45:10 Final thoughts

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She’s baaaaack! Any chance to chat with my former podcast co-host Allison Tait (who writes as A.L Tait) is a good day, and she’s back with yet another book hitting shelves – tween romance, The Last Word. Allison also discusses some of the other exciting projects including curating a new series of books through her Your Kids Next Read community.

00:00 Welcome
06:05 Writers in the wild
09:23 Writing tip: Do NOT self-censor in a memoir draft
11:28 WIN!: Simply Beside Herself by Judith Katherine
13:06 Word of the week: ’Recondite’
13:48 Writer in residence: A.L. Tait
14:52 Allison discusses new book, The Last Word
17:52 What makes tween romance?
21:55 Allison’s ‘romance’ origins
25:33 Character-driven romance
27:31 Books coming up
28:00 Your Next Read fiction series
30:20 Writing small word counts
30:45 Finding new lanes
33:36 Writing for different age levels
37:24 One project at a time!
39:48 From CLEO magazine to writing
41:35 Writing around kids
43:30 Allison’s YKNR podcast role
46:30 Just show up and write!
49:52 Final thoughts

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Do you love historical fiction? I have to admit to being a sucker for a different time and place – and both are on offer in Mary-Lou Stephens’ latest novel, The Hobart Hotel. In this episode, Mary-Lou discusses her unique approach to research and the challenges of writing about Uruguay in the 1940s, as well as why she loves writing historical fiction so much.

00:00 Welcome
06:03 Writers in the Wild
10:08 Writing tip: Find balance in your creative life
13:15 WIN!: The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives by Elizabeth Arnott
15:07 Word of the week: ’Patalous’
15:45 Writer in residence: Mary-Lou Stephens
17:19 Describing The Hobart Hotel
19:16 Inspiration and research
20:57 The dual timeline process
22:36 Capturing the Uruguay wartime vibe
27:24 Why Historical Fiction?
30:32 Mary-Lou’s ‘slow travel’ writing life
34:40 Writing while traveling
37:17 Memoir and meditation
43:10 What’s next?
44:58 Promoting her books
46:07 Final thoughts

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OMG, I adored Katie Hoskins’ debut novel, When the Party’s Over! In so many ways, it’s the PERFECT book – nailing structure and narrative to tell a nuanced and contemporary story. In this episode, Katie talks about the path that took her from beginner to a two-book Pan Macmillan deal, including the AWC courses that helped her hone her structure, subplot, distinct voices and more.

00:00 Welcome
09:33 Writing tip: Don’t avoid the tough scenes
11:43 WIN!: When Lemons Give You Life by Anna Johnston
14:12 Word of the week: ’Imprimatur’
14:45 Writer in residence: Katie Hoskins
16:12 Plot and inspiration for When the Party’s Over
20:23 Dreaming of being an author
21:16 From journalism to fiction
22:58 AWC courses that sparked the shift
25:01 Writing her novel
26:22 The usefulness of workshopping
27:11 Nailing story structure
29:57 Balancing subplot arcs
33:01 Distinct voices
36:06 Landing the book deal
39:30 Advice for aspiring writers
42:29 Final thoughts

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Australian bestselling crime author Sarah Barrie has a dozen books to her name, with her latest standalone thriller Dark Sanctuary, exploring the nuanced world of mental health support, prisons and more. In this episode, Sarah shares the serendipitous inspiration for this novel, the research process and POV choices she made, as well as turning back the clock to give insights into her equally serendipitous start into the world of writing!

00:00 Welcome
07:35 Writing tip: Put your writing out there!
10:20 WIN!: The Couples Retreat by Mercedes Mercier
13:06 Word of the week: ’Crepuscular’
13:38 Writer in residence: Sarah Barrie
14:49 Dark Sanctuary overview
15:46 Inspiration and themes
17:59 Three POV structure
19:11 Podcast character angle
20:49 Setting and research
21:45 Prisons – psychology and programs
24:34 Research and the findings
25:30 Writing the detective character
27:47 Editing and deadlines
28:20 Farm life writing
30:07 Mental health themes
32:59 Sarah’s origin story
34:56 Publishing breakthrough
38:50 Advice for writers
40:16 What’s next?
41:29 Final thoughts

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