Penelope Janu, Starting from Scratch
Welcome to the monthly New Release Featured Author episode for January 2021.
And this one is a bonus extended edition!
This week Pam chats to rural Romance author Penelope Janu about her new release Starting From Scratch...
For readers of Karly Lane and Tricia Stringer...misunderstandings and injured pride stand in the way of true love in this charming rural romance from an award-winning and much-loved author.
Pam and Pen chat about the writing process, characters, setting and publication of Starting from Scratch before diving into four curly questions as part of this special one off Special Extended Edition.
For future extended editions become a Patreon Community supporter to receive this and other bonuses. Click here for more information.
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Desney King Writes From The Heart
In this first Heart of Writing episode Pamela chats to Desney King, writer, editor, stroke survivor and author of the beautiful debut novel Transit of Angels.
After a varied career, working in editing and in palliative care, Desney began writing her first novel in 2008. After many drafts and revisions of the manuscript Desney was ready to seek a publisher when she suffered her first stroke in 2012. Since then she has suffered numerous strokes, severely affecting her mobility and hugely impacting her life. Largely confined to her bed, Desney makes occasional forays into the outside world in her purple wheelchair.
Transit of Angels was published in 2020 by Pilyara Press, and there are two more novels and a memoir in the works.
Desney has so much wisdom to offer about the writing process, morning pages, letting go when things get difficult and much, much more.
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Farewell to Kel: The Last Writes4Women Episode featuring Kel Butler
After 3 years, the time has come for Pam and Kel to part ways. Kel is heading off to make positive podcasts and change the world through story and Pam is going full steam ahead down the self publishing, writing and teaching path, which is the perfect space for the Writes4Women podcast to continue to evolve and grow.
In this ep they reflect on the unexpected year that was and muse on the exciting things to come. Pam gives a sneak peak into her plans for Writes4Women in 2021 and Kel blubbers her way through a emotional goodbye.
WE CANNOT THANK OUR W4W COMMUNITY ENOUGH FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT OVER THE YEARS. WE ARE DEEPLY GRATEFUL. MAY YOU ALL BE HAPPY, SAFE AND WELL THIS HOLIDAY SEASON.
THIS IS THE LAST EPISODE OF W4W FOR 2020. WE WILL BE BACK IN JANUARY FOR A WHOLE NEW FORMAT.
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Finding Charlotte with Kate Forsyth & Belinda Murrell
The Writes4Women Podcast comes full circle with this episode featuring the best selling and multi-talented sister authors Kate Forsyth and Belinda Murrell. Kate and Belinda were the very first guests Pam and Kel had on the W4W podcast 3 years ago, where they discussed a project they were excited about bringing to life together over coming years. A non-fiction book about their ancestor, Charlotte Waring Atkinson. Charlotte carries the mantel of having written the first ever picture book and holds a special place in Australian literary history.
3 years later they are back on the podcast to talk about the culmination of that dream, the release of their book Searching for Charlotte.
It could not be more fitting that this is the last interview for 2020 and the end of an era for W4W.
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The Gifts of Reading with Jennie Orchard
n this ep of W4W we bring you a special chat between long time friends and Room to Read ambassadors, Jennie Orchard and Pamela Cook.
Jennie is talking to Pam about the stunning book she curated for the 20th anniversary of Room to Read entitled "The Gifts of Reading," which brings together some of the greats literary hearts and minds of our time to discuss the books they like to give. All proceeds from the sale of this book goes to Room to Read.
If it weren't for Jennie Orchard and Room to Read, this podcast may never have been born. They were the threads that connected Pam with Kel and in the beginning Writes4Women was just as much about creating a vehicle to raise awareness for Room to Read as it was about celebrating women writers, at a time when men seemed to claim most of the space and the attention.
It seems only fitting to wind up 2020 and this era of Writes4Women with an interview with Jennie all about the book she curated that celebrates the gifts of reading whilst raising money for Room to Read.
"THE GIFTS OF READING"
An anthology of essays about the joys of reading and of giving books, from some of the world's most beloved writers. Inspired by and including Robert Macfarlane's own essay, 'The Gifts of Reading', publishing to coincide with the 20th anniversary of global literacy non-profit, Room to Read
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Taking Control: Rae Cairns and The Good Mother
We are extremely delighted to have Rae Cairns on the Convo Couch to talk about the release of her debut novel The Good Mother. Rae and Pam have been friends and writing comrades for years, Rae was our W4W "emerging writer" on the first version of the podcast and it is incredibly exciting to be here with her as she realises her book to smashing reviews.
Rae's pathway to publication has been fraught but she has never given up on her writing or her book, and is an inspiration to us all. Please join us in giving her the support she deserves as she births it out into the world.
THE GOOD MOTHER:
She’s protected them from the truth. Can she save them from her past?
Australian soccer mum Sarah Calhoun keeps the terrifying secrets of her time as an overseas aid worker from everyone she loves. Until two men from Northern Ireland hunt her down - one an obsessive policeman with demons of his own, the other a brutal IRA executioner, too closely connected to her past…
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Pamela Hart: The Charleston Scandal
Prolific, multi-award winning Australia author, Pamela Hart, is back on the Convo Couch chatting about her latest release The Charleston Scandal. Pamela wears two author hats and the last time she was on the Convo Couch she was speaking with Kel as her alter ego, Pamela Freeman.
This time around Pamela gets under the layers of writing her latest book with Pamela Cook, why she pens under two names and how history continues to inspire and excite her like nothing else.
The Charleston Scandal tells the story of Kit, a young Australian ‘colonial’ who escapes the confines of her privileged life in Australia and arrives in London dreaming of a career on the stage. Landing a goal in a West End Production Kit starts living the life she’d always dreamed of but her acting life doesn’t exactly fit with her her family background, and then there’s the whole scandal involving the Prince of Wales…
If you love The Crown you'll love The Charleston Scandal.
And if you love a sneak peek behind the scenes of how a writer puts a book together you'll love this episode.
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Writing The Champagne War with Fiona McIntosh
Best-selling author, Fiona McIntosh chats to Pam on the Convo Couch today about writing her new book The Champagne War. In this interview Fiona goes into her no nonsense business approach to her creative process and the hard work behind building an impressive career spanning dozens of books.
From the killing fields of Ypres to the sun-kissed vineyards of rural France, The Champagne War is a heart-stopping adventure about the true power of love and hope to light the way during war.
There is so much great information and tips for writers at all levels in this interview. Have your pens ready...
And readers of Fiona’s books will love this insight into her writing process, and the behind the scene details on her latest novel, a page-turning story of love, loyalty and survival set against the turmoil of the first world war.
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Writing Inclusively with Nike Sulway & Shauna O'Meara
Creative duo NIKE SULWAY and SHAUNA O'MEARA are the Convo Couch with Kel today chatting about their recent book "WINTER'S TALE" which won the 2020 Norma K Hemming Award for Short Fiction. This award honours excellence in the exploration of gender, sexuality, class or disability in speculative fiction work. Which Winter’s Tale does in the most beautiful and interesting way.
Nike Sulway is a multi award winning Australian writer, poet and scholar, who writes everything from speculative to literary fiction. She specifically likes to play with the realms of fantasy and fairytale using them to explore sexuality, gender and the relationships of women in interesting ways.
Shauna O’Meara is a Ditmar and Aurealis Award nominated Australian artist, writer and a vet with a passion for all things science fiction. The list of nominations for her many varied works is seemingly endless. Her work has appeared in publications and anthologies such as Cosmos Magazine, Writers of the Future, Andromeda Spaceways, Winds of Change and The Never Never Land. Shauna is currently in the process of creating her first graphic novel and writing a television series.
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Vida by Jacqueline Kent
Author, Jacqueline Kent, is on the Convo Couch chatting to Pamela Cook about her new book Vida all about the life of Vida Goldstein, Australia’s most celebrated crusader for the rights of women.
From her birthplace in Portland, Victoria in 1869 to the glittering tide of wealth in Melbourne’s 1880s and through depressions and war, VIDA: A Woman for Our Time investigates the alchemy of Vida Goldstein’s making – her remarkable contributions, her rise to international fame and her disappearance from politics.
Jacqueline Kent writes a captivating portrait of a true pioneer, demonstrating the power, nerve and passion of a woman with a cause. Kent explores the difficulties a woman faced entering politics at the turn of the century, and the difficulties women still face making a career in politics. Despite the challenges, Vida blazed a trail, not just a woman ahead of her time, but a woman for our time.
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Writing a Bestseller with Monica McInerney
International, best selling author, Monica McInerney, is launching her 13th book The Godmothers and talks to Pam about what it takes to write a best selling novel, over and over again.
Monica McInerney is the Australian-born Dublin-based author of the best-selling novels The Trip of a Lifetime, Hello from the Gillespies, The House of Memories, Lola’s Secret, At Home with the Templetons, Those Faraday Girls (The Faraday Girls in the USA), Family Baggage, The Alphabet Sisters, Spin the Bottle (Greetings from Somewhere Else in the USA), Upside Down Inside Out and A Taste for It; the novella Odd One Out and a short story collection All Together Now, published internationally and in translation in more than 12 languages. Her articles and short stories have appeared in newspapers, magazines and anthologies in Australia, the UK and Ireland.
Click to listen to Pam’s chat with Monica and find out how to win a hot-off-the press copy of The Godmothers
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Writing Anxiety with Ewa Ramsey
Debut Author of The Morbids, Ewa Ramsey is on the Convo Couch, chatting to Pam about writing her anxiety into her fiction and through her characters.
Heart-wrenching, heartwarming and ultimately uplifting--a story about the power of a little kindness
Ewa Ramsey is an emerging writer and arts administrator based in Newcastle, NSW. She has presented short fiction at the National Young Writers Festival, won a commendation in the Newcastle Short Story Award, and been a finalist in the Newcastle Herald Short Story Competition. She is currently Operations Manager for the Newcastle Writers Festival and on the board of the National Young Writers Festival.
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Mentoring Moments with Kel & Pam
WRITES4WOMEN ARE BRINGING "MENTORING MOMENTS" BACK!
Now that Kel and Pam are both writing and editing again we have decided to inject new life into an old segment from the original incarnation of the Writes4Women podcast - Mentoring Moments.
"Mentoring Moments" are episodes where Pam and Kel chat to each other about the progress of their current writing project, the wins and aha moments as well as the challenges and blocks they are facing along the way. It is a mini mentoring session between a new writer and a professional, meant to inspire and help other writers out there facing similar things, as they try to write their book…
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Life Matters with Nicole Hurley-Moore
Nicole Hurley Moore had put her dream of being a writer aside but when life gave her a wake up call in the form of breast cancer she wasn't willing to push her dreams aside any longer. In this episode of the Convo Couch Nicole talks about being inspired into action by "life matters" twice and the very different ways her health impacted her creativity each time.
This episode began life as a Book Launch for Nicole's latest release The McCalister Legacy but after getting deeper and deeper into Nicole's story, it became pretty clear to Kel that this was a much larger conversation, one that we all hope inspires other creatives to pick up their pens and write.
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Writing Romance with Anne Gracie and guest interviewer Laura Boon
Romance author, Laura Boon, chats to renowned historical romance writer, Anne Gracie, about how she writes relationships, sex and romance.
Anne Gracie is an award-winning author of twenty novels, published with Berkley USA (part of the Random/Penguin group), Penguin Australia and Harlequin International. She’s a nationally best-selling author in the USA and her Regency-era historical romances have been translated into more than eighteen languages.
Guest interviewer, Laura Boon is an avid romance reader, and author of two published novels.
In this special episode Laura chats to Anne about her best-selling novel Marry in Haste. Lots of great tips in this episode yet again. Have your pens ready...
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Writing and Rights with Pam & Kel
Pam and Kel are both writing again so they thought it was time for a W4W mentoring session.
After almost a year off writing Kel has decided to go back to her fiction novel and start from scratch. This time she joined a writing group and engaged a writing mentor as a support system but the first session was not at all what she expected.
Meanwhile Pam has paused her novel to edit and remaster a book of old that she recently got the rights back for. Pam talks all about the rights return process and what it's like to be re-releasing her 2nd book, 7 years on.
There are some important considerations for authors in this chat that people might find helpful, especially when it comes to publishing contracts and rights.
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Dangerously Real with Jessie Tu
Author, poet and podcaster, Jessie Tu, is on the Convo Couch today, getting real with Kel about her genius debut novel A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing.
A book that explores female desire and the consequences of wanting too much and never getting it. It is about the awkwardness and pain of being human in an increasingly dislocated world - and how, in spite of all this, we still try to become the person we want to be.
This is a dazzling and original debut from a young writer with a fierce, intelligent and audacious voice.
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Anatomy of a Novel - Writing Mystery from History with Sulari Gentill
ward winning Australian author, SULARI GENTILL, breaks down how she writes a best selling mystery series from the pages of history.
Drawing from the 10th book in the Rowland Sinclair Mystery series, A Testament of Character Sulari takes us through her unique, writing process to give a different kind of perspective on how to write within the historical fiction genre.
There is so much great writing advice and insights in this interview that we kept it a bit longer to keep all the good stuff in. Hope you enjoy!
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Accessing the Tools Within, with Anna Downes
Author and Actor, Anna Downes, joins Pamela Cook on the Convo Couch today for an extended interview about her much talked about debut novel "The Safe Place." Anna opens up about her path to publication and goes into how her acting career has been a huge advantage to her writing process.
The Safe Place is a deft examination of the lengths we’ll go to project and protect the façade of a perfect life and was largely written when author Anna Downes was in the grips of post-natal depression following the birth of her second child. With all her existential fears bubbling to the surface, Anna began writing as a way to have some semblance of control. She wrote and wrote and, reliving her previous career as an actor, began playing all the parts of the characters she had created.
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Weaving Women into Story with Kayte Nunn
Kayte Nunn joins Pamela Cook on the Convo Couch to chat about how she uses her new novel "The Silk House" to tell the historical stories of women unseen.
Then Pam chats to Kel about the positive aspects of taking live writing events into the online space.
AND WRITES4WOMEN IS ACTIVELY RECORDING BOOK LAUNCH EPISODES AGAIN! So if you are releasing a book in isolation in the next couple of months and would like a slot on our pod to promote it then get in touch via email w4wpodcast@gmail.com
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