Writes4Women Podcast

Today's guest is debut author S.D. Hinton, born in Melbourne, Australia. She worked as an anaesthetic nurse within the public health system before moving into health education. She's traveled extensively and unconventionally and spent a year living in a loft department in Istanbul, writing and learning Turkish.

She now lives in Western Victoria and writes full time, having overcome a lifelong struggle. Dyslexia, which I'm also really interested to talk about. She loves crime thriller novels, particularly from writers such as Peter Temple, Dennis Lehane, Gary Disher, and Candice Fox and her debut novel The Brothers has been described by Books and Publishing as:

'A masterclass in menacing, tension, atmospheric and moody, the novel chills with its subtle allusions to an unknown enemy that is too close for comfort. Perfect for readers of Gary Disher, Chris Hammer and Jane Harper, The Brothers combines the idyllic Australian surf town setting with unseen dangers, both physical and mental, that lurk in the shadows.

Grab a cuppa and join Pam and S. D. Hinton on the Writes4Women Convo Couch.

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Maisey Yates is a New York times bestselling author and in this episode, she's chatting to best-selling Australian author, Rachael Johns about the 13 lessons she's learned in 13 years of publishing.

This chat was inspired by Maisey's recent keynote address at the Romance Writers of Australia Conference in Fremantle. It was an inspiring, heartfelt talk that had everyone in the room, mesmerised and in fact, brought many of us to tears. This chat contains the essence of that keynote address, and because it's an in-conversation there's actually bonus material that will really inspire, motivate and give authors much food for thought.

Grab a cuppa, a notebook and pen, and join Maisey Yates and Rachael Johns on the Writes4Women Convo Couch.

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Welcome to the first Writes4Women/Talking Aussie Books podcast collaboration

In this special series recorded at the Romance Writers of Australia Conference 2022 in Fremantle, Western Australia, Talking Aussie Books host Claudine Tinellis and Writes4Women host Pamela Cook join forces to chat all things Romance with some of Australia’s best loved authors.

In this series of exciting interviews we chat with authors whose work ranges from historical and contemporary fiction crime and rural romance, romcoms and domestic thrillers.

We wanted to know what being part of an organisation like the RWA meant to each of them and

the impact it had on their respective journeys to publication. We had a blast chatting to these brilliant women and can't wait to share the results.

So tune in to both podcasts over the next eight weeks to get the goss on writing Romance.

Happy listening.

This week’s episode features debut author thriller Rae Cairns and award-winning USA Today best-seller Amy Andrews.

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Sophie Green is a Sydney based author and publisher. She's written several fiction and nonfiction books, some under other names and writes about country music on her website, Sunburnt Country Music.

Her debut novel, The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club was a top 10 bestseller and was shortlisted for the Australian Book Industry awards for general fiction book of the year (2018) and Sophie was also long listed for both the Matt Richell award for the new writer of the year, and the Indie Book Award for Debut Fiction.

Sophie books are published is internationally and The Shelly Bay Lady's Swimming Circle and Thursdays at Orange Blossom House were also top 10 best sellers. Her latest release is The Bellbird River Country Choir and as you might guess by the title, it's very much in keeping with the tone and style of Sophie's previous books.

Grab a cuppa and join Pam and Sophie on the Writes4Women Convo Couch as they chat about the new book, and about the intersection of her passions: yoga country, country music and writing.

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Guest host Cassie Hamer chats to Minnie Darke about her latest release With Love From Wish & Co.

Minnie is the author of three commercial fiction novels, The Lost Love Song, Star Crossed and With Love From Wish and Co. At Wish & Co, a boutique offering a bespoke gift-buying service, Marnie Fairchild has a reputation for finding the perfect gift that will melt any recipient’s heart. Her talents have even caught the attention of wealthy entrepreneur Brian Charlesworth, who relies on her exclusively to buy gifts for his family, his wife – and also his mistress. One September day, on the wrapping table at Wish & Co, are two parcels - one containing a perfect 40th anniversary gift, the other an exquisite birthday present. What could possibly go wrong?

“Minnie Darke” is the altar ego of literary fiction author Danielle Wood. In this fabulous chat Cassie asks Minnie about her new release, her writing process and what it’s like having a dual identity as a writer.

Cassie is the author of three women’s fiction titles: After The Party, The End of Cuthbert Close and The Truth About Faking It.

Grab a cuppa and join Cassie and Minnie on the writes4Women Convo Couch.

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Welcome to Part 2 of Writing Rural Romance.

In this episode best selling rural romance authors Maya Linnell, Stella Quinn and Léonie Kelsall chat about about writing sex scenes, what the general consensus is about how far the bedroom door should be opened or closed, their writing processes, social media and their latest releases.

This episode can be listened to in conjunction with Part 1 or separately.

Grab a cuppa and join Maya, Stella and Léonie on the Writes4Women Convo Couch

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Pam's guest today on the podcast is contemporary fiction author Anne Freeman.

It's taken Ann Freeman half her life to heed the writer's heart that beats within her. But now everything she does is a step to that rhythm. A former award-winning miler promotional model, wander-luster, television extra, accessories designer, vintage market organiser, sales and marketing maven and creator of human life, Anne now chalks up her kaleidoscopic past to research and character development from her little take desk on Wurundjeri land in Melbourne, and writes contemporary fiction about women who are stuck in life and the extraordinary ways they shake themselves. They're always engaging and sometimes funny with reluctant adventures, sexy escapades, and friendships that uplift. Her debut novel Returning to Adelaide is out now with Hawkeye Publishing.

Join Anne and Pam for this Convo Couch chat about releasing a debut novel, the writing life, not waiting for the muse and feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

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Victoria Brookman's debut novel, Burnt Out was published by Harper Collins in March 2022. It's about a writer called Calida who loses everything in a bushfire right after her husband has left her. And she really hits rock bottom. After a very public rant that goes viral, her life changes dramatically.

Victoria is an author, activist and academic and lives in the Blue Mountains. Her resume as a political staffer and founder of feminist organisations speaks to her passion for women's and human rights. Victoria studied English and creative writing and is currently completing a doctorate and working on her second (and third) novel.

In this episode Pam chats to Victoria about how she found the whole debut fiction experience, the whole process of putting yourself out there, along with the craft, heart and business of writing. It's a fascinating chat about the writing life.

Grab a cuppa and join Victoria and Pam on the Writes4Women Convo Couch

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Sulari Gentill is an Australian mystery/crime writer who studied astrophysics and worked in law before turning her hand to telling stories. After a number of short listings in 2008 and 2009 with her work Sulari was contracted by Pantera Press for her first novel and has since written 15 books, many of them in her Roland Sinclair murder-mystery series set in Australia in the 1920s. Her latest release, The Woman in the Library, is something a little different: a contemporary murder mystery published by Ultimo Press. Set in Australia and Boston, it's about a bestselling crime author who becomes unwittingly connected to a serial killer.

It's a cleverly written story within a story and in this chat, Sulari talks about her unique writing process (she doesn't know whodunnit until the characters tell her), trusting your instinct as a writer and so much more about the writing life.

Sulari lives on a beautiful property in the foothills of the snowy mountains, where she writes and farms truffles, and is currently regenerating the bushland after the devastating 2019-2020 fires.

Grab a cuppa, and join Pam and Sulari on the Writes4Women Convo Couch.

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Debut thriller author Nina D. Campbell joins guest host Rae Cairns on the Writes4Women Convo Couch to chat about Nina's new release Daughters of Eve and all things writing.

Rae has been both a guest and a previous guest host on Writes4Women. Her debut novel, The Good Mother is about a suburban soccer mum trying to protect her family from the terrifying secrets of her past. It was shortlisted for the 2021 Ned Kelly Awards as an independent publication and subsequently published by Harper Collins.

Nina D. Campbell's debut release will take you to the edge and dare you to look down. It's about a city in fear, a killer searching for justice and a cop who gets too close to the truth....

Join Rae and Nina as they discuss being debut crime writers, writing process and the strange and wonderful world of 'authoring'.

Video out on Monday.

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Best-selling author Rachael joins podcast host Pamela Cook on The Convo Couch for a chat about their writing lives. Both authors write rural romance and women's fiction, and share a love of reading, collecting books on the craft of writing - and procrastination.

Rachael is currently nominated for a RUBY award at this year's Romance writers of Australia and is working on her next book, The Reinvention of Adeline Walsh. In addition to their current projects Pam and Rachael discuss balancing writing with the rest of their lives, filling the creative well, the pressures of being a multi-published author, plotting and pantsing, and a whole lot more.

This is a really interesting chat for writers and also for readers who would like to get an insight into the life of a writer.

Grab a cuppa and join Pam and Rachael on the Writes4Women Convo Couch

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Best selling Australian author, Cassie Hamer joins Pam for a chat writing her latest release The Truth About Faking It. This is Cassie's third women's fiction novel, following the huge success of her first two releases After the Party and The End of Cuthbert Close.

Faking It is a story about three generations of women, Ellen, her daughter Natasha, and grand-daughter Georgie, who all have to grapple with the fallout from their husband/father's/grandfather's death as well as having multiple problems of their own. Each of the characters has a distinctive voice and Cassie weaves their stories together with an expert touch.

This discussion also covers on backstory, writing process, working with a publisher and a whole lot more. So much gold in here for writers and for readers it's a great insight in the writing process.

So grab a cuppa and join Pam and Cassie on The Convo Couch for this craft of writing episode on writing multiple viewpoints.

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Mercedes Mercier writes 'just-one-more-page' crime with twisting plots and relatable characters. As well as writing books, Mercedes works in the criminal justice system, providing her unique insight into the world of prisons, crime and offenders. Her debut novel White Noise has recently been release and she is currently writing her second novel, to be published in 2023. When Mercedes doesn't have her nose in her laptop and her mind in a story, she loves to read, travel, try new restaurants, and listen to podcasts (true crime of course).

Rae Cairns is a former youth worker who has turned to a life of crime… writing. She writes crime with heart; thriller and suspense novels featuring everyman (and woman) characters. Her first novel, The Good Mother, was shortlisted for Best Debut Crime Fiction in the 2021 NED KELLY awards and was re-published in 2022 by Harper Collins. It draws on her background as a youth worker mentoring disadvantaged youth, many of them children of the paramilitaries, in Northern Ireland during the final years of ‘The Troubles’.

In this chat with guest host Rae Cairns chats to Mercedes about the writing of White Noise.

Grab a cuppa and enjoy this fabulous chat between two debut thriller authors.

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In this episode Pam chats to Stacey McEwan, an Australian author whose debut Fantasy title, Ledge, will be released in September 2022 and who procured the contract as a result of her presence on Tik Tok.

After joining Tik Tok during lockdown, Stacey has gained over 300,000 followers in just a couple of years. In this interview she shares what's working for her and what she's seeing work for other people.

There's so much talk out there in author circles about Tik Tok and whether we should be on the platform as authors, this is a great chat about the platform itself and how authors can use it to promote their writing.

Grab a cuppa and join Pam and Stacey on the Writes4Women Convo Couch.

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Pam's guest today is Dr. Jackie Bailey. Jackie' s new release, The Eulogy, was published last week by Hardie Grant. It's her debut release and it's a category referred to as autofiction, short for autobiographical - fiction really based heavily on fact.

The protagonist of The Eulogy is Kathy Bradley, who is in the process of writing a eulogy for her very much loved sibling, her sister Annie. It's a story about grief, family and loss, and so many other things which Pam and Jackie discuss in this episode.

In addition to being an author, Jackie is an independent funeral director, an interfaith minister, and an arts consultant - all things which have informed the writing of The Eulogy.

So grab a cup of warm up, keep warm, cause I'm sure that we are now in the midst of winter as you're listening to this and enjoy this chat with Dr. Jackie Bailey.

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Welcome back to Part 2 of Life of a Publisher.

Join Pam on The Convo Couch as she chats to Rebecca Saunders, Head of Fiction at Hachette Australia.

Anybody who listened to Part1 it will know that at the end of that conversation, Pam asked Rebecca about whether an author needs to get a manuscript report or even a profession edit done before submitting to a publisher. And then ended the episode on this cliffhanger!

In this episode Rebecca answers that question and covers a whole lot of other things about what happens once your manuscript is picked up by the publishing house: how the editorial process works, cover selection and design, author branding, going in a new direction as an author, what is selling well in Australia today, and what Rebecca is currently seeking.

Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, enjoy!

Video of the full chat (Parts 1 & 2) out soon!

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After recapping her holiday reads, and farewelling Anna from Anna’s Shop Around the Corner, Pam chats to Rebecca Saunders, Head of Fiction at Hachette Australia. Rebecca started her career as a journalist and went into publishing in London where she spent 15 years working at various publishers before coming back to Australia to take up the role as Head of Fiction at Hachette.

Rebecca publishes fabulous authors like Joanna Nell, Kelly Rimmer and Natasha Lester. In this interview she talks about her publishing career, a typical day at the office, what it's like to be a very busy publisher, how an acquisitions meeting works, the role of social media, author branding and so much more. So much on fact this is a two part episode!

Also news on two tickets to see Caroline Baum interview Nadia Wheatley about Charmian Clift at next weekend’s South Coast Writer’s Festival.

So grab a cup, sit back and settle in for part one of the life of a fiction publisher with Rebecca Saunders.

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Today's episode is the second in a two-part focus on writers taking new directions in their author career. Last week Pam chatted to Sasha Wasley and this week's guest is Meredith Jaffé.

Meredith is the author of four novels for adults: The Fence, The Making of Christina, The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison and her new release The Tricky Art of Forgiveness. She has also published a middle grade novel, The Horse Warrior and was the founding director of Storyfest a fabulous writing festival on the south coast of NSW. With a break of four years between her second and third adult fiction titles, and a new publisher, Meredith has moved into a new phase of her author career with the publication of her two latest novels.

Meredith has a wealth of writing experience and in this episode talks about her new release, working with a different publisher and what it's like to now be on a book a year schedule. So grab a bevvy of your choice, and join Pam and Meredith Jaffé on the Writes4Women Convo Couch.

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Outback romance series: Dear Banjo, True Blue and Love Song. She also writes in the paranormal genre, under the pen name S.D. Wasley, for both adults and young adults. Last year Sasha published her first contemporary fiction title with Pantera Press, Spring Clean for the Peach Queen, and will soon be going into middle grade fiction. Sasha wears a lot of different writing hats, has a couple of pen names and a lot of diverse interests, including a new genre that she talks about at the end of this interview.

In this interview Pam chats to Sasha about her new release, A Caravan Like a Canary, published last month by Pantera , as well as talking about the new direction in Sasha's author career and how that has come about.

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