In this episode of Between The Lines, Chelle and Leanne chat with Australian author Abbey Lay about her sensual and thought-provoking novel Slip.

Set in Palermo during a scorching Sicilian summer, Slip follows Grace, a young linguist who travels to Sicily to study Italian dialects. What begins as a six-week immersion in language and culture takes an unexpected turn when she rents a room in the apartment of a local writer, Nico.

As Grace and Nico spend more time together — cooking, talking and exploring the city — their conversations become increasingly intimate. All the while, Grace's long-term partner Jack is due to arrive in Sicily, bringing the tension between desire, loyalty and identity closer to the surface.

In this conversation with Abbey, we explore:

• The inspiration behind Slip

• Writing about desire and emotional tension

• The role of language in shaping how we understand ourselves and others

• The sensory experience of Palermo and Sicilian culture

• The complex choices we make in relationships

Slip is a beautifully written novel that captures the intoxicating pull of place, language and connection — and the difficult questions that arise when our desires begin to shift.

Abbey Lay grew up in Geelong and now lives in Melbourne. Her first novel, Lead Us Not, was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier's Award for an Unpublished Manuscript. Slip is a lyrical and evocative exploration of language, identity and desire set against the vivid backdrop of Sicily.

Chelle and Leanne created Between The Lines because they love books and great conversations, and wanted to share both with you.

Listen to the podcast for author interviews and reading inspiration.

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In this episode of Between the Lines, we're joined by author Olivia O'Flynn to talk about her fantasy novel Ever Blessed, the first book in the Tides of Ever series.

Olivia shares how the story came to life, why she set out to write "the book she wanted to read," and what readers can expect from the world, characters, and themes in the series. We also discuss how the book has been categorised by readers (including "romantasy"), and what that label can mean in practice.

• Ever Blessed as Book 1 in the Tides of Ever series

• Olivia's motivation for writing fantasy and the types of stories she loves as a reader

• Genre conversations, including how the book is sometimes described as romantasy

• Writing approach and craft choices (including character and tone)

• Myth and inspiration touchpoints, including recommendations Olivia shares for readers interested in myth retellings and adjacent fantasy/romantasy reads

• What's next in the series and where Book 2 is at

Ever Blessed is a fantasy novel set in the world of the Tides of Ever series. It blends magic, adventure, and relationship dynamics, with a strong focus on compelling characters and an immersive setting.

Olivia O'Flynn is an author of fantasy fiction and the creator of the Tides of Ever series.

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In this special live episode of Between The Lines, Chelle and Leanne sit down with Australian crime author Fiona Tarr at the Sunshine Coast Fiction Festival to talk about her gripping, atmospheric novels.

Fiona writes crime fiction set in distinctly Australian landscapes - from remote tropical towns to outback mining communities - where secrets run deep and the past is never far behind.

We discuss two of her novels:

Grave Regret, which follows detective Dawn Grave as she returns to the town tied to her traumatic past when her sister goes missing, and Her Buried Bones, where a young constable arrives in an outback opal town searching for answers about her family, only to uncover a suspicious death and a trail of buried secrets.

Across both stories, Fiona explores what happens when personal history collides with professional duty, and how the truth can be both dangerous to uncover - and impossible to ignore.

• Writing crime fiction set in uniquely Australian environments
• Creating strong, complex female investigators
• How personal backstories shape investigative decisions
• The role of small towns in building tension and secrecy
• Balancing personal stakes with crime-driven plots
• Why secrets - both personal and communal - sit at the heart of great crime fiction

• The impact of the past on the present
• Family, loyalty and unresolved trauma
• Power dynamics in small communities
• Corruption, silence and hidden truths
• The tension between doing your job and following your instincts

Grave Regret is a small-town Australian crime novel following detective Dawn Grave as she returns to her hometown to investigate her sister's disappearance — a case that forces her to confront the trauma she's spent decades trying to forget.

Her Buried Bones is set in an outback opal mining town, where a young constable investigating a suspicious death uncovers secrets that may be linked to her own family's past.

Both novels combine strong settings, layered characters and steadily building tension.

Fiona Tarr is an Australian crime author known for writing atmospheric mysteries set in rural and remote communities. Her work focuses on strong female leads, complex personal histories and the hidden dynamics within small towns.

Chelle and Leanne created Between The Lines because they love books and great conversations — and wanted to share both with you.

📚 Listen to the podcast for author interviews and reading inspiration

📦 Or join our online book club, where we deliver books to your door and a book club to your reading nook