Winner of the HarperCollins Australia Banjo Prize and AWC alumni Dinuka McKenzie needs no introduction – both because her growing body of work has found such acclaim, and also because we have chatted with her twice before on the podcast! In this episode, she is back to share the experience of creating her latest psychological suspense novel, She Lied First – with insights into her process as well as her thoughts on using social media in the author space. Listen now:

00:00 Welcome
15:51 Writing tip: Get a supportive inner coach
18:21 WIN: Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson
19:33 Word of the week: “Aptronym”
20:30 Interview with Dinuka McKenzie
21:51 Explaining She Lied First
23:10 Sisterhood origins
25:13 Writing toward the twist
27:39 Subverting South Asian stereotypes
29:04 Timelines without confusion
34:05 Developing the distinct POV voices
37:08 Career longevity through feedback
41:40 Dinuka’s experience building her platform
46:15 The course tools that helped her
48:42 Final thoughts

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Real-life pharmacist and acclaimed British author Amit Dhand says the only difference between medicine and poison is the dose – a fantastic backdrop for his most recent books, of which The Kingpin is his latest. In this episode, Amit (writing as A.A. Dhand) explores the world of crime/thriller, his singular approach to writing and his own slate as a storyteller.

00:00 Welcome
11:45 Writing tip: Finding adverbs
14:47 Writers in the wild: Annika
16:20 WIN: The Centre by Hannah Tunicliffe
17:48 Word of the week: “Dudgeon”
18:38 Interview with A.A. Dhand
19:21 What The Kingpin is about
20:40 Setting and pharmacy authenticity
26:19 Write what you emotionally know
28:00 Why crime stories?
29:22 Research and realism
35:15 Pharmacy as a thriller world
40:37 Writing routine and process
46:18 What’s next?
49:08 Writing tip
50:35 Final thoughts

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Are YOU a middle child? Author and AWC grad Seetha Dodd is, and that’s just one of the parallels between her life and the characters in her debut junior-fiction novel, Myra in the Middle – a fabulous take on finding your place in your family, and the world. In this episode, Seetha discusses how she found her way back to writing and her experience bringing this book and its characters to life.

00:00 Welcome
06:28 Writing tip: Take part in Furious Fiction!
09:02 WIN: Missing Molly by Natalie Barelli
10:18: Word of the week: “Darkle”
11:11 Interview with Seetha Dodd
13:55 Furious Fiction beginnings
19:23 Courses and confidence
24:28 The importance of community
27:25 About her book, Myra in the Middle
28:53 Culture on the page
31:05 The book’s themes
32:42 Working with an illustrator
34:03 The pitching, editing and publication timeline
38:56 Writing picture books
43:20 Writing advice
44:34 Book recommendations
47:00 Final thoughts

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Glasses are a necessity for some, a curiosity for others, and even a status symbol in other contexts. So when Sydney-based academic Adam Geczy was tasked with writing about this ubiquitous item for the Object Lessons book series, how did he go about it (without making a spectacle of himself)? In this episode, Adam discusses the experience researching and writing Glasses, along with insights from an academic POV on the craft of writing in general.

00:00 Welcome
09:08 Writing tip: Make time to read
12:26 WIN: Garden of Lost Girls by A.L. Tait
13:46 Word of the week “Adsorb”
14:36 Interview with Adam Geczy
15:15 What Glasses Is about
17:49 Pitching for the Object Lessons series
22:11 Adam’s writing process and editing
28:38 Style and voice shifts
30:57 Staying adaptable
32:55 Writing without fear
35:40 Time discipline ‘hacks’
38:34 Linear drafting method
41:59 Manual research workflow
43:09 Owning your craft
45:09 Publicity and marketing
46:25 What’s next?
49:52 Final thoughts

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Some authors dream of writing when they’re young but leave it behind to focus on another career. But not Bridie Blake, who instead quit university and made her work fit around her publishing aspirations. After pivoting from YA to romance, she published her debut rom-com novel, The Boyfriend Clause, and in this episode, AWC grad Bridie shares the writing courses that changed her fortunes and her experience seeing her book on the shelves.

00:00 Welcome
10:23 Writing tip: Explore art
13:16 WIN: The Lady with the Dog by Carrie Tiffany
14:32 Word of the Week “Reify”
15:20 Interview with Bridie Blake
16:42 Explaining The Boyfriend Clause
17:49 Early writing dreams
20:12 Day jobs and persistence
22:09 AWC courses and getting feedback
25:36 Pivoting to adult rom-com
27:25 Romance course lessons
29:47 Bridie’s writing process
30:59 Morning writer mindset
33:15 Balancing humour and heart
34:12 Choosing Australian publishing
37:33 The “yes” email moment
39:45 Promoting her books
40:52 What’s next?
41:49 Her writing technique evolution
45:51 Bridie’s writing tip
47:15 Theme of the book
48:13 Book recommendations
49:57 Final thoughts

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Imagine being married to one of literature’s most famous wordsmiths and having him describe your life as “a blank”. This is the reputation that Charles Dickens’ wife Kate of 22 years – with whom he had 10 children – has endured for 150 years. But in author Emily Howes’ new novel Mrs Dickens, she seeks to fill in those blanks. In this episode, Emily shares her inspirations for choosing this historical figure and the challenges of reimagining history.

00:00 Welcome
08:28 Writing Tip: Try something new
11:55 WIN: The German Ward by Pip Williams
13:16 Word of the Week: “Pertinacious”
14:14 Interview with Emily Howes
15:02 Why Mrs Dickens matters
16:50 Inspirations for the novel
22:23 Researching her life
24:01 Turning facts into fiction
25:35 What stayed and what was cut
30:02 Second POV character: Anne
35:57 Balancing work and writing
38:48 Emily’s writing breakthrough
43:22 What’s next?
45:48 Writing tip
47:31 Final thoughts

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Scottish-Australian author and AWC grad Judith Katherine went from being crippled by fear about sharing her writing to publishing her debut novel, Simply Beside Herself. In this episode, Judith shares the lockdown routine that unlocked her new writing path, the courses that changed the game and some of the valuable lessons she learnt along the way. She also shares insights into her book’s theme of dissociation.

00:00 Welcome
13:30 Writing tip: Focus on the work
16:00 WIN: Secrets of the New Online Entrepreneurs by Bernadette Schwerdt
19:02 Word of the week: ‘Onomastic’
19:44 Interview with: Judith Catherine
21:33 Describing Simply Beside Herself – themes and inspiration
23:55 Back story and finding writing
25:00 Discovering AWC courses
26:35 Judith’s writing breakthrough
30:30 The value of community and sharing work
32:28 Writing the novel – dissociation story hook
35:10 The timeline to publication
39:04 Editing lessons learned
42:16 Writing process chaos
44:35 Getting the book deal
47:04 Judith’s advice for writers
49:47 Reading recommendations
51:37 The book’s opening Rumi quote
54:03 What’s next?
55:23 Final thoughts

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UK-based queer author Curtis Garner burst onto the scene a few years ago with his debut novel, Isaac. Now he’s back with Orange – a coming of age novel that explores two characters as they grapple with a sense of identity and place across a five-year span. In this episode, Curtis shares his inspirations for this novel, his writing process and tips, plus why sex scenes in books should have less fluff!

00:00 Welcome
09:09 Writing tip: Public transport
13:46 WIN: Last Night I Dreamt by Paul de Zulueta
15:32 Word of the week: ‘Ensorcell’
16:26 Interview with: Curtis Garner
17:00 Describing Orange
19:15 Creating the characters
20:20 Themes and clichés of place
23:35 London as a setting
26:27 Two timeline structure
28:30 Writing sex scenes honestly
33:33 Deadlines and drafting
35:00 Rage behind the debut
40:03 Writing around a day job
42:25 Collecting notes daily
44:35 The perils of overplanning
46:15 Writing what you care about
48:53 What’s next?
50:25 Writing advice summary
51:33 Final thoughts

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