Genre Fiction Podcast

Jessica Mudditt is the author of two memoirs, podcaster and the founder of Hembury Books, a Sydney based hybrid publisher. Her first book was self-published in 2021 and is called Our Home in Myanmar – Four Years in Yangon. Her second book is Once Around the Sun – From Cambodia to Tibet. It’s a two-part series, with Kathmandu to the Khyber Pass coming in 2025.

In this episode, Jessica chats with Rack Roney and Harry Colfer about her...

In episode 2 of 2, author Mary-Clare Terrill discusses the following writing tips:

1. writing is rewriting 2. getting the right kind of feedback and who to seek feedback from 3. resilience & getting comfortable with 'rejection' 4. time away from your project will give you perspective 5. when is your manuscript ready? 6. appreciating the process – trust in and have faith in your own process 7. calling yourself a ‘writer’ and see...

In this first of two episodes, we chat with Philadelphia based author C.J. Spataro about her recently released debut novel More Strange Than True. C.J. explains the inspirations for her story and how being a creative writing teacher has made her a better writer. She also provides advice for writers who are thinking of embarking on creative writing higher education. As an accomplished musician, C.J. goes on to explain the relationsh...

In this second episode with Brisbane author Diane Clarke, we delve into Diane's background as a speech pathologist and how skills learned in this profession heightened her ability to listen to and observe human interaction and verbal and non-verbal communication, and how she uses these skills to develop lifelike dialogue in her stories. We delve further into the key elements to writing realistic and engaging dialogue and how storie...

In this episode, we welcome Brisbane author Diane Clarke who explains how her debut novel 'The Photograph' was inspired by the evacuations of children in London during world war 2 with the plot centred around a missing boy and the discovery of an old photograph which uncovers a dark family secret. Her second novel, 'The Bracelet' is a family drama and murder mystery due for release in March 2025. During the discussion, Diane breaks...

In the second episode with author Alicia Thompson, the topic of author marketing is explored. Alicia breaks down marketing strategies that have worked for her including speaking events and workshops, registering with corporate book buyers, planning regional library road trips, networking within the writing community, social media, getting reviews, and thinking outside the box in terms of book distribution. A great episode for autho...

This week's special guest is author Alica Thompson whose debut novel 'Something Else' was published in 2021 and her follow up crime novel 'Ex' was released in 2024. Alicia has a masters in creative writing and delivers workshops for emerging authors. In this episode, we explore the topics Alicia teaches including how to kick start your novel, exercising your writing muscles, and finding the plot. She also provides advice for author...

In this week's episode, Dr Jo Skinner returns to talk about how she uses long-distance running to clear her mind and problem solve story plot issues. She also shares some interesting insights into the similarities between running a marathon and writing a novel. In this second and final episode, Jo delves deeper into the social issues that inspire her writing including domestic violence, positive masculinity and role modelling appro...

This week’s special guest is Doctor Jo Skinner, a Brisbane based GP who writes contemporary women’s fiction as well as freelance non-fiction articles about women’s issues and mental health. She also has a long-distance running habit. When she’s not working or writing you’ll find her accruing kilometres while plotting her next story.

In this first of two episodes, Jo discusses how the creative writing bug took hold and how she balan...

In this final instalment of Harry and Jack’s chat with writer David Shield, he breaks down and explains 8 steps for creating characters, from making your characters visible and nuanced with believable faults, using placeholder names, giving characters a redeeming quality and unique vocal attributes. David also explains the importance of giving your character goals and fears and ensuring their behaviours and dialogue remain consiste...

David Shield is a writer and professional Japanese interpreter and translator, with a BA in Japanese language and Asian Political Studies, Master of International Studies and Master of Japanese Interpreting and Translation. David writes across genres including fantasy, historical fiction and sci-fi. His middle-grade fiction work My Dad’s an Evil Necromancer was shortlisted for the Qld Writers Centre’s Publishable Program in 2022; h...