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May 19, 2025 44 mins

What does homelessness look like to you? In this episode, author Michelle Prak tells her latest story – thriller novel Barren Cape – through the lens of the housing affordability crisis. Michelle chats to us about the book's inspiration, her own writing beginnings and much more!

00:00 Welcome
03:20 Writing tip: Visit museums for inspiration
06:24 WIN!: Invisible Woman by Katia Lief
08:15 Word of the week: ‘Koan’
11:27 The World of words: Compliment vs complement
13:31 Writer in residence: Michelle Prak
14:33 Overview of the novel Barren Cape
16:20 The explosion of the Aussie crime genre
17:21 Author inspirations
19:32 The little red typewriter
21:39 Balancing writing and life responsibilities
23:25 Exploring themes of homelessness in Barren Cape
27:54 Inspiration behind the setting and characters
31:04 Writing multiple perspectives
33:10 On writing younger characters
36:57 Michelle’s daily writing habits and process
39:16 Upcoming projects
40:35 Advice for aspiring thriller writers
41:52 Final thoughts

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