Writing Podcast Episode 687: Moreno Giovannoni discusses his new novel 'The Immigrants'
The search for ‘a better life’ is the classic motivation for immigrants arriving in a new country and so often we hear about the success stories. But author Moreno Giovannoni wanted to tell the more overlooked migrant stories for his latest novel, The Immigrants – drawing on his family’s own experiences in Australia. Giovannoni shares his approach to writing, his thoughts on translating, as well as past and future projects. 00:00 Welcome04:47 Writing tip: Creative Mottos07:46 WIN!: The Watervale Ladies’ Writing and Firefighting Society by Mette Menzies10:20 Word of the week: ‘Gibbous’11:46 Writer in residence: Moreno Giovannoni12:20 What his new book The Immigrants is about16:30 Fiction versus the real life inspirations20:10 Bringing his style to the Australian setting23:25 The research and notetaking26:20 Structuring the book29:31 Fitting the seven key events into the story31:35 The publishing journey33:22 The writing process and challenges34:56 A typical writing day37:40 Balancing writing and translating41:33 Publicising the book43:33 Future writing plans and pure fiction50:32 Moreno Giovannoni’s writing tip52:48 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Writing Podcast Episode 686: Amy Hutton and her saucy, spooky new book, 'Ghosted'
Halloween is just around the corner, so what better way to mark the occasion than by celebrating AWC grad Amy Hutton’s latest book – a paranormal romance novel, Ghosted! In this episode, Amy shares her writing process, how she wound up writing paranormal romance, afterworld-building and much more! 00:00 Welcome06:39 Writing tip: Work with teachers and mentors10:06 WIN!: Remain by Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan12:29 Word of the week: ‘Bodacious’13:52 Writer in residence: Amy Hutton15:09 What her latest book Ghosted is about16:30 What inspired this topic of paranormal romance?19:48 Edits to the story21:05 Amy’s approach to (after) world building23:13 Pacing the story and unravelling the mystery24:16 Writing short stories as a writer’s block strategy28:10 Amy’s first break29:22 The thing she didn’t know when she started32:45 The one thing you can control33:38 Amy’s average writing day and how it has differed over time37:25 Freaking herself out in her own writing39:54 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Writing Podcast Episode 685: Tegan Bennett Daylight takes us back with her YA novel, How to Survive 1985
If there were ever a decade that evoked such a strong emotional resonance, the 1980s would surely be it! Author Tegan Bennett Daylight channels this in her new time-travelling YA novel, How to Survive 1985, in all its neon-coloured, acid-washed glory, and in this episode, she shares her experience bringing that time period to life and some tips for aspiring writers. 00:00 Welcome06:52 Writing tip: Grounding details in world-building09:31 WIN!: The Gifts of Reading for the Next Generation edited by Jennie Orchard11:20 Word of the week: ‘Noisome’13:22 Writer in residence: Tegan Bennett Daylight14:18 Describing her book How to Survive 198517:13 Research vs lived experience of the time period20:00 Why 1985?21:59 Writing about motherhood now and then25:51 Navigating the publishing world26:33 Early writing experiences28:14 Tegan’s first children’s book29:42 Challenges and successes in writing31:49 The reality of being a writer and inspiring new writers36:25 The appeal of writing for young adults40:43 Tegan’s writing routine43:10 An easy early morning tip for writers44:38 Engaging with the writing community45:45 Upcoming projects47:40 Writing tip and the Spotify playlist50:17 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Writing Podcast Episode 684: Alex Dook discusses his new outback thriller, 'Gunpowder Creek'
Would YOU do anything to protect your 18-year-old child? That’s core to the premise behind AWC graduate Alex Dook’s outback thriller novel, Gunpowder Creek – and in this episode, he shares the milestones and research that led to this latest successful book. 00:00 Welcome07:12 Writing tip: Turn jealousy into inspiration13:11 WIN!: The Occupation by Chloe Adams14:56 Word of the week: ‘Cynosure’18:34 The world of words: ‘Bated vs baited’19:59 Writer in residence: Alex Dook20:38 Describing his debut book, Gunpowder Creek 22:15 Alex’s writing history25:30 The reason to keep persisting27:10 The pitching process29:33 The invisible threshold of becoming published31:00 Editing and polishing tip32:08 Advice for aspiring writers33:54 Using AWC’s‘Anatomy of a Crime course36:44 Research road tripping38:00 Discovering the titular Gunpowder Creek town42:40 Alex’s writing process46:20 The second book experience48:30 Alex’s book recommendation49:34 Thoughts on persistence and passion51:06 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Writing Podcast Episode 683: Philip Howell tours English bar-rooms in his latest book, 'Pub'
We’ve all been to a pub. They’re places to meet friends, meet lovers, to celebrate, commiserate and even do weekly trivia. But do you REALLY know pubs? This is the question author Philip Howell poses and attempts to answer in his latest book, the aptly named Pub. Philip joins us to discuss the inspiration for this book, the pitching process, researching topics and his overwhelming love of one particular app! 00:00 Welcome05:12 Writing tip: Night-time whiteboards07:49 WIN!: The Butterfly Thief by Walter Marsh10:09 Word of the week: ‘Vexillology’12:10 Writer in residence: Philip Howell12:55 Describing ‘Pub’ as a concept and book14:00 History vs Geography in this book15:33 Inspirations for writing this book19:06 The pitching process21:53 The structure of the book23:30 Choosing what to leave out28:05 Range of writing topics and side hustles30:42 The social dynamics of pubs32:52 Writing popular geography vs academic34:49 Research methods and tools36:53 The importance of readability in writing37:21 Love of Scrivener40:35 Repurposing cut content42:41 Australian pubs?43:20 On being an expert in ‘pubs’45:40 Future projects48:31 Philip’s writing tip52:17 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Everything you’ve always wanted to know about succeeding in the world of writing and publishing. Learn practical writing techniques, go behind-the-scenes and discover how real-life authors got their big break. Uncover the creative processes of writers who have made it. Your host is Valerie Khoo – author, journalist, creative and CEO of the Australian Writers’ Centre.
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