Stories Behind the Story with Better Reading

Three sisters disappear from a bridal shop at the foot of the pyramids. That’s where Tess Woods’ new novel, The Cairo Bridal Shop, begins. Tess joins Cheryl to talk about the very personal story behind the book, her Egyptian heritage, her beloved grandmother and the unexpected journey that took her from physiotherapy to bestselling author. The Cairo Bridal Shop is out now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yumna Kassab joins Cheryl Akle to talk about the stories, memories and sense of place behind her new book. Yumna shares how growing up Lebanese-Australian in Parramatta shaped her writing, her unusual path from studying science and teaching to becoming an acclaimed author, and how a short story competition led to her first book, The House of Youssef. She also talks about her unique writing process and why she captures her ideas by hand in notebooks. Her new book, Parramatta, a Dictionary of Place and Memory, is out now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first episode of Everyone Has a Story, Sivine Tabbouch tells Cheryl the extraordinary story of her mother, Amina, who raised 15 children.
Amina’s life was shaped by family, love, loss and extraordinary strength. As she grew older and her health declined, Sivine became her carer and found new ways to communicate with her mother.
But the story takes an unexpected turn after Amina’s death, when two baby girls who weren’t her own came to be buried beside her. Listen to find out how...
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From the archives: Christian White talks to Cheryl about how personal experiences, especially fatherhood and ageing, influence his writing, the differences between crafting novels and screenplays, and the importance of trusting readers to engage actively with his stories.
If you haven’t read The Ledge yet, add it to your TBR on the What Are You Reading app.
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From the archives: Karen Brooks talks to Cheryl about her family-run brewery in Hobart, the influence of feminism on her writing, how she approaches research for her historical fiction, her connection to fantasy stories and what lies ahead in her writing journey.

If you haven’t read The Whisky Widow yet, add it to your TBR on the What Are You Reading app.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.