Writes4Women

Pamela Cook shares a Rewind episode of Writes4Women featuring novelist Sarah Winman discussing her 2021 novel Still Life, alongside Winman’s background from acting to writing and her earlier books When God Was a Rabbit, A Year of Marvelous Ways, and Tin Man.
Winman describes how she began writing through adult education classes, found an agent, and learned to trust creative instinct. She outlines Still Life as a four-decade story beginning with a 1944 meeting in Tuscany between art historian Evelyn Skinner and soldier/globe maker Ulysses Temper, later exploring postwar London, Florence, found family, art, beauty, class, love, and unity.
Inspiration came from learning about Florence’s 1966 flood and the “mud angels,” with Brexit influencing her “joy as resistance” tone. She details researching as needed, writing nonlinearly through many drafts, using ensemble viewpoints, and receiving crucial art guidance from Florentine art historian Stella Rudolph, and offers writing advice on finishing drafts, careful feedback, rereading great writers, and accepting doubt.

SHOW NOTES:
Writes4Women
www.writes4women.com
Facebook @writes4women
Twitter / Instagram @w4wpodcast

Sarah Winman
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Pamela Cook
www.pamelacook.com.au
Facebook: click here
Twitter: click here
Instagram: click here

This episode produced by Pamela Cook for Writes4Women on unceded Dharawal country.



Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/writes4women?fan_landing=true
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pamela Cook introduces a Writes for Women Rewind episode featuring award-winning Victorian author Favel Parrett discussing her novel There Was Still Love, inspired by family memories and set across Czechoslovakia and Australia from 1938–1981.
Parrett explains her “simple on the page, layered underneath” style built through extensive drafting (often 15 drafts per scene), using memory as non-linear snapshots, and writing in a child’s voice to preserve gaps and subtext.
The conversation covers dialogue that relies on silence and mood, weaving motifs like suitcases and food, creating embodied emotion, the intensity of a reclusive routine while writing, and Parrett’s four writing tips: focus on the work first, believe it’s possible, seek feedback at the right time, and read.

SHOW NOTES:
Writes4Women
www.writes4women.com
Facebook @writes4women
Instagram @w4wpodcast

Favel Parrett
https://www.favelparrett.com.au

Hachette Publishing "There Was Still Love"
https://www.hachette.com.au/favel-parrett/there-was-still-love

Pamela Cook
www.pamelacook.com.au
Facebook @pamelacookauthor
Instagram @pamelacookwrites




Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/writes4women?fan_landing=true
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Writes4Women host Pamela Cook introduces a special “Rewind” edition of the Writes for Women podcast, featuring an interview with author and editor Kim Kelly.
Kim discusses realizing she was a writer as a child, her path into publishing, and how working in the industry helped her confidence and writing. She explains her approach to historical fiction—drawing inspiration from family stories and research—often beginning with character voice, then deepening research during drafting and revision. Kim talks about all aspects of writing, from inspiration to imposter syndrome, to creating, drafting and revising a story, making this the perfect episode to kick off the Rewind series.

SHOW NOTES:
Writes4Women
www.writes4women.com
Facebook @writes4women
Twitter / Instagram @w4wpodcast
Kim Kelly
https://kimkellyauthor.com
Facebook @KimKellyAuthor
Instagram @KimKellyAuthor
Pamela Cook
www.pamelacook.com.au
Facebook @pamelacookauthor
Twitter @PamelaCookAU
Instagram @pamelacookwrites

Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/writes4women?fan_landing=true
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Pamela Cook interviews crime writer Kate Horan, to chat about Kate's latest release, 'On the Edge,' a compelling thriller.
On the agenda is Kate's journey to becoming a writer, her experience with the Faber Academy course, and the mentorship she received from Katherine Heyman. Kate shares the inspiration behind 'The Inheritance,' her debut novel, and the complexities of returning to an earlier manuscript for 'On the Edge.' The episode also touches on the structural and character development processes, the challenges of writing, and the significance of small-town settings.
Pam also important news regarding the podcast in 2026.
1:27 Pamela's Writing and Podcast News
05:59 Substack Community and Subscriber Benefits
13:30 Kate Horan's Writing Journey
23:58 The Inheritance: Inspiration and Success
27:22 On the Edge: Themes and Storyline
29:43 Elevator Pitch for the Mystery Novel
31:12 Inspiration Behind the Story
33:09 Writing Process and Character Development
34:52 Challenges and Revisions
40:56 Small Town Setting and Its Importance
44:32 Character Development Techniques
48:00 Balancing Writing with Life
48:52 Promotion and Marketing Strategies
51:52 Final Thoughts and Upcoming Events
SHOW NOTES:
Writes4Women
www.writes4women.com
Facebook @writes4women
Substack: https://writes4women.substack.com/

Kate Horan
Website: click here
Instagram: click here

Pamela Cook
www.pamelacook.com.au
Facebook: click here
Twitter: click here
Instagram: click here

This episode produced by Pamela Cook for Writes4Women on unceded Dharawal Country.





Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/writes4women?fan_landing=true
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

OUT NOW — New Episode!
Host PMELA COOK sits down with author KATHARINE POLLOCK for a smart, candid and joyfully nerdy conversation about creativity, fandom, rejection, resilience and the winding road to publication — from PhD manuscript to debut, and now her latest novel Starry-Eyed. They dive into writing craft, comedy, character development, confidence, comparison, and surviving the emotional rollercoaster of the publishing world, with warmth, wit and honesty for writers at any stage of the journey.
#writes4women #writingpodcast #australianauthors #femalewriters #booklaunch #authorslife #amwriting #writingcommunity #fictionwriters #booksbooksbooks
Timestamps:
[00:00] Finding creative community & weathering rejection
[01:59] Early writing memories & first sparks
[04:52] Studying writing — Honours to PhD
[07:02] Turning academic work into a debut novel
[16:00] From manuscript to Penguin Random House
[21:36] Writing Starry-Eyed: fandom, obsession & humour
[30:11] Craft, character growth & mother-daughter complexity
[40:14] Publication, promotion & lessons learned
[41:45] A new book in the works — nearly 60K words in
SHOW NOTES:
Writes4Women
www.writes4women.com
Facebook @writes4women
Substack: https://writes4women.substack.com/

Katherine Pollock
Website: click here
Instagram: click here

Pamela Cook
www.pamelacook.com.au
Facebook: click here
Twitter: click here
Instagram: click here

This episode produced by Pamela Cook for Writes4Women on unceded Dharawal Country.





Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/writes4women?fan_landing=true
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.