Rae Cairns is a former youth worker who has turned to a life of crime… writing. She is fascinated with how ordinary people manage when faced with extraordinary circumstances, and the lengths everyday characters will go when all they love is put at risk. She writes crime with heart; thriller
Meet Sarah Vaughan, author of Reputation and Anatomy of a Scandal, currently a hit on Netflix. How to prepare for your publicity campaign. And Anthony Trollope’s secret to writing. You can also win The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell. You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on
Their secrets can’t stay buried forever… This week’s giveaway book comes from British-based Lisa Jewell – the number one bestselling author of thrillers The Family Upstairs and Then She Was Gone. Her latest book is The Family Remains. Here’s a quick synopsis: LONDON. Early morning, June 2019 – on the
By Allison Tait. “Write as though no-one’s watching.” “Your first draft doesn’t need to be perfect.” “Your first draft is just you telling the story to yourself.” There’s a lot of information around about first drafts and how they can be messy embryos of a polished idea. What’s more difficult
Rashida Tayabali had always wanted to write, but had been discouraged from studying journalism at university. While working as a marketing coordinator, she decided her maternity leave would be the perfect opportunity to rediscover her old passion. Inspired by a colleague who had done courses at the Australian Writers’ Centre, Rashida enrolled in Freelance Writing Stage 1 – and immediately her life changed.
The best stories engage the reader – making you FEEL something. That emotion might involve being nervous for the fate of a character, angry at a detective missing a vital clue, sad at a loss, or rolling in fits of laughter. While most of these emotions must be earned through
Matthew Ryan Davies on his latest novel Things We Bury. How to make time to read. Jack Kerouac’s innovative writing method. And win copies of The Novel Project by Graeme Simsion. You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your
The no-drama novel writing method behind Graeme Simsion’s global bestsellers… This week’s giveaway book is from global bestselling author Graeme Simsion. Back in 2014, he created an instant hit with The Rosie Project – which spent 65 weeks on the New York Times Bestsellers list and spawned two sequels. In
By Allison Tait. If you are searching for writing tips, it doesn’t take long to discover that one of the (if not THE) top tips offered over and over is this one: “Read!” It makes sense, if you consider writing to be a “words in = words out” equation. The
Starting something new is always hard. But have you found that once you get going, it gets easier? Finding your first copywriting client is no different. Once you get that first job under your belt you’ll find it gets a whole lot easier. This episode is a little bit different
By Angela Slatter. To paraphrase Jane Austen (poorly), it is a truth universally acknowledged, that once you’ve got a publishing contract, you’ll have a book coming out every year! Right? Sorry, no. Wrong. You might be one of the fortunate few who do have this sort of regularity in their
In this week’s episode: Meet Kelly Rimmer, author of The German Wife. Her books have been translated into 25 languages and have sold over 2 million copies. She’s been in New York times bestseller and lives in the central west of new south Wales. Also, find out how to find
A horological history of human civilisation, told through twelve world-changing clocks… It’s about time we gave away a non-fiction book, so this week’s giveaway book is About Time by David Rooney – a timely tale about our creation and relationship with time itself. We have three copies to be won.
By Allison Tait. One of the most difficult pages to write in any book is the dedication. Sounds silly, right? By definition, a book dedication is a personal note from the author to someone of importance. At its simplest, a book dedication is no more than two words. For [insert
In this week’s episode: Meet Rebecca Lee, author of How Words Get Good: The Story of Making a Book. What is bionic reading? Where did ‘italics’ come from? And you could win your own copy of Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. You can listen to the episode below, on Apple
‘Mad Men’ didn’t turn scientists into unlikely TV stars. But if they did … This week’s giveaway book is Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Set in 1960s California, it introduces us to the unique and unforgettable Elizabeth Zott. We have three copies to be won. Here’s a quick synopsis:
By Allison Tait. When I wrote about rejection recently, I talked about the importance of my writing community and recommended that every writer gather like-minded souls around them, for the bad times and the good. “But how?” was the response I got. Like a bowerbird, I found my writing people
By Matthew Farmer. In part 1 of this article, I talked about WHY authors need to understand SEO to gain organic traffic to their websites. Now it is time to talk about the HOW. Understanding the ‘why’ without executing it is not helpful. SEO can be overwhelming when you see
Meet Rae Cairns, author of The Good Mother, on her journey from indie author to publishing sensation; the most important thing you can do when interviewing someone; where Agatha Christie got all her ideas; and win Anna by Amy Odell, about iconic editor Anna Wintour. You can listen to the
This week’s giveaway book is the newly published Anna by Amy Odell. This definitive biography of Anna Wintour follows the steep climb of an ambitious young woman who would—with singular and legendary focus—become one of the most powerful people in media. Here’s a quick synopsis: As a child, Anna Wintour
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