Interviews

Interview: Katherine Allum on mutton bustin’ and Mormons in her debut novel, The Skeleton House

Katherine Allum‘s debut novel was released in May after winning the 2023 Fogarty Literary Award last year. The Skeleton House is the story of Meg, a young woman living in a tight-knit Mormon community in a small American town outside Las Vegas, Nevada. Meg lives with her husband and two children in a caravan when…

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Interview: Kate Kruimink on her new novel Heartsease, “I don’t think you can get away from yourself as a writer. I think you give yourself away.”

I recently spoke to Kat Kruimink about her brand new novel, Heartsease, a complicated book about familial ties, friendships, flowers, grief, trauma, memory, ghosts, and sisterly love. You can read my review of the book HERE, and read on for our interview! Hi Kate, thank you so much for taking time out of your day…

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Ziggy Alberts talks inspiration, poetry and his latest collection sun memos

Last month saw Australian musician and writer Ziggy Alberts release sun memos, his second collection of poetry. The collection, was self-published, through his family founded independent imprint Commonfolk Publishing. It follows the release of Alberts’s first collection brainwaves, which was released in 2021. As you would expect from someone who has made a name from…

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Translating a 100 year-old Japanese Master – an interview with Ryan Choi

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa inspired Murakami and Kurosawa, but what’s it like reading his work today? The Akutagawa Prize is one of Japan’s most prestigious literary prizes. Kurosawa’s beloved 1950 film Rashomon, was inspired by Akutagawa stories, and Haruki Murakami counts him as a favourite. But what would today’s readers think? And what about translating it? Ryan…

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“I wanted to hear her story in her own voice”: Morgan Is My Name author Sophie Keetch on Arthurian legend, Monty Python, and women with a dark side

Earlier this year, author Sophie Keetch released her debut novel Morgan Is My Name. A stunning retelling of Arthurian villainess Morgan Le Fay, Morgan Is My Name follows her as she fights for independence against the machinations of men, kings, and sorcerers. We sat down with Sophie to find out a little more about the…

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“If you take out the hero, you better take out the villain” Vanessa Len on her new book Never a Hero

Vanessa Len is a bestselling Australian author and educational editor, who has worked on everything from language learning programs to STEM resources, to professional learning for teachers. She took time out of her busy schedule to chat with Jess Gately about her writing process, book boxes and her new book Never a Hero. So, first of…

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Roanna McClelland

Aussie Indie Artists: Roanna McClelland talks The Comforting Weight of Water

Aussie Indie Artists is a series of interviews with lesser known Aussie creators across all forms and fields. The goal is to share exciting new works, find new angles towards the art, and peek behind the scenes. The Comforting Weight of Water is a spec-fic, coming-of-age story in a world of endless rain. Tools have…

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Nadiya

Interview: “The oven is a great bit of kit that I feel we can use so much more.” Nadiya Hussain talks about her new cookbook Nadiya’s Everyday Baking

One of Britain’s most beloved bakers — and someone who lights up our screens regularly here in Australia — Nadiya Hussain, has another cookbook coming out, Nadiya’s Everyday Baking. The 2015 Great British Bake Off winner infuses her new cookbook with the usual trademark shortcuts while encouraging home bakers to use their oven every day…

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Dawnlands

“History is often more remarkable than anything I could make up”: Philippa Gregory talks about the Fairmile series and her new book Dawnlands

Philippa Gregory, best known for her worldwide hits The Other Boleyn Girl and The White Queen is a recognised authority on women’s history. With a slew of awards and recognitions for her contributions to literature, including a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2020, her latest saga, The Fairmile Series, spans the years of 1648-1685. The…

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Holden Sheppard

Interview: “I’m doing what I want from now on” Holden Sheppard on what inspired his new book The Brink

Holden Sheppard is the award-winning author of Invisible Boys (Fremantle Press, 2019), which was published to both critical and commercial success. It won the WA Premier’s Prize for an Emerging Writer, was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards and was named a Notable Book by the Children’s Book Council of Australia. Invisible Boys is…

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Wild Dogs

“The way it feels, the way it smells, and the way it sounds”: Michael Trant talks about his new thriller Wild Dogs

Michael Trant is a WA country boy who now resides in Perth after a variety of careers ranging from farmer, marine draftsman, pastoralist, and FIFO pot washer. He writes with an authentic rural voice, drawing on his experiences to open readers to places and lifestyles foreign to many. Trent is passionate about farming, writing and…

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Interview: Nat’s What I Reckon talks rock ‘n’ roll, trivia and his latest book Death to Jar Sauce

Since exploding over the internet with his isolation cooking videos in early 2020, Sydney comedian, musician, YouTuber and now award-winning, bestselling author Nat’s What I Reckon has been riding the wave of success with style. The swearing tattooed rocker has been creating content for almost a decade, uploading tongue-in-cheek criticisms of cultural norms and societal…

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Interview: TV Personality and Expert Foodie, Matt Preston, Discusses His New Cookbook Matt Preston’s World of Flavour

Australia’s king of cravats and statement suits, Matt Preston, doesn’t just spend his time as a charismatic television personality and food journalist, he has also written a string of bestselling cookbooks – and we spoke to him about the release of his latest: Matt Preston’s World of Flavour. Have you ever felt bitter that New…

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Tony Birch

“Whatever you’re writing about, the story has to work. It has to be a good story.”: Author Tony Birch talks about his latest collection Dark As Last Night

Professor Tony Birch is the bestselling and award-winning Australian author of The White Girl, Ghost River, Blood, Shadowboxing, Father’s Day, The Promise and Common People. In 2017 he was awarded the Patrick White Literary Award. An activist, historian and essayist, Birch’s latest short story collection Dark As Last Night was released by the University of Queensland Press in August 2021. We caught up…

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Author Interview: Helen Scheuerer on A Lair of Bones, second series jitters, and building her very own fantasy universe

It’s been a little over a year since Helen Scheuerer officially closed out The Oremere Chronicles with short story collection Dawn of Mist. Now, the indie author is prepping for the launch of an all new dark fantasy series, Curse of the Cyren Queen. It all kicks off on July 15th with A Lair of…

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Un-Cook Yourself

Interview: Nat’s What I Reckon on Un-cook Yourself: A Ratbag’s Rules For Life, stand up comedy and his bucket list

Nat’s What I Reckon has had a massive year, even by his own reckoning, “2020 is a hard year to beat.” He wowed the world with his frank take on bottled pasta sauce, toured his sold-out stand up show, spoke at BIGSOUND and hosted Rage on the ABC. And, now he’s adding author to his…

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Interview: Julia Busuttil Nishimura releases second cookbook, A Year of Simple Family Food

Renowned for her culinary online platform, Ostro, Julia Busuttil Nishimura returns with her latest book, A Year of Simple Family Food. Her debut cookbook, Ostro, was released in 2017 and was short-listed for the 2018 ABIA ‘Illustrated Book of the Year’ and named in Gourmet Traveller’s ‘Best Food Books. Not only is she a celebrated…

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The Changing Investor Landscape: An Interview with Robert Kiyosaki

In the past few years, there has been a river of intrigue surrounding financial freedom flowing through Australia. More and more people are interested in breaking out of the debt cycle, building their wealth and securing their financial futures. One of the most common books people turn to in getting started is Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad,…

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Kathleen Jennings

Interview: Author Kathleen Jennings on Flyaway, the Aussie landscape, and the intersection of picture and prose

It’s been a week or so since Kathleen Jennings released her debut novella Flyaway into the world. You can read our review of the book here! We caught up with the Brisbane based writer and illustrator to chat about the release of Flyaway! First of all, can you tell us a little about Flyaway? What’s it…

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Interview: MasterChef’s Khanh Ong talks debut cookbook A Gay Guy’s Guide to Life, Love and Food

Masterchef contestant and beloved fan favourite, Khanh Ong has released his debut cookbook, A Gay Guy’s Guide to Life, Love and Food. After competing in the 2018 series and returning a second time this year for ‘MasterChef Australia: Back To Win’, he is ecstatic to release an innovative cookbook that showcases his vibrant personality. Rather…

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Interview: Author Helen Scheuerer gives us the lowdown on forthcoming prequel collection Dawn of Mist

Soon readers will once more be able to explore the realm of Ellest, in Helen Scheuerer’s prequel collection Dawn of Mist. The anthology reveals more about key characters in The Oremere Chronicles, bringing together sixteen short stories in one volume. Ahead of the book’s release on April 16th, we caught up with Helen to chat…

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The Ninth Sorceress

Interview: Author Bonnie Wynne takes us through debut novel The Ninth Sorceress

There’s just a few weeks to go until the release of The Ninth Sorceress, the debut novel from author Bonnie Wynne. We were lucky enough to grab five minutes with her in the (very busy) run up to release day! First of all, can you tell us what The Ninth Sorceress is all about? (No…

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Interview: Betoota Advocate‘s Clancy Overell “We really want to do an Israel Folau The Musical”

It’s only been a week since Aussie satire newspaper The Betoota Advocate launched their second book, How Good’s Australia, and the team are already about to restock their copies – which can be bought through the website, as editor Clancy Overell has been quick to remind me. More than just a stocking filler for the Christmas – or, as Overall…

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Interview: Maria V. Snyder talks Terracotta Warriors, writing routines, and Criminal Minds.

Science fiction and fantasy writer Maria V. Snyder dropped not one, but TWO books this year – Chasing the Shadows, the second in the Sentinels of the Galaxy series, and the (currently) Australia-only The Eyes of Tamburah! We were lucky enough to grab five minutes with the prolific author to chat about her latest work! Let’s…

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Interview: Debut author Bronwyn Eley gives us the lowdown on her upcoming YA fantasy, Relic

With just a few short weeks until her debut YA fantasy hits bookstores, we were lucky enough to grab five minutes with Sydney author Bronwyn Eley, to chat about trilogy opener Relic, her writing process, and her ever growing TBR pile!   First things first – can you tell us a little bit about Relic and Kaylan,…

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Interview: Dyschronia author Jennifer Mills on the climate emergency, Ancient Greek oracles, and her Miles Franklin nomination

The Miles Franklin Literary Award will be announced later today, and we’re slipping one last nominee interview in before the big reveal! This time, we’re chatting to Jennifer Mills, author of Dyschronia! Congratulations on making the Miles Franklin shortlist! What was it like to hear the news? Thank you! It was and is wonderful: to feel…

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Interview: Miles Franklin nominee Gregory Day talks A Sand Archive, local inspiration, and bookish discoveries

We’re continuing our series of interviews with Miles Franklin nominees! With the winner announcement just around the corner, it’s now the the turn of Gregory Day, author of A Sand Archive! Congratulations on making the Miles Franklin shortlist! What was it like to hear the news? As you might imagine it felt satisfying for my work…

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Interview: Author Rodney Hall on The Stolen Season and his 2019 Miles Franklin nomination

Author Rodney Hall is a two time Miles Franklin winner, and his latest book, A Stolen Season, has seen him snap up a third nomination this year. We caught up with him for a quickfire interview, ahead of the announcement of the winner next week! First of all, congratulations on the nomination! What was it…

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Interview: Michael Mohammed Ahmad talks The Lebs ahead of the Miles Franklin award announcement

Michael Mohammed Ahmad is an Arab-Australian writer, editor and teacher. He is also the founder and director of Sweatshop, a literary arts collective based in Western Sydney that helps develop work by culturally diverse writers. He is also the award winning author of The Tribe and his most recent work, The Lebs, which has been…

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Interview: Author Helen Scheuerer talks closing out The Oremere Chronicles, lessons learned, and new adventures

Author Helen Scheuerer is just a couple of weeks away from wrapping up her Amazon best selling series The Oremere Chronicles. With War of Mist due out on July 25th, we caught up with her to find out as much as we could about the epic finale! So, we’re just a few weeks out from the…

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