Send us a text

This episode unravels the secrets to successful pitching in the literary world, highlighting the importance of research, personalized query letters, and effective summarization. Amra offers practical advice for writers, from perfecting elevator pitches to navigating freelance writing opportunities and securing media attention.

• Exploring the significance of query letters in pitching
• Tips for crafting an effective elevator pitch
• The role of a one-page synopsis in storytelling
• Building confidence for freelance writing through pitched articles
• Importance of media attention and strategizing outreach
• Pitching writing workshops to build credibility and presence

Welcome to Amra’s Armchair Anecdotes! I’m Amra Pajalić—writer, teacher, and storyteller. Pull up a chair, and let’s dive into stories about writing, life, and lessons learned—sharing wisdom from my armchair to yours.

Episodes are posted every second Monday.

You can subscribe on your favourite podcast app including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PodcastIndex, YouTube, or RSS, all directories

Episode show notes are transcripts at https://www.amrapajalic.com/podcast.html

Send us a text

Melbourne-based artist Lukas Kasper shares his journey from skateboarding graffiti artist to internationally recognized muralist working across Australia, North America and Southeast Asia. His evolution from painting monsters to creating works exploring mental health, environmental awareness and our relationship with animals reveals how creative practices change and grow over time.

• Beginning his art career through graffiti and skateboarding culture while finding community and validation
• Taking initiative by approaching cafes and bars to host art shows when formal gallery access wasn't available
• Adapting artistic style to different contexts while maintaining integrity across commercial work
• Balancing commissioned projects with personal vision when working with councils and brands
• Starting teaching at 17 and continuing community engagement through school workshops and YouTube tutorials
• Creating a YouTube channel to share spray paint techniques and document artistic journey
• Participating in international residencies including recent work in Mongolia and China
• Experiencing a pivotal six-month residency in Wodonga that transformed his career trajectory
• Finding motivation and building networks as keys to sustainable artistic practice
• Managing the mental and financial challenges of being a full-time working artist

Welcome to Amra’s Armchair Anecdotes! I’m Amra Pajalić—writer, teacher, and storyteller. Pull up a chair, and let’s dive into stories about writing, life, and lessons learned—sharing wisdom from my armchair to yours.

Episodes are posted every second Monday.

You can subscribe on your favourite podcast app including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PodcastIndex, YouTube, or RSS, all directories

Episode show notes are transcripts at https://www.amrapajalic.com/podcast.html

Send us a text

Lee Agius shares her journey from sculptor to art therapist, revealing how chance encounters and supportive mentors helped her discover her creative path despite early educational challenges as a neurodivergent learner.

• Becoming a sculptor after a chance comment about her expressive hands during her travels in her early 20s
• Art school experience highlighting the difference between creativity for expression versus creativity for external validation
• Late diagnosis of dyslexia and ADHD providing clarity and compassion for her younger self
• Creating Artful Warrior Mental Health Therapy Service to provide accessible art therapy
• Balancing multiple roles and projects as a business owner with neurodivergent needs
• Navigating perimenopause and menopause challenges while questioning why women aren't more prepared
• Finding clarity and self-acceptance in post-menopausal life
• The transformative power of arts allowing her to progress from being unable to write essays to earning a master's degree with 98%

Visit amrapajalic.com/podcast for episode handouts and guides.

Welcome to Amra’s Armchair Anecdotes! I’m Amra Pajalić—writer, teacher, and storyteller. Pull up a chair, and let’s dive into stories about writing, life, and lessons learned—sharing wisdom from my armchair to yours.

Episodes are posted every second Monday.

You can subscribe on your favourite podcast app including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PodcastIndex, YouTube, or RSS, all directories

Episode show notes are transcripts at https://www.amrapajalic.com/podcast.html

Send us a text

We explore how to market your book effectively without compromising your values or feeling overwhelmed. This episode offers practical strategies from metadata optimisation to social media marketing that work for both indie and traditionally published authors.

• Marketing is about connecting your story with readers who need it most
• Prepare comprehensive metadata including keywords, descriptions, and retail links
• Create titles and covers that meet genre expectations rather than trying to stand out
• Develop multiple versions of your blurb from one-sentence to full description
• Make a dedicated book page on your website with downloadable media kit materials
• Use universal purchase links for all promotions rather than favoring one retailer
• Create evergreen social media content that can be regularly recycled
• Design a unique hashtag for your book or series to build brand recognition
• Build an advanced reader team through platforms like NetGalley or your own list
• Focus on marketing activities you genuinely enjoy and can sustain long-term

You can download my metadata template from my website to help prepare your book for publication. Remember, marketing is a marathon, not a sprint - find what works for you and keep connecting with readers who will appreciate your stories.

Welcome to Amra’s Armchair Anecdotes! I’m Amra Pajalić—writer, teacher, and storyteller. Pull up a chair, and let’s dive into stories about writing, life, and lessons learned—sharing wisdom from my armchair to yours.

Episodes are posted every second Monday.

You can subscribe on your favourite podcast app including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PodcastIndex, YouTube, or RSS, all directories

Episode show notes are transcripts at https://www.amrapajalic.com/podcast.html

Send us a text

Amra shares her personal journey from childhood reader to award-winning author, exploring how she discovered her authentic voice after years of commercial detours and rejections.

• Growing up as an avid reader who found escapism and hope in books
• Finding early success with a fiery article about racism and injustice
• Navigating the traditional publishing world with a literary novel
• Detour into romance writing that ended in disappointment
• Life-changing advice: "Write something no one else can write"
• Writing a memoir about her mother's mental illness and migrant experience
• Discovering her strength in using personal stories to find universal truths
• Current focus on crime fiction that incorporates human rights advocacy
• Learning that authentic writing is more fulfilling than chasing commercial success
• Embracing evolution as a natural part of the writing journey

I'd love to hear about crossroads you're facing in your writing journey and what you're struggling with. Let me know if there are specific topics you'd like me to address in future episodes. You can find show notes and a special handout at amrapayalich.com/podcast. Keep writing and remember that your story matters.

Welcome to Amra’s Armchair Anecdotes! I’m Amra Pajalić—writer, teacher, and storyteller. Pull up a chair, and let’s dive into stories about writing, life, and lessons learned—sharing wisdom from my armchair to yours.

Episodes are posted every second Monday.

You can subscribe on your favourite podcast app including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PodcastIndex, YouTube, or RSS, all directories

Episode show notes are transcripts at https://www.amrapajalic.com/podcast.html

Send us a text

Today I talk to my best friend, Veronica Ho and as two longtime friends we trace a candid path from quiet teen years to midlife strength, exploring how weightlifting became therapy, why boundaries matter, and how perimenopause reshapes health goals. We share the unglamorous prep, the cost, the mindset shifts, and the power of saying no.

• early body image and being a confidant
• why lifting started and what changed
• training stats, body composition, and safety
• food prep, budgets, and time protection
• stage experiences and doing it in her forties
• attention, projection, and dressing for self
• gym as therapy and routine under stress
• perimenopause, bone health, and recovery
• realistic goals, reasons why, and setbacks
• boundaries that signal commitment to self

Subscribe and follow for more inside stories and inspiration

Welcome to Amra’s Armchair Anecdotes! I’m Amra Pajalić—writer, teacher, and storyteller. Pull up a chair, and let’s dive into stories about writing, life, and lessons learned—sharing wisdom from my armchair to yours.

Episodes are posted every second Monday.

You can subscribe on your favourite podcast app including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PodcastIndex, YouTube, or RSS, all directories

Episode show notes are transcripts at https://www.amrapajalic.com/podcast.html

Send us a text

Two award-winning authors discuss the transformative journey from rejection to publication and how fantasy fiction creates space to process real-world challenges.

• Demet shares her decade-long journey to publication through "process, perspective, perseverance, and practice"
• Co-editing "Growing Up Muslim in Australia" helped transform Demet's writing style
• "Blood Moon Bride" explores themes of oppression and resistance through fantasy
• Writing fantasy provided therapeutic distance during postpartum anxiety
• Storytelling carries inheritances through generations, echoing ancestral experiences
• Each generation of women in Demet's family pushed boundaries for the next
• The importance of raising children with intentional language around gender roles
• Perseverance as the key difference between published and unpublished writers
• Self-belief as the foundation for creative success
• We are "always coming of age" throughout our lives, constantly evolving

If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to subscribe and follow for more insights, stories, and inspiration. From my armchair to yours, remember every story begins with a single word.

Welcome to Amra’s Armchair Anecdotes! I’m Amra Pajalić—writer, teacher, and storyteller. Pull up a chair, and let’s dive into stories about writing, life, and lessons learned—sharing wisdom from my armchair to yours.

Episodes are posted every second Monday.

You can subscribe on your favourite podcast app including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PodcastIndex, YouTube, or RSS, all directories

Episode show notes are transcripts at https://www.amrapajalic.com/podcast.html

Send us a text

Writer Fikret Pajalic shares his journey from Bosnian refugee to published author, exploring how personal trauma became award-winning fiction through determination and craft. His short story collection "Complication" draws on refugee experiences, cross-cultural challenges, and unexpected connections.

• Began writing as therapy for PTSD after arriving in Australia as a refugee in 1994
• Developed a "revolving door submissions" strategy, persisting through multiple rejections
• Published in prestigious literary journals including Meanjin, Overland, and international magazines
• Named his collection "Complication" after watchmaking terminology, reflecting life's complexities
• Stories explore themes of refugee experiences, western suburbs life, racism, and cultural displacement
• Animals appear as recurring motifs throughout his stories
• Received grants from Creative Victoria (2014) and Australia Council (2015)
• Balance between staying true to artistic vision while being open to editorial guidance
• Writing process involves transforming both personal experiences and stories from his community
• Continues to navigate the residual mental health impacts of refugee experiences

Find the episode show notes, free episode handouts and how-to guides at amrapajalic.com/podcast.

Welcome to Amra’s Armchair Anecdotes! I’m Amra Pajalić—writer, teacher, and storyteller. Pull up a chair, and let’s dive into stories about writing, life, and lessons learned—sharing wisdom from my armchair to yours.

Episodes are posted every second Monday.

You can subscribe on your favourite podcast app including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PodcastIndex, YouTube, or RSS, all directories

Episode show notes are transcripts at https://www.amrapajalic.com/podcast.html