If there were ever a decade that evoked such a strong emotional resonance, the 1980s would surely be it! Author Tegan Bennett Daylight channels this in her new time-travelling YA novel, How to Survive 1985, in all its neon-coloured, acid-washed glory, and in this episode, she shares her experience bringing that time period to life and some tips for aspiring writers.

00:00 Welcome
06:52 Writing tip: Grounding details in world-building
09:31 WIN!: The Gifts of Reading for the Next Generation edited by Jennie Orchard
11:20 Word of the week: ‘Noisome’
13:22 Writer in residence: Tegan Bennett Daylight
14:18 Describing her book How to Survive 1985
17:13 Research vs lived experience of the time period
20:00 Why 1985?
21:59 Writing about motherhood now and then
25:51 Navigating the publishing world
26:33 Early writing experiences
28:14 Tegan’s first children’s book
29:42 Challenges and successes in writing
31:49 The reality of being a writer and inspiring new writers
36:25 The appeal of writing for young adults
40:43 Tegan’s writing routine
43:10 An easy early morning tip for writers
44:38 Engaging with the writing community
45:45 Upcoming projects
47:40 Writing tip and the Spotify playlist
50:17 Final thoughts

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Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com

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Would YOU do anything to protect your 18-year-old child? That’s core to the premise behind AWC graduate Alex Dook’s outback thriller novel, Gunpowder Creek – and in this episode, he shares the milestones and research that led to this latest successful book.

00:00 Welcome
07:12 Writing tip: Turn jealousy into inspiration
13:11 WIN!: The Occupation by Chloe Adams
14:56 Word of the week: ‘Cynosure’
18:34 The world of words: ‘Bated vs baited’
19:59 Writer in residence: Alex Dook
20:38 Describing his debut book, Gunpowder Creek
22:15 Alex’s writing history
25:30 The reason to keep persisting
27:10 The pitching process
29:33 The invisible threshold of becoming published
31:00 Editing and polishing tip
32:08 Advice for aspiring writers
33:54 Using AWC’s‘Anatomy of a Crime course
36:44 Research road tripping
38:00 Discovering the titular Gunpowder Creek town
42:40 Alex’s writing process
46:20 The second book experience
48:30 Alex’s book recommendation
49:34 Thoughts on persistence and passion
51:06 Final thoughts

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Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook
Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com

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We’ve all been to a pub. They’re places to meet friends, meet lovers, to celebrate, commiserate and even do weekly trivia. But do you REALLY know pubs? This is the question author Philip Howell poses and attempts to answer in his latest book, the aptly named Pub. Philip joins us to discuss the inspiration for this book, the pitching process, researching topics and his overwhelming love of one particular app!

00:00 Welcome
05:12 Writing tip: Night-time whiteboards
07:49 WIN!: The Butterfly Thief by Walter Marsh
10:09 Word of the week: ‘Vexillology’
12:10 Writer in residence: Philip Howell
12:55 Describing ‘Pub’ as a concept and book
14:00 History vs Geography in this book
15:33 Inspirations for writing this book
19:06 The pitching process
21:53 The structure of the book
23:30 Choosing what to leave out
28:05 Range of writing topics and side hustles
30:42 The social dynamics of pubs
32:52 Writing popular geography vs academic
34:49 Research methods and tools
36:53 The importance of readability in writing
37:21 Love of Scrivener
40:35 Repurposing cut content
42:41 Australian pubs?
43:20 On being an expert in ‘pubs’
45:40 Future projects
48:31 Philip’s writing tip
52:17 Final thoughts

Read the show notes

Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook
Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.