We started the year sharing a convo with Kate Horan and we've bookened with another! Well, almost, there's one more Writer's Talking episode coming next week as we farewell 2025.

This conversation with Kate, chatting about her sophomore novel (or is it...) and what she's learnt through the process of publishing again with her supportive team at HQ Australia. We unpacked some of the high-level (no spoilers!) plot drivers, how she approached her writing of this story, the patterns she's discovering and, what I really wanted her to share with listeners, the way she's approached 'platform building'...a message for both writers AND readers. We'll definitely be having Kate on the pod again soon!!

Get your hands on her new thriller, ON THE EDGE at the end of the month!!

Connect with Kate here:

https://www.katehoran.com/

https://www.instagram.com/kate_horan_author

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I was beyond excited to chat this week with A. Rushby (aka Allison Rushby), author of Slashed Beauties as I had the pleasure of receiving an early copy to review. Sold into mutliple markets and eagerly awaited, Allison's book was pitched as gothic feminist body horror. The concept itself was intriguing (but I'll let you hear directly from Allison about the genisis of the concept) and I was even more keen to dive into things with her about how she balances her disparate writerly projects.

As an author of more than 30 books, Allison's used mutliple pseudonyms and writes for every age and stage, from junior through adult fiction. She shared some absolute gold in terms of staying the writerly path, what to prioritise as a working author, how she manages her plotter process and so much more! If I could bold-type audio, I would in several sections of our convo as we are in staunch agreement about so many aspects of the creative and practical parts of the publishing journey. Please, if you're an author at any stage, this is the episode to listen to: for inspiration or motivation!!

Grab your copy of Slashed Beauties (in Australia, the US, UK and India) now!

Find out more about and connect with Allison here:

https://www.allisonrushby.com/

https://www.instagram.com/allisonrushbyauthor/

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This week's convo with Alina Bellchambers was fascinating! If you've been on social media or in bookshops in the past year (or more!), you'll KNOW that the love for Fantasty & Romantasy books has reached peak levels and I was lucky enough to be introduced to this bright new voice in the Australian market.

A prolific writer who was raised in her family's bookshop, Alina has had a connection to story for a long time and it shows! In our conversation, she shares her path from writing for herself and for escape to writing for an audience. As a self-confessed plotter, she talked about the balance of planning with creative discovery, how she immerses herself in story to stay connected to her characters and the worlds she builds in her fantasy series as well as the other genres that she loves.

If you've not yet picked up a copy of the first book in her compelling fantasy duology, The Order of Masks, get to it! And then grab the second book, The Weight of Crowns, that starts off with a bang and doesn't slow down.

Find out more about Alina here:

https://www.alinabellchambers.com/

https://www.instagram.com/alinabellwrites/

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