Talking Aussie Books

Alexandra Almond is a Melbourne-based author who, before turning her hand to writing, worked in a variety of roles - which included being a stable hand and a clown! Her debut novel, 'Thoroughly Disenchanted', was recently published by HarperCollins Australia. And what a delightful, romantic - and despite its title - enchanting novel it is. It’s about 4 friends, a cursed country house and a weekend away that stretched over a hundred years. An example of the romantasy genre (albeit cosy romantasy) that is currently taking the publishing world by storm. I was delighted to have the chance to speak with Alexandra about her novel and journey to publication on the podcast earlier this month. 

'The Last Love Note' written by Canberra-based author Emma Grey was one of my most memorable reads for 2023 - a book that Emma wrote in the wake of her husband’s sudden death. It’s been incredibly successful both in Australia and NZ (selling more than 100,000 copies so far) and it was also picked up in the US and was selected for Book of the Month and Target’s book club.   Having said all that, it may surprise you to learn that this was Emma debut novel for adults.  Earlier last month, Emma’s second adult novel ‘Pictures of You’ was published by Penguin Random House Australia and Zibby Owens Publishing in the US.  And as a testament to the incredible readership Emma has garnered already both here and in the US, 'Pictures of You' has already gone into a second print run in Australia and it’s hit the USA Today bestseller’s list! Now if that doesn’t make you want to run out and find yourself a copy, then perhaps listening to Emma herself talk about the book and her inspiration behind this incredible new story will.  I was absolutely THRILLED to welcome Emma to the podcast recently.

'Immortal Dark' (Hachette Australia) by Tigest Girma heralds a new and exciting era of vampire fiction. As a debut it is a remarkable, fresh, rich and clever reimagining of a tale as old as time. An Ethiopian writer based in Melbourne, Tigest is passionate about exploring East-African stories and myths - weaving them with dark and fantastical themes. 'Immortal Dark' is 'Twilight' meets older 'Harry Potter' and 'A Discovery of Witches' all rolled into one utterly compulsive read. I was delighted to welcome Tigest to the podcast recently to chat about her sensational debut.

Sydney-based Joanne Fedler is an international bestselling author of 15 books. A writing mentor, women's activist and keen ocean swimmer, Joanne's books have sold over 750,000 copies worldwide. Earlier this year, Joanne's new novel 'The Whale's Last Song' was released by HarperCollins Australia. And what a beautiful, magical and portentous book it is. So much so, I knew I had to speak with Joanne about it for the podcast. Tune in to this wonderful, uplifting chat with a truly talented writer.