Words and Nerds: Authors, books and literature.

Dani and Vee and Mary Anastasiou, with their multiple hats in the publishing industry share their experiences about Marketing, Publicity and Social Media.

When should promotion of your book begin?
What is your personal brand and why is it important?
How to grow your social media page using hashtags and other tools.
Why we need to support one another.
How to deal with rejection and when it feels personal.
Common mistakes made by. aspiring authors and self-published authors

LISTEN NOW!

Date with a Debut is a podcast hosted by writer Nick Wasiliev: shining a light on debut authors, their incredible books, and their journeys to publication.

In our 12th episode of series four, Nick chats with Jane R. Miles about her incredible thriller, Stay Buried.

Enjoy the show? Drop us a review, it really helps the show out!

You can also subscribe to our new monthly newsletter, and get access to exclusive show Second Date: https://nickwasiliev.substack.com/

Sign up to the free Instagram Date with a Debut Writing/Reading Crew: https://bit.ly/4pyCx9u

Check out our brand new podcast website: https://dwad.podpixels.com/

Check out the 2026 sponsor of the podcast, Pod Pixels: https://bit.ly/4cbG1Zt

Subscribe on Podbean to never miss an episode: https://www.podbean.com/site/podcatcher/index/blog/3mRME5IMoSJx
Date with a Debut is featured as part of the Australian literary platform Words & Nerds. Check out all shows on the platform here: https://danivee.com.au/podcasts/
BOOKS:

Debut:
Stay Buried / Jane R. Miles: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/MK26qq

Additional books mentioned:
Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life / Ruth Franklin: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/L0rmVM
Year of Wonders / Geraldine Brooks: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/rEbDZv
Frankenstein / Mary Shelley: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/PzkVXe
Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volumes 1 & 2 / Julia Child: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/L0rmba
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit / Jeanette Winterson: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/9VQz5e
The Killer Inside Me / Jim Thompson: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/PzkV36
Your Favorite Scary Movie / Ashley Cullins: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/enBEVg
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel / Jessica Brody: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/GbqVzE

PRODUCTION NOTES:

Host: Nick Wasiliev
Guest: Jane R. Miles
Editing & Production: Nick Wasiliev
Podcast Theme: ‘Chill’ by Sakura Hz
Production Code: 4.12
Episode Number: #70
Additional Credits: Dani Vee (Words & Nerds), HQ/HarperCollins Australia
FOLLOW NICK WASILIEV (+ DATE WITH A DEBUT):
A LITTLE IDEA PODCAST: Feed
NEWSLETTER: nickwasiliev.substack.com
WEBSITE: www.nicholaswasiliev.com
YOUTUBE: @NickWasiliev_Official
INSTAGRAM: @nickwasiliev
TWITTER/X: @Nick_Wasiliev
FACEBOOK: Nick Wasiliev
TIKTOK: @nickwasiliev
© 2026 Nick Wasiliev and Breathe Art Holdings

‘Date With A Debut’ is a Words and Nerds and Breathe Art Podcasts co-production recorded and edited on Awabakal Country, and we pay our respects to all elders past and present.

⭐️ Episode 822 - Dani Vee and Nadine Brown - Gone Guru, Publishing and finding yourself ⭐️

Dear Fiction Lovers,

This week I chat to the lovely Nadine Brown about her brilliantly funny and philosophical book Gone Guru set in New York, and published by Fremantle Press.

We chat about:
💫 Finding a place for contemporary fiction
💫 Philosophical ideas and contemporary fiction
💫 Funny books vs literary books
💫 Giving in to who you are
💫 Challenges of writing humour and finding the zone
💫 Writing in New York

It was such a fun, fast-paced chat. We delve into writing contemporary fiction and how humour and big ideas can work together to entertain and encourage readers to self-reflect and think about the world.

I love the idea that books can either make you think or make you stop thinking and both are just as important.

We also chat about the element of play when you write.

If you love contemporary fiction, want to hear about the publishing industry and writing with humour, this episode is for you!

LISTEN NOW 🔥

Dani 💋

In QWS S5E5, Troy catches up with his old mate Holden Sheppard. Holden is country boy, a weightlifter and a self-proclaimed "bromosexual", who has found literary acclaim with the raw, blokey honesty of his contemporary gay fiction. Holden's latest adult novel YEAH THE BOYS – a sequel to 2019’s INVISIBLE BOYS – came out earlier this year and has just been optioned for TV!

While discussing YEAH THE BOYS, Holden and Troy also yak about masculinity and brotherhood, male only spaces, footy, influencer culture, writing YA vs adult books, as well as what actually happens when a book is optioned for adaptation.

Books discussed in this episode:
- Holding the Man by Tim Conigrave
- Loaded by Christos Tsiolkas
- Boy Erased: A Memoir by Garrard Conley
- Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin

Note, this episode features adult language and themes.
You can find Holden on the Gram at @holdensheppard and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HoldenSheppardAuthor/ and at www.holdensheppard.com

Hosted by Troy Hunter who you can find on the Gram @troyhunterwriter and at www.troyhuntwriter.com
Troy is the author of Gus and the Missing Boy and Gus and the Burning Stones

⭐️ Episode 821 - Dani Vee and Jane R Miles - Stay Buried, why horror is back ⭐️

Dear thriller and horror lovers,

If you love psychological thrillers with a bit of horror (who doesn’t) this episode is for you! We chat about Stay Buried published by Harper Collins.

⭐️ True crime vs fiction
⭐️ Why horror is back and why it resonates with readers
⭐️ Why horror movies make us sleep better
⭐️ Atmospheric settings
⭐️ How a mentorship and pitch led to publication
⭐️ Multiple rewrites to shape a final manuscript

Listen now!
Dani 💋