Hosts Tina Strachan and Natasha Rai catch up. Natasha shares being highly commended for a Varuna fellowship (amid 812 entries), explains Varuna as the National Writers’ House in Katoomba, and discusses upcoming copy edits for The Bride Price, preparation for Melbourne’s QLit Festival, and a four-hour “complicated characters” workshop at Hunter Writers Centre on 25 July. Tina describes a quieter month with school-holiday outings, catching up on admin, and reflecting on daily writing habits via Stephen King’s 2,000-words-a-day routine. They discuss promotional book boxes, including a Penguin Random House box for Shara Curlett’s middle-grade fantasy Protector of Beyond (out in September), and what authors might include in their own. They also unpack a Guardian article arguing Australia is publishing too quickly, talk shelf-life realities, the role of community and independent booksellers, and offer practical promotion ideas. They highlight NSW “Stories Matter” fellowships ($50,000; closes 27 July) and The Wheeler Centre’s The Next Chapter (stipend and mentorship; closes 31 July), and end by encouraging writers to keep writing for joy.

00:00 Podcast intro and hosts
00:56 Catch-up and Varuna news
02:07 What is Varuna
04:42 Edits festivals and workshop prep
06:25 Tina holiday reset
08:08 Stephen King writing habit
12:18 Back to routine and topics
12:40 Promotional book boxes
16:34 DIY book box ideas
18:10 Guardian debate too many books
19:13 Too Many Books Debate
20:39 Readers Bookstores Squeeze
21:07 Rose Red Bookshop Hope
22:12 Community Over Commodity
26:24 Shelf Life Three Months
28:35 Bookseller Reality Check
29:24 Tips Readers And Writers
31:38 Keep Books Selling Longer
36:07 Remember Why You Write
37:47 Fellowships And Grants
39:51 Final Writing Pep Talk
41:11 Podcast Farewell Outro

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