From relentless research, to battling book bans, to a career of 30 bestsellers and counting, Jodi Picoult is a literary force unlike any other.

In this conversation, Luke and Jodi trace her journey from reading at three years old and surviving over 100 agent rejections (and getting the ultimate petty revenge decades later) to the eerie 10-word postcard that inspired her new book, Hollow Bones, and a peek into what she's working on next. Jodi pulls back the curtain on her creative process—explaining the "tornado" moment when a book’s first line finally touches down, and the deeply personal reasons behind the big topics she chooses to explore.

Jodi also pulls zero punches on culture and society, exposing the infuriating inadequacies within women's healthcare, the true political motive behind censorship in schools, and her hot take on why she 'calls BS' on William Shakespeare. Complete with warm reflections on her legacy, this episode is a masterclass in craft, courage, and conviction.

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Sydney-based author Joshua Hortinella, after becoming beloved in the book industry for over a decade, has just penned Hate You to Love You, one of the most vibrant romance debuts of the year.

Josh spills wild behind-the-scenes secrets of bookselling—including the joys of stocking, heartwarming customer interactions, and mysterious boxes.
He opens up about how queer representation helped him overcoming feeling like a "side character" in his own life, shares the emotional highs and lows of writing enemies-to-lovers dynamics, how his book was an accidental love letter, and why holding it for the first time was an experience so powerful he almost had a panic attack.

But most of all, Josh shares his deep love for love itself, including rom-com nostalgia and why queer literature is for everyone, along with his top three recommendations for jus that topic... along with the book he is drawn to read every single winter.

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A pre-birth prophecy, a contrarian relationship to fear that pushes her toward her deepest discomforts, and years spent studying both the stars and the greatest monsters of our imaginations alike.
These aren't the notes of a fictional character - this is the lore of V.E Schwab herself!

In this incredibly candid interview, she tells Luke all about it, along with illuminating insights into her writing philosophy and her most loved works, including:

• How The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue contains her most personal character ever (that's not Addie!)
• How Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil explores not only her favourite monster, but one of her favourite themes
• How she had the end to her her upcoming novel Victorious, the finale in her Villains Trilogy, from the very start - and exactly what we can expect from it.

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There are few more beloved voices in fantasy writing than Australia's own Garth Nix - with Luke accounting for a fair share of that love himself.

Here, the two finally sit down to discuss Garth's hesitant awakening as a writer, his process of using 'bad maps' to great novels, how his landmark work Sabriel was originally intended to be very different, his latest venture (and adventure) into science fiction with Massif - and even why he thinks that if he weren't a writer, he might well be in jail!

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Luke dives into his own personal "Good Book": Raymond E. Feist's fantasy classic, Magician. From picking up a paperback copy fresh out of rehab, to examining how Pug and Tomas's journeys inspired his own path to recovery, Luke shares why this epic story changed his life—and analyzes what it’s like to come back to it now.

Stay connected on our socials:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inthegoodbooks_podcast/
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@inthegoodbooks_podcast

Thanks to Hachette - for the list of their expert readalikes for Magician and other Good Book Club picks, go to https://www.hachette.com.au/news/in-the-good-books

and for more, visit www.hachette.com.au

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Luke is joined by Em Rusciano—the powerhouse singer, comedian, author, broadcaster, podcaster and more—for an uninhibited, laugh-out-loud, and deeply honest conversation about midlife awakenings, the transformative power of putting yourself first and the liberating world of spicy romance novels.

Em opens up about her love for literary smut and why bookstores urgently need a dedicated "middle-aged horn aisle". She retells how ADHD and autism influenced her reading, why books were a safe-haven, overcoming dyslexia, and turning personal trauma into her raw autobiography, 'Blood, Sweat and Glitter'. Em also shares the hilarity and liberation of stepping into her single era in her 40s, dating younger men, and why her stand-up show Addicted to Love is a rallying cry for women to stop sacrificing themselves for others and finally choose their own happiness.

For tour dates and tickets head here: https://emrusciano.com/addicted-to-love/

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Liane Moriarty, author of mega best-sellers Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers and more, joins Luke in the studio for a candid, hilarious, and insightful conversation on her writing process, career origin story, and long-awaited return to her most famous literary world.

In this episode, Liane opens up about growing up in a story-obsessed household of six kids—where her dad funded her earliest writing efforts—and reveals how a sudden flash of sibling envy over her sister's debut novel finally kicked her own multi-million-copy career into gear.

She offers a fascinating look into Big Little Truths, her new book and first-ever sequel, sharing how Hollywood adaptations subtly reshaped how she visualized her own characters, like Nicole Kidman's Celeste, and the unique pressure of writing characters ten years later.
Plus, she reveals how even after all this time and all those copies sold, she sometimes still has to trick herself to write (using some very ornate equipment), and why her fans are her biggest source of joy.

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You wouldn't expect constructing a crime thriller to be a time of laughter and healing after a tragic loss. But that's exactly what it was for Matt Nable.

In this conversation, the multi-talented ex-sport star, actor and author talks about why writing is his biggest love above all, the encouragement another legendary Australian writer gave him that changed everything, the moment he felt safe revealing his creativity to his fellow footy-mates, everything that went into crafting his latest book Mire.

Find more of Matt's books here: https://www.hachette.com.au/matt-nable

Thanks to Hachette Australia.

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