Madeleine chats with Pip Williams ahead of the release of her third novel, The German Ward. Pip set out with a mission to write a mature love story, but the novel expanded into something more, exploring themes of memory, art and humanity during wartime. In this episode, Pip tells us about how in the writing of her third novel she wanted to challenge herself as a writer. She discusses her approach to structure, craft, social media (and why she stays off it) and how she has developed a positive approach to writing.

A little bit about Pip...

Pip Williams is the author of social research, essays, memoir, and the occasional poem, but she is best known for her companion novels, The Dictionary of Lost Words and The Bookbinder of Jericho. Since its publication in 2020, The Dictionary of Lost Words has won a number of major book awards, was chosen for the Reese Witherspoon Book Club and became a New York Times bestseller. As well as being adapted for stage, The Dictionary of Lost Words is being turned into a book concerto and has been optioned for a limited series. Pip’s second novel, The Bookbinder of Jericho, was published in 2023 and was an instant bestseller. In 2024, it won the Australian Book Industry Awards General Fiction Book of the Year and was Dymocks’ number-one book in its Top 101. Both novels were also recognised in ABC Radio National’s Top 100 Books of the 21st Century. Her upcoming novel, The German Ward, continues her exploration of love, art, and history, bringing to life a vivid World War I story of forbidden love and artistic discovery behind the lines in France. Pip’s books have been published around the world and translated into more than 30 languages.

This week's Debut in the Spotlight is Katie Bowman and her novel, Exchange of Heart.

00:56 Introduction

02:02 The author tour

05:31 The German Ward pitch

08:03 Writing a love story

09:48 Iso Rae

14:37 Women Artists in Wartime

20:40 Writing history

29:54 Memory and art

36:10 Success and pressure

41:26 Approach to writing

50:01 Social media

55:31 Writing routine

01:04:43 Top tip

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