Karen and Irma chat to Kate Forsyth (The Changeling) and Charlie Jane Anders (US) (Lessons in Magic and Disaster) about all things witchy and magical, including how Kate's obsession with Mary Queen of Scots led her to the history of the Scottish royal court and the faery world of 6th Century Scotland, how Charlie's characters came to be casting spells in the wild, rambling forests of New England, how the signing of the Witchcraft Act resulted in centuries of fallout for women, how modern day persecution of queer people through trolling and online hate resembles a witch hunt, and how to have fun writing about sex.

KATE FORSYTH

Kate Forsyth is an author and storyteller who writes historical fiction, non-fiction and children’s books, often with a mythical or fairytale twist. She has won awards for her work, including the American Library Award award for Best Historical Fiction and an Honour Book in the 2025 CBCA awards. She has a MA in creative writing, and a Doctorate of Creative Arts in fairytale studies.

CHARLIE JANE ANDERS

Charlie Jane Anders is the award-winning author of four novels, two short story collections, a young adult trilogy, and a book on creative writing. Her writing has appeared in publications like Tin House, the Paris Review and McSweeney's. She’s currently writing the comic book Star Trek: Zero Point for IDW.

Show Notes

Kate Forsyth: Kate Forsyth - Kate Forsyth

Charlie Jane Anders: Charlie Jane Anders

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Karen and Irma chat about the uses of dialogue in writing and some of the mistakes writers make, and then talk about their latest book recommendations in Book Chat, featuring Frogsong by Melissa Manning and How to Love the World by Ilka Tampke.

Then Irma speaks to Thomas Mayo about how he found his voice as a wharfie, what it was like being thrust onto the national stage when campaigning for the Voice to Parliament Yes vote, how he dealt with the vicious criticism as a public leader, how Marcia Langton helped him get his first book deal, where he was when the shattering No verdict was delivered, how writing helped him in the aftermath, what publishers can do better to support First Nations stories, the ways in which the government should be supporting the publishing industry, and why seeing a stage show of his book Dear Son with his kids was a career high.

Show notes:

Thomas Mayo: https://www.thomasmayo.com.au/

About Thomas

Thomas Mayo is a Kaurareg Aboriginal man and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander who is a leading voice in human rights advocacy and an award-winning author of seven books. He co-led the campaign for Australia’s Voice referendum, and his Voice to Parliament Handbook won three ABIA awards, including Book of the Year. His latest book is a new edition of Dear Son: Letters and Reflections from First Nations Fathers and Sons.

Book Chat:

Frogsong by Melissa Manning

How to Love the World by Ilka Tampke

Find out more about Irma and Karen

Visit Irma Gold’s website, or follow her on Instagram and Facebook

Visit Karen Viggers’ website, or follow her on Instagram and Facebook

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Karen and Irma chat about AI dangers for writers, including scam emails and why publishers hate writers using AI proofreading software to 'polish' their work.

Then Irma chats to Melanie Cheng about how a nosey friend resulted in an early pivotal moment, why she wrote in a secret for many years, and how winning a manuscript prize changed everything overnight, why her second book was so hard to write, the balance of having a public profile as an author and working as a GP, why she still has imposter syndrome as a writer, why she thought she would never write anything ever again after her second book, and why saying yes to every publicity opp led to a nightmare experience.

Show notes

Melanie Cheng: https://melaniechengwriter.com/

About Melanie

Melanie Cheng is a writer and general practitioner. She was born in Adelaide, grew up in Hong Kong and now lives in Melbourne. Her debut collection of short stories, Australia Day, won the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript in 2016 and the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Fiction in 2018. She has published two novels, Room for a Stranger and The Burrow, both of which were longlisted for the Miles Franklin award. The Burrow was also shortlisted for the Stella prize and nominated for the Dublin Literary Award.

Find out more about Irma and Karen

Visit Irma Gold’s website, or follow her on Instagram and Facebook

Visit Karen Viggers’ website, or follow her on Instagram and Facebook

Follow Secrets From the Green Room on Instagram and Facebook