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

Follow Secrets From the Green Room on Instagram and Facebook

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

Irma and Karen talk about the importance of the major dramatic question in writing fiction, and what they’ve been reading lately in Book Chat.

Then Karen talks to Alice Pung about Alice’s unusual process of writing her first book in close contact with a publisher, how writing as a young person with no filters contributed to her early success, how she writes non-fiction with fiction techniques and vice versa, why she finds writing non-fiction harder than fiction, how giving talks to bored 14-year old boys enhanced her public speaking skills, why she has never wanted to be a fulltime writer, how she became penfriends with John Marsden, and how she thought she’d received spam when an email came through saying she’d been awarded an OAM.

About Alice

Alice Pung is the bestselling author of two memoirs, two novels, an essay collection, several children’s books, and the editor of two anthologies. Her books have been published both in Australia and overseas and have won or been short listed for many awards. In 2022 she was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her services to literature. She is a qualified practicing lawyer and lives in Naarm Melbourne.

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