Jess is a mother to two wriggly boys, a Drama/English teacher, and a senior English curriculum Principal Education Officer. In 2020, when her own family unit changed dramatically, Jess wrote this book, Some Families Change, for her boys (at the time aged two and four) to help them understand the changes that their family was about to navigate.

She is passionate about working with school children of all ages, engaging them in play, learning and literacy. Jess believes picture books are where the magic of reading begins! Representation in picture books is the key to getting all children interested in reading and understanding their world.

What's inside this episode?

• Jess delves into the personal circumstances that led her to write the book, specifically the need to explain her separation to her young children.
• She discusses the support and knowledge she wished she had discovered earlier in her publishing journey.
• Jess shares her perspective on picture books as important tools for building empathy and understanding of diversity in the young people reading them.
• Learn about the author/illustrator relationship and creative collaboration in creating picture books.

Listen now if you need...

… insights into creating authentic and impactful stories for children.

My favourite quote:

"I wish I'd known that there was a community out there that were already doing this that could have given me all of the answers I needed at the time, and I wished I'd met them sooner, because they are gorgeous."

📖 What is the last book that Jess read and loved? If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura

Some Families Change by Jess Galatola is available to purchase wherever you buy your books. Alternatively, check in with your local library. If they don’t have a copy yet, put in a request!

Extra (important) information!

✨ You can find Jess Galatola (she/ her) at jessgalatolaauthor.com

✨ Download The Ultimate Checklist to PREPARE, WRITE and PITCH your Book for FREE!

✨ Subscribe to The Writer, seeks. (I answer writing and publishing questions - for free!!)

✨ Join the Debut Books private writing community!

✨ Buy my debut book, The Little Black Book of Publishing!

✨ Check out the list of Debut Australian authors for 2024 and 2025

✨ Check out Big Pitch Energy, a self-paced online course to help you pitch and submit your manuscript to Australian agents and publishers with clarity and confidence.

✨ Join Your Novel Adventure, a one-of-a-kind mentorship program that utilises a subscription model, increasing accessibility for aspiring authors without an application process - this mentor program is available to any aspiring author who wants and needs it.

👋🏼 Until next time friend!

Born in Adelaide as the daughter of German immigrants, Kyra Geddes spent her infancy in the South Australian opal fields before moving to Sydney. Following a successful career in marketing, Kyra returned to university to study English and pursue her life-long dream of writing, publishing two short stories and earning the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Academic Excellence.

The Story Thief is her debut novel, and the culmination of almost a decade of research and writing. When not at her desk, Kyra can often be found visiting one of Sydney's many art galleries or daydreaming about future travel with her husband and two children.

What's inside this episode?

• Kyra's journey of writing The Story Thief, inspired by The Drover's Wife by Henry Lawson and her own connection to the Australian outback.
• A deep dive into Kyra's extensive research process, including academic study, historical fiction, and online resources across 10 years.
• An honest account of the post publishing demands of an author

Listen now if you need...

... permission to take time writing your book.

My favourite quote:

“I think one of the biggest myths for first-time authors is that writing the manuscript and getting it in a publisher's hands is the hardest part. It's not. It is everything that comes afterwards!

📖 What is the last book that Kyra read and loved? Breath by Carly-Jay Metcalfe

The Story Thief by Kyra Geddes is available to purchase wherever you buy your books. Alternatively, check in with your local library. If they don’t have a copy yet, put in a request!

Extra (important) information!

✨ You can find Kyra Geddes (she/ her) at kyrageddes.com

✨ Download The Ultimate Checklist to PREPARE, WRITE and PITCH your Book for FREE!

✨ Subscribe to The Writer, seeks. (I answer writing and publishing questions - for free!!)

✨ Join the Debut Books private writing community!

✨ Buy my debut book, The Little Black Book of Publishing!

✨ Check out the list of Debut Australian authors for 2024 and 2025

✨ Check out Big Pitch Energy, a self-paced online course to help you pitch and submit your manuscript to Australian agents and publishers with clarity and confidence.

✨ Join Your Novel Adventure, a one-of-a-kind mentorship program that utilises a subscription model, increasing accessibility for aspiring authors without an application process - this mentor program is available to any aspiring author who wants and needs it.

👋🏼 Until next time friend!

Lisa Medved is an Australian author who divides her time between Melbourne and The Hague. After completing a Bachelor of Arts in history and fine art from the University of Melbourne, Lisa went on to work in public relations and event management, honing her writing skills for various corporate publications and several magazines in the UK and the Netherlands.

The Engraver's Secret is her first novel, and was born out of a passion for history and art, a curiosity in the life of a little-known Flemish engraver and his relationship with a world-renowned painter, and a desire to explore the secrets that can lie beneath the surface of family dynamics. Lisa is currently working on her second novel, which is set in fin-de-siècle Vienna and post-WWI London around the art of Gustav Klimt.

What's inside this episode?

• Lisa discusses the importance of feedback, both from writing courses and professional editors, to the editorial process with her agent and publisher.
• When writing historical fiction, she notes needing to be careful not to bog the story down with too much historical detail.
• And also, how not to let the research become procrastination.
• Lisa shares her journey publishing in multiple languages - Dutch and then English
• She share’s some great advice about starting your story at the point that is most relatable to you if you don’t know where to start!

Listen now if you need...

... permission to write a story based on a niche interest.

My favourite quote:

"The best advice is to filter feedback and listen to that little voice inside your head that is telling you whether it's feedback that you should accept or or whether you should adjust it to your own expectations, or whether you should just let it go."

📖 What is the last book that Lisa read and loved? Rapture by Emily Maguire

The Engraver's Secret by Lisa Medved is available to purchase wherever you buy your books. Alternatively, check in with your local library. If they don’t have a copy yet, put in a request!

Extra (important) information!

✨ You can find Lisa Medved (she/ her) at lisamedved.com

✨ Download The Ultimate Checklist to PREPARE, WRITE and PITCH your Book for FREE!

✨ Subscribe to The Writer, seeks. (I answer writing and publishing questions - for free!!)

✨ Join the Debut Books private writing community!

✨ Buy my debut book, The Little Black Book of Publishing!

✨ Check out the list of Debut Australian authors for 2024 and 2025

✨ Check out Big Pitch Energy, a self-paced online course to help you pitch and submit your manuscript to Australian agents and publishers with clarity and confidence.

✨ Join Your Novel Adventure, a one-of-a-kind mentorship program that utilises a subscription model, increasing accessibility for aspiring authors without an application process - this mentor program is available to any aspiring author who wants and needs it.

👋🏼 Until next time friend!

Ruby Todd is an Australian writer, creative arts researcher and teacher, with a PhD in Writing & Literature.

She is the recipient of the inaugural 2020 Furphy Literary Award, the 2019 Ploughshares Emerging Writer’s Contest award for Fiction, and the 2016 AAWP Chapter One Prize. She has completed residencies at The Wheeler Centre and La Trobe University, and her work has appeared in Ploughshares, the Guardian, LitHub, Crazyhorse, Overland and elsewhere.

Ruby was Shortlisted for the 2023 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript.

What's inside this episode?

• Listen to Ruby’s journey through self-doubt, disillusionment, and near-abandonment, and how she ultimately found the resilience to persevere.
• Hear how short stories served as a crucial training ground and source of inspiration for Ruby, helping her hone her craft and gain recognition for her writing.
• Believe Ruby when she says that there's no one "right" way to write and how to identify the creative process that works for you.
• Ruby discusses the challenges of incorporating scientific accuracy into her fiction and working with experts to ensure credibility.
• Hear an important discussion on the collaborative process of working with two editors from different territories (Australia and the US), while retaining the integrity of her story.

Listen now if you need...

... A raw and powerful glimpse into the vulnerable heart of a writer, capturing that often-unspoken experience of facing creative endeavours with a mix of ambition and a longing for a simpler, less emotionally taxing path.

My favourite quote:

“There was a just a feeling that I wish I didn't want this. That I didn't kind of need the story to live beyond me. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, I came quite close to giving up. But the problem is, when I stop writing, I just get really, really sad, and I kind of feel very undernourished. So it was never going to happen.”

What is the last book that Ruby read and loved? Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Bright Objects by Ruby Todd is available to purchase wherever you buy your books. Alternatively, check in with your local library. If they don’t have a copy yet, put in a request!

Extra (important) information!

✨ You can find Ruby Todd (she/her) at ruby-todd.com

✨ Download The Ultimate Checklist to PREPARE, WRITE and PITCH your Book for FREE!

✨ Subscribe to The Writer, seeks. (I answer writing and publishing questions - for free!!)

✨ Join the Debut Books private writing community!

✨ Buy my debut book, The Little Black Book of Publishing!

✨ Check out the list of Debut Australian authors for 2024 and 2025

✨ Check out Big Pitch Energy, a self-paced online course to help you pitch and submit your manuscript to Australian agents and publishers with clarity and confidence.

👋🏼 Until next time friend!

Troy is an adult and YA fiction writer whose short stories have appeared in a variety of publications and journals. He lives in Melbourne on unceded Wurundjeri lands and works as a marketing and communications consultant.

Gus and the Missing Boy was shortlisted for the 2024 Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction and its sequel, Gus and the Burning Stones, is coming out in August 2025.

What's inside this episode?

• Troy's inspiration came from a real-life missing person websites.
• Troy discusses why he chose to revisit and rewrite an adult manuscript as a YA novel, highlighting the unique opportunities and challenges of the genre.
• Hear about the invaluable support of sensitivity readers, the publishing community, and expert feedback
• Troy gets real about the shift to self-promotion and marketing that comes after getting the book deal - and why it's far more involved than he anticipated!

Listen now if you need...

… to hear how sensitivity readers can help you tell a more authentic, expansive, and thoughtful story.

My favourite quote:

“Even if you've had other people read your book, no one knows it as well as you do. But suddenly you're working with [your editor] who does, and that is astonishing because you can have these weird minutiae kind of conversations about stuff that you could never have with anyone else.”

What is the last book that Troy read and loved? Dark Roots by Cate Kennedy.

Gus and the Missing Boy by Troy Hunter is available to purchase wherever you buy your books. Alternatively, check in with your local library. If they don’t have a copy yet, put in a request!

Extra (important) information!

✨ You can find Troy Hunter (he/ him) at troyhunterwriter.com

✨ Download The Ultimate Checklist to PREPARE, WRITE and PITCH your Book for FREE!

✨ Subscribe to The Writer, seeks. (I answer writing and publishing questions - for free!!)

✨ Join the Debut Books private writing community!

✨ Buy my debut book, The Little Black Book of Publishing!

✨ Check out the list of Debut Australian authors for 2024 and 2025

✨ Check out Big Pitch Energy, a self-paced online course to help you pitch and submit your manuscript to Australian agents and publishers with clarity and confidence.

👋🏼 Until next time friend!

Anton enjoys writing stories for children that explore themes of self-identity, belonging, family and friendship, drawing from his experiences of growing up light skinned with a black identity in a large adoptive family. He first became interested in writing for children while working as a high school teacher, but it would be many years before he put pencil to paper. To and Fro was shortlisted for the Children's Readings Prize in 2024 and the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year for younger readers in 2025.

What's inside this episode?

• Discover Anton's journey from writing earlier works to finding the voice and story that led to To and Fro.
• Anton discusses exploring nuanced themes of identity, race, and family dynamics through the lens of humour.
• Discover how tapping into personal experiences and memories can spark authentic and relatable storytelling

Listen now if you need...

... a reminder that your unique background and experiences are valuable assets for storytelling.

My favourite quote:

“What was different about the To and Fro story…that's an interesting question. It made me realise that this is what I really want to do, because it was something I couldn't actually talk myself out of. I had lots of other stuff that was going on, so I had every reason, you know, not to want to get up early and sit and write, but it was something that I felt compelled to do.” - Anton Clifford-Motopi

What is the last book that Anton read and loved? Leo and Ralph by Peter Carnavas

To and Fro by Anton Clifford-Motopi is available to purchase wherever you buy your books. Alternatively, check in with your local library. If they don’t have a copy yet, put in a request!

Extra (important) information!

✨ You can find Anton (he/ his) at antoncliffordmotopi.com

✨ Download The Ultimate Checklist to PREPARE, WRITE and PITCH your Book for FREE!

✨ Subscribe to The Writer, seeks. (I answer writing and publishing questions - for free!!)

✨ Join the Debut Books private writing community!

✨ Buy my debut book, The Little Black Book of Publishing!

✨ Check out the list of Debut Australian authors for 2024 and 2025

✨ Check out Big Pitch Energy, a self-paced online course to help you pitch and submit your manuscript to Australian agents and publishers with clarity and confidence.

👋🏼 Until next time friend!

Julia designed sets and costumes for Moscow Theatre before immigrating to Australia in 1991 with two children and $200 to her name. She completed a Masters of Theatre Design at the University of Technology Sydney. The Girl from Moscow is her first novel and was shortlisted for the Australian Society of Authors Commercial Fiction prize for unpublished manuscripts. She lives in Sydney’s eastern suburbs with her husband and two children.

What's inside this episode?

• Julia's unique writing origin story began after her life behind the Iron Curtain, fuelled by her experiences as a migrant in Australia.
• Julia reveals why she chose fiction over memoir, emphasising her desire to tell a broader story than her own.
• Julia discusses the importance of language in conveying culture, as well as her experience of writing in English, including the challenges and the impact of being a migrant on her writing.
• She shares about the power of connection through community and the impact of finding "people who were like me... people who have this need to write".

Listen now if you need...

… a reminder that writing isn't just about the words on the page, but about the transformative impact it can have on both the writer and the reader across time, language and culture.

My favourite quote:

“It's almost like a disease being a migrant, because you have 2 realities in your head… you have a set of rules, a set of understandings, a set of concepts which exists in one language and country, and then you completely transport it in another world. You have to accept it, because that's how you function in this society, but you still carry your other world within you.” - Julia Levitina

What is the last book that Julia read and loved? Capriccio by Geena Davis

The Girl from Moscow by Julia Levitina is available to purchase wherever you buy your books. Alternatively, check in with your local library. If they don’t have a copy yet, put in a request!

Extra (important) information!

✨ You can find Julia Levitina (she/ her) at julialevitinaauthor.com

✨ Download The Ultimate Checklist to PREPARE, WRITE and PITCH your Book for FREE!

✨ Subscribe to The Writer, seeks. (I answer writing and publishing questions - for free!!)

✨ Join the Debut Books private writing community!

✨ Buy my debut book, The Little Black Book of Publishing!

✨ Check out Big Pitch Energy, a self-paced online course to help you pitch and submit your manuscript to Australian agents and publishers with clarity and confidence.

👋🏼 Until next time friend!

Trish Bolton is a writer based in Melbourne. She has a Diploma of Professional Writing and Editing from RMIT. Her writing has been published in The Saturday Paper, The Age, Sunday Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Canberra Times, Overland, New Matilda, The Big Issue and Visible Ink.

She has been the recipient of an Australian Society of Authors mentorship, a Varuna Publishing Introduction Pathway Fellowship, a Varuna Residential Writer's Fellowship, joint-winner of a Fellowship of Australian Writers (FAW) Jim Hamilton unpublished manuscript award, runner-up FAW Whitelight Drama Script Award and longlisted for the Virginia Prize for Fiction (UK) and the Mslexia Women's Novel Competition (UK).

What's inside this episode?

• Trish talks about why she's drawn to writing about older women and the need to represent their diverse, complex lives in literature.
• Trish reflects on the pivotal roles of mentorship, editing, and finding inspiration in experiences outside writing itself, such as gardening.
• Discover the power of a supportive writing community and the invaluable role of mentorship and editorial partnerships in shaping your manuscript.
• Trish gets real about the emotional rollercoaster of the publishing journey - rejection, perseverance, and the importance of trusting your vision, even when the path is uncertain.

Listen now if you need...

...a reminder on why your best work is yet to come.

My favourite quote:

“I find that there's a lack of interest in people of that age [60s and 70s]... They've got so many stories to tell. So why aren't we telling them?" - Trish Bolton

What is the last book that Trish read and loved? The Campers by Maryrose Cuskelly

Whenever You're Ready by Trish Bolton is available to purchase wherever you buy your books. Alternatively, check in with your local library. If they don’t have a copy yet, put in a request!

Extra (important) information!

✨ You can find Trish Bolton (she/ her) at trishboltonwriter.com

✨ Download The Ultimate Checklist to PREPARE, WRITE and PITCH your Book for FREE!

✨ Subscribe to The Writer, seeks. (I answer writing and publishing questions - for free!!)

✨ Join the Debut Books private writing community!

✨ Buy my debut book, The Little Black Book of Publishing!

✨ Check out Big Pitch Energy, a self-paced online course to help you pitch and submit your manuscript to Australian agents and publishers with clarity and confidence.

👋🏼 Until next time friend!