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The inspiration(s) behind Dark Mode
I started writing Dark Mode in July 2019 while on residency at Varuna, the National Writer’s House. I remember opening a blank Word doc and thinking, okay, now it’s time to start a whole new book. My first book, My Name Is Revenge, had come out in April that year. I’d also just received a…
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What are those creepy plants on your book cover?!
It surprises a lot of people to learn that writers generally don’t have much, if any, say in their book covers. If a publisher takes on your manuscript, they’re in charge of the book cover. Sometimes you get to voice an opinion on a few options, sometimes you don’t even get that. The publishers are…
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Ep 70 The secret of work/life balance with Dr Hilton Koppe
What happens when your job results in PTSD, forcing you into unexpected retirement? You write a memoir, of course! At least, that’s what Dr Hilton Koppe did when he suddenly had to leave his practice as a rural GP. Hilton Koppe is a writer, workshop facilitator, podcaster and doctor living on Bundjalung land on the…
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Artist statement – on becoming a crime writer
My first publication happened when I was seven, in the Young Saskatchewan Writers school district anthology. In my copy, a message from my grade one teacher reads, ‘Keep writing stories.’ In 2017, I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, and ended up mostly homebound and unable to participate meaningfully in my own life. I was…
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Dark Mode sneak peek – read an excerpt
My debut novel is out in less than two months! I’m incredibly excited to share it with readers – if you’re a fellow crime fiction fan, I wrote this book for you. Dark Mode is a psychological thriller that explores the intersection of violence and misogyny online and in real life through the story of…
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The top 11 most popular episodes of James and Ashley Stay at Home
What interviews most intrigued listeners this year? What episodes soared to the top of the charts? Find out here with this year’s top 11 episodes of James and Ashley Stay at Home, a podcast about writing, creativity and health.
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Ep 68 Digging into shame with Hayley Scrivenor, author of Dirt Town
‘What’s lucky about Dirt Town is that I had every problem it’s possible to have while writing a novel.’ In 2022, Hayley’s debut novel came out in Australia, the US and the UK, and became a number one Australian bestseller. Now, she’s working on her second book and joined us to reflect on how this…
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Writing advice – Keep going
A lot of emerging writers ask, ‘Can I do this? Should I keep going, or am I wasting my time?‘ I asked it all the time during my many years as an aspiring and emerging writer, and I kept sending my work to people hoping someone could give me a definitive answer. I used to…
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Ep 67 Learning with a beginner’s mindset with Darryl ‘The Bird Guy’ Jones
‘I regard my seventh book, Curlews on Vulture Street … as my first real writing. You know, this is the one I’m most proud of. It was the biggest challenge and the one I enjoyed the most.’ Darryl Jones is a Professor of Ecology at Griffith University in Brisbane, where for over 30 years he…
Ashley Kalagian Blunt 