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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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New Year’s Resolutions for 2023
Looking over the past few years, my relationship with resolutions has been complex. In 2019 I made an intentionally ludicrous list. In 2020, I tried for sincere resolutions, and then the pandemic happened. In 2021 I refused to make plans or goals, and 2022 wasn’t much different. I must be feeling optimistic again, because I’ve…
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Best books of 2022
It’s been an exciting year preparing for the release of Dark Mode and making progress on my next psychological thriller. Soon I’m going to be sharing all about how the book came together, and more of the fascinating things I learned while researching it. Meanwhile, leading up to holiday mania, I wanted to share my…
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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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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…
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Ep 66 How to say goodbye with Jackie Bailey, author of The Eulogy
How do you work through a major edit on your book when you have a traumatic brain injury? And how do you write about the death of a loved one while you’re grieving? Jackie Bailey, author of debut novel The Eulogy and professional deathwalker, joins us to discuss her experience with both. Jackie Bailey is…
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Ep 65 What people don’t know with author Al Campbell
‘For most people, when they become a carer, it happens in an instant.’ This is the way it happened for Al Campbell, Brisbane-based author and mother to two autistic sons. In episode 65 of James and Ashley Stay at Home, Al joins us to discuss her debut book The Keepers, a fictionalised account of her…
Ashley Kalagian Blunt 