Writes4Women

Writes4Women host Pamela Cook chats to publishing industry professional Kelly Doust about her new business, Publishing Curious. Kelly has worked across many facets of the industry including as an author, but also in marketing and as an acquiring editor and publisher. She's started a new business to assist authors in reaching their publishing goals, and to demystify the industry. In this conversation Pam chats to Kelly about how acquisitions meeting work, what publishers are looking for in a manuscript, the realities of advances, and a whole lot more. And if you enjoy this chat, join Pam and Kelly for a live zoom chat on Tuesday October 6 ay 7pm, and bring your questions with you.   SHOWNOTES: JOIN OUR LIVE ZOOM CHAT, 7PM ON TUESDAY OCTOBER 6 here Writes4Women www.writes4women.com Facebook @writes4women Twitter / Instagram @w4wpodcast   W4W Substack Click here   Kelly Doust Website: click here Instagram: click here Substack: click here   Pamela Cook www.pamelacook.com.au Facebook @amelacookauthor Twitter @PamelaCookAU   This episode produced by Pamela Cook for Writes4Women and recorded on unceded Dharawal land.            Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/writes4women?fan_landing=trueSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shannon Kelly-White & Lisa Ireland on Mentoring and the Making of Billy King Host Pamela Cook interviews debut historical fiction author Shannon Kelly-White and author/mentor Lisa Ireland about the mentoring partnership behind Shannon’s debut novel. Billy King (“Wild girls don’t go quietly”), is a story set in the Australian high country 100 years ago and told through three women’s perspectives: bushranger Dulcie, missing mother Anna, and 12-year-old Billy. Shannon discusses her path from nursing to an unorthodox food blog and cookbooks, learning through a “drawer” manuscript, and developing a modern-feeling historical voice. Lisa describes recognising Shannon’s talent early, providing confidence and structural guidance, and focusing on story momentum and “killing darlings,” including major deletions and restructuring. They discuss knowing when to submit, securing an agent, editing, cover reveal, handling reviews, mentoring benefits, and more. 00:00 Welcome to Writes4Women 02:35 Shannon’s Pre-Book Journey 03:19 Inside Billy King 13:37 Starting Mentorship Together 19:28 Building Three POV Characters 23:46 Story Structure and Cutting 35:56 Knowing When Done 40:20 Stop Over Revising 45:39 Handling Reviews 49:13 Mentorship Matters 51:39 Mentoring For All 57:28 Final Writing Advice 59:42 Wrap And Resources   SHOWNOTES: Writes4Women www.writes4women.com Facebook @writes4women Twitter / Instagram @w4wpodcast   W4W Substack Click here   Shannon Kelly-White Website: click here Instagram: click here   Lisa Ireland Website: click here Instagram: click here   Pamela Cook www.pamelacook.com.au Facebook @amelacookauthor Twitter @PamelaCookAU   This episode produced by Pamela Cook for Writes4Women and recorded on unceded Dharawal land.            Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/writes4women?fan_landing=trueSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Courtney Peppernell on Pillow Thoughts, Self-Publishing, and Her Debut Novel The Last Poem Writes4Women host Pamela Cook chats with internationally bestselling author Courtney Peppernell,  about her path from early “lightning writing” and a supportive family to self-publishing novels and then poetry, and now her debut novel. Courtney describes self-publishing, and creating Pillow Thoughts from blog-style reflections, her poems going viral and landing a deal with a traditional publisher. Her latest release is The Last Poem, a multi-POV small-town Colorado story about grief, friendship and love. An inspiring episode for writers at all stages of their career.   00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 02:07 Early Writing Spark 03:54 Family Support and Creativity 05:41 Self Publishing Beginnings 08:05 Pillow Thoughts Goes Viral 13:25 Signing with a US Publisher 15:57 Series Strategy and Branding 21:15 Life Changing Success and Tours 25:26 Setting Up Poem Readings 26:18 Reading From Thinking Of You 26:58 Writing Poetry As Characters 29:17 Modern Versus Traditional Poetry 30:50 Why Online Poetry Boomed 31:58 Algorithm Changes And Reach 33:35 Turning To The Last Poem 35:27 Plot And Grief Group Setup 36:34 Crafting Multiple Viewpoints 40:37 Favorite Characters And Libraries 43:58 Why Wren Is A Poet 45:49 Traditional Publishing And Events 48:57 Upcoming Books And Music   SHOWNOTES: Writes4Women www.writes4women.com Facebook @writes4women Twitter / Instagram @w4wpodcast   W4W Substack Click here   Courtney Peppernell Website: click here Instagram: click here   Pamela Cook www.pamelacook.com.au Facebook @amelacookauthor Twitter @PamelaCookAU   This episode produced by Pamela Cook for Writes4Women and recorded on unceded Dharawal land.          Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/writes4women?fan_landing=trueSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hannah Richell on Writing Memoir, Grief, and An Ocean and a Day Join host and author Pamela Cook as she  interviews author Hannah Richell about her memoir An Ocean and a Day, which explores the sudden death of her husband Matt in a surfing accident at Tamarama Beach in 2014 and the long journey of grief that followed. Richell discusses journaling as a survival tool, shaping years of writing into a memoir, and choosing a circular, tidal structure that moves between past and present to show what was lost and reflect how grief is experienced. She shares key influences and also talks about narrating the audiobook herself, deciding what to include about her children, and how touring and reader responses have been unexpectedly uplifting. 00:00 Level Up Writing Courses 01:39 Episode Updates and Memoir Intro 05:15 Memoir Overview and Loss 08:38 Beach Bookends and Ending 13:22 Writing Grief Into Words 17:30 Tidal Timeline Structure 24:02 Journaling to Memoir Draft2 9:38 Visitation Dream Story 32:56 Host Family Grief Reflection 36:42 Kids as Anchors 38:05 Writing Through Nights 38:42 Books That Held Me 42:34 Quoting and Permissions 44:18 Narrating the Audiobook 49:10 Shaping the Memoir 50:51 Privacy and Boundaries 56:20 Swallows and Tattoos 01:00:27 Touring and Reader Connection 01:03:39 Wrap Up and Farewell   SHOWNOTES: Writes4Women www.writes4women.com Facebook @writes4women Twitter / Instagram @w4wpodcast   W4W Substack Click here   Hannah Richell Website: click here Facebook: click here Instagram: click here   Pamela Cook www.pamelacook.com.au Facebook @amelacookauthor Twitter @PamelaCookAU   This episode produced by Pamela Cook for Writes4Women and recorded on unceded Dharawal land.      Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/writes4women?fan_landing=trueSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Belinda Alexandra on The Italian Correspondent, Research, and Writing Through Rejection This week on The Convo couch Pam chats to Belinda Alexandra, author of 12 bestselling novels including her latest release The Italian Correspondent. Belinda discusses her storytelling roots in her mother’s White Russian/China wartime experiences and her father’s Australian life, her early writing, travel influences, 10 years of rejections before White Gardenia was published in 2002, and a whole lot more. Pam also talks new releases and gives an update on the Writes4Women Main Character Deep Dive challenge.   00:30 Podcast Updates and Festivals 02:56 Substack Writing Challenge 05:22 New Books on the Shelf 10:55 Meet Belinda Alexandra 13:35 Family Stories and Writing Roots 21:54 Travel Letters and Inspiration 25:54 First Novel and Rejections 31:33 Imposter Syndrome and Craft 34:07 Pushing Through the Dip 34:55 Inside The Italian Correspondent 39:35 Plotting vs Characters Taking Over 42:30 Writing Better Men on the Page 44:55 Three Loves Romance Twist 51:23 Drafting Perfectionism and Mess 56:07 Longevity in Publishing 57:51 Perseverance Through Industry Change 01:00:28 Quality Over Speed 01:02:01 Wrap Up and Bonus Chat   SHOW NOTES: Writes4Women www.writes4women.com Facebook @writes4women Instagram @w4wpodcast   Belinda Alexandra Website: click here Instagram: click here   Pamela Cook www.pamelacook.com.au Facebook: click here Twitter: click here  Instagram: click here Fiction Feedback @ Writing NSW: click here   This episode produced by  Pamela Cook for Writes4Women on unceded Dharawal country.      Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/writes4women?fan_landing=trueSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.