Writes4Women

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.

This week Pam reports in from Lille in France with some exciting news about her upcoming release Because You're Mine! She also chats to debut memoirist Lindsay Bartels about Imogen in Waiting, which follows Lindsay and her husband as they wrestle with whether to use a stored female embryo that carries the BRCA mutation Lindsay has, after Lindsay’s breast cancer diagnosis in her 20s. Lindsay discusses her path from filmmaking and architecture to writing via blogging, and explains drafting the memoir longhand using a four-notebook, three-act structure, then transcribing, revising, cutting scenes, and deepening interiority with editors at Third Rail Press. This is a thought-provoking, uplifting conversation for both readers and writers. 00:18 Podcast Welcome And Travel Update 05:56 Host Updates And Subscriber Perks 09:03 Meet The Guest Lindsay 09:41 Lindsay’s Creative Path 15:36 Writing The Memoir Framework 17:58 Notebook One Cancer Diagnosis 19:59 Notebook Two IVF And The Embryo 21:01 Notebook Three Sydney COVID And Legal Hurdles 26:44 Letting Go And The Emotional Toll 27:53 Notebook Four Return Home And Surgery 32:27 Writing to Imogen 33:55 Transcribing and Revising 36:25 Early Readers Feedback 38:21 Querying and Developmental Edit 40:05 Third Rail Press Origin 43:36 Final Revisions and Trust 45:58 The Big Ethical Question 47:56 Family Gene Background 50:31 Keeping the Memoir Human 51:41 Holding the Finished Book 53:08 Events and Writing Community 56:51 Where to Buy and Farewell   SHOW NOTES: Writes4Women www.writes4women.com Facebook @writes4women Instagram @w4wpodcast   Lindsay Bartels 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.

Join host Pamela Cook on the Writes4Women Convo Couch with thia week's guest Katherine Collette. They chat about Catherine's adult novels The Helpline (2018) and The Competition (2022), plus two illustrated middle-grade books set around a small Victorian town, discuss debut publication misconceptions, second-book pressure, writing routines, using Scrivener, and spreadsheets, and a whole lot more. Catherine also reflects on what she learnt as the co-host of the popular podcast The First Time as well as her work as a writing coach. 1:43 Host Updates 03:06 Writing Projects 04:57 Courses And Community 06:48 Reading Recommendations 07:36 Meet Catherine Collette 08:47 Career Origins 09:46 Debut Reality Check 12:13 Second Book Pressure 15:06 Middle Grade Shift 15:47 Cartooning Challenge 20:13 Kids Books Marketing 23:23 Illustration Workflow 26:59 New Darker Novel 27:38 Cruise Ship Research 30:46 Writing Routine Progress 31:05 Writing Focus Limits 31:37 Daily Routine Pomodoros 32:06 Story Structure Tools 33:21 Scrivener Workflow Tips 34:15 Crime Plot Spreadsheets 35:54 Genre Hopping Pressures 37:51 Coaching Long Game 40:24 Mindset For Success 43:16 Craft Fixes Openings 48:55 Podcast Career Boost 54:36 Fast Four Wrap Up 59:55 Closing Thanks Outro     SHOW NOTES: Writes4Women www.writes4women.com Facebook @writes4women Twitter / Instagram @w4wpodcast   Katherine Collette 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.