Petronella McGovern talks about the writing craft and process behind her novel The Last Trace. 

Petronella went deep into the writing of this novel with me - we talked about inciting incidents, setting, research, editing, character development and all the techniques she uses to achieve narrative tension and keep that pace cracking along such as foreshadowing and writing cliffhanger chapter endings. This was also the first time she’s written an historical thread which added another layer of rich complexity to the story.

You’ll find links to buy both paperback and ebook versions of The Last Trace by Petronella McGovern here.

ABOUT PETRONELLA MCGOVERN

Petronella McGovern is fascinated by what makes us tick, the lies we tell, and the secrets we keep. She is the best-selling author of Six Minutes, The Good Teacher, The Liars and The Last Trace. Her books have been nominated in the Ned Kelly Awards, the Davitt Awards and the Australian Independent Bookseller Awards. The Liars was selected in the Top 100 Big W/Better Reading list for 2023. Petronella has a Master of Arts in Creative Writing and tutors in creative writing. She grew up on a farm in central west NSW and now lives with her family in Sydney on Gadigal Country. Among other adventures, she has worked on a summer camp in America and travelled in eastern Africa which inspired parts of her fourth novel, The Last Trace.

Website and events: https://www.petronellamcgovern.com.au/

Buy The Last Trace by Petronella McGovern here.

Buy The Swordmaster’s Daughter and An Unsuitable Pursuit by Terri Green here.

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This podcast is recorded on the beautiful, unceded lands of the Garigal people of the Eora nation.

Full show notes available at writersbookclubpodcast.com