DiscoverSo You Want to be a WriterWRITER 671: Emilia Hart discusses her latest bestselling novel, The Sirens
WRITER 671: Emilia Hart discusses her latest bestselling novel, The Sirens

WRITER 671: Emilia Hart discusses her latest bestselling novel, The Sirens

Update: 2025-07-07
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How much research is too much when writing historical fiction? This is just one of the topics that bestselling author Emilia Hart discusses in this episode as she shares details of her latest novel, The Sirens – a blend of nautical history and fantasy across two stories separated by time and distance.

00:00 Welcome
04:23 Writing tip: ‘The Most Dangerous Writing App’
07:25 WIN!: The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs
08:51 Word of the week: ‘Luthier’
11:01 Writer in residence: Emilia Hart
12:48 Inspirations for the books two timelines
19:45 Writing about Australia during the pandemic
20:24 Exploring the themes of distance and journey
22:17 Researching convict history
25:00 Note taking methods
25:59 The importance of her day job in her writing 
28:11 Deleting 300,000 words
30:00 There’s no such thing as a perfect draft
30:32 Learning to sail for the book
31:20 The book deal and publishing process
32:50 Balancing writing with public engagement
35:10 Emilia’s writing tips
37:29 Final thoughts

Read the show notes

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WRITER 671: Emilia Hart discusses her latest bestselling novel, The Sirens

WRITER 671: Emilia Hart discusses her latest bestselling novel, The Sirens

Australian Writers' Centre