Words and Nerds: Authors, books and literature.

Dear book lovers We talk about capturing an Aussie Christmas, nostalgia and pushing back against AI We also explore: ✅ Unique experiences of an Aussie Christmas ✅ Human made art ✅ Working together as author/ illustrator ✅ The process of illustration ✅ How to make a Christmas book stand out ✅ A book they dream of creating ✅ How often we create Support the industry by hitting play and reading more books! Dani 💋

⭐️ Episode 835 Dani Vee and Ben Ryan - Coming Out at the End of the World ⭐️ Published by Midnight Sun Dear book lovers We talk about positive masculinity, coming out, the writing process and the zombie apocalypse. We also explore: ✅ Misconceptions of masculinity ✅ The LGBTQIA community ✅ Why zombie apocalypse’s resonate with readers ✅ How the story came from a personal story ✅ The divisive nature of the internet ✅ How screenwriting influences writing books Support the industry by hitting play and reading more books! Dani 💋

Date with a Debut is a podcast hosted by writer Nick Wasiliev: shining a light on debut authors, their incredible books, and their journeys to publication. This week, we welcome our second collaboration for the year as Nick sits down with one of the co-hosts of The Book Deal podcast, Tina Strachan! Listen to The Book Deal: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2368528 Follow The Book Deal on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_book_deal_podcast/ Follow Tina Strachan: https://www.instagram.com/td_strachan/ Follow Madeleine Cleary: https://www.instagram.com/madeleineclearywrites/ Follow Natasha Rai: https://www.instagram.com/raiwriting/ ...

⭐️ Episode 834 Dani Vee and Riley James - The Wreck, thrillers and the Bermuda Triangle ⭐️ Published by Allen and Unwin Dear book lovers, I have a thrilling chat with Riley James about her new book The Wreck. We chat about the Bermuda Triangle and how we thought it would be so much more of a problem in our lives! Inspired by real-life events of Frederick Valentich, a pilot who went missing under mysterious circumstances. ✅ Who become in the worst times ✅ Why thrillers resonate with readers ✅ The writing process of writing thrillers ✅ Creating tension ✅ AI and what it can’t do ✅ Publishing journey and getting an...

⭐️ Episode 833 Dani Vee and Andrew Clarke - Songs That Changed The World ⭐️ Published by Rockpool Publishing Dear music lovers, I have something very cool for you this week! I chat to Andrew Clarke about songs that have changed the world! Andrew is a football, motorsport and motoring journalist, and now he’s writing about music. Some of the songs we focus on are I Am Woman, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Strange Fruit, F@$k the Police, ✅ Songs throughout history that changed the world through popularity, protest and lyrics ✅ The nostalgia of music ✅ Important movements that have been driven by music ✅ The courage of art...

Date with a Debut is a podcast hosted by writer Nick Wasiliev: shining a light on debut authors, their incredible books, and their journeys to publication. The main show will return next week for the final two episodes of the main series before we finish 2026 with three Debut Revisited specials, but to bridge the gap please enjoy a sneak peek of my newsletter show exclusive, Second Date, where authors return for a second round of rapid-fire questions. Check out a historical fiction/romance special as I go spoiler heavy with Lenny Robinson and Bryony McGuinness, and if you like it...

⭐️ Episode 832 Bridie Jabour - Ordinary, Funny, Tragic and creativity ⭐️ Published by Harper Collins Dear book lovers, This week I talk to Bridie Jabour about her new book Ordinary, Funny, Tragic 🩷 I love, love, love Bridie’s work! We chat about ✅ The challenge of writing comedy ✅ The important relationship between siblings ✅ Complexity of mother daughter relationships ✅ Parenting ✅ Scheduling creativity ✅ Writing process ✅ Publishing journey ✅ Leaning into her voice Support the industry by hitting play and reading books 💫 Dani 💋

⭐️ Episode 831 Carla Fitzgerald - How to Make the World Cup and writing middle grade ⭐️ Published by UQP. Dear middle grade readers, This week I talk to Carla Fitzgerald about her third book in this series. We chat about ✅ Being inspired by women’s sport ✅ Writing middle grade stories to engage kids ✅ Interesting research ✅ Writing process ✅ The challenge of the editing process ✅ Switching from middle grade to picture books Support the industry by hitting play and reading books 💫 Dani 💋

QWS S5E6 Thomas Vowles and Troy Hunter TEXT 🎙️ New QWS Podcast Episode! 🌈✨ In QWS S5E6, Troy talks to Thomas Vowles, author and screenwriter, whose incredible debut psychological thriller OUR NEW GODS came out last year While discussing OUR NEW GODS, Tom and Troy also talk about crime and thriller tropes, about how Tom’s screenwriting helped inform his novel, about moving to a new city, about writing sex, and about the joy of being queer, among heaps of other things. Books and authors discussed in this episode: - Dead Ends by Samantha Byres (see the ep with her QWS S5E1) - ...

⭐️ Episode 830 - Dani Vee and Amy Coomer - Ravensbourne, teen life and writing process ⭐️ Published by Bakers Lane. *Please note this episode discusses drug taking Dear music festival lovers, In this episode I chat to Amy Coomer about her brand new YA novel Ravenbourne. A mystery, a tragedy and a music festival that changes everything. We chat about: 💋 The risks of being a teenager, 💋 How the book changed since Amy started writing it when she was a teenager herself, 💋 Empowering teenagers, 💋Writing process and the lens of maturity, 💋 Exploring dark themes, 💋 How screenwriting informed the book, Support Aussie books, authors and publishers. Hit play a

⭐️ Episode 829 - Dani Vee and Rebecca Higgie - The Book of the After ⭐️ Published by Fremantle Press In this episode we discuss the big issues in this epic book! We chat about: ⭐️ The afterlife, ⭐️ The book as a political love story, ⭐️ Extensive research, ⭐️ What is takes to spend 6 years writing a book, ⭐️ The publishing journey, ⭐️ Extensive post-it note planning. Support Aussie authors, hit play and read this book! Dani 💋

Date with a Debut is a podcast hosted by writer Nick Wasiliev: shining a light on debut authors, their incredible books, and their journeys to publication. In our 15th episode of series four, Nick chats with Stephanie MacFie, discussing her delightful romcom, Once Upon a Breakfast Show. Enjoy the show? Drop us a review, it really helps the show out! You can also subscribe to our new monthly newsletter, and get access to exclusive show Second Date: https://nickwasiliev.substack.com/ Sign up to the free Instagram Date with a Debut Writing/Reading Crew: https://bit.ly/4pyCx9u Check...

⭐️ Episode 828 - Dani Vee and Alex Sawyer - Rat Daniels, psychology & male friendship ⭐️ Published by Hachette Dear lovely listeners, ⭐️ The importance of male friendship ⭐️ Winning the Richell Prize to publication, ⭐️ The psychology of characters, ⭐️ Moral ambiguity of characters actions, ⭐️ How much do you write for an audience? We also delve into psychology … 🔥 How to we explain ourselves to ourselves? 🔥 Is journaling really good for your mental health? 🔥 Self-awareness and checking in with yourself Support Aussie books and hit play! Dani 💋

⭐️ Episode 827 - Dani Vee and Samantha Wheeler - The Lost Island and connecting kids to nature through reading ⭐️ Published by UQP. Dear nature loving listeners, In this episode I chat to Samantha about her new release The Lost Island, inspired by her PhD in connecting kids to nature through fiction. We chat about … ⭐️ Finding magic in nature wherever you are, ⭐️ Surviving in the wild, ⭐️ The frustrating process of being a pantser, ⭐️ Exploring the story through writing rather than planning, ⭐️ The publishing contract journey. A fun and honest chat about writing, research and accepting the writer inside you. Support Aussie books by hitting play or reading thi

Dear kid lit lovers, This week I chat to Allison about her new book inspired by the stories she was told by her highly respected Elder grandparents. If you love publishing stories, you will not believe this one! We chat about: 🩷 The importance of storytelling and nostalgia 🩷 A very interesting publishing journey 🩷 How teaching informed her writing 🩷 The importance of kids seeing themselves 🩷 Challenges of writing humour Support Aussie creatives and hit play or read a book! Dani 💋

⭐️ Episode 825 - Dani Vee and Bryony McGuiness - Violet Town, romance and the classics published by Bakers Lane Books ⭐️ Dear historical fiction lovers, Don’t miss this sweeping historical debut about ambition, forbidden love and the choices that shape us forever. We chat about: 🩷 Developing her writing from a young age 🩷 How fan fic helped her write Violet Town 🩷 The influence of romance and history 🩷 The representation of women over time 🩷 Reading the classics Don’t miss this episode if you love romance, historical fiction and watching the Titanic! Support Aussie books and creatives, hit play and read a book! Dani 💋

Date with a Debut is a podcast hosted by writer Nick Wasiliev: shining a light on debut authors, their incredible books, and their journeys to publication. In our 14th episode of series four, Nick chats with Whitney Fitzsimmons, discussing her thrilling debut rural noir, The Rising. Enjoy the show? Drop us a review; it really helps the show out! You can also subscribe to our new monthly newsletter, and get access to exclusive show Second Date: https://nickwasiliev.substack.com/ Sign up to the free Instagram Date with a Debut Writing/Reading Crew: https://bit.ly/4pyCx9u Check out...

⭐️ Episode 824 - Dani Vee and Megan Jacobson - The Waiting Place ⭐️ Dear gorgeous listeners In this episode Dani and Megan chat about her new novel The Waiting Place, a novel she has been writing since she was a teenager. We also chat about: ❤️ How to solve writing knots ❤️ Learning how to live and asking teens big questions ❤️ The fiction of being a Trad Wife ❤️ How to find yourself ❤️ Writing process and publishing journey ❤️ How to teach our kids consent Support Aussie creatives and play an episode today! Dani 💋

Dani and Vee and Mary Anastasiou, with their multiple hats in the publishing industry share their experiences about Marketing, Publicity and Social Media. When should promotion of your book begin? What is your personal brand and why is it important? How to grow your social media page using hashtags and other tools. Why we need to support one another. How to deal with rejection and when it feels personal. Common mistakes made by. aspiring authors and self-published authors LISTEN NOW!

Date with a Debut is a podcast hosted by writer Nick Wasiliev: shining a light on debut authors, their incredible books, and their journeys to publication. In our 12th episode of series four, Nick chats with Jane R. Miles about her incredible thriller, Stay Buried. Enjoy the show? Drop us a review, it really helps the show out! You can also subscribe to our new monthly newsletter, and get access to exclusive show Second Date: https://nickwasiliev.substack.com/ Sign up to the free Instagram Date with a Debut Writing/Reading Crew: https://bit.ly/4pyCx9u Check out our...

Date with a Debut is a podcast hosted by writer Nick Wasiliev: shining a light on debut authors, their incredible books, and their journeys to publication. In our 13th episode of series four, Nick chats with Lenny Robinson, discussing her debut war fiction novel, And In The Morning. Enjoy the show? Drop us a review, it really helps the show out! You can also subscribe to our new monthly newsletter, and get access to exclusive show Second Date: https://nickwasiliev.substack.com/ Sign up to the free Instagram Date with a Debut Writing/Reading Crew: https://bit.ly/4pyCx9u ...

⭐️ Episode 822 - Dani Vee and Nadine Brown - Gone Guru, Publishing and finding yourself ⭐️ Dear Fiction Lovers, This week I chat to the lovely Nadine Brown about her brilliantly funny and philosophical book Gone Guru set in New York, and published by Fremantle Press. We chat about: 💫 Finding a place for contemporary fiction 💫 Philosophical ideas and contemporary fiction 💫 Funny books vs literary books 💫 Giving in to who you are 💫 Challenges of writing humour and finding the zone 💫 Writing in New York It was such a fun, fast-paced chat. We delve into writing contemporary fiction and how humour and big ideas can work together to enter...

In QWS S5E5, Troy catches up with his old mate Holden Sheppard. Holden is country boy, a weightlifter and a self-proclaimed "bromosexual", who has found literary acclaim with the raw, blokey honesty of his contemporary gay fiction. Holden's latest adult novel YEAH THE BOYS – a sequel to 2019’s INVISIBLE BOYS – came out earlier this year and has just been optioned for TV! While discussing YEAH THE BOYS, Holden and Troy also yak about masculinity and brotherhood, male only spaces, footy, influencer culture, writing YA vs adult books, as well as what actually happens when a book is optioned for adapta...

⭐️ Episode 821 - Dani Vee and Jane R Miles - Stay Buried, why horror is back ⭐️ Dear thriller and horror lovers, If you love psychological thrillers with a bit of horror (who doesn’t) this episode is for you! We chat about Stay Buried published by Harper Collins. ⭐️ True crime vs fiction ⭐️ Why horror is back and why it resonates with readers ⭐️ Why horror movies make us sleep better ⭐️ Atmospheric settings ⭐️ How a mentorship and pitch led to publication ⭐️ Multiple rewrites to shape a final manuscript Listen now! Dani 💋

⭐️ Episode 820 - Dani Vee and Jess McGeachin - Find Me In The Forest and getting into nature ⭐️ Dear nature loving listeners, In this episode I chat to award winning author illustrator Jess McGeachin about his gorgeous new picture book Find Me In The Forest published Hachette. We chat about the illustration process and how important it is to have human made art. We also explore: ⭐️ The importance of nature in a digital world ⭐️ Whether the words or the illustrations come first ⭐️ Extensive research ⭐️ Publishing journey Jess is an author illustrator of the Find Me series that includes Find me in the Forest and Find me o...

Date with a Debut is a podcast hosted by writer Nick Wasiliev: shining a light on debut authors, their incredible books, and their journeys to publication. In our tenth episode of series four, Nick chats with Dr Dominique Lee, the author of the powerful memoir, What's Been Broken Is All the More Sharp. WARNING: this book and podcast contain in-depth topics of sexual assault, trauma and mental health - listener and reader discretion is highly advised. If this is something that has affected you or someone you know, help is available. FullStop Australia: https://fullstop.org.au/ & 1800 FULL STOP National...

Date with a Debut is a podcast hosted by writer Nick Wasiliev: shining a light on debut authors, their incredible books, and their journeys to publication. In our 11th episode of series four, Nick chats with Lindsay Bartels about her prescient biography, Imogen in Waiting. WARNING: this book and podcast contains in-depth topics around fertility issues. If this is something that has affected you or someone you know, help is available. PANDA: https://www.panda.org.au/ Red Nose Australia: https://rednose.org.au/ The Pink Elephants Support Network: https://www.pinkelephants.org.au/ Enjoy the show? Drop us a...

⭐️ Episode #819 - Dani Vee and Andrew Upton - Krank Fuss, writing weird and moving from writing screenplays to a novel. Published by Puncher and Wattman 🎉 Dear theatre loving listeners, In this episode I chat to the incredibly talented Andrew Upton about his wildly unique debut novel Krank Fuss and its important place in politics, fiction and philosophy. Of course, being a Sydneysider and theatre nerd, the Sydney Theatre Company has always been important to me, so I had to ask about how he and Cate Blanchett as Artistic Directors brought sustainability and theatre together. We nerded out about: ⭐️ The comparisons of Krank Fu...

Date with a Debut is a podcast hosted by writer Nick Wasiliev: shining a light on debut authors, their incredible books, and their journeys to publication. In our ninth episode of series four, Nick sits down with Albert Jamae, the author of self-help book Shaping Tomorrow’s Man. WARNING: this book and podcast contains topics of mental health, self harm, domestic violence and fertility issues, listener and reader discretion is strongly advised. If this is something that affects you or your loved ones, help is available. Movember: https://mylifepsychologists.com.au/ MensLine Australia: 1300 78 99 78 Beyond Blue: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/ Li...

Episode 818 - Dani Vee and Ashleigh Barton - 89 Questions for After ⭐️ Dear book lovers, I loved chatting to Ashleigh about this brand new middle grade novel. We delve into the big questions, chat about what we are curious about, the writing process of writing what was a challenging book and how to market children’s books (coming from someone who used to work in book publicity!) We chat about: 💫 How to explore the big questions with young readers 💫 Balancing writing light and dark 💫 Intergenerational relationships 💫 Fascinating research about the circus 💫 AI and misinformation 💫 Why this was a challenging book to write 💫 How to market y...

Dani Vee and Isabelle Li - The Northern Tomb Dani and Isabelle have a fascinating conversation about care for the body, ageing, and intergenerational relationships. Dani and Isabelle chat about 💫 Writing characters whose lives span different generations and historical experiences 💫 Learning about yourself during the writing process 💫 The importance of friendship 💫 Multiple narrators vs single point of view perspective 💫 Challenges of writing Isabelle Li is a Chinese Australian writer and translator. She has published in various anthologies and literary journals. Her collection of short stories A Chinese Affair was published by Margaret River Press and her novel The Northern Tomb was published b...

Dani Vee and Peter Carnavas chat about nostalgia in books, creating quiet characters and his new book children's book Kid. They talk about: * The importance of creating quiet characters * Identity, belonging and loneliness * Writing process * Balancing writing and illustrating * How you know when a book is finished * What writing can teach us * The books that stay with us forever Kid is a modern day classic about a young goat who discovers the meaning of family published by UQP.

Date with a Debut is a podcast hosted by writer Nick Wasiliev: shining a light on debut authors, their incredible books, and their journeys to publication. Series 4 gets back up and running with a special collaboration with one of the best Aussie book podcasts going around, Talking Aussie Books! Talking Aussie Books: https://claudinetinellis.com/episodes/ Claudine Tinellis - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claudinetinellis I have a special deal currently where if you sign up to the newsletter, you can have 50% off a monthly or yearly VIP subscription for the next twelve months. That's $3 a month, or $25 a year! ...

Episode 815 - Dani Vee and Anna Poletti chat about Hello World? This episode contains adult content. We chat about the topics that society often avoids. They chat about: ⭐️ Self-editing when writing about the erotic imagination ⭐️ Sexuality and identity ⭐️ Writing for yourself and not worrying that anyone is going to read it ⭐️ Why as a society we are repressed when it comes to exploring sexuality ⭐️ Feminism and exploring women’s shame ⭐️ Fiction vs academia ⭐️ Honesty in intimate relationships ⭐️ Writing process when coming from an academic background ‘Anna Poletti’s hello, world? is a subversive sex-positive and powerful deconstruction of patriarchy that looks at the erotic imagination and th...

Date with a Debut is a podcast hosted by writer Nick Wasiliev: shining a light on debut authors, their incredible books, and their journeys to publication. Series 4 gets back up and running with a special collaboration with one of the best Aussie book podcasts going around, Talking Aussie Books! Talking Aussie Books: https://claudinetinellis.com/episodes/ Claudine Tinellis - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claudinetinellis I have a special deal currently where if you sign up to the newsletter, you can have 50% off a monthly or yearly VIP subscription for the next twelve months. That's $3 a month, or $25 a year! ...

Dear Bookish Community, In this episode I chat to Shivaun and I chat about her unique and wonderful middle grade novel Running in Circles. This book is a moving coming-of-age story about family, picking your battles and the transformative power of science. We chat about: * How she combines family heartache, extraterrestrials and science * Frog saunas * Climate change and what she wanted readers to take from the book * An obsession with the supernatural * Writing and publishing process * The process of creation * The impact of AI on creativity Thanks for supporting Aussie books and podcasts Dani

QWS S5E4 Dennis Altman and Troy Hunter TEXT 🎙️ New QWS Podcast Episode! 🌈✨ In QWS S5E4, Troy chats with the legendary activist, academic and author Dennis Altman. Dennis is a political scientist, social commentator, essayist and novelist. who has written many other books, covering topics as broad as AIDS, US politics, queer refugees and asylum seekers, constitutional monarchies, as well as writing memoir and, even a crime novel, Death at the Sauna. and, importantly, Dennis’ new collection of essays Righting My World. Dennis talks to Troy about his life, politics, racism, America, AIDS, Gore Vidal, James Baldwin - covering everything f...

⭐️ EPISODE 813 - Dani Vee and Adrian ‘Danger’ Beck - Jam packed with fun, books and random conversations about all things writing Dear kid lit lovers and listeners, In this episode I chat to my good mate, and according to the internet, the ‘superstar’ of kid lit, Adrian ‘Danger’ Beck 🔥 We celebrate Adrian’s new middle grade thriller Nowhere House, which will become your next favourite book ☀️ We chat about … ⭐️ Needy and sleepy cavoodles ⭐️ The World Cup ⚽️ ⭐️ Donuts vs Turkish Delight We eventually get to books and publishing and chat about … 🎉 The importance of a great cover 🎉 The secret of writing engaging thrillers 🎉 The challenge of writing humou...

Dear book lovers, If you love books, this is the episode for you! Cheryl Akle has worked in the book industry for over 40 years in various roles. After having launched Better Reading in 2014 reaching over 1 million readers each month. Now Cheryl and her team and launching their own app - What Are You Reading? We chat about: 📕 Developing an app with community feedback 📕 The importance of respectful reviews 📕 Audio books vs printed books 📕 What should you be reading? 📕 Books as a safe haven 📕 The future of books 📕 And Cheryl makes a writing confession … Come on a journey into our bookish world where we get lost...

⭐️ Episode 811 - Dani Vee and Michaela Bolzan chat about this year’s SouthernHighlands Writers Festival, the importance of writing communities and why creators need to create. Dear Festival Loving Listeners, The SouthernHighlands Writers Festival is one of the most exciting festivals this year! Grab your tickets for the 23-26 July where you can choose to attend the literary dinner with Bryan Brown or author conversations in two of Bowral’s iconic venues. Grab your coats and head to the festival and find yourself reading by the fire drinking hot chocolates! Michaela is a creative force and they discuss: 💋 Making your own opportu...