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PODCAST

Better Words

Michelle Gately & Caitlin Toohey

A podcast for readers who want to know the stories behind the pages 📖 Join Caitlin and Michelle, two book nerds who bring you in-depth conversations about writing and publishing from those on the inside. Grab a cuppa and get ready to chat books.

arts books

All Episodes

58:53

Break-up revenge, queer friendships and anti-running...

Better Words ·

2021/03/16

Laura Kay is a writer and editor. She has an MA in American History from the University of Sheffield, and now lives in London with her wife and cat. In 2018, Laura was selected as one of the 10 PRH WriteNow mentees. She is based in London and The Split is her first novel.Our interview starts at 20 minutes.Mini book club: The Boy from the Mish by Gary LonesboroughWe both adored this funny and heartwarming queer Indigenous YA novel, set in a rural Australian community, about seventeen-year-old Jackson

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59:21

Dating advice, queer rom-coms and writing for an...

Better Words ·

2021/03/10

Sophie Gonzales is a young adult author who lives in Melbourne. When she isn’t writing, she can be found ice skating, performing in musical theatre, and practising the piano. Today we’re talking about her brand new contemporary novel, Perfect on Paper.Our interview starts at 11 minutes. Michelle recommends: No Shame by Tom Allen“A brilliant comedic memoir. Anyone who has felt socially awkward or out of place will find this very touching”Caitlin recommends:Wandavision“If you haven’t watched it and

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01:04:09

Exploring abuse and trauma in children's fiction with...

Better Words ·

2021/03/02

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley was the sort of kid who would skip lunch breaks to read and talk with the school librarian. She studied chemistry and worked as a research chemist after school, writing at night and on the weekends. Eventually, she realised that writing was her true passion and got her first publishing contract while pregnant with her second child. She now lives on a farm in Tennessee with an assortment of animals and is celebrating the publication of her 18th novel, Fighting Words. Just a

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01:11:41

Writing funny and publishing in a pandemic with...

Better Words ·

2021/02/23

Abigail Mann is a Norfolk native living in London, surviving on a diet of three-shot coffee, bourbon biscuits and vegetarian sausage rolls. The manuscript which became her debut novel was runner-up in the inaugural Comedy Women in Print award in 2019. Thanks to the pandemic she has just celebrated the paperback publication of her debut, the Lonely Fajita, and will soon celebrate the publication of her second novel Sister Surprise. We usually try to avoid talking about the Panny D (British for this

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01:03:44

Our 2020 favourites

Better Words ·

2020/12/27

We’re sharing our favourite films, books, TV and audio of the year. Because we all know the 2020 has given us PLENTY of time to consume new content. Thanks for joining us this year and for supporting us. We can’t wait to be back in your ear holes in 2021 for Season 6.Adult fictionCaitlin:Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (listen to the interview)The Lost Love Song by Minnie DarkeAll Our Shimmering Skies by Trent DaltonMichelle:The Cows by Dawn O’Porter (and her second novel So Lucky)The Thursday Murder

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59:32

Celebrating your truth and pimping pain with Arvin...

Better Words ·

2020/12/01

Arvin Ahmadi grew up outside Washington DC, graduated from Columbia University, and worked in the tech industry prior to becoming a full-time writer. He now lives in New York City and has published three books. He’s joining us today to talk about his latest novel, How It All Blew Up. Interview starts at 18 minutes. Note: right near the end Arvin's Airpods died so he drops out and jumps back in again. Caitlin recommendsDash and Lily (based on Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel

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01:31:03

Fat acceptance and living life unapologetically with...

Better Words ·

2020/11/24

Stephanie Yeboah has been part of the fat acceptance and body positivity movement since 2014. She has since then written for multiple publications and her own blog about intersectionality in the body positivity movement, Beauty standards within the community and self-love. Today we are discussing her brilliant debut non-fiction memoir/self-help guide Fattily Ever After. Interview starts at 30 minutes.Mini TV club: The Crown (Season 4)Spoiler alert: we will be discussing some key components of Season

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01:15:04

Fame and music stardom in YA with Frances Chapman

Better Words ·

2020/11/18

Frances Chapman was born in Henley-On-Thames in England and she spent her childhood pinballed between continents before settling in Sydney. She worked as a journalist and social researcher for several years before she became a freelance writer in 2015. Her debut novel, Stars Like Us, was published by Hardie Grant Egmont in July 2020 after winning the Hardie Grant Egmont Ampersand Prize in 2018, and the Varuna-Black Inc Publisher Introduction Program in 2017. Interview starts at 22 minutes.Caitlin

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56:45

The balance between history and fiction with Alison...

Better Words ·

2020/11/10

Alison Booth was born in Melbourne, brought up in Sydney and has worked in the UK and in Australia as a professor as well as a novelist. She holds a PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics and has written five novels, including The Philosopher’s Daughters which was published in April 2020.Interview starts at 20 minutes.Mini book club: Cow Girl by Kirsty EyreWe enjoyed reading this funny book about Billie, a biochemist who has to go back to her home town to run her family dairy farm when

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01:06:36

The fluidity of adolescence and reflections on life...

Better Words ·

2020/11/03

Meg Rosoff spent 15 years working in advertising before writing her first novel. That book, How I Live Now, has since sold over one million copies in 36 territories, won prestigious awards and been adapted into a film. Her subsequent novels have been awarded or shortlisted for multiple awards including the Carnegie Medal. Although she was born in Boston, our guest now lives in London with her husband, daughter and dogs.Interview starts at 15 minutes.Caitlin recommends2 brilliant fiction podcasts:

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55:28

Fairytale retellings and creating new narratives with...

Better Words ·

2020/10/27

Kalynn Bayron is an author and classically trained vocalist. She grew up in Alaska, which apparently means skiing and ice-skating in PE class. She studied opera in college, trained in ballet and can play the clarinet. As if all of that isn’t talent enough, she’s recently published her debut novel, Cinderella Is Dead.Interview starts at 20 minutesMini book club: Read with Pride (Paper and Hearts Society Book 2)We enjoyed this YA novel about the importance of diverse and inclusive books (even if it

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01:01:52

Nobel prize winners and the craft of short stories...

Better Words ·

2020/10/20

Our guest this week is an award winning writer, she has a PhD in Creative Writing and Literary Studies, her work has been published in Overland, Griffith Review, The Big Issue fiction edition and more. She has won the Josephine Ulrick Prize for Literature, the Margaret River Short Story Competition, the Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize and the Fair Australia Prize for Fiction. Her first book was a finalist in the Queensland Literary Awards and her second book, Ordinary Matter was published on

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01:14:10

Violence, isolation and a changing Ireland with...

Better Words ·

2020/10/13

Ireland is a land known for its literary exports and our guest this week is certainly adding to the country’s reputation for impeccable fiction. Louise O'Neill is from West Cork and has been described as a feminist powerhouse. Her first two novels, Only Ever Yours and Asking For It, were written for young adults but tackled very tough topics including sexual assault and consent. Her books have won multiple awards and been bestsellers on the Irish fiction charts. Her latest novel and her second adult

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01:02:32

The sorrow and bliss of writing life with Meg Mason

Better Words ·

2020/10/06

Meg Mason started her career at the Financial Times and The Times of London - definitely not too shabby! Since then, she’s been published in major Australian newspapers, The New Yorker, Sunday Style, GQ, Vogue, Elle and Marie Claire. She has written a memoir and a novel, but this week we are discussing her second novel, Sorrow and Bliss.Caitlin recommendsSplitting Up TogetherA two-season US sitcom about a couple who find out getting divorced is the best thing they could ever do for their

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55:28

Asexual pride and publishing as a teenager with Alice...

Better Words ·

2020/09/30

Alice Oseman is a formidable young writer. Alice's first book was published when she was just 19. Now at 25, our guest has already published four celebrated novels and written and illustrated a much loved graphic novel series. Alice's latest novel, Loveless, is a celebration of friendship and coming out as asexual and aromantic.Interview starts at 12 minutes.Mini-book club: Heartstopper by Alice OsemanConfession: We haven't read many graphic novels before! We love Heartstopper. It is the PERFECT

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54:37

Folklore and circus 'freaks' with Nydia Hetherington

Better Words ·

2020/09/22

Nydia Hetherington grew up in Leeds in the north of England and moved to London in her twenties to start an acting career. She studied at a renowned French theatre school and went on to create her own theatre company. Her debut novel, A Girl Made of Air, was published in September.Interview starts at 12 minutes. Caitlin recommendsLove Struck by Bronwyn SellPerfect for pretending you were allowed to travel to an exotic tropical location for summer this year. Michelle recommendsThe Science of

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54:48

Exploring autism through YA fiction with Kay Kerr

Better Words ·

2020/09/15

Kay Kerr is a former journalist and community newspaper editor from Brisbane. She now lives on the Sunshine Coast with her husband and daughter and works as a freelance writer. Her debut young adult novel, Please Don’t Hug Me, was inspired by her own autism-spectrum diagnosis. The interview starts at 17 minutes.This week, we started the episode with a mini book club discussion of Olive by Emma Gannon. Overall: We loved this book and recommend to anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction and likes

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58:25

Writing romance and escapist fiction with Laura Jane...

Better Words ·

2020/09/08

Laura Jane Williams is an incredibly talented storyteller who has written columns for numerous magazines, published two non-fiction books and has just celebrated the release of her second fiction novel. Her debut fiction Our Stop was a smash hit in the UK summer in 2019 and The Love Square is set to be just as popular, having been described as “clever, hilarious and a total unbridled joy to read".We've refreshed the podcast format a tiny bit to include just one recommendation for each of us in the

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34:56

Exploring culture and religion through memoir with...

Better Words ·

2020/09/01

We apologise for the audio quality of some parts of this episode. It was originally published in December 2018. When we spoke to Zoya we discussed her memoir No Country Woman and the experience of writing the memoir. In this episode, we discuss:How Zoya’s family responded to her writing a memoir about her cultural and religious experiences growing up in Australia (and why this has helped them connect as a family)The power of memoir as a genre to explore cultural issuesThe deeply individual

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35:07

Queer meet-cutes & Kindred stories with Michael Earp...

Better Words ·

2020/08/26

This interview with Michael Earp was originally broadcast in May 2019.When we spoke to Michael, he was getting ready to launch Kindred: a Queer #LoveOzYA short story collection. He was also one of the talented writers included in the Underdog short story collection (published in 2019). Sign up to Michael's email and you'll get a short story from him in your inbox!In this chat, we discuss:Writing a queer meet-cute short story for the Underdog Short Story Anthology (listen to our episode with Tobias

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174 results

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