Talking Aussie Books A Podcast by Claudine Tinellis

Phillipa Nefri Clark is an Australian author based in country Victoria and a USA Today best-selling author of more than 20 novels.

Her writing is not only prolific but spans a number of different genres - from romance, to mystery and crime thrillers.

Earlier this year I was offered the opportunity to read the first of Phillipa's Detective Liz Moorland novels, 'Lest We Forgive' and thoroughly enjoyed it!

A gritty, page-turning novel about bitter, reclusive ex-cop Vince who in the aftermath of his daughter's tragic death in a car crash, becomes his granddaughter's sole living relative and carer. Convinced his daughter's death was not an accident, he turns to his former colleague Detective Liz Moorland for help to catch his daughter's killer.

Knowing that Phillipa has another two planned in this series is exciting to say the least.

I was truly delighted to speak with Phillipa about this book and her successful career as an indie (self-published) author.

Robyn Cadwallader is an award winning Canberra-based author  - with three historical novels to her name, along with poems, prize-winning short stories and a non-fiction book based on her PhD thesis about virginity and female agency in the Middle Ages.



Robyn’s first novel, ‘The Anchoress’ was published in 2015 to critical acclaim and was awarded the Canberra Critics Circle Award for fiction and the ACT Book of the Year People’s Choice Award.



Her second novel, Book of Colours followed in 2018 - winning the 2019 ACT Book of the Year Award along with another Canberra Critics Circle Award AND it was shortlisted for a Voss Award. 



In early May, Robyn’s third novel ‘The Fire and The Rose’ was released by HarperCollins. 



And listeners, what a book it is.  A deeply moving, mesmerising and timeless story about a forbidden love.  A story about the power of words and a women’s fight to be with the man she loves:  going against her Church, against the law and against her King. 



A novel that explores prejudice and racism along with faith, this book left a deep and lasting impression on me.



And so it was with great delight that I welcomed Robyn to the podcast recently to chat about her marvellous new book. 

Kim Lock is an internationally published, bestselling author of five novels that include 'Peace Love and Khaki Socks', 'Like I Can Love', 'The Three of Us' and 'The Other Side of Beautiful'. 



Living in regional South Australia with her family, Kim’s writing as appeared in Kill Your Darlings, The Guardian, Daily Life and The Sydney Morning Herald amongst other publications. 



Earlier this month, Kim’s latest novel, 'The Fancies' was published by HarperCollins Australia. 



An irresistibly funny, big-hearted, sharply-observed novel about stories: the stories we tell, the stories we believe and the stories we make into reality - irrespective of their truth. 



With punchy dialogue and a cast of wonderfully drawn characters, I was quickly drawn into the fictional town of Port Kingerton and raced through the pages to try and uncover the decades-old mystery the townsfolk were desperate to keep hidden. 



This is the first of Kim’s novels I’ve read - but listeners it won’t be the last. 

Kim

Megan Rogers is a debut novelist with impeccable credentials.



Starting her working life as an editorial assistant at Allen & Unwin before taking up a position in Marketing at the State Library of Victoria Megan has a PhD in Creative Writing as well as a Bachelor of Arts/Science, a Diploma of Professional Writing and Editing, a Graduate Diploma in Professional Communication AND a Masters of Marketing. 



Incredible!



Megan penned a non-fiction book called ‘Finding the Plot, A Maternal Approach to Madness in Literature’ published by Demeter Press in 2017. 



And this month, her debut novel ‘The Heart is A Star’ was published by Harper Collins Publishers. 



Having had the pleasure of devouring this book recently, I can tell you listeners, this is a beautifully written, highly evocative and enthralling read to add to your piles. 



About a woman at the cross-roads of her life and her quest to uncover the truth behind her father’s death, 'The Heart is A Star' is a book I won’t forget in a hurry. 



I chatted with Megan about it on the podcast recently.

Rae Cairns is a Sydney-based author who shot to notoriety when her debut, self-published novel, ‘The Good Mother’ was shortlisted in 2021 for the Ned Kelly Award in the Best Debut Crime Fiction category. 



Following this auspicious event, Rae was offered a two-book deal with HarperCollins publishers and 'The Good Mother' was revised and reissued allowing even more readers to discover Rae’s storytelling prowess with this gripping thriller. 



This month, Rae is celebrating the release of her second novel ‘Dying to Know’. And I have to say, listeners, much like ‘The Good Mother’, this book was thrilling and heart-stopping in equal measures.  From it’s opening pages, Rae sinks her storytelling hooks into us and doesn’t ease up until the very end. 



With its intriguing premise, expertly researched details and propulsive action - I picked this book up on a Sunday afternoon and simply couldn’t put it down again until I was done. 



For several hours everything took a backseat to this incredible story of love, loyalty corruption, betrayal and a sister’s search for the truth. 



I absolutely loved this book and couldn’t wait to chat with Rae on the podcast again.

Jessica Dettmann's new novel 'Without Further Ado" (HarperCollins) is a delightful romantic comedy about one woman's search for love and how the stories we read and films we watch impact that journey.



Based loosely on Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing', this book had me laughing out loud.



A terrifically entertaining read filled with witty dialogue and Jessica's trademark warmth and humour.



I was thrilled to welcome Jessica back to the podcast recently.