James and Ashley Stay at Home James McKenzie Watson and Ashley Kalagian Blunt

'The doctors were telling me, "We’re going to take your greater omentum out" … I had no idea what these terms meant.' 
In episode 96, author Tracy Sorensen joins us to discuss her remarkable novel/cancer memoir, The Vitals, narrated by her internal organs.
After her original cancer diagnosis, a desire to better understand her body led Tracy to crochet her peritoneal organs. This in turn helped her to develop each organ's personality as they became point-of-view characters in the novel. She delves into her creative process, including the three-word sticky note that guided her writing.
Part of her goal was a deliberate departure from conventional 'battle' narratives surrounding cancer, opting instead for a more nuanced approach that challenges societal expectations. She also shares her approach to crafting narrative drive.
Tracy Sorensen is a writer and scholar. She grew up in Carnarvon on the north coast of Western Australia and now lives in Bathurst, New South Wales, with her partner, Steve. Her first novel, The Lucky Galah, was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award in 2019. The Vitals, her second novel, is based on her experience with advanced primary peritoneal cancer, a form of ovarian cancer. 
Books and authors discussed in this episode
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk   Enid Blyton The Poseidon Adventure by Paul Gallico I’ll Leave You with This by Kylie Ladd Number Go Up by Zeke Faux The Trial by Franz Kafka Loosely Based on a Made-Up Story by James Blunt Get your copy of The Vitals from Booktopia or your local bookshop.
Upcoming events

Ashley is teaching Writing Crime Fiction, a six-week online course with Faber starting 15 May 2024
Ashley is teaching Pathways to Publication for Writing NSW on Saturday 15 June, 10am-4pm
Learn more about Ashley's psychological thriller Dark Mode and get your copy here or from your local bookshop. 
Learn more about James' award-winning novel Denizen and get your copy here or from your local bookshop.
Get in touch!
ashleykalagianblunt.com jamesmckenziewatson.com Instagram: @akalagianblunt + @jamesmcwatson

‘I had thought I was going to be like Harper Lee. I was going to write one book, it was going to be a massive global success, and then I would go into hiding.’ 
Hear from award-winning Irish author Liz Nugent, whose novel Strange Sally Diamond may have turned Ashley into a total fangirl. 
Liz discusses her journey from a childhood accident leading to dystonia, to finding success and self-confidence through writing, and to her recent brain surgery. Liz also dives into her latest novel, sharing insights into the creation of its unique protagonist and her writing process. 
Plus, Liz makes a call on the greatest crime novel of the past ten years!
Before becoming a full-time writer, Liz Nugent worked in film, theatre and television. Her five novels – Unravelling Oliver, Lying in Wait, Skin Deep, Our Little Cruelties and Strange Sally Diamond – have each been number one bestsellers. She has won four Irish Book Awards, as well as the James Joyce Medal for Literature. She lives in Dublin.
Books and authors discussed in this episode

The Lost Man by Jane Harper; Val McDermid; Ian Rankin; Graham Norton; Dervla McTiernan; To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee; Lisa Jewell;  The Prophet Song by Paul Lynch; In the Woods by Tana French; The Hunter by Tana French; The Search by Tana French; Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica; Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov; Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro; A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara Get your copy of Strange Sally Diamond from Booktopia or your local bookshop.
Upcoming events 
Ashley is teaching Crafting Narrative Drive as part of the Newcastle Writers Festival on Friday 5 April, 10am-4pm  See Ashley in conversation with Mirandi Riwoe at Newcastle Writers Festival, Saturday 6 April Ashley is teaching Writing Crime Fiction, a six-week online course with Faber starting 15 May 2024  Ashley is teaching Pathways to Publication for Writing NSW on Saturday 15 June, 10am-4pm Learn more about Ashley's psychological thriller Dark Mode and get your copy here or from your local bookshop. 
Learn more about James' award-winning novel Denizen and get your copy here or from your local bookshop.
Get in touch!
ashleykalagianblunt.com jamesmckenziewatson.com Instagram: @akalagianblunt + @jamesmcwatson

Throughout their writing careers, James and Ashley have each picked up some excellent writing tricks, plus developed a few of their own. In the coming months, they’ll each share a few of their most effective writing techniques, starting with James’ shortcut to compelling characters. 
British science-fiction author Karen Traviss writes remarkably nuanced characters. She also writes remarkably quickly, once tapping out 37,000 words in two days. In this episode, James delves into one of Traviss's novels to understand what makes her characters so compelling. He then shares the four questions he now always asks himself about his characters before writing. 
Plus, we talk about the latest novel from one of our very first guests.  
You can find a summary of James’ tips here. 
You can find Karen Traviss’ wildly entertaining and informative FAQ page here. 
Books and authors discussed in this episode
Gears of War: Aspho Fields by Karen Traviss; The Corrections by Jonathon Franzen; The Walking Dead (series) by Robert Kirkman;  Red River Road by Anna Downes;  The Consultant by Im Seong Sun, translated by An Seon Jae Upcoming events

Ashley is teaching Crafting Narrative Drive as part of the Newcastle Writers Festival on Friday 5 April, 10am-4pm  See Ashley in conversation with Mirandi Riwoe at Newcastle Writers Festival, Saturday 6 April Ashley is teaching Writing Crime Fiction, a six-week online course with Faber starting 15 May 2024  Ashley is teaching Pathways to Publication for Writing NSW on Saturday 15 June, 10am-4pm Learn more about James' award-winning novel Denizen and get your copy here or from your local bookshop. 

Learn more about Ashley's psychological thriller Dark Mode and get your copy here or from your local bookshop. 

Get in touch!
ashleykalagianblunt.com jamesmckenziewatson.com Instagram: @akalagianblunt + @jamesmcwatson

’I kept this condition very, very secret from everybody.’
Adele Dumont's remarkable new memoir, The Pulling, details her life with trichotillomania — a mental health condition that, at times, has consumed her life.
In this episode, she discusses the unique writing process that enabled her to put long-held secrets first on the page and then into the public sphere. She also describes the impact of revealing her illness through her memoir, especially to family and friends who knew nothing about her condition. We discuss the shame linked to trichotillomania and whether sharing her story has shifted this feeling.
Adele Dumont is an Australian writer and critic. Her work has appeared in Griffith Review, Meanjin, Southerly, ABR, and Sydney Review of Books. Adele’s first book, No Man Is an Island, is an account of her experiences teaching English to asylum seekers in detention. Adele lives in Sydney, where she works as an English language teacher and examiner. 
'Get your copy of The Pulling from Booktopia or your local bookshop.'
Books and authors discussed in this episode:
Lee Kofman (from episode 76); Helen Garner; Adele’s Guardian article; Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid; The Wolves of Eternity by Karl Ove Knausgård; Unfinished Business by Shankari Chandran (from episode 48) Upcoming events 
Ashley is teaching Online Feedback: Manuscript Development for Writing NSW starting 4 March 2024 As part of Seniors Week, Ashley is teaching memoir writing at Glen Street & Warringah Mall Library, on 15 and 19 March Ashley is teaching Writing Crime Fiction, a six-week online course with Faber starting 15 May 2024  Learn more about Ashley's psychological thriller Dark Mode and get your copy here or from your local bookshop. 
Learn more about James' award-winning novel Denizen and get your copy here or from your local bookshop.
Get in touch!
ashleykalagianblunt.com jamesmckenziewatson.com Instagram: @akalagianblunt + @jamesmcwatson

'The whole concept of transplantation still blows me away. There is something a bit magical about it. But as with most things people do, it can also find ways to blow up in people’s faces.' 
Author and neuropsychologist Kylie Ladd joins us to speak about her latest book, 'I'll Leave You with This.' She shares her research into the incredible science of human organ and tissue donation, and the family tragedy that inspired her beautiful novel. 
Plus, you'll never guess what James is reading! 
Kylie Ladd is a novelist, psychologist and freelance writer. Her novels have been published in Australia and overseas, and her short works appear widely across Australia. She holds a PhD in neuropsychology.
Get your copy of 'I'll Leave You with This' from Booktopia or your local bookshop.
You can register to become an organ donor online. 
Books and authors discussed in this episode:
The Vitals by Tracy Sorensen;  The Wolves of Eternity by Karl Ove Knausgård; Red River Road by Anna Downes (from episode 5); A Mother’s Reckoning by Sue Klebold;  Andrew Solomon;  Dani Vee, host of the Words and Nerds Podcast Upcoming events 
Ashley is teaching Online Feedback: Manuscript Development for Writing NSW starting 4 March 2024 Ashley is teaching Writing Crime Fiction, a six-week online course with Faber starting 15 May 2024  Learn more about Ashley's psychological thriller Dark Mode and get your copy here or from your local bookshop. 
Learn more about James' award-winning novel Denizen and get your copy here or from your local bookshop.
Get in touch!
ashleykalagianblunt.com jamesmckenziewatson.com Instagram: @akalagianblunt + @jamesmcwatson

If you listen to James and Ashley Stay at Home, you know that both Ashley and James credit much of their skill development to their writers group. And they're not the only ones! You can hear rom com author Jonathon Shannon talk about what he learned from the group, as well as literary fiction author Amy Lovat. Like Ashley and James, they joined as aspiring writers, and their manuscripts have gone on to be published.   
 
Ashley's such a big fan of writers groups, she's put together a new on-demand workshop on the topic – and this short bonus ep tells you all about it. 
 
This one-hour course covers everything from how to find a group near you, or start or your own, how to give and receive feedback, and how to know when your group isn't working and what to do about it.  
 
Find Ashley's course, Get the Most from Writing Groups and Get Published at Bold Authors.  
Learn more about Ashley's psychological thriller Dark Mode and get your copy here or from your local bookshop.
Learn more about James' award-winning novel Denizen and get your copy here or from your local bookshop.
Upcoming events 
Ashley is teaching Online Feedback: Manuscript Development for Writing NSW starting 4 March 2024 Ashley is teaching Writing Crime Fiction, a six-week online course with Faber starting 15 May 2024 Get in touch!
ashleykalagianblunt.com jamesmckenziewatson.com Twitter: @AKalagianBlunt + @JamesMcWatson Instagram: @akalagianblunt + @jamesmcwatson