Writes4Women

Writes4Women
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Books
  • Updated Semimonthly

Writes4Women is all about celebrating women's voices and supporting women writers. It's about writing the voice, reading the voice and being the voice. Every week host Pamela Cook, or a special guest host, interviews an outstanding female, trans or non-binary author about their books, writing process and life. Transcript available via the Writes4Women website. Video of most episodes available on the Writes4Women youtube channel. You can find out more about Writes4Women at www.writes4women.com

  1. Aug 8

    On The Convo Couch with Hannah Richell

    Hannah Richell on Writing Memoir, Grief, and An Ocean and a Day Join host and author Pamela Cook as she  interviews author Hannah Richell about her memoir An Ocean and a Day, which explores the sudden death of her husband Matt in a surfing accident at Tamarama Beach in 2014 and the long journey of grief that followed. Richell discusses journaling as a survival tool, shaping years of writing into a memoir, and choosing a circular, tidal structure that moves between past and present to show what was lost and reflect how grief is experienced. She shares key influences and also talks about narrating the audiobook herself, deciding what to include about her children, and how touring and reader responses have been unexpectedly uplifting. 00:00 Level Up Writing Courses 01:39 Episode Updates and Memoir Intro 05:15 Memoir Overview and Loss 08:38 Beach Bookends and Ending 13:22 Writing Grief Into Words 17:30 Tidal Timeline Structure 24:02 Journaling to Memoir Draft2 9:38 Visitation Dream Story 32:56 Host Family Grief Reflection 36:42 Kids as Anchors 38:05 Writing Through Nights 38:42 Books That Held Me 42:34 Quoting and Permissions 44:18 Narrating the Audiobook 49:10 Shaping the Memoir 50:51 Privacy and Boundaries 56:20 Swallows and Tattoos 01:00:27 Touring and Reader Connection 01:03:39 Wrap Up and Farewell   SHOWNOTES: Writes4Women www.writes4women.com Facebook @writes4women Twitter / Instagram @w4wpodcast   W4W Substack Click here   Hannah Richell Website: click here Facebook: click here Instagram: click here   Pamela Cook www.pamelacook.com.au Facebook @amelacookauthor Twitter @PamelaCookAU   This episode produced by Pamela Cook for Writes4Women and recorded on unceded Dharawal land.       Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/writes4women?fan_landing=true See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  2. Jul 27

    On The Convo Couch with Belinda Alexandra

    Belinda Alexandra on The Italian Correspondent, Research, and Writing Through Rejection This week on The Convo couch Pam chats to Belinda Alexandra, author of 12 bestselling novels including her latest release The Italian Correspondent. Belinda discusses her storytelling roots in her mother’s White Russian/China wartime experiences and her father’s Australian life, her early writing, travel influences, 10 years of rejections before White Gardenia was published in 2002, and a whole lot more. Pam also talks new releases and gives an update on the Writes4Women Main Character Deep Dive challenge.   00:30 Podcast Updates and Festivals 02:56 Substack Writing Challenge 05:22 New Books on the Shelf 10:55 Meet Belinda Alexandra 13:35 Family Stories and Writing Roots 21:54 Travel Letters and Inspiration 25:54 First Novel and Rejections 31:33 Imposter Syndrome and Craft 34:07 Pushing Through the Dip 34:55 Inside The Italian Correspondent 39:35 Plotting vs Characters Taking Over 42:30 Writing Better Men on the Page 44:55 Three Loves Romance Twist 51:23 Drafting Perfectionism and Mess 56:07 Longevity in Publishing 57:51 Perseverance Through Industry Change 01:00:28 Quality Over Speed 01:02:01 Wrap Up and Bonus Chat   SHOW NOTES: Writes4Women www.writes4women.com Facebook @writes4women Instagram @w4wpodcast   Belinda Alexandra Website: click here Instagram: click here   Pamela Cook www.pamelacook.com.au Facebook: click here Twitter: click here  Instagram: click here Fiction Feedback @ Writing NSW: click here   This episode produced by  Pamela Cook for Writes4Women on unceded Dharawal country.       Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/writes4women?fan_landing=true See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  3. Jul 10

    On The Convo Couch with Lindsay Bartels

    This week Pam reports in from Lille in France with some exciting news about her upcoming release Because You're Mine! She also chats to debut memoirist Lindsay Bartels about Imogen in Waiting, which follows Lindsay and her husband as they wrestle with whether to use a stored female embryo that carries the BRCA mutation Lindsay has, after Lindsay’s breast cancer diagnosis in her 20s. Lindsay discusses her path from filmmaking and architecture to writing via blogging, and explains drafting the memoir longhand using a four-notebook, three-act structure, then transcribing, revising, cutting scenes, and deepening interiority with editors at Third Rail Press. This is a thought-provoking, uplifting conversation for both readers and writers. 00:18 Podcast Welcome And Travel Update 05:56 Host Updates And Subscriber Perks 09:03 Meet The Guest Lindsay 09:41 Lindsay’s Creative Path 15:36 Writing The Memoir Framework 17:58 Notebook One Cancer Diagnosis 19:59 Notebook Two IVF And The Embryo 21:01 Notebook Three Sydney COVID And Legal Hurdles 26:44 Letting Go And The Emotional Toll 27:53 Notebook Four Return Home And Surgery 32:27 Writing to Imogen 33:55 Transcribing and Revising 36:25 Early Readers Feedback 38:21 Querying and Developmental Edit 40:05 Third Rail Press Origin 43:36 Final Revisions and Trust 45:58 The Big Ethical Question 47:56 Family Gene Background 50:31 Keeping the Memoir Human 51:41 Holding the Finished Book 53:08 Events and Writing Community 56:51 Where to Buy and Farewell   SHOW NOTES: Writes4Women www.writes4women.com Facebook @writes4women Instagram @w4wpodcast   Lindsay Bartels Website: click here Instagram: click here   Pamela Cook www.pamelacook.com.au Facebook: click here Twitter: click here  Instagram: click here Fiction Feedback @ Writing NSW: click here   This episode produced by  Pamela Cook for Writes4Women on unceded Dharawal country.       Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/writes4women?fan_landing=true See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  4. Jun 18

    On The Convo Couch with Katherine Collette

    Join host Pamela Cook on the Writes4Women Convo Couch with thia week's guest Katherine Collette. They chat about Catherine's adult novels The Helpline (2018) and The Competition (2022), plus two illustrated middle-grade books set around a small Victorian town, discuss debut publication misconceptions, second-book pressure, writing routines, using Scrivener, and spreadsheets, and a whole lot more. Catherine also reflects on what she learnt as the co-host of the popular podcast The First Time as well as her work as a writing coach. 1:43 Host Updates 03:06 Writing Projects 04:57 Courses And Community 06:48 Reading Recommendations 07:36 Meet Catherine Collette 08:47 Career Origins 09:46 Debut Reality Check 12:13 Second Book Pressure 15:06 Middle Grade Shift 15:47 Cartooning Challenge 20:13 Kids Books Marketing 23:23 Illustration Workflow 26:59 New Darker Novel 27:38 Cruise Ship Research 30:46 Writing Routine Progress 31:05 Writing Focus Limits 31:37 Daily Routine Pomodoros 32:06 Story Structure Tools 33:21 Scrivener Workflow Tips 34:15 Crime Plot Spreadsheets 35:54 Genre Hopping Pressures 37:51 Coaching Long Game 40:24 Mindset For Success 43:16 Craft Fixes Openings 48:55 Podcast Career Boost 54:36 Fast Four Wrap Up 59:55 Closing Thanks Outro     SHOW NOTES: Writes4Women www.writes4women.com Facebook @writes4women Twitter / Instagram @w4wpodcast   Katherine Collette Website: click here Instagram: click here     Pamela Cook www.pamelacook.com.au Facebook: click here Twitter: click here  Instagram: click here Fiction Feedback @ Writing NSW: click here   This episode produced by  Pamela Cook for Writes4Women on unceded Dharawal country.       Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/writes4women?fan_landing=true See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  5. Jun 4

    On The Convo Couch with Tricia Stringer

    Welcome to a new season of Writes4Women! Each fortnight, On the Convo Couch will bring you author-based interviews and invite listener requests and questions. In this episode host Pamela Cook interviews bestselling Australian author Tricia Stringer, who discusses The Road Trip’s strong sales (30,000) and long tail, her upcoming novel The Paradise Resort set in the Kimberley, and her writing routine.  Tricia reflects on moving across genres, the importance of voice, managing revisions, industry changes including AI and copyright concerns, and memorable career milestones like winning the Ruby for Queen of the Road. Pam also suggests three new release books for your reading enjoyment: Five Stages of Grace by Casey Nott, The Palace of Lost Virtue by Anthea Hodgson, Out of the Blue by Penelope Janu. 00:00 Own Your Voice 00:23 Season Kickoff0 2:46 Workshops And Events 04:29 Pamela Writing Update 06:00 New Release Roundup 08:58 Meet Tricia Stringer 10:47 Welcome To The Couch 11:26 Life In Wallaroo 12:03 New Book Paradise Resort 16:39 Road Trip Success 20:11 From Kids To Romance 25:29 Finding Story Ideas 29:07 Ideas Find Their Writer 30:26 First Draft Routine 32:16 Word Counts And Consistency 35:07 Cleaner Drafts And Outside Eyes 37:16 Over Revising Fixes 40:36 Publishing Shifts And AI 44:58 Genre Pivots And Older Heroes 49:30 Milestones And Final Advice 53:20 Fast Four And Wrap Up   SHOW NOTES: Writes4Women www.writes4women.com Facebook @writes4women Twitter / Instagram @w4wpodcast   Tricia Stringer Website: click here Instagram: click here Facebook: click here   Pamela Cook www.pamelacook.com.au Facebook: click here Twitter: click here  Instagram: click here   This episode produced by  Pamela Cook for Writes4Women on unceded Dharawal country.       Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/writes4women?fan_landing=true See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  6. Apr 25

    Rewind Episode with Sarah Winman

    Pamela Cook shares a Rewind episode of Writes4Women featuring novelist Sarah Winman discussing her 2021 novel Still Life, alongside Winman’s background from acting to writing and her earlier books When God Was a Rabbit, A Year of Marvelous Ways, and Tin Man.  Winman describes how she began writing through adult education classes, found an agent, and learned to trust creative instinct. She outlines Still Life as a four-decade story beginning with a 1944 meeting in Tuscany between art historian Evelyn Skinner and soldier/globe maker Ulysses Temper, later exploring postwar London, Florence, found family, art, beauty, class, love, and unity. Inspiration came from learning about Florence’s 1966 flood and the “mud angels,” with Brexit influencing her “joy as resistance” tone. She details researching as needed, writing nonlinearly through many drafts, using ensemble viewpoints, and receiving crucial art guidance from Florentine art historian Stella Rudolph, and offers writing advice on finishing drafts, careful feedback, rereading great writers, and accepting doubt.   SHOW NOTES: Writes4Women www.writes4women.com Facebook @writes4women Twitter / Instagram @w4wpodcast   Sarah Winman Instagram: click here Facebook: click here   Pamela Cook www.pamelacook.com.au Facebook: click here Twitter: click here  Instagram: click here   This episode produced by  Pamela Cook for Writes4Women on unceded Dharawal country.       Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/writes4women?fan_landing=true See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  7. Mar 18

    Small Moments, Big Emotions with Favel Parrett

    Pamela Cook introduces a Writes for Women Rewind episode featuring award-winning Victorian author Favel Parrett discussing her novel There Was Still Love, inspired by family memories and set across Czechoslovakia and Australia from 1938–1981. Parrett explains her “simple on the page, layered underneath” style built through extensive drafting (often 15 drafts per scene), using memory as non-linear snapshots, and writing in a child’s voice to preserve gaps and subtext.  The conversation covers dialogue that relies on silence and mood, weaving motifs like suitcases and food, creating embodied emotion, the intensity of a reclusive routine while writing, and Parrett’s four writing tips: focus on the work first, believe it’s possible, seek feedback at the right time, and read.   SHOW NOTES: Writes4Women www.writes4women.com Facebook @writes4women Instagram @w4wpodcast    Favel Parrett  https://www.favelparrett.com.au   Hachette Publishing "There Was Still Love"  https://www.hachette.com.au/favel-parrett/there-was-still-love   Pamela Cook www.pamelacook.com.au Facebook @pamelacookauthor Instagram @pamelacookwrites         Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/writes4women?fan_landing=true See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  8. Feb 19

    Crafting Stories with Kim Kelly: A Rewind Edition

    Writes4Women host Pamela Cook introduces a special “Rewind” edition of the Writes for Women podcast, featuring an interview with author and editor Kim Kelly.  Kim discusses realizing she was a writer as a child, her path into publishing, and how working in the industry helped her confidence and writing. She explains her approach to historical fiction—drawing inspiration from family stories and research—often beginning with character voice, then deepening research during drafting and revision. Kim talks about all aspects of writing, from inspiration to imposter syndrome, to creating, drafting and revising a story, making this the perfect episode to kick off the Rewind series.    SHOW NOTES: Writes4Women www.writes4women.com Facebook @writes4women Twitter / Instagram @w4wpodcast Kim Kelly  https://kimkellyauthor.com Facebook @KimKellyAuthor Instagram @KimKellyAuthor Pamela Cook www.pamelacook.com.au Facebook @pamelacookauthor Twitter @PamelaCookAU Instagram @pamelacookwrites   Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/writes4women?fan_landing=true See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Writes4Women is all about celebrating women's voices and supporting women writers. It's about writing the voice, reading the voice and being the voice. Every week host Pamela Cook, or a special guest host, interviews an outstanding female, trans or non-binary author about their books, writing process and life. Transcript available via the Writes4Women website. Video of most episodes available on the Writes4Women youtube channel. You can find out more about Writes4Women at www.writes4women.com

Information

  • Creator
    Writes4Women
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Writes4Women
  • Show Website
    Writes4Women

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