274: First Time Live at SWF with Melanie Saward, James Colley & Charlotte Wood

This special live recording of The First Time Podcast took place on May 23, 2024 at Carriageworks on Gadigal Land for the Sydney Writers Festival. Podcast co-host, Kate Mildenhall spoke to guests Melanie Saward, James Colley and Charlotte Wood about their books, their paths to publication and the writing life.Melanie Saward is a proud Bigambul and Wakka Wakka woman. She is a writer, editor and university lecturer based in Tulmur (Ipswich), Queensland. Her debut novel Burn was published by Affirm Press in September 2023. She's widely published in literary journals and anthologies and is currently awaiting sign off on her PhD. In July, her first romantic comedy novel, Love Unleashed, will be published by Penguin Random House.James Colley is the author of the debut romantic comedy novel The Next Big Thing from Pantera Press. He's the head writer of ABC TV's Gruen and Question Everything.Charlotte Wood is the author of seven novels and three books of non-fiction. Her books have won or been shortlisted for various prizes including the Stella Prize and the Prime Minister's Award for Fiction. Her latest novel is Stone Yard Devotional which has been shortlisted for Age Book of the Year, ABIA Literary fiction of the year, the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction and longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award.Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com