Adult work experience and lessons from a marathon with Michelle Upton

Michelle Upton writes short stories and novels examining our darkest fears and illuminating hope and possibility. Born in Birmingham, Michelle emigrated to Australia in 2006 and is proud to call herself Australian. Michelle has a Bachelor (Hons) degree in Literature with Psychology, and before having children, she was a primary school teacher. Her debut novel, Terms of Inheritance, was shortlisted for the HarperCollins Australia 2021 Banjo Prize. She lives in Brisbane with her family. Today, we're discussing her second novel, Emergency Exit Only. Our interview begins at  22.00We've got a Substack publication now! On the last day of the month, we share recommendations for two things we reckon you should read/watch/listen to. The beauty of Substack is you can revisit all our old editions and comment on our episode updates to share your thoughts. Come say hi! Mini book club: The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'DonohueWe loved this book so much. It's a character-driven contemporary novel about two best friends with a secret and the way one year influences their lives. In this interview, we chat about:Life-changing experiences and finding a new career or passion as an adultPushing out of your comfort zone in the name of researchHow Michelle went from primary school teacher to authorWhat running a marathon taught Michelle about writingBooks and other things mentioned:Sentimental Garbage podcastChicago (film)Conversations with Friends by Sally RooneyCode Name Verity by Elizabeth WeinSmall Things Like These by Claire KeeganFactory Girls by Michelle GallenHome Stretch by Graham NortonThe Alchemist by Paulo CoelhoFollow @michelleuptontheauthor on InstagramEmergency Exit Only is available now. Thank you to HarperCollins for providing copies of the book in preparation for the interview. Connect with us on Instagram: @betterwordspodPlease note that we choose podcast guests independently of Caitlin's job at HarperCollins Publishers. Although her job does help put us in touch with authors, we choose our guests based on what we've enjoyed reading and think you'd find interesting.