All Episodes

129 | Claudia Karvan joins Ashley & James at the Sydney launch of Like, Follow, Die, recorded live

128 | Invisible and insidious with Susan Francis, author of Revelation Beach

127 | 'I don't think I'll ever write another book like that' with author and publisher Anita Heiss

126 | How to keep readers hooked with Christian White, author of The Long Night

125 | An early Christmas present - what we've read in 2025

124 | How nature can heal your brain with Darryl Jones, author of (Be)Wilder

123 | How to sell a million copies with Matt Rogers, author of 'The Forsaken'

122 | Bonus ep! How to be a fictional character with Felix Shannon

121 | The crucial element is not panicking with Sulari Gentill, author of 'Five Found Dead'

120 | If society collapses, head to the beach with Michelle Prak, author of 'Barren Cape'

119 | Becoming a stranger to yourself with Nathan Dunne, author of 'When Nothing Feels Real'

118 | Cybercrime, murder and audiobooks - behind the scenes on 'Like, Follow, Die'

117 | Writing towards your greatest fear with Melanie Cheng, author of 'The Burrow'

116 | Bonus ep! 'Cold Truth' Live with Ashley & James

115 | Where's my 'Menopause: What's Happening to Me?' book with Jay Martin, author of 'Boom Town Snap'

114 | Bonus ep! Winter Writing Retreat with Lynne Ainsworth

113 | Rewriting your stalker with Pip Drysdale, author of 'The Close-Up'

112 | Choosing to have children as a creative with Dinuka McKenzie and Lee Kofman

111 | Surviving second book syndrome - James and Ashley talk 'Cold Truth'

110 | Back to the 90s with Michelle See-Tho, author of 'Jade and Emerald'

109 | What have we read? Every book recommendation from 2024

108 | Compelling, subversive, beautiful: the books we loved most in 2024

107 | Living with dissociative identity disorder/multiple personality disorder with Maggie Walters, author of 'Split'

106 | The worst decision ever with Richell-Prize-winner Simone Amelia Jordan

105 | Finding community with author and artist Arna Radovich

104 | Staying afloat with Olympic gold medallist Michael Klim

103 | When reviews get personal with Robyn Harding, author of 'The Haters'

102 | 'You had me at bog people' with Zahid Gamieldien, author of 'All the Missing Children'

101 | Surviving betrayal (and so much more) with Khin Myint, author of 'Fragile Creatures'

100 | Where snark meets explosive laughter – a podcast retrospective

99 | Sianging at Home with Siang Lu, author of 'Ghost Cities'

98 | Come for the misophonia with Imbi Neeme, author of 'Kind of, Sort of, Maybe but Probably Not'

97 | Needing to know – Ashley discusses narrative drive

96 | Living to tell the tale with Tracy Sorensen, author of 'The Vitals'

95 | 'I'm Tom Cruise in Bulgaria' with Liz Nugent, author of 'Strange Sally Diamond'

94 | Cloning, shame and principles – James shares tips on writing character

93 | Tricking yourself into writing with Adele Dumont, author of 'The Pulling'

92 | How to save a life with Kylie Ladd, author of 'I'll Leave You With This'

91 | Bonus ep! Learn how to run a writers group with Ashley Kalagian Blunt

90 | 'I was going to ask this privately, but...' - James and Ashley at the Boorowa Literary Festival

89 | The Bed on a Plinth Awards: The best books we read in 2023

88 | Books galore: the best book recommendations of 2023

87 | How to climb a ladder covered in butter with Laurie Steed, author of 'Love, Dad'

86 | Starting late with Penguin Literary Prize winner Annette Higgs

85 | 'These men do exist:' the Dark Mode spoilers episode

84 | How hard can a book be? with Jonathon Shannon, author of 'Bound to Happen'

83 | How to stop pushing yourself with Amy Lovat, author of 'Mistakes and Other Lovers'

82 | Healing from grief and loss through nature with Indira Naidoo, author of 'The Space Between the Stars'

81 | 'A good-hearted kid in a difficult environment,' with Mark Brandi author of 'Southern Aurora'

80 | Who can I kill? with Julie Janson, author of 'Madukka the River Serpent'

79 | 'It changed my life' – the Ray Koppe Young Writers Fellowship

78 | Surviving brain surgery with Karina May, author of 'Duck à l'Orange for Breakfast'

77 | Finding order in chaos with Anna Spargo-Ryan, author of 'A Kind of Magic'

76 | Emotional honesty in writing and life with Lee Kofman, author of 'The Writer Laid Bare'

75 | How to manage creative anxiety with psychologist Sanchana Venkatesh

74 | Launching 'Dark Mode' with author Ashley Kalagian Blunt – mini-ep #4

73 | Getting an agent and a publishing deal – 'Dark Mode' mini-ep #3

72 | Insights into the novel writing process – 'Dark Mode' mini-ep #2

71 | Where the ideas came from – 'Dark Mode' mini-ep #1

70 | The secret of work/life balance with Dr Hilton Koppe, author of 'One Curious Doctor'

69 | All the reading: the best book recommendations of 2022

68 | Digging into shame with Hayley Scrivenor, author of 'Dirt Town'

67 | Learning with a beginner's mindset with urban ecologist Darryl 'The Bird Guy' Jones

66 | How to say goodbye with Jackie Bailey, author of 'The Eulogy'

65 | The writer and the advocate with Al Campbell, author of 'The Keepers'

64 | The most successful episode ever: a conversation about 'Denizen'

63 | Rest, recovery and writing with Bronwyn Birdsall, author of 'Time and Tide in Sarajevo'

62 | Ashley's big news

61 | Bonus episode! Denizen - Online Launch

60 | Behind the scenes of 'Denizen,' the debut novel from James McKenzie Watson

59 | Bonus episode! Queer Writes Sessions Podcast: R.W.R. McDonald interviews Professor Gregory Phillips

58 | Working doubly hard through illness with Rae Cairns, author of 'The Good Mother'

57 | Experiments in form with Yumna Kassab, author of 'Australiana'

56 | How to survive a stalker with Ellis Gunn, author of 'Rattled'

55 | A very overcomeable fear with Katherine Collette, author of 'The Competition'

54 | Living with ambiguous loss with Erin Stewart, author of 'The Missing Among Us'

53 | A sprinkling of magic with Fiona Robertson, author of 'If You're Happy'

52 | Channelling your obsessions with with Lech Blaine, author of 'Car Crash'

51 | The joy of the win with Dinuka McKenzie, author of 'The Torrent'

50 | How to remake the world with Sarah Sentilles, author of 'Stranger Care'

49 | Bonus episode! What does it mean?! A conversation about Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

48 | Using connection to build community with author Shankari Chandran

47 | Bonus episode! In conversation with Michelle Tom for Avid Reader's Festival of Cancelled Events

46 | What are you reading? The best book recommendations of 2021

45 | Writing the book you need with Jacinta Dietrich, author of 'This Is Us Now'

44 | Bonus episode! CSI: TASMANIA, the Terror Australis Readers and Writers Festival

43 | Losing your baby legs: James and Ashley discuss relapse and recovery

42 | Ashley Stays at Home

41 | Misdiagnosing Van Gogh with author and editor Heather Taylor-Johnson

40 | Vigilante justice with David Heska Wanbli Weiden, author of Winter Counts

39 | What are you wearing? with Lyn Yeowart, author of 'The Silent Listener'

38 | How to survive an earthquake with Michelle Tom, author of 'Ten Thousand Aftershocks'

37 | Oversharing and neurodiversity with authors Kay Kerr and Anna Whateley

36 | Deafness, secrets and solace with Fiona Murphy, author of 'The Shape of Sound'

35 | Bonus episode! Amy Lovat of Secret Book Stuff grills James and Ashley

34 | Why reading makes you better in bed with Amy & Laura of Secret Book Stuff

33 | Ageing disgracefully (and happily) with Joanna Nell, GP and bestselling author

32 | Grief and girl detectives with RWR McDonald, author of Nancy Business

31 | And the winner of the 2021 Penguin Literary Prize is...

30 | Recovering from childhood with Ruhi Lee, author of 'Good Indian Daughter'

29 | A conversation from the National Writers' House

27 | Love and hoarding with Emily Maguire, author of 'Love Objects'

26 | Raising the dead with Luke Stegemann, author of 'Amnesia Road'

25 | Sick and tired: James and Ashley talk illness and fatigue

24 | Sea-creature days with Kavita Bedford, author of 'Friends & Dark Shapes'

23 | Writing without a plan with David Vann, author of 'Halibut on the Moon'

22 | Funny-walking pigeons with Nash, artist and author

21 | Bonus episode! My Name is Revenge audiobook

20 | The limits of medical knowledge with Josephine Taylor, author of 'Eye of a Rook'

19 | Crossover! Nerds at Home with Dani Vee from the Words and Nerds podcast

18 | Learning how to learn with Nardi Simpson, author of 'Song of the Crocodile'

17 | The Best Writing Tips from 2020

16 | Living in different universes with Ada Palmer, author and historian

15 | Wanting it - James and Ashley share writing motivations, processes and more tips

14 | Moulding stories like clay with Elizabeth Tan, author of 'Smart Ovens for Lonely People'

13 | Navigating creative anxiety with Kate Mildenhall, author of 'The Mother Fault'

12 | Magic cures and snake oil with Petronella McGovern, author of 'The Good Teacher'

11 | Stuff it up, we want to hate this too! with Anthony Jeannot, comedian

10 | Living with chronic illness: James and Ashley talk health

9 | The healing power of creativity with Karin Foxwell, art therapist

8 | A pack of dog lovers with Kate Leaver, author of 'Good Dog'

7 | Speaking secret languages with Katherine Tamiko Arguile, author of 'The Things She Owned'

6 | Where's my Man Booker? James and Ashley share writing tips

5 | The year that almost killed Anna Downes, author of 'The Safe Place'

4 | Eating caramel slice with Ashley Kalagian Blunt, author of 'How to Be Australian'

3 | Interview with Lee Kofman, author of 'Imperfect'

2 | How to Be Australian - Chapter 1

1 | Introduction Episode!