Hembury Books Podcast

Hayley Hughes is an Australian author and working mother who writes to heal. In 2024, burnout compelled Hayley to leave her successful senior management career to pursue a more fulfilling life. These experiences led to Thank You, Burnout, a powerful memoir about self-discovery and transformation.Connect with Hayley HughesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/hayleyhughesauthor?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==Website: https://hayleyhughes.au/about-thank-you-burnout-book

Born in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, Karen Hamilton is an audio typist turned true crime writer. After working with the police as a typist for 25 years, Karen began writing true crime to work through harrowing personal experiences. Nightmare on Cromwell Street is her debut novel and chronicles her time spent living with infamous British serial killers, Fred and Rose West.Kathleen Richards, is originally from Dublin and now lives in rural Gloucestershire with her husband, Michael. She has worked as a carer and foster carer throughout her life, welcoming children into her home on long-term placements. She has three grown up children of her own.Connect with Karen Hamilton:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenmhamilton2/

David Ryan has loved AFL since he was six, following first South Adelaide Panthers and then Geelong Cats. As an adult, he played football in Adelaide Hills. His passion eventually led to a Creative Writing PhD exploring the relationship between the sport and community in Victoria. Two of David’s three children are also diehard Cats’ supporters.Anna Spargo-Ryan is an Australian author, scriptwriter and editor. She has written two novels and a memoir, in addition to works of fiction and non-fiction published in Australian newspapers and literary magazines. In 2016 she was the inaugural winner of the Horne Prize for her essay The Suicide Gene.

Patti Miller is the author of ten books, both fiction and nonfiction, including Australia’s best-selling life writing texts, Writing Your Life, The Memoir Book and Writing True Stories. Her work is critically acclaimed across all genres. She is published regularly in literary journals and national newspapers and magazines including the SMH, The Guardian, The Age and The Australian. She has been a judge for the NSW Premier’s Prize and the State Library’s Russell Prize for Humour Writing. Patti is considered Australia’s most successful memoir teacher and has taught life writing around the country for 35 years – she also teaches in Paris and London each year. Nearly 70 of her former students have been commercially published.

Chris Munnery has worked in the Australian publishing Industry for over twenty years and is currently the Senior Key Account Manager at IngramSpark Australia. IngramSpark is the Print on Demand self-publishing arm of the Ingram Content Group which has a 40,000+ global book distribution network for both online sales and brick and mortar bookstores and libraries. The vision for IngramSpark’s future is simple: to make indie publishing more powerful, more connected and more rewarding for authors, for readers and for the global indie book community we all share.Connect with Chris Munnery:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-munnery-75627939/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ingramsparkbooks?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

Josh Bernoff is an expert on business books and how they can propel thinkers to prominence. Books he has written or collaborated on have generated over $20 million for their authors.More than 50 authors have endorsed Josh’s Build a Better Business Book: How to Plan, Write, and Promote a Book That Matters, a comprehensive guide for business authors. Authors can subscribe to his advice with the Bernoff Book Coach, and interactive chatbot available at https://bernoff.com/coach.Josh’s other books include Writing Without Bullshit: Boost Your Career by Saying What You Mean and the Business Week bestseller Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies. He has contributed to 75 nonfiction book projects.Josh’s mathematical and statistical background includes three years of study in the Ph.D. program in mathematics at MIT. At Forrester Research, he originated Technographics, a widely used consumer survey methodology. He has fielded surveys and written reports on the ROI of business books and the impact of AI on the writing profession.Josh’s writes and posts daily at Bernoff.com, a blog that has attracted more than 4 million views. He lives in Portland with his wife, an artist.

Pip Harry is a bestselling Australian children's author and editor. Her middle grade novel The Little Wave won the 2020 Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award for Younger Readers. August & Jones won the CBCA Shadow Judging Book of the Year, voted by school students. Her new titles include The Inside Dog, ABIA-shortlisted Over or Under? Young adult verse novel Drift and junior fiction series Camp Spooky - co-written with Kate Foster. She has three picture books releasing in 2026 - Spare Kisses (March), The Fast Lane (May) and The Goodbye Tree (July). She lives on Sydney's Northern Beaches and likes swimming in the ocean and gelato. Connect with Pip Harry:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/piphaz?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

Julia Ferracane has more than 30 years of experience in publicity and public relations and has held roles as the Arts and Publishing Publicist at both The Australian Ballet and Penguin Random House Australia. In her current work, she partners with authors across traditional, indie, hybrid publishing and self published. She also works with creatives and arts organisations. Julia is passionate about helping original voices find their audience in a crowded media landscape. A lover of pop culture and trends, she has been called feisty by friends and family, a title she wears as a badge of honour.Connect with Julia Ferracane:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/righteous_pr?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==Website: https://www.righteouspr.com.au/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnJONPkfY4b2wGSsn1iQkONMtwT5nu4fNqGRtACiEx-mUf-X4kCgJVlsToDPo_aem_aeWsYfpghqGHvnbbSok6Zw

Lauren and Alana are the co-founders of Book World Magazine and Book World Club, two rapidly growing book-world brands built on storytelling, community and bringing readers together. What began as a simple idea for a fresh and reader-friendly magazine has grown into an international publication and has been read in more than 22 countries. Alongside the magazine, Book World Club offers guided book clubs, downloadable book club guides and annual book retreats featuring a special author guest. They are currently working on an app designed to make life easier for readers, authors and industry professionals.

Julie Trelstad’s career is built on a single principle, learned not in publishing, but in architecture: the best structures are the ones designed to serve human needs.Julie believes that a sustainable, successful author career isn’t about following a rigid playbook; it’s about designing a publishing structure that perfectly fits your work, your goals and your audience.She has applied this principle to all of her roles throughout her career: from publishing houses such as John Wiley & Sons to her own independent house, Plain White Press, to her new work as the Head of Amlet.Ai. In this current position, Julie helps authors register their work for legal Ai Licensing. Connect with Julie Trelstad:Website: http://www.julieink.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julietrelstad?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3BEO5g1i1RQgeZeA1MDSgQXA%3D%3D

Rosie Schonell has a Bachelor of Arts with a Diploma of Education and a Master of Special Education. As an English teacher, she specialised in teaching students with learning difficulties. She has adult children and lives with her husband, spending her time between Balmain and the Northern Beaches of Sydney.Connect with Rosie Schonell:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imrosiereads?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

Nick Croydon has more than 25 years’ experience shaping stories from the boardroom, leading international publishing houses and book retail giants across then UK and Australia.Now the CEO of QBD Books Australia, Nick has shifted from nurturing the literary dreams of others to realising one of his own with his debut novel, The Turing Protocol. Born in Surrey, England, and now living in Brisbane with his Spanish wife, Esther, and their children, Nick brings a rare insider’s perspective to the page: one honed in the engine rooms of the book world, now turned toward storytelling itself.Connect with Nick Croydon:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theturingprotocol/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw%3D%3D#

Dr Lee Kofman is a Russian-born Israeli-Australian author of six books and editor of three anthologies, writing teacher and mentor based in Melbourne. Her numerous short stories, short creative non-fiction and poetry have been published widely in Australia, Scotland, UK, Israel, USA and Canada in such publications as Best Australian Stories, Malahat Review, Meanjin, Griffith Review and Brand among others. She is a regular participant in literary festivals, has been a judge or assessor for multiple awards and literary competitions and her work has been shortlisted for accolades such as the Nib Literary Award and the ABIA awards. Lee’s writing and reading life began in a remote Siberian village where she recited her first poem to an admiring crowd of illiterate babushkas. Connect with Dr Lee Kofman:Website: https://leekofman.com.au/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAafo_hPY75NaU_dmpq-fcyTa8P9Q2Q8Ot_r6YsZXeh1qlbYZwKQYnI8rEg82oQ_aem_zso_7FUK4-ewG0J-yuFHbQInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/leekofman?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-kofman-phd-b7482a19?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3BOxSwAIeuStynWA3%2Fs2u30Q%3D%3DFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008964011013

Wendy Dale is an author and a seasoned memoir-writing coach challenging conventional advice about writing. With fifteen years of experience reviewing thousands of manuscripts, Wendy developed the Memoir Engineering System, detailed in her upcoming book of the same name, which was published in January 2025. She is also creating the world’s first writers reality show based in Peru! Her clients include prominent media organizations such as Entertainment Weekly, The New York Post, and NBC. Wendy is the author of the memoir Avoiding Prison and Other Noble Vacation Goals and resides in Cusco, Peru with her husband and two bunnies.Connect with Wendy Dale:Website: https://www.geniusmemoirwriting.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/writerwendydale?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3BJuDaJ7SRTKiJUv5Urj%2BCjw%3D%3DYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@memoirwritingforgeniuses

Edwina Shaw is a Queensland writer and editor of fiction, memoir and screenplays. Her first novel, Thrill Seekers, based on her brother’s battle with schizophrenia, was shortlisted for the 2012 NSW Premier’s Awards.Since 2002, over forty of her short pieces have been awarded and widely published in Australian and international journals, including Best Australian Stories, Griffith Review, Island, Grieve anthologies and Asia Literary Review.Edwina has run Relax and Write Retreats, affordable retreats for women and non-binary folk, since 2017, and is passionate about helping people heal through getting their stories onto the page. She lives on unceded Ugarapul Country (Ipswich), west of Brisbane, in a 160-year-old stone cottage full of secrets. She writes because she can’t stop. Connect with Edwina Shaw:Website: https://edwinashaw.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAac9JJ-B-5T7wZrte32KHsf99CUlJp5fWB5MX_9CmmWjfJa2sdGm5xJ3hgLykg_aem_vGcUDgxS1QRW2Ct8qimwSQInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/edwinashawauthor?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edwina.jean.2025/Email: [email protected]: Edwina Shaw

Jai Heer is the founder and CEO of AMSPPC. His company helps nonfiction authors run scalable book advertising campaigns that generate readers on autopilot on Amazon using KDP AMS and boost their brand value on Amazon. Jai is a self-published author who brings expertise, patience and a passion for seeing authors succeed. Connect with Jai Heer:Website: https://amsppc.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jai-singh-profile?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3BrpCmPdVXQEuKxKuKWYYBJA%3D%3DEmail: [email protected]

Jacinta Tynan is a journalist, former news presenter, columnist, author, MC and mother to two teenage boys. Jacinta has published five books, her most recent: The Single Mother’s Social Club - Inspiration and advice on embracing single parenthood (Murdoch Books). She has been a regular columnist with Sunday Life and Body+Soul and contributes to various publications including Stellar. After leaving her successful career as a national TV news anchor, she founded The Spiritual Book Club sharing inspirational books and author interviews - including the likes of Gabby Bernstein, Deepak Chopra and Rebecca Campbell - with like minded souls. Passionate about social causes, Jacinta is an Ambassador for The Warrior Woman Foundation and Raise Foundation providing in-school mentoring to high school kids across the country. For more information, visit: https://jacintatynan.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaci7BBdpF9zKJOFQ0RUi7GR4OaiwI3fZ6CVXW3QA3dxWNEReiZOhs7ghk5kwQ_aem_KVmi8gHgJl66B3hX4d0CRQ

Karen Jacobsen is the president of the Whitsundays Writers Festival and deeply involved in the arts scene. Driven to follow her dream and born to light up the stage, Karen studied in Brisbane where she began her professional career, and on to piano bars, jazz trios and voice-over work in Sydney before moving to New York City with one suitcase becoming an award-winning Singer and Songwriter. Being given the role of the GPS girl changed Karen’s life, allowing her to create her empowerment brand The GPS Girl, giving directions for life and business and showing how to navigate change powerfully. For more information visit:https://karenjacobsen.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAae5LM9ldm_R4dI2Hz5l5oD6Bk-c2YmmIDAvMsBVuf8C8i7-WXxJOWf2URDB9Q_aem_XGZ2ZaZZVf9wNr952NiQhwhttps://www.whitsundayswriters.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAafoC9D8D8fJvMGFKtvYDjELc_1Zd8ctV1LJ-GVR8bccbfdIrTWU7emU2RxSNg_aem_B71XwcnoE2KGvDF9Bx82qQ

Danielle Colley is a coach, speaker, workshop facilitator and award-winning author of The Chocolate Bar Life, which was published by Hembury Books in July 2024. For the past five years, Danielle has been helping people who are feeling stuck and dissatisfied with their lives to reach their full potential. As a former journalist working for The Australian Women's Weekly and Sunday Life, and a struggling solo parent of two young children, Danielle understands how hustle and grind impacts our ability to live a rewarding life and has developed techniques to rid ourselves of anxiety, overwhelm and burnout.Embodying delicious balance, Danielle lives by the sea one hour south of Sydney, with her husband, her two kids, and their goofy dog, Rocky. For more information, visit: https://daniellecolley.com.au/

Thuy On is the Reviews and Literary Editor at ArtsHub and she has written extensively on Australia’s books and publishing industry. She is also an arts journalist, critic and editor who has written for The Guardian, Australian Book Review and The Australian. She is a published author of three poetry collections, the second of which, Decadence, was longlisted for the Stella Prize. Connect with Thuy On:🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thuy_on123/?hl=en

Dr Duncan E Graham is a Sydney writer, senior counsel at the NSW Bar and medical doctor. He co-authored 'Why Patients Sue Doctors'. For over a decade, Duncan acted almost exclusively in cases involving people suffering from asbestos-related diseases. His knowledge of the history of the asbestos industry, the medical issues concerning asbestos, the role of governments and big business, and the key issues in asbestos litigation is unparalleled. His practice now focuses on medical negligence and complex medical device class actions. He has represented hundreds of people injured through the negligence of hospitals and doctors and thousands more injured from harmful medical products.For more information, visit: https://duncangraham.com.au/

Jane is a much loved Author Coach and publishing strategist as well as being a gifted speaker, sought-after business consultant, and ghost writer. She is the author of four books including Mindset for Business:The Art and Science of Sound Decisions, and the best-selling Mindset for Authors: How to overcome procrastination, perfectionism and self-doubt. Jane designed the Power Writing Program to fast track her clients to published author status, and the Power Publicity Program to show them how to leverage that status to broker free publicity. She also runs the Power Writers Publishing Group and The Book to Business Academy membership program.Click here for information on Jane Turner's upcoming book launch at GleeBookshttps://gleebooks.com.au/event/real-lives-bold-stories/Check out Jane's website to find out more:https://www.writewithjane.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAacLRW2DWRjw-DZWvcIbDzvet0qEfOkNihD95k22s1s70otZmDYVkzmvsTr_8A_aem_a0uyRwtT1GPkPpm4V_y6aQ

Alexandra Larach is an experienced event manager with over seven years of creating memorable events for authors and literary communities. Specialising in book launches, author events, and literary festivals, she handles every detail—from speaker coordination to logistics—ensuring authors can focus on what matters most sharing their work. Alexandra’s passion for storytelling, rekindled during the COVID-19 pandemic, drives her to support fellow writers. At Visionary Events, she’s dedicated to creating impactful experiences that connect authors with their readers and bring their visions to life.For more information, visit: PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAacJ0ntyRTFC0QHcABLXMO6gu6C6ONNJ2a3MEsEgCq1ARXEEHY0Yfv74kstZMg_aem_uRvIE7kGQkSOgzU2rRVKTg

Gabriella Pomare is a partner at Norton Law Group and the author of a new book called The Collaborative Co-Parent. She frequently appears at the Federal Circuit Court of Australia and Family Court of Australia in complex family law disputes. Gabriella is also experienced in family law matters that cross international jurisdictions. She was a finalist in the Lawyers Weekly 30 under 30 2018, ‘Rising Star’ Australian Law Awards 2019, Family Law Partner of the Year in 2022, 2023, 2024.For more information, visit: https://thecollaborativeco-parent.com.au/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAadTZ7dNCtZjGz0WUKnMTLSQwLaOLOo1ER5hxZlykcfudAEfq5yb7omQgZVe_w_aem_6P6hK--T9qPYOCcJKVLZpg

Sarah Susak is a full-time working mum and the General Manager of Legal and Corporate Affairs at a leading Australian food company. She is also the author of a new memoir called Youru: Find the Guru within You and the founder of MEDI STEADY GO - a Vedic meditation teaching course. To say that health challenges have played a mammoth role in the last 8 years of her life is a grand understatement. In 2017, she was diagnosed with a rare and deadly head and neck cancer. At the time, her baby was only 1.5 years old. She is grateful to be here today to tell us how she got through it all.Visit Sarah’s website to learn more about her journey:http://www.sarahsusak.com/Interested in learning Vedic Meditation? Start with the Medi Steady Go program:https://www.sarahsusak.com/about-medi-steady-goPurchase the book here: https://www.sarahsusak.com/my-bookConnect with Sarah Susak: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah_susak/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572841224452 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-susak-2795b3a5/

Eileen O’Hely is the writer of the best-selling Aisling and Amelia, award-winning children's series Penny the Pencil, PEP Squad and Kitten Kaboodle. O'Hely describes herself as a nerd but is in fact an astrophysicist and science educator! Her latest book is a graphic novel called "50 Ways to Die in Space." For more information, visit: http://eileenohely.com/

Andrew Matthews is the author and illustrator of 8 million books sold in 48 languages across 70 countries. His first book Being Happy was a global bestseller...helped by recognition from the then number one world golfer Nick Faldo who told the international press that BEING HAPPY! had helped him win the British Open.Andrew's a global speaker having given talks to CocaCola, McDonalds, in prisons..to schools...etc. He's great on camera and all his books are illustrated with his own cartoons.For more information, visit: https://andrewmatthews.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAacQGbtu6TSz_FXWH5XZx8hO17cM1mMKSTlbM5EBlpaNKHJB0HRCyxrUlbYR9g_aem_uE4gENiwTrhJDjY-kdYUhQ

Jacqui Louise Swallow is the author of The Bipolar Runner, which was published by Fairplay Publishing in October. She a dedicated mum and teacher's aide who has lived with bipolar disorder since her teenage years and more recently has also been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and generalised anxiety disorder.Now in her 40s, she has found running to be the most effective way to manage her symptoms. An enthusiastic park runner, in 2023 she took on the challenge of the Melbourne Marathon, embracing the 6+ hour endurance run at her own pace. Jacqui is an Ambassador for Parkrun, Beyond Blue, Run the Tan and Run for Mental Health. You can purchase the book here: https://www.fairplaypublishing.com.au/products/the-bipolar-runner

The Palestinian-Canadian UAE-based author, Nour Arab, founder and owner of Nour Publishing, member of Emirates Publishers Association, has broken all records in the children’s literature field by “creating a new methodology in writing children’s stories” Gulf Today newspaper, 2020. Inspired to see the world through the curious eyes of children, Arab has reflected the beautiful details that take place in every family home in the presence of a child in all her bilingual children’s stories.For more information, visit: http://www.nourpublishing.com/

DG Rampton is a bestselling author who loves to create feelgood romantic comedy, featuring intelligent heroines, dashing men and sparkling banter. An engineer by training but a romantic by nature, she left her corporate career to follow the call of her artistic inclinations and write stories that bring joy and laughter into people's lives.She has a penchant for gastro-dining, French comedy and theoretical physics. When not immersed in the fictional worlds she creates, she has been known to dabble in extreme property makeovers that send her family batty.For more information, visit: https://dgrampton.com/

Meg Keneally is a bestselling novelist, editor, journalist, writing teacher and book coach.She is the author of three solo novels - Free, The Wreck and Fled (optioned for film and currently in pre-production). Her screenplay adaptation of Fled has won numerous awards for unproduced screenplays. With her father Tom Keneally, she’s the author of four books in the Monsarrat series - The Soldier's Curse, The Unmourned, The Power Game and The Ink Stain. The fifth, The Valley of the Swells, is on the way. She has taught writing masterclasses around Australia, and has worked with fiction and non-fiction authors.For more information, visit: https://www.megkeneallybooks.com/

Bernadette Eden is the author of Women’s Fiction with heart and humour. Her novel Awaiting Annie Jones won the 2024 Romance Writers of Australia (RWA) Ruby award and had previously been longlisted for the Richell Prize and the (RWA) Emerald Award as well as being shortlisted for the QWC Publishable Program.Having grown up in rural South Australia, Bernadette’s books are often set in small towns and feature strong communities and the cast of characters within them.A passionate indie author she has also published a romantic comedy series titled The Molly Gardner Series.When not writing, Bernadette can be found feeding hungry teenagers at a local high school and working as an Assessment Co-ordinator for Writers SA. She is also a proud member of the Romance Writers of Australia and holds the position of Events Co-ordinator. For more information, visit: https://bernadetteeden.com.au/

Linda Johannesson is a marketing expert whose superpowers are asking powerful questions, having creative vision, and efficiently connecting the strategic dots. With a ‘get sh*t done’ approach, Linda helps service businesses and their founders to see and grow into their potential and possibility.She’s a Marketing and Growth Consultant, Author, Blogger, Book Marketing Strategist, Mentor, and Founder of The Growth Garden, a strategic branding, marketing, and growth agency that helps both businesses and bestsellers bloom!For more information, visit: https://www.growthgarden.au/

Based in Brisbane, Australia, Bev works with non-fiction authors as a Certified Non-Fiction Book Coach, helping them to plan a book well before diving into the writing process. She also works as a book production manager with independent authors – usually women in business – bringing their books to print after they have completed their manuscripts. Bev’s happy place definitely sits at the intersection of the power of publishing to grow a business, and the author’s personal growth in the process.For more information, visit: https://www.smartwomenpublish.com/

Jack Roney is a retired police officer and now crime fiction writer and podcaster. His four novels are published by Hawkeye Publishing. The Angels Wept was shortlisted in the Wattpad Awards while The Ghost Train & The Scarlet Moon was runner-up in Hawkeye’s Manuscript Development Prize. As co-host of the Genre Fiction Podcast, Jack interviews fellow authors and industry experts. Harry Colfer is the pseudonym of a critical care paramedic who lives and works in Brisbane. He uses his wealth of experience to write fictional but realistic medical stories that are always served up with a healthy dose of dark ambo humour. To date, he has published four novels in his ‘Tetralogy of Jono’ series, along with winning several short-story awards for his prequel Ambo Tales from the Frontline collection. He’s now taking a sabbatical from his day job and, like Jono, he’s decided to live on a yacht for a while…For more information, visit: https://www.jackroney.com.au/#/https://harrycolfer.com/

Liz H. Kelly is the Founder and CEO of Goody PR and Goody Business Book Awards, Award-Winning Author of “8-Second PR: New Public Relations Crash Course”, and Podcast Host, whose mission is to “Magnify Good.”As the author of three books, Kelly knows how hard it is to promote them. After submitting many Goody PR clients for book awards, Kelly noticed few programs recognize 100% social impact book authors. As a result, Kelly started the Goody Business Book Awards in 2022.Kelly’s Goody PR team has booked thousands of earned media interviews for clients, including the TODAY Show, CNN, BBC World News, PBS, NPR, and TIME.Kelly is a Johns Hopkins University Carey School of Business alumni from the Baltimore - Washington D.C. area, now lives in Los Angeles near the ocean and mountains, loves photography, and is an autism advocate. For more information, visit: https://goodypr.com/

Cyble Rizwan is a typesetter at Hembury Books. In this episode, she breaks down the processes behind book formatting, defines terminology like 'bleed', 'gutters' and 'margins', and shares her typesetting tips for indie designers.

Holly Deane-Johns is the author of Holly's Hell - Seven years in a Thai Prison, which was published by Hembury Books on 8 February 2024. In 2000, Holly was caught trying to post 15 grams of heroin in Bangkok and was sentenced to 31 years. Holly’s Hell describes the years she spent inside the notorious Thai prison and how she overcame her drug addiction. Holly is a speaker and community advocate on topics that include substance abuse, PTSD, mental health and domestic violence. For more information, visit: https://www.hollydeanejohns.com.au/

David Kadavy is the bestselling author of Mind Management, Not Time Management, The Heart to Start, and Design for Hackers. His self-published books have sold more than 100,000 copies, and are being translated into a dozen languages. His weekly newsletter, Love Mondays, has over 10,000 subscribers. David lives in a cabin in the mountains outside Medellín, Colombia. For more information, visit: https://kadavy.net/

Sean Alexander is the international best-selling author of Sober On A Drunk Planet - Giving Up Alcohol. He is a qualified Counsellor specialising in alcohol and drug addiction, a Strength & Conditioning Coach, a Yoga Instructor and a Financial Advisor. His holistic approach to recovery has been hailed as truly life-changing by those who have read his books and have put the work in. Whether you’re newly sober, considering quitting alcohol, or supporting a loved one in their recovery, Sean’s work offers invaluable support and encouragement.Having previously been locked up in a psychiatric ward for alcohol and drug addiction, he has rebuilt his life through his sobriety and now helps build strong bodies and minds through his professional and personal experience. He also uses all the spare time he has acquired from being alcohol-free to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a professional golfer. He spends his spare time helping people get sober through the Sober On A Drunk Planet Community, playing golf, going to the gym and enjoys doing all the things he couldn't do when he was hungover For more information, visit: https://www.soberonadrunkplanet.com/

Porscia Lam is a Melbourne lawyer and the author of The Unlocking, which will be published in February 2025 by the Kind Press. The Unlocking unfolds in pandemic-stricken Melbourne, charting one family's desperate battle against the escalating behaviour of their autistic toddler. Amid the lack of in-person services, Harry exhibits severely restricted eating, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, crippling separation anxiety, and a demand avoidance that impedes every function in his young life. Harry meets the description of Pathological Demand Avoidance, a sub-type of autism that is not yet recognised in Australia, where an individual exhibits an anxiety-based need for control by avoiding the ordinary demands of living. During a break between lockdowns, and with much trepidation, the family embark upon a journey with applied behaviour analysis (ABA) therapy. ABA is an intensive therapy considered the gold standard in early intervention for autism, but with a controversial past. The outcome is life-changing. Beneath the veil of dysfunction and anxiety, they discover an outrageously creative, highly intelligent, and hilarious little boy. For more information, visit https://porscialam.com/about/

Lincoln Rawlin’s first book, Sprout’s Idea, was published when he was just eight years old. It has become an international sensation, with the backing of none other than Andy Griffiths, the author of the bestselling 13-Storey Treehouse series, inspiring young and old alike to be more conscious of the words they speak and their actions around others. Lincoln recently published the second book in the series, Super Sprout. In it, he combines his love of superheroes with a story that highlights the power of embracing what makes you unique. Super Sprout has been endorsed by Jackie French, the international bestselling author of the beloved Diary of a Wombat and dozens of other titles. For more information, visit: https://www.facebook.com/sproutsidea/

Andrea Barton is an award-winning author and fiction editor who writes the Jade Riley mystery series. Starting with The Godfather of Dance, A Killer Among Friends is book two. She runs Brightside Story Studio, a book editing business for fiction and memoir and is vice president of Mansfield Readers & Writers. Her other writing credits include The Winding Narrative blog, several short stories, two picture books and nine stage productions about contemporary social issues. She has co-authored and edited two anthologies about expatriate life. For more info, visit www.andreabartonauthor.com

Mark Whittaker is a Walkley Award winning journalist and author who has authored, co-authored and/or ghostwritten 14 books. His true crime titles include Granny Killer and Sins of the Brother: the Definitive Story of Ivan Milat and the Backpacker Murders and Love and Death in Kathmandu about the royal family massacre in Nepal. Mark has been a regular freelance contributor to Good Weekend magazine and he is currently senior features writer for Forbes Australia. He shares how these fascinating true crime projects came about, how it affected him psychologically, and the occasions when it led to dangerous situations, such as being followed along a country highway by Ivan Milat's brother. Learn more about Mark Whittaker here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-whittaker-b8791675/

Amra Pajalić is an award-winning author, editor and teacher who draws on her Bosnian cultural heritage to write own voices stories for young people, who like her, are searching to mediate their identity and take pride in their diverse culture. Amra Pajalić won the 2009 Melbourne Prize for Literature's Civic Choice Award for her debut novel The Good Daughter, re-released as Sabiha's Dilemma. The anthology she co-edited, Growing up Muslim in Australia, was shortlisted for the 2015 Children's Book Council of the year awards and her memoir Things Nobody Knows But Me was shortlisted for the 2020 National Biography Award. For more information, visit https://www.amrapajalic.com/

Alex Adsett is a literary agent and publishing consultant with almost 30 years’ experience. She has worked at S&S UK, Penguin Australia and Wiley and launched Alex Adsett Literary in 2008. She represents over 40 authors and illustrators, including Melissa Lucashenko, Peter Greste, Jodi McAlister and Isobelle Carmody. She has also helped thousands of authors review and negotiate their publishing deals. For more information, visit https://alexadsett.com.au/

Casey Rae is the author of James and Elle: Part-memoir, Part-fiction which came out in February this year. She lives on the mid north coast of NSW with her husband and two wildflower children. She is passionate about good food, wellbeing and creating a better future for our young people. With fifteen years of experience working in education, she knows how important it is for people to have access to engaging literature that promotes deep thinking around mental health and relationships.    Casey talks to Hembury Books about the genres of hybrid memoir and autofiction, and why she made the decision to write a hybrid memoir rather than a work of either fiction or memoir. For more information, visit https://www.caseyraeauthor.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/casey-rae-thompson-b0246262/

Blake Atwood is a book coach, developmental editor, and ghostwriter based in Texas. He has partnered with nonfiction authors like James Clear of Atomic Habits, who thanked Blake in the acknowledgements section of his bestselling book "for transforming my ugly and insanely long first drafts into a tight, readable manuscript." More recently, Blake worked with the attorney and communications expert whose videos have gone viral, Jefferson Fisher. Together they crafted The Next Conversation, which is coming out in March through the Penguin imprint Tarcherperigee. Learn more about Blake Atwood here: https://blakeatwood.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/blakeatwood/

Adam Courtenay is an author and business journalist who has written five non-fiction books including Amazon Men, published in the UK by Endeavour Press (2015), as well as The Ship that Never Was (2018) The Ghost and the Bounty Hunter (2020) and Three Sheets in the Wind (2022) for Harper Collins imprint, ABC Books. Adam had extensive experience working on manuscripts for private clients, which involve all facets of book writing, structuring and positioning. He believes history has been badly taught and is often poorly written. His style involves a reinterpretation and reworking of space, time and character in history and in non-fiction books in general. Many of the techniques more often used in fiction can be deployed in the non-fiction arena to bring true stories both back to life and back to relevance. At the heart of it is the depiction of ‘character’ and the judicious use of ‘show and tell’ techniques, which guide and control all the story-telling. Courtenay specialises in all forms of non-fiction writing. He is currently writing a memoir of his father, acclaimed author Bryce Courtenay, which will be published by Hachette Australia in August 2025. For more information, visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-courtenay-39464838/?originalSubdomain=au

Jessica Friedmann is the author of a new book about tarot in contemporary culture called 22 Impressions: Notes from the Major Arcana. It was published by Scribe in October. Her first book was published in 2017 and it is called Things That Helped and it is a memoir of essays describing her recovery from postpartum depression. Jessica is based in Melbourne and she is also a freelance editor for Hembury Books. Her other editing roles have included top publications like Lonely Planet, Dumbo Feather and Farrago. She was formerly the publications manager at peak body, Australian Poetry. Her writing has appeared in Australian Financial Review, The Guardian, LitHub, The Lifted Brow and The Age, among others. Learn more here: https://www.jessicafriedmann.com/