In this final episode for 2025, I'm talking to a debut Aussie author whose book is being touted as one of the biggest releases of the summer.
If you loved Netflix’s The Crown and devoured all the drama when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped away from the royal family and have wondered what that might have looked like behind the scenes, then this is the perfect book for you.
It’s been released simultaneously here, the UK and the US and is already enjoying some incredible notoriety in the early weeks following publication.
The book is ‘The Heir Apparent’ by Rebecca Armitage - a Tasmanian author and ABC journalist - who, it will not surprise you to learn, has reported extensively on the royal family in the course of her work.
After positively inhaling the book , I am in awe of Rebecca’s immense talent and am more than a little thrilled to have had the chance to chat for the podcast recently.
Michael Burge is an author and journalist who lives at Deepwater in the New England region of NSW.
His debut novel ‘Tank Water’ was inspired by old family stories and explores the shameful legacy of unsolved gay-hate crimes, set in a fictional rural community - not unlike the place Michael calls home.
‘Dirt Trap’ is a follow-up to ‘Tank Water’ - though it can be read as a stand alone. A brilliant example of the rural noir novel Australians have come to love in recent years, but with Michael’s unique angle exploring the complexity and diversity of Australian country towns.
A tense, compelling and rich story, 'Dirt Trap' is about one man’s dogged pursuit of justice and a town having to come clean of generations of secrets.
Without a doubt - a five star read!
And was delighted to welcome Michael to the podcast recently to chat about his work amongst many other things.
Libby Iriks is a Perth-based author and former Commissioning Editor of Romance for a boutique publishing house in the UK.
Combining her passion for story and romance has resulted in publication of her debut novel ‘Home to the Heart Country’ - a moving, beautifully romantic story about one woman’s quest to uncover her identity and a sense of belonging.
Released at the end of November 2025 by HQ Fiction, ‘Home to the Heart Country’ heralds a bright future for this rising star.
I enjoyed a wonderful chat with Libby for the podcast recently.
The last time I chatted with Pamela Cook for the podcast was back in 2019 - to celebrate her self-published release 'Cross My Heart'.
Six years later and 'Cross My Heart' is being re-released by Vinci Books and I took the opportunity to talk to Pamela about her journey from traditional published author, to indie publishing and back to traditional and the lessons she's learned along the way.
An illuminating discussion about the highs and lows of the writing life and what happens if you keep writing and stay open to new opportunities.
I loved this chat and hope you will too.
Brooke Crawford is a Melbourne based author of the terrific debut novel ‘Better Than the Real Thing’ published by HQ Fiction.
Described as ‘Notting Hill’ meets ‘Bridget Jones’ Baby’ this novel is smart, pacy, funny, drama filled and utterly romantic.
I can’t recommend it highly enough!!
The perfect summer read and one I suspect will be filling Christmas stockings around the country before too long.
I enjoyed a wonderful chat with Brooke about her wonderful novel for the podcast recently.
Darry Fraser is a bestselling Australian author of some twenty books the latest of which is 'The Adventuress of Albany'.
Published by HQ Fiction, 'The Adventuress of Albany ' follows Molly Bentley who in 1881 chafes against the constraints of English society and with her father's help ventures to the unknown in the bustling port city of Albany in Western Australia. What starts out as a quest for freedom turns into perilous journey where secrets are revealed and loyalties tested.
A brilliant new novel from one of Australia's most loved historical fiction authors.
Join Cassie Hamer as she chats with Darry about her longstanding career and the inspiration for her work.
Darcy Green is a Melbourne-based queer author whose debut novel 'After the Siren' (Penguin) has got readers hot under the collar for all the right reasons.
A footy rom-com inspired by Darcy's own love of AFL and experience as a player, 'After the Siren' is a delightfully playful, sexy novel that will leave you wanting more.
To learn more about Darcy and their book, tune in to this marvellous chat Cassie Hamer recently enjoyed with this talented author and exciting new voice in the Aussie rom-com space.
Fiona McKenzie Kekic's debut novel ‘Eva Reddy’s Trip of a Lifetime’ was published by HQ Fiction earlier this year and what a cracker novel it is!
A tale about one middle-aged woman’s quest to get back to the person she knew she could be. A literal and figurative journey set between Sydney and India that had me laughing out loud.
Funny, insightful and heartwarming, this is a book you'll want to rip through at breakneck speed, but which should be savoured and appreciated like a wonder tour.
A terrific debut from a truly talented story teller.
Ky Garvey is a Brisbane-based author and host of the Totally Lit Podcast. A podcast dedicated to the celebration of reading, writing and creating literature.
With 100 episodes on offer right now, Ky has chatted with a wide-range of authors, industry professionals and booksellers while also managing to showcase events and other happenings that are important to her.
Things like the Totally Lit Micro Fiction Prize which Ky instigated last year to provide opportunities and exposure for Aussie creatives along with the AuthorPenPals program and Books in Homes amongst others.
Ky is the author of the kids picture book ‘Easy Peasey’ which was published by EK Books in 2023. In addition, Ky has won or been shortlisted in a number of writing competitions which include the Hunter Writers Centre Grieve Project.
'The One Remaining' (Fearless Press) is Paula McLean's debut novel.
A stunningly written story about a novelist coming to terms with the grief and trauma she experienced as a child as she works through the writing of her memoir.
As the first book published by new publishing imprint Fearless Books, it heralds the start of a new and exciting chapter in the lives of novelist Paula McLean and her publisher daughter Ginny Grant.
I thoroughly enjoyed my chat with Paula recently for the podcast.
With thanks to Fearless Press for the opportunity to interview Paula.
Rhonda McCoy is a Tasmanian-based author whose debut novel 'Crow' was released by Ventura Press recently.
A gripping family drama combined with medical intrigue, 'Crow' explores the tragic death of Harold Crow following routine surgery and the dark secrets his death exposes that threaten to tear two families apart.
Cassie Hamer enjoyed a wide-ranging, insightful and deeply touching chat with Rhonda about her inspiration for 'Crow' along with her journey to publishing success.
Amy Hutton is a Sydney-based author who grew up on the northern beaches and became an award-winning television producer. But about 7 years ago now, Amy gave up her job in network television to pursue her love of writing.
‘Sit Stay Love’ - Amy’s first novel - was published by Simon & Schuster in 2023 and Amy followed that up with her second novel ‘Love from Scratch’ only a year later.
Amy describes herself as the writer of swoony love stories. And having read all three of her books now, I can definitely attest to the veracity of that description.
I was thrilled to welcome Amy to Talking Aussie Books recently to talk about the publication of her third novel ‘Ghosted’ - a delightfully dark and sexy paranormal romance publised by Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
I recently had the pleasure of chatting to author Holly Cardamone about her sparkling debut novel 'Summer, In Between' (Hawkeye Publishing).
When not writing Holly runs a boutique communications and writing consultancy from Melbourne where she helps people tell their story and grow their brand.
‘Summer, In Between’ won the 2024 Hawkeye Publishing Manuscript Development Prize and has now been officially released into the world.
An evocative coming of age novel, Holly has captured the essence of a beachside Australian summer along with the teenage angst of being no longer a child, but not yet an adult.
Its about teenage romance and future dreams. About family, cultural identity and about belonging.
A gorgeously uplifting novel and thoroughly enjoyable read and a chat well worth listening to.
Katharine Pollock holds a PhD in creative writing from Western Sydney University and is the Program Manager at Writing NSW.
Katharine contributes regularly to 'The Guardian' online and has been published by Fremantle Press, Vitagraph Publishing and 'Folly Journal' amongst many others.
Katharine’s debut novel ‘Her Fidelity’ was published by Penguin Random House in 2022 - a book I loved and for which Katharine and I had a fabulous conversation for the podcast a couple of years ago.
But this year, Katharine has a new novel out.
‘Starry Eyed’ recently published by Wakefield Press is a delightfully clever, humorous - sometimes laugh-out-loud novel about one woman’s quest to figure out who she is and more importantly who she wants to be.
I thoroughly enjoyed my recent chat with Katharine about this book and how she came to be writing it.
For information on the upcoming Writing NSW Course mentioned during the interview, see:
January Gilchrist is a Brisbane-based author and mother of two whose debut thriller 'The Final Chapter' was recently published by HQ Fiction.
An atmospheric locked-room thriller reminiscent of an Agatha Christie novel, 'The Final Chapter' was inspired by January’s stint at the prestigious Varuna Writer’s House in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney and her desire to write about women reclaiming their own narratives.
Compelling, page-turning and a little spooky, this book was right up my alley.
A thoroughly enjoyable read which has been aptly described as ‘Benjamin Stevenson meets Nine Perfect Stangers’.
Tune in as Cassie Hamer chats to Angie Faye Martin about her incredible debut novel 'Melaleuca' published by HQ Fiction.
An evocative, dual time line crime novel that draws on Angie's Indigenous heritage and explores themes of identity as well as racism, intergenerational trauma and corruption.
A propulsive read from a refreshing new voice in Australian fiction.
A wonderful interview which I hope you'll enjoy as much as I did.
Alison Booth writing as AL Booth is the author of 8 novels that include titles such as 'A Distant Land', 'The Indigo Sky', 'Stillwater Creek', 'The Painting' and 'Bellevue' amongst others.
Born in Melbourne and raised in Sydney, Alison is not only a novelist, but an award-winning academic and emeritus professor at the Australian National University in Canberra. Alison is a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and can not only write terrific fiction, but has published extensively in scientific journals.
A woman of many talents.
Alison’s latest novel ‘Death at Booroomba’ is published by Ventura Press and is in fact Alison’s first foray into crime fiction.
An evocative and immersive story that blends a murder mystery with meticulous research to paint an accurate picture of life in a small town in 1919 along with the political and societal issues facing Australians at that time.
I was delighted to chat with Alison about her new book recently for the podcast.
Apologies to all the Jason Bourne fans out there, but there's a new guy on the block - an Aussie ex-cop turned vigilante called Jack Carlin.
He's starred in other books, but 'High Rise', the new action-packed heart-in-your-mouth thriller from Melbourne-based author Gabriel Bergmoser, is Jack's most death-defying challenge yet.
From the top floor of a crumbling Melbourne high rise building, Jack has to find a way to get his daughter Morgan to safety and in the process battle an army of bounty-hunters eager to claim the price on his head.
From the bestselling author that brought you 'The Hunted' 'The Caretaker' and 'The Hitchhiker', 'High Rise' is a thrilling, page-turning story.
Tune in to this incredibly entertaining chat with a master thriller writer.
Kimberley Freeman is an award-winning bestselling author of some thirty novels across a variety of genres.
Based in Brisbane, Kimberley is a senior lecturer at the University of Queensland and this year her new novel 'The Secret Year of Zara Holt' was published by Hachette Australia.
A novel inspired by the life of Dame Zara Bate - fashion designer and business woman - known as the wife of Australia's 17th prime minister, Harold Holt, who disappeared off the coast of Portsea and whose body was never recovered.
'The Secret Life of Zara Holt' is a poignant, compelling story of love, scandal and betrayal that stretched across more than forty years and the passionate bond that kept Zara imagining that Harold would find his way back to her.
A captivating read from an exceptional story-teller.
Cassie had a fascinating, wide-ranging chat with Kimberly about this incredible novel. Do tune in.
Marcia van Zeller is a Canadian-born writer who arrived in Australia in the 1980s and embarked on a long career in journalism and professional writing.
Completing her first novel as part of her PhD thesis back in 2015, Marcia's second novel 'Be A Good Girl Valerie' was recently published by Ventura Press.
Exploring issues arising from toxic masculinity in the work place and the often very real consequences for women who stand up for their own rights as well as the rights of other women, 'Be A Good Girl Valerie' is both timely and topical.
Cassie Hamer recently welcomed Marcia to the podcast to chat about the novel and some of Marcia's real-life experiences that inspired Valerie's story.
A truly insightful and informative episode.