“Too much information kills tension. But showing – through dialogue, active sentences, strong word choice and carefully chosen visceral reactions – pulls the reader into the story and makes them an active participant rather than a bored onlooker.”

Take a look at what we’ve read in September – a complex thriller, a meditation on grief, an addictive page-turner, a piece on Antarctic moss, a book of essays and more!

“All kinds of romances have this complex journey (inward and outward) for the characters, with emotional investment from me, the reader, and a feel-good ending. Reading a happy ending makes a reader happy – and who doesn’t want to be happy?”

‘These days nearly all my friends are writers. Much of the joy in my life comes from our conversations about books, our introspective lives, and our work. It also comes from witnessing their efforts and celebrating their successes.’

“I don’t write books with the intent of sending a message – if you write a great story there will be themes and ideas that shine through naturally.”

Take a look at what we’ve read in August – a compelling ode to Sarajevo, a contemplative literary novel, a new voice in Aussie crime, a haunting short story, a middle grade adventure and more!

‘Playing with quicksilver is what poets do. Like children gently prodding the mercury and marvelling at the weightlessness of what appears heavy, the fleetness of what should be slow, the formation of one from what was many, poets do not feel the danger their material conceals …’

Take a look at what we’ve read in July – a middle grade First Nations story, a postmodern reimagining of a classic, a book told from a painting’s perspective and more!

Take a look at the great things we’ve listened to in May